Conversely, no matter how wonderful an ideal is, if it’s not in line with the times, it will be trampled underfoot.
In the end, it’s a matter of the times in which we live. I mean, even when slavery ended, we would have conflict between the capitalist class and the laborers waiting for us in the next era. However, in the story I told her, Roroa seemed to see a new frontier.
“It may take bein’ a little heavy handed, but if we move together with the Empire, it can be done,” she said. “If half of the territory ruled by mankind on this continent is movin’ to reduce slavery, it’ll be hard to push back against us. Then, when there’s a shortage of labor, though this is reversin’ the cause and effect from your story, Darlin’, technology’ll have to advance to fill the gap.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve got a path toward that. You can leave it to me.”
“I’m countin’ on that. Because I’ll be doin’ what I can myself.”
I nodded. “I’m relying on you.”
“Mwahaha. Say it again.”
Roroa and I locked arms firmly. I really was counting on Roroa to handle the economic front.
Now, if Roroa couldn’t make it today, what about Aisha or Juna?
“I am sorry to have to say this, but I have a meeting for our next music program, so I won’t be able to accompany you,” said Juna.
“I–I was asked to join the new recruits for training…” said Aisha. “Of course, if you insist on it, sire, I will cast aside my prior engagement to be with you.”
“No, I’m not going to insist,” I said. “Hm… But, well…”
I don’t really want to bring that large of an entourage this time. If I had a lot of people with me, I would put the other party on guard. Though, that said, I didn’t feel entirely safe going without bodyguards. I mean, Liscia was going to be with me, too, after all.
Although Liscia does have more combat prowess than the average guard.
The Black Cats were currently dealing with clandestine operations in many other countries, so they likely couldn’t spare the people to serve as guards. If possible, I had wanted either Aisha, who had the greatest individual combat strength, or Juna, who could also gather intelligence, to accompany us. As I was thinking about that…
“Your Majesty, might I offer a suggestion?” The head maid Serina, who was standing ready by the wall, gave an elegant bow.
“Serina? Did you have an opinion on this?” I asked.
“Yes. If you are looking for a guard, there is an individual I might like to recommend.”
“Who might that be?” I asked.
“Your Majesty’s personal trainer, Sir Owen.”
“Urgh… Old Man Owen, huh…”
She was referring to the old general and head of the House of Jabana, Owen Jabana. He was a hearty old man whose personality was serious and honest to the point of being excessively passionate. I had liked his willingness to express an opinion and had taken him on as my sounding board and educator.
True, he’s a capable warrior, and given his post, he wouldn’t have much to do while I’m gone. He’s always noisy, and I don’t think he’s suited for going out discreetly, though.
While I was considering the idea, Serina continued. “You should also take Carla from the Maid Corps with you.”
“Huh?! Me?!” Carla, who was standing beside Serina, cried out in surprise.
“Carla is enlisted with the Maid Corps, but she is Your Majesty’s slave,” said Serina. “At times like this, you really must use her as your meat— work her like a horse.”
“Were you about to say meat shield?!” Carla protested. “Wait, even now that you’ve corrected it to horse, that’s still pretty bad!”
Serina whipped out her maid training crop.
“Ah! Yes, ma’am! I will serve with sincerity and devotion!” Carla hurriedly saluted.
She’s been completely broken in, huh…
“Anyway, Carla, I’ll be counting on you,” I said.
“U-Understood, master,” she said.
So for now, it was decided that four people of Liscia, Owen, Carla, and I would be going to the castle town together.
I already felt exhausted just from having come to that decision.
And so, we came to the castle town of Parnam.
Liscia, Owen, Carla, and I were walking down the shopping street in the middle of the day. Because we were here in secret, we were traveling on foot and not by carriage.
“Gahaha!” Owen laughed. “I am pleased that you would choose me as your bodyguard, Your—”
“Shh! Owen… How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Your Majesty in the middle of town like this?” I hissed.
“Oh, my apologies.”
The way Owen laughed it off without looking the least bit guilty made my head hurt. Owen seemed to be in a good mood over being chosen as my bodyguard, so he was even more high-strung than usual.
“We’re here in secret this time… so, please, I’m begging you,” I said.
“But of course, I am aware of that,” boomed Owen.
Was he really? For a group that was trying to be discreet, we stood out to a strange degree.
There was me wearing the Kitakaze Kozou-esque traveler’s clothes that had become my go-to outfit when undercover; Liscia wearing the same student’s uniform she’d worn when we’d first gone into the castle town together; Carla the dragonewt in a maid uniform; and an old, macho man in light adventurers’ armor. All of us were walking together. What was with this completely mismatched ensemble? I couldn’t blame passersby for turning their heads to take a second look at us.
“Even a hastily assembled adventuring party would look more like a unified group than we do…” I murmured.
“If you had just worn a student uniform like last time, wouldn’t that have been fine?” asked Liscia. “It’s not like Sir Owen couldn’t pass for a teacher in his outfit.”
“By the same token, if you had dressed like an adventurer, we might have looked like an adventuring party,” I said.
While we argued back and forth, we both looked back at the dragon maid behind us.
“Wh-What?! Why are you both looking at me?” Carla cried.
“Either way, Carla was going to stand out, huh,” Liscia nodded.
“I mean, yeah, she’s wearing that highly revealing maid dress, after all,” I said. “She’d be out of place no matter how we dressed.”
“Aren’t you being awfully mean when I don’t even wear this by choice?!” Carla protested loudly, but… I mean, it was a maid dress.
Of course, we had proposed that she change into something else, but Serina hadn’t been willing to hear of it. Carla’s maid uniform wasn’t the classic type with a long skirt; it was a frilly dress type (or, to take it a bit further, a maid cafe type). Serina was a total sadist to make her walk around town in it. Carla had been bright red with shame for a while now…
“By the way, Your… Sir Kazuya, is this really the road you want to take?” Owen asked somewhat confusedly.
“Hm? Yeah, it is… Why?” I asked.
“No, it is just that, if I recall, this way leads to…”
“Ah!…That’s right.” Liscia seemed to have realized something, too, but didn’t seem to want to say it. “If we continue down this road…”
…Oh, so that’s what it is, I realized. “If we keep going, we’ll hit the old slums, huh?”
“Indeed,” said Owen. “It is not a place I would want to take the two of you.”