Published: July 4, 2025
Time is now.
Inside a private room at a nearby tea house, Ryo, Abel, and Friendship Proof No. 2 gathered.
The two read the letter from Prince Lyun that No. 2 had brought.
It detailed the situation surrounding Prince Lyun's faction, the imperial capital, and the emperor.
And finally...
"A request to rescue the emperor."
"What an unexpected turn of events..."
Abel wore a serious expression, but for some reason, joy was evident on Ryo's face.
Naturally, Abel looked puzzled at Ryo's expression.
"Why is Ryo so happy?"
"Huh? I, uh, I'm not happy at all?"
Ryo stuttered in response to Abel's observation.
"His Majesty the Emperor has been good to us, so isn’t it a dire situation that such a person has been kidnapped? We must do our utmost to fulfill this request!"
"I completely agree... but I haven't mentioned anything about Ryo's expression."
"My expression is a reflection of my determination! I will definitely carry out this request!"
"I see."
Abel gave Ryo a skeptical look, clearly not believing him.
While they conversed, Abel had already thought of the reason.
"You aren’t seriously thinking about a classic development, are you?"
"Of course not! That thought never crossed my mind!"
In truth, Ryo was indeed thinking that.
The "request for the rescue of a prominent figure" was finally a classic light novel development.
However, he understood that everyone, including princes and princesses, must be feeling extremely distressed, so it wouldn’t be right to take joy in the classic development as usual.
So he tried to hide it...
He intended to deceive himself...
Though it might not have worked, he decided not to say it out loud.
However, if his enthusiasm could lead to helping others... then it was certainly not something to be blamed for.
…Probably.
"Among the other items were instructions for the Tenth Ship and a supplementary explanation... and a metal plate? Alchemy tools?"
Abel looked at the card-shaped alchemy tool.
"It belongs to Tin, the commander of the forbidden army. It seems to indicate the emperor's location."
Ryo fiddled with the explanation sheet.
It appeared to indicate distance and direction.
He contemplated the possibility that something related to this alchemy tool might be embedded in the emperor's body.
"Tin must have felt a grievance."
"After all, he couldn’t protect his lord. But if it’s against a phantom being, there’s not much he could do. He must have known he couldn’t win and would be a burden, so he entrusted this tracking alchemy tool to us."
"Well, that's true."
Ryo nodded in agreement with Abel.
Being expected to deliver results yet falling short... was the most painful thing of all.
"We’ll succeed for those who are waiting for them."
"Indeed. If we storm the phantom king's stronghold, it might also be an opportunity to defeat him."
After Ryo fully charged Friendship Proof No. 2's magic stone with magical power, he wrote down the details of accepting the request on paper and handed it to Friendship Proof No. 2.
"Please take care of this, No. 2."
Of course, No. 2 accepted it without saying a word and then ran off.
Ryo and Abel watched him go.
"No. 2's expression was filled with determination."
"…Is that so?"
Ryo spoke with a gentle expression, as if admiring a child's growth, while Abel nodded with an indescribable expression.
Of course, Abel couldn’t read the expression of a golem at all.
However, he had another question and decided to ask it.
"How did that golem know Ryo's location?"
"Huh?"
"No, we stayed in the capital for a long time due to the ceremony, but it understood that and came here? It should have originally gone to a place like port town Hoi An and set sail already."
"Ah, that’s because I made No. 2."
"Excuse me?"
Ryo's overly concise explanation left Abel confused.
"I mentioned before that there’s an invisible magical power line connecting things I've made myself, right?"
"I recall that. You can unfreeze the Coffin of Ice no matter how far apart you are, right?"
"Exactly. I made No. 2, so there’s a magical power line connecting us."