Distantly gazing at the army’s infantry who were training, Dimitar sat on a barrel of the eaves’ edge. Being inside the workshop that was filled with the smell of tobacco whenever he went there, even his work efficiency would fall.

Moreover, rain was scarce lately, and days of fine weather continued. In that case, it wasn’t bad to work outside like this too.

Crossing his legs and placing the sword on his knees, and then drinking a mouthful of wine from a leather bag, Dimitar picked up a steel pen.

Dimitar used the steel pen and carved detailed designs onto the blade of the sword which was sprayed with coa.r.s.e metal powder that he didn’t fully know of. It was tiresome to have to put in his strength and carve these lines, which could usually be drawn smoothly with one finger, with a “gari gari (scratching sound)”.

「…Maa, it saves me the trouble that he (Isaac) didn’t make a fuss of it (wielding Jorkera) being painful though」

「Oi, Di」

Quique Albiol, who had suddenly shown his face from the workshop’s window, indicated the sword that he made and asked Dimitar. It was the new magic motion sword (Furigana: Espada marefika), Jorkera, which Dimitar had taught the way of using it to the Crown Prince yesterday.

「—Though the letter from His Highness stated that it’s all right to complete it as it is, do you still have to modify it?」

「Yeah. I figured that it’s probably still a little heavy for the Crown Prince to use. …Since that sort of person is using it, it’s apparent that it’ll be decorated gaudily at any rate. In fact, it’s better to take into consideration that it’ll become a bit heavier and modify it」

「Even though you said that」

Smoking the kiseru with a “pukari”, Quique put on his monocle again.

「—At this point in time, by how much will be good to reduce to make it light?」

「I think it’s possible to shorten it by about two fingers’ width. Since there are many cases of the sword’s tip being chipped unexpectedly in a melee, I didn’t put magic crest (Furigana: Hierateika) there from the start」

「That’s true. Next is…carving a coulisse in the centre?」

「Yeah. At the same time, it’s better to lengthen the hilt a bit more. With the centre of gravity close to the grip, it’ll become easy even for the frail His Highness to handle」

「Either way, we can only leave such a matter to Krutowa-jiisan. …It’ll be nice if it’s completed by tomorrow though」

「By tomorrow?」

Dimitar suddenly raised his face and looked at Quique.

「Were you told to complete it by tomorrow?」

「There’s also the work of the jewellery craftsman, so he wished for it to be delivered to the royal palace in the noon the day after tomorrow」

「Don’t tell me…even His Highness intends to go out?」

「Ha? What’s this about His Highness?」

「It means His Highness may soon have something to do where he’ll carry the new sword and go out」

If there was a time when the Crown Prince, who often played around with roses all day long, would carry a sword on his waist, then it’d be during some formal ceremony; otherwise, it might be when the Seal Chivalric Order (Furigana: Tanpries Aegis) made an appearance. And speaking of a large ceremony that was to be scheduled in the future, Valeria and Karin’s debut came to mind first, but because the fixed date for that would be decided after this, there shouldn’t be a need to hurry to that extent.

「Does something comes to your mind?」

「Though I didn’t hear the official word, that doesn’t mean there’s none. …However, that Highness has a side which I don’t fully understand what’s he thinking and will abruptly think of worthless things」

「Oi oi, you’re being disrespectful」

Smiling bitterly at Dimitar’s words, Quique withdrew into the workshop.

As if changing places with that, a pink ma.s.s went round the workshop and ran here, dragging along noisy footsteps with a “gacha gacha”.

「Dimi-saan!」

「…Don’t make the ground tremor. I’m doing an intricate work. If my hand slips and I pierce the steel pen into my thigh, I’ll put in a centipede through that slit」

「Mun, though I hate centipedes, thank you very much!」

「…Ha?」

Dimitar knitted his eyebrows at Bettina who had suddenly knelt before him and begun to worship him.

「What on earth are you talking about?」

「It’s about yesterday’s matter desuyou! Isn’t it thanks to Dimitar-san that I was able to have an audience with His Highness desukaa?!」

「That, huh. Though His Highness is certainly a n.o.ble person, don’t you often see him on the streets?」

Calling it a manoeuvre of the Seal Chivalric Order and going here and there without a purpose; taking a group of attendants and going to the town’s market to buy rose’s seedlings; the Crown Prince was relatively a royalty who would appear in town. Subsequently, he was recognised as a wastrel son by the populace, but at any rate, —though phrasing it badly—he wasn’t really someone unusual.

「T, that’s not it desuu! After all…a commoner like me could receive a personal greeting from His Highness and get the permission to talk to him…! I was so moved that my pee seemed to have leaked!」

Shaking her pink body with a “furu furu”, Bettina sniffled like she was overcome with emotion. Most likely, her cheeks were wet with streams of tears beneath that visor. Although he wanted to check what kind of tear-stained face was it, he was specially told not to touch such a thing (Bachururus) by the Crown Prince, hence it was better to not think about imprudent things.

「I’ve always thought that Dimi-san might be a cold, scary and relatively terrible person, but I was mistaken!」

「…Oi」

「As expected, Dimi-san is a good person desunee!」

「I know. I understand, so don’t sidle up to me anymore. …I said that I’m in a middle of an intricate work, didn’t I?」

If he left her as she was, Bettina might cling onto Dimitar’s lap and choked in tears of grat.i.tude. Although there were various remarks that bothered him, they weren’t to the extent of raising the corner of his eye and scolding her; Dimitar decided to sweep them aside for the time being and concentrate on his work.

「…By the way Dimi-san, that, what are you doing desukaa?」

Bettina, who had turned her back to Dimitar and made a “gachagoso” sound, sniffled and asked at this late hour. She had probably raised her visor and wiped away her tears.

「—It’s different from the one that was shown to His Highness yesterday, right?」

「That one will include minor adjustments and then be presented to His Highness. —This one is a prototype for normal ma.s.s production. For now, I’ve to complete it into something which has a better efficiency than Nereida’s products that was confiscated in Biran.o.ba」

「Are you perhaps drawing magic crests desukaa?」

「Ma, it’s a rough sketch though」

Originally, the research of Magic Engineering (Furigana: Tekunorogia marefika) was done by Quique’s own effort, but it seemed that getting someone to design magic crests was also difficult at that time. Most of the capable Hiera Glaphicos were busy and they scarcely had the free time to lend a hand in Quique’s suspicious research.

It was after Dimitar, who was expelled from the Seal Chivalric Order, went in and out of this workshop that it (Quique’s research) became smooth in one breath. Dimitar who had begun to advance on the path of a Hiera Glaphicos could draw magic crests according to Quique’s theory; furthermore, he could also handle the completed weapon better than an average person and a.s.sist in its improvement based on his feeling of using it. In that sense, it was possible to say that Dimitar was the ideal a.s.sistant for Quique.

It was because such a past existed that Dimitar somehow continued to be the a.s.sistant even now when Quique’s research was gradually recognised by the public. If the magic motion sword that Quique invented was officially adopted, all members of the Seal Chivalric Order would be carrying swords engraved with the magic crests that Dimitar had designed.

It was amusing somehow and Dimitar unintentionally laughed.

「…What’s the matter, Dimi-san?」

「It’s nothing」

Dimitar, who had finished drawing the magic crests, blew off the iron powder with a “fuu” and stood up.

Afterwards, once this blade was given a treatment similar to plating with a special alloy, it was possible to draw magic crests on it just like on the human skin, but Dimitar’s work was up to here for now. As for the plating, it was the domain of the blacksmith that Quique was acquainted with.

Closing the book that he had used as reference for the designs of the magic crests and holding it under his arm, Dimitar peered into the workshop through the window.

「Oi, Ossan!」

「N? Is it done? As expected, the Hiera Glahpicos-dono who has expectations placed on his future sure works fast」

Quique who was applying black paint onto Jorkera’s tip looked in the direction of Dimitar fleetingly.

「What, are you going back already?」

「The next mission has been decided in private. I’ve to prepare for it」

「I see…huh, hold on? Does that possibly mean Bettina too?」

「That’s likely to be the case. …The official appointment will be announced at that time, I guess. At any rate, Gacha Pink had become someone who was allowed to have an audience with His Highness」

「Ah, that’s true」

Quique struck the head of the kiseru against the rim of the ashtray and spat out a seemingly comical smile from the bottom of his heart together with a pale purple smoke.

「…Iya, frankly speaking, you’ve helped me out」

「On what?」

「How should I say it…she’s a child who can’t help but want to feel needed by people. Many things happened between her parents and relatives and her in the past, you see」

「Is that so?」

「For such a child, to be recognised by the people of the royal family and even get to talk to them might be quite a happy thing. Rebellious people like you and me might think that it isn’t something to feel that grateful about though, right?」

Dimitar shifted his gaze from the inside of the workshop, which wasn’t shine by the sun, to outside where the sunlight was raining incessantly.

The pink armour, which was reflecting brilliant sunlight with a “kirari (momentary flash of light)”, was moving large wooden boxes with a “gacha gacha” with her humming mixed in, seemingly oblivious to Dimitar and her uncle having such a conversation. With a patron called the Crown Prince siding with Quique’s research, it looked like this workshop was gradually becoming lively.

「…Even if that was the case, I didn’t do anything in particular. In order to show an easy understanding of the results of your research, I just thought that using Gacha Pink was the fastest」

「Ah, that might be so. However, it was definitely thanks to you」

「…This is unlike you」

Feeling that Quique would bow to him and express his grat.i.tude again if he were to stay like that, Dimitar threw the sword onto the worktable and left that place at a quick pace.

Maybe it was because he couldn’t thank people very well that Dimitar wasn’t good with being thanked by people. Especially towards an expression of grat.i.tude which was filled with sincerity that wasn’t just superficial, he didn’t know what was good to say in return, so he felt needlessly troubled.

Therefore, Dimitar left the workshop at a quick pace.

He might soon have to leave the capital because of an important mission again.

Before that, there were things that he must do.

♦♦♦