After dropping everyone off at the mansion, we headed straight for the royal castle’s archive tower.
「Um… Liliana-san, are you serious?」
「Yes♪ This entire tower, plus the one right next to it, is all library space♪」
「Ughhh…」
I stared at the floor guide plaque. Floors one through five: national history. The neighboring tower: stories, cookbooks, agricultural manuals, blueprints for industrial machinery, the works.
「And… the materials you’re probably looking for, Yuuki-sama, should be in the restricted upper levels where the ancient tomes are kept.」
「You already checked for me? Thank you. But… that’s going to be a ridiculous amount, right?」
「Yes♪ And since they’re written in ancient languages, I wouldn’t be able to read them anyway. So the search team will be you and a few specialized researchers♪」
Liliana delivered the news with her usual sparkling smile, but the sheer scale of it was already making my motivation wilt a little.
「Got it… Anyway, changing topics, where’s Shia?」
「Yes, Shia-san has already left for the Milrose territory on your orders.」
「No way… I was going to give her the portal marker…」
「Portal? What might that be?」
「It’s an item that lets me lock in my exact teleport coordinates super accurately.」
「Something that convenient exists…? I did give her a magic tool for emergency contact, just in case…」
Now that she mentioned it, the little device hanging from her belt looked awfully familiar…
「Wait a sec… this magic tool?」
「This one? It’s a design passed down since ancient times, but… is something wrong?」
I pulled an identical one out of my item box.
「Oh my! So, this shape actually originated from you, Yuuki-sama!」
「W-well, not exactly me… It was Yuffie, an elven inventor, who made it.」
「I see… In that case, we can look into the history of magical tools from this angle too!」
「Yeah… are there history books on that sort of thing?」
「Yes, the archive tower does have them… right?」
Liliana turned to one of the librarians with the question. The elderly man cheerfully pulled out a thick catalog ledger.
「History of magical tools… history of magical tools… There are quite a lot of volumes. I’ll search and let you know as soon as I find them, Kaminagi-sama.」
He answered with a bright, grandfatherly smile. Apparently, he was the head librarian.
「Thank you very much.」
「Well then, I have a sparring session with Amilia-san and the others now, so I’ll take my leave♪」
「Got it. I’ll swing by later to watch and take a breather. Be careful and don’t get hurt, okay?」
「Yes♪ I’ll win flawlessly and come back safe♪」
Humming a cheerful little tune, she skipped out the door.
「Alright… time to get to work.」
I rolled my shoulders a few times and started climbing the tower steps.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Five nights later, once the document search had finally reached a good stopping point, we arrived at the city of Milrose.
「There’s the gate… Just so we’re clear, today we’re here as ordinary travelers. Don’t forget, everyone.」
I glanced around at the group as I spoke.
「Um… Holy Knight-sama, is this collar really necessary?」
Lopple asked with a small pout. Before I could answer, Selene puffed out her chest proudly in her maid outfit and spoke up.
「It is necessary, as I explained before. In human territories like this one, there is discrimination against demons and beastkin. A collar or slave mark is required as proof of ownership.」
Selene stood tall and confident despite the maid dress. For this infiltration, Liliana and I were posing as a married merchant couple, Amilia as our apprentice, and Selene and Lopple as our personal slave attendants.
「Well, it’s only for a few days, so bear with it. We’re heading to the artisan guild anyway, and you want to see inside too, right?」
「Yes… Still, having to become a slave just to enter a city… this era really is a little sad, isn’t it…」
She had a point. Back in that other time, humans, demons, and beastkin all got along without caring about race. Thinking about it, things must have started changing after the current king took the throne.
「Exactly. The country’s worn out from all this. That’s why we’re here.」
「But still… who would’ve thought the Holy Knight-sama would end up becoming the Demon King, huh~?」
「Ahaha… Yeah, I definitely didn’t see that one coming either… Alright, the gate’s getting close. Everyone, stick to the plan.」
「「「「「Yes! Danna-sama!」」」」」
As we approached the gate, I handed the elderly gatekeeper the document bearing the Milrose family crest that Shia had given me yesterday.
「Traveling merchant, huh? Mind if we inspect the wagon?」
A younger gatekeeper asked briskly.
「Go right ahead.」
「Hmm… Wife, two slaves, and one personal maid attendant, eh? Well, damn. All beauties, the lot of them.」
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened in genuine surprise as he looked us over.
「Yeah, I bring the pretty ones along when I negotiate with lords and nobles. A lovely attendant makes the goods look even better, right? So… what do you think?」
「Heh, true enough. That girl’s jewelry alone makes me want to buy something.」
He eyed the ornate accessories and hair ornaments (all handmade by Lopple) that we’d decked Selene out in, appraising them like a pro.
「Oh? See anything you like? Perfect for your wife or sweetheart. I’ve got good stuff, and I can even knock a little off the price for you.」
「Heh… Shame I don’t have a wife anymore, and no one’s dying of some incurable disease either. By the way… do you deal in slaves too, young man?」
「Yeah, sort of. Just recently one of my suppliers went under, so it’s been rough.」
「That’s too bad. Well, here’s your document back. You’re clear.」
After returning the certificate from Ulberick, he waved us through the side gate.
「Oh, one last thing, just between us. If you’re looking for an inn, head to the artisan district. The commoner district’s crawling with nobles who really hate beastkin.」
The younger gatekeeper said with a casual shrug.
「Got it. Thanks for the tip. We’ll head that way.」
I flicked a silver coin into the air with my thumb. He caught it smoothly, flashed a grin, and returned to his post.
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