Chapter 138 – The King Arrives

===================

Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

Glancing once at Daddy glaring silently at the dwarven furnace, I spoke to Brother Mulsia.

“Brother Mulsia. Since you came here this time, does that mean the Fertio Marquis House Knight Order is going to be split into two?”

When I asked that, Mulsia looked at me with a troubled smile.

“Ah, the truth is…”

Just as Mulsia was about to say something, a member on horseback came riding in from the direction of the walls.

“Lord Van! His Majesty the King has arrived! It seems he came on ahead, bringing the Royal Guard with him!”

“That fast!?”

The royal capital is more than twice as far away as the first city of the marquis territory, so how in the world could he arrive this quickly?

“Don’t tell me he sent the letters to all the nobles and then set out from the capital immediately… I’ll go hurry to meet His Majesty! Dee, Espada, come with me! Father, Brother Mulsia, please stay here…”

“As if that would do, you fool. If His Majesty has arrived, then naturally we too will go out to meet him.”

“Ah, right, of course. Then let’s put the Seat Village tour on hold for now and go receive His Majesty.”

I reflexively started issuing orders on momentum and ended up being scolded by Father. However, it was an entirely reasonable scolding, so I immediately agreed and headed for the gate with everyone else.

When we reached the gate, all the knight-order members waiting there for my instructions looked this way.

“All right! Open the gate!”

Ordinarily either I, Dee, or Espada would first confirm who the visitors are, but since half the members of the knight order have seen His Majesty’s face before, it should be fine. Thinking that, I waited, and then the gate opened, and from beyond it appeared a carriage drawn by four horses. Around it were knights riding horses as well.

More to the point, every knight coming in one after another from beyond the gate was mounted, so just how much of a rush had they made?

“Ohh, Baron Van! It has been a while!”

The moment I thought the carriage door had opened, His Majesty stepped down while greeting me loudly like that. The manner was so casual that even the surrounding villagers were startled and forgot to kneel in the moment. His Majesty paid no mind to such things and walked over this way.

“You have made quite another interesting thing here! That large bathhouse surprised even me! And the town has become rather well equipped too! At this rate, Seat Village itself must have changed somewhere as well, must it not?”

Laughing in high spirits as he walked toward us, His Majesty noticed the people lined up behind me and spoke.

“Ohh, Marquis! Your knight order is outside, yet the man himself is nowhere to be seen, so I was looking for you. Have you already finished touring the village?”

When His Majesty said that, Father nodded deeply.

“Yes. More or less… I believe only the place called the lake remains.”

When Father answered so, His Majesty gave a loud reply.

“Ohh, that is right! Since we have come here, we must greet them as well! Marquis, excellent timing. If you have not yet seen it, let us go together.”

“O-Of course. I shall accompany you.”

Pressed by His Majesty’s momentum, Father agreed to the suggestion. For some reason, their conversation reminded me of a company drinking party between a salaried worker’s superior and subordinate, but in a sense noble society may be similar too.

Once that preconception entered my mind, Father’s back, walking ahead of me while trying to attend upon His Majesty, somehow looked tired. No, perhaps that was just my imagination.

“Baron Van! Will you open the gate?”

By the time I noticed, we had reached the far back of Seat Village. At His Majesty’s words I hurriedly nodded and ordered the member atop the wall to open the gate. After the member’s shouted response came a heavy sound, and before long the gate that could be called Seat Village’s rear entrance opened.

Then Father, who until now had maintained an air of composure, finally widened his eyes and cried out in astonishment.

“A-Apkallu…!?”

At that voice, Brother Mulsia too stepped forward and looked at the scene beyond the gate. The lake, which also serves as a reservoir, had been made fairly large, and around it there were boathouses, with several boats floating on the lake surface. Furthermore, around the lake were chairs and tables for people to rest at leisure, and there spread out a scene in which people who seemed to be villagers and Apkallu were chatting and eating and drinking together.

While the voices of Apkallu children playing with a ball rang out, His Majesty lightly looked around.

“…It seems the number of Apkallu has increased. Has the tribal chief remained the same? If I recall correctly, it was Lord Radavesta.”

“You remember well. The Apkallu seated over there is Radavesta-san.”

Saying that while being surprised by His Majesty’s memory, I watched him give a shallow nod and head toward Radavesta. Then he called out to Radavesta, who had been sitting in a chair watching the lake.

“It has been a long time. I trust you have been well?”

When His Majesty greeted him thus, Radavesta turned around, checked his face, and immediately nodded.

“Ohh, Dino-dono, great chief of the human tribe. I remain in good health. Dino-dono as well… though you appear a little fatigued.”

“Ha-ha-ha! I have been riding horses at full speed right up until this very moment, you see. No, seeing Lord Radavesta has refreshed me.”

“I see. In that case, that is good.”

Exchanging such words, His Majesty and Radavesta began chatting. Watching the two of them talk together around one table, Father muttered like a groan.

“…Just how did he make a village like this?”