I have revised this on May 2, H28.
For now, Princess Elizabeth has been entrusted to Joshua, and Alicia and I left the Kahn Trading Company with a sense of relief.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” I said.
“I’m certainly tired too. So, what are your plans from here on out?” Alicia asked.
“First, we’ll return to the Princess Harem’s base mansion and report to everyone, then I’ll head to the Raymond Trading Company to report to my father,” I replied.
“Well, that’s a reasonable decision. Understood,” she said.
Distance-wise, both the Kahn Trading Company and the Raymond Trading Company are in the commercial district of the Imperial Capital Granza, making them closer than the Princess Harem’s base mansion, which is in the suburbs. However, regarding Princess Elizabeth’s situation, my father knows nothing, so psychologically, the Princess Harem’s base mansion felt closer.
We were thoroughly searched at the checkpoint when we left the castle gates, but since we weren’t carrying anything suspicious, we passed without any problems.
It turned out that the significant traffic congestion on the main road was largely due to these checks. After that, we moved smoothly and soon arrived at the Princess Harem’s base mansion.
I drove the carriage onto the grounds of the base mansion and stopped at the entrance.
I let Alicia out first, and then I parked the carriage.
When I opened the door to the base mansion, the doorbell chimed cheerfully as usual, and Freya greeted us.
“Welcome back, Hal, and Alicia. Everyone is waiting in the living room on the first floor.”
“Thank you, Freya,” I replied.
Accompanied by Alicia and Freya, I headed for the living room on the first floor.
All the members of the Princess Harem, except for Freya who had greeted us, were gathered in the living room.
“Hal, how did it go?” Elise, who seemed to be the second-in-command, stood up and asked on behalf of everyone, confirming the details of our interaction with Joshua.
“For now, I met with Joshua and explained Princess Elizabeth’s situation, securing his cooperation,” I explained.
“Then what happened to Princess Elizabeth?” Elise asked, seemingly concerned that I hadn’t brought her with me.
“She’s been entrusted to Joshua. He’ll contact us when the arrangements are made for her audience with Emperor Henry,” I replied.
“What about contact information?” Lucien asked this time.
“The contact point is the Raymond Trading Company, and Alicia will be waiting there. We plan to attend the audience with Joshua, Alicia, Princess Elizabeth, and myself, making it four people. After that, I’ll be making a quick trip back to the Raymond Trading Company to report to my father,” I explained.
“…So, for the time being, Princess Elizabeth is out of our hands, isn’t she?” Lucien confirmed with a hint of relief.
“Yes, that’s right. Do you have any other questions?” I asked.
“Is this Joshua Kahn fellow trustworthy?” Kirika asked.
“From my perspective, it wouldn’t be a problem even if Joshua were to betray us,” I stated.
“Why is that?” Kirika pressed, her gaze intense.
“The worst-case scenario is that we get caught along with Princess Elizabeth. If Joshua outsmarts us and delivers Princess Elizabeth to the White Castle, it won’t be a problem as long as there are no actual damages,” I explained.
“Kirika… Princess Elizabeth was revived by Hal’s Resurrection Magic, and furthermore, she’s bound by Slave Contract Magic, so she can’t escape now,” Elise added.
“On top of that, there’s a binding force in the ‘Daughter-Sister Pact’!” Lucien also chimed in.
“So, it was indeed a ‘Ritual Magic,’ wasn’t it?” Elise said, looking convinced.
“Yes, we performed it according to the Waiyar Imperial Family’s secret ‘Ritual Magic.’ It’s said to be based on ancient laws, and even commoners can use it,” Lucien explained, puffing out her chest regarding the “Daughter-Sister Pact.”
In the end, Princess Elizabeth was entangled by us in three ways.
“Anything else?” I asked, looking around.
“Hal, we have the adventure plan to Portland ready!” Elise said with a beaming smile, handing me the plan.
“Thank you, Elise. We’ll proceed with this after Princess Elizabeth’s matter is settled,” I said.
After receiving the plan from Elise, Alicia and I headed to the Raymond Trading Company.
Upon arriving at the Raymond Trading Company, after confirming with the receptionist that my father was in his office on the fourth floor, we headed straight there.
I lightly knocked on my father’s office door. “Who is it?” came my father’s voice. “It’s Hal,” I replied. “Come in,” he granted permission, so I opened the door.
“Hal, you’re late… I’ve received a call from Joshua Kahn regarding Princess Elizabeth.”
“Is that so? Well, we were just explaining things to the relevant parties,” I replied.
“You seem to have bad luck, huh… Well, both of you, please sit on this sofa.”
When I reported what I had explained to Joshua to my father, it matched what my father had heard, so there were no further inquiries.
Since Princess Elizabeth’s situation was beyond my capabilities, reporting it to my father was the right decision.
Furthermore, Joshua’s prompt response was truly remarkable.
“By the way, what are your plans from now on? I must admit, I don’t have any acquaintances with the Espana Royal Family,” he said.
“My only concern is that Princess Elizabeth, whom we protected, returns safely,” I replied.
“Indeed. If we get greedy here, nothing good will come of it. I agree with your opinion,” he said.
“And father, I was greatly helped by a female friend I made previously during this matter. Once Princess Elizabeth’s situation is resolved, I promised to accompany her on an adventure trip as a thank you.”
“Oh, are you referring to Elise and the others who stayed at our house before?” he asked.
“You figured it out. That’s correct,” I replied.
“So, how far are you planning to go?” he inquired.
“We plan to travel through the Great Forest Zone, which we adventured in before, head to the Old Kamiyar Holy Nation, pass through the Old Kingdom of Sazania, and reach the Portland Castle Ruins in the Old Kingdom of Portland,” I replied.
“Hmm… You’re going quite far. Isn’t the Old Kingdom of Portland in the Southern Nations?” he mused.
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
“No, it’s important to gain various experiences while you’re young. You’re currently still an apprentice at the Raymond Trading Company, so you’re essentially out of the company’s headcount. Gaining experience now is a good thing. Be careful and go,” he said.
“Thank you, Father,” I replied.
With that, the report to my father concluded without issue. As Alicia was leaving the office, my father called me back.
“Hal, come here for a moment!”
“What is it, Father!?”
“Here, I’ll give this to you.”
My father took a metal plate in a paulownia box from his desk drawer.
The metal plate was likely made of Mithril, with a complex pattern of thorns and roses intertwined on its surface.
“That’s a beautiful metal plate… Is it Mithril?” I asked.
“This is… a one-day VIP ticket to ‘A Drop of Rose,’ the most luxurious brothel in the entertainment district of Kamiyan, the capital of the Old Kamiyar Holy Nation. You can have your choice of a high-class prostitute for the night,” he explained.
“Eh!? Why are you giving me something like this!?”
“I know that you and Alicia have already slept together. I had actually planned to take you to a brothel before your wedding night to teach you how to be with women, but Shakura objected… She said it would be better to let things happen naturally. However, I suspect you’ve exhausted all the positions you’ve figured out together by now. So, I thought I’d let you learn some new techniques,” he said.
“Thank you, Father. I’ll accept it without hesitation then,” I replied.
Saying so, I accepted the one-day VIP ticket to the high-class brothel from my father and left the office.
Now, all that’s left is to wait for contact from Joshua. That day, Alicia and I diligently worked on paperwork at the Raymond Trading Company.
