Melande ōrana Pahr, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Felideria and a Regis, was experiencing an unprecedented sense of crisis.

  Not that he'd sensed danger to his person, or that the King he served or the kingdom was in peril—nothing like that.

  At least not until this morning, before this mysterious "otherworlder" before him appeared.

  He'd been thinking the nonsense about being the father from the royal family's previous lives, or having the power to freely travel from a star in the far reaches of space, should be kept to a minimum—when that self-proclaimed otherworlder calling himself ōteru Celeste or something, distributed those 'treats' to Felinoid-type and Canisade-type ministers and their aides, which were so delicious as to be almost violent, and everyone who tasted them had no time to mind their manners, became absorbed in them, and were now half-dazed in their afterglow.

  ...Though the Prime Minister himself had only just regained his senses.

  Suddenly noticing Celeste wasn't before him, he looked around the room to see where he'd gone—and found Celeste talking to the Justice Minister, an Ursort (bear beastman), who being neither Felinoid-type nor Canisade-type hadn't yet been exposed to this 'taste violence.'

  "My apologies, those are for Felinoid-type and Canisade-type folks, and I'm not quite sure what would suit others... I've prepared something like this for now.

  I don't know if it will suit your palate, but would you like one?"

  While saying this, he pulled another elongated amber-colored stick from his pocket and showed it to Justice Minister Randehare Barha Pahr.

  "What is this?"

  "Well, it's humble, but...

  Earth's honey."

  "H-honey!?"

  The Prime Minister had never seen his eyes open so wide.

  No wonder—Celeste the Earthling didn't understand, but Tusita's honeybees were as large as hornets and equally aggressive, so beekeeping remained a pipe dream, and collecting wild honey was dangerous enough to risk one's life.

  Therefore, tasting honey was so rare that even ministers—the highest class among upper nobility—could rarely do so.

  And this otherworlder—Celeste—had pulled it from his pocket as if it were nothing.

  Moreover, calling it 'humble'?

  When that single stick appeared worth a lower court official's monthly salary?

  "Yes. Please, if you'd like."

  "M-m-may I truly have this?"

  Where had his usual dignified behavior gone—his words were stumbling, his hands trembling. Watching the Justice Minister, the Prime Minister thought 'Stop this unseemly behavior!' but knowing how obsessed Ursort were with honey, he couldn't voice it.

  Considering the annual deaths of Ursort trying to raid wild honeybee nests...

  "Th-then I'll take advantage of your words..."

  "Yes. It's sweet. Sweet like honey."

  No one could retort at Celeste's terrible dad joke, which deserved to be criticized.

  Justice Minister Barha, receiving the honey stick from Celeste, tried to tear the seal with trembling hands but couldn't manage it well and failed repeatedly.

  "Shall I help?"

  "No!"

  Like a child not wanting their favorite treat taken, he firmly refused, took a deep breath to calm himself, and carefully, carefully tore the stick's seal.

  RIP.

  From the torn seal, honey's sweet fragrance wafted.

  Moreover, unlike Tusita honeybees' honey with its sharp, pungent smell, this was gentle, literally sweet-scented.

  "Ohhhhh... this is!"

  Tasting one drop, the Justice Minister's eyes were nearly in tears.

  "No stinging sensation from bee venom components, just pure, gentle sweetness... this is not of this world!"

  "Well, it is from another world?"

  Though it felt like the conversation wasn't quite connecting, such things didn't matter to the assembled ministers—among them, the Court Mage Chief, a Būga (deer beastman) woman named Comis Iare Nairan Mare, who'd been unable to take her eyes off Celeste, timidly spoke to him.

  "Um, if you wouldn't mind, could you let me see it a little too?"

  For her, more than appetite, it was purely that the Justice Minister's comment "not of this world" had stimulated her academic curiosity about otherworldly materials, but Celeste seemed to have misunderstood.

  "Ah, yes. Come to think of it, I haven't offered you anything yet either.

  Do you like sweet things? Others too, if you like sweets, please partake."

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  CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER.

  "Eh?"

  Seeing Celeste pull another honey stick from his breast pocket, the Justice Minister's eyes sparkled.

  But the next moment, when Celeste tilted his palm holding it and gently dropped it onto the table, the stick that should have fallen kept appearing in his palm one after another, spilling onto the table, forming a small mountain in an instant.

  "What a miracle!"

  Before they knew it, the Justice Minister was on his knees beside Celeste.

  The previous stick was still in his mouth.

  "Hey now, is it alright to kneel before someone other than your lord and king?"

  King Rashion said like a soliloquy while laughing.

  "What are you?! No magical power was working at all!"

  The Mage Chief looked ready to pounce on Celeste.

  "Hey, that..."

  "Yes, that alone is worth buying... no, building a noble mansion in the capital."

  When the Finance Minister asked, his aide immediately answered.

  "...I've reached my limit..."

  The old Prime Minister felt ready to faint and was unsteady.

  The other ministers, just when they'd thought they'd recovered from their dazed state, faced another unbelievable scene spread before them and wanted to escape reality.

  "Well, let's end the food talk here.

  Father-dono? You watched the earlier meeting, didn't you?"

  "Yes. Presumptuously.

  Everyone, I apologize, but by His Majesty's order I observed the entire proceedings."

  At those words, while the room buzzed, the Mage Chief couldn't help crying out again.

  "Y-you even have remote viewing abilities?"

  "Ah, no. It's not my ability...

  That. That thing in front of His Majesty."

  Come to think of it, that strange sphere had been in front of King since before the meeting started.

  Earlier, when His Majesty spoke to it, they'd thought it was a communication magical tool, but it was a remote viewing tool?

  "Forgive me, but I too hold the position of Court Mage.

  However, I've never seen such a magical tool, especially one with no detectable magical power."

  "That's natural. Because it's not a magical tool."

  "Pardon?"

  Mage Chief Comis Nairan couldn't understand what the man before her was saying.

  "It's not a magical tool or anything grand.

  Just a WiFi camera, that's all."

  "Wai-fai? What kind of magic is that... no, you said it's not magic.

  Then is it a thaumaturgical tool?"

  "No, not thaumaturgy either.

  My apologies, I believe I can explain that matter gradually.

  For now, I have business with the Finance Minister."

  "With me?"

  Suddenly addressed, the Lionea (lion beastman) Finance Minister Mahassa Gerie Pahr flinched.

  Having been glaring at Celeste over the honey mountain incident, he was extra startled.

  "Yes. As I mentioned, by His Majesty's order I observed your meeting...

  It seems there's been a loan offer from a neighboring country?"

  MURMUR.

  Agitation ran through the conference room.

  Had this man really seen it?

  From somewhere unknown, where no magical power or presence could be felt?

  "Indeed."

  The Finance Minister affirmed with a bitter feeling.

  Hearing that answer, Celeste pulled something plate-like from his jacket pocket and began speaking while manipulating it.

  "If I recall... the offer was 500 million Feli?

  Repayment period 30 years, interest at 5% annual compound interest..."

  "Not just 'seeing' but 'hearing' in such detail too?"

  Nairan couldn't hide her surprise and interest.

  CLACK CLACK.

  The strange sound from the plate Celeste was manipulating stimulated all the ministers' nerves.

  The Mage Chief was staring intently with an expression that said 'what kind of tool is that?'

  "So, this interest calculation takes time, and Foreign Minister, you were troubled about how to handle this offer?"

  "Y-yes..."

  "In 30 years, principal and interest combined will be 2,160,971,188 Feli."

  Instantly, the conference room froze.

  "...Pardon?"

  The Finance Minister barely managed a crushed voice.

  "Therefore, in 30 years, the 500 million loan will become 2,160,971,188 Feli when returned."

  The Finance Minister felt like lightning struck through his head.

  The compound interest calculation problem would take considerable time even mobilizing the elites of his Finance Department, and at today's meeting he'd told the Foreign Minister who brought those conditions that he'd bring the calculation results at the next meeting.

  Yet this man was stating the calculation result as if it weren't even worth calling a problem?

  If that was correct, wasn't this monster-like computational ability?

  "...I'd like to verify, but honestly that verification alone would take several hours."

  The black-furred Leopa (leopard beastman) aide standing behind the Finance Minister couldn't even close his dropped jaw.

  "So, Foreign Minister..."

  "No need to say it. We cannot expect that country to have the national strength to repay that in 30 years."

  Foreign Minister Roibar Nadent Pahr, a Great Pyrenees Canisade, declared.

  "So he says, Your Majesty."

  Waiting for the Foreign Minister to finish speaking, watching Celeste bow elegantly toward the King, all the ministers in this conference room keenly felt it.

  His Majesty had summoned a tremendous monster from another world.

  "So it seems.

  Finance Minister? You have something to ask him, don't you?

  Tell your aide to close his mouth. It would be terrible if a flying insect got in."

  "Y-yes.

  L...Lord Celeste"

  "Just Celeste is fine. For one without rank like me."

  "Then, Mr. Celeste.

  That calculation... what technology did you use?"

  "Technology... yes. It's certainly technology.

  Just, on Earth it's an 'industrial product' technology anyone can obtain cheaply, called a 'function calculator.'"

  While saying this, Celeste held up an object before everyone.

  It was a palm-sized plate-like thing with many protrusions adorned with what looked like letters.

  "Function calculation?"

  "Yes. For example, the earlier compound interest calculation goes like this...

  At 5% annual interest, year 1 is 500 million times 1.05, becoming 525 million Feli, right?

  Multiply that by 1.05 again, and year 2 is 551.25 million Feli.

  Continuing to multiply by 1.05 for 30 years gives 1.05 to the 30th power... 4.32294237515.

  Multiply that by 500 million and you get 2,160,971,188.

  I don't have any special computational ability.

  If you can utilize this calculator, anyone can do it."

  Watching intently as Celeste demonstrated the calculator, the ministers were amazed by its fearsome capability and wanted it so badly they could taste it.

  Because departments requiring calculations weren't limited to Finance.

  "That said, currently the only one who 'has it' and 'can utilize it' is Father-dono, correct?

  Looking at it, the number notation seems different from ours."

  "That would be the case.

  However..."

  When Celeste moved his hand as if tracing over the calculator, it increased to eight.

  Exactly enough to distribute to the six ministers present, the Prime Minister, and the Court Mage Chief.

  Given the earlier honey incident, a kind of resignation that nothing would be surprising anymore dominated the room.

  They seemed to have no energy left even to be surprised.

  "Ah, excuse me."

  Creating another eight, Celeste smiled while looking at the Finance Minister's aide, who couldn't hide his envious gaze.

  The ministers were ministers, but those who truly needed these were them—the practical staff.

  "So it is.

  I hereby grant Father-dono the rank of Regis-Basii as a member of the royal family.

  Additionally, I grant him the position of 'Royal Father' with authority to enter and exit this royal castle.

  This is to borrow his power for this country's sake.

  ...Is there anyone here who objects?"

  "No, Your Majesty."

  The voices of the Prime Minister and seven others overlapped heavily, echoing through the conference room.

  This wasn't a question seeking agreement.

  It was a declaration that objections would not be accepted.

  They'd been in the King's palm from the start.

  Moreover, after being shown such abilities, who could possibly oppose?

  All the ministers' heads were full of how to build good relations with this "monster from another world."