Published: September 10, 2025
Correction of typos on 2015/8/31.
Partial corrections on 2015/9/6.
This is Satou. I remember when oddly realistic animal toy snacks showed up at convenience stores, I bought a bunch trying to get the secret ones. It’s similar to the gacha mechanics in recent mobile games.
â—‡
“Having received the honor of Princess Sistina’s visit, I too am deeply moved,”
the Marquis Ashinen greeted us at the Prefect’s mansion.
Not only the marquis and his wife, but all the nobles holding titles in Labyrinth City had gathered at the entrance.
Usually, maids and butlers greet visitors, but for a princess—especially the full sister of the next king—the treatment is different.
After Princess Sistina replied with a royal greeting, we exchanged formal salutations and were led to the usual salon.
Though the salon often feels too spacious, today it seemed a bit cramped due to the number of guests.
I was glad I brought extra sweets as gifts.
“Sir Pendragon, to celebrate your promotion to viscount and your appointment as Deputy Minister of Tourism, we wish to present you with a commemorative gift. This is a joint gift from me and seventeen noble families of Labyrinth City,”
Marquis Ashinen handed me a finely crafted white wooden box.
Following him, the nobles offered their congratulations.
“May I open it now?”
“By all means.”
In the Shiga Kingdom, it is polite to open gifts immediately upon receipt, but my Japanese nature made me ask first.
—Whoa, seriously?
Overcome with surprise that outdid my expressionless skill, I stared intently at the item inside the box.
“When you’re that surprised, it makes all the effort to procure it worth it.”
“...Thank you very much.”
I lifted the Chanting Orb from the box and smiled at the marquis and others.
According to the AR display detailing the orb, it originated from the Bloodsucking Labyrinth in the Saga Empire.
Next to it was a Light Magic Orb as well.
The Chanting Orb was probably a bonus.
Such items are quite rare, but it seems that, whether in games or another world, rare drops tend to cluster when you don’t need them.
Since I had shown unusual material desire, they had merchants search everywhere to make this a surprise present for me.
I was truly grateful. Though I couldn’t help but think, “What a hassle that was for me,” I knew it would be wrong to complain about their efforts on my behalf.
Not wanting to only receive gifts, I signaled the marquis’s butler to bring in the souvenirs I had sent ahead.
“Those are the tiara and emerald I saw back then! You remembered them!”
“Yes, they were fitting gifts for the marchioness.”
Since the marchioness had helped me build connections in the Royal Capital, I had procured the tiara and egg-sized emerald she desired.
I managed to buy them within budget, having extracted funds from the capital’s nobility.
“Oh, what exquisite glasswork!”
“Sir Satou, is this fine craftsmanship from a workshop in the Duke’s Capital?”
“Look! These tiny pieces seem almost alive.”
In addition, I had also prepared life-sized glass statues of the king ancestor and small animal glass figurines for the servants as gifts.
As expected, the former was well-received, but surprisingly the latter also pleased the marchioness and other noble ladies.
These were made easily with the original spell Glass Art, created from earth magic’s Mud Art and Sand-to-Glass.
Originally developed to make bowls for shaved ice, the magic has found many applications.
“Marquis, I have entrusted the butler with some new works. I would be honored if you would accept them with pleasure.”
“...New works? Are these artworks from the Duke’s Capital?”
“Yes, my lord.”
To avoid discord by giving gifts only to the lady, I hadn’t forgotten about Marquis Ashinen.
His gift was not my own work but a “Youth’s Nude Statue” acquired by arranging a move to the Duke’s Capital. I told the marquis a friend there had gotten it for him.
For the heads of other noble families, I brought souvenir sets of “Energy Tonics,” “Glossy Skin Medicines,” and “Hair Growth Tonics” from the Echigoya Trading Company.