The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 116

When I returned to the inn, I took a bath and washed my sticky sea breezed hair.

Once dinner time came, we all gathered and started eating fish dishes.

“Hey, this fish…?”

Annie asked as she looked at the food.

“Alice and I caught it. I gave it to the staff and asked them to use it for dinner.”

“Hmm… well, it’s fine. Anyways, AI-chan was right.”

“About what?”

Well, there’s only one thing it could be.

“That guilmas. Her attitude, expression, and way of speaking were all dripping with discrimination. The change was so extreme it shocked me.”

“It was something, wasn’t it? She looked grumpy, and then suddenly she’d be smiling.”

“… The abuse of authority was also insane.”

“I was grateful for it, though. Let’s keep working hard from tomorrow onwards!”

Of course, Lily would feel that way.

“So, what are you going to do about that?”

“Nothing. Whatever happens, happens.”

“… You’re amazing. I respect that.”

Annie said in disbelief and then started eating her fish.

“… Yuuma, you’re meeting the princess, right?”

“Oh, wow…”

“Will you be okay? I mean, it’s you, Yuuma…”

Natalia and Lily were staring at me intently.

“There won’t be any issues with the princess.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Is that so?”

Both of them tilted their heads in confusion.

“That’s just how it is.”

There’s no way.

“… AI-chan, do you understand?”

Alice asked AI-chan.

“There are people who will move to stop anything between them, even if they wanted to be together. There are no political advantages for marrying into equal factions, so high-ranking nobles don’t like it. That leaves only one option.”¹

“I see…”

Alice seemed to understand after hearing AI-chan’s explanation.

“What’s that person going to do? Yuuma definitely won’t stay.”

“They’ll probably follow him, won’t they?”

Natalia and Lily grinned mischievously, chatting about romance.

“I don’t know. More importantly, are you guys going to the sea again tomorrow?”

I decided to change the subject.

“Isn’t that fine? The coast is open, so there won’t be any ambushes. We can handle it ourselves.”

Annie, who had stopped engaging in the romance talk, replied.

“Are you sure?”

“You’re really overprotective. We’re B-rank, you know? Just lend us Koma-chan. I don’t want to walk.”

Annie is always riding on Koma-chan.

“I’ll let you have Koma-chan, but… hmm, alright.”

“What’s that ‘alright’ about? Are you going to pull something else out again?”

“Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.”

She’ll complain if I say anything now, so I’ll just hand it over to Lily later when she won’t care.

“This guy really likes to gather and hoard things.”

“Yeah, well…”

“…Honestly, we’re pretty weak, so it can’t be helped.”

“I’m fine with it. When Yuuma takes the lead, for some reason, the rewards are higher, whether it’s in the west district or the royal capital.”

You should be grateful.

“Anyway, be careful tomorrow.”

“It’ll be fine. Just make sure you don’t offend the princess.”

After deciding on our plans for tomorrow, we continued with dinner.

The next morning, after we all had breakfast together, everyone went back to their rooms to prepare for work. I headed over to Lily’s room and handed her a small Big Spider-chan.

Then, I returned to my own room and decided to spend time with AI-chan until the afternoon.

After idling in the room for a while, it was noon, so I had lunch.

Once I finished lunch, one of the staff called for me, and I left the inn with AI-chan.

Outside, the same carriage from before was parked in front of the inn, so I climbed in.

Inside the carriage, Leanne was sitting with a smile, so I took a seat across from her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry for taking up your time when you’re busy.”

“I’m not really that busy… Oh, by the way, is it okay if I let AI-chan out?”

“Yes, I’ve already explained that, and it seems my uncle also talked about it.”

If both Leanne and the king have given their approval, there shouldn’t be a problem. I guess they’ve judged that she’s just a kid and poses no threat.

Well, that’s the truth.

“Alright then. I don’t feel at ease without her around.”

We’re always together, after all.

“You two are close, aren’t you?”

“More like, she’s a part of my skill.”

“It was a Gift.”

A Gift, huh…

“Do you have a Gift as well?”

“Of course.”

So she has one too…

“Aren’t you curious?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I’m also curious about your powers as a priestess. But it’s not something you ask about.”

Those kinds of things are usually one’s trump card. It’s not something people openly share, and asking would likely put Leanne in an awkward position.

“That’s true. Normally, one wouldn’t say. But Yuuma-sama must be quite confident in yourself.”

Leanne smiled.

Well, I am pretty open about it.

“I don’t want to be seen as a threat. Being called a hero is fine, but I don’t want to be treated like some unknown monster. Not that anyone would really understand my techniques anyway, since they’re so different from this world’s magic.”

There’s a lot I still don’t understand about this world’s magic myself.

“That’s right. Normally, people would be afraid of you. Yuuma-sama, you’re quite skilled at handling these things. You quickly find allies and share information. You show desire, but you don’t show ambition… Fufu, Yuuma-sama, I’d be delighted if you invited me to dinner again.”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“…Not at all, it’s totally fine.”

Kenneth must have his hands full.

“Then let’s go. Are you free tonight?”

“Of course. If it’s an invitation from Yuuma-sama, I’ll come even if I have work.”

She is the guilmas, so she probably really does have work… Good luck, Kenneth.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

We remained in the carriage and entered the royal palace.

After getting out of the carriage, we were guided by soldiers, just like last time, as we walked through the castle.

Eventually, the soldier stopped in front of a certain room and knocked on the door.

“Princess, I’ve brought Leanne-sama and Yuuma-dono.”

When the soldier said that, the door opened with a click, and a woman dressed in a maid’s uniform appeared.

I recognized her. She was the maid I saw shortly after my reincarnation.

“Thank you for your efforts. Please, come inside.”

The maid thanked the soldier for his service and invited us into the room.

“Understood. Excuse us.”

Leanne said as she entered the room, and AI-chan and I followed her.

Inside, a blonde girl was standing in front of a table, and behind her stood a man I had seen before.

“Welcome, thank you for coming. I am Colette.”

The princess gave a slight bow.

“Indeed. Colette, this is Yuuma-sama. And this is AI-chan. As I explained last time, he is someone you can trust, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Yes, please have a seat. Ana.”

“Yes, right away.”

When the princess called for the maid, the maid named Ana began preparing the tea. After the princess sat down, we also took our seats.

“Your Highness, I’m Yuuma, an adventurer. Thank you very much for inviting me.”

I bowed my head toward the princess.

“No, I should be the one thanking you for responding to the sudden summons. And I’m also grateful for saving the carriage I was riding in earlier.”

“Yuuma-dono, I’m Karl, the guard who was protecting the princess at that time. I, too, thank you. Honestly, I had prepared myself for death.”

As the princess bowed in return, the guard standing behind her approached me and bowed deeply.

“I simply did what was necessary. If anything, I must apologize for not introducing myself properly and for causing confusion with that spider. I had just been reincarnated at the time and didn’t understand the situation.”

“Is that so… Well, that’s understandable. And there’s one more thing—I also want to thank you for saving Ana.”

When Karl said this, the maid Ana, who was serving tea, also bowed her head.

“That’s only natural. I’ve heard that you are getting married… Congratulations. I wish you both happiness.”

“Thank you.”

“We appreciate it.”

The two of them bowed deeply.

Honestly, I was starting to feel like, “How many times are they going to bow?”

“Let’s leave it at that. We’ll never move forward if we keep going like this.”

Leanne seemed to be thinking the same thing and stepped in with a wry smile to stop them. With that, Karl stepped back, and Ana, having finished serving the tea, also withdrew.

“Let’s wrap up the thanks here. But I heard Your Highness received a warning letter—quite a troublesome situation.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s true, but honestly, it still doesn’t feel real.”

The princess answered with a wry smile when I asked.

“Well, that makes sense. Leanne, how’s the investigation going?”

“Otto’s handling it.”

That guy sure works hard.

“Otto-dono visited yesterday.”

The princess replied.

“He did?”

“Yes, as part of the investigation, he inspected the room.”

“Did he find anything?”

“Who knows? I didn’t ask… Elder Sister² Leanne, did you hear anything?”

Honestly, it’s a bit strange since Leanne looks younger than the princess. It feels off.

“It’s only been a few days since the investigation started, so nothing has come up yet. But don’t worry, we’ll handle it somehow.”

“I understand.”

The princess responded casually.

After that, we continued with some small talk, and the tea party with the princess ended rather abruptly.