"Looking for a site, you say?"

  "Yes. I have orders from His Majesty."

  After Celeste's self-PR disguised as distributing drinks had concluded.

  Celeste and Bazderi Nairan sat around the table placed before the fountain, exchanging idle conversation.

  "I'd been borrowing a room at the royal palace as a transfer base from Earth, but, well, there were complaints it was bad for the Guard's heart."

  "Ah, yes. Understandably so."

  Indeed, if he appeared inside the royal palace like earlier, not just the Guard but various quarters would find it unbearable, Bazderi thought.

  "So, I thought I'd build a house—if not quite a mansion..."

  "Build, you say? Rather than purchase?"

  "Ah, yes. I don't have the wealth to buy a mansion."

  Normally it would be the reverse.

  However, considering the strange power he'd shown and that he wasn't even of this world, expecting common sense from such a person might be impossible.

  "So, have you found land to your liking?"

  "Well, I looked around quite a bit...

  It's difficult~ Since it's an already-developed district, there aren't vacant lots.

  And there's the district's atmosphere, so a small house would trouble the neighbors."

  That was natural—if a royal family-related person was moving to the noble district lined with mansions, appropriate scale was necessary.

  Not a matter of personal convenience, but an issue involving the royal family's dignity.

  "So, I have one question for you, Lord Nairan."

  "What might that be?"

  "Southeast of the royal castle, where it becomes a small mountain or rather a hill, there seemed to be few buildings, or almost none...

  Um, you might be surprised, but...

  Here."

  "Yes... ah, here...

  Wait, what is this!

  A photograph? No, even so, it's full natural color and the clarity is too high..."

  While touring by Sus carriage, Celeste had taken smartphone photos of places of interest.

  He'd meant to show Bazderi places he was curious about and get advice, but well, showing a smartphone to Tusita people would naturally cause surprise.

  Incidentally, Tusita's photographs were silver plate type only just beginning commercialization.

  "Ah, that! That thing from earlier!"

  Roderick, standing by behind them as an attendant, said looking over shoulders at Celeste's smartphone.

  "Ah, right, I was asked about this, Roderick-kun.

  This is called a smartphone. Long-distance calls... voice communication is the basic function, and like earlier you can take photos or videos... moving pictures, and use it for various other things.

  Just so you know, it can't make calls here. No signal since there are no base stations."

  "Ph-photographs can be taken? With that small thing?

  And even long-distance communication?"

  Though not the domain of magic, knowledge in technology was still knowledge. Power words he couldn't help being interested in as a mage avalanched in torrentially, and Bazderi couldn't hide his excitement.

  And Reinbardt, who'd been about to scold Roderick for interrupting their conversation, also couldn't hide his surprise at Celeste's statement.

  That one small plate could enable long-distance communication, or instantly take such high-precision photographs—the military value would be immeasurable.

  Moreover, what Celeste had shown Bazderi earlier was...

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  "Well, that's about it.

  On Earth they're sold as ordinary products, and I just buy them and use paid services, so embarrassingly I can't explain how they work. Ahaha."

  "No, just knowing such things exist is sufficient.

  So, the place you showed me earlier..."

  "Yes. Here.

  Shall I enlarge it a bit?"

  Celeste casually enlarged the smartphone photo with his finger, and seeing this, both Bazderi and Reinbardt involuntarily gasped.

  That instantly taking such high-precision color photographs was already surprising, yet he could even enlarge without a magnifying glass, and it looked so clear and accurate—though their fields of concern differed, their amazement was the same.

  "Whoa, awesome! How big can you make it?"

  Roderick loudly asked again, but this time Reinbardt didn't feel like scolding him either. He lightly cautioned "Hey" with furrowed brows, but both ears concentrated on Celeste.

  Because having someone who could ask straightforwardly without minding propriety meant hearing things.

  —Those around, pretending indifference from afar while listening intently, felt the same.

  "Well... let's see...

  Combining optical and digital, shooting is about 15x and photo enlargement about 30x?

  Well, I also wonder what you'd enlarge that much for."

  There's a saying about the cruelty of innocence—didn't it fit Celeste perfectly now?

  What kind of magical land was Chikyu, where he could casually say "what for" about technology far beyond what even Tusita's latest telescopes or cameras could achieve, the two thought.

  "So, is there some circumstance about here?

  Like poor ley lines, or spiritual disturbances occurring..."

  "No, quite an interesting story, but neither.

  That's just land primarily made of bedrock, so construction is difficult."

  "Huh... I see.

  No wonder there weren't many buildings despite being near the royal castle."

  "Yes. Though there are those like Military Affairs Minister Marc Mengen who deliberately built a mansion there wanting quiet, aside from him there aren't many."

  "Ah, that Cani... no no, that Lupacid."

  Nearly saying Canisade, Celeste glanced at Reinbardt and hastily corrected himself.

  He was beginning to have the awareness that calling someone's subspecies arbitrarily, even if true, would be extremely rude.

  "Yes. Come to think of it, you already met at the ministerial meeting."

  "Yes. Well, I'd met him before that too.

  What admirable tail control."

  "??"

  At Celeste chuckling while making another cryptic statement, Bazderi and Reinbardt felt question marks light up above their heads, but being about the Military Affairs Minister, they didn't feel like asking what the story was.

  For such a Celeste, though he hadn't remembered earlier, he felt he'd understood the identity of the déjà vu of having seen Reinbardt somewhere. Though the fur color differed, he now noticed he somehow resembled that Military Affairs Minister.

  'Relatives... maybe? No, maybe I just feel that way because they're both Lupacid.'

  Well, that wasn't the issue now, so Celeste changed topics.

  "Then, if there, the only neighbor to be careful of is Marc Mengen.

  Land costs could be saved too... nice."

  "Land costs? What do you mean?"

  "Hm? To build a mansion, shouldn't land be purchased first..."

  Celeste, about to say this, trailed off seeing Bazderi looking at him as if to say 'What strange thing are you talking about?'

  "There's no such need.

  Regional fiefs aside, all royal capital land is basically His Majesty the King's property.

  Noble district mansions too are all built 'on His Majesty's land' with granted permission."

  "Ah..."

  This time, it was the turn of the 'modern person' from another world to be surprised by feudal common sense.

  "Then, as long as His Majesty's permission is obtained, there's no problem?"

  "That's right.

  However, even with His Majesty's permission, construction there..."

  "Well, I don't think that's particularly a problem."

  Celeste's attitude showed absolutely no intent to convince him, as if it truly wasn't a problem at all and he hadn't even given it thought.

  "Then, it seems time to return.

  Lord Nairan, I'm truly grateful for your valuable time today."

  "No no, it was truly beneficial time for me too.

  I look forward to speaking again at another opportunity."

  "By all means.

  Then, until we meet again.

  Reinbardt-kun, prepare to return to the royal castle."

  "Yes."

  Watching Celeste boarding the Sus carriage and Reinbardt and the others preparing to depart after exchanging farewells, Bazderi, leaving the scene, savored the shock from today's brief encounter.

  What would that man with unknowable power from Chikyu—a world with truly 'otherworldly' technology—bring to this world?

  Would it be light or darkness for this world?

  —Regardless of what Celeste himself was thinking.

  "So, I'd like to build a mansion there."

  After returning to the royal castle and Reinbardt and the others finished their return report, Celeste consulted with Norgaar.

  "Of all places, such rocky terrain? I think construction costs would balloon, or it's nearly impossible?"

  "No, I have ideas about that.

  So, what's the application procedure?"

  "There's no special procedure.

  It's a noble's royal capital mansion, so just petition Big Brother, get permission, and you're done.

  The rest Internal Affairs will compile."

  "Hmm. I see.

  Understood. I'll talk with Rashion.

  Ah, want juice? Though it's gotten warm."

  Celeste said while showing the plastic bag still with contents remaining.

  "I'm fine.

  ...Come to think of it, you caused a commotion in the noble district?"

  To Norgaar's question, looking with half-lidded eyes as if to ask 'What'd you do now?', Celeste answered calmly.

  "Ah, if I'm going to appear before the public anyway, I thought taking the initiative wasn't bad.

  Being the noble district, rumors from the palace had spread, so fortunately no one saw me and made a fuss about Humanita.

  Rather, meeting Lord Nairan... ah, the husband, I heard various useful information."

  "The Magic Academy headmaster... you managed to keep it short.

  Being a mage, I thought meeting Dad would prolong the conversation."

  "I told him 'I don't know either' about the smartphone.

  He and Reinbardt-kun seemed very interested in smartphone photos, but this alone I regret I can't duplicate for them since various operations would be difficult."

  "Reinbardt-kun... you mean Lieutenant Chiono?

  When did you become so close?"

  "Well, calling by rank is a bit stiff."

  "Well, do as you like."

  To the curt Norgaar, Celeste smiled while placing the plastic bag's contents on the desk and opened a gate to Earth.

  "Well, Rashion seems busy, so I'll return temporarily, finish business there, and come back for permission. Drink those as you like, gather the empty bottles. I'll erase them later."

  "Got it. I'll tell Big Brother."

  When Celeste crossed through, the gate vanished.

  Watching this, Norgaar muttered while taking a mineral water bottle:

  "Building a mansion in such a place... what's he planning?

  ...Or rather, how do I open this!?"