Chapter 48 - The Minister's Return <1>
Three short stories for the first time since Volume 1. I've decided to include the bonus novel, "Charge! Dinner on the Road," in the main story, so this fifth volume will consist of a total of four short stories. I originally thought about adding it at the end again, but after some consideration, I decided to place it in chronological order.
Here begins the fifth volume, a hodgepodge of comedy and seriousness, with a heavier emphasis on comedy.
Ⅰ
Moving at a hurried pace to make up for lost time, yet slowly due to their luggage, the caravan of carriages traveled along the Traveler's Highway, flanked by forests on both sides. The forest flowing past the window was no longer as deep as before, giving a more sparse impression, like a copse of trees.
Anna, who had been looking outside, her braided red hair swaying in the wind, turned to look back inside the carriage. She had been the first to notice that the forest was becoming less dense.
"Are we leaving the forest soon?"
Her green eyes, the same color as the forest trees, sparkled with anticipation.
"Let's see."
Edward, sitting across from Anna, glanced out the window and, after confirming, nodded with a smile. He had traveled this road many times, so he probably knew their current location.
Lying back sloppily on the sofa, Ritz looked out the opposite window. The road seemed to have widened slightly.
After passing through the long Central Great Forest that stretched from the north, they would emerge into the vast plains located in the central part of the Yuresla Kingdom. From there, it wasn't much farther to the capital.
Just as Ritz thought that, Edward told Anna.
"We'll be at the capital soon."
When he looked over, Edward's salt-and-pepper blond hair, braided to match Anna's, swayed gently. His wounds hadn't fully healed yet. The two of them, with the same hairstyle, chatting amiably, looked just like a grandfather and his granddaughter.
"Wow…"
Anna's entranced, breathy words could be heard as she pressed herself against the window.
"Just a little longer now."
Ritz let out a light sigh at the similar sight of Anna and Edward's backs as they gazed outside together. The cause was the braids hanging down their backs.
The current king, and Ritz's friend, had recently taken to having Anna braid his hair every morning, and the look had grown on him. Since he had also sustained a facial injury, he said it was better to have his hair tied back so it wouldn't touch the wound and cause pain.
As he was thinking such slightly mean-spirited thoughts, Franz, who had been as quiet as if he were asleep, turned his still-expressionless face to the window. He, too, must have been curious about the capital.
Looking at that face, where it was impossible to tell what he was thinking at a glance, Ritz found it amusing.
For Franz, this first journey of his life was, to put it nicely, anything but boring, and to put it badly, full of ups and downs. He had probably experienced things he never would have if he had lived a normal life.
Ritz had had a hard time because he was so ignorant of the world, but in Franz's case, his personality seemed likely to cause him different kinds of trouble than Ritz.
His other companion, Anna, unlike Franz, had a troublesome knack for attracting incidents, and she, too, seemed likely to face different kinds of hardships than Ritz and Franz.
He was aware that it was quite funny for him to be thinking like a guardian. At first, it had been a hassle, but recently he had started to realize he didn't dislike this position.
In the first place, Ritz had a soft spot for children, women, and the elderly.
"…The capital, huh…"
Anna murmured dreamily, her eyes narrowing with delight.
"I bet it's a super big city~"
He didn't know what kind of imaginings were taking place in her head, but the capital of her imagination was surely something incredible.
Edward smiled at the expectant Anna.
"The capital is vast."
The expressionless Franz was paying attention to Anna and Edward's cheerful exchange. Perhaps he was looking forward to it a little.
Unlike his companions, Ritz's spirits sank a little when he thought about what awaited him in the capital.
After all, he was practically being taken to the capital by Edward. He had no idea what would happen next.
But it was useless to think about it. Ritz sat up and looked at Anna and Franz.
"This is the first time for you two in the capital, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Yeah! I'm so excited!"
Ritz grinned at the two of them, who were full of anticipation.
"It's amazing~. There are restaurants from all different countries, and you can buy all sorts of things. It's totally different from the towns we've seen so far."
"In the end, it's all about food…"
Franz, with an exasperated look on his face, rested his cheek on his hand and let out an exaggerated sigh. What a sarcastic guy.
"Food is the basis of sightseeing, isn't it?"
He tried to argue, but the blue eyes turned to the window with a look of utter disinterest.
"Being with you two is going to make me gluttonous."
What a rude thing to say. It was true that Ritz might be a glutton when it came to food.
But Anna's curiosity seemed to have been piqued.
"Food from different countries! Which countries? What kind of countries?"
"Let's see…"
"Is it sweet? Is it delicious? Are you going to take us, Ritz?"
Her words, clearly filled with anticipation, lifted his spirits.
"Of course. Once we get to the capital, should we go on a food tour?"
"Yes, yes!"
"…We don't have to."
Lightly ignoring Franz's dejected words, Edward interjected.
"Those don't sound like the words of a man who's been away from the capital for over thirty years."
"Shut up."
His favorite haunts were probably long gone, but that didn't matter.
"To think this is the same person who was so reluctant to be taken to the capital."
"Shut up, Ed. It's different if I'm going for fun."
Edward had a habit of throwing a wet blanket on Ritz when he seemed to be having fun, but that little jab stung a bit.
"If the capital was so much fun, you should have just lived there."
"I just don't want to be a minister."
He rested his cheek on his hand in a bad mood and turned his face away from Edward to look out the window.
"Irresponsible."
"I said shut up."
Regardless of the two of them, who seemed on the verge of a fight again, the carriage continued on.
Suddenly feeling a gaze, he turned to see Franz looking at him. When their eyes met, he looked away slightly.
Come to think of it, he had never once told Franz or Anna the story of how he had run away from the capital. But he had no intention of telling them either.
It was his own internal problem, so he couldn't just talk about it easily. No, he couldn't talk about it. It was his own weakness that he wanted to keep sealed away.
Would the day come when he would tell these two about it, about his own hopeless weakness and his escape? What would they think when they heard it?
Looking back on his life so far, maybe Ritz wasn't qualified to be Anna and Franz's guardian after all.
He thought this as he stole a glance at Edward, who had once been Ritz's guardian. Edward knew about that side of Ritz, but he had yet to say a single word about it.
The dense trees of the forest soon thinned out, taking on an appearance like the grasslands they had passed through several times before. But the difference from the grasslands was that light could be seen from ahead.
About an hour later, the trees began to break up, here and there. It didn't take long before they could make out each individual tree.
"Look! We're leaving the forest!"
At Anna's voice, he reflexively looked out of the carriage. The sunlight filtering through the trees transformed into a dazzling light, filling the carriage. They had left the forest.
"Wow…"
Anna let out a sigh of admiration. Franz also narrowed his eyes, looking dazzled.
Ritz pushed the carriage window up and stuck his head out.
A gust of wind blew through the carriage, rustling Ritz's messy black hair.
It was a slightly cool and pleasant wind. A high, blue autumn sky spread over the vast grasslands where the autumn wind blew.
From here, the highway entered a long, long downhill slope that continued gently, with some ups and downs, all the way to the sea. Of course, they couldn't see the sea yet, only the vast grasslands drawing a horizon.
Far in the distance, to the east, the gentle Sears Mountain Range stretched out. The tips, whitened as if by mist, were they snow that had fallen on the mountains?
Farmhouses were scattered about, blending into the scenery. The roofs of the farmhouses, in contrast to the color of the grasslands, were painted red or brown, and the color contrast enhanced the beauty of the scenery.
The wheat, yet to be harvested, visible here and there in the grasslands, shone golden in the sunlight. The sight made his chest ache slightly at his long absence.
Even the scent of the wind rustling the grass felt nostalgic, and Ritz strained his eyes to see far ahead.
Far beyond the scattered houses and the grasslands, on the horizon, a city could be seen, small as a mirage. Ritz knew that there was still a considerable distance to reach that city.
"Ritz, Ritz, what can you see?"
Asked by Anna, who had moved from the opposite window and was now forcibly sticking her head out of the same window as Ritz, Ritz pointed far ahead.
"What do you think that is?"
"…A city, maybe?"
"That's right. That's the Royal Capital Sears."
At his definitive statement, Anna stretched her neck even further out the window and strained her eyes to see into the distance.
"Wow… so that's the capital…"
"It's still quite a distance away, so it looks that small, but it's actually quite big."
"Uwaah…"
The size of the city, hazy in the distance, must have brought some great expectation to Anna's heart. Her eyes shone with anticipation and hope. It was like looking at an emerald held up to the sun.
"Franz, Franz! Look, look! It's the capital!"
"…Even if you say that, Anna and Ritz are blocking the window."
"Oh, right. Then, please, go ahead!"
Anna pulled her head back into the carriage, and Franz let out a big sigh.
"…It's fine, later."
"Eeh?"
"It's where we're headed anyway."
Though he was probably thrilled, Franz closed his eyes and said that. He was really not honest. He exchanged a look with Anna and shrugged.
"Hey, how long until we get there?"
"Hmm, at this speed, we'll be in the capital by tonight."
When he said that with one eye closed, a smile spread across Anna's face.
"Dinner tonight will be in the capital!"
"Yeah. Let's get something good to eat."
He had believed without a doubt that they would arrive in the capital by today, but that was not to be the case.
Ⅱ
The carriage proceeded along the gentle road and, despite the sun still being high in the sky, entered a farm. Though it was a single farm, its size was extraordinary.
It was a vast piece of land that seemed like it could swallow up not only Anna's hometown of Vishnu but also Franz's hometown of Saradio.
"Where are we going, I wonder."
"…Who knows."
What caught the eyes of the bewildered trio was a splendid wooden sign. Anna read it aloud.
"'From here on, State-Owned Farm. Permission required for entry. Please obtain permission at the entrance.' it says."
"State-Owned Farm? Was there something like that?"
Ritz tilted his head. He didn't think there was anything like this when he was in the country.
"It's only natural you wouldn't know. This place was built about thirty years ago."
"Huh."
Ritz left this country thirty-five years ago, so it's no wonder he didn't know. Even when he looked at Edward's face, he was gazing at the scenery outside with a nonchalant expression.
He felt a sense of unease about coming to this place, but he still couldn't quite read what Edward was thinking.
"Look, look, there are so many cows. And horses! Over there are goats and sheep! Oh, and donkeys too! Wow~, the numbers are completely different from Vishnu."
"The scale of a state-owned farm is different…"
Anna and Franz, captivated by the splendor of the farm, were eagerly peering inside.
It had been quite run-down when Edward became king, but for a farm of this size to be state-owned, the country had become prosperous.
"There are so many horses, are they for eating?"
"…Horses are the basis of logistics. I don't think they're raised for eating from the start."
"I see. That's right! Look, look, that's all wheat fields, and this is rice! There are lots of beans too! Farming and dairy farming here would be fun!"
Franz, with his usual expressionless face, was keeping up with the excited Anna, but he was clearly intrigued. His expressionlessness had become easier to read recently.
Suddenly, Anna turned around and looked at Edward, who was quietly gazing outside.
"Ed-san, what happens to the things produced here?"
"Of course, they're sold and distributed just like from other farms. That becomes income for the royal family too."
Anna's eyes widened at Edward's cheerful reply.
"The king does business too?"
At her utter surprise, Edward burst out laughing.
"In our country, yes."
"That's surprising, isn't it, Franz!"
"Yes, it is."
The two of them, who didn't know Edward well as a king, seemed to have never dreamed that the royal family ran a farm.
Certainly, there were no other countries that operated farms. They might manage them in their directly controlled territories, but that was purely to collect food and other items besides tax revenue.
Even if a royal family owned a farm, it was purely for recreational purposes, and the Yuresla Kingdom was likely the only one that was seriously involved in its management.
In the first place, Edward was raised on a farm, so he probably didn't feel any awkwardness about agricultural management.
"I see. So the king does business too…"
Anna's murmur gave him an idea of what was going through her head. She was probably imagining Edward standing in a market, selling butter and meat.
He burst out laughing at the thought. It felt like there was no one less suited to be a merchant than Edward.
"Are you the one taking care of it, Ed-san?"
At her all-too-blunt question, Edward gave a wry smile.
"If I did that, politics would come to a standstill, wouldn't it?"
"Then who's taking care of it?"
"The citizens I've hired. The royal family are just the managers, and it's rare for me to come. It also serves as a health resort, so I often stay here during long holidays."
"That makes sense~. I was so surprised. I thought you were taking care of the cows, Ed-san."
It was funny to imagine, but it suited him strangely well. He burst out laughing again and got his foot stepped on by Edward.
"Ow!"
"…That's what you get for making fun of people."
He received a resentful glare.
According to Edward's explanation following Anna's barrage of questions, by managing the farm, the royal family could confirm the year's crop yield. This allowed them to calculate the total agricultural output of all farms for the year and determine the tax amount.
In years with bad weather, the yield from this state-owned farm would naturally be poor. In that case, the tax amount would be reduced, and in years of a great harvest, it would be increased. This variable tax rate system was currently used in Yuresla.
"By doing this, we can set taxes fairly, can't we?"
"That explains why it's state-owned."
Anna, tilting her head, didn't seem to understand, but Franz apparently did. As expected of a merchant's son, even a rotten one.
Edward nodded with satisfaction. Franz's well-balanced understanding of financial matters might have been pleasing to Edward as well.
After all, the old Ritz knew nothing about such things and would just be impressed by the explanations, saying things like 'Oh…' or 'I see…'.
Was this perhaps the same as the current Anna?
Ritz, who had been gazing at the farm without joining the conversation, couldn't suppress a sudden bad feeling and turned to look at Edward.
"The royal family manages this place, right?"
"Of course."
He had a bad feeling about this. To confirm it wasn't just his imagination, he spun his words to probe Edward's inner thoughts.
"Which means, the royal family can have the employees take breaks at their convenience?"
"As you know, there are no breaks in farming. Basically."
Edward's gaze was suspicious. It was clear he was flustered, having been found out. Edward's gaze once again averted from him and turned to the outside of the carriage. Yeah, definitely suspicious.
"There are exceptions, right?"
"…Of course there are."
Ritz pressed the fidgety Edward.
"This is strange, Ed. Why are we stopping here? The capital is right in front of us, isn't it?"
At Ritz's voice, Anna and Franz also turned to look at him.
"That's right, the capital is just ahead."
He hadn't noticed because he was distracted by the farm, but at this distance, it should be fine to go directly to the capital. When he directed a suspicious gaze at him, Edward hid something behind a beautiful smile.
What an inscrutable man.
"You must be tired from the long journey. You won't be able to rest if we go straight to the capital. We need a break. Don't you think so?"
Edward smiled as he turned his gaze back to Ritz's group. His opinion was reasonable, but they had never taken a break this early before.
"Suspicious."
"What's so suspicious about it?"
Just as a strange atmosphere settled over the carriage, the group's carriage stopped in front of a splendid building. Anna once again read the sign out front.
"'Dawn Manor. Authorized Personnel Only—'"
But before she could finish, her words were cut off by a man's voice.
"Your Majesty~, I am so glad you have returned safely!"
At that voice, Kenny's familiar, quiet voice of restraint was heard.
"Lord Chamberlain, it's dangerous, so please wait until His Majesty has disembarked!"
"Chamberlain? What's he doing here?"
As he muttered this with a frown, Edward silently looked up at the sky.
"…Don't tell me, Ed, you…"
When he stared at Edward, Edward sighed.
Chamberlain… an early break… equals, it was certain that Edward was plotting something. He had kept it a secret from Ritz that the Chamberlain was waiting in a place like this.
Of course, that 'something' had nothing to do with Anna or Franz. Among the three of them, the only person connected to the Chamberlain and Edward was Ritz.
Come to the capital, I have something I need your help with. Those were the only two things Edward had said to Ritz. He had never heard that a welcome party was waiting here.
Which meant that Edward had been hiding it until now to prevent Ritz from escaping.
Ritz had a feeling he knew what was being hidden. They were planning to set things up so he absolutely could not escape from the capital.
"I told him to wait inside the building, but…"
At Edward's mutter, Ritz involuntarily started to get up. Franz, seeing this, seemed to sense something and furrowed his brow as he looked at him.
Soon, the carriage door was opened by Kenny, and the man called the Chamberlain stuck his head in. He was in his sixties, with a magnificently bald pate and pure white hair on the sides, a man who looked every bit the nagging type.
"To think you would return so covered in wounds! Kenny-kun, and you were with him…"
"Chamberlain, it is fine. It is not Kenny's fault."
"But Your Majesty…"
Kenny was breaking out in a cold sweat under the Chamberlain's still-dissatisfied gaze. He still felt keenly responsible for Edward's injuries.
It was originally the reckless Edward's fault, but the guard, Kenny, would probably face some kind of punishment. Ritz could only think 'what a shame' in his heart.
"My sincerest apologies."
"'Sorry' will not suffice. If something had happened to His Majesty's person…"
"My sincerest apologies."
Perhaps feeling sorry for Kenny, who could only apologize, Anna stood up. She looked ready to give the Chamberlain a piece of her mind.
If Anna started something here, it would be impossible to sort out. Before Ritz and Franz could cover Anna's mouth, Edward stopped her with a hand, stood up, and got out of the carriage.
He stood between the apologetic Kenny and the angry Chamberlain.
"It's fine, Kenny. I will explain later. Is that all right with you, Chamberlain?"
"Well, if Your Majesty says so…"
Finally escaping the interrogation, Kenny let out a sigh of relief. Ritz could read on his face what the Prime Minister would say to him, if the Chamberlain was this bad.
Indeed, Shasta's lectures had always been harsh. If they had powered up with age, how painful would they be?
"By the way, Chamberlain. I believe I told you to wait inside the building?"
Suddenly, Edward's words, sharp with a thorn, flew into his ear. But the Chamberlain didn't flinch.
"I was worried about Your Majesty."
"I see."
At the suspicious turn of events, Ritz slowly stood up and quietly reached for the door on the opposite side of the carriage. He was starting to get the picture.
They intended to take Ritz to the capital as a minister. They must have devised some way to prevent him from escaping.
If he was going to run, it had to be now.
But Ritz's plan was thwarted by, of all people, his companion Anna.
"Ritz, where are you going? If you're going to tour the farm, I'm going too!"
"Idiot, shh—"
He hurriedly covered Anna's mouth, but it was too late. That action ended up drawing everyone's attention to Ritz.
Edward gave Ritz a smile more amiable than any he had ever shown before.
"Ritz, why don't you come inside? We can talk slowly after that…"
If anything, that expression was eerie.
"You've got to be kidding me, I'm getting out! You said we were just going to the capital!"
"Now, now, don't say that…"
"No!"
Edward sighed at the rebellious Ritz and ordered Kenny.
"Have all the inspectors hold that door. Don't let Ritz out of the carriage."
"Understood."
Kenny and the inspectors ran to the other side of the carriage. In an instant, the door was blocked by the inspectors.
"Anna, Franz. Could you hold Ritz down for me?"
"? Okay~"
Not quite understanding, Anna hung onto Ritz's left arm. Reluctantly, Franz also held down Ritz's right arm.
From his past experience, Edward knew well that Ritz couldn't bring himself to harm Anna and Franz.
"That's a dirty trick, Ed!"
What dealt the final blow to the completely cornered Ritz was the Chamberlain.
"Your Excellency, you are being a sore loser. Do you have any idea how much we worried, and how much trouble we went through, after Your Excellency ran away?"
"Eh…?"
He stared at the Chamberlain, who in turn stared back at Ritz, a vein popping on his bald forehead. He was speechless at the sheer force of it.
"It is all very well to be a free spirit, but for someone who was once involved in national affairs to behave in such a manner, it is so pathetic I could weep! After Your Excellency disappeared, do you know how severely I was scolded by the previous Chamberlain? I suppose you do not! At the very least, even Your Excellency should be capable of entering the building. Please, come inside."
At that torrent of words, Ritz faltered. And from his old memories, he identified the person who could speak to him like that.
Come to think of it, when he was leaving the capital, he remembered tricking a young attendant. The scene from that night came back to him vividly.
'It's the middle of the night, but something urgent has come up. Could you get a message to the king?'
To the Ritz of that time, who had said such a thing in the dead of night, the attendant asked.
'Can it not wait until tomorrow? It is already so late, His Majesty must be resting…'
'Time does not matter for urgent business. This concerns the affairs of state. I need you to do this immediately, O'Connor.'
'Yes, Your Excellency.'
And so the young attendant, after much trouble to meet the king, finally arranged a meeting between the king and the minister.
But by that time, the minister's room was already empty. Needless to say, everything from his everyday clothes to his weapons was gone.
'H-His Excellency is gone!'
That night, the royal palace was in an uproar over the minister's disappearance.
Ritz knew this because he had seen it firsthand. While everyone was in a panic, Ritz had been hiding on the roof of the royal palace.
After the commotion died down, Ritz went to Edward and heard him say with a wry smile, 'I made sure O'Connor wasn't blamed.' Until this incident, he had been known as a capable attendant, but that night's event was likely his first setback.
He hadn't recognized him because of his changed hair, but it seemed that the tricked attendant was now the Chamberlain.
"…Yo, O'Connor, been well?"
"I have not been well. I had a terrible time back then thanks to Your Excellency."
"…Yeah, I bet…"
"My hair has completely fallen out. I intend to have you take responsibility for this."
Ritz hung his head limply. Taking this as Ritz's surrender, Edward cheerfully called out to Anna and the others.
"Anna, Franz. I invite you into the mansion."
"Yes!"
In contrast to the still-dejected Ritz, Anna replied cheerfully. Ritz proceeded towards the mansion with Franz holding one arm and Anna hanging from the other.
He couldn't help but think that the bill for his life of freedom had finally come due, and he felt hopelessly depressed.
"Ritz, there are times when it's important to give up."
At Franz's enlightened words, Ritz turned to face him, still hanging his head.
"Do you have some grudge against me?"
"Not particularly."
"…"
And so the three of them set foot into the Dawn Manor, which served as both a health resort and a villa for the royal family.