When I came back to the mansion, it seems that Lilia-san was calling me, so I went towards her office.
When I opened the door and entered, Lilia-san turned towards me with a mysterious look on her face.
[Welcome back, Kaito-san.]
[Yes. I have returned.]
[...So, who is it now?]
[...Unn?]
Looking at me with a worried expression on her face, Lilia-san asked me while her hands were slightly trembling, but I didn't immediately understand what she meant, so I tilted my head.
[...Who on earth did you get to know this time? The World King-sama? God of Fate-sama? If there's anything I need to know, please tell me now!!!]
[....]
This is… How should I say this… It seems like I've really pushed Lilia-san to the corner.
She already has tears in her eyes... No, I'm really sorry.
I feel guilty that I've met some really outrageous people in rapid succession, and I'm really giving Lilia-san a lot of troubles, so I tell her about Alice, who I just met today.
After intently listening about what happened when I met Alice for a while, Lilia-san pats her chest, as if she really felt relieved.
[...Thank goodness. It's someone I don't know.]
[S- Somehow, I'm sorry.]
[N- No, I should be sorry instead for being oversensitive.]
Unnn. I'll try to report to her even the smallest details more properly from now on.
While thinking about this, I turned my gaze to Lilia-san's desk and found many documents on it.
It doesn't seem like they were letters, as although I can only see it from a distance, it looks like they're accounting-related documents, as there were numbers lined up in rows.
[Kaito-san? What's the matter?]
[Ah, no, it's just that this is the first time I've seen Lilia-san working...]
[Ahh, I see... I may be inexperienced, but I'm still in charge of many people's lives. Also, simply because of my personality, I don't feel comfortable leaving everything to others, so I try to do the work I can do myself.]
To be honest, until I met Lilia-san, my image of nobles was that they were always self-important and arrogant, but I've realized since coming to this world that it was just my prejudice.
Especially Lilia-san, who doesn't look like a noble in a good way, but even though she's only one year older than me, she's a splendid person that I wholeheartedly respect.
It seems that there are no important confidential documents among them, so since it's safe for me to look at them, I look at the documents that Lilia-san is dealing with from a little distance away from her.
The fact that there are lots of numbers lined up must mean that they're accounting-related, perhaps, she's calculating the expenses and incomes.
Is it because the currency they use is different? It's not the same shape as the one I know, but it serves the same purpose... but I think the one Lilia-san is holding is this world's abacus.
As I watched the scene in front of me for a while, a question popped into my head. I wondered if there are any calculators in this world or something like that...
No, it's not like I'm saying that calculators are better than abacus in every way. After all, if one is skilled in using abacus, they will be able to perform calculations at a terrifying speed.
However, that's only for a small percentage of people... In fact, Lilia-san has been looking at the documents over and over again, calculating each time while slowly moving the abacus.
I think that with her pace, she will take lots of time to finish calculating everything.
I've put Lilia-san through lots of trouble already. I'd like to help if I could, but unfortunately, I only learned about using abacus a few times in elementary school, and I'm not particularly good at math.
If I try to help with my incapability, I would just end up being a hindrance.
But if I had a calculator here, I might be able to help Lilia-san with her work, and even if she didn't allow me to help, it would certainly be able to improve her work speed.
But unfortunately, I don't have a calculator at hand at the moment. To be precise, I had a pocket-sized calculator in my backpack when I came to this world but... The calculator is a mechanical technology of our world, and right now, it's in the custody of the Goddess of Law.
Normally, I would have stopped there, but a thought came to my mind.
There were convenient items here called magic tools, supporting the livelihood of the residents of this world, and some of them even have capabilities far beyond the mechanical technology of my previous world.
There are magic tools that act similar with a lighter, and there's also a magic tool that functions like an air conditioner. That's when I wondered if there was a magic tool that could perform calculations like a calculator, and even if there wasn't one, I will just have it made.
However, I'm still a novice when it comes to this world, so I don't know if there is such a magic tool or if it's really possible to make it based on what I'm thinking.
Hmmm. I guess the best way to find out is to ask the creator of magic tools, Kuro, who is the most reliable source of information when it comes to magic.
With that in mind, I leave the room so as not to disturb Lilia-san any further, and as I walk down the corridor to my room, I put together in my mind what I'm going to ask Kuro the next time she comes to visit.
Dear Mom, Dad—— I want to make Lilia-san, who I've caused lots of troubles, to somehow have an easier time in her work. That's why, even for a little bit—– I'm going to try to be proactive.
Isis's castle, which was wrapped in ice. In one of the rooms, the World King, Lillywood Yggdrasil, had a very tired expression on her face.
In contrast to Lillywood who really looks like she's mentally fatigued, Isis, the lord of this castle, is in a very good mood as she stared at the bundle of packaged books.
[...Lillywood... Thank you….. Thanks to you... I've decided... on which books I'm going to give to Kaito.]
"...That's good. No, seriously, with that, the world's economy remains in balance..."
She desperately persuaded Isis, who was about to give him books of tremendous value, such as grimoires with ancient magic written on it and forbidden books with the methods to make secret medicines, to pick and choose the safest ones from her collection of over 10 million books. It was a really tough and long process, and thanks to that, Lillywood was completely exhausted.
[Sorry to bother you, Isis.]
[...Kuromueina... Welcome.]
[I made a new type of baby castellas, so I'm here to share... Arehh? You're also here, Lillywood?]
"...Kuromueina. If possible, I wish you had come a little earlier."
[Eh?]
As if she appeared exactly at the moment... As if she appeared right at the moment when they've just finished selecting the books, Kuromueina appears and seeing her arrival, Lillywood mutters as her shoulders slumped down.
Seeing Lillywood like that, Kuromueina tilted her head before turning towards Isis... and tilted her head again.
[Arehh? Isis, you're in a great mood. What's up?]
[...I made... a human... friend.]
[Eh? Seriously!?]
"Yes, I was skeptical too, but in fact, Isis went to visit this person the other day, and she's been in a good mood ever since."
Hearing the words that Isis happily announced, Kuromueina made an expression of disbelief and Lillywood, who also had the same reaction not long ago, said her thoughts.
[Heehhh… There's an amazing child out there huh. Isis, what kind of child is that?]
[...He said... he knew Kuromueina... His name is... Kaito.]
[Huh? Kaito... You're talking about Miyama Kaito-kun?]
"You know about him huh?"
[Unnn, I've been seeing him almost every day. He's my favorite child right now.]
Hearing Isis mention Kaito's name, Kuromueina looked really surprised.
[I see... Kaito-kun became friends with Isis...]
"Kuromueina. Who exactly is this Kaito-san? According to what Isis said, he had some kind of special ability, but is it really possible for him to resist her magic power of death?"
[Hmmm. It's true that Kaito-kun has a slightly unusual power called Sympathy Magic, making him have the ability to adapt to non-hostile magic power... but just having that ability doesn't mean he would adapt to just about anyone.]
"What exactly do you mean?"
[Kaito-kun's magic power would certainly adapt to other people's magic power... but the basic premise is that Kaito-san has "the will to be friendly with that person", otherwise, he won't be able to adapt, and even if he does, he also won't just adapt with someone's magic power in an instant.]
Just as Kuromueina said, Kaito's Sympathy Magic doesn't help him cope with other people's magic power in an instant.
Kaito needs to have the will to adapt to it, even if it's subconsciously, and that means, Kaito doesn't hold hostility towards that person.
[In other words, Kaito-kun... still felt Isis's magic power of death, and yet, he still tried to get along with Isis, and desperately tried to adapt while being exposed to her magic power of death for a reasonable amount of time. I think that's why he was able to adapt to her magic power of death.]
[...]
"T- That's quite an unbelievable person, isn't it? I still can't believe it."
Kuromueina quietly told them.
Kaito himself said that it was thanks to his Sympathy Magic, but it couldn't have happened if Kaito hadn't wanted to reach out to Isis in the first place, and despite the painful thoughts inflicted on him, Kaito still tried to befriend Isis.
A fact that she unexpectedly found out. No one knows if it's because of happiness or not, but Isis's cheeks turned bright red as she stared in empty space, as if she had fallen in love again.
In contrast to Isis's reaction though, Lillywood seems to be trembling in fear.
[Hmmm. I guess it might be impossible if you met Kaito-kun just when he first came to this world. However, Kaito-kun has been so cool lately that even I'm surprised... he's a kind child who's doing his best for the sake of others after all. Well, that's why I like him so much.]
[...Unnn... Kaito... is kind... and cool...]
"...I see. Speaking of which, Kuromueina, you just mentioned that you're seeing him almost every day... That must be why you've been visiting the Symphonia Kingdom so much lately."
[Ahaha, well, I suppose so.]
Lillywood, who became more and more interested in Kaito after hearing Kuromueina and Isis talk about him, nodded, looking forward to her upcoming visit.
" "
And since she also found out why Kuromueina has been visiting Syphonia Kingdom so often lately, a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"In that case, I guess I can ask Kuromueina for the next meeting regarding the Festival of Heroes in the Symphonia Kingdom huh."
[Don't want to.]
"...Eh?"
In the years where the Festival of Heroes was held, Kuromueina and Lillywood, who have close ties to the Human Realm, share the responsibility of meeting with each country... They are discussing the order of the pilgrimage that would be done by the one holding the role of Hero and the event that would be held in the Festival of Heroes.
They still hadn't decided on the appointment for this year, but if Kuromueina frequented the Symphonia Kingdom, Lillywood thought that she would gladly accept if she were the one going to the meeting there but... her reply was just the words "Don't want to.".
[The King over there "treated Kaito-kun as an outcast", so I hate him.]
[...He treated Kaito... as an outcast?]
Hearing the words Kuromueina said, Lillywood placed her hand over her face.
Those things she said... The matter of the Symphonia Kingdom not sending an invitation to Kaito was actually something that Lillywood also had her followers look into, making her understand what happened, but she hadn't told Isis about it.
She kept it a secret because she didn't want to think about what Isis would do if she knows this, but when she heard that Kaito had told Isis that he just couldn't go because he already had something he had to do, she thought that she could finally feel relieved just a few days ago... but a bomb was dropped in a place she never expected.
Hearing Kuromueina's words, Isis quietly muttered, before she quickly stood up.
"Stop for a moment, Isis. Where do you plan to go?"
[...Symphonia Kingdom.]
"P- Please wait! That is..."
[Isis! Stop!!!]
[...Kuromueina?]
Noticing that her eyes were obviously focused towards the Symphonia Kingdom... and Isis was about to head there to literally erase the king, just when Lillywood was desperately trying to stop her, Kuromueina also stopped Isis.
Lillywood felt relieved that there's someone who also had the same thoughts as her, as she turned towards Kuromueina who was probably on her side... but her next words made her turn pale.
"That's right, Kuromueina. You tell her as well..."
[Let me help you!]
"Hey!?"
[...Thank you, Kuromueina... together... those idiots who tormented Kaito... let's kill them.]
[Killing them is no good, if you do that, Kaito-kun will be really troubled. We should just "threaten him until his mind breaks" so that he won't do anything stupid again.]
[...I understand... So we'll just turn him into an "invalid person".]
"What kind of frightening stuff are you talking about!? Isis too, don't agree with her!"
Looking closely at her, she could see that even the smile on Kuromueina's face disappeared, as she's clearly angry, saying horrible things like it's normal.
"Please wait!!! I- I will be the one going there, okay!? I'll make sure that the Symphonia's King would apologize, okay!!! So I'm begging you, don't do anything!!!"
That day, in the peaceful land of death... because of her worries, one of the Six Kings... the World King scream resounded.