Chapter 736

Chapter 0736 Tea Party in Vamos

Translator: ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Jay_Forestieri

Editor: ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Tseirp

Because ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍there had been fighting at the harbor, the café was completely empty of customers.

As ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍a result, everyone was able to fit inside.

First, Ryo was made to sit down, with Kinme taking the seat to his left.

Perhaps intending to help him out in his own way, Abel sat to Ryo’s right.

Patrice and the other three sat across from the three of them.

The Royal Knights sat at a distance around the seven of them...

“I, um, I have a woman I’ve already given my heart to...”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of making you mine exclusively. If I did something like that, I’d burst.”

“I-I see.”

Ryo was clearly relieved.

He had thought it would be better to say what needed to be said, at least, so he had done so immediately after sitting down.

Of course, Ryo had no idea what Kinme meant by ‘burst’...

Abel seemed to be listening to what Ryo had said, his eyes opening wide in surprise.

Ryo did not understand what Abel’s expression meant and was about to ask, but Kinme’s words came first.

“It would be fine if I could touch your cheek again in ten or twenty thousand years.”

“...Huh?”

Ryo could not understand.

Kinme’s party members seemed to think she was joking too.

“Oh, Kinme, you’re always joking around.”

“In ten thousand years? We’d all be dead by then.”

Those were the sorts of things they said.

Ryo agreed with them, but then thought about it for a moment.

Kinme was a Djinn, so perhaps she might still be alive ten thousand years from now.

But Ryo did not think he would be alive.

It was true that he did not seem to age very much, but...

...Surely he would not still be alive, right?

No, even if he did not age at all.

“With so many people trying to kill me, I don’t think I’ll still be alive.”

“Trying to kill you...”

Ryo said it, and Guti was shocked.

As she was recovering from the surprise, she realized something.

“We haven’t introduced ourselves.”

“Ah... We are the Refreshing Five Peaks, a bodyguard party belonging to the Bardael Emirate of the Eastern Countries of the Dark Continent.”

“I’m Guti. The green-haired one over here is Patrice, the yellow-haired one is Toko, the white-haired one is Mau, and the light-blue-haired one is Kinme.”

“Thank you for the thorough introduction. I’m Ryo, a C-rank adventurer belonging to the Kingdom of Knightley in the Central Countries.”

After Patrice and Guti introduced themselves, Ryo introduced himself as well.

“So your name is Ryo-san.”

Kinme nodded with a smile.

“What? Kinme, you didn’t know his name?”

“No, I only found out just now.”

“Even though you two seem so close...”

“Ryo-san is my benefactor. He is the benefactor who freed me from my yoke.”

“Your benefactor...”

The other four members of the Refreshing Five Peaks were astonished by Kinme’s explanation.

But there was one person who tilted his head in confusion.

The water-attribute magician himself.

“Did I do something?”

Ryo recalled what had happened back then.

They had all entered the ‘shrine’, and after a while, everything shook and they escaped...

Then Kinme had appeared, floating in the sky.

Ryo had not done anything.

The power that had allowed her to revive, or break the seal, had apparently been taken from the vampire who had visited the ‘shrine’ a few days earlier.

“That’s right. I stole the vampire’s mana and completely revived myself, but the seal had not been broken. However, thanks to Ryo coming there, enough ‘droplets’ overflowed in that place to make the seal burst apart.”

“What in the world...”

The reason the seal on the Djinn imprisoned in the south had been broken was, in fact, the Fairy Factor overflowing from Ryo...

((I didn’t know.))

((So it was because of Ryo that the Djinn broke the seal.))

((Th-that’s why I said I didn’t know...))

((I was only organizing the facts.))

((Am I... going to be charged with aiding a Djinn’s escape and thrown in jail?))

((As far as I know, the kingdom has no such crime, so you should be fine.))

((Oh, really?))

Ryo breathed a sigh of relief.

((Wouldn’t it be something heavier, like treason or preparation to overthrow the state, the kind of crimes that carry only life imprisonment or the death penalty?))

((Why would it have to be something that serious... All right. I’ll show sincerity and try to get leniency.))

((Sincerity?))

((I’ll allow the once-a-week cake privilege to be downgraded to once a month...))

Ryo offered this with deep regret.

((And that’s how you intend to obtain leniency for a serious crime?))

((Yes. Oh, and I’ll promise that my violent neighbors in the Rondo Forest won’t invade the kingdom’s mainland.))

((...That’s just a threat.))

((If you execute me, who knows what will happen to the restraint keeping them in check!))

((...Well, if it really comes to that, I’ll issue you a pardon in the king’s name.))

((As expected of Abel! I’ll follow you for the rest of my life!))

((I see...))

Through Soul Resonance, such a highly confidential conversation took place between Ryo and Abel.

Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place at the table.

“I heard Kinme had a hard time before joining up with us. Were you captured by some bad people?”

Guti asked with a sad expression.

“Well, if anything, I was put there to protect myself.”

“Sorry?”

“But I ended up staying there much longer than I expected... and when I finally decided to leave, I couldn’t get out. ...I suppose you could say the lock had broken, or something like that.”

“I see. That must have been hard.”

Guti nodded at Kinme’s explanation.

The other three nodded silently as well.

“But if you were able to get out thanks to Ryo, then he really is your benefactor.”

“And because you were able to get out, you were able to join our party.”

“In other words...”

“He is our benefactor too.”

Guti nodded, Patrice explained, and Toko and Mau concluded.

The four members of the Refreshing Five Peaks other than Kinme stood up and bowed to Ryo.

“Thank you for saving Kinme.”

“Huh? Um, no, I didn’t really do anything...”

Ryo fumbled awkwardly.

Through Soul Resonance, he had been told that he might be charged with a serious crime, while here, he was being thanked.

Perhaps this was proof that even the same event could become something entirely different depending on the standpoint from which it was viewed and the position in which one found oneself.

Dark Coffee was brought before everyone.

“As expected, authentic Dark Coffee really is delicious.”

“Yeah, it’s good. Kona from our country is good too, but this is good as well.”

Ryo and Abel praised it.

The people at the heart of the Kingdom of Knightley were coffee lovers.

Patrice, with green hair, and Guti, with pink hair, listened to their praise with satisfied smiles and nods.

Patrice and Guti suddenly noticed something.

“Come to think of it... there seem to be more knights, or rather, guards than anything else, don’t there?”

“Are they Ryo’s?”

“Huh? No, they’re not. They’re guarding this person here, not me.”

Ryo pointed to Abel, who was sitting to his right.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve heard that gentleman’s name...”

“I heard something about him being a descendant of Richard, but now that I think about it, we never heard his name.”

Patrice and Guti looked toward Abel as they spoke.

“Seems a little late for introductions now... I’m Abel of the Kingdom of Knightley.”

“Believe it or not, he’s the king of our country.”

“I see, the king.”

“So that’s why there are so many guards...”

“...Huh?”

Abel answered, Ryo added the explanation, Patrice and Guti followed the flow of the conversation, and Toko and Mau finally realized it.

“His Majesty the King!?”

The four of them were shocked.

“We did it, Abel. They were surprised.”

“Don’t say stuff like that. It’s embarrassing.”

Ryo said it happily, and Abel reddened as he admonished him.

Kinme was the only one among the ‘Refreshing Five Peaks’ who was not surprised.

“Did you know, Kinme?”

Guti asked.

“Yes. Richard was the king of the Kingdom of Knightley. I thought his descendant would be a king too.”

“You could have told us...”

“I wish you’d quietly told us...”

Kinme answered with a smile, while Patrice and Guti looked utterly drained.

Toko and Mau silently shook their heads.

“Then why have Ryo and His Majesty Abel come to the nation of Vamos?”

Having finally settled down, Guti asked.

“Our ship was carried here by a storm.”

“Ah...”

“There’s nothing you can do about a storm...”

Guti and Patrice nodded repeatedly at Abel’s answer.

Toko and Mau nodded even more vigorously.

The Refreshing Five Peaks seemed to have had quite an experience with storms.

“Once, our ship was carried away by a storm and we ended up going down to the southern part of this continent.”

“The Dark Continent...”

“The south?”

Kinme answered with a smile, and Ryo and Abel were shocked.

“What is the south of the Dark Continent like?”

“There was a Kraken’s nest.”

“My word...”

“How did you ever make it back alive?”

“Of course, the ship fell apart in an instant.”

“If Kinme hadn’t been there...”

“We wouldn’t have been able to reach land...”

“We would have become food for the Kraken.”

Kinme revealed a shocking fact, Ryo and Abel were stunned, Patrice described the fate of their ship, and Guti, Toko, and Mau expressed their gratitude to Kinme.

“Even if you’re on the sea, fighting a Kraken in the ocean is tough.”

“Yeah. Normally, it’s not a matter of being tough. You just die easily.”

Kinme said it with a smile, and Guti’s face tightened.

“Ryo, it sounds like you’ve fought a Kraken before too?”

Kinme seemed to have read it from Ryo’s expression.

“Yes... I have several bitter memories.”

“You defeated one underwater, though.”

“That’s amazing! Even for me, it might be difficult underwater.”

Ryo remembered it with an expression filled with anguish, Abel recalled the battle fought by the submarine Neil Andersen from his memories, and Kinme praised him.

“Even using alchemy, I’ve only managed to defeat one... when they’re in a group, it’s difficult.”

“Oh my! You can use alchemy too, Ryo?”

“Yes...”

Ryo’s voice trailed off.

That was because the alchemy that had sealed Kinme came to mind.

Of course, Ryo was not the one who had sealed her, but he felt a little uncomfortable anyway.

“Could you perhaps use the technique that sealed me too?”

“Eh...”

Ryo was rendered speechless after hitting the mark.

Not only Ryo, but everyone except Kinme fell silent.

Of course, Kinme herself had no grudge or anything of the sort, and she continued smiling brightly.

“I said this before, but I was the one who asked for that. I asked them to lock me away.”

“Yes...”

“At first I asked Hal. But Hal refused, saying he didn’t want to. So I asked Richard, who had been his disciple. It seemed quite difficult for Richard too, though.”

Kinme explained with a smile.

Abel asked in surprise.

“King Richard was his disciple? Then who is this... Hal, his master?”

“Oh? You’re Richard’s descendant and you’ve never heard of him? That information wasn’t passed down in the royal family of Knightley?”

“No. At least, I’ve never heard of him.”

“I see... Then I can’t be the one to tell you. If it wasn’t left behind because there was some reason they didn’t want it passed down, then that’s the case, isn’t it?”

“...”

Kinme’s words were perfectly reasonable, so Abel had nothing to say.

“Richard said that he didn’t want the technique he used to be passed down to later generations either... so I can understand why that part wasn’t preserved.”

“I see.”

“But somehow, it seems like you know about it, Ryo-san?”

“The technique that uses Kinme’s own mana to seal her...”

“Correct! You’re amazing, Ryo.”

Kinme nodded happily.

“Ryo, that is...”

“Kenneth probably doesn’t know the technique either. So it’s true that I don’t think it was left with the kingdom’s alchemists.”

“...Then why does Ryo know it?”

“Ah... This isn’t really the place for that. I’ll tell you someday, Abel. But I don’t fully understand it myself yet. So if you ask whether I can make something similar... honestly, I don’t have much confidence.”

Ryo answered Abel’s question honestly.

Ryo had thought that it might be all right to tell Abel about ‘Hassan’ and the ‘Black Notebook’ he had inherited from him, since Abel was not the sort of person to go around telling others.

He had simply forgotten about it all this time...

“If I ever need to be locked away again, I’ll ask you, Ryo.”

“Sorry, but please spare me that.”

At Kinme’s joke, Ryo frowned and shook his head.

In the end... the Kingdom of Knightley delegation led by Abel did not have an audience with the King of Vamos.

When the crew of Skidbladnir investigated, they determined that the king’s ‘condition’ made such a meeting impossible.

“I feel like we’ll be able to see each other again soon.”

Those were the words Kinme said to Ryo.

Skidbladnir departed Vamos Island.

It headed west, toward the mainland of the Dark Continent.

On its deck.

“We are gathering knowledge to solve the age-old question of why human beings fight one another.”

“...Huh?”

“This encounter has given us an insight that brings us one step closer to solving that question.”

“...You think so?”

“Not accepting a letter of credence... in other words, it is a refusal to have a discussion.”

“Y-yeah...”

“If two powers come into contact without a discussion taking place, a military clash becomes inevitable. That is the clash that occurred at the harbor.”

“Somehow... I feel like you’ve talked me into this, but you’re not actually wrong, are you?”

Ryo calmly expounded on his own theory, and Abel listened with a puzzled expression.

“The difficult point about discussion is that it cannot take place if even one side refuses.”

“...That’s true.”

“The only possible result is an armed clash.”

“...That is true too.”

“Even if we desire a peaceful resolution as much as possible, if the other side has no such intention, it becomes a military clash. Peace is a fragile thing.”

“Y-yeah...”

“As a logical conclusion, even before entering into discussions, we need to consider what happens if the other side refuses a peaceful resolution and prepare for the possibility that it may become a military clash.”

“That’s... a sad conclusion.”

“Perhaps humans are foolish creatures.”

Ryo shook his head sadly.

“Though from the start, all the King of Vamos had to do was accept the letter of credence.”

“Yes. Just that... it was only that much, and yet...”

“That one little thing was difficult.”

“Abel, make sure you accept it properly.”

“Hm? Of course I will.”

“Even if it is a letter of credence from the Debuhi Empire.”

“Precisely because it is a letter from the Empire, I’ll accept it.”

At Ryo’s words, Abel raised only one cheek, his expression turning slightly sardonic.

The Empire possessed greater power than the kingdom.

It was precisely the kind of opponent they wanted to avoid a military confrontation with.

“But someday, without fail...”

Abel clearly said that much.

The words that followed were inaudible even to Ryo.

“I’ll repay the debt for invading the kingdom.”

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