Chapter 585 – Gathering at Theoreme

Since we received permission to bring our ships into the shipyard, I immediately set about notifying the crews of the fleet.

“Do you see the earth dragon floating in the sky?”

“Ah, yes. I see it.”

The sailor responded to Grace’s words with a confused voice. It seemed this was the first time the sailors had seen or heard about Corulis.

“If you head in that direction, I’ll guide you to the entrance side of the shipyard.”

“U-understood. I’ll inform the captain.”

For now, we positioned the large-bodied Corulis in the air as a makeshift landmark, planning to guide the ships toward it before having them enter the shipyard side.

After we went from ship to ship notifying everyone, the fleet began moving toward Corulis.

“Oh, Corulis! Long time no see!”

When King Farid called out to the sky as we approached, Corulis waved its hand in response toward the fleet below.

“Is that the one they say accompanied His Majesty Farid during Kahar’s subjugation…”

“Indeed. It looks friendly enough, but it emerged from the ground and sent Kahar’s soldiers flying. It’s quite formidable.”

“And on top of that, it can fly through the air too. That’s reassuring.”

Some of Baharzard’s officers and soldiers who knew Corulis were looking up at it from the decks, having such conversations or smiling and waving.

“From here, just follow the flames and you’ll reach the entrance.”

Seraphina’s voice rang out. Flamia’s Flame blinked in the air like guiding lights, leading the fleet toward the shipyard.

After mooring the Baharzard ships, we also guided some of the Silvatoria ships that were already in the harbor to the shipyard side. This would make it easier for ships to enter and depart from the harbor side, which had become cramped.

“Hmm. We’ve made pretty efficient progress, I’d say.”

Once all the ships in the fleet had finished mooring, all that remained was unloading the cargo. The shipyard was spacious, so there shouldn’t be any bottlenecks anywhere.

Many sailors seemed curious about the Sirius, but since they had their own work to do, they quickly refocused and returned to their tasks.

“For cargo being transported to the royal castle, please have the soldiers inspect it first and then follow their instructions.”

“Understood.”

Rosemary gave instructions regarding the cargo. Since we’d arranged for cargo wagons to come here too, we should be able to move the cargo right away. King Farid had also disembarked and seemed to be giving various orders.

Well then. Once the mooring and unloading had settled down a bit, we’d need to head to the royal castle too. But given today’s company, we needed to do some preparation first.

Just then, a carriage arrived at the shipyard. It appeared to be an envoy from the royal castle, and King Eberhart was riding in it too. The envoy and King Eberhart descended from the carriage.

The envoy bowed respectfully to King Farid, who was at the shipyard, introduced himself, and conveyed his message.

“We have come from the royal castle to welcome you.”

“My apologies for the trouble.”

“Not at all. It is an honor to be entrusted with the important duty of welcoming Your Majesty Farid to the royal castle.”

Saying this, the envoy bowed deeply.

“There is also a message for the Ambassador.”

“Ah. The fleet’s mooring has settled down, and I was thinking we should head to the royal castle soon.”

“That is precisely what I came to discuss. Since you’ve just finished training, you likely have preparations to make. His Majesty Melvin says there is no need to rush, and you may take your time preparing.”

“Understood. So, may we leave matters here to the soldiers?”

“Yes. Including the security of the Sirius, we would be honored if you would entrust it to us.”

Security for the Sirius, huh. Well, Alpha was visible on the deck, it was originally a heavily guarded place, and the sailors were all thoroughly vetted, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

Anyway, it would probably be best to return home first to prepare ourselves before heading to the royal castle.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw Melvin. We have much to catch up on. There’s no need to hurry.”

“I too look forward to meeting the renowned wise king, King Melvin.”

King Eberhart and King Farid broke into smiles. Perhaps because King Eberhart was present, King Farid was subtly using the imperial “we” for his first-person pronoun, seeming to mind his language.

“We’ll go on ahead to the royal castle then.”

Princess Stephania said.

“Understood. Then, we’ll see you later.”

I nodded as I said this. The two kings and three princesses nodded at my words, then boarded the carriage with their respective escorts and headed for the royal castle.

And so… we returned home together for now to prepare ourselves. Queen Eldorene was also coming to the royal castle. This meant the monarchs of four countries would be gathering in one place… so we too would be making a formal court appearance in full dress.

Well, my own preparations would be finished quickly. After cleaning myself with Life Magic, all I had to do was change into formal attire.

As I waited in the first-floor living room, it seemed everyone else’s preparations were also complete.

“U-um, do I really have to wear something like this…?”

“It suits you, Sion-san.”

Sion, looking embarrassed in her dress, and Grace and the others, their expressions softening as if seeing something heartwarming, came into the living room.

Naturally, Grace and the others were also all dressed in gowns. They had done their hair up, added hair accessories, and dressed up. Everyone’s hairstyles were different from usual, giving a fresh impression. Their dresses were different colors too, making for a visually splendid sight.

“How do I look?”

Ashley asked somewhat shyly. Her dress was of a subdued color, but combined with her hair color, it was quite eye-catching. Her accessories were neither too plain nor too flashy, showing her good Sense.

“Yeah. It looks great on you.”

When I answered, Ashley nodded with slightly reddened cheeks.

“I’d rather not go to the royal castle dressed like this… but I suppose there’s no helping it.”

Between the Disguise Ring and the dress, Rosemary seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

“What if you remove the Disguise Ring after returning home?”

Claudia suggested, and Marlene nodded with a smile.

“…No, it’s not that there’s no point in dressing up unless I’m in my original form.”

Saying this, Rosemary shook her head.

“Well… I’ll have Caduceus accompany you as an escort at the royal castle.”

“Then I’ll stay with Grace.”

I offered a light helping hand, and Rosemary nodded. Hmm. If the two of them are together, providing escort should be easier.

Well, I might end up seeing her remove the Disguise Ring after we return home.

“I’m not comfortable with this.”

“Indeed. We don’t wear things like this very often.”

That was Sheila and Irmhild. Both were also in dresses today. Since we’ve been going to the royal castle more often, and the two of them no longer have the aversion to it they once did, we thought it would be better for them to have formal attire like this, so we had dresses made for them.

I thought they looked good, but the two of them didn’t seem comfortable. Sheila, for instance, seemed to think dresses were restrictive. They were custom-made to allow for her tail, though.

When it comes to clothing like this, Rosemary, Marlene, and Claudia, being accustomed to it, definitely carried themselves with more poise.

“Look, look!”

Similarly dressed in a gown, Seraphina flew over happily, spinning around.

“Your dress looks good on you too, Seraphina.”

“Thank you!”

Forset, Marceska, and Sigritta. Then Valentina, Charlotte, and Lasnote also came into the living room. They too were in dresses.

Regarding Lasnote, we obtained permission for her to accompany us to the royal castle, thinking it would be good experience for learning about human society. In this case, it would probably be best for her to stay with Grace and Rosemary.

“Hmm. I’m not used to these stiff, formal clothes.”

That was Old Sigmund. His robe with its gold-thread embroidery truly exuded dignity.

As we were preparing to head to the royal castle, Albert, Ophelia, and Viola also arrived at the house. Elliot and Camilla too. All were in formal attire.

“Al… did you come here from the workshop?”

“Yeah. I keep a full set of clothes at the workshop too, so that I’m ready whenever I might need to drop my disguise.”

Albert answered nonchalantly.

Well… it’s nothing new that Albert’s base of operations is the workshop rather than the royal castle.

Anyway, the preparations were complete. Now, let’s head to the royal castle.