Zelef-san and Sheila headed to the kitchen, so we sat down at the seats prepared for us.
"Zelef-san is really the head chef of the royal palace, isn't he?" (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san asked to confirm.
"Yes, someone who is in a position to prepare food for His Majesty the King and the royal family." (Ellelaura)
"Why would someone like that cook for Fina’s celebration?" (Tirumina)
"As I said earlier, Zelef feels indebted to Yuna-chan, and Fina-chan met him at Misana's birthday party, and she probably showed him around when he went to Crimonia. That's why. He also likes Fina-chan." (Ellelaura)
Now that she mentioned it, Fina also had something to do with Zelef-san.
"My daughter has more interactions with people who she normally wouldn't be able to interact with." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san looked a little worried.
"I'm sorry" (Fina)
"It's not something to apologize for. However, if it's true, I don't think Fina could have anything to do with Noir-sama, Misana-sama, Ellelaura-sama, Cliff-sama, and Zelef-san. That's why I was just a little worried." (Tirumina)
Her opponents were only high-ranking people.
From a mother's perspective, there might be no reason to worry.
"Mom... I'll make sure I don't cause any trouble to mom." (Fina)
"Oh, you can't say things like that and leave Noa and Misana. If you do that, you'll only make them sad." (Ellelaura)
"Yes. If you two don't mind, I'd like to be friends." (Shia)
"I think they would be happy if they heard those words." (Ellelaura)
In comics and novels, it was difficult for aristocrats and commoners to become friends. But this wasn't a manga or a novel. I wanted the three of us to be friends forever.
"That's right. Value your friends. The friends you make when you're a kid are important. They'll be friends for life." (Yuna)
"Yes, I understand." (Fina)
Friends... childhood friends, my heart was hurt. Even if she didn't have friends like that, she would grow up just like me. She wasn't lonely.
"By the way, Yuna-chan. I heard that you came to the castle today." (Ellelaura)
Ellelaura-san asked me if my heart had been damaged.
"Sanya-san told me that the king was calling about the monster, so I went there." (Yuna)
"Ah, I guess that's what it was about." (Ellelaura)
It seemed like she had something in mind.
"Ellelaura-san didn't come." (Yuna)
When I went to the castle, there was a high probability that she would appear.
Mainly to get the food I brought.
"Well, for the past two days, I've been sla..., no, I've been going to inspect that event." (Ellelaura)
She was just about to say slack off.
After all, it seemed like she was slacking off in the name of inspection.
"So I had a lot of work to get done." (Ellelaura)
However, maybe it was great that she got the job done herself rather than forcing it on someone else.
"By the way, what was the reason why the king called Yuna-chan?" (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san, who was listening to the story, asked.
I briefly explained that I was called by the king.
"Magic stone. It's true that a monster's magic stone that big is not easy to obtain." (Tirumina)
"So, I said before that if I wanted to get rid of Scorpion, I would sell it to the king, but I forgot." (Yuna)
"Yuna-chan..." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san made an unbelievable expression.
"Well, it seems like he was wondering where the magic stone was going." (Yuna)
"Um, are you okay? The king wanted the magic stone, didn't he? You refused it." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san looked a little worried.
"Not really, I was just asked to sell it when I was short of money. He wasn't asking me to sell it to me because he wants it." (Yuna)
"No, no matter how he asks, it sounds like he wants you to give him the magic stone. Could it be that soldiers and knights suddenly come to Yuna-chan's house and capture her?" (Tirumina)
She had a rich imagination.
But before I met the king of this country, I might have thought the same thing.
There were people in the powerful royal family and aristocrats who wanted to enrich their own pockets. But on the other hand, it was also true that there were good leaders.
World history told us this.
Maybe the king of this country was a good leader of the country. Maybe Cliff was also a good lord.
"Yuna-neechan. Are you going to get arrested?" (Shuri)
Shuri, who was listening to Tirumina-san's story, looked worried.
No, I wouldn't get caught.
"It's okay. He's just an old guy who likes delicious food, so he won't do anything bad like that." (Yuna)
Tirumina-san sighed at my words.
"Yuna-chan is the only one who calls the king just an old man." (Tirumina)
No, maybe everyone thought that, just without saying it.
"Hehe, Tirumina-san. You don't have to worry so much. If the king does what Tirumina thinks, he is an incompetent king." (Ellelaura)
"Ellelaura-sama..." (Tirumina)
"As it stands, there is no benefit to doing something that will make Yuna-chan hate him, there are only disadvantages. In the first place, the king has given an order to prevent Yuna-chan from leaving this country. He won't do anything that will cause Yuna-chan to leave the country." (Ellalaura)
"What is that?" (Yuna)
This was my first time hearing it.
"An order to prevent talented people from going to other countries? An instruction? I wonder if that's what you're saying. There is such a thing." (Ellelaura)
"You’re not letting me go to another country, so I can’t leave this country?" (Yuna)
"That's not what I mean. You're free to go anywhere. But the problem is that you leave this country and go to another country." (Ellelaura)
"Why?" (Yuna)
It was up to the individual to choose where they live.
"This isn't limited to Yuna-chan. It's normal for a country to secure talented people. People who run the economy, knights who protect the country, magicians. There are talented people in various places running the country." (Ellelaura)
It was understandable that there were people who run the economy, people who protected us from monsters, and other people that we didn't know about.
"The same goes for the development of magic tools. It is impossible for ordinary people to develop magic tools. Humanity has progressed through the research and creation of new magic tools by excellent people in that field." (Ellelaura)
"I see." (Fina)
Fina murmurs as if moved.
"In the past, there was no magic line that connected magic stones. Therefore, the only way to brighten a magic stone was to touch it directly. But now, we can just touch a magic stone near a wall, and the magic stone will shine." (Ellelaura)
"Yes" (Yuna)
Headhunting in other countries could lead to information leaks. If you were a knight, it was military power. If a person with some kind of talent disappeared from a country, the country would fall behind in that field.
Even in Japan, there were many people who work for overseas companies with high salaries.
This was a problem that worried people everywhere in the world.
"What do you think will happen if the country loses its talented knights, wizards, and adventurers?" (Ellelaura)
"If we're attacked by a monster, we might perish because there's no way to fight back." (Yuna)
"That's what it is. That's why the country has a duty to protect talented human resources." (Ellelaura)
"It's tough, isn't it?" (Yuna)
"It's the country's job and the town's lord's job to manage that." (Ellelaura)
It was important, but maybe it was difficult to manage a country.
"But why am I included in that?" (Yuna)
"That's only natural. There's no way His Majesty the King would let go of someone who can single-handedly subjugate large monsters and cook delicious food." (Ellelaura)
If you thought about it from the country's perspective, it made sense, but from my point of view, it didn't make sense.
"But I've never heard of anything like that." (Yuna)
"Even if we try to stop you by force, Yuna-chan will leave. If we try to stop you by force, we will suffer damage as well. Even if we keep Yuna-chan like that, Yuna-chan will leave the country, the city, and the world. I don't think they would do anything for the people of this country." (Ellelaura)
"Indeed." (Yuna)
I didn't want to be ordered to work like a slave.
"In that case, he should make you want to continue living in this country of your own will. His Majesty the King really wants Yuna-chan to live in the capital. He wants her to serve the country. But you never said that." (Ellelaura)
"Yeah" (Yuna)
I had never been told that.
"I think if we say that, you’ll leave the country. That’s why I want Yuna-chan to live freely in this country. If you have any complaints, you can talk to me, His Majesty the King, or Cliff. Just tell me. We'll do everything we can to make it right." (Ellelaura)
"It's okay. I have no complaints so far." (Yuna)
"That's good." (Ellelaura)
There was a reason for that.
It was only natural for someone above you to want to surround yourself if you had power. Even during the Warring States period, a country could be stabilized and protected depending on how many capable military officers and civil servants it could secure.
Well, the reason I looked so good was because of the bear equipment I received from God and the knowledge of my original world. That was why I didn't consider myself to be excellent. It was just thanks to the equipment I happened to get and the knowledge I had in my original world.
Now that I thought about it, the king knew that I defeated the Kraken and the Giant Scorpion. Maybe they were a threat to the country. However, I was able to act freely and was allowed to do whatever I want within the castle. That would be impossible under normal circumstances.
My freedom might have been protected in ways I didn't know about.
And while we were having this conversation, the food was brought to us.
Tirumina-san was surprised, Shuri looked happy, and Fina thanked Sheila every time she brought food.
Sheila is Sheila, and perhaps she wanted to say that her cooking skills had improved, and she reported that she helped with this.
The dishes on the table were all dishes that could not be eaten at a normal restaurant.
There were scenes in manga where aristocrats ate food while having a party, and this was what the food looked like.
Ellelaura-san and Zelef-san told me to eat without worrying about manners. Accepting his words, we ate without worrying.
At first, Fina and Shuri ate without worrying about manners, but when they saw Shia eating with the etiquette of an aristocrat, they both started imitating her.
At first, Shia looked embarrassed when she saw the two of them imitating her, but she didn't seem to mind and said, "This is how you eat this," and showed them an example. She was teaching Fina and Shuri the dining etiquette of aristocrats.
In the future, if Fina continued her relationship with Noa and Misa, she might need it, so it was worth remembering.
Me? I had no intention of attending a party hosted by royalty or aristocrats, so there was no need.
After all, just hearing about how to hold a knife, how to place a knife, and the order in which to use it was troublesome.
Then, at the end of the meal, a fruit parfait with pudding came out.
When I tried it, it tasted better than what I made.
Perhaps Zelef-san was doing his own research and creating something more delicious and pleasing to everyone.
This was a real chef.
Zelef-san looked satisfied as we ate deliciously.
All of the dishes Zelef-san made were delicious, and everyone was smiling by the time they finished eating.
However, I couldn't eat it anymore.
My stomach was full.
Author's Note
They then return to Crimonia and that's it.