Chapter 56

"Good afternoon, little lady. Are you a friend of His Majesty?"

"Rito...!?"

"Pfft, hahaha"

Kena stiffened at the condescending greeting, while Sahara Shade burst out laughing at her subordinate's terrible comment. The Knight Captain, completely at a loss as to what kind of gathering this was and why her superior was laughing so hard, could only stand there in confusion. The one girl, Kena, who looked no older than her mid-teens, was visibly irritated by the 'small' comment. She refrained from lashing out only because this was her niece's country and she was aware of her own excessive combat power. She wanted her niece, who was rolling with laughter, to quickly correct her subordinate. At least until her niece fell into another fit of laughter.

"His Majesty?"

"Ahahaha... ah, phew. No, I'm sorry, Kanko. This Rito... pfft, hah"

"Well, it's fine, I guess."

Since coming here, Kena had been called 'miss' so often that she had run out of sarcastic remarks. She patiently waited for her niece's fit to pass. By the time Sahara Shade had managed to catch her breath, Kena had already become quite sullen, crossing her arms and frowning, turning away. The oppressive aura she was emitting was far from ordinary, and Kanko was sweating profusely, plastered against the wall. Even Sahara Shade, despite being family, remembered that Kena was someone not to be angered. She had realized this a bit too late, likely due to having been too casual beforehand. To avoid further trouble, Sahara Shade introduced her aunt succinctly.

"Kanko, this is Aunt Kena, who refused our cooperation proposal the other day."

"That makes it sound like it's all my fault, doesn't it?"

"Oh, a noble lady... My father has spoken of you often."

"...Father?"

Kena braced herself, sensing something ominous. Sahara Shade, who seemed to be hearing this for the first time, listened with interest.

"Yes, my name is Kango. I left for the east about twenty years ago and haven't been heard from since..."

"Eh... Ehhh!? Kango was here!!"

Surprised by the familiar name, Kena stared intently at Kanko.

"Do you know him, Aunt?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of interactions."

'Kango' was someone Kena had interacted with quite a bit, especially during the later stages of the game when Kena was still alive. They often teamed up for various events and quests. He was one of the external collaborators (along with Kenta and others) who joined the final quest with the Creme Cheese guild members, and was part of the team that broke the 1100-level limit. As his name suggested, he was a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and had a unique obsession with using external editors to make his appearance look like an Asian man, which made him stand out among the predominantly Western-looking players. Kena remembered him vividly.

"But, twenty years ago?"

"Yes. Well, given his outgoing personality, I doubt he's changed much wherever he is."

Since 'Kango' was a human and over thirty years old in the game's setting, he might have settled down somewhere or, worse, passed away due to some cause. However, given his straightforward and bold nature, it wasn't something to worry about now. Kena put aside her negative thoughts.

"The east, huh. Maybe I'll build a road there when I have some free time."

According to Opus, the people who settled in the Readeil region were drawn there by their dreams from various places. There should be other countries beyond this region. If the eastern unexplored areas (which were just monster-spawning zones in the game) had been developed, there might have been another country.

"Before you leave, Aunt, I have a few questions for you. Is that alright?"

Just as Kena was about to leave, Sahara Shade called out to her. Kena, who was thinking about leaving, nodded, saying, "If I can answer them, sure."

"It's about the abandoned city..."

"Ah, the abandoned city. Sorry, I don't know much about it. I'll interrogate Opus next time and let you know if I find anything."

"Opus? Who is he?"

"Opuketenshuruto Kurosetto Bonba, a male demon and a long-time friend."

"Ah, so you have friends too, Aunt?"

"What do you mean by that..."

Kena was disheartened that her son, daughter, and niece didn't have a good impression of her.

After a bit more casual conversation, Kena informed Sahara Shade and Kanko that she was leaving and moved to the giant turtle waiting outside the window. She used the same window to enter and exit. Looking up at the sky, which was gradually turning orange, she hurriedly cast a spell. As she waved to Sahara Shade, who was watching from the castle window, the giant turtle suddenly disappeared.

"Oh, it disappeared with it..."

"Well, it's because it's Aunt Kena."

The Knight Captain, who couldn't quite believe what he had just seen, looked at the queen, who was puffing out her chest as if it were her own achievement. The confusion and unease from the sudden disappearance of the giant turtle could be heard from the open window.

"Should I have informed them beforehand?"

"I'll have the knights take care of it. Still—"

Their gazes shifted to the sofa where Kena had been sitting, then to the pile of red liquid bottles on the table. These were the potions Kena had left, saying, "By the way, I heard the knights had some injured. Here, take these."

"You know a lot, don't you?"

"I heard from Skullgo after the Felskairo raid. I've been making them and they just keep piling up, so use them."

Kanko picked up one of the bottles, sighed, and looked at her superior. This single bottle alone could revive more than four soldiers on the brink of death. The potion, well-known to Sahara Shade and Kanko, who had been fostered, was a common item that circulated for about 150 gil 200 years ago. Converted to current prices, it was an extremely valuable item worth one gold coin and fifty silver coins. Now that the recipe had been lost, it was a highly sought-after item that would fetch a high price if found in a dungeon. This was the reason for the concern Lops had expressed to Kena earlier. Both were speechless at the sight of such a valuable item being left behind so casually.

"Then, Your Majesty, I'll be going. I'll also inform them about the turtle."

"Yes, thank you."

They couldn't just stand there in a daze; they still had a mountain of work to do. The Knight Captain, having accomplished his purpose in this room, hurriedly left to fulfill his duties. The potions were carefully gathered by a maid and taken to the medical officer. Closing the window, which now offered a clear view, Sahara Shade took a document from the pile to resume her work.

"Well, I can only rely on Aunt Kena for the rest..."

---

*Boom, a great waterfall*

The place where Kena and the giant turtle appeared after the teleportation was a shallow sea, not deep enough to submerge the turtle's legs. The sudden appearance of such a massive object caused sand and fish mixed with seawater to spray up dramatically. The vast ocean stretched out before her, and behind her, a gentle stretch of land extended from the beach. It was a very familiar landscape.

"Oh, this looks familiar..."

'It's Luka's village.'

Kena looked down again at the report from Key. There was a village with a familiar layout, now deserted. Kena was relieved that the turtle hadn't landed on the village. She returned to the Guardian's Tower and asked the golden Buddha statue.

"Does this turtle need to keep moving?"

'No, it's following your wishes now, as per Lady Kujou's request.'

"Can it stay still for a while, then?"

'Understood.'

The golden Buddha statue, seated on a floating lotus, bowed deeply. Kena, having left a portion of her MP for the teleportation spell and poured the rest into the core, bid farewell to the Guardian and teleported to the border village where her home was located.

---

Kena was greeted by Luka, Roxine, and Roxilus when she returned home.

"Welcome back... Kena, Mother."

"Welcome back, Kena-sama."

"Back!"

They greeted her, but only the three of them. Kena frowned, sensing the absence of a crucial person. Roxine spoke up as Kena was petting Luka.

"I have a message from Opus."

"A message? From Opus? So he's not here!"

"He left a... square thing..."

"'I'll be waiting for you in Felskairo in seven days.'"

"Why seven days?"

"Perhaps because he left on a carriage?"

According to Roxine, Opus had left with Eilene's caravan. Despite being able to use a teleportation spell, his decision to travel by carriage was peculiar. It seemed he intended to use marching magic to deliver the caravan, just like Kena. He had also taken Siren, which was worrying.

"I'll apprehend him before he does anything. I don't have any MP left today, though..."

Thinking about the need to attach a certain item, Kena decided to put off dealing with the problem child. This decision would later lead to intense regret.

---

The next day, Kena turned the wheat in the hut into beer and whiskey barrels before breakfast. After finishing breakfast, she took a large screen display device and went to negotiate with Maleer to place it in the village.

"Do as you please, Kena."

"Really?!"

To the players, it would look like a boombox with eyes, but to the people of Readeil, it was a black base with eyes embedded in it. It was an incredibly suspicious object. Kena, holding it, asked Maleer, "Can I place this here?" and was surprised when he agreed without hesitation. From Maleer's perspective, 'rejecting a proposal from Kena, who has contributed so much to the village for free, would be a loss.' Kena, accompanied by Luka, explained the item's function to Rito, who was watching from a distance.

"Kena, Mother... can see things from where she went..."

"Can it see things far away?"

"Yeah, something like that..."

It was a bit vague but not incorrect. Kena said, "Let me demonstrate," and turned on the large screen display. The device itself was facing the wall, so the image projected on the wall was what the eye was seeing. The eye, which served as the transmitter, was floating diagonally above Kena's shoulder, showing the inside of the inn. As Kena moved, the perspective changed, showing the outside of the inn, the ground, and an aerial view of the village. The village, now seen from above, appeared as a small square with a narrow road leading to a forest. The forest, with a thin river (Edged River) running through it, was visible. The Guardian's Tower was also in the range but appeared as a mere dot, unnoticed by anyone. When the screen went blank, Kena returned to the inn.

"Well, that's how it works. I heard there's a tournament in Felskairo soon, so I thought it would be nice to see it from here..."

"But this only shows what Kena is seeing, right? Wouldn't it be hard to get a good seat?"

Indeed, securing a front-row seat would be necessary to capture the entire match. Normally, that would be the case. But Kena had a special privilege that changed that.

"Anyway, I'd like to watch the tournament from here, with the best possible view from 'the pair of eyes.' Can you help with that?"

'There should be no problem. As long as it's within the vicinity of this tower, there are no places I can't see.'

Kena had counted on the fact that the tournament arena itself was the Guardian's Tower. The Guardian readily agreed when she asked. The Guardian rarely refused a request from a Skill Master and would clearly state whether it was possible or not.

In the game, conversations with the Guardian were limited, but here, the Guardian had proper thoughts and could even accommodate some unreasonable requests, which was helpful.

Following the Guardian's instructions, Kena placed 'the pair of eyes' next to the hazel plant in the planter, which served as the core. A floating screen appeared in front of it, showing the view of the Edged River flowing through the central part of the capital, as seen from the noble district. Though small, the ferry boats and Yanma boats were clearly visible. Kena returned to the village to confirm that the view from Felskairo was being displayed correctly. She asked the Guardian to show the capital's scenes until the tournament began, which would be from the afternoon until the taverns closed. She would monitor the situation from the village and consult with Maleer as needed. After pouring plenty of MP into the core, Kena used the Guardian's ring to return to her tower and then teleported back to the village. This was because teleportation spells (except for the Guardian's ring) couldn't be used inside the Guardian's Tower. She could also be sent outside the tower, but it would appear in the heavily guarded area around the arena, which would be inconvenient.

Upon returning to the village, Kena confirmed that the view from Felskairo was being displayed correctly. Many villagers had gathered, and the tavern was crowded. Since few people left the village, they found it novel. Kena thought it would be nice if they enjoyed it. She informed Maleer of the display times and decided to discuss any issues as they arose, then returned home.

"Recently, I've been going here and there. I think I'll take it easy until Opus arrives in Felskairo."

"Yes, Kena-sama, why not spend a day lounging around?"

Kena nodded, then noticed Luka staring at her and cleared her throat, trying to cover up.

"Umm... I'll go hunting."

"Yes. Hehehe, do as you please, Kena-sama. We'll take care of everything at home."

The maid and butler chuckled and continued serving. Luka, looking curious, reached out to Kena, who was blushing slightly.

"Kena, Mother... do you have a cold?"

"No, no, nothing. Luka, why don't you go outside the village?"

Kena asked Luka to cover up her embarrassment. She expected Luka to shake her head as she had during the previous incident but was pleasantly surprised when Luka nodded eagerly.

"Okay, then let's go fishing... after lunch, we'll go to the river and catch some fish, okay?"

"Okay."

Thus, the Kena family spent a pleasant afternoon, which felt like a small outing. However, the group included not only Roxine and Roxilus but also the overprotective Kena's summoned creatures: Wanko, Pii, and Heiger. Together, they formed a formidable group with a combined level of over 3000, making it a pity for anyone to try to mess with them.