The group soon arrived at the waystation.
At the entrance, a young man in a black butler's outfit with purple hair stood waiting, accompanied by a petite cat-eared girl in white.
When Hayashi Maki and the others stepped down from the carriage, the purple-haired butler—wearing a monocle and looking refined—gave a cool, proper bow.
"Emilia-sama, Hayashi Maki-sama. I am Joshua Juukulius. This is Mimi Pearlbaton. We have been dispatched by Anastasia-sama to receive you as her envoys."
"Please follow me."
Joshua Juukulius was the younger brother of the 'Finest Knight' Julius Juukulius. The two brothers served Anastasia together.
Hayashi Maki looked the boy over—he really did resemble Julius. He returned that same cool gaze, gave a slight nod, and led the group after him.
Garfiel, meanwhile, had the still-unconscious unlucky merchant—Otto Suwen—slung over his shoulder.
Under Joshua's guidance, they made their way to a ship. Joshua produced the boarding documents and busied himself for quite a while before finally leading them aboard the vessel bound for the Watergate City, Priestella.
Not long after that…
Otto, tossed into a cabin by Garfiel, slowly came to.
"Yo. You're finally awake, huh?" Garfiel flashed a grin full of jagged, saw-like teeth.
Otto shrieked on instinct.
"Ah! D-Don't bite me!"
"Hah? Who the hell's biting you?" Garfiel clicked his tongue, looking disgusted. "Kid, don't joke like that. I'm your lifesaver, aren't I?"
"Uh… I'm so sorry!" Otto bowed quickly, wearing an awkward, embarrassed expression.
"Um, my name is Otto Suwen. Thank you very much for saving me. May I ask your name, benefactor?"
"Tch. Whatever. I'm not that petty." Garfiel waved a hand. "Name's Garfiel Tinsel. Now get up. The boss wants to see you."
"B-Boss…?"
Otto's face went pale.
Being saved was great and all, but… why did it feel like he'd just been dragged into a gang? Was he being kidnapped?
Following the fierce-looking boy, Otto realized they were on a ship—and his blood ran cold.
Oh no… was he rescued by traffickers? Was he about to "repay" the favor with his body?
Garfiel led him to a lounge area. Otto immediately spotted a man holding an absurdly adorable little girl in his arms.
"Y-You… you're… Hayashi Maki-sama?"
"And this is… one of the royal candidates, Emilia-sama, right?!"
"That's right." Hayashi Maki smiled and nodded.
"Then, Otto-san… can I ask why you collapsed by the roadside?"
Otto turned red and scratched his head, looking mortified.
"It's… really embarrassing. I'm a traveling merchant. I meant to sell some lamp oil I'd purchased elsewhere, but the weather suddenly turned abnormally cold—so cold the oil froze solid. I couldn't sell my goods, and then I… I ran out of money and passed out from hunger."
"Uh…"
Emilia covered her mouth, stunned—and awkward.
Because the sudden cold was caused by her accidentally releasing the magic she'd been storing.
In other words, Otto's cargo freezing and him collapsing from hunger… was indirectly her fault.
Hayashi Maki kept his expression steady and calmly continued.
"A merchant this miserable is honestly a first for me. But Roswaal's domain doesn't really lack lamp oil, does it? Even if you brought it here, it'd be hard to sell. Why choose Roswaal's territory?"
Otto looked even more awkward.
"Other merchants told me this place was short on lamp oil, and that it often gets buried in snow… so I thought oil would sell easily. But…"
Hayashi Maki couldn't help laughing.
"It's true the locals use lamp oil a lot, but precisely because it's scarce, everyone stocks up ahead of time. Most households keep plenty on hand—there's no urgent demand."
"So you were probably scammed by your同行."
"..."
Otto looked like he was about to cry. His shoulders drooped completely.
"Alright, Otto. Don't dwell on the failure." Hayashi Maki coughed lightly. "As you can see, we're already on the ship. Our destination is the merchant's paradise—the Watergate City founded by Hoshin."
"So how about this? Our team happens to be short a domestic administrator—someone who can handle coordination with other factions. Your lamp-oil venture already failed anyway, so I'd like to hire you as our internal affairs officer. What do you say?"
Otto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Me? An internal affairs officer?"
"Hayashi Maki-sama… are you serious? Does a failed merchant like me really qualify?"
Hayashi Maki stood, patted Otto on the shoulder, and smiled.
"I think you have potential. So—will you accept my offer?"
"Absolutely! I'll work hard! Thank you for trusting me!"
Otto nodded so hard he practically looked possessed.
He didn't understand why Hayashi Maki believed in him, but that trust hit him right in the chest.
And besides, Hayashi Maki's group had saved his life—he had no reason to refuse.
Once Otto agreed, Hayashi Maki handed him the relevant documents so he could get up to speed on Emilia's faction—Roswaal's territory, resources, mines, and so on.
The poor guy still didn't realize just how busy he was about to become.
The life of a workhorse had officially begun.
Hayashi Maki was the ultimate hands-off boss, and he didn't want Emilia to work too hard… so Otto got drafted.
With the hiring handled, Hayashi Maki brought the girls up to the ship's deck to enjoy the ocean view.
Beatrice closed her eyes, feeling the sea breeze, her expression soft with contentment.
She'd been cooped up in the forbidden library for four hundred years—only because of Hayashi Maki could she step outside and see the world.
Hayashi Maki smiled at her adorable face, scooped her up, and let her share the wind with him.
He gently stroked her head and spoke softly.
"From now on, I'll take you to see even more scenery."
"Mhm. Betty will look forward to it!"
She gave him a sweet smile, gathered her courage, and kissed his cheek. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, visibly delighted.
Through a window, the white-haired witch Echidna watched the two of them on deck—so warm and close—and her gaze unconsciously softened.
"Echidna's eyes look… really gentle."
Emilia's voice snapped her back.
Echidna froze, then turned and shot Emilia an annoyed glare, her face twisting with open disdain.
"What, you're not going to enjoy the view? If you're a girl, you should learn to act spoiled—if you want to keep a man wrapped around your finger."
Emilia just smiled and shook her head.
"When it's time to act spoiled, I will. And besides… if I don't come talk to you, Echidna will get lonely, won't you?"
"Hmph. I won't get lonely. Do you even know who I am? I'm a witch—an all-knowing, all-seeing witch!"
"Yes, yes. But even witches can get lonely."
"You… Your shameless confidence really is irritating. Tch."
Echidna clicked her tongue, utterly disgusted at Emilia's unshakable certainty.