The Water Magician

That day, Ryo and Abel visited the neighboring house.

The neighboring house, of course, belongs to His Highness Lyun, the sixth prince, and Princess Shio Fen.

In fact, this visit was made with proper prior notice.

Although, I'm not sure how much significance a one-minute prior notice really holds.

"At last, we've begun to give prior notice ourselves! Courtesy is one of the reasons why humans are human, after all."

For some reason, Ryo seemed quite pleased.

"Well, that's good and all, but... a prior notice is supposed to be like this. Young people working at the house bring a letter asking if they can visit later, right?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Even though we don't have any young people at our place... So, what exactly is this?"

Abel glanced over at the 'one who gave the prior notice' standing right next to him.

He sighed.

"What do you mean by 'this'? He's the leader of our ice golems! I call him, Precursor Officer No. 1!"

Ryo pointed towards a single ice golem standing ahead.

That golem was indeed Precursor Officer No. 1.

It looked no different from the golems that usually clean the Rondo Mansion...

"What’s different? He still can't talk, right?"

"Uh... that's true, but... Even if he can't talk, he can still deliver a letter!"

"Isn't that the same with the other golems? What's the difference?"

"Please look closely, Abel. It's completely different, isn't it?"

Ryo said indignantly, but Abel couldn't see the difference.

However, after staring at it for a while, he finally understood.

"This... the decoration on top of his head?"

"Yes, it's a horn!"

It was a decoration about ten centimeters long, located just above where a human's forehead would be.

Ryo insisted it was a 'horn.'

It looked as if a sharp piece of iron had been stabbed into its head...

Of course, the horn was made of the same ice as the rest.

"This is a horn that is attached to the commander unit. In other words, this child is a sign of being the leader."

"I see... Does this decoration... this horn have any special effects?"

"Huh? No, it doesn't..."

"Is it imbued with a magic stone, making it stronger or faster than the other golems?"

"N-no, it doesn't..."

Ryo grimaced as he answered Abel's inquiries.

"Especially, it doesn't have any combat capabilities, does it?"

"...No, it doesn't."

"I see."

"Ugh... one day I'll upgrade it! When that time comes, I'll make a golem that can defeat you with a sword, Abel!"

Standing there, Precursor Officer No. 1 paid no mind to the ugly quarrels of humans.

Its clear gaze may have been focused on the future of the world.

Having fulfilled its role, Precursor Officer No. 1 returned to the Rondo Mansion alone, while Ryo and Abel were led by the household staff.

They were not being taken to the private quarters where Princess Shio Fen and the maid Mifa usually were, but rather to a place that could be called the work area of His Highness Lyun.

More precisely, they were heading to the training ground located at the back of the mansion.

"Duke Rondo, welcome."

"Your Highness Lyun, as I conveyed in the prior notice, I've come to share the information I've gathered in the past few days."

The two exchanged polite bows.

Even among friends, there is still courtesy to be observed.

Behind Prince Lyun stood his usual entourage, who also bowed politely.

However, Abel noticed something.

The faces of the entourage had changed.

Except for the reliable, older Chief Chamberlain Rinshun, and the chamberlain Wenshu, who was the same age as Prince Lyun, the rest had different faces.

(Did they replace them with capable personnel?)

Abel thought to himself.

Of course, he didn't show it on his face, nor did he inform Ryo.

Even if he understood, it would be foolish to reveal all his cards.

The most powerful position is when you can keep your information hidden without the other party realizing you have it.

Once they know you have it, you must steer it towards effective use...

"I believe you wanted me to see a demonstration exercise, and this is it, right?"

"Yes. I wanted you to see this, as the renowned mage Duke Rondo, so I brought you to the training ground."