A ship can be seen in the ocean. A huge ship flying the flag of the Heedata Empire is moving slowly across the ocean. Not many countries in the world can build such a huge ship. The majesty of this ship is already enough to show us the power of the Heedata Empire.
On board the ship are Linos, the king of Agartha, his mistress Meirias, a sheep-beastman, and Chihwan and Roni, black rabbit-beastmen. Also on board from the Heedata Empire are Robert, director of the Medical Research Institute of the Imperial University, and several of his men, and from the Principality of Niza are Pitan, the Dwarf King's younger brother, and his men. In total, there are 15 people on board.
"We can finally see them now..."
It was Vyrus, the brother of the Emperor of the Heedata Empire, who muttered to himself.
"Yes, that's right. We should be there in half a day.
"Ten days on a ship is indeed tiring.
"Well, I can't help it if I get seasick."
"If it weren't for my brother-in-law's restorative magic and Lord Meilius' medicine, I don't know what I would be doing now..."
You should have stayed in the capital.
"It can't be helped. Your Majesty's orders.
"Well, I'll ask your highness to do your best, and I'll really appreciate your help, won't I?"
Yes, I'll take care of it.
I'm at ease talking with His Highness Weiras about such things. In fact, the day before yesterday, the ship was quite bumpy and the researchers were suffering from seasickness. We didn't have any problem at all, so I cast a restorative spell on them and gave them a medicine for seasickness that Mei makes.
I thought there was basically nothing to do on a boat trip, but the researchers never got tired of discussing and studying this problem from morning till night. I had nothing to do with this kind of science talk, so I spent my days fishing. When I was a high school student, I had studied mathematics and science classes by sleeping a lot, but I had not learned anything at all. It is a secret story that I wished I had studied harder.
At night, of course, I moved to a house in the capital and went to sleep. Chihwan and Roni from Posehay, who were accompanying me, also stayed at the mansion. It was just as if Willis, a cat person who had been sheltered in the house, had been moved to the beastman village in Agartha.
Roni wanted to eat the meals at the house so much that she ate little breakfast and dinner on the ship, ate some leftovers at the house, and returned to the ship in the morning after eating a hearty meal without reservation. Peris was considerate enough to make a separate meal for Roni, which was quite a burden for her. She smiled and gave Roni a sandwich for the night, and in the morning she was happy to cook a steak for Roni, which was a relief.
And so we finally arrived at our destination, Aphrodite, the capital city of the Crimiana cult.
"...How many countries have we been to?
The bishop, Kofresi, is sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. It is the day before the open question session, and yet there is no end to the number of delegations visiting. I had assumed that the delegations from Agarta, Niza, Hidata, and Ramalon would come, but the rest would be from the countries around Klimiana, and only a hundred people at the most would come. However, when I opened the door, I found that delegations had come from quite a few distant countries. Moreover, they were carrying invitations that he had written himself. He was convinced that King Agartha was up to something and was busy dealing with the delegation.
As they were representatives of the country, he could not allow them to be treated roughly. Therefore, the guest house that was originally planned to accommodate the delegation could not hold them all, so he hurriedly made arrangements for other hotels.
In the end, 41 countries participated and more than 300 delegates arrived in Aphrodite. In addition, there were many citizens and students who arrived uninvited, causing chaos in the port. And now, news had just arrived of the arrival of a delegation from the Kingdom of Sandanj.
"d*mn.... King Agartha...what kind of trick did you pull? Yes, the king of Agartha has not arrived yet. Perhaps a delegation from Heedata, Niza, and Lamaron will come too. And then... Oh, God d*mn it."
Kofresi regretted now that he had accepted the job alone, hoping to gain the Pope's trust.
The originally planned venue for the questioning was the auditorium of the Institute of Medicine, but due to the unexpected number of participants, the cathedral had to be used. He was relieved, at least, that the Pope agreed to this unexpected event with a gentle smile as ever, and offered some words of encouragement.
The question session would be held tomorrow. A young bishop enters Kofresi's room, where he is preparing for the meeting, losing track of time.
"Excuse me, sir", he said.
I'm busy right now. What is it?"
A ship of the Heedata Empire has just arrived in the harbor. The King of Agartha and his envoys from the Principality of Niza are with them. The Lamaronic Empire will not be sending a delegation, as they will do their utmost to rebuild the country.
"...I see. Good. Then take us to the Papal Palace.
"I have a message from King Agartha that he will be staying on the ship tonight, and that he will be coming directly from the ship to the Questioning tomorrow."
Koffresi clucks his tongue.
"Well, good. If the kings of Agartha say so, let them say so.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"...You know...you don't even know what we're thinking..."
Koflesh mumbles and turns his attention back to tomorrow's preparations.
At night, in the empty dining room of the imperial residence, it is Linos who is working on something at the table, humming to himself.
"...master."
"Oh, it's May. Go back to sleep. I've got an early start tomorrow."
"What are you doing?"
"Yeah, I'm laminating paper with grains of rice."
"What on earth are you going to use it for?"
"Yeah? It's notepaper."
"Notepaper...?"
"Oh. I know it's not very cool, but it's easier to do if you put them on top of each other like this."
"I will help you..."
"Yeah, no problem. I'm almost done. All that's left is for the rice to dry. It'll be crispy in the morning.
"I'm kind of sorry..."
"It's not May's fault. It's just that I don't know, so I'm going to ask you a question. That's all. You don't get it either, do you? Ask your questions with an open mind. May and Roni are not wrong. I don't know all the details, so I may not be able to say much, but I'll help you as much as I can. Don't worry, May. Go ahead and talk to them as much as you can."
"..."
May silently hugs me.
"Do you want to take a bath?"
"...Hi."
May muttered in a small voice.
Outside the cathedral of Aphrodite, the capital of the Church of Crimiana, people were overflowing. The cathedral can hold 2,000 people, but the seats were quickly filled with delegations from various countries, the staff of the Crimiana Institute of Medicine, the Pope, cardinals, and other church officials, and very few civilians were allowed to enter.
In addition, the movements and statements of Rinos, who was rumored to be an apostle of the Lord Goddess Krimeana or a great villain who spoke her name, were the center of attention for those who lived in the city. The general public, who were also devout believers of the Crimiana faith, came to the cathedral in droves to catch a glimpse of Rinos, and with the addition of researchers and students who had entered the country in the confusion, the area around the venue was in turmoil.
Under such circumstances, Linos and the others were on their way to the cathedral in a carriage sent by the Church to pick them up.
The curtain was about to rise on the battle against the Church of Crimiana.