第１６９７堀： 名前を伝えて嬉しいな (Part1)
Happy to convey the name
Side: Orelia
"Here are the souvenirs," I said, handing over the items I had just bought.
"Thank you."
"Oh, ice cream! Can we eat it before it melts?"
"Sure, go ahead. Prol, you all eat too."
"Yes!"
And so, before we began our discussion, it was ice cream time.
"What about tea?"
"It's fine. We've left it to our secretary."
As Sisua said this, a staff member brought in tea.
"So you hired a secretary."
"No, they were originally a government office employee. They just came here because they had the aptitude for it. Everywhere is short-staffed, so we have no choice but to cover it ourselves."
As we turned our gaze to the secretary, they bowed their head slightly and exited. The tea was certainly delicious, and I wondered if their manners had been taught by the Maid Guild or Kirue and her staff.
"Speaking of which, Mikos came, didn't she?"
"Yes. She obtained permission to report on the fishing port and left."
I see, she must have realized Yuki wasn't here and postponed it. Indeed, it wouldn't be right for Mikos to announce the port town's name. Yuki seemed to understand this as well, giving a wry smile.
"So, what about you, Yuki? Since you knew about Mikos's actions, did you have some business here?" Sona asked, her ice cream still in her mouth.
Indeed, mentioning Mikos implies you knew what she was doing.
"No, I stopped by Mikos first. She said she was going to the government office, and we came to the port town together, but then I had business at the military port."
"At the military port? I haven't heard of any monster attacks or anything."
"It's not a problem for the port town... 'Don't worry' isn't quite right. Something very troublesome has occurred, and I've asked Vilia for her cooperation."
"Vilia? Not Dressa?"
"It's not related to the sea. Sisua and Sona should know about this too, so I'll tell you..."
And so, when I told Sisua and Sona about the missing persons case, they frowned, despite having been enjoying delicious ice cream. Well, it wasn't a pleasant topic to discuss.
"So, Vilia and Holy? Isn't that dangerous?"
"But Sisua, when it comes down to someone having to go, isn't this the best option? We can't go ourselves."
"Mmm."
Surprisingly, Sona was calmer and pacified Sisua.
"I understand you have many concerns, but as Sona said, if we move, Weed's operations could grind to a halt. This is the best force we could muster. And there might be nothing at all."
"That... seems difficult."
"It is difficult, isn't it? Something is clearly happening."
"Well, that's why I told you. If things go south, we might have to deploy too, so adjust your workload accordingly."
"Understood."
"Haha, 'adjust' usually means it just keeps increasing for us."
Indeed. I completely agree with Sona's words. Our work only ever increases, so 'adjusting' just means postponing it and letting it pile up.
"Is that why you came to see us?"
"No, not just that. In fact, what I'm about to tell you is the main reason I came."
"What is it?"
That's right. Yuki and I came to inform the two of you, as acting lords, of the name of the newly established port town.
"The name of the port town has been decided."
"It has?"
"Oh, everyone's been waiting for this! What name did it get?"
After being asked, Yuki maintained a brief silence.
"'Grass. Grass Port Town.'"
"'Grass?'"
"'What does it mean?'"
From there, he explained that it referred to useful grasses for people, such as the pasture grass he had explained to us earlier, and gained their understanding.
"It's a good name. Everyone will be pleased."
"Mm-hmm. This is definitely a winner!"
"I see, good. Mikos must have come to report on this, knowing the name. There's a sequence to the announcement, so coordinate that well."
"Ah, I see. So that's why Mikos was confirming Yuki's whereabouts."
"It wouldn't be right to announce the name first, would it? But now, not only pamphlets and magazines, but the staff can also proudly say the town's name. It seems their families often ask them about it."
"Ah, that's true too."
Indeed, everyone would be curious about the name of a newly established port town. Even more so if you work there. Then, as the conversation settled and a brief silence fell over us while we sipped our tea...
"Speaking of which, Yuki, I heard your school visit to the Magic Nation concluded without any particular issues. How was it, actually?" Sona inquired about his time in the Magic Nation.
Come to think of it, I hadn't yet given the two of them a detailed account, as the report was still being compiled. However, how much to disclose would depend on Yuki's judgment...
"Hmm... To be honest, in terms of enthusiasm, Zuraburu was superior."
"You can tell that much?"
"Yes, because Zuraburu was gathering people and building a school specifically for international exchange, they were extremely interested in us. But Nonoa's Magic University prioritizes the pursuit of magic. When it comes to politics between nations, they're not as invested."
"Ah, I see. So they're researchers, then."
"Yes, they were quite keen on knowledge related to Weed's technology and Comet's classes. Conversely, regarding my proposals for population reduction and increased food production, the response was poor from anyone other than researchers in that specific field."
That's right. As Yuki said, there was a clear difference in enthusiasm. Well, it's certainly understandable that people who have dedicated themselves to a specific path wouldn't be particularly interested in political matters.
"I can understand that, but they're still coming to the exchange school, aren't they? Is that acceptable?"
"No, the Magic University isn't like that. It was just a school visit. The reality in Rogari is that students who come to the exchange school are being instructed in their respective countries."
"Huh? Then why visit the Magic University?"
"It's probably to maintain balance with the other continents. And it's unreasonable to gather all the exchange students in one place. It's a matter of appearances, you could say. Of course, it must have held meaning for Nonoa."
"Hmph, that sounds troublesome. So, were there no interesting students, then?"
"No, though she didn't participate in classes, the person assigned as a guide when Samantha, Cleena, and Rurua were doing research in the library was interesting. Oh, and of course, when it came to specialized fields, there were many excellent individuals."
Ah, you mean her. As for everyone else, they asked so many questions so quickly that it was difficult to handle them all.
"What kind of person was she?"