The castle of Elfrau was kept at a moderate temperature, probably due to warmth magic. For that reason, the room we were shown to was also quite large, but there was no such thing as a fireplace. Are they air-conditioned and underfloor heating?
　I have seen several castles such as Belfast, Mismid, and Regulus, but Elfrau's castle was more beautiful than any of them. It is different from the opulent ones in that it is modest, but the interior, with its fine workmanship and design, has an unflattering feel to it.
　It's not gold, but a beauty of white and silver.
　When I sat down on the sofa recommended, a maid brought me a cup of tea. It was in a small bowl with red jam and another small spoon.
　Some kind of Russian tea, I guess. I'm pretty sure I read something about it, but is that something you don't put the jam in the tea, you taste the jam in your mouth and then drink the tea and enjoy it together?
　I'm not sure, but the sweetness of the jam combined with the astringency of the tea is quite good when you drink it that way.

''First of all, I would like to thank you for defeating Snorlauf. It's also important to note that you were able to take care of it quickly and unexpectedly. Of course, I will pay you properly for your reward.
'Oh, yes. Thank you very much for that.

　Her Majesty the Queen, sitting opposite me, bows her head deeply, so I returned a dumb reply.
　Seeing this, Her Majesty the Queen smiles.

''You're just as I've heard from Relisha, aren't you?
'Huh? Are you acquainted with Guildmaster Relisha?

　We're both elves, and I guess we know each other reasonably well. Well, why is an elf a queen? Is it okay to ask?
　While thinking about this, I put the jam in my mouth and took another sip of tea as it was.

'You know her, or rather, she's your niece. She's my sister's daughter.

　I force myself to swallow the tea back. My niece! Mr. Relisha was Elfrau's royal family!
　Her Majesty chuckled, perhaps sensing such a surprise.

''Relisha is indeed my niece, but she has nothing to do with Elfrau. Well Your Majesty must have wondered why the Queen of Elfrau is me, an elf?
'What? Yes, it's well.

　There was no point in hiding it, so I nodded honestly.

''Elfrau is a kingdom founded about 1200 years ago, but at the time this land was not a very inhabitable place. However, with the help of the Frau tribe and one adventurer who came from the exile at that time, the land was settled and the country of Elfrau was founded.
Are you an adventurer?
Yes, sir. The adventurer's name was El Cartelade. He was the first king of this country and my husband.
What?

　My husband!

'The name of the country, Elfrau, comes from the name of him and the family that followed him. After he died, the only person who could support the country was my wife and fellow adventurer. The chief of the Frau tribe recommended me for the position as queen, and I was able to take that position. And since then, I have supported the country all the way to the present.
'Excuse me, sir, but have you and the king had any children or other children...'
He's not here. There have been many times when I have wished you were here.

　Well, if you're an elf, a long-lived species, you can probably postpone the issue of succession to the throne quite a bit. It's like His Majesty the Demon King in Xenoas. It's the same as the Demon King's Majesty of Xenoas, except there's a brainy heir to the throne.
　I wonder what's going to happen to my family, too. Even if I become a god and have no more life expectancy, I don't want to stay on the throne for thousands of years. I guess I'll just hand over the throne to my son and retire to Babylon.
　Though I don't know which of his nine wives he's married to. Of course, if he, or his grandson, or whatever, tries to impose a bad rule, I'll yell at him.

It must be hard to run a country for 1,200 years...
Not so much. The Frau are a gentle, polite, and properly speaking, good-natured people by nature, so they are basically generous. They don't have any major quarrels, and no other countries have attacked them here due to the snow and ice. We had some minor quarrels, but after being queen for over a thousand years, you get used to it. You'll get used to it, and you'll have the support of competent people around you.

　He has existed since the foundation of the country, and he may be the symbol of the country, a living person, and an absolute presence, so to speak.
　Elfrau is about the same size of land as the Ramish nation, but most of it is uninhabitable. This was due to the ice spirit that lived here, but after negotiating with this ice spirit, Elfrau was given a piece of territory that could be inhabited.
　And it seems that the person who negotiated with him was the Queen of the Adventurer Era. Elves have excellent chemistry with spirits, you know.
　If something happens to Her Majesty, this land might revert back to the closed permafrost as it was 1200 years ago.
　But a genie? That's the third one after the Spirit of Darkness and the Spirit of the Great Tree.
　Maybe Her Majesty has received some kind of blessing from the ice spirit. I'd like to meet her.

By the way, the Snorauruf, would you sell it to my country?
That?
'Yes, sir. The quality of Snoraurlauf's fur is very high, and one can't easily find such pelts. I'd be happy to sell it to you, if you'd be willing to pay the right price for it. I will pay you the right price.
That's fine. There's probably more demand for it in this country.

　For a moment, I thought it would be a waste of time, but I don't really need the fur at the moment. And I heard that Snorlauf's meat is hard and not very tasty.

''Thank you. Now, I'll have to wait a little while to get the money ready, but in the meantime, could you choose another reward?''
I understand.

　I was going to get one thing from the treasure room.
　Her Majesty the Queen, who stood up, led me into the underground treasury, where some of the items were recognizable as treasures at first glance, but why was this? The things that made me want to twist my head around were neatly organized and lined up on the shelves.
　I asked him what kind of things he was interested in one by one, but to be honest, there was nothing I wanted. After all, there are much higher grade items lying around in Babylon's "storehouse" than what we have here.
　

''This........''

　A nondescript looking axe. No, it's a battle axe. It has a reddish hue all over, as if they used a baboon kane for the base metal.
　However, that wasn't what I was interested in. What was engraved on the side of that axe.
　It was a pictogram found in that old royal capital of Belfast. It resembles the Artema Secret Script, but slightly different. There's no doubt about it.

"Your Majesty, what is this?
'Oh, it was a gift from a tribe shortly after the founding of this country.
A tribe?
"The Arcana, you say? "They called themselves the Red People. They took red as their sacred color.

　The Red People. That's confirmed. The preface to that ruin, "Our Red........" would be followed by "Our Red People".

"The Reading, Artema Secret Script.

　Sneaky translation magic. Dusk do you judge? I'm not sure.
　I thought I could understand it because it was a short character, but it was impossible. By the way, when I translated it by "Arcana secret characters" or something like that, I could not read it at all. There may not be a character with such a name.

'Does this axe have a name or something?'
''I believe it was the 'Twilight Absolution'? It's said to have the effect of multiplying the physical strength of the bearer several times over.

　"Absolution at Dusk. I see, so that's the translation. It's certainly an axe that could be used, but I don't really need it for me.

Regarding the Arcana, do you think any of their descendants still exist today?
What do you think? They were a nomadic tribe at the time.... If they had found a safe haven somewhere, it wouldn't be surprising if their descendants had survived...

　Mmm. I'm sorry, but let's just say it's good to know that the Red People exist.

Shall I take that axe?
'Oh, no, I was just wondering.... What's this one?

　I picked up what looked like a pendant that hung next to the axe. An oval-shaped stone about three centimeters long shone in rainbow colors. It's not a diamond or other gemstone, but a pearl-like stone.

It's a magical tool called the 'Blessing of Life' and when worn by a woman, it increases the chances of a child being born between a man and a woman. For some reason it didn't work for my husband and I, but when we lent it to our vassal couples, we were able to conceive at a much higher rate. It may require a certain aptitude.

　Hmm. Maybe the reason why Her Majesty didn't get pregnant is because there was a problem with the deceased king.
　But still........is this a dream item of some sort? It's probably not something that a couple that wants to have a child would wish for. It's only supposed to increase the odds, though, so it's not an absolute.
　If this was sold normally, it would raise eyebrows, and I doubt it is a scam or something, but it is neatly packed with magic power, and it seems to be a magic tool. I don't know how well it works.

I've heard that His Majesty has many fiancées. I think it's best to make the successor as soon as possible, don't you think?

　Perhaps from actual experience, Her Majesty the Queen would say something like that.
　Mmmm..... Could it be that this guy is the reason I have so many children in the future........
　I stare at the pendant in front of me. No, I don't think it would be better if I never had a child of my own, although I think we all want to have one child between each of us.

'Would you like that?'

　Mm-hm.....





And that's why I received it.
"Ho ho!

　Duke Ortlinde looks at the Blessing of Life placed on the table with interest.
　After all, I had been given this from the treasury in Elfrau, and had come here, to the Duke of Ortlinde's residence in the Kingdom of Belfast, on that foot.

''And you want to lend me this?''
Yes. Her Majesty said I could do what I wanted. Let's see how it works first.
Haha, I guess I'm a test subject.

　Well, to put it bluntly, it's true.
　If Sue comes to me as a bride, this house will be completely without an heir. It's not like I'm atoning for my sins, but it's not a bad thing.

"Do you still have the energy pills I gave you the other day?
Yeah, I've still got some. I gave some of them away to some people I know. People were surprised.

　I guess so. Even a withered grandfather can be revived. On the contrary, I am afraid that I might be reckless if I give it to young people. It might continue for three days and three nights.

Aren't you going to sell it?
I don't feel like doing that at the moment.

　It hasn't been that long since our country was founded, and yet we have a reputation as "Brunhild for energy pills". The image is bad. What would you do if you were called an erotic kingdom?

I'll lend you this for now. I heard it works if your wife is equipped with it. I heard there are no strange side effects, so let's see how it goes for a year or so.
But are you sure you want Brunhild's treasure? If you want to try it, it doesn't have to be us, does it?
To be honest, I'm doubting whether it's true or not. It's not really a treasure yet. When Sue has a younger brother or sister, I'll call it a treasure. Besides, I've been indebted to the Ortlinde duke's family until now.

　Well, even if I could, I can't prove that it's because of this item. Is it still a fraudulent item? Mmm. It's a different story if you can definitely do it, though.
　I've been pondering this idea while looking at the delighted Duke.