Chapter 397 – At the Southern Oasis

“Pleased to meet you. I am Stefania Verdgar.”

“I am Adriana Silvatoria. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The two introduced themselves to Fatima. As they lifted the hems of their skirts in greeting, Fatima returned the gesture with an equally polite bow.

“This is truly an honor. My lord informed me we would be receiving distinguished guests. I’m deeply grateful you’ve chosen to visit Masmadol.”

“How courteous of you.”

After Princess Stephania finished her greetings, it was my turn to introduce myself to Fatima.

“I’ve come from the Kingdom of Verdugal. My name is Theodore Gartner.”

Once everyone else had finished their introductions following mine, Princess Elharm spoke.

“Theodore-sama serves as the Otherworld Ambassador. Not only did he rescue me from dire straits when I was ambushed by Kahar’s remnants, but he also assisted my father in the subjugation of Kahar’s faction and the remaining vampires of the cult.”

“Is that so…”

Fatima’s eyes widened at Princess Elharm’s words, but she quickly regained her composure and bowed her head quietly.

“I see. In that case, you are a great benefactor to Baharzard. We shouldn’t keep standing and talking in a place like this. Please, ride in our carriage and come to the mansion.”

“Thank you.”

“Then we’ll continue guarding the Sirius,” said Elliot.

While the matter with Kahar and the vampires had been resolved, and the Duoveris Cult seemed to have significantly declined… that didn’t mean we could abandon security entirely.

“In that case, let’s arrange for half the crew to take breaks,” I suggested.

After all, we’d definitely reached a stopping point.

“That sounds reasonable. We had to remain inconspicuous in Mernpios. I imagine everyone would find the atmosphere of a foreign country quite interesting.”

“You’re free to explore the town as you wish. I’ll inform the guards as well. We’ll prepare meals at the mansion, so if you’re taking shifts for breaks, please do visit.”

“That would be very helpful.”

Perhaps due to the nature of Princess Elharm’s introduction, we were receiving VIP treatment. Well, we were originally supposed to be treated as state guests anyway.

“Now then… let’s see. You can swim in the waters around here if you’d like. They seem like they’d enjoy playing in it, don’t you think?”

Fatima looked toward the Sirius’s deck and smiled.

They seemed to have come to see us off. Lindwurm, Saphir, Corulis, Alpha and the others were peeking out from the deck with just their faces visible.

…Yeah. They’d probably be happy to know they can bathe in the water. The oasis shoreline resembled a sandy beach and had a rather charming atmosphere.

With palm trees growing around, it gave the impression of arriving at a southern seaside, though it was likely freshwater.

“Thank you. We’ll gladly take you up on that offer. We’d also like to visit the Moon Temple and the Adventurer Guild.”

“Understood. I’ll guide you there later.”

“Alright everyone, see you later!”

I waved to the group watching from the deck. Lindwurm and Alpha nodded slightly, while Corulis waved back. Saphir was waving her front paw in a scratching motion… probably having learned from watching Corulis’s movements. That Lindwurm and Alpha didn’t imitate them was likely due to personality differences.

And so we all boarded the camel-drawn carriages and headed toward the lord’s mansion.

“But I’m astonished. To think such things had been happening…”

As we climbed the sloping road leading to the mansion, Fatima spoke.

“It was rather sudden, actually. We came here immediately after wiping out Kahar’s remnants. We tracked the spies who had infiltrated Mernpios and discovered their base was in Bromepito’s ruined castle… then launched a surprise attack using the flying ship. After capturing Kahar and the others, we parted from my father and came directly to Masmadol.”

As Princess Elharm explained the circumstances, Fatima nodded as if everything made sense, then looked up at the sky and closed her eyes.

“No wonder we hadn’t received any information about it. But Kahar has finally been captured, then.”

“While governance never truly ends, the people will surely rejoice that one major concern has been eliminated.”

“Yes, truly. I’m genuinely grateful to His Majesty for entrusting me with this city.”

…So that meant during the previous king’s reign, Fatima and her parents had been kept away from Masmadol. Considering she was returned to Masmadol after King Farid ascended the throne, the previous lord was probably someone closely aligned with Kahar’s faction.

“It seems the previous lord wasn’t a very good one,” I observed.

“That’s right. The fact that the lord was replaced means…” Rosemary murmured quietly, and Ashley also nodded with a solemn expression, perhaps relating it to her own circumstances.

Right. If there were no faults, a lord wouldn’t be replaced so easily. And given King Farid’s character, he would value loyalty even more. The fact that Fatima returned here means… the previous lord must have been another worthless individual.

In short, the southwestern region had been in disarray like other areas, and Fatima was currently in the process of rebuilding it.

“It’s good we managed to deal with it before Kahar’s group could fully mobilize.”

“Absolutely. The ones in our country were bad enough… But putting myself in your position, having them cause trouble just as things were getting started would be exhausting.”

Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana nodded in agreement. They must be thinking about Roy and Zadias… Well, troublesome individuals exist everywhere.

Eventually the camel carriages finished climbing the slope and stopped before a stone building.

“Please, this way.”

We were led inside the mansion. The stone corridors featured awning-like decorations designed to prevent sunlight from penetrating too deeply inside.

While the domed roofs were consistent, this was originally Nahalbia territory, so there were differences in architectural style from Baharzard. The interior featured more carved decorations rather than tiling.

Water channels ran through the building, and palm trees were even planted in the garden. Though the temperature was dropping rapidly as evening approached, with water channels and greenery planted, it was probably relatively cool during the daytime as well.

“This is the VIP room. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

The room Fatima showed us offered a splendid view overlooking the oasis from high ground. It was spacious, equipped with desks, tables, and canopied beds. There was a carpeted area on a slightly raised platform… apparently meant for relaxing directly on it.

Beyond a partition, I could see a room with a large bathtub. Probably utilizing the water drawn into the mansion. It seemed designed more for cooling off during hot weather rather than for bathing.

“Thank you.”

“My apologies, but it will take some time before dinner is ready. If you have urgent business at the Guild or Temple, please let me know and I’ll guide you.”

Hmm… Well, no need to move around right after arriving. If I use the communication device to report recent developments to Termwills and get updates on their situation, that should suffice for today.

“After the battle, everyone would like to wash off and settle down. It would be helpful if you could guide us tomorrow instead.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, maids arrived carrying notched coconuts.

“You can drink the juice by pouring it into cups, or scoop out the flesh with spoons,” Princess Elharm explained about the coconuts.

“The outside has been roasted over fire, I see.”

“That’s right. When you peel the outer skin and roast it over charcoal, the sweetness from the flesh dissolves into the juice, enhancing the flavor.”

I see… I didn’t know that. That means quite a bit of effort went into preparing them. Moreover, they seemed to have been cooled after roasting, likely with water magic or something similar, making them pleasantly chilled.

“Then I’ll take my leave. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Fatima bowed and left the room.

We immediately tried sampling the coconut juice and flesh.

“Mmm. This has just the right amount of sweetness,” Auria remarked after taking a sip, looking satisfied. Marlene also seemed to like it, nodding repeatedly.

There was a slight plant-specific aroma… but yeah. The refreshing taste was quite pleasant.

Sheila, Auria and the others seemed thoroughly fascinated by the exotic VIP room, and probably Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana felt the same way.

There were large long-handled palm fans hanging on the walls and other tools unique to southern nobility’s homes, so it was true that various things caught our interest. Well… it was after a battle, so let’s take it relatively easy today.