Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy-Chapter 319: Let’s Get Some Fresh Air (2)

I was able to think rationally after chasing the embarrassing aunt out of my nephew’s head.

Why Cheness?

To be more accurate, I was able to deny reality rationally, but that was beside the point.

Anyway, it was confusing. Putting aside how embarrassing the Wise Duchess was, the fact that Cheness Duchy, not Boyar Duchy, was the school trip destination wasn’t normal.

One might think it would be strange to go to the same place for two years in a row, but wasn’t the Gold Duke the reason school trips were added to the academy’s schedule in the first place?

The school trip originated from inviting academy students to a resort built in his territory for promotion. Would that money-crazed man use such a massive promotional tool only once and then give it up to someone else? Absolutely not.

Giving it up because the other party was a duke? The Gold Duke would charge even the imperial family when money was involved, so that couldn’t be it.

It would make sense if it were some other duchy.

Moreover, Cheness Duchy was renowned as a tourist destination. From the Gold Duke’s perspective, giving up the school trip location to Cheness Duchy would be like boosting a competitor’s position. No landowner would willingly do that, let alone the Gold Duke.

“This is unexpected. The resort must be fully booked this year.”

So when I muttered with puzzlement, Marghetta, who was still reading the documents, let out a short exclamation.

“Your guess is right, Carl.”

“Pardon?”

“The resort we stayed at last year has been designated as an imperial-certified tourist site.”

With those words, all my doubts instantly vanished. An imperial-certified tourist site—the first new one in nearly a decade. Then, not only the resort but nearby accommodations must be bursting at the seams. In such a saturated state, there was no need to invite academy students on top of that.

…Certified tourist site.

It was strange that such a system existed in this era, but this world’s setting had come too far to nitpick about such things.

And if the Gold Duke gave up hosting the school trip in exchange for receiving the gift of a certified tourist site from the imperial family, then the decision to send the academy to the Cheness Duchy came directly from the imperial family. Now, we needed to figure out the imperial family’s intentions, not the Gold Duke’s.

“We were lucky. Not only is Boyar already famous as a tourist spot, but now it’s also an imperial-certified site. It’ll be packed with people for years to come.”

“Yes, I suppose it will. It’s a relief we got to see it early.”

But I smiled back at Marghetta, who was grinning slightly, and put aside my thoughts.

I returned her smile and shelved my concerns for now. Questioning imperial intentions was an excellent way to ruin your life. And mine was tangled enough as it was—further complications might make biting my tongue and ending it all seem like the better option.

Let’s not worry about it.

Besides, it wasn’t like I had no idea at all.

“I’m especially worried about the distinguished guests. They’re not used to life in the empire, so I’m concerned they might wander off alone.”

That was what the emperor had said during a luncheon he invited me to while hosting the New Year’s Ball.

The Emperor suspected that the trio of foreign royalty studying at the academy might be acting as spies. In such a situation, sending students twice to Boyar, one of the empire’s duchies and a center of commerce, shipping, and naval power, would be irritating. From his perspective, sending them somewhere completely different would make much more sense.

It was sad to see an old man in poor health worrying needlessly, but I didn’t have the courage to defend the suspects in front of an Emperor who had reasonable suspicion.

Honestly, it was their fault for enrolling in another country’s academy when they were royalty. If you ask me, the Emperor’s concerns were perfectly valid.

***

It didn’t take long before the news spread that this year’s school trip destination was Cheness. It was only natural, as there was no reason to keep it secret.

“Cheness is in the west, right? It’ll be my first time there!”

Louise seemed delighted by the prospect of visiting a new location.

“Ah, Cheness…”

Meanwhile, Erich looked like he might faint at the thought of having to go to Cheness, where the Wise Duchess was holding out.

Unfortunately, Erich was also one of those who have been tormented by the Wise Duchess. In fact, he was probably more of a victim than I was. Unlike me, who could minimize contact with the Wise Duchess thanks to the shield of being the Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager, Erich had no such buffer and had to deal with her antics directly.

“I can’t skip it, can I?”

“If you want to see your communication crystal lit up 24/7 during the school trip, go ahead.”

What I really meant was: ‘If you don’t show up, she’ll likely demand a live, 24-hour video feed of your face.’ Erich grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut, as if to shut out the horrifying image. He knew I wasn’t exaggerating.

If the Wise Duchess heard that one of her nephews didn’t come, she’d probably wail and immediately pull out her communication crystal. It might sound crazy, but the Wise Duchess was more than capable of doing that. He shouldn’t underestimate a drunkard even the Emperor had given up on.

“What’s wrong? I thought Cheness was known for its many tourist attractions. Do you have some bad memories there?”

“I do have some unpleasant memories with the current Matriarch there.”

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Lather asked, seemingly puzzled after seeing Erich’s reaction, but Erich’s answer only confused him more.

“Her Grace the Wise Duchess is our aunt. Erich takes after our uncle a bit, so he receives Her Grace’s… affection a bit excessively.”

“Ah.”

Instead of elaborating, I saw Lather nod as if he understood. Judging by his reaction, he seemed to have realized that the word ‘affection’ held many memories, but he didn’t say anything out of consideration for Erich’s dignity.

Right, I wouldn’t tell anyone about how little Erich received a barrage of kisses from the Wise Duchess, almost having his cheeks sucked off. I heard Erich was crying and making a fuss back then…

“Oh, I didn’t know you were related to a ducal family. That’s impressive!”

Meanwhile, Rutis spoke as if surprised. Considering his background as a prince, it felt less like a compliment and more like teasing, but it must be sincere based on his personality. Besides, even among the Empire’s nobility, it wasn’t widely known that Erich and I were related to the Wise Duchess. How much more would that be for foreigners?

We’re related through a bridge, though.

The bridge linking the Wise Duchess to House Krasius was the Aras family. While my uncle had taken the Wise Duchess’s last name as part of their marriage agreement, Mother’s surname also changed to Krasius after she and the Patriarch married. It was enough to confuse anyone who wasn’t paying close attention.

Of course, high-ranking nobles and officials who dealt with me often wouldn’t fail to notice.

“I’ve never gone around calling myself her nephew, though.”

“Haha, not relying on your family’s influence is admirable!”

“…Right. Thanks…”

Unlike Rutis, who laughed heartily, Erich mumbled with a somewhat bitter expression.

I understood why. I knew exactly why Erich chose to keep his connection to the Wise Duchess under wraps.

Because having her as an aunt is embarrassing no matter where you go.

If even I, a possessor, felt this way, then how much worse must it be for Erich, who was her actual blood relative? Being related to the Wise Duchess was a heavy burden, even at a casual gathering. It was enough to make anyone think twice before ordering a drink.

Fortunately, Sarah seemed to notice Erich’s feelings and carefully approached to pat him. Seeing this, Rutis stepped aside with a satisfied expression.

That bastard…

I couldn’t help but feel both frustrated and pitiful every time I saw Rutis’s uncanny ability to notice others’ romantic affairs. If fate ever found him another relationship, I hope he’d act just like how he did now.

“Um, oppa.”

“Yes?”

Louise quietly spoke up while I was wishing blessings on Rutis’s love life.

“Do you know what’s famous in Cheness? We didn’t get a pamphlet this year.”

“Ah, the pamphlet.”

I nodded unconsciously at her obvious statement.

Last year, there was a pamphlet because a certain money-obsessed duke was desperate to earn every penny, but normally there wouldn’t be one. Who would go around distributing pamphlets just because the academy was coming for a school trip? Only someone like the Gold Duke would pull something so absurd.

“I do know a bit. Chenes is a well-known tourist spot, after all.”

Besides, whether it was Boyar or Cheness, there were many famous spots you could find without a pamphlet.

“First of all, the region is famous for its grain fields.”

The Cheness Duchy owned the continent’s, not just the empire’s, largest granary region, with fields and farmlands stretching to the horizon. It was even said that famine would spread across the entire continent if there was a poor harvest in Cheness Duchy, so that was how grand it was. While the truth of that claim was debatable, it was undeniable that the Empire heavily relied on Cheness for its food supply.

“There’s also an old airship grounded near the coastline—”

And there was the airship (or what used to be one) hovering the line between being an eyesore and a landmark. There must have been an Apels emperor obsessed with fantasy, because Apels had a fleet of airships.

Of course, fantasy was just another word for inefficiency, so they disappeared one by one due to maintenance costs, and the last remaining ship was operated during the war with Kefellofen but crashed due to fuel shortage. What an idiot.

The reason they were still preserving such a thing was simple. It was just kept as a negative example, symbolizing the height of inefficiency and the ugliness of Apels.

“There’s also a sanctuary for non-human races.”

Lastly, there was an area protecting races that were hard to find in other countries. It was the only place where races that nearly went extinct during Apels’ reign barely maintained their lineage, and a symbolic place allowing the Kefellofen Emperor to call himself an ally of other races.

…Come to think of it, this sounded more like an administrative zone than a tourist destination. Was this unavoidable when seen through a civil servant’s eyes?

Still, among this administrative district-like lineup, something seemed to catch Louise’s interest as her eyes sparkled.

“A sanctuary for non-human races?”

“Yeah. Elves, dwarves, mermaids, beastkin… all sorts of races are there.”

Thanks to this, you could see mermaids in the sea, elves in the neighboring forest, and dwarves in the mountains behind. If you looked hard enough, you might even find a dragon lurking somewhere. It was the ultimate setting for anyone who dreamt of a fantasy fiefdom. If the Wise Duchess raised 100,000 knights or a million private soldiers, the fantasy would be complete.

Anyway, Louise listened to my explanation with a bright expression, seemingly intrigued by the idea of different races living together with humans. Then, as if something occurred to her, she glanced to the side.

Ah.

Following her gaze, I could see the Mage Duchess quietly twitching her ears. It seems the curiosity wasn’t limited to the disciple but extended to the master as well.

Indeed. From the Mage Duchess’s perspective, the sanctuary for other races must be interesting. It was the first opportunity to meet her own kind—something she hadn’t experienced since her mother’s time.

She probably never had a reason to go.

Before becoming a duchess, her mother was still alive, so there was no need to seek out her own kind. And after becoming a duchess, she was too busy with work to have time.

…I’ll make sure to take her there.

The thought made my chest tighten. An elf who grew up never knowing her kin… How tragic was /genesisforsaken