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Chapter 49: Deciphering the Documents in A Group

Translator: LynneSuzuran

Then, the next morning.

“Morning, Saryuu. Despite the fact that we have returned home, it seems that you’re still as energetic.”
“Ah, Ane-sama, good morning. Yes, I’m full of spirit.”
“Yup, yup, being full of spirit is a good thing. Anyway, it’s about time-“
“Yes. Well then, I’l excuse myself, see you later!”
“Yep, later-“

It’s been a while since I last welcomed the morning in the mansion, and after wiping my face, I began the day normally as I gave my greeting to Saryuu who was in the middle of his morning training just below my window. I changed my clothes and got ready for breakfast, everything proceeded as usual.
And, after I returned back to my room, I tried opening the document I received from Jigen-san last night. Inside the envelope was some papers around 10 pages, and they were all written carefully with a handwriting that’s relatively easy to read. Kaya-san, I’m sorry but I think you can learn from Jigen-san in this matter.
Anyway, since it’s Minoa-san’s holiday today, I asked Alica-san and Oriza-san to help me while I read the documents. If they find out my secret, we’ll think about it when the time comes, then.

“Uhm…”
“Oh my-“
“Oh dear…”

The first paper seemed to be an outline of the thing, and I reflexively groaned when I was reading that first paper. Oriza-san shrugged her shoulders while Alica-san put her hands on her cheeks and sighed.
What was written in it was firstly, about the time when I came to be missing. Both my parents and my wetnurse took their eyes off me, and in such a short time, I disappeared from this mansion. Approximately at the same timing, the magician that was working for us at that time also disappeared, but they were found immediately with a bloodstained figure. Well, I have heard about it more or less from my father.

“That magician was good at defense magic and at detecting others’ presences, he was also in the middle of studying transference… Transference?”

Even magicians have subjects they’re good at, huh. Well, I guess it’s natural.
Or rather, I understand about defense magic and detecting presences, but I wonder what is transference? Could it be about going to the other world, or that kind of a thing?
When I thought about it, Oriza-san—member number one—told me about that as she has just gone back from studying at Jigen-san’s place.

“Uhm, it’s like this. For example, to instantly bring the pillow that’s on the bed to be here, that’s the kind of magic it is.”
“Ah-. What, there is such a magic?”
“Yes-. It’s just that the thing has to have a weight that’s around the person who’s using the magic at the maximum, or else, it won’t move. It’s a main problem when we are carrying the luggage to the wagon-. That’s why, there are only few people studying it-.”
“Well, if the job of handling the wagon disappears, then it’d be a great trouble for the shops selling the wagons and for the farms.”
“That makes sense.”

Member number 2 who’s also studying at Jigen-san—Alica-san, she’s quite so-so in terms of reading books, but she’s not good at putting it into practice. Member number 3 who’s currently taking a holiday today—Minoa-san, is unexpectedly quick at understanding things. Aah, so this is what people say that each people has their own forte and weakness.
I thought that instant teleportation like that would be very convenient, but the people using it could move things at around 10 kilometers at most, huh. In addition, it would snatch away the job of the wagon. Whoa, the effect is quite big.
Come to think of it, I have never thought of the length and weight unit in this world. It’s easier to understand a distance by saying how long it’d take with a horse, and because we don’t have any weighing machine, we don’t really use the weight unit. Yosh, let’s try asking about it later.

“Speaking of which, Jigen-san and Kuon-sensei uses delivery snakes to send some letters when they are busy, but why don’t they use transference magic for that?”
“It seems that the magic’s performance is quite bad-. Besides, if it collides with a magician’s barrier midway, it seems that the thing will just disappear. After all, defense magic is such a magic.”
“…That is, well, they’d rather use the snakes who can carry the letter while avoiding the barrier, huh… are they avoiding it?”
“Defense magic is fundamentally a barrier raised by a magician next to it. As long as we confirm things with the magician before we move past by, then everything will be fine, so Jigen-sensei has ever told me.”

I see, so it’s not like we can go past by them just like that.
Letters, huh… If only it can be transmitted through the wire just like a facsimile, then everything will be fine, but that doesn’t seem to be possible. It will be a big job just to pull the line from now on. Also, the mail delivery stores’ jobs will be gone.
So, with convenient things, there is the risk of various people’s jobs to disappear.

While I was being impressed with such weird thing, I continued to read.
Jigen-san, during the time when we were absent, apparently he re-examined the whole mansion’s premise, more or less. I wonder if he scanned the place with his magic, it must be quite tiring.
Anyway, it seemed that there appeared some kind of a magical remnants that weren’t discovered when he examined it before. I see, Jigen-san, he had examined this mansion before.
That seems to be the case. Since he just arrived right after I disappeared, the first thing he did was to do a premises search. …For some reason, I didn’t feel like the way I put it in words was wrong.

“We could understand what kind of magic was used if we were to examine the magical remnants, right?”
“It seems so. I’m still ignorant in that matter, but-, if it’s Jigen-sensei, it seems like he’d be able to understand what type of magic it is by taking a glance on it-.”

Oooh, as expected of Jigen-san. However, the fact that the magical remnants couldn’t be discovered unless that Jigen-san searched around the premises for at least twice, were they so skillfully hidden?
And, the magical remnants are… Let me see, a piece of something, huh. This word, just how do you read it?

“…Uhm. Oriza-san, how do you read this?”
“Yes, ye-s? Uhm, it’s [substance fomation].” [1. Written in kanji.]

Substance fomation. [2. Written in hiragana, indicating that Seiren’s trying to grasp what it actually is.]
It seems like something remarkable is coming out, oy.

“Uhm, to sum it up, it’s a magic to make a makeshift replica, or rather, disposable tools. Long time ago, it seemed that it was used in a crime-, and because there was a past king who died because of it, it’s prohibited nowadays-.”

I see. In other words, it can be used to make weapons at any time and anywhere, huh. There should be other uses of that magic with the exception of making weapons, right? In addition.

“Even if it’s prohibited, the users can still use it, huh…”
“That seems to be the case, but from what Jigen-sensei has told me, its efficiency seems to be bad-. Besides, if it’s found out that you used it, you’ll be immediately charged with a capital punishment-.”
“Ah-.”

Immediately charged with a capital crime, that’s so strict. Well, I can understand it since it was used to assassinate the king. By the bad efficiency, could it have something to do with someone’s magical power?
Hm-, but I now know that magic is prohibited, and if that’s the case…

“But isn’t it something similar to transference? One is about making things, while the other one’s bringing things over.”
“That seems to be the case. Eh, if that so, then why is transference not prohibited?”
“I have said it earlier, but with how the item disappears once it collided with a magic barrier, then it’s already one reason-.”

When I voiced my honest question, Alica-san slightly tilted her head. This kind of thing is Oriza-san’s field of expertise. Still, it seems like she has studied well.

“And then, its efficiency is still better than substance fomation, though the difficulty level seems to be as high-. Jigen-sensei has also told me that we had to design the specification such as from-where-or-where and what kind of thing should be brought here, or else it won’t be good-.”
“Rather than the high difficulty level, it’s more troublesome instead.”
“Its difficulty is high-. If you make even the slightest mistake, for example, it seems like the pen tip could snap into the palm of your hand.”
“Whoa, that hurts, that’d hurt, a lot.”

Then, rather than troublesome, it’s more like the difficulty level is high. Even if you can use it, don’t use it, then.
Still, Oriza-san, she knows a lot-.
She has heard a lot from Jigen-san, but… how did she manage to hear those things?
As I thought so, I turned my gaze towards Alica-san and, ah, for some reason, she smiled yet at the same time, it looked like she didn’t smile. Her veins subtly stood out.

“Oriza. Could it be… did you try to learn transference magic in order to make your work easier?”
“Umph!”

Alica-san’s pointed out, and it was easy to tell that Oriza-san was the one to raise her voice in her surprise. Oh well, carrying the luggage is tiring, so it’s not like I can’t understand her feelings.

“As a conclusion, it doesn’t seem that it can ease your job, so you should just stop.”
“I agree-. Boo-hoo-hoo, it doesn’t go so smoothly, right?”

I didn’t feel any urge to get angry at Oriza-san who was easy to understand. After all, isn’t it obvious that it’s better for everyone if their jobs can be easier?
I could hear Alica-san’s whispering, “Oh, well,” as if she had just realized it.

Now then.
It’s not like we only have to examine things as our sole mission right now. Starting from this month, our schedule would be full with dance practice.
The reason was simple, it’s because I had to perform a dance. About one month later, we’ll be holding a party at our mansion. I was informed of it during this morning’s meal.

“Party, is it…?”
“Umu, It’s a debut party for our daughter who has just returned home safely.”
“That is right. It also has an implication of spreading the news about how our family’s daughter finally returned home to everyone, and that we are looking forward to be introduced to a good husband-to-be.”

Ah-, I quickly understood as my parents explained those things to me.
Nah, so far, the only marriage partner candidate that I have is Taiga-san. However, there are other feudal lords here and there, and since it’s Shiiya family’s daughter, there seems to be a lot of people aiming to be my partner in the political marriage of convenience. There also seems to be people of the royalty.
Well, certainly it’s not a bad thing to meet with the other people. I can increase my acquaintances, for the sake of Saryuu who’s going to succeed this house in the distant future, too.
And, after talking about that matter, Tou-san stared at me fixedly, and then said.

“We also have no choice but to send a written invitation even to the Shikino, and I dare say that Touya-dono might come as well. I earnestly warn you to be careful.”
“Y-yes.”

Earnestly, so my father emphasised, as his expression seemed to be full of pressure.
Could it be that you are planning to settle everything there, Tou-san? Well, he was formerly his rival in love, so he should have some kind of fighting spirit.
Nah, hey me, it’s a matter concerning you, you have to get yourself together. If something were to happen, I will be the one most concerned about it.
Next to my father, the woman whose heart was competed for was smiling. I wonder if it’s true that I resemble my mother a lot?

“Ah, that’s right, Seiren.”
“Yes?”
“Won’t you write another letter from you to Taiga-dono? Telling him to attend the party without fail?”

Eh, a letter from me? Nah well, he seems to be relatively dependable and I also want to hear more about the Shikino family, so if it’s just sending out a letter, then it’d be fine, but…
But, Taiga-san’s easy to understand—he seems to like me, so I wonder if it’d be fine. To send that kind of letter…

“If I were to do that kind of a suggestive action, I wonder if he’d get to think that way? I feel somewhat guilty.”
“It’s all right. If Nii-sama’s like that, I’m worried that he will miss getting a wife.”

Oi, Saryuu who has been listening to everything nonchallantly next to me. That kind of a thing, if it were a woman saying that, then she’d be getting married late, right? In addition, he’s talking like that about his own biological older brother, what a severe thing to say.

“…Well, I will try, though.”

It’s the truth that he seems to be reliable, but anyway, let’s write a letter.
If something were to happen, please help me, though.