The Water Magician

"Wow, both last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast were really delicious!"

"Indeed. It's great when the food is tasty."

Ryo said happily, and Abel responded with a smile.

Delicious food is justice.

It brings happiness to those who eat it.

At that moment, the receptionist brought a letter to the two.

"It just arrived."

"Thank you."

Saying that, Abel received it and quickly opened it to take a look inside.

After reading it once, he handed it to Ryo.

"Umm, it says Princess Iliriaja wants to meet. It’s an invitation for a tea party. What does it say…? She managed to get some good tea leaves from the continent. Oh, that sounds nice. We should definitely go."

Ryo loves coffee, but he also enjoys tea, whether it's black or green.

"Ryo, is that all it says?"

"It also mentions that there are things she wants to discuss. That's fine; such matters are trivial. The location is... the royal palace's annex? There's a guesthouse there. If we're inside, we won't be able to go out and play whenever we want. How unfortunate."

"There's no helping it. If something happened to the princess, it would be serious for the Vassal Kingdom. In fact, she was attacked during transport, so staying within this town doesn’t guarantee safety."

Thinking of the princess Iliriaja without freedom, Ryo felt sad, while Abel explained the circumstances with sympathy.

High-ranking individuals have no freedom.

Having experienced that as king more than he would like, Abel shook his head slightly.

Conversely, he knew that because of that, the time he could act freely now is precious.

For that reason alone, he appreciated demon Garwin just a little bit.

Really, just a little.

"But if we're entering the guesthouse… will we really be able to see her?"

"Who knows? Well, we won’t know until we try."

Ryo gave a casual reply to Abel's question.

The truth is, they would know if they went, but they wouldn't know if they didn't go...

"Please, this way."

As the two approached the main gate of the guesthouse and stated their names and purpose of visit, they were immediately guided inside.

"They let us through."

"Yeah. It seems they were informed of our arrival."

Ryo and Abel whispered to each other.

They had indeed been guided, but...

"Isn't it a bit excessively guarded?"

"Did you think so too, Abel? There were about twenty guards at the main gate, right? And there are soldiers standing at every corner of this path."

A considerable number of guards were positioned inside the guesthouse.

"It seems they’ve caught on that Abel is a dangerous swordsman."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ruthless and vicious swordsman Abel. That notorious reputation has even reached the royal palace of the Komakyuta Feudal Kingdom."

"That’s impossible."

"If it weren’t, this level of security wouldn’t make sense. Conversely, if you think that way, everything fits, right?"

Ryo confidently countered Abel's denial.

For some reason, he seemed quite sure of his interpretation.

"Isn’t it possible to replace Abel with Ryo in this situation?"

"I look harmless and amiable, as a mage. I'm different from Abel."

"You're a dragon in sheep's clothing."

"Oh, that phrase sounds kind of cool. It looks calm on the outside, but actually..."

"That's not it. There's no way you could hide a dragon under a sheep’s skin due to size. It’s a metaphor for being blatantly obvious even if you think you’re hiding it."

"How cruel…”

As the two exchanged such whispers, they followed the guide and finally arrived at the intended room.

"Mr. Abel, Ryo-san, thank you for coming."

Princess Iliriaja welcomed them.

"Princess Iliriaja, it's good to see you well."

"Princess, I've come to share in your company."

Both Abel and Ryo greeted her with smiles.

Though their statuses were different, they were akin to comrades who fought together.

It felt joyful to meet again after several days.

Well, technically, they were a king and a first duke, but...

"Please, this way."

Princess Iliriaja guided them to a spacious terrace.

Thanks to the perfectly calculated design of the guesthouse itself, even such a vast terrace was constructed to be invisible from the outside.