第５９３堀：餅は餅屋 (Part2)
"……As for those idiots, well, setting aside the lower-ranking ones, you received a letter of apology from the princess, didn't you?"
"Mm. I did. But I didn't say I forgave her. In fact, she had the nerve to tell me to come back and learn proper etiquette. It’s absurd."
"Well, Cleena-san, you are a princess of August now, aren't you?"
"That’s something they did on their own. I don't need to do anything so trivial to have a good relationship with Yuki. Autumn is here, and everyone else is here, too. I don't want to leave. Besides, they’d definitely use this as an excuse to pull some nonsense."
That was hard to deny.
The lower-ranking officials in August apparently held a deep-seated grudge against Weed. Noble and Hifie had both advised that it would take time for things to settle down in August, and that it would be better not to go there carelessly.
"Well, let's leave the internal affairs of August for now. What we should be discussing is Autumn. She wants to go, and I don't think it's right to stop her."
"……Nngghh."
"If this were Sakura and the others, I would be worried because they lack judgment, but Autumn is a good older sister who takes care of her younger siblings. Don't you trust Autumn, Cleena-san?"
"Mama. Please."
"……I understand."
Thanks to the persuasion of Samantha and Autumn, Cleena finally relented.
"That’s wonderful, Autumn."
"Thanks to Samantha-mama."
"But you must listen to what Yuki-sama and the others say, alright? I worry about you, Autumn."
"Mm. I won't make Toto-sama or Mama worry."
"And Cleena-san, don't just keep moping. Quickly teach me the work of an August diplomat. If you aren't going to follow Autumn, you don't have to teach me, though."
"I'll teach you right away."
With that, Cleena decided to leave her work to Samantha and attend the academy. However, there was one more person I wanted to bring along, so I headed off to persuade them.
"……And so, would you be willing to come with us?"
『Ho. So Sota has set up something at the academy, has he?』
The one who replied was the Water Dragon. Literally a dragon made of water, the Eastern Dragon known as Mizunotatsunomikoto, who is enshrined at the Kamishiro estate.
I was currently at the Kamishiro Duke’s mansion.
I’m not sure if you could call him a person, but there is no one who knows the person who built that academy better than this entity. If I could form a tag team with Autumn and the Water Dragon, I was sure things would proceed without a hitch.
"However, is it possible for Mizunotatsunomikoto-sama to leave this estate?"
The current Duke Kamishiro asked this.
He had been busy lately dealing with the aftermath of that incident at the royal palace. Kagura and the Princess were helping us prepare for our trip to the academy, but the royal palace was still in disarray due to succession issues, and the Duke seemed busy every day.
The fortunate thing was that I could easily travel between my home—which I had grown accustomed to using via the Gate—and the royal palace, allowing me to handle matters within the territory, for which I was quite grateful.
Well, thanks to that, I had easily obtained permission to take the Water Dragon with me.
"I think it’s possible, provided there is a vessel."
"A vessel? You mean a divine object? I’m afraid I cannot allow that to be taken out..."
『Sota. You are mistaken. A vessel and a divine object are similar but different things. A vessel is something used temporarily; it is more like a shikigami or a familiar. However, I am still a minor god. Considering I need to investigate the academy, the vessel would need to be of high quality. If I just used paper, I would barely be able to speak.』
"Well, I’ve already thought of that. Here."
I took out what I thought would serve as a vessel.
"Th-this is!?"
『Ho.』
Both of them gasped in surprise.
"As you can see, it’s a statue of an Eastern Dragon, isn't it?"
I figured they wouldn't understand if I called it a model or a plastic kit.
"Yes. I have never seen such exquisite craftsmanship. It’s as if it were made by looking directly at Mizunotatsunomikoto-sama..."
Actually, I had just taken a photo and asked Narjia-san to make it.
Using alloy fibers to recreate the realistic movements of a dragon!
I had pipes and tubes installed inside, so if you filled them with the Water Dragon's water, it would serve perfectly as a vessel!
『Moreover, this is divine iron. It is flawless. Let us put it to use immediately.』
With that, I poured a portion of the Water Dragon into the pipes and sealed it. The alloy model dragon immediately began to move and took to the sky.
『Hmm. It is well-constructed. The tubes inside are spread out like blood vessels, so it doesn't take much power to move the body. Thanks to it being made of divine iron, the magical efficiency is also high. It isn't much different from my original body. This is magnificent. If I had to point out a problem, it would be that the form is small.』
The size of the alloy Water Dragon was about that of two toy train cars.
Maybe thirty centimeters at most.
"You’ll have to bear with that."
『I am aware that this is a covert operation, so do not worry. I am curious about what Sota left behind, so I will spare no cooperation.』
"I wanted to go too..."
I consoled the dejected Duke Kamishiro and began to steadily make preparations for tomorrow's academy mystery.
Leave it to the professionals!
Since we have experts, we should leave it to them!
And so, Autumn and the Water Dragon joined the fray.
With this, we should be fine even if there are real supernatural occurrences.
And now, Cleena and Kagura would be meeting for the first time in a while.
That, too, had the potential to turn into a battlefield.
Well, let’s see how it goes.