Arc 26: What can be done for tomorrow

Chapter 257: The Queen and the Blessing of Life

The Castle of Elfrau retains a moderate temperature. Have they applied warming magic on it? Theres nothing like a fireplace in the guest room Ive been guided to despite it being considerably spacious. Is It fully equipped with floor-heating and air-heating magic?

Ive seen a few castles like the one in Belfast, Misumido or Regulus, but Elfrau castle is more beautiful than they are. I feel its non-gaudy charm in the delicate workmanship applied to it, and the design of its interior separates it from those that are intended to be luxurious despite it being conservative.

Perhaps I should say that its the loveliness of silver instead of gold.

As I sit on a sofa I was recommended to sit on, a maid-san then comes in, bringing tea. Its accompanied by a small bowl of red jam and a small spoon.

It really looks like Russian tea. Im certain Ive read about it somewhere. The tea is supposed to be enjoyed not by pouring the jam into it, but by tasting the jam first and then drinking the tea together with it, right?

I dont know the right way to do it, but when I try drinking the tea that way, its sourness coupled with the sweetness of the jam mix become quite delicious.

First of all, I wish to express my gratitude for taking on the request and fulfilling the subjugation of the Sunora Wolf. While it might have been sudden, I also thank you for dealing with it swiftly. Of course, youll properly receive your reward(Foltuna)

Ah, Yes. I thank you for that very much(Touya)

Her Majesty The Queen, whos sitting in front of me, bows very deeply, so I end up giving a dull reply devoid of tension.

Seeing that, Her Majesty smiles at me.

Youve heard about the request from Rerisha, havent you? (Foltuna)

Hmm? Are you, by chance, acquainted with Guild Master Rerisha-san?(Touya)

Both of them are elves, so that might make them acquaintances in a certain sense. Come to think of it, Guild Master Rerisha-san might have contacted me personally because the Queen-sama is an elf. I wonder if thats something I could ask.

I continue eating the jam and drinking a mouthful of tea while thinking about that.

Shes my niece rather than acquaintance. To be precise, shes the daughter of my younger sister(Foltuna)

I very forcefully gulp down the tea which promised to spill out it. A niece?! That Rerisha-san is a niece to the Queen of Elfrau?

Her Majesty The Queen chuckles. Has she guessed that I was THAT surprised?

Rerisha is certainly my niece, but she has no relation to Elfrau. Thats right Your Majesty, Havent you considered why I, whos an elf, am the Queen of Elfrau?(Foltuna)

Eh? Yes, I guess I have(Touya)

Its no use even if I hide it so I obediently nod.

Elfrau is a country which was founded about 1200 years ago, but the land was completely unfit for people to live on. However, this land was reclaimed thanks to the power of an adventurer and the Frau tribe who had been washed up here from a ruined country of those days. Afterwards, the country Elfrau was then founded(Foltuna)

An adventurer, you say?(Touya)

Yes. His name was El Caltered. He became the first king of this country as well as my husband(Foltuna)

Eh?!(Touya)

Husband?! But the country was founded 1200 years ago Dont tell me Her Majesty The Queen has been living since those days?!

The name Elfrau comes from both his name and the name of the tribe that followed him. After he had died, it was just me, his wife and adventurer like him who was capable of supporting this country. The family head of the Frau tribe had recommended me as well, so It had been decided that Id take the throne as the queen. Since then up until now, Ive been supporting this country as its ruler (Foltuna)

Forgive my rudeness, but the children between you and the King-sama(Touya)

There are none. Ive thought many times if only we had had one before he passed away(Foltuna)

Well, long-living species like elves can postpone the problem with regards to the inheritance of the throne for a very long time. Its the same for His Majesty The Demon King of Zenoasu. Though they do have a tentative heir whos a muscle-head.

I wonder how it will turn out for us. With how things are going, assuming that I wont die from longevity after evolving into a god, Ill be enthroned for many thousands of years. As expected, it may be better to hand over the throne to my son the usual way and retire to Babylon.

Though I dont know whom among my nine wives will that son of mine be born to. Naturally, if that son of mine, or maybe my grandchild, wont govern this country properly Ill come down to see him and give him a piece of my mind.

It mustve been difficult to govern a country for more than 1200 years(Touya)

It isnt that difficult, you know? People of the Frau tribe are gentle by nature. Its a tribe with good people who can politely speak the untarnished truth, so theyre basically broad-minded. Because of that, large disputes dont happen and other countries dont come to attack this land covered with ice and snow. Small disputes do happen though, but Ive gotten used to them after being a queen for more than 1000 years. There are also capable people around me helping to support this country (Foltuna)

This person, who has been living since the foundation, is a symbol of this country so to speak. She may even be an absolute existence for them.

Its a certainty that the dominion of Elfrau has approximately the same size as Ramisshu Holy Kingdom, but the majority of the land cannot be lived on by its people. This land belongs to the spirits of ice residing on it, but Elfrau was granted some land where people could live after they had negotiated with those spirits.

It seems that the person who did the negotiations was Her Majesty The Queen during her days as an adventurer. Elves have an exceeding affinity with the spirits, after all.

If something supposedly happened to her Majesty The Queen, this land might regress back to how it was 1200 years ago, enclosed with a permanent frost.

However, a spirit, huh? This is the third time I encounter one, after the spirit of darkness and the spirit of the great tree.

Its likely that Her Majesty The Queen is receiving some kind of divine protection from the said spirit of ice. I may have to meet it sooner or later.

By the way, its about the Sunora Wolf. Would you mind selling it to our country?(Foltuna)

Sell it?(Touya)

Yes. The quality of the Sunora Wolfs fur is very high. Its up to the point wherein we dont get to acquire it so easily. We would like to ask you to hand it over to us if that suits you. Well provide a suitable compensation based on its market price (Foltuna)

Its not a problem. There should be more demand for it in this country than in other areas anyway(Touya)

I thought for a moment whether she had overemphasized her intentions with the fur or not, but I currently had no use for a fur in particular. It also looked like the meat of the Sunora Wolf was hard and not quite delicious.

Thank you very much. In that case, we would like to ask for a little bit of time to prepare the reward money, but would it be acceptable for you if you pick another reward in the meantime?(Foltuna)

I understand(Touya)

If Im not mistaken, I can select a single item from the royal treasury.

Being guided by Her Majesty The Queen, we then enter the royal treasury in the castle basement. I see shelves arranged in an orderly and precise fashion with items inside them. There are items that can be understood as treasures just by looking at them and items that make someone wonder, What are those things?.

I ask about the articles that caught my attention one by one, but honestly speaking, theres nothing in here that makes me think that I want to have it. Thats because the Babylon [Warehouse] has items sitting idly in there that have greater value than any of the items here.

The moment when I was thinking whether I should take a suitable article or not That certain object caught my sight.

This is?(Touya)

Appearance-wise, its an ordinary ax of some sorts. No, its a battle ax with a reddish tinge all over it. Has hihiirokane been used as the basic material for its construction?

However, this isnt what caught my attention, but the carving on its side instead.

Its the same secret letters that I discovered in that former capital of Belfast. They resemble the secret letters of Artema, but with some slight differences. Yet theres no mistaking it.

Your Majesty, whats this?(Touya)

Aah, we received that weapon from a certain tribe around the time this country was established(Foltuna)

A certain tribe?(Touya)

I think they were called the Arkana tribe. Though personally, they called themselves the red nation. Thats because they regarded the red color as sacred(Foltuna)

The red nation. I guess that settles it. That foreword from those ruins, the one saying we, red, probably continues with we, the red nation.

Reading/Secret letters of Arkana(Touya)

I stealthily invoke the reading magic. Twilight Judge? I really dont understand what it means.

I thought Id be able to understand it because the letters were short, but I guess its impossible. By the way, I cant completely read it even after I translating it with the secret letter of Arkana. These might not be characters belonging to that language.

Say, does this ax have a full name or something?(Touya)

If Im not mistaken, this is called the Conviction of Twilight. Its said that it has the effect of granting several times greater physical strength to the users arm holding it(Foltuna)

Conviction of Twilight. I see. So it translates like that, huh? It certainly looks like a useful ax, though its useless for me.

Speaking of this Arkana tribe, are there any living descendants of that tribe right now?(Touya)

I wonder? They were a wandering tribe at that time so It wouldnt be strange even if there were surviving descendants somewhere else, had they managed to locate some place where they could live in peace (Foltuna)

Muu. Bad luck then. But I guess I should just consider knowing about the existence of the said red nation as good fortune.

Would you like that ax?(Foltuna)

Aah, no. I was just a little interested in it. Thats all Whats that over there?(Touya)

I take a pendant-like article, hanging next to the ax. A three-centimeter oval-shaped jewel is shining in rainbow colors. It looks more like a pearl rather than a diamond-like gem.

Its a magic tool called Blessing of Life. It has the ability to raise the likelihood of child conception if a woman wears it when shes with a man. It didnt display any effect in me and my husbands case for some reason, but after we had lent it to retainer spouses, they achieved conception with a very high probability rate. It may be that a certain affinity is a requirement(Foltuna)

U~mu. Perhaps the reason that Her Majesty The Queen couldnt achieve pregnancy is that of a problem on the deceased King-samas side.

Nevertheless Can this item be considered a dream item in some way? It may be the case for a couple who wants to have children but doesnt have one yet. Though in the end, its not like it absolutely guarantees pregnancy since it just raises the likelihood.

Its an item wherein itll usually be regarded as fake when being sold in the markets, which will eventually lead to the seller being suspected as a fraud or something. Its no mistake that an object is a magic tool since its properly loaded with magic power, but how effective itll be is still unknown.

Speaking of His Majesty, you have a lot of fiancees. I believe its better for you to be able to produce an heir soon, you know? (Foltuna)

Her Majesty The Queen says so, probably from her personal experience.

Mu-mu-mu Could it be that the reason why Ill have many children in the future is due to this thing right here?

I glare at the pendant in front of me. Well, I dont believe that itd be better for my children not to be born, and I do believe that I want to have a child with each one of them.

Would you like that one?(Foltuna)

Mu-mu-mu-mu-mu.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because of those reasons, the item I received is this(Touya)

Ho-ho(Duke Ortlinde)

Duke Ortlinde gazes with great interest at the Blessing of Life magic tool Ive placed on the table.

In the end, I took this article from the royal treasury of Elfrau and came here to the residence of Duke Ortlinde in the Belfast Kingdom on these feet of mine.

And so, are you saying that youre lending this to me?(Duke)

Yep. Thats because Ive received it with the permission of Her Majesty The Queen to do as I like with it. You see, Id like to confirm its effects first and foremost (Touya)

Ha-ha-ha, I suppose that makes me a test subject(Duke)

Well, frankly speaking, its exactly as he says it is.

This house was left behind with no successors when Suu went to my house as my bride. Its not like Im doing this as atonement for that matter, but its by no means a bad thing to do.

You still have the energy pills I gave you the other day, dont you?(Touya)

Aah, I still do. Ive given a few to some acquaintances, but you see, everyone was surprised, you know (Duke)

Of course they would be. Its a pill that can make even a withered grandpa vigorous. On the other hand, if given to a young man, its effects would be absurdly scary. I think for young men, it lets them continue on for three days and three nights.

Dont you have any plans on selling those pills?(Duke)

I have no intention to do so at the moment(Touya)

Id be troubled if our country gains notoriety for a rumor stating that if its energy pills, you only need go to Brunhild despite the fact that it hasnt been a long time since the establishment of our country. Itd be bad for our image, you know. What would I do if people started calling me the lecherous sovereign king?

Well, Im lending it to you for the time being. Its said that its effect will appear if your wife wears it. Ive also been told that there are no strange side effects, so lets observe what happens for a year or so(Touya)

However, is it fine for us to borrow a treasure of Brunhild? Theres no need to give it to us if its just about testing the magic tool, right?(Duke)

Nn~ Frankly speaking, I still have doubts whether its genuine or not. Also, its not yet considered as a national treasure. Ill make it one when Suu gets a younger brother or sister. Additionally, it will help the current situation of the Duke Ortlinde household (Touya)

Well, for arguments sake, itll be impossible to prove whether the conception was achieved thanks to that item even if it did happen. As I thought, it must be a fake item, right? Muu. Its a different matter on how to prove that its absolutely effective.

Im considering such thoughts while I look at the delighted duke.