Chapter 30

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Now, I am heading to a certain place with Safina. The place is the discussion room of "Laraios."

(The purpose is simple, I'm going to meet the prince... I want to know what happened with the sword mentioned in our previous conversation! And if possible, I want to obtain it or have it made. If there's no progress, there will be no future for my exam.)

I straightened my posture, resolved myself, and headed towards the destination. By the way, although Safina has nothing to do with it, she came along because I didn't know where the discussion room was.

(Ah, I'm so blessed to have such good friends... But I haven't told Safina who I'm going to meet, so she might faint when she sees the prince...)

The reason I decided to do this nerve-wracking task of meeting the prince is simply because if the sword is related to the royal family, I should ask the royal family. Fortunately, I have connections with the royal family.

(I wanted to use this card as a last resort... but I didn't want to waste time... there's no other way, right?)

As we walked down the corridor, we encountered more and more people dressed in a more common style, different from us.

By the way, my outfit is a uniform I had made by a tailor, based on the school uniforms from my previous life in Japan. Wearing a uniform as a Japanese person when coming to school was a kind of dream for me.

The blazer-type uniform, with white and black fabric, has the emblem of Altoria Academy and the crest of Solos sewn on as patches, so from a distance, it clearly states, "I am a student of Altoria Academy and belong to Solos." Therefore, when people realize I am from Solos, they keep their distance and observe me.

However, there is one thing I realized after wearing this uniform and coming to school with a sense of pride. It is that a uniform is only a uniform when everyone wears it. If only I wear it, it's just a fashion statement.

(With this, I can't really feel like I'm wearing a uniform to school)

Anyway, since Safina was very interested, we decided to prepare matching uniforms for later.

(Fufufu... I hope it will spread throughout Solos eventually)

While plotting the Solos uniformization plan, we soon arrived at the room where many of them were, and my nervousness increased as we reached the discussion room.

(Certainly, if this were in Japan... it would be like the nervousness of entering another class for the first time... and the student near the door would be the one to announce

"Hey, ○○ is here to see ××!"

"Oh, what's up ××, you popular guy, hoo-hoo"

"Stop it, it's embarrassing! ○○, shall we talk in the hallway?"

or something like that... Yay♪)

For me, who couldn't experience such sweet moments in my previous life, it was both exciting and nerve-wracking because the ×× in this case is the prince. Given my state, it's no wonder that Safina, who is mentally weaker than me, looked like she was about to vomit from nervousness.

"You don't have to come with me, I can go from here alone."

Seeing her pale face, I offered to go alone, but she shook her head vigorously.

"Being alone here... is even more painful..."

(That's true... If I were left alone in such a hostile environment, I would cry)

After taking a deep breath, I peeked into the discussion room. The structure was almost the same as the one we use, so I wasn't particularly surprised. The people inside showed some interest in us standing at the entrance, but once they realized I was from Solos, they ignored us.

(Darn... there's no designated seat, and there's no one to announce my presence. I have to find him myself... oh, I'm so nervous... where is the prince?)

Wanting to finish my business quickly and leave, I searched for the prince with my eyes and found him surprisingly quickly.

(Why? Because there was a gathering of mostly young ladies)

As I approached the table surrounded by several men and women, the prince was in the center, engaged in a lively conversation.

(Is it about the class... or politics? There are a lot of difficult words being thrown around, but I don't understand any of it)

The prince not only spoke but also listened to the opinions of those around him, absorbed them, and further enlivened the conversation. They, too, were talking without much reserve, despite the fact that their conversation partner was the prince. Their expressions clearly showed respect for him. The prince looked very dignified and happy. The young ladies watching him were completely entranced.

(Something... it feels wrong to interrupt...)

As I stood there waiting for the conversation to end, the prince suddenly noticed our presence. Or rather, our gazes met as he occasionally looked around.

"Sorry, but it seems an important friend has come to visit. Let's end the conversation here."

His carefree smile left no room for argument, and even the students who were about to speak fell silent, standing up and leaving the room one by one.

(By the way, the young ladies' glares are really scary...)

I could clearly see the young ladies glaring at me as they left, but I deliberately avoided looking at them.

(By the way, Safina hasn't said anything since we got here... what's wrong with her?)

I thought she would panic when she realized the prince was approaching us, but Safina had been standing there, gripping my sleeve tightly.

(Did she become mentally stronger somehow? I'm so jealous... right?)

With a mix of relief and an indescribable feeling, I glanced at her and saw that Safina had fainted while standing.

(Sorry! She wasn't strong at all! She had already exceeded her tolerance level!)

"S-Safinaaaa! Stay with me!"

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, but she remained lifeless, her head drooping like a doll.

"...Is it anemia? That's serious. It's better to lay her down on the sofa over there."

(No, this girl fainted from extreme nervousness about meeting the prince... but I can't say that, can I?)

I gave an ambiguous response, and the men around us quickly came to the prince's aid, carrying Safina to the sofa. As I watched, worried, I noticed the prince smiling at me from the corner of my eye.

"What is it, Reiforce-sama?"

"Nothing, I just thought you were wearing an unusual outfit."

I looked at the school uniform from Japan that I had made. Indeed, it was quite unique compared to what others were wearing.

"I designed and had it made... Is it strange?"

I spread my arms slightly and continued to look at my outfit. Despite my appearance, I had a period in my previous life where I drew manga and anime in a hospital room, and I tried to recreate the uniform I drew in this world as much as possible. However, the anime elements made it a bit fancier.

"No, not at all. It's a sharp and dignified design with a touch of cuteness... It suits you very well, it's beautiful."

"Reiforce-sama... Is that something you heard from the king?"

"Oops, my bad. No one has pointed it out recently... I accidentally... Ha ha ha."

The prince laughed, showing a cute, age-appropriate smile, which was a stark contrast to his previous demeanor. At the same time, I could feel negative vibes from the onlookers piercing my back.

The prince sat across from the sofa where Safina was laid down, and I followed suit, sitting next to her.

"So? Do you have something to talk about? For you to come all the way here, it must be something important."

(...That hopeful look in your eyes is blinding, Prince... It's too much for me, who came here purely for personal gain)

Feeling guilty about disappointing the prince's expectations, I averted my gaze and decided to just state my business.

――――――――――

"Eternal Sword... hmm... I've never heard of such a thing."

I was surprised by the prince's response after I explained my business. Although there are various theories, such as the king having the entire country make it or the princess receiving it from a god, it was certain that the royal family was involved. Yet, he had never heard of it.

"According to what Mary and Magilka, and others have said, it's strange that such a significant event wasn't passed down as a tradition..."

"What does that mean? Are all the stories I heard just imagination?"

"Maybe... It's a fact that all the blacksmiths in the country were summoned, so that could be a good starting point... I remember the royal blacksmith was a dwarf, so you might want to ask them."

(Oh, royal blacksmith... what a prestigious title! And a dwarf! I really want to meet them)

I was so excited and eager that the prince chuckled and said something unexpected.

"Why don't we go together on the next day off? It's within the capital, so we should get there quickly."

By "together," he probably meant the usual group, but the way he phrased it made it sound like just the two of us, and the negative aura from the onlookers intensified. I broke out in a cold sweat and laughed nervously, wishing I had a skill to nullify such attacks.

Thank you for reading this far.