"Wow! So this is the Duchy of Kashchey? Not bad at all!"
A red-haired woman with a shining halo above her head sat in the passenger seat of a van, her face brimming with excitement.
To the Sankta, the Duchy of Kashchey was always a mysterious place.
Long ago, a Pope had issued a decree forbidding Sankta from entering the duchy, declaring it a perilous land for their kind. At that time, any Sankta who dared set foot in Kashchey's domain was branded a traitor to their people.
Although that decree had been lifted long ago, the frightening tales born from that era still lingered among the Sankta, whispered from one generation to the next.
Nowadays, Sankta could enter the duchy by filing a report with the notary office. The conditions were much looser than before—so loose that even a reason as simple as "I want to go sightseeing" was enough for a sankta like her to gain approval.
"Still, be careful… The outside world does not speak kindly of the lands governed by Duke Kashchey."
The driver—a gray-haired Lupo with wolf ears and a tail—kept her focus on the road, her tone serious.
"Heh! And why would anyone? Kashchey treats his subjects like newborns wrapped in swaddling clothes, fussing over every tiny detail of their lives…"
From the back seat, a penguin snorted loudly, his disdain echoing through the van.
"Boss, please keep your voice down!"
Next to him sat an orange-haired Forte with curved horns known as Croissant. She quickly tried to quiet her employer. This was the territory of Ursus's Eternal Duke. The last thing she wanted was for their group to enter upright and leave in body bags.
Of course, her boss would probably still find a way to wriggle out unscathed. But the rest of them? They weren't so lucky.
"Relax. You're all employees of my great company. No need to tiptoe around… Kashchey's not as terrifying as the rumors say. At best, he's just a paranoid coward."
"Boss, I'm begging you—please stop talking…"
Croissant wanted nothing more than to slap a roll of duct tape over his beak. Ever since he had started mouthing off about the Eternal Duke, she couldn't shake the feeling that the air inside the van had changed.
As though… a venomous serpent had slithered in among them, watching, unblinking, with cold eyes.
---
"Enya, this place is so lively~"
Kjera strolled down one of Kashchey's bustling commercial streets with Enya at her side.
Shops of every kind lined both sides of the road, their variety dazzling to the eye.
"Lord Kjeragandr… shouldn't we first pay a visit to Duke Kashchey?"
Enya looked uneasy in the middle of all the bustle. In Kjerag, there were no such streets overflowing with goods and lights. By evening, the roads there would be empty, quiet. But here, the duchy's streets were just as alive at night as they were during the day.
"We've already met him. That red-haired Sarkaz in a suit and tall hat—the one who handed us the black card—that was Kashchey."
"?"
It was only natural for someone from isolated Kjerag to not recognize the Eternal Duke.
Kjera glanced at Enya's awestruck expression and sighed helplessly.
"…Forget it. Mobius will be arriving soon enough. You're probably more familiar with this body Kashchey is using now."
---
"…You know, aren't you a little too lazy?"
A blue creature carrying a scroll on its back muttered as it trudged along.
"I just don't want to waste time on the road."
"At least take a moment to appreciate my territory, will you? You're always hiding away in your paintings—if you keep this up, you'll turn into some hermit lost in the mountains, completely out of touch with the times."
"…"
"Don't tell me you really are just lazy?"
"…So annoying. Once we arrive in your domain, I'll come out."
---
The Duchy of Kashchey had recently relaxed its entry restrictions.
Where once multiple layers of screening were required, and certain districts had been closed to non-citizens, now all those barriers had been lifted.
But in exchange, the number of uniformed Investigators patrolling the streets had increased sharply.
They stood at the ready, fully armed, eager to seize any chance to rack up "achievements."
Normally, their records were pitifully meager. But during times when the duchy opened its gates to outsiders, opportunities abounded—and they pounced like starving wolves, eager to carry out their duties like the good police officers they are.
Of course, with so many people of all stripes pouring in, crime rates inevitably rose.
Yet thanks to the Investigators' relentless crackdown, the overall situation remained surprisingly stable.
Even so, it was impossible to root out every schemer hidden among the crowds.
---
"This is your medicine for today. Be sure to return here at the same time each day for your next dose. And do not violate the Regulations on Contact Between the Infected and the Uninfected."
A clerk handed an ID card and a packet of pills to a Sarkaz woman with short white hair, crimson eyes, and curved red horns.
"Your duchy must be drowning in wealth, to distribute such expensive medicine for free…"
"This only lasts for the duration of Duke Kashchey's grand festival. During this period, the Duke is willing to provide medicine to outsiders without charge."
"And what about infected citizens? How could they possibly afford drugs like this in ordinary times?"
"Lord Kashchey possesses the means to help infected citizens live self-sufficient lives."
"Then why are there still so many suffering infected across Ursus?"
"Lord Kashchey saves only those who are worthy of being saved."
"…And who decides who's worthy? Does that include Sarkaz?"
"Of course. Anyone who contributes to the duchy is welcome. Kashchey doesn't care about bloodline. Why, our Experimental Special Zone for Coexistence between Infected and Uninfected is run by a Wendigo. And don't forget, the Duke once intervened in the Kazdel civil war to hasten its end. He even took in Sarkaz orphans, many of whom still serve him faithfully to this day."
"…"
"Don't just stand there! Take your medicine already! Do you have any idea how much extra work you foreigners are causing me? There's a whole line waiting behind you!"
"…Fine."
The Sarkaz woman swallowed the pills without another word.
---
"This festival is going to drain me dry… And those damned freeloaders, grabbing medicine and then vanishing! If not for the contract binding me to the Sarkaz alone, I'd force every last one of them who takes these pills to attend my celebration!"
Satan scowled down at the bills spread before him.
"The Emperor won't be coming? Hmph. Is he displeased with how frequently I've been moving lately? Heh… the child from back then has grown up—grown dissatisfied with the Eternal Duke who holds the reins of power. Fine then. I'll loosen my grip for a while."
The Duke summoned the Emperor's envoy.
~
"The Duke's speech has already been written. Now all that's left is the speech for the 'rebels'… What a pain."
A Liberi scholar grumbled under her breath, though she had no choice but to sit obediently at her desk, quill in hand.
~
"The cost of airships is outrageous…"
A scientist in a white coat muttered as she stepped off one of the crafts.
---
Only three days remained until the official opening of the Millennial Anniversary of the Duke Who Walks with Ursus.