Chapter 415 Beware Of Bears
Sara, who found the king unpleasant but decided it was better to use the royal family, decided to check on the situation of the golem Sophia, who should be meeting with the queen.
"Grazi, how is Sophia doing in her meeting with the queen?"
"She is still in the waiting room."
"I think the scheduled time has passed."
Then, a voice from above came down.
"Milady Sara, Princess Mathilda has been running a high fever since this morning. It is likely a fever illness."
"Is the fever illness starting to spread in the royal capital?"
"The number of fever patients in the royal capital has increased rapidly in the past few days. About 3 days ago, Princess Mathilda's Lady-in-Waiting went home due to a high fever, so the number of cases in the palace will likely increase as well."
Without showing himself, Sedrick calmly reported the situation.
"It's a bit earlier than I expected. Grazi, where is Rihito right now?"
"At the Pharmacist Guild."
"Then, tell Rihito that there are patients in the royal family."
"Understood."
Rihito's special medicine wasn't produced fast enough, so there was a shortage, even in Grandchester. But within the territory, isolation and infection control were helping, and patient numbers were finally dropping.
Watching this, Musashi kept his eyes on Sara, the ceiling, and the other fairies.
"Hey, it seems like I'm the only one surprised, but is that voice from a third fairy? How does he know that Mathilda has a fever?"
"That's too much trouble, so Sedrick, come out too."
"Understood."
This time, there was no usual style, and a large black panther appeared from a rift in the space. It seemed like he didn't plan to meet in butler form.
"Wh-what? A panther???"
"Nice to meet you. Sir Musashi... Should I call you Your Majesty the King?"
"N-no, I'm not the real king."
"I see."
"Musashi might talk more if you take a female form."
"Understood, milady."
In front of Musashi, Sedrick transformed into an alluring female figure.
"Whoa!? R-R*m (????)?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Hmm. So there are things even Sara doesn't understand."
"So what are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about it. By the way, is this beautiful lady also a friend of Sara's?"
"Yes. This guy informed me about the royal family."
"I'm so jealous."
"I'm honored, Sir Musashi."
Sedrick spoke to Musashi in a spine-chilling husky voice and smiled sweetly. However, Sara noticed that Sedrick was keeping a cautious distance from Musashi.
"So, Sedrick, you're wary of others like that. I get it, you don't like Musashi."
"--Eh, am I disliked?"
"Where would there be anything to like about you?"
"Don't you think I look cute right now?"
For some reason, Musashi was looking up at Sedrick with a hopeful expression, hands clasped in front of him as if praying.
"I'm very sorry, but as a fairy, I'm not really interested in appearances."
Just then, Mike and Pochi, who had been floating and playing in the air, gently returned to the sofa.
"Looks like it's a murky color."
"And it smells bad."
There's really nothing good about it. Even if Sara purifies it a bit, Musashi's dirtiness doesn't seem to go away easily.
"Ugh, it's not like I wanted to become a criminal..."
"Your excuses are ugly. It's not like someone forced you to commit fraud, right?"
"That's true, Sara, but still..."
"I can sympathize with you being set up by a colleague, but becoming a con artist is a different story."
Even when Sara saw Musashi looking down sadly, she showed no mercy.
"You really are the type to corner someone with logic, huh? Did you have a boyfriend over there?"
"I had a few relationships."
"But after a while, the guys ran away, right? I get that you're a good girl, but being with you is tiring. It's like there's no healing."
In the next moment, Sara shot a burst of light magic at Musashi.
"Ughhhhh! It's hot, it's hot!"
Musashi rolled around on the floor and eventually lay face down, not moving at all.
"Hmph. I hit you with some strong healing magic, so do you have any complaints?"
"None at all..."
Sara lifted the lid of a box she took out from her spatial storage with magic and used wind magic to suck in the black smoke rising from Musashi. Of course, she sealed it tightly afterward.
However, the fairies and Magi who were watching this were skeptical of Musashi's opinion.
They couldn't understand what it was about Sara that made her a 'good girl'.
There was a heated debate among the Magi about whether this should be interpreted as an abbreviation for 'a girl with a good personality'.
Melchior suggested that Musashi had misunderstood, and Kaspar agreed, saying that Musashi didn't seem to have the skills to properly understand the emotions known as a woman's heart.
However, Balthazar countered, saying that in their world, the definition of a good girl may be different from ours.
Anyway, a digression.
"I'm worried about Her Royal Highness is. I hope she doesn't develop severe symptoms, being only five years old."
"Is the fever a serious illness, Sara?"
"Have you ever dealt with fever patients here, Musashi?"
"I haven't seen any in person. I know it becomes prevalent during winter, but no one in the royal family has contracted it while I've been here. Is it like the common cold?"
"It's more akin to the flu."
"What! Infants and young children are at risk. Is Mathilda okay!?"
It seems Musashi is concerned about Princess Mathilda.
"Musashi, you really are like the princess's grandfather."
"Of course! I've known Mathilda since she was born. She's the only one who calls me 'grandpa'."
"Prince Andrew called you that when he was little too."
"When I came to this world, Andrew was about 7 years old. He was already calling me 'grandfather' or 'Your Majesty'."
"I see."
Musashi was reminiscing about the past when Sedrick suddenly reacted.
"Miss Sara, Princess Mathilda has had a seizure."
"Oh no! Grazio, have you contacted Rihito?"
"I have informed him. Sir Rihito says he wants Miss Sara to come and get him."
"Understood. Where should I clear the way?"
"He said to go to the main building of the Sophia Merchant Guild, near the Pharmacist Guild. I told them to aim for the pharmacy warehouse behind the main building. It's not easy to see, and it wouldn't be strange for you two to be there. It's around here."
Grazioso drew a simple map in front of Sara.
"Ah, I can understand this. Also, please tell the palace's Sophia to get permission for Paracelsus to enter."
"I'm not sure who to ask for that."
Sedrick reacted to Grazioso, or rather Magi, asking for more information.
"Of the two attendants in the waiting room, the older woman is Ursula, a Lady-in-Waiting brought by the queen from her home country."
"The one who's wearing a maid's outfit?"
"That's to observe Lady Sophia. Ursula is close to the queen, so she will take action."
"Can we say she knows about Her Highness the Princess Mathilda's situation?"
"We don't need to discuss that much. Just call Ursula's name and say, 'I would like permission for Paracelsus to enter,' and she will understand."
"Understood."
As instructed, Sophia called Ursula's name and told her about Paracelsus. Then, she quickly left the room to see the queen. Ursula was surprised to be called out suddenly, but as a skilled lady-in-waiting who had served in the palace for many years, she hid her shock well. She realized that if her identity was known, she shouldn't underestimate Sophia's information network.
"Please hurry and prepare a carriage from the Sophia Merchant Guild. I hope Golem Maestoso can drive it. Let it leave empty for now. I will bring Rihito and the others to the carriage later."
"Understood."
Sara quickly connected to the Grandchester territory's capital and brought Rihito and Amelia, who were waiting in an empty house, to the mansion in the royal capital.
"Sara, I heard the princess has a fever."
"Princess Mathilda is only 5 years old. I just heard she had a seizure."
"At that age, it's probably a febrile seizure. I think it will settle down soon, but if it doesn't or keeps happening, we need to be careful. If she starts vomiting, we should position her to avoid choking, but the palace doctors should be fine."
Musashi ran over to Rihito's feet.
"Hey, are you Rihito? Please help Mathilda!"
"What is this bear?"
"Wow, it's so cute!"
Rihito tilted his head at the sight of a stuffed bear clinging to his feet, but Amelia surprisingly liked it.
"That's a scammer from the other world who came with my reincarnation."
"Scammer? Is this guy also a reincarnator?"
"He ignored the will of the god and followed me on his own, so he couldn't reincarnate. His soul just possessed the king of this country. I peeled it off when I met the king and brought it back inside a stuffed animal."
"Um... so the king of this country was possessed by a scammer's evil spirit, right?"
"That's mostly correct."
"--Don't call me an evil spirit, Sara. My soul just got a little lost. And I'm not a scammer!"
"Pyramid schemes, investment fraud, shady cults... that's a triple combo, right? There are probably more crimes I don't know about."
"Wow, that's bad. Can you not come near me?"
Rihito made a clear disgusted face and lifted Musashi's clinging foot a little to shake it off.
"I won't do it again. I'm sorry, so please help Mathilda."
"I was going to help anyway, but why does a scammer bear want to help Her Highness the Princess?"
"Because I possessed the king, I've known Princess Mathilda since she was born. It's like being in grandpa mode."
"I see. So it's like my Alicia."
"Huh? Rihito, are you Alicia's grandfather?"
"More like great-grandfather. By the way, do you know Alicia?"
"I haven't met her yet. But I know she caused a ruckus at the academy because I was with the king. By the way, how old are you if you're a great-grandfather?"
"I'm a bit older than I look. Well, if that's the case, I guess I should at least introduce myself. I'm Rihito. In my past life, I was called Sakuraba Rihito. Here, I'm sometimes called Paracelsus."
"I was curious about that. Is Paracelsus the alchemist? Hohenheim?"
"Haha, you know about that stuff too? But the reason I took the name Paracelsus was really just a coincidence. There was actually an alchemist named Paracelsus in this world. I pretended to be that guy and did research at the academy. In that sense, I might be a criminal too."
"Impersonating someone to do research, huh? You were getting research funds and a salary too, right?"
"Of course."
"I see. That definitely makes you a criminal."
Rihito made a slightly troubled face as he lifted Musashi.
"If you're curious about Her Highness the princess, do you want to come with me? Um..."
"Musashi. Over there, I was called Miyamoto Musashi."
"Is that a fake name for scamming?"
"Unfortunately, it's my real name. My parents messed up."
"That's tough. You must have been teased a lot as a kid."
"Yeah. By the way, is it okay if I go?"
"If you pretend to be a bear and stay quiet, it should be fine."
"You're a good guy."
At first, it seemed like Musashi being a con artist made Rihito a bit uncomfortable, but it looked like Rihito and Musashi got along well enough.
"You two become friends so easily."
"I don't think we're friends, but there's no reason to make things worse. But why a bear? Sara, you could make a body that can move more freely."
"So you can make one after all, huh? I thought it was weird to choose between a haniwa and a bear."
"I don't want to waste magic power for a criminal."
"But Sara, with your magic power, you could graduate from being human, and yet you say that. Well, bears are cute, though."
"See, I told you I'm cute, right, Sara?"
"You're just an old man over 40 on the inside, though."
"Sara, I bet Musashi doesn't want to hear that from you."
Musashi nodded vigorously at Rihito's comment.
"That's really rude to say to a 9-year-old girl."
"No, no, it's just stating the facts. I won't let you say you don't realize it."
"Ugh..."
"And by the way, I don't mind being a bear, but if you're going to do that, make it a bit bigger. My neck gets tired trying to talk."
"Yeah. At least make the arms and legs a bit longer; it looks off balance."
Musashi is only about 30cm (� 11.81 inches) tall, so it's a small size even for a teddy bear. Now that I think about it, Rihito has to squat down to talk to Musashi, which seems inconvenient.
"You guys are being rude to me, you know. Honestly, I don't want to give a criminal a body that can move freely."
"That's why I said being a bear is fine. I just want it a little bigger. Think of my neck pain."
"Fine, fine, I guess I have no choice."
Sara reluctantly started to reshape Musashi's body. She made it about 1m (� 3.28ft) tall and adjusted the overall balance.
"Oh, this is way easier to walk now. Sitting and standing is much easier too."
"But it's heavier now, so be careful going up and down stairs. It should absorb shocks, but I don't want to break the vessel of the soul inside you."
"Don't say scary things like that, Sara."
"I didn't make it, so I don't know how sturdy it is. But I think it should be fine."
"Got it. For now, I'll be careful."
Sara, who was making the final adjustments to Musashi's body, suddenly felt a gaze on her. When she turned around, she saw Amelia staring at Musashi with sparkling eyes.
"Amelia, do you like Musashi?"
"He's so cute!"
"I keep saying it, but inside, he's an old man, you know?"
"That's fine because I'm used to you, Sara."
"Hey, Amelia, that's pretty rude too!"
At Amelia's comment, Rihito and Musashi burst out laughing. In fact, Sara was aware of it herself, so she decided to let it slide gracefully.
"Amelia, are you going to the palace too?"
"I'm just a commoner, so I think it might be difficult."
"No, I plan to take you with me. I want you to manage the medicine."
"But I came here in my everyday clothes, so my robe is a bit dirty..."
Amelia looked troubled.
"Amelia, I'll prepare a new dress and robe for you. And one for Rihito too. I'll make them quickly with magic, so could you come with me to the next room? Rihito will wait in that room."
"Got it."
"Understood."
Sara took Amelia and Golem Grazioso to the dressing room and told Amelia to change. She quickly made a simple dark blue dress using magic and gave it to Grazioso, who helped dress Amelia. Meanwhile, Sara was making a white robe for a pharmacist to wear over the dress. She made sure to embroider Alexander's crest on the robe. Everyone at Maiden's Tower knows that Amelia's robe has Alexander's crest. Even the Grandchester Knights are aware of this.
"That should do it. If it feels a bit uncomfortable since I rushed it, just let me know."
"It's fine, but this dress is simple yet looks expensive..."
"I'd be happy if you didn't worry about it. After all, I made it with magic."
"Hehe. Then you should make Musashi's body with all that extra magic too."
"I think a bear's size is just right for now. We should wait a bit longer before deciding."
"Hehe. That's true."
While they talked, Sara used magic to duplicate Rihito's robe. She took the clothes for underneath from the servant outfits. Sara wanted to make them with magic, but Rihito said, "Since you'll be wearing a robe over it anyway, this is enough."
Sara, Rihito, Amelia, and Musashi got into a horse-drawn carriage with their bags. Sara didn't need to be there for the fever check, but Rihito and Amelia were commoners who had never been to the castle before. So, even though Sara was only 9 years old, they made her the group leader and got permission to visit the Second Prince's Wife. The adults from the Grandchester family couldn't come on short notice, but since it was urgent, they were given special permission.
Sara was still a commoner, but she was already recognized as a noble girl because her adoption by a noble family was approved. Rihito and Amelia were seen as Sara's attendants. Musashi was the stuffed animal that Sara was holding.
"Wait for me, Mathilda... I'll do my best."
Musashi, held by Sara, whispered in a small voice.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)