(I wonder when this will end.)
Kent was praying for the king’s long-winded congratulatory speech to end soon. However, his wish was not granted, and the king continued his speech. Since it was the king’s address to the nation, the attendees listened intently.
“Kent-san, is something wrong?”
“Huh? Oh. There’s just something that’s been bothering me.”
Marie, noticing the slight worry on Kent’s face, spoke to him in a low voice. However, since it wasn’t something to discuss in front of everyone, Kent hedged his answer.
“…I pray that all the citizens can stay healthy throughout this year.”
After a while, the king’s long speech finally concluded. As he finished, the royalty waved and exited from the balcony. Following them, relatives including the Duke, and then those in key positions including Catherine, entered the building in order, leaving the balcony empty.
“The exit is this way. Please proceed slowly as it can be dangerous.”
Then, the exit doors opened, and the people inside the venue began to leave one by one.
“Older brother, what should we do now?”
“It’s possible it’s just a simple case of feeling unwell, so we should gather information first. Let’s head back to the shop for now.”
“It seems we’ll need Al-chan and Emily-san’s cooperation too, so that might be for the best.”
Kent discussed with Rachel, and they decided to return to Marie’s Bakery for the time being.
“Kent-san, Rachel-chan, what’s wrong? You seem to be in such a hurry.”
“Marie-san, something a bit concerning might have happened. I can’t talk about it here, so we’re going back to the shop.”
“I don’t quite understand, but it seems urgent. I understand. Let’s go back.”
Sensing that something was amiss from Kent and Rachel’s expressions, Marie decided to accompany them back to the shop without further questioning.
“Older brother, if you want to get information from inside the castle, why not try contacting Catherine-chan?”
“That’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?”
Rachel asked Kent on their way back.
“You know how I told you my terminal was flagged during the baggage check? I called Catherine for help then. It seems her smartphone battery died during that call.”
Kent tried to call Catherine’s smartphone from his terminal, but only received a recorded message from Emily’s voice stating that the phone was either turned off or out of reach.
“You’re right. Hmm, then what about Patty-san?”
“Come to think of it, Patty was also at the castle, wasn’t she? Maybe we can get information from her.”
At Rachel’s suggestion, Kent tried calling Patty’s smartphone.
“No luck, huh…”
Catherine had charged her smartphone right up until the last possible moment before leaving her home. However, Patty’s situation was different; her home lacked electrical facilities, making it impossible to charge her smartphone. Normally, she used the shop’s power, but she didn’t do it every day, only when the battery level was low. Kent recalled that she hadn’t charged it on the last day she worked. Unlike Catherine’s phone, which had been charged until the last minute, Patty’s phone might have run out of battery sooner. Listening to Emily’s impassive automated voice, Kent cancelled the call.
The four of them hurried back to Marie’s Bakery and settled at a table in the dining space. A whiteboard was mounted on the wall beside their seats, usually used for recommending menu items. Rachel, however, erased all the writing on it.
“I’ll write down the current situation. Doing this will make it easier to grasp the circumstances and should improve our efficiency.”
With that, Rachel wrote down the names of those currently at the shop: Kent, Marie, Rachel, and Hanako. Beside them, she wrote Catherine and Patty’s names, followed by a cross. Further along, she listed the names Al, Emily, Caro, Josette, and Elnet.
“So, what happened?”
Marie, sensing something was up due to Rachel’s uncharacteristic actions, inquired.
“I don’t have solid proof yet, but it seems Lord Gordon might have contracted a disease unique to royalty.”
“Huh? You mean that mysterious illness that’s said to only affect royalty? I heard that’s supposedly what the previous king died from. But the king’s speech today mentioned him feeling unwell?”
Marie looked surprised at Rachel’s words.
“Ah, that’s why I don’t have solid proof. That’s why I judged it necessary to gather information. We can’t go directly into the castle to ask, so I wanted to gather everyone here to discuss our next steps.”
Kent explained why he had called everyone to the shop.
“So, with that said, some people might be unreachable because it’s New Year’s, but we need to try and contact everyone we can to gather them.”
Kent outlined his immediate priorities.
“Then I’ll try contacting Caro.”
“I’ll try Al and Emily.”
“Then I’ll… Huh? Are you asking me to contact both Josette-san and Elnet-san?”
“I’m hungry.”
They each decided on who they would try to contact.
“Hmm. Caro might be outside of town. I think she mentioned a party at a noble’s mansion in the next town.”
Rachel ended the call on her smartphone and marked a cross next to Caro’s name on the whiteboard.
“Oh, Al? Actually…”
When Kent called Al, she answered immediately. It turned out she was out in town with Emily. When Kent explained the situation, she readily agreed to return to the shop. After hanging up, Kent drew a circle next to Al and Emily’s names on the whiteboard.
“Josette-san… isn’t answering. Elnet-san also… doesn’t seem to be picking up.”
Since the Duke’s family has electrical facilities, their smartphones should have been charging. Although they didn’t answer, the ringing indicated they were within reception range, meaning they were in town. It was possible they had left their smartphones at the mansion and gone elsewhere, so Marie placed a triangle next to Josette and Elnet’s names.
“Munch, munch.”
Hanako, meanwhile, was happily eating food she had brought from the kitchen.
“Welcome back. Al and Emily have returned.”
A little time later, Al and Emily arrived.
“I apologize for calling you out while you were out having fun. The reason I called you here is…”
Kent explained the current situation to Al and Emily.
“You mean that thing we went on a fairy subjugation mission for with Rachel-sama before?”
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong, but we didn’t actually subjugate anything.”
At Rachel’s suggestion, Kent had secured a cure in advance for an event where a royalty-specific illness might occur. Al had accompanied him then. Although the mission had failed due to her interference, they had managed to achieve their objective through forceful means. That was the prior context.
“Ah, that’s right, you three went out together around autumn. So that’s what that was about.”
Emily recalled the incident and seemed to understand.
“So, if our predictions are correct and it is indeed the royalty-specific illness, the medicine we prepared should resolve it. But right now, we lack information and can’t grasp the situation. Therefore, Al and Emily, I need you to investigate this.”
“Master. I don’t mind, but isn’t there someone more suitable here?”
When Kent asked Al and Emily to investigate, Al pointed at Hanako and said.
“Hmm, then I’ll know right away.”
” ” “What?” ” ”
Hanako’s quiet words surprised everyone.
*Ring, ring*
“Oh, it’s a call. Um, it’s Elnet.”
The moment Hanako spoke, Marie’s smartphone chimed with an incoming call. The caller was Elnet.
