Chapter 99

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

Rihult's scream echoed.

Rihult rushed to the heavy mithril embedded in the wall and leaned in close.

The beautiful, glossy black surface that had been polished smooth was now cracked and splintered.

"Wh-Wh-What! Seriously!? Ahhhh!"

Rihult was clearly devastated.

I felt a deep sense of guilt welling up inside me.

"…I'm sorry, Rihult…"

"No, no! Not at all!"

Rihult turned to me and shook his head.

"Not at all! It's not your fault, Alberto! I told you to shoot it!"

Even as he said this, Rihult touched the heavy mithril affectionately.

"But… ah…"

He slumped his shoulders.

I understand how you feel, Rihult… I'm really sorry…

"Come on, Rihult, cheer up!"

Rihult suddenly slapped his own cheeks and smiled.

"Of course, Alberto! To break the highest quality heavy mithril in our collection! That's amazing!"

"Ah, so that's the highest quality…"

I stared at the heavy mithril.

I had thought it was pretty tough. After all, my Magic Arrow couldn't penetrate it.

In other words:

The heavy mithril had withstood my Magic Arrow, even though it cracked.

I could probably shatter it with a few more shots, but it seems one shot wasn't enough.

Rihult spoke up.

"Well, don't worry too much about it, Alberto! We can always mine more heavy mithril!"

With that, Rihult tried to leave the room.

His voice sounded a bit forced…

"I'll show you to your room. We can talk more over dinner!"

As we left the room, Lora called out to me.

"Wow, that's amazing! Alberto's Magic Arrow!"

"Huh?"

"I couldn't do anything, but you broke it with one shot!"

"Hehe, thanks."

Lora's words made me feel a bit embarrassed.

That day, we stayed at Rihult's mansion, and the next day, we headed to the neighboring earldom.

We traveled by high-speed carriage.

A high-speed carriage is exactly what it sounds like—a carriage that can move faster than a regular one.

Of course, there's a reason for its speed.

The carriage itself is infused with powerful magic, significantly reducing the horses' fatigue.

Thanks to this, the horses can pull the carriage at full speed for a long time.

It's a very convenient mode of transportation, but the cost of introduction and maintenance is extremely high, so it's not something you see every day.

"Well, this used to be a direct territory of the royal family, so it came with the teleportation array and this high-speed carriage!"

Rihult said happily.

Since it was originally intended for use by nobility and above, the interior was quite luxurious.

"Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!"

Lora exclaimed excitedly.

"It's so spacious! And so soft!"

The high-speed carriage was larger than a regular one, with a more spacious interior. The seats were also very comfortable, with plush cushions. Lora was happily poking the cushions.

Then, she suddenly came to her senses.

"S-Sorry! I got a bit carried away!"

"No, no, it's fine. I understand. I used to be a poor noble, so I screamed a lot the first time I rode in one, 'Wooooooh!'"

Laughing, Rihult sat down in a seat.

Lora and I sat across from him.

"It's nice to see such a reaction. The Third Princess Nastasia, who rode in it a while ago, was quite calm."

I reacted to his words.

"Third Princess Nastasia?"

I knew that name. Nastasia Valentinia, the Third Princess. As the title suggests, she is a member of the royal family.

I think she's around twenty years old.

Rihult responded.

"Yes, Princess Nastasia. She's been staying in the earldom we're heading to. There's a festival held in the earldom every few years, and it's customary for a member of the royal family to attend. Since there's no teleportation array in the earldom, she came through our territory."

"If she's still there, we might meet her."

Lora, sitting next to me, reacted to my words.

"Meet a member of the royal family—?"

Her shoulders were trembling.

"Ah, Alberto!? What are the royal family like!? Do they glow with a golden light!?"

"They don't glow with a golden light."

"Then, rainbow colors!?"

"The color isn't really the issue."

"Is it okay…? I mean, will someone like me, a commoner, be allowed in their presence…?"

The royal family.

Since my memory as a noble stopped over ten years ago, I don't know Nastasia's personality. She was probably around ten years old back then…

I remember she was said to be incredibly beautiful even as a child—though that's about all I remember.

"It's fine!"

Rihult answered for me.

"Princess Nastasia is very down-to-earth! I don't think she cares much about commoners!"

"I hope so…"

Lora looked up at me, her gaze trembling with anxiety.

"I-If… if we meet a member of the royal family… please, teach me what to do!"

"Leave it to me."

I smiled and nodded to reassure Lora.

Rihult said cheerfully.

"Alright, let's go!"

The high-speed carriage started moving, and we began our journey to the earldom.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

A little earlier, in the height of autumn—

Princess Nastasia Valentinia arrived at Rihult's territory using the teleportation array.

It was a stopover on her way to the neighboring earldom.

She smiled gracefully at Rihult, who had come to greet her.

"Nice to meet you, Viscount Rihult Strum."