Published: January 15, 2026
Accompanied by a strangely high-spirited His Majesty, I headed to Apollo, who was waiting at the castle gate.
When I arrived at the castle gate, more than a dozen large carriages were lined up, filling the spacious main street to capacity. Around the carriages, dozens of adventurers were also gathered, creating a population density that would make even a famous tourist spot pale in comparison.
It seemed that the knight order His Majesty brought was waiting outside the castle gate. Even so, the main street of our Seato village was completely packed, which was astonishing.
“Ah, Lord Van!”
From within the caravan, Bell called out. Apollo was standing just behind him.
“Welcome back.”
Waving my hand as I went to greet them, Apollo looked a bit surprised, then immediately knelt on one knee and bowed his head. Seeing that, Bell finally noticed for the first time that His Majesty was standing behind me.
“P-Please forgive us!”
Seeing the two of them prostrate themselves, the other adventurers exchanged glances and also dropped to one knee, lowering their posture.
Although it felt as if I had become someone important because people were bowing to me, it was really because His Majesty stood like a stand behind me. Thinking that, I turned around, and His Majesty nodded generously, waving one hand.
“Very well. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Upon hearing this, Apollo was the first to stand.
“Thank you very much. As expected, the knight order of the strong Kingdom of Scuderia is unmatched. We hurried as much as we could, but we simply couldn’t catch up.”
“Ha ha ha! That’s right. It’s one of our strengths.”
Apollo spoke casually and enjoyed chatting with the king of a great nation. Bell looked bewildered by this. As expected from a large organization that trades with many countries, they were accustomed even to dealing with kings.
“So, what brings you to visit Baron Van today?”
His Majesty asked, and Apollo looked at me with a wry smile.
“Well, it’s embarrassing, but the commercial guild’s policy has finally been decided…”
Tilting my head at that, His Majesty burst out laughing and nodded.
“Oh? So, the commercial guild has given up on the Yelinetta Kingdom?”
“No, no… It’s just that this time we found dealings with the Kingdom of Scuderia attractive, so we reluctantly postponed transactions with the Yelinetta Kingdom…”
“Ha ha ha! It’s tough having to consider many sides! Tell me, between us, the deal with Yelinetta Kingdom isn’t truly postponed, is it? Even in war supplies, armor, and seasonings, there should be considerable profits.”
His Majesty read between Apollo’s words. Well, there is such a thing as wartime demand. For a commercial guild with trading routes in many countries, simply moving goods from right to left would bring huge profits.
It was likely that supplies related to logistics were sold to the invading Kingdom of Scuderia, and weapons and armor to the Yelinetta Kingdom.
Thinking that far, I remembered the existence of the Black Orbs.
“…Apollo, by the way, does the commercial guild sell Black Orbs to the Yelinetta Kingdom?”
When I asked, Apollo shook his head with a wry smile.
“No, no, we do not handle those. Unfortunately, that product is monopolized by a single country… and the manufacturing method is still unknown.”
Upon hearing this, His Majesty folded his arms and groaned.
“Of course. Such a convenient weapon cannot be revealed to other countries. I don’t know how many resources and time are needed for manufacturing, but depending on the quantity, it could decide victory or defeat.”
His Majesty murmured, narrowing his eyes. The atmosphere grew tense.
At that moment, a new visitor entered with a dignified air.
“Well, well, Your Majesty. I apologize for being late.”
Swirling beautiful golden hair, Panamera appeared. Though he spoke words of apology, his eyes held unwavering confidence and he did not look apologetic at all. His Majesty smiled wryly and nodded in response to Panamera’s bold attitude.