Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 165: Towards Tomorrow from Today

Right now, Rio brought Celia and Christina to Liselotte house in Almond. The rest of the group was on a stand at a certain inn.

Unlike Rio who was wearing the black dragon sub-species equipment made by Seirei no tami, Christina and Celia were wearing their noble clothes.

「You …………. . Haruto-sama, right? Welcome to this mansion. 」

The gatekeeper who was a little familiar with him greeted him with a smile on his face.

「Thank you for me. My deepest apologies for this sudden visit but―― 」

「Haruto-sama! 」

When Rio apologized and was about to explain the reason for his sudden arrival without prior approval, the voice of a woman called out his name from behind.

The owner of this voice who rushed towards her – without looking bad – was a beautiful girl in her teens who wore a nice and neat treasurer outfit.

Rio who noticed that the person who came to him was one of Liselotte Chamberlain, Cosette 、 、

「Good day, Cosette-san. 」

Welcomed her with a brilliant smile on her face.

「A long time ago. Welcome to this mansion. 」

Cosette clamped her long skirt with both her hands and replied politely. But, when she saw the faces of Celia and Christina behind Rio――,

（WHOA …………. . They are on the same level as Liselotte-sama. From their clothes, are they nobles?）

He was stunned to see those two beauties. Cosette herself was confident in her appearance, however, she knew that she could not beat Christina and Celia in terms of looks.

Although she was really curious about Rio's relationship with the two of them, she couldn't frankly ask him. Instead–,

「I'm sorry for imposing on you but, may I ask about your business for coming here, Haruto-sama? 」

He asked Rio's business to come today.

「Although I am really sorry for coming so suddenly without any prior announcement, I would like to meet Liselotte-sama. It is impolite for me to ask for your time, but, may I know the time and date when he can meet me? 」

「So ..................... You might be able to meet him now. Since I need confirmation, please enter it for now. And follow me from behind. 」

"Thank you very much . By the way, the reason for my sudden arrival to meet Liselotte-sama today was simply to introduce …………. . Both behind me. Although I will disturb you, please convey the best 」

Rio glanced at Christina and Celia as he frankly told her about his goal for the visit with a slight hint of his words.

「.............................. Understood. In that case, I will report this to my master. Then, please come through here. 」

Cosete nodded respectfully and guided Rio and co to the mansion. Along the way, he turned his head to look back and then- 、

「By the way Haruto-sama. I heard about this news. That you become a knight of honor. Congratuations. 」

He respectfully congratulated her.

"Thank you very much . 」

Rio thanked her with a slightly timid expression. Afterwards, Rio and his companion who were brought to the mansion met Liselotte in less than 10 minutes.

◇ ◇ ◇

Rio and his comrades were led from the waiting room to the living room where Liselotte was waiting for them. Her grand Chamberlain, Aria Governess was also right by her side.

「Welcome to my home Haru- ……………. No, Mr. Amakawa. 」

Liselotte bowed to Rio politely.

Followed by Aria.

「It is my deepest gratitude to grant my wish to meet you without prior arrangement today. Liselotte-sama. 」

Rio also bowed respectfully to her. Followed by Christina and Celia.

「For that time you Haru- …………. . No, Mr. Amakawa, I'll see you anytime. Please sit down first

Encouraged by Liselotte, Rio and co sat on the sofa at the reception. Then, Aria quickly moved to prepare tea for them. ――,

「It's the first time we've met like this since a night party isn't it, Mr Amakawa?」

Liselotte asked so with a gentle smile on her face.

「Even not a month has passed but ..........」.

Not even a month had passed since the party that night. But, Rio smiled as he thought of the extremely rich event in his life that happened in that one month.

「Seeing from your reaction, it seems like a lot of things happened to you in this month, right?」

Liselotte asked so while glancing at Rio face.

「Yes, you can talk like that. In fact, although I'm sure you've heard about this from Cosette-san ..... As she said, the reason for my visit now is to introduce them to Liselotte-sama. 」

Rio replied while looking at Celia and Christina who were sitting on both sides.

「………………. . By appearance, they looked like noble-born women. If their back story is a bit troublesome, may I ask Aria to leave this room? 」

Liselotte guessed the background of Christina and Celia from their appearance and the way they moved, so she made that suggestion.

「No, I don't mind if he stays. Because one of them is Aria-san's friend. 」

Saying so, Rio glanced at Celia.

「Teman …………. From Aria? 」

Liselotte was slightly surprised to hear that and looked at Aria.

Although Aria moved to the side to make tea for them, her eyes had locked onto Celia's face before leaving. He narrowed his eyes due to the sense of deja vu he felt towards Celia.

「I Celia. Celia Claire's. 」

Celia smiled wryly and after saying her name did not equip her necklace which had changed her hair color. At that moment, the hair color that changed due to the magic tool returned to the silver color. While at the same time he let his hair be used as a disguise.

「Celia. I was surprised . 」

Usually Aria was quiet but now, she muttered Celia's name with a shocked face.

"Yes nih . It's been a while, isn't it. ……………. And nice to meet you, Liselotte-sama. I'm Celia Claire, the eldest daughter of Earl Claire Bertram's royal house. Due to various circumstances, allow me to convey my deepest apologies for suddenly visiting while undercover. 」

After smiling at Aria, Celia bowed politely to Liselotte.

「…………. . I am Liselotte Kretia, the eldest daughter of the Kretian Duke family of Galwark Kingdom. It is an honor for me to meet Celia-sama, the famous mage genius of Bertram kingdom. …………. . I heard that you suddenly disappeared from the Bertram royal palace some time ago, but in that case there is a need for you to put a manifold disguise. Please don't mind that. 」

Despite being surprised by such a sudden development, if one were to say as expected of someone from Liselotte upbringing, he returned Celia's greetings naturally.

Even if for example she was distracted, it was only about Celia's sudden disappearance. Seeing that her information network was unable to find Celia, Liselotte had considered that Celia might have disguised herself.

Although she was curious about the magic tool that could change the color of hair, as it was not suitable for a noble lady to cut in the middle of a conversation, it was not suitable for a noble lady to cut in the middle of a conversation, he kept his question in one corner of his mind for now.

「Although I am sure you are surprised by this, I will explain the situation later. Now allow me to introduce others. 」

While paying attention to the sentiment in Liselotte heart, Rio tried to move the flow of conversation towards the introduction of Christina.

「Of course. Thank you very much for your consideration . 」

Liselotte thanked him while smiling at Rio. Then–,

「Thank you very much for your intermediary, Mr. Amakawa. Would you allow me to introduce myself? 」

Christina said so with a stiff expression.

"As you wish . 」

Rio nodded respectfully to her.

「My name is Christina Bertram. First princess of Bertram kingdom. We've met many times before, right? Lady Liselotte. 」

Christina also took off her necklace like Celia and untied her hair. Her soft hair waved back to a light purple color.

「I ……………. . It is an honor for me to meet you. Her Highness princess Christina. 」

Although Liselotte was puzzled for a moment, she immediately recovered and returned a greeting to Christina with a slightly stiff face.

「Please calm down, no need to be stiff like that. After all, I was the one who made a sudden request to meet you. . For this reason, I also received overwhelming support from Mr. Amakawa. 」

Christina shook her head as she smiled at Liselotte.

「Request .................. For me? 」

「Of course. First is the reason why I'm here now, let me start from that. Although it will take quite a long time …………. 」

「Of course I don't mind things like that. 」

Liselotte agreed without waiting for Christina to finish her words. Although she naturally considered so many things inside, right now, she thought that the best way to know the situation was to listen to Christina's story.

After which, Christina rudely spoke about her current situation to Liselotte. About his goal, the reason why he left Bertram royal castle, his arrival near Claire territory and how he got to Almond with Rio's help.

By the way, since explaining about their traveling companions would make things more complicated, he decided to hide their existence for a while.

"…… I see . I understand your situation . Then may I ask about your wishes from me? 」

After hearing the whole story, Liselotte sighed as if exhausted and Christina about what she wanted from her.

「May I ask you to be an intermediary between Restoration and myself? I'm thinking of sending my regards to His Highness Francois but, let me ask you to make the proper arrangements for it. I will naturally send an official envoy as soon as everything is prepared but, I am currently just a helpless girl. Therefore, I consider asking for your help, the famous talented lady from Galwark kingdom in this day and age. Can you pay attention to my request? 」

Christina who had nothing but herself at this moment spoke frankly about her request to Liselotte.

「It's my honor. For it is also for the sake of his majesty, gladly giving my help. 」

Liselotte easily accepted Christina's request.

"Thank you very much . Lady Liselotte. 」

「No, as I will also receive many benefits with your connection to its majesty, please do not worry about it. ……… By the way, this is news from the Restoration side but, his great daughter Flora might be moving along with the hero, Hiroaki Sakata-sama in the royal capital now. Lately hero-sama is doing various marriage interviews with many other parties. 」

After thanking Christina, Liselotte changed the subject.

「………. By the way, was Flora included in that candidate? No, they're probably involved at this point right? 」

Christina instantly arrived at the answer to her own question about whether Flora was included in this hero fiance list 『Sakata Hiroaki』.

「Although it has not been announced to the public, everything is as you say. 」

「………. I saw . From your point of view, what do you think of that hero, whose name is Hiroaki Sakata? I'd like to know about him from you, if possible. Naturally I will not say your opinion of him to others. 」

Christina asked Liselotte about the person named Hiroaki. She might be worried about Flora as her older sister.

「............. Let's see, he is not a shy and confident person or should I say, a passionate person. Knowledgeable in many fields, with a tendency to think things logically, and hold fast to his views. 」

Liselotte explained about the man named Sakata Hiroaki while choosing her words carefully.

（That's the perfect way to explain his character. ）

Rio was secretly admiring Liselotte clever words while recalling the impression he had of Hiroaki from their previous meeting.

「…………. Thank you very much for your valuable opinion. I can understand his personality. The only thing left was my final evaluation after meeting her in person. 」

Perhaps because Christina did not have any unnecessary prejudices, she simply left everything behind after hearing a brief explanation about Hiroaki.

「I really don't deserve such compliments. Incidentally, may I ask about your future plans after this? I think now duke Euguno is already in the Rodan region of marquiss. 」

Currently Flora was a figure from the Restoration but, she was merely a decoration. Since duke Euguno acted as de-facto leader, if it was according to the story, it was more natural for Christina to meet duke Euguno before Flora.

「I'll marquis Rodan region. But then again, may I ask for your help to send an envoy so that even if alone, Flora can come see me from the royal capital of Galwark Kingdom? 」

「Of course. In that case, I guess I will send an envoy to the capital. Do you want to write a letter to Flora-sama? If that's the case I can lend you a kit and a private place. 」

So Liselotte told Christina.

「Of course. Alright, may I make it difficult for you to prepare? 」

「Please leave it to me. Well, please stay at my house for today. Since you may be tired from the long journey, let me show you the best of my hospitality. 」

「………. . I'm really grateful for your offer but, unfortunately there are 5 more people who are with me and are currently waiting at an inn in the city of 」

「In this case, please contact them here. Because it's actually not a problem if only 8 people. 」

「They may bring more problems for you because their identity is a little special. 」

Christina said so with a reserved tone and a pensive expression on her face.

「If that's the case, it's all a reason to invite them. Because there may be a lot of things I want to ask. 」

「............. Thank you, Lady Liselotte. 」

Christina thanked Liselotte's generosity. ――,

「Let me go to the inn to pick up everyone. It's better to let Your Majesty write your letter during that time, right? There might be a lot of things that Celia-sensei and Aria-san want to talk about. That way I can easily explain the situation here to our fellow travelers. 」

Therefore, Rio gave a solution while facing the situation.

"……You are right . May I ask you to help me with that?

Christina seemed to be a little hesitant for a while, but she finally agreed.

「Please leave it to me. 」

Rio nodded respectfully.

「Then Aria, please guide her to my study so she can write her letter without interruption. Please prepare the tools as well. You can comfort Celia-sama after that. 」

Liselotte was staring at a certain door in the living room. The door was connected to the door to the living room that could not enter from the corridor, the room was made so that no one could enter the room except through the living room. Probably the most suitable environment for writing letters.

「Of course. Please follow me, Your Majesty Christina. 」

Aria immediately moved and opened the door towards the study.

「Although I don't mind even if I have to write a letter in this place ............ That place seems more suitable for writing letters right? I would gladly accept that offer. 」

Christina looked at the study from the open door and stood up as she smiled at Liselotte. Entering the study room, he then sat on a chair in the study room that he could see from the living room. In addition it–,

「Can I ask permission for a while, Liselotte-sama? 」

Rio said so to Liselotte and stood up from the sofa.

「Ya, I don't mind ………. . 」

Liselotte nodded at him and also stood up. Then–,

「Celia-sama. Since I will have a private conversation with Liselotte-sama, I will head to the inn after giving a brief explanation of our fellow travelers. Please take your time during that time. 」

Rio stood up and spoke to Celia in a respectful tone. Since they were in front of Liselotte, Rio noticed the way she spoke.

"……Yes . Of course 」

Although she felt a little anxious about the private conversation, Celia reluctantly agreed.

◇ ◇ ◇

「………. Mr. Amakawa. What do you want to talk about? 」

Liselotte asked Rio when the two of them were outside the room.

「It's about what to do from now on with a fellow traveler with His Holiness Christina. The first point was the fact that three among the five were the nobles of Bertram kingdom. 」

So Rio told her about their fellow travelers.

"I saw . By the way, the reason you said this to me was probably because I probably knew them right? 」

"Yes nih . Because they're like VIP meetings. The first was Charles Arbeau, a man from the ducal house of Arbeau. The other is Alfred Aimar, 『The famous King』 Sword of Bertram kingdom. And the third is Vanessa Aimar, the younger sister of lord Alfred 」

「...................... They really are none other than VIP right? 」

Liselotte tidied up her confusion while smiling. He did not know about the reason why they were traveling with Christina all the way to this place. Especially someone from the position of Charles who was basically an enemy of Christina.

「Something more difficult is just about to start. Mr. Vanessa is traveling as His Majesty's bodyguard, but the other two are actually our prisoners. 」

「Pri- …………. The soners? 」

"Yes nih . Since they were trying to catch His Majesty in the middle of our journey, we defeated them. 」

「…………. . I saw . 」

Liselotte had somehow only swallowed the story when she heard Rio telling her about that fact as if it was just a simple matter for her.

（When they beat them …………. . Was lord Amakawa included in their war potential? The king's sword. ）

Of course he knew very well about the man named Alfred Aimar, the king of swords. His name would almost certainly be listed among the top if one decided to make a list of the strongest people in the surrounding countries, including the Bertram kingdom.

But, despite the shocking news, it didn't mean he couldn't believe it. Because Liselotte herself witnessed Rio's prowess when she fought right in front of him.

Instead, Liselotte was not interested in Rio's hidden ability being able to defeat someone of Alfred's caliber, instead she was more interested in him as someone because she knew almost nothing about him.

No, he was certain of one thing, or rather, it was something that had worried him all along.

（Mr Amakawa. Haruto's. Amakawa Haruto. Amakawa Haruto's. ……………. Same name as that guy. I thought it was just a coincidence at the time but, was it really just a coincidence?)

Liselotte looked at Rio face. But–,

「Although lord Alfred behaved himself, master Charles was clearly dissatisfied with the situation. Since we chose to wait and see what happened, may I ask you to treat them like they are under house arrest? Is that okay? 」

Rio continued his explanation.

「. I have the perfect room for that kind of situation in this big house 」

Liselotte changed her mood and then nodded slowly. ――,

「I'll leave that matter in your hands then. Now, with regards to the rest of the group members, although I might be too bold, I think it is better to inform you about this information beforehand. 」

Rio changed the subject.

「So, what do you want to tell me? 」

「The two remaining are the youths in the second half of his teenage years. They are called together with heroes from their world. Even though it was by indirectly asking them, I believe they came from the same country as the person who was under my protection from before. 」

Rio told Liselotte about Kouta and Rei.

"…… I see . Thank you very much for the previous notice. 」

Although the news was slightly above his expectations, at the same time he followed Rio out of the room. Maybe that's how he shows his attention. It was definitely not something he wanted to tell her when they were in front of Celia.

「Nothing, I'm equally confused as I wonder if you'll find them troublesome. 」

As for the reason why and what made him use "Bingung", Rio purposely referred to the origin of Kouta and his partner as Japanese because it would have a direct connection to the secret of the products produced by the Rikka company.

「My deepest thanks for your consideration. 」

Liselotte expressed her gratitude again while showing a hint of hesitation. But still, that moment of doubt did not escape Rio's eyes.

However, despite noticing the slight change in Liselotte eyes, he decided to play dumb- 、

「Please let me know if you want to meet them. Because I will act as a temporary agent of the noble and others demeaning. 」

He said it with an indifferent tone.

「Yah ………. I might accept such an offer after this. 」

「Sure Alright, I'll permisi– …………. . 」

Rio was about to forgive himself from Liselotte who showed a pensive expression on her face and was about to leave that place. But–,

「.............. Uhm, please wait a minute. 」

Liselotte immediately called out to Rio with a hoarse voice.

「There's a problem?」

Rio stopped his legs and turned towards him.

Although Liselotte showed a face as if she was hesitant to say something, she finally decided— ――

「Although this is a sudden question, do you believe in his previous life, Mr Amakawa? 」

Therefore, he asked that question to Rio.