Volume 7 Chapter 21 The Next Strategy For Oath
'Oath' said with a cheerful tone.
"'Slow' was really strong, you know. His judgment was incredibly fast. If it weren't for the city's layout and the people he had to protect, it would've been a really tough fight."
Alkei Fragrance, the alchemist and long-time party member, nodded in agreement while continuing her mixture. "That's right. It was good, wasn't it?"
From the side, her figure looked like that of a beautiful, mature woman. Her voice was smooth, and her golden hair swayed gently.
However, her sharply pointed ears indicated that she wasn't what she seemed. Alkei was an elf. Although she looked young, her age had long surpassed 200 years.
'Oath', on the other hand, was ageless. Despite their 100-year relationship, his appearance remained unchanged.
'Oath' complained about Alkei's attitude.
"...Alkei, don't you think you should show more interest in my story? It's not like you'll get punished by the gods or anything."
"Your story is always about battles and is so boring. I want to hear a more beautiful story."
"What do you mean by a beautiful story?"
"Well, in this city... I think the bazaar, where various races gather and trade, is beautiful."
"I think it's lively, but your sense of beauty is unique, isn't it?"
"I suppose so? It's just a difference in sensitivity."
After 100 years of friendship, it was natural for their relationship to become carefree. Especially since 'Oath' had remained unchanged in both appearance and personality. Alkei, on the other hand, had grown from a child to an adult, but that was all.
"Well."
There, Alkei finished her mixture and transferred the contents of the alchemy pot to a flask. "Ooh," 'Oath' let out a delighted voice.
"It seems the preparations are complete. Then, let's move on to the next step."
"Yes. Now that we've temporarily neutralized 'Slow', our next task is to fulfill the Roman Emperor's request. In other words―――."
Alkei and 'Oath's voices overlapped.
"'Margrave Birk's marriage and the prevention of Defection from the Roman Empire'."
"This is this one's turn, isn't it?"
A small elf, Cecilia Princi Akasia, appeared before Alkei and 'Oath'. As a noble elf, she held a high position as the princess of the Akasia clan among the High Elves.
At first glance, she looked like a young girl, but she was actually 120 years old. Although she looked childish, she was mentally mature, and her elven body was sturdier than it seemed.
"But, even the Roman Emperor would think twice about this."
Hehe, Cecilia laughed with a mischievous grin.
"By marrying a capable noble with a suspicion of rebellion to the Akasia clan, which is closely tied to the Roman Empire, we can advance the noble elf hybrid policy while binding the capable nobles. This is a win-win situation, isn't it?"
"Princess Cecilia, you're the one who's going to be married. Do you remember the name Margrave Birk?"
"I'll remember eventually. I don't need to rush. ...But if it's what the renowned 'Fragrance of the God' and the head alchemist, Alkei-dono, say, then I'll listen."
Alkei let out a small sigh, unsure if she was being teased or shown respect.
"Shall we get started then?"
At 'Oath's words, Alkei nodded.
"Yes, let's do that. The plan is already set in motion... By the way, what about 'Great Rune Storyteller' Terin-sama?"
"She's been bedridden since you brought back Slow's right arm, crushed by you, and hasn't recovered yet."
"Ah, she still hasn't gotten over that shock..."
Alkei was surprised when Terin-sama fainted after seeing 'Slow's arm. If she had cooperated, the success rate of the plan would have increased significantly, but it seemed there was no failure either way.
"Let's complete the request quickly and then take our time to fight 'Slow'."
"Yes, let's do that."
"Fuuh, I'm finally leaving this dump and can live in a decent house. Living with you guys wasn't so bad, though."
'Oath' was full of energy, followed by Alkei, and Cecilia, who was completely in a farewell mood.
This request wasn't that difficult either. Alkei was already getting impatient, wanting to finish it quickly and dive into her hobbies.
* * *
"Shall we summarize, then?"
Roman stood in front of the blackboard and said to us.
"Considering the faces Wade-kun saw, it seems that Alkei Fragrance, the top alchemist of 'Fragrance of the God', and Cecilia Princi Akasia, the princess of the Akasia clan, are the key to the enemy's strategy."
Roman had already figured out their personalities from the information I told him.
Both of them were famous individuals, with Alkei being a skilled alchemist who had been 'Oath's partner for a long time. And Cecilia was probably the one who would attack Margrave Birk, as ordered by the Roman Emperor.
"Princess Cecilia is just a pawn to be used against Margrave Birk, so there's no need to pay attention to her. Her personality doesn't matter; in this game, she's just a piece."
The problem was, Roman said, as he drew a picture of a serious-looking elf woman on the blackboard.
"'Oath's partner, Alkei the alchemist."
"Question. What kind of magic is alchemy?"
I raised my hand and asked, and Roman smiled, saying "Good question."
"Alchemy is a magic that manipulates scents."
"...Scents?"
"Yes."
Roman explained further, drawing a diagram on the blackboard.
"Alchemy is a technique that conveys one's intentions to God through scents, allowing them to use magic. That's why it's often used in secret rituals, similar to incense."
"Huh?"
I thought it was a difficult magic to use, unlike Rune or Druid. But Roman said, in a lowered tone.
"Don't underestimate it. The scents of alchemy are like something that falls into the alchemist's hands the moment they're smelled. It's more ambiguous and complex than Druid magic, and can even temporarily make them a god in secret rituals."
"...A god?"
"I don't get it. How does it work?"
Roman replied to my and Ridge's puzzled expressions.
"Crows are black, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"If an alchemist in a secret ritual says 'Crows are white', then that's what they become."
"I see..."
It turns out to be an absolute power. You could even call her "Oath"'s partner. If I were with Alkei in a private room, I'd lose with my current abilities.
"That means the enemy's plan is to force Birk and Princess Cecilia's marriage through Alkei's power, making it impossible to take back."
"That's right. So, let's think about how we can get out of this situation."
I thought about it, but it seemed like we'd need some strategy to deal with Alkei. And we'd have to figure out how to handle Princess Cecilia too.
Just then, Ridge said, "How about this?"
Roman and I listened to Ridge's plan. When she finished, I grinned and said, "Wow, that's amazing!" Roman thought for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Ridge-chan, you're really noble, aren't you?"
Ridge also smiled faintly, speaking like a noble.
"I think it's not a bad idea, personally. We've also lost Wade-sama's precious right-hand. So, we should take it back too."
"That's a great idea! Let's do it!"
"I agree. We should prepare a few things. If there are other people who can fight, we should add them to our team. We need a separate squad."
"Then, I'll lend you my Windy. Especially this time, I think Windy will be really useful."
"That's right. Windy would be perfect. So, let's..."
We all smiled mischievously.
"Let's do it. It's getting interesting, like a political struggle."
I thought to myself, being a noble might be more fun than I thought.
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