âA building that has not received proper disposition, such as demolition, from the relevant authorities, even after a considerable period of time has passed since its completion, is deemed to have been granted permission in exactly ten years. It is a way to protect the legitimate rights of those who have lived there for ten years.â
The man opened his mouth.
Philomel asked the owner.
âNo matter how you look at it, it looks like this building has been built for well over ten years, isnât that correct?â
The owner nodded several times.
âHave there been any dispositions from the government office in the meantime? The demolition was not carried out, even though it seemed a pretense⊠Did you receive a notice to vacate?â
âAs far as I know, there is none! This building was built by my grandfather, but I havenât heard anything from either my grandfather or my father.â
âThen itâs safe to say that permission was granted earlier.â
âIs that true?â
âOf course. As long as you pass the safety inspection, there shouldnât be any problem.â
Hearing this the man on the floor screamed loudly.
âNonsense! Where in the world is there a law like that? I will go to the government office and tell them all! Theyâll take that bastardâs safety inspection or whatever and then heâll be operating in an unauthorized building.â
âDo as you please.â
Philomele scoffed.
âBut if the safety inspection results are in favor of a demolition, the government office will be in trouble. You mean youâve left a dangerous building that could collapse at any moment for over ten years, is that it?â
The official in charge must have been aware of the existence of this building but neglected it. It was more beneficial to collude with these people and extort money from the owner.
They took advantage of the fact that most people, except for some intellectuals, are ignorant of the law.
âIâm going to officially complain to my superiors, so weâll see.â
âNo, do you really think high-ranking people will listen to you?â
Philomel couldnât exactly say that the highest ranking person the Emperor in this country would listen, so she put Jeremiah forward.
âWhose son is he?â
As expected, the title of a nobleman was not given for nothing to the second male lead. Jeremiah looked like a young noble from an aristocratic family who deliberately wore shabby clothes.
âI, IâŠâ
The man struggled to see if he wanted to respond, but eventually lowered his head.
So they kicked all the men out of the store.
The owner cried and bowed his head to Philomel and Jeremiah.
âThank you! Thank you so much!â
âItâs okay. I havenât done much.â
âI donât know how to repay youâŠâ
âItâs really fineâ
Philomel waved her hand with a puzzled expression.
âNo. Please let me know if you need anything. If it wasnât for you two, I would have been threatened by them all my life.â
The owner spoke with a sharp eye that made it hard to refuse.
âWell, in that caseâŠâ
Philomel glanced at Jeremiah and opened her mouth.
Thirty minutes later.
A new apple pie arrived at the table where Philomel and Jeremiah were sitting.
The owner was worried that this Pie allone wouldnât be enough, but it was enough and overflowing. Jeremiah opened his mouth while slicing a new apple pie.
âAnyway, you seem very well versed in the law.â
âYeah, after studying this and that in the Palace I memorized a few.â
Of course, the education of the successor also included the study of the law.
Although she did not learn all the laws of the empire, she was familiar with the laws that had a profound impact on the lives of the people. Among them, Article 34 of the Commercial Act was familiar because there were many related legal disputes.
âRather than that, try eating the apple pie. Itâs very delicious.â
âSince you insist that the pie is delicious, letâs see how delicious it really isâŠâ
Finally, Jeremiah put the piece of pie into his mouth.
In an instant, his eyes shimmered like glass beads.
ââŠitâs not to the point where I canât eat it.â
Although he praised the pie to be just edible, yet he kept shoving pieces of pie into his mouth. Unlike Philomel, he didnât drink black tea.
âWhat are you laughing at?â
âMe? I didnât laugh.â
âYou laughed.â
Philomel quickly changed the subject before Jeremiah got angry.
âBy the way, Jeremiah, you fought really well when I saw you earlier. I also noticed you wear a sword around your waist, are you perhaps both, a swordsman and a mage?â
Philomel pretended to have no clue, even though Jeremiahâs abilities were clearly described in <Princess Ellencia>. So rather than genuine curiosity, she used her knowledge as a groundwork to start a conversation.
Jeremiah, unaware of Philomelâs intentions, answered sincerely.
âExactly, Iâm a swordmage.â
âIf youâre a swordmage, then youâre someone who can use magic and wield a sword, right?â
âYes. Iâve always been interested in swordsmanship since I was a kid. And there were several swordmage in the Mage Tower.â
âThen, are Le Guin, Lexion, and Cardin also masters of magic swordsmanship?
Philomel was genuinely curious about this.
Unlike Jeremiah, there wasnât much information about the other three in the book.
Le Guinâs face was only briefly described, and Philomelâs two other brothers did not even appear.
âCardin is also a swordmage. Lexion has no interest in swords⊠and Iâve never seen Le Guin handle a sword.â
Jeremiah briefed philomel, shoving a piece of pie into his mouth.
âItâs a bit embarrassing to say in front of Jeremiah, but I thought all of the mages only used spells and such.â
âDid you think we are all that worthless?â
âNo itâs because Iâve never met a mage who is also a swordsmanâŠâ
It was true.
Most of the court wizards that Philomel knew, including Humphrey, seemed to only use their brains and didnât train their body at all.
âYouâre not wrong. In the wizarding world, people who train their bodies are treated as a different kindâŠâ
He raised his fist.
âFists are quicker and easier than magic. This is also one of Le Guinâs principles.â
Itâs a brutal yet practical principle.
The rest of the conversation between the two continued in a similar way. Philomel asked questions and Jeremiah satisfied her curiosity.
Time passed by on conversations about miscellaneous yet everyday topics.
After emptying the plate containing the apple pie, the two left the Rainbow Bakery.
âGoodbye!â
The owner followed them to the door and bid his goodbyes.
Philomel looked sadly at the shabby exterior of the store.
âThe apple pie is really good, but itâs a pity there are no customers.â
âThereâs such a flashy store across the street, so whoâs going to go over there?â
âThatâs true.â
Instead, Philomel decided that she should come to the store often so that it wouldnât collapse. Even though she didnât know how long itâll take to come back here again.
Afterward, Philomel and Jeremiah walked together around the Central Plaza.
Originally, the purpose of their outing was to show Jeremiah around, but Philomel also fell in love with various attractions before she knew it.
When Philomel went out in stealth in the past, her escorts were constantly by her side, so she couldnât freely look around to her heartâs content.
After running away, Philomel saw people live freely for the first time in Saint Gen, the largest city in the north, and yet the streets of Saint Gen arenât comparable to the capitalâs Central Plaza.
Philomelâs eyes lit up as she watched the man control the snake with his flute.
âWow, look at that! Do snakes recognize the sound of flutes? How does he do that?â
âItâs just magic. Take a good look. The magic circle drawn on the flute.â
â⊠Jeremiah breaks peopleâs fantasies.â
âHmph, you complain even though you asked.â
âIâm kidding. Thank you.â
â⊠Itâs been a while. Letâs go get something to eat.â
Embarrassed, Jeremiah turned around and moved away.
Since they had already filled her stomach with apple pie, they simply ate street food for lunch.
Philomel, who was sitting on a bench and eating sausages on a paper plate, felt Jeremiahâs gaze.
â⊠Is there something on my face?â
âNo.â
âBut why are you looking at me like thatâŠâ
âItâs fascinating.â
âWhat?â
âEven though youâve lived as the precious princess, you arenât a picky eater. Besides, you said that itâs a wish thatâs not like a poem, such as visiting the Plaza.â
âItâs not like a poem. Itâs not just a Plaza tour.â
âThen what?â
âItâs meaningful because itâs a tour with Jeremiah.â
Jeremiah was silent for a long time before answering.
âYou say embarrassing things so easily.â
is it? It was only an embarrassing thing to say, but Philomel said it without thinking. In fact, her visit to the Plaza was a behind-the-scenes work to make Jeremiah on her side.
After eating, they continued walking on the main road again, but Jeremiah suddenly stopped.
âWait, in the end, we only talked about useless things and looked around. So what the hell did you want to tell me?â
Oh, no. he noticed.
Philomel shouted, pointing away as if she hadnât heard Jeremiahâs voice.
âAh! Itâs an open-air theater over there! It looks like theyâre putting on a play, so letâs go and watch it!â
âHey! Slow down!â
And she ran toward the theater to keep him from speaking.