As we were chatting over a cup of rose tea made by Rosemary-san, a question suddenly popped into my mind.
[Come to think of it, Rosemary-san. Is this Garden of Myriad Flowers located at the entrance to the Great Forest and just hidden from view by barriers?]
[No. Youāre mistakenā¦ā¦ This place is actually located deep in the Great Forest and is made inaccessible by barriers. To be more specific, for example, if you try to enter from the west side of the Garden of Myriad Flowers, you will just pass through and exit to the east side.]
[So not only is it impossible to notice, but itās also impossible to enter. However, it isnāt by the entrance of the Great Forest?]
I thought it was just invisible due to the effect of the barriers, hidden with something like a large-scale Recognition Inhibition Magic, but it seems like the Garden of Myriad Flowers isnāt at the entrance of the Great Forest in the first place, but in the inner parts of the forest.
The Great Forest is so vast that it would probably be quite difficult just to find the place.
[Errr, if I explain it in detail, it will devolve the conversation to a technical talk, so Iāll break it down a bitā¦ā¦ Even if a person actually comes to the actual location of the Garden of Myriad Flowers, they canāt enter unless they forcefully break the barriers. The reason for this is that thereās no actual entrance around the barriers. The Garden of Myriad Flowers is located deep in the Great Forest, but the entrance only exists near the entrance to the Great Forest.]
[I see. And that entrance appears when you have an invitation.]
[Unnn. It might be easier to understand if you think of that entrance as something like a Teleportation Gate. That invitation was made for Kaito-kun, so when Kaito-kun comes to the entrance of the Great Forest with it in hand, the entrance leading here will appear.]
[Itās quite complicated, isnāt it?]
[I suppose so. This space itself has also been phase-shifted, so itās almost like itās surrounded by a large-scale Spatial Isolation Barrier. Well, I donāt know if youāve ever met her, but Gluttony, one of Phantasmal Kingās subordinates, has created a space on a much larger scale than this.]
In principle, itās similar to Gluttony-sanās subspace huhā¦ā¦ However, Rosemary-san, who isnāt as good at Space-Time Magic as Gluttony-san, has created something similar by combining several barriers huh?
[I think I somewhat understand now. Thank you.]
[No problem. If thereās anything youāre curious about, you can ask me anything.]
While thanking Rosemary-san, who answered my questions with a gentle smile, another question popped into my mind. Looking around her place for a bit, I found that there were surprisingly few works of art in Rosemary-sanās home.
Rosemary-san is an art lover, with a wide range of knowledge in the subject, and seems to visit art exhibitions, so she must like such things as much as she likes flowers.
That being the case, it wouldnāt have been surprising if her home was decorated with such artworks, but itās a little surprising that thereās none around.
[ā¦ā¦Rosemary-san is very knowledgeable about artworks, so do you also have various stuff like that?]
[Unnn. I have collected a fair amount. However, I have a lot of them, so I donāt keep them out here but in the basement.]
[You have a basement?]
[Unnn. I mean, the basement is much larger than this room. The building above ground is smaller so as not to disturb the flower garden.]
When I asked her about it, it seems that she does possess a lot of artworks. It was just that they arenāt here, but in the basementā¦ā¦ I canāt find anything that looks like an entranceway to that basement in my field of vision, but it would be impolite for me to wander my gaze around to look for it, so Iāll stop here.
[If you want, should we check out the basement?]
[Is that alright?]
[Unnn. Of course.]
[Iām honestly quite interested in itā¦ā¦ so if Rosemary-san is alright with it, Iād be happy to.]
[Fufufu, unnn. I hope thereās something in there that meets your expectationsā¦ā¦]
After saying that with a giggle, Rosemary-san moved her gaze to my hand and smiled.
[ā¦ā¦Ahh, but maybe after we finish our tea first?]
[Youāre right. Itās such good tea, so it would be a shame to waste it.]
[Iām glad you liked it. We have plenty of time, so thereās no need to rush.]]
[Yesā¦ā¦ Even so, the view from here is quite spectacular. I guess you had been quite particular with this aspect of the garden?]
[I had paid a lot of attention to various factors like color schemes and such. For example, basing it on the view from this windowā¦ā¦]
After we finished our tea, I was given a tour of the basement. Even when I saw her collection myself though, I probably wouldnāt be able to understand it, but with Rosemary-san around, I think it would probably be alright.
Even so, Rosemary-san, who was explaining this and that to me seemed to be happy, so I somehow naturally feel happy too.
She has a staunch fear of strangers, so inviting someone over for a cup of tea like this is probably not something she does very often.
Camellia-san and the rest of the Seven Princess are also Executives, so theyāre usually busyā¦ā¦ Well, whatever the case, itās great that weāre enjoying each otherās company.
***
[Afterword]
Serious-senpai : [I understand that her Heroine Power is high. Sheās somehow like Isisā¦ā¦ Like, you can feel sheās clearly open to Kaito when she talks to himā¦ā¦]