When I brought it up, Hakuya smiled wryly. “I gave in to your little sister’s drive to be of help to her big sister. Though she is not especially clever, she does have passion, so I believe she may become an accomplished individual given time. Though, that said, I have no desire to place my heavy burden on your little sister’s shoulders.”
“Haven’t you already turned into a doting teacher?” I asked.
“My opinion is based on a calm evaluation.”
Hmm… Well, if Hakuya was thinking about this stuff in his own way, that was good enough, I guess.
“Hey, wait! How did we get onto this topic again?” I asked.
“From talking about how we’re swamped with marriage proposals for you, sire,” Hakuya said. “And on that note, I want you to get out of the castle for a while. If you are not present in the castle, it is easy to refuse the nobles who insist on you ‘just meeting them once.’”
Oh, right. If I wasn’t present, I couldn’t meet them even if I wanted to. His plan was to be evasive and avoid giving any straight answers while we waited for this wave to subside, no doubt.
“But what about my government work in the meantime?”
“Fortunately, there are no pressing concerns, and the country is stable right now. For your ordinary government work, you can use that creepy ‘Factory Arm’ machine of yours and it will handle the job just fine, won’t it?”
“Don’t call it creepy,” I said. “Well… I guess you’re right.”
He was talking about the human arm-type manipulator that Genia had developed: the Factory Arm #1. By attaching the Factory Arm #1, which could move like a real human arm, to a mannequin, I was able to perform my government work from a distance. It was creepy to look at, so it wasn’t popular with those who had to visit the room, like the bureaucrats or the chamberlain, but it was a very handy thing to have.
It was true that, so long as I had it, there was no need for me to stay in the castle.
“So, once I’m out of the castle, what are you expecting me to do?” I asked.
“Well, in order to provide an environment where it’s easy to shut out nobles who want to meet with you, while also being closed off and easy to secure, I was considering a short-term enrollment in the Royal Academy or Royal Officer’s Academy for you, but…” Hakuya pulled out a single letter. “Now that something like this has arrived, I believe I will send you abroad.”
“Abroad?” I inquired, looking at the letter. There was a dragon crest on the wax seal.
Hakuya bowed his head. “I took the liberty of opening it and perusing the contents. It is a letter of invitation to the Contract Ceremony in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”
“Madam Mother Dragon sure works fast, huh.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Hakuya looked at me questioningly, so I explained to him what had happened last night. When Hakuya heard I had spoken to Mother Dragon in my dreams, he had an excited look on his face that I didn’t often see from him.
“What an honor that must have been!”
“You seem awfully high strung. Hakuya, are you one of those Mother Dragon worshipers?”
“Oh, no… It’s true that my family were Mother Dragon worshipers, but I’m not that pious myself.”
“Okay, then what has you so excited?” I asked.
Hakuya shrugged his shoulder exasperatedly. “The only nation the Star Dragon Mountain Range has formed diplomatic relations with is the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, but there are rare occasions when Mother Dragon will make an exception and invite a specific individual to have them form a riding contract with a dragon. From what I’ve heard, the first king of this country was also invited to form a contract with a dragon.”
Oh, the first king, who’d been summoned from another world like me.
Bringing together the various races, founding the Elfrieden Kingdom, forming a contract with a dragon… he’d sure acted a lot more like a hero than I ever had. Excel probably knew all about those times, so maybe it would be good to talk to her about his achievements at length sometime.
“Well, unusual as it is, is it really something we should be in such a rush to go do?” I asked.
“There is something in common between you and the first king, sire. You were both summoned from another world. That’s why, for some, you remind them of the first king. If you manage to form a contract with a dragon there like the first king did, the number of people who view you and the first king in the same light will increase. If the people respect you more, the country will become even more stable.”
“I’d be borrowing the authority of the first king, then,” I mused. “That sounds like it’d lead to inflated expectations, and I don’t like it.”
“Be willing to put up with that much, please. You are doing your job as a ‘king,’ but your title as ‘hero’ is being left to rot. In order to avoid losing to the Empire or the Orthodox Papal State in terms of dignity, considering that both of them have saints, I’ve been thinking we need something prestigious.”
“I get what you want to say, but… don’t get your hopes up too high, okay?” I hedged. “It’s not guaranteed that I’ll be forming a contract with a dragon. I mean, I might only have been called there as a guest of honor.”
Having warned Hakuya, I rested my cheeks on my palms and thought about it. For a start, if I were to assume it was already decided I would be going to the Star Dragon Mountain Range… then the next thing to decide was who I would take with me.
“…So, there you have it, it’s been decided I’m going to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”
It was a few hours later. I had gathered my companions in the conference room for the announcement.
Present were my four fiancées, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa, as well as Prime Minister Hakuya, Captain of the Royal Guard Ludwin, Finance Minister Colbert, my honorary little sister Tomoe, and the maids Serina and Carla, for a total of eleven people, including myself.
“You’ll be going out of the country, right? Are you going to be okay?” Liscia asked, sounding concerned, so I nodded.
“I’ll have the Black Cats watching over me from the shadows along the way. Mind you, I really can’t have them enter the territory of the Star Dragon Mountain Range with me. Still, once we’re in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, there probably isn’t anyone who’d try to mess with us. Besides, I’ve been given permission to bring a few companions with me into the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Hakuya, how many was the limit again?”
“Up to five was what the letter said.”
Nodding in response to Hakuya’s answer, I turned to face the rest. “That being the case, I want to bring about five people. We’re going incognito, so I don’t want to stand out, but it’s outside the country, and we don’t know what might happen. That’s why, as much as possible, I want people who are capable warriors. Aisha, I definitely want you with me.”
“Yes, sir. I will protect you with my life, Your Majesty.”
“That’s no good,” I said. “You’re already recognized by the people as a candidate to become my future second primary queen. I know it’s weird for me to say this when I’m the one who needs protecting, but don’t say you’ll give your life for me. Make sure you protect yourself properly, too.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!” Aisha bobbed her head up and down, nodding.
Next I looked to Liscia. “On the other hand, the one person I can’t take with me this time is Liscia.”
“…Can you give me a reason?” Liscia asked with a look of discontent on her face. She clearly wasn’t satisfied, but she was willing to hear me out first.