Chapter 475 – To the Western Sea

“Good morning.”

“Ah, Theodore-sama. And everyone else. Good morning.”

And so—the day had come for the Driscoll ducal family to return to their territory.

After breakfast, they would depart around the time when one could relax a little.

We all rode in carriages to the ducal family’s villa in the central district, and when we were led by the servants to the entrance hall… there was the ducal family, apparently preparing for departure. In the entrance hall were travel bags and other luggage to be loaded onto the carriages.

The Duchess, the eldest son and daughter Oscar and Vanessa, then the Duke’s younger brother Leslie, and the servant Clark, among others. Servants were checking the luggage.

“Theodore-sama, and everyone else as well.”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, everyone.”

Leslie and Oscar greeted us, while the Duchess and Vanessa bowed their heads respectfully.

Leslie seemed to be in much better health than when I last saw him.

First… I should introduce Marl, who is meeting the ducal family for the first time.

“Duke Driscoll, this is the Water Spirit King, Marl-sama. She wishes to accompany us on this journey to the west.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

As Marl removed her hood and smiled, everyone in the family except the Duke widened their eyes in surprise. Well, of course, we had informed them about her accompanying us beforehand…

Hmm… Perhaps because my introduction was so ordinary, it had the opposite effect and was shocking. Marl herself has a rather approachable atmosphere that doesn’t quite match what one would expect of a Spirit King.

That said, the Duke had been briefed and had received reports from the servants about the guests, so he seemed prepared. He greeted Marl with a serious expression.

“This is… I had heard rumors, but I never thought the day would come when I would meet a Spirit King in person.”

“I have a long-standing relationship with the Verdgar royal family. I also know the ancestors of the ducal and grand ducal families, who are their relatives, though only slightly.”

“I see…”

Duke Driscoll nodded, seemingly impressed by Marl’s words.

…Well, Tephra and Marl are friendly, but sometimes their scale of things is different.

“Good morning. Lord Leslie, how have you been feeling since then?”

On my part, as a morning greeting, I asked that question, and Leslie, who seemed to have been taken aback, cleared his throat, composed his expression, and nodded with a soft smile.

“Thanks to you, my health is improving day by day. I was thinking it might be time to start dealing with the Nightmare as promised to His Majesty… but everyone told me I should rest a bit more.”

“Is that so? I too would feel more reassured that way. I believe His Majesty Melvin would not want Lord Leslie to overexert himself.”

Upon hearing this, Leslie closed his eyes and bowed his head quietly.

Since Leslie is serious, if left to his own judgment, he would likely push himself too hard. Given that he’s still recovering, it’s probably just right for those around him to be considerate.

The fact that Duke Driscoll is returning to his territory instead of staying in Termwills can also be attributed to this. They likely want him to recuperate in his relatively warm southwestern hometown.

Moreover… with the decisive battle against the Demon approaching, it seems to be the policy for those responsible for their respective territories to return and be in a position to take command in case of emergencies.

Although, since the Demon side appears to be conserving their strength, it’s somewhat unlikely that places other than Termwills would be targeted when they gather their forces for a critical moment… but as discussed before, diversionary tactics using Monsters are also possible.

Well, let’s set those matters aside for now.

“How is the mansion? Is there anything inconvenient?”

“No, since the repairs, it might be even more comfortable than before. Especially… that chair is truly comfortable. Even sitting for long periods, my hips and lower back feel fine, so I was thinking of taking it back to my territory.”

The reclining chair I made, huh? Speak of the devil, as the servants brought the reclining chair, the Duke’s face broke into a smile.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Yes. Although, since it’s a reclining chair, I can’t say it too openly, but it seems it will make my daily duties more efficient.”

Saying that, the Duke grinned.

I see. So, except when receiving guests, he can use it during work hours. That’s very much like the Duke, for better or worse.

“Well, I suppose our preparations are mostly complete now. We can depart anytime, but not everyone has arrived yet. Shall we have some tea while—”

Just then, servants guided guests to the ducal family’s villa.

Arriving were Grand Duke Debonnis, Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana, and Princess Elham.

“Good morning.”

“Ah, Ambassador. Good morning. I’m glad the day of departure is clear.”

I exchanged greetings with Grand Duke Debonnis, and then continued with morning greetings to Princess Stephania and the others.

Grand Duke Debonnis was also introduced to Marl… but the Grand Duke had been briefed as well, and Marl had already removed her hood from the start, so he seemed prepared. He nodded quietly and bowed his head at Marl’s words.

Grand Duke Debonnis is taking a somewhat irregular return route: heading to the ducal territory on the Sirius, and then using Teleportation Magic to return to his own territory.

Traveling together on the Sirius for a small trip also serves as publicity for the reconciliation between the two families.

Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana, and Princess Elham are also accompanying us… with the aim of showcasing that the royal families of the three countries welcome the reconciliation between the grand ducal and ducal families.

Furthermore, regarding Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana, there’s also the reason that they don’t want to interrupt the aerial combat training using Golems that began after that day’s discussion at the hot spring, due to my absence. Therefore, they will likely continue light training with the Golems even during the journey.

Sion, Marceska, and Sigritta, who are also training with Golems, are coming along too… so the schedule seems quite full. Forset, however, will remain in Termwills to conduct various researches in the workshop and check on the seedlings.

Princess Elham will be doing blacksmithing work during the journey. We’ve newly added facilities to the Sirius that enable Magic Tool creation and blacksmithing, so we’re having her test them out. This means that during the Sirius’s travels, repairs to Magic Tools, Weapons, and Armor will be possible. As they say, preparedness is key.

This time, as the representative of Baharzard and the workshop, Princess Elham is the only one from the workshop. Alfred and the others will continue with the workshop’s work.

“Hmm. So everyone has gathered now. If there’s no hurry, we have tea and sugar candies prepared. How about it?”

Said Duke Driscoll. With so many guests, he probably couldn’t not offer hospitality. Although it’s before departure, there is some time to spare. It was decided to have a light chat before setting off.

“Then, all of you. We leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, Master. Have a safe trip.”

Seen off by the housekeepers of the ducal family’s villa, everyone boarded their respective carriages and left the villa behind. Today, Princess Stephania and the others are also riding in ordinary carriages, but of course, Corulis is with them. Ramriya on its head, Flamia on its back… escorting the carriages from the sky.

As the carriages started moving, Irmhild immediately began playing her Lute. It’s a somewhat elegant melody, but it might suit the atmosphere of this beautifully clear day.

“The southwestern sea? I wonder what it’s like.”

Grace, who seems to be in high spirits since morning, partly due to the good weather, asks a question.

“Well, I’ve heard that above all, the sea is clear and the scenery is beautiful.”

This is an area where BFO players generally agree. It’s also relatively warm within Verdgar.

“I’m looking forward to it. This journey doesn’t have any major objectives, after all.”

Ashley says that, and she and Marlene exchange glances, sharing a happy smile. Seeing this, Claudia, who was stroking Seraphina’s hair as she sat on her lap, narrows her eyes gently.

That’s right. Basically, we’re just seeing the Duke off and increasing the number of Teleportation-capable bases.

I’m curious about the ducal family’s villa—the ancient Castle where Nightmare Grazheim was Sealed—but since it’s originally under the ducal family’s management and the hidden passages have a Mechanism that only responds to those of the ducal bloodline, it’s been decided to gradually handle the cleanup after the Demon matter is settled.

“Hmm. I’m curious about the Mermaids.”

“That’s right. We’ll be stopping by that island, won’t we?”

“Yeah. We might get to meet them.”

I nod at Sheila and Rosemary’s words.

There were also stories of people seeing Mermaids near the island. Well, whether we actually get to meet them or not is unknown. In any case, we’re boarding the Sirius and setting off for Duke Driscoll’s territory.