Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: After the Audience 

In the audience hall of the Galarc Kingdom... 

“Haruto Amakawa. If I could please introduce myself as that from here on...” Rio said resolutely to King Francois, in the presence of all the important figures from foreign kingdoms that were present. 

“Amakawa...” 

“Is it a word from another kingdom?” 

“I am not familiar with it...” 

“Neither am I.” 

“What kind of meaning does it hold?” 

The unfamiliar family name didn’t quite register with them, as whispers spread through the hall. At the same time, there were people with notable reactions present: Satsuki and the other three heroes who were summoned from Japan. 

“Haruto Amakawa... Amakawa... Haruto?” Rui muttered under his breath. When he flipped the order of the first name and last name around, it sounded like a Japanese name... 

“Hey, isn’t that a Japanese name? He said he was born and raised in this world, though. What’s going on?” Hiroaki furrowed his brows in suspicion. 

“Just who is he...” Takahisa looked at Rio in confusion before immediately looking at Miharu, who had lived together with Rio up until now. 

“...” Miharu continued watching Rio with bated breath. Satsuki stood right beside her. “Amakawa Haruto. That’s his Japanese name, then? It sounds kind of familiar, though...” she muttered quietly so that no one could hear, cocking her head with an unsettled look as she mulled over the name. 

It was only natural that she would find the name familiar. Haruto and Satsuki had met once before, on the day of their high school’s entrance ceremony. 

Having experienced thirteen years worth of time since then, Amakawa Haruto— No, Rio had completely forgotten Satsuki’s name, but for Satsuki, the event had occurred a few months ago. 

On the day of the entrance ceremony, it had been Satsuki’s duty as a student council member to oversee the new students. But the number of students she actually spoke to long enough to catch their names was few enough to linger in her memory. “Amakawa is an unfamiliar word to me. Would you explain why you chose this family name and what meaning it has?” King Francois asked Rio. 

“It is a word used in the homeland of my departed parents, or so my mother told me when I was young. I do not know the meaning behind the word, but it is like a memento to me, which is why I thought to make it my family name,” Rio replied smoothly. 

Out of those present in the audience hall, the only ones who knew that Rio had a past life were Miharu and Satsuki, as well as Liselotte, who was informed in order for them to attend the banquet. Her eyes widened slightly when Rio suddenly said the name “Haruto Amakawa” out loud, but she watched the situation carefully with her attention on the man in question. 

The other heroes had contemplative looks on their faces, but they didn’t seem to find it fishy. The royalty and nobility attending didn’t have any particular doubts either. 

“I see, a memento of your parents... Very well. I, Francois, give it my approval. There will be no overturning this rule later. Do you have any objections?” 

“Of course not. It would be my greatest delight.” Rio lowered his head respectfully. 

“Then, henceforth, you are the Black Knight, Haruto Amakawa. We were interrupted by scoundrels last night, but thanks to Haruto and Shigekura’s efforts, not a single life was lost. Security has been increased and the third night of the banquet will commence. I shall formally announce the appointment of our new honorary knight there. Look forward to it, everyone,” Francois said with a broad smile. 

“Yes, Your Majesty...” Rio nodded as celebratory applause rang through the room at the birth of a new honorary knight. Though there were some people among them, including the heroes, who had different expressions on their faces. 

“With this, the audience is dismissed. You may leave.” Francois stood. His next schedule must have been approaching, as he walked off quickly. Meanwhile, the royalty and nobility present stirred as they hesitated to approach Rio. 

“Haruto.” Satsuki came up to Rio first, Miharu in tow by the hand. 

“Perfect timing. There was something I wanted to talk to you two about.” Rio replied to them with a soft but heavy expression. 

“That’s fine, but...” Satsuki nodded, eyeing Miharu. Miharu was staring at Rio’s face. 

“I’ll tell you everything. Including everything I have kept from Miharu until now.” Even after announcing the name Haruto Amakawa, Rio interacted with Miharu as the person she knew now. However, there was the possibility this was due to the people around them watching them. 

“...Okay,” Miharu nodded slowly. That was when Miharu and Satsuki’s friend, Takahisa, came running over. Right behind him was the Centostella Kingdom’s First Princess, Lilianna. 

“Miharu, Satsuki.” 

“Sorry, Takahisa. We have something to discuss with Haruto,” Satsuki said to Takahisa apologetically. 

“Then I’ll come, too!” Takahisa invited himself in a fluster. 

“Sorry. It’s something important,” Miharu said clearly, so that Takahisa would back down. 

“...O-Okay.” Miharu’s rejection must have been unexpected for Takahisa, as he lost his spirit and nodded. It was as if he had been told, “I don’t have time to deal with you right now, Takahisa.” 

“I’m really sorry. We’ll try to finish up as quickly as possible and make time to talk to you too. Let’s go, Haruto, Miharu.” Satsuki urged them into moving before anyone else stopped them to talk, and the three of them departed. 

“Uh...” Takahisa clenched his fist. He watched Rio leave sandwiched between Miharu and Satsuki as everyone else around them looked on. If they were back in Japan, he would have been the one in Rio’s place... 

There was another hero who was watching Rio depart too—it was Shigekura Rui of the Beltrum Kingdom. Beside him stood the first princess, Christina Beltrum. “Are you sure, hero? It seemed like you had something to say,” Christina asked him. 

“There was just something I wanted to ask. I’ll talk to him next time I see him. They seemed to be rather busy,” Rui answered with a shrug. 

“Hmph, I can’t even tell who the star of this banquet is anymore,” Restoration’s hero, Sakata Hiroaki, snorted with distaste as he watched how Rio was flanked by Satsuki and Miharu. Next to Hiroaki stood the Beltrum Kingdom’s Second Princess Flora and Roanna of Duke Fontaine’s house. 

Flora was watching Rio’s back with a frustrated look. Her older sister, Christina, secretly watched her. 

After Rio and the girls left the hall, they headed for Satsuki’s quarters. 

“...Hey, is ‘Amakawa’ your family name from your past life?” Satsuki questioned Rio on the way there with an inquisitive look. 

“Yes, I was a university student named Amakawa Haruto. Miharu, do you remember a person named Amakawa Haruto?” 

“...Yeah.” Instead of replying loud and clear, Miharu nodded. Rio’s eyes widened faintly at that, which Satsuki seemed to notice as she looked at them questioningly. 

“What do you mean...? Did you two know each other before?” she asked, tilting her head. 

“...I’ll tell you after we arrive. It would be troublesome if anyone overheard and there are a couple of shocking truths involved, so you should prepare yourselves as we walk.” Rio thought for a moment, but prioritized relocating first. 

“Prepare ourselves for what...” Satsuki tried to exchange looks with Miharu, but Miharu’s nervous gaze was fixed on Rio’s back as he walked in front of them. Sensing the strange air hanging between the two of them, Satsuki tactfully decided to keep quiet until they reached her quarters. 

Thus, after they relocated, the three of them sat down in the living room with Rio facing Miharu and Satsuki. 

“Here we are. I’ve prepared myself as much as I can, so explain just what is going on here. Why does Miharu know your past life? This is the first I’m hearing of such a thing,” Satsuki began immediately, pressing Rio for details. 

“Of course it would be. I’ve yet to tell her that I was Amakawa Haruto in my past life myself,” Rio answered, looking at Miharu. 

“Wait, really? But Miharu didn’t seem that shocked, though she was shaken... If anything, she looked nervous instead?” Satsuki directed her gaze at Miharu. 

“Ah, umm... I’m shocked, of course,” Miharu said, flinching back. 

“But like, you knew each other, right? If someone you knew died without you knowing and lived together with you in their reincarnated form... Wouldn’t you be more surprised? It’s like you already knew, or at least suspected as much...” Satsuki stared at Miharu, her gaze sharp. 

“T-That’s why I said I’m shocked. I’m shocked, but his name is the same as Haru-kun’s, so I had made the association before...” Miharu answered falteringly, her eyes never leaving Rio. 

“Haru-kun?” asked Satsuki. It was a rather intimate nickname for another person. 

“Ah, umm, it’s how I called him in the past...” Miharu felt highly aware of Rio as she explained herself to Satsuki. Satsuki hummed in response and looked at Rio, who was awkwardly avoiding meeting either of their gazes. 

“...This is a pretty basic question, but what kind of relationship did Amakawa Haruto have with you? It seems like the two of you used to be fairly close, from what I can tell,” Satsuki asked, watching the two of them questioningly. 

Rio took a deep breath before speaking up. “Miharu and I were childhood friends. On top of that, Aki and I were siblings who lived together with her up until our parents divorced and I moved away. Miharu and I were seven years old.” 

“Miharu’s childhood friend... and Aki’s brother?! Huh? But... Huh? Wait, why?! And how could you both be seven years old? Aren’t you older than Miharu?” Satsuki asked, extremely confused. 

“That’s why I told you I had some shocking things to say, so I hope you prepared yourself on the way here. Miharu and my past self were indeed the same age.” Rio smiled bitterly at the reaction he had seen coming. 

“Is that true, Miharu?” Satsuki gulped. 

“Yes. Haru-kun was my childhood friend and Aki’s older brother. We were the same age.” Miharu nodded slowly, watching Rio. 

“Everything seems so confusing... But isn’t there something wrong with the timelines there?” Satsuki wanted to clutch her head and groan. 

“There is something strange, yes. But my past self definitely died in university, and I regained Amakawa Haruto’s memories in this world when I was seven years old. In other words, Amakawa Haruto died in Japan four years after Miharu and you wandered into this world, but the current me in this world regained Amakawa Haruto’s memories nine years ago.” 

“...Which means you’ve lived roughly thirteen years longer than we have, doesn’t it? We only arrived in this world a few months ago,” Satsuki said, breaking down Rio’s words to understand them. 

“I wouldn’t exactly say that I’ve lived thirteen more years, to be precise. The current me simply shares Amakawa Haruto’s memories and personality. There shouldn’t be a strict continuity or identity shared between the two.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The current me doesn’t use Amakawa Haruto as a foundation for my being. I am simply Rio, as I was born and raised as such up until the age of seven,” Rio declared. 

“Rio...?” 

“It’s my name in this world. I’ve had to move under the name of Haruto due to certain circumstances, but my real name is Rio,” Rio informed Satsuki. 

“I see...” 

“Yes. That is why I generally do not tell anyone my real name, so please call me Haruto.” 

“Got it. But what did you mean by there being no strict identity...?” Satsuki asked, watching Rio’s face. 

“It’s as I explained just now. This body purely belongs to Rio, and not Amakawa Haruto. It’s not as if Amakawa Haruto’s mind overwrote the person that Rio used to be. It’s more like the remnants of Amakawa Haruto’s memories and personality blended into that of the person called Rio. You wouldn’t call that being the same person as Amakawa Haruto, right?” 

“That... might be true... But are you okay like that?” 

“I can no longer become Amakawa Haruto. And there’s no definitive proof that the memories and personality of Amakawa Haruto within me are truly what they seem,” Rio said, scoffing at himself somewhat dejectedly. Seeing that expression on Rio’s face made Miharu bite her lip with a sorrowful expression. 

“True, there’s only a subjective connection, which makes things rather vague, but...” Satsuki said with a pout on her lips, not quite accepting those words. 

“Let’s not discuss that part any further, as it is all theoretical in the end,” Rio said, bringing them back to the topic at hand before it derailed. “What I really wanted to tell you was the reason why I stayed silent about my past life until now: to put it broadly, it’s because I didn’t want Miharu and the others to be even more disoriented after they’d just arrived in this world.” 

“...Well, I can agree that it would be even more confusing to be told such a thing immediately after being summoned here out of the blue,” Satsuki agreed with a sigh, having experienced it first-hand. 

“On top of that, there’s more information I haven’t mentioned,” Rio said with an exceedingly serious expression. Satsuki stiffened. 

“...What is it?” 

“Roughly four and half years after you were all transported to this world, Amakawa Haruto died at the age of twenty-one—and at no point during that time had Miharu returned to Earth.” 

“Huh...?” Satsuki blinked blankly, her eyes round as she stared at him. Meanwhile, Miharu frowned in frustration, having received that information from Aishia already. 

“My past self, Amakawa Haruto, used his high school entrance as a chance to move back to the town he grew up in. In order to attend the same high school as you two. That’s why I saw the commotion that occurred when you all disappeared on the day of the entrance ceremony first-hand,” Rio explained calmly. 

“B-But how would you know? That we hadn’t returned to Japan yet,” Satsuki asked, growing slightly more panicked. 

“In the three years until my graduation, Miharu never returned to school. After I graduated high school and became an adult, I went back to visit my mother just once. That was when I asked if Miharu was still missing.” 

“S-So... ah...” Satsuki tried to ask something, opening and closing her mouth. Once she calmed herself down enough, she forced her question out. “So in other words, we won’t be able to return to Earth for over four years—or possibly longer?” 

“That’s right. However, when I asked my mother about Aki, I recall her saying she was doing well... I imagine either my mother lied to keep me from worrying or Aki managed to return alone somehow, but there is no way for me to confirm the truth now,” Rio said, recalling the faint memory of his conversation with his mother. 

If Aki had truly managed to return, then Amakawa Haruto’s mother would have known that Aki had wandered to another world. In which case, she would have known that Miharu had also gone to that other world and informed Haruto. 

However, it was such a preposterous story, there was the possibility that his mother didn’t believe Aki after her return and simply stayed silent. 

“...” A contemplative silence fell over Satsuki and Miharu. 

“At any rate, that was why I couldn’t reveal my past life to Miharu and the others. There are other reasons as well, but it didn’t feel right to say something so depressing while they were still separated from you and Takahisa. So I was going to wait until some time had passed, or you had all reunited...” It was nothing more than a superficial reason. That was why Rio looked a little guilty. 

“If you had told Miharu about your past life, you would have inevitably been telling us that we couldn’t go home. I had the faint suspicion that we wouldn’t be able to return before high school graduation, but hearing it for real certainly is hard to hear...” Satsuki had a bittersweet smile on her face. 

“I think that’s understandable. Miharu seems to be comparatively unshaken by all this, but there’s no saying the same would apply for Aki or Masato.” Rio said, looking at Miharu, who had continuously held her silence until now. 

“Ah, no... umm. Especially in Aki’s case, I think she would have become more unstable if you had told her this,” Miharu said in a high-pitched voice. 

Rio averted his eyes from Miharu and addressed the both of them. “...I apologize if it seemed like I was keeping you in the dark, but this is everything I’ve been concealing until now. All that’s left is to decide how much of this should be passed on to Aki, Masato, and Takahisa, but I’d like to leave that decision to you two, as you both understand the situation the best.” 

“You say that, but... it’s something they need to hear too. We have to tell Aki and Masato that Takahisa has been found, too, and inform Takahisa that the two of them are safe as well... I suppose we’ll have to figure out the timing for that, maybe arrange some kind of meeting,” Satsuki pondered worriedly. 

“From what I heard at the banquet yesterday, Princess Lilianna is constantly by Takahisa’s side. They share the same quarters, so it may be difficult to bring Takahisa to the stone house without her noticing.” Miharu frowned. 

“The attack happened just last night, so the security around the castle is heightened,” Rio said. It would be a challenge to bring Takahisa out of his quarters under the watchful eye of Lilianna. The castle had guest rooms that were windowless in the name of security, so if they were in a room like that, they’d have to use the door. Even if they were to scout the area first, it would be a high risk with the increase in guards. 

“...Which means the safest option might be to bring Aki and Masato to the castle before Takahisa returns to the Centostella Kingdom.” Satsuki thought for a moment, then presented a realistic approach. “But even if we eventually explain things to the king and Princess Lilianna, we need to confirm what Takahisa thinks.” 

“Yes. Though, in order to do that, we’ll need to make an opportunity for you two to meet Takahisa without Princess Lilianna around.” 

“The only one who’s in a position to do that would be me, the hero, huh?” Asking a foreign princess to dismiss themselves would only be permitted by someone with the rank of a king or equivalent—like a hero. Even as an honorary knight, Rio couldn’t do such a thing. 

“Yes. We’ll need to rely on you for that, Satsuki. I’m not sure how long Takahisa will stay in this kingdom after the banquet, so preferably as soon as possible.” 

“Got it. Leave it to me,” Satsuki nodded. 

“In that case, we also need to know what kind of person Princess Lilianna is and what kind of relationship she has with Takahisa, if we’re going to tell Takahisa what he needs to know,” said Rio. If they knew what kind of person Lilianna was, they should be able to understand the character of her kingdom, to an extent. 

“Out of us three, Miharu interacted with them the most at the banquet last night. What did you think?” Satsuki asked Miharu. 

“Umm, like Takahisa said, she’s a good person. She was a kind person with a soft demeanor. It seemed like Takahisa trusted her a fair amount.” 

“I see. Well, there’s the possibility it’s an act to win over the hero, but that’s probably me being too paranoid.” Satsuki hummed at Miharu’s explanation. 

“I don’t think it hurts to be as cautious as possible,” Rio chuckled at Satsuki. 

“Yup. I’d like a bit more time to think. Everything was so sudden, I still haven’t processed it all... Still, I never imagined Haruto would be my underclassman in his past life!” Satsuki tried to perk up, shifting the topic to Rio. 

“We may have even passed each other at the entrance ceremony,” Rio replied with a smile. 

“Yeah, maybe. I was in charge of directing lost students in front of the notice board with the class rosters... Wait, maybe we actually met for real...? Haruto, Amakawa Haruto...” As Satsuki talked to Rio, a lost memory of the entrance ceremony resurfaced in her mind, making her gasp. She racked her brains to dig that memory out. 

“Really?” Rio’s eyes widened. Even the quiet Miharu blinked her eyes wide open. 

“Yeah. Weren’t you the boy that stood in front of the notice boards for a long time? I remember finding that odd and talking to you, and you had a name like that... I think. Do you remember?” Satsuki peered at Rio’s face, not too confident in her own memory. 

“...I think there may have been an older student that came up to me while I was looking at the class lists? But I’m surprised you can remember.” Rio’s memory of it was rather vague. 

“It was my last day on Earth, you know? Of course I’d remember. Well, it seems like you’ve completely forgotten it, though.” Satsuki looked at Rio scornfully. 

“Don’t ask for the impossible. It’s only one of the many things that happened to me before my death,” Rio said. After all, it had only happened to Satsuki a few months ago. 

“I suppose that’s true. But even if you were my underclassman on Earth, you’re mentally older than me now. Should I think of you as an adult man?” Satsuki asked, having assumed that he was a boy of similar age to her until now. 

Rio shook his head in discomfort at the thought of Satsuki treating him differently. “You can just continue as you have been. Like I said before, if I’m not particularly focusing on anything, then my awareness as Rio is stronger. That’s why I have a stronger sense of my physical age. Perhaps I’m being influenced by the feeling of my physical body.” 

“...Okay. Then let’s continue to get along as we have been, Haruto.” 

“Right.” 

“So, it’s been all me talking until now...” Satsuki said, glancing at Miharu sitting beside her. Miharu had been staring silently at Rio’s face for a while now. 

“Did you have anything you wanted to talk to Haruto about?” Satsuki asked. Despite having a boy with her childhood friend’s memories before her, Miharu was oddly silent about it all. 

“Ah, umm... I do, but I don’t know where to begin.” Miharu seemed nervous as she stumbled over her words. 

“There were things I wanted to discuss with Miharu alone, actually. I’d love to include you in further discussions later, after we’re done. Could I ask that you take some time to think over the things we’ve discussed so far?” Rio spoke up first. 

“...Sure. All right—I’ll be in my bedroom, then.” Satsuki looked between Rio and Miharu’s faces, then stood up quietly. She was a little curious about what they were going to discuss, but she considerately headed to her bedroom to leave them to it. Once her door clicked shut, Rio opened his mouth. 

“Miharu.” 

“Y-Yes,” Miharu squeaked in reply. 

“Did you think I was Amakawa Haruto for some time now?” Rio stared directly at Miharu as he asked. 

“Rather than thinking you were, I was more wondering if you could be, since... Well, you had the same name and gave off a similar feeling, so as we lived together I started... remembering Haru-kun...” 

“Was that all...?” Rio’s eyes widened at Miharu’s words. 

“Actually, back at the spirit folk village, Sara and the others mentioned something... About when Haru-kun and Latifa first wandered into the village. That when you were unconscious in the jail, you muttered Mii-chan...” Miharu seemed to find her resolution, calling Rio “Haru-kun” right to his face. 

“...I did?” He had no idea that had happened—he had been unconscious, after all. Rio frowned. 

“After that, I started wondering if you really were Haru-kun after all,” Miharu said, squeezing her right hand into a fist over her chest. 

“But, thinking about it realistically, wouldn’t you find it impossible to believe? I told you I died as a university student in my past life, right? Although I suppose that wouldn’t have mattered if you suspected I was lying.” 

“I never thought you were lying! It’s true that I thought the story was inconsistent... But even then, when you returned to the village, I started to get the strong feeling that you might be Haru-kun...” 

“...So that’s why you were acting strange when I returned to the village. And when I brought you to Liselotte’s mansion in Amande for the first time too.” Rio had a somewhat pained face, but understood. However, he also had a strange feeling about it—he could accept that there was a reason for her awareness, but even then, Miharu had accepted the truth too readily. It was almost as though she had received a hint from someone. 

On top of that, Miharu hadn’t seemed particularly surprised at anything Rio had revealed until now. In other words, she had been almost certain that he was Amakawa Haruto. 

If she was practically certain of her suspicions, why didn’t she ask me before I told her the truth? Was there a reason for her silence, just like there was a reason for mine? With such questions in mind, Rio looked back on the events that had occurred with Miharu up until this banquet. 

Now that I think about it, the day after I brought Miharu to Liselotte’s estate to arrange attendance to the banquet, she started acting differently again... Rio analyzed in his head as he stared at Miharu. 

“W-What is it, Haru-kun?” Miharu asked timidly, feeling as though Rio could see right through her. 

“...Miharu,” Rio sighed. 

“...Yes?” she asked, looking at him worriedly. 

“Can you please stop calling me Haru-kun?” Rio said with a troubled expression. 

“...Why?” Miharu frowned quite sadly. 

“As I’ve explained already, Amakawa Haruto is dead. The current me is not your childhood friend. I am a different person who merely possesses his memories. So you don’t need to force yourself into interacting with me as though I am Amakawa Haruto.” Rio feigned composure as he forced out words that were extremely difficult to say. 

“There’s no way I can think of you as a different person!” Miharu immediately—and unexpectedly—raised her voice, for once. 

“...” Rio was overwhelmed into silence. 

“If the person in front of me right now isn’t Haru-kun, then where did the Haru-kun I know go?” 

“He no longer exists. At the very least, not on Earth. The remnants of his memories and personality have simply blended into the person before you right now. But my body is that of Rio, and not of Amakawa Haruto.” There was only the subjective connection of memories and personality, but nothing objectively connected at all. 

“...Then I believe Haru-kun is still here. Right now, inside of you,” Miharu stared at Rio’s face and declared. 

“I’d like to confirm something. Do you see me as your childhood friend right now? Am I, the person named Rio, who interacted with you under the name of Haruto, present at all?” 

“That’s...” She wasn’t able to answer immediately. Indeed, Miharu was currently trying to see Rio as her childhood friend. She sought Amakawa Haruto from Rio himself. “I didn’t mean to make light of you, Haruto. But having lived with you until now, there were several occasions where I recalled the days when I was with Haru-kun. I simply can’t believe that Haru-kun isn’t within you. That’s all,” Miharu continued. 

“I believe that’s because you don’t know the side of me that’s Rio.” If she knew, she’d be terrified. She’d have to accept that Rio and Amakawa Haruto were different people. That’s why he had hidden it until now. He couldn’t make up his mind. Rio reflected on himself and smiled regretfully. 

“So... So please tell me, then. About who Haruto— No, who Rio is. Don’t make the decision for me. I want to be with you from here on out as well. That’s what I said to you, right? My feelings haven’t changed.” 

“...Why do you want to be with me?” 

“After growing up with Haru-kun until the age of seven, when Rio and Haru-kun started to overlap with each other in this world it made me realize just how precious Haru-kun was to me. Those feelings of mine only grew stronger. Someone so precious to me died, but now that person is back before me in another form. Living together with me and everything. It’s like I was given another chance. That’s why I want to stay with you.” 

“...I’m happy to hear you say that. But if you hadn’t felt Amakawa Haruto’s presence within me, would you still have wanted to stay with me?” 

“Asking in that way is unfair. It’s true that my reason for wanting to be with you might be heavily influenced by how I think of you as my childhood friend, Haru-kun, but...” Miharu said with a frown. 

“Sorry. Miharu... Mii-chan was someone precious to Amakawa Haruto as well. That didn’t change even after he grew up. It may sound foolish, but he chose to move back to that town alone, just for a chance to see you again at that high school. Well, there was no way of knowing you’d attend that high school for sure, but...” Rio explained, speaking about the feelings of Amakawa Haruto within him truthfully. 

“Ah...” Hearing the name Mii-chan brought back so many memories, Miharu couldn’t help but tear up. But, as Rio continued to speak, her face gradually twisted with sadness instead. 

“That’s why it’s important that you know that Amakawa Haruto is dead. If you want to be with me in order to be with him, then it may be better to rethink that.” 

“...Why?” 

“Because I cannot interact with you as Amakawa Haruto. Even if aspects of him remain, he’s a different person. The person who played with you every day until the age of seven—the person who made that promise with you when you separated—no longer exists. You’ll realize that if you stay with me, and you may come to regret it.” By surviving in this cold-hearted world, by becoming a prisoner of the shackles of revenge, Amakawa Haruto’s values within Rio had weakened significantly. 

It wasn’t meant to be like this. Amakawa Haruto had changed. No, Miharu would eventually become disillusioned, realizing that Amakawa Haruto had truly died. 

That’s why they were better off apart to begin with, Rio thought. 

“...Even then, my feelings won’t change,” Miharu stated firmly, biting her lip. 

“Even if the impression you have of me is far from what I am in reality?” Rio said in a self-mocking tone. 

“Just now, I could feel traces of Haru-kun.” Miharu didn’t back down. 

“And yet, before I regained my memories, I would do anything criminals asked of me just to survive another day. That’s the kind of person I am. Can you still say the same then? Is that the Amakawa Haruto you once knew?” Rio’s gaze was icy as he spoke. 

“T-That’s before you regained your memories, so...” 

“Whether I did them before or after my memories don’t change the fact that they’re still things I did. It’s not as though I conveniently became another person and erased my sins.” 

“Uh...” Miharu held her tongue. 

“That’s what it means. Even after regaining my memories, I didn’t live in a way anyone could be proud of. I’ve beaten someone up out of anger, to the point they lost consciousness. I’ve killed people in retaliation for being attacked. I’m trying to kill a man out of vengeance for my mother.” Rio indifferently listed his actions that fell out of line with the morals of an ordinary Japanese person. 

“Ah... uh...” Miharu tried to say something, but was ultimately rendered speechless. 

“Of course, it’s your decision, Miharu. If you wish to continue living in the stone house, I won’t stop you. But you should think about it very carefully. The person I want dead knows what I’m trying to do. If you stay with me, you might be dragged into it, too. I want to avoid that. And, as far as Aki and Masato are concerned... both of them adore you so much—especially Aki. Anyone can see that. There’s Takahisa, too. Rather than staying with me, wouldn’t you be happier if you stayed with everyone you know from Earth?” Rio asked, bringing up the others in order to try and dissuade Miharu. 

“You can’t just decide my fate like that... But it is true that Aki and the others aren’t unrelated to this.” Miharu frowned in frustration. 

“Let’s set aside the matter of who you should be with for a moment. It’s not a problem that can be solved right now, and I want to talk more about Aki too. Let me be frank: Aki hates Haruto, doesn’t she? That’s the feeling I got when I saw her reaction to my name when we met, and on a few occasions when we’ve interacted...” 

Miharu was silent for a moment, but eventually put her feelings to the side and nodded slowly. “...Yes, she does.” 

“I think Aki should hear about my past life as Haruto from me directly, but I was hoping to hear your thoughts about how Aki would react and why she feels such hatred for Haruto in the first place,” Rio said. 

“Haru... Rio.” Miharu was about to call him Haru-kun, or perhaps Haruto, before correcting herself. 

“You can continue to call me Haruto. It’d be a problem if someone heard me being called Rio.” Rio averted his eyes awkwardly. 

“Haruto, how much do you know about what happened to Aki after your parents divorced?” 

“Practically nothing. My father made sure I knew nothing about my mother until I turned twenty. The one time I met my mother after I turned twenty, I asked about Aki and was told she was doing well, so I never imagined she’d appeared in this world alongside you.” 

“I... see. Aki gets really emotional when it comes to the topic of her father and Haru-kun. One time, I made her really angry about it and she ended up in tears... I’ve avoided talking about Haru-kun in front of Aki ever since. That’s why... this is only my assumption, but...” 

“Will you tell me anyway?” Rio asked, watching Miharu. 

“Aki really loved Haru-kun and her father... So I think she was really sad and lonely when the two of them moved away so suddenly, without any explanation. She was only four back then, so she didn’t understand why they’d left. It must have hurt so much waiting for two people who never returned...” Miharu said with a frown. 

“I see...” Rio processed her words with a quiet expression. However, if she had only been sad, that didn’t explain why she felt so much unfounded anger towards Haruto. 

“Also, at the time, Yuki... your mother also struggled with the divorce a lot, and work didn’t seem to be going smoothly for her, so she ended up falling ill. Aki was upset that you two didn’t return even after that, which gradually turned into anger...” Miharu added, explaining why Aki’s anger had manifested. Yuki was Aki and Haruto’s mother. 

“...Does Aki know why our parents divorced now?” Rio asked after a moment of hesitation. 

“Sorry, I don’t know. The topic of the divorce has become taboo with her,” Miharu shook her head apologetically. 

“I see... But it’s possible she hasn’t been told,” said Rio. 

“How can you tell?” Miharu asked with wide eyes. 

“...I only heard from my father after I grew up, but they divorced because of my mother’s infidelity. Aki isn’t my father’s daughter,” Rio said rather uncomfortably. He had hesitated telling Miharu, but ultimately decided it was better for her to be informed. 

“Huh...?” Miharu fell speechless, eyes wide with shock. 

“Haruto and Aki were actually half-siblings. That’s why my father was so enraged that they divorced. I don’t think my mother would have told that to Aki directly, though.” The fault lay on the one who had been cheating, but Aki was born as a result. Aki could possibly end up blaming herself for her parents’ divorce, so at the very least, it wasn’t something that Aki could have been told during her younger years. 

“...U-Umm, I think Aki knows that the anger she feels for Haru-kun is baseless and illogical. She just can’t control her emotions well, so... I’m sorry.” Miharu seemed to feel somewhat responsible, as she hung her head gloomily. 

“Why are you apologizing? It’s not something even Aki should be apologizing for,” Rio said with a forced smile. 

“I’ve been acting like Aki’s older sister, yet I couldn’t do anything more than watch everything unfold...” She had avoided the topic of Haruto out of fear of ruining her relationship with Aki—out of fear of making Aki even angrier. Miharu felt guilty. 

“I’m not one to talk, having memories of Haruto, who never did anything relatively brotherly. But if I had been in your place, I would have only been able to watch as well. Thank you. For being beside Aki, in place of the brother that left her.” Rio’s Haruto side showed through strongly as he thanked Miharu. 

“...” Seeing that face on him made Miharu grimace with sadness. For a moment, Rio’s appearance overlapped with that of the grown up Haruto she’d seen in her dream. 

Moments like this was why Miharu couldn’t help but overlap Rio with Haruto. The person in question insisted they were different people, but Miharu still hadn’t accepted that completely. But the things Rio had explained couldn’t be dismissed outright as being incorrect, which made it worse. 

“Is something the matter?” Rio peered at Miharu’s face and cocked his head in question. 

“No... it’s nothing.” Miharu stifled the emotions she had yet to process and shook her head with a forced smile. 

“I was hoping you could sit in when I tell Aki about my past life. If her reaction is particularly strong, you may need to step in...” 

“Of course. But let me think a little longer about what would be the best way to tell her.” 

“Sure. I don’t mind if you discuss with Satsuki about how much of what we’ve discussed now should be revealed, and to whom. Please organize your thoughts,” Rio said, looking a little sad. After that, Miharu headed for Satsuki’s room so that the two of them could talk for a while. 

Meanwhile, in King Francois’ office, Prince Michel had brought his sister, Charlotte—or rather, she had followed of her own accord—to somewhat forcefully request an audience with their father. 

Michel entered the room with permission and sat down in a chair in the office. “If I may be so forward, Father, what were you thinking?” he asked with a displeased expression. 

“My priority is the kingdom’s well-being,” Francois replied flatly, eyes not leaving the documents he was looking at. Michel shrank back at that. 

“What... are you saying?” 

“I could ask you the same. What are you trying to say?” Francois finally raised his head, looking directly at his son. 

“I-I simply stated that I cannot understand the reason why you would give that man of unknown background the title of an honorable knight, Father,” Michel admonished, his voice strangely high-pitched. 

“It should be obvious. It was for the benefit of the kingdom,” Francois said frankly. 

“...I cannot understand it at all. Though it may be a modern title, an honorable knight has the same social position as a count! While our customs do allow people of foreign nationality to be given status, that is a tradition assumed for nobles of our kingdom when they marry into a foreign kingdom. It’s unheard of for a vagabond who isn’t even nobility to be bestowed such a thing. You could have just given him money or goods. And on top of that, you let him stay multiple nights in Satsuki’s quarters...” Michel grimaced. 

“Mm,” Francois scoffed in amusement. 

“W-What’s so funny?” 

“Michel. I waited for you for several months—to see if you could make Satsuki fall for you. But the result was clear: you couldn’t. Day by day, Satsuki’s mind was closing off more and more and focusing only towards the outside world. That is why I went ahead with the banquet.” 

“...To help find Satsuki’s friends and regain her good graces?” Michel asked with a sullen face. 

“That is another reason. But that was only the short-term goal. If we were to look at it from a long-term perspective, it would be more precise to say it was in order to tie Satsuki down to our kingdom. And if she cannot be tied with romance, then we simply have to explore the other options. The banquet was ideal for that.” 

“Should it not be our duty as royalty to secure the hero to the kingdom?” 

“That’s why I waited for you. For several months, at that. Satsuki is a woman with sharp senses. How do you think she would react if I supplied her with other royalty besides you at this point?” 

“B-But we’d also have a problem if all her attention is directed elsewhere. Even if he is the savior of Satsuki’s good friend, I cannot understand the purpose of letting an unknown commoner get so close. If that were to be the case, then I...” 

“Mmm. Are you against the idea of Satsuki growing close to men other than you, Michel?” Francois scoffed once more, watching his son’s face. 

“Wha...?!” Michel turned red, as he scrambled for words. 

“I believe I ordered you to catch Satsuki’s attention and earn her trust... but instead of making her fall for you, you ended up falling for her instead. How adorable,” Francois chuckled. 

“T-That’s not true!” 

“Did you think you could fool me? Your thoughts are perfectly clear to me. The fact that Satsuki isn’t drawn to you at all is, too. But you are aware of that yourself, no?” 

“Ugh...” Michel was unable to refute that. 

“A hero is a symbol of religious belief, but at the same time they are an extremely powerful political stimulant. Thus, integrating the hero into the kingdom’s politics smoothly can produce wonderful effects, but doing so improperly can bring the kingdom chaos. You are more than aware of this too, no?” 

“...Yes,” Michel nodded sternly. 

“A successful marriage is one way of tackling this in a way that can give the greatest results, but the other side is a hero. It would be absolutely forbidden to force her into an undesired political marriage like any other daughter of royalty or nobility. More than anything, Satsuki herself doesn’t seem to accept the concept of political marriages that ignore the will of the people involved. It is more desirable to have Satsuki align herself with our kingdom on her own,” Francois said, while thinking. 

Well, it would have been a different matter if Satsuki had been a man, Francois thought. “If there’s no hope for you, back away before you’re shunned. A man who cannot give up will be hated, understand? I’m sure you’ve realized what kind of person Satsuki is from these last few months,” Francois added, taking a stab at Michel’s pride. 

“Ugh... I-I am aware.” Michel seemed to calm down a little at those words, swallowing his emotions as he nodded. 

“That is good to hear. Having said this much, I’m sure you understand that my actions until now were made with the purpose of keeping Satsuki within this kingdom by way of her own will?” 

“Of course, I have no objections to that goal.” 

“But you don’t approve of the means, hmm? Though you understand this much, you still seem to place too much emphasis on social statuses. Heroes are disciples who embody the might of the Six Wise Gods. For us, people who maintain power through that might, their existences are far outside the standard. It would be the poorest plan of action to forcefully control them. The norms aren’t always the correct answer. If there is an effective way to entrap Satsuki, then you need to throw away your preexisting notions and values and use those methods aggressively.” 

“So that’s why you orchestrated the banquet and the resulting appearance of Miharu and Takahisa... as well as Haruto, Father?” When Michel said the name Haruto, his face twitched slightly. 

“That’s right,” Francois replied immediately. 

“However, I do not understand what the connection is between keeping Satsuki within this kingdom and having Haruto stay in Satsuki’s rooms, going as far as to give him the title of an honorary knight. Wouldn’t it have been enough to keep Miharu here too?” Michel asked. 

“Miharu appeared from the same world as Satsuki. Though she isn’t a hero, Miharu has a longstanding relationship with her. But that doesn’t mean we can deem her to be unrelated to the Six Wise Gods and treat her lightly, no? Because that would only upset Satsuki.” 

“So that’s why you focused on Haruto...” 

“Haruto was of remarkable character to begin with. Even without his relationship with Satsuki factored in, it would have been difficult to pass that up. It seems like Satsuki has also taken a fair liking to Haruto, too. Isn’t that right, Charlotte?” It was at this point that Francois finally addressed Charlotte, who had been listening in silence. 

“Yes, Lady Satsuki has been a different person these last few days. Of course, while reuniting Lady Miharu played a part of it, I believe it is undeniable that Sir Haruto had an effect too. Lady Satsuki herself has said he was like a friend of many years, and while it was canceled due to the intrusion, she wasn’t against the idea of a dance with him.” Charlotte happily reported on the things she’d observed carefully from Satsuki during the banquet. 

“There you have it.” Francois smiled with delight. 

“...I understand.” Michel finally accepted this, nodding as the strength drained from his shoulders. 

“Good. Be open-minded, Michel. If you show the composure to support Haruto, you may even get Satsuki to change the way she sees you,” Francois said with a grin. Michel’s face turned red. 

“W-What are you saying?!” 

“Ha. The situation is growing more complicated right now, but I don’t intend on stopping your actions as long as you act within your status. If you notice anything about Satsuki in the future, continue to report to me.” 

“Y-Yes, I understand. I shall excuse myself now. Let’s go, Charlotte.” Michel nodded with a strained voice, before turning and leaving with Charlotte. 

“No, Charlotte—you stay. I have something I wish to discuss. You may leave, Michel.” 

“...I understand. See you later, then, Charlotte.” Michel nodded before departing. He was a little curious as to what Francois had to talk to Charlotte about, but he could always ask her later. 

Thus, father and daughter were left alone. “Wonderfully handled as always, Father. You understand how to mobilize my brother perfectly. The way you worded it leaves him no choice but to accept Sir Haruto,” Charlotte said with a giggle. 

“He lacks the flexible thinking that comes with more experience. As long as he is shown the right way, he is able to think logically.” 

“I shall follow your example.” 

“Hah, you jest.” Francois smiled smugly. 

“So does the reason why you called me back have something to do with Lady Satsuki after all? I reported to you last night about the relationships surrounding Lady Satsuki.” She was referring to Miharu and Haruto, of course, but also Takahisa, who had joined them as of last night. 

“This is a result of my thoughts about that report. If someone as cautious as Satsuki could open her heart to Haruto so rapidly, then we simply must make use of that connection. The once-deadlocked political situation has finally begun to move. Even though the hardheaded nobles will surely disapprove...” 

“So that was what the title of a new honorary knight was for,” Charlotte said with a knowing look. 

“With such notable achievements, those stubborn fools won’t be able to object. Though he was building upon his existing feats, Haruto showed us just how splendid his military exploits are at the banquet.” Francois grinned. In other words, his goal was to use Haruto as the intermediary connecting Satsuki to the Galarc Kingdom. 

“Yes. Then am I right in assuming my role from here on out is to indirectly push Lady Satsuki toward Sir Haruto, consequently forming a connection of trust with our kingdom?” Charlotte beamed happily. 

“That is correct. However, it is Satsuki you are dealing with. Hasty actions will only trigger her to become cautious. Restrain your actions only to what is natural, so that she moves freely of her own will. I shall leave the method to you.” 

“Oh?” Charlotte’s eyes sparkled even brighter at that. 

“I wouldn’t leave this in the hands of someone like Michel, who values tradition and status. Well... in contrast, you have a tendency to be too flexible... But I acknowledge that you are the most capable. And you have gained Satsuki’s trust to a certain degree.” 

“I’m honored by your words. There’s just one thing I’d like to ask about this role, Father. Just how close of a relationship do you want Lady Satsuki and Sir Haruto to have? Until they exchange vows?” She was speaking of marriage vows, of course. Charlotte seemed to enjoy asking the question, as though she knew the answer already. 

With no hope for Michel at all, the other option would be... to have Haruto placed under the influence of our kingdom by tying him with Satsuki, then eventually marrying their child with our royalty... The thought briefly crossed Francois’ mind. 

“We shall wait and see. There’s no guarantee that Satsuki will feel that way. Continue observing their relationship and report immediately if anything changes. I will give you instructions to have the best outcome for our political situation,” he ordered Charlotte. 

“I understand. The relationship between Lady Miharu, Sir Takahisa, and Princess Lilianna may be fortuitous to us, so it would be one possibility to approach it that way. Which means... My oh my, whatever shall I do? There’s so much to think about,” Charlotte said, smiling happily. Francois watched his daughter with slightly exasperated eyes, but smiled as he considered their plans for the future. 

Roughly one hour later, in a different location... 

The Centostella Kingdom guests, Takahisa and Lilianna, resided in the living room of the guest quarters of the Galarc royal castle. 

“Do you think Miharu and Satsuki are still talking to him?” Takahisa was pacing around the room restlessly as Lilianna was seated on a sofa. It wasn’t a question Lilianna would know the answer to, but he was probably aware of that and asked anyway. 

“If they haven’t arrived to see you yet, that is most likely the case, Sir Takahisa,” Lilianna replied in a calm voice. 

“Right, of course...” Takahisa slumped into the sofa heavily and began shaking his leg restlessly instead. Seeing him like that made Lilianna speak up. 

“Sir Takahisa, time will pass faster if you take a nap. You must be tired from all the traveling and attending the banquet these last few days, so how about you get some rest in your room? I’ll call you immediately if Lady Miharu and Lady Satsuki arrive.” 

“R-Really?” 

“Fatigue builds up without notice. If you lie down on your bed, you may find yourself asleep in a matter of moments, and it would be good to rest before the banquet tonight anyway,” Lilianna explained, persuading Takahisa for his own well-being. 

“Right. Okay... Then I’ll do just that.” Takahisa smiled weakly and stood up with a soft sigh. He was probably aware of his own restlessness. Lying down was a good suggestion, and he could at least use the time to calm down a bit. 

“Rest well.” 

“Yeah. I’ll be back later.” 

At that, Takahisa walked off. When the door to his bedroom clicked shut, Lilianna was left seated on the sofa, accompanied by her mid-teen attendant Frill, and Hilda, who was in charge of her guards. 

“Hilda, can you ask Kiara to remain on guard outside the door and call Alice here?” Lilianna said. 

“Understood.” Hilda bowed her head respectfully before heading outside the room. She opened the door and spoke to the two female knights who were on guard, calling the younger Alice inside. 

“Did you summon me, Princess Lilianna?” Alice tilted her head and asked in a slow voice that still held a touch of innocence to it. She was fourteen, which was slightly young to be a knight guarding a member of the royal family, even when compared to Kiara, who was seventeen. This was partially because many young female knights retired for marriage, and partially because of Alice’s special talents. Those talents were what had made her enlist as a knight, even though she was the daughter of a duke. 

“Alice, you said there was a tremendous amount of magic essence naturally flowing out of Sir Amakawa’s body at the banquet last night, correct? Just how much is that?” asked Lilianna. Indeed, despite the fact that Alice was a human living in the Strahl region, she could visualize magic essence. This ability had awakened in her when she was twelve years old, upon which she had been scouted to guard the first princess. 

“Hmm... Around the same amount as our hero, I believe? But, honestly speaking, I’m not certain. The amount of essence flowing from your body can be controlled, and he seemed to be able to do that extremely well, too. I’ve never seen anyone wrap themselves in magic essence so cleanly and efficiently before. It’s possible that he has less essence than our hero, but it’s also possible that he has more.” Alice pondered over her answer, tapping her fingers to her lips. 

Humans who could use magic had varying levels at which they could detect and manipulate magic essence, but it was unheard of for people to go a step further and visualize essence. This was a required skill in order to use spirit arts, which made humans naturally unsuitable for learning spirit arts. 

Of course, it was possible to learn to visualize essence with enough practice over time, but unfortunately, the much easier-to-learn technique of magic had spread too far through the Strahl region, leaving no one with knowledge of spirit arts. 

However, there were exceptions to this even among humans, and Alice was one such genius who had high compatibility towards spirit arts. Though she couldn’t use spirit arts, she could utilize her ability to visualize magic essence to feel for its flow and protect her charge. Furthermore, she could tell how much magic essence a person had by seeing the naturally-emitted essence from their body. 

For the record, in terms of perception and manipulation of magic essence required to use magic, Celia was overwhelmingly more talented, but in terms of visualizing essence alone, Alice was better than Celia. However, Celia had been learning to visualize magic essence during her time in the stone house, so that gap in ability was slowly closing. 

“...Is it even possible to have more magic essence than our hero? He possesses more magic essence than all of our royal sorcerers combined, right?” Hilda asked with a dubious face, finding it hard to believe. 

“That’s why I said I wasn’t certain. It may be more accurate to say that I can’t see his limits. While it’s true that the magic essence that flows out of a person’s body is representative of their total essence amount, I can only make a very vague estimate. You can control the essence that flows out of you on a daily basis with enough practice, too. Think of it like being unable to tell the difference between a cup of water and a bucket of water,” Alice said, shrugging her shoulders. 

“Hilda, in your eyes, what were Sir Amakawa’s abilities like?” Lilianna asked Hilda. 

“...From what I could see of the battle, his skill is top-notch. The rumors said he defeated several minotaurs with his swordcraft and repelled a demi-dragon’s breath with his enchanted blade, and I believe he has the abilities to support those claims,” Hilda conjectured. 

“In other words, at this point, Sir Amakawa is untouchable. After talking to Lady Miharu at the banquet last night and seeing his demeanor at the audience earlier, he seems to have a reserved personality, too,” Lilianna summarized, then sighed somewhat listlessly. 

“...Is there a problem with him?” Hilda asked, narrowing her eyes. As the head guard, if there was something to be suspicious of then she needed to be aware of all factors that could affect her duty. 

“That’s not what I meant,” said Lilianna. But her expression still showed signs of worry. 

There isn’t a problem with Sir Amakawa himself. He’s been the talk of the town, after all. Rumors about him have spread everywhere. Yet all of them only speak highly of him. If there was a problem, then... 

It would be how Takahisa seemed to feel a sense of negativity toward Haruto. Every time rumors praising Haruto reached his ears, he would frown. That was because of the girl named Miharu, whom Lilianna knew Takahisa had feelings for. 

Sir Takahisa is jealous of Sir Amakawa. Though I don’t know how much awareness he has of that himself... Lilianna had wanted to ease the state of Takahisa’s mind by letting him reunite with Satsuki, which was why she made this visit to Galarc a reality. 

But now she worried that Takahisa’s mental state had become even more unstable by coming here. Though, right now, it was still only a small seed of fear... 

It’s risky. Having such feelings of rivalry with a person as exceptional as him... It was generally impossible for a person to win out against someone else in all aspects, because each person had their own strong points and weak points. 

However, jealousy could cloud a person’s eyes. There was no need for such a thing, yet they become disillusioned with the need to win over the other in every way. If they don’t win, they feel unbearable anxiety. 

What if Takahisa’s jealousy was deeply ingrained? What if he perceived his loss against Haruto in areas he couldn’t win in? It would be best to remove that seed of jealousy from Takahisa as soon as possible. By urging him to return to their kingdom immediately, to be precise. However— 

...Even if I can foresee what will happen, I cannot ask Sir Takahisa as he is now to return to our kingdom. Even if she suggested their earlier return, Takahisa wouldn’t agree. 

Lilianna couldn’t forcefully restrain Takahisa and bring him back to her kingdom; doing so would immediately damage his trust in her and cause him to turn against the kingdom. 

I must move as Sir Takahisa desires. That is my duty as princess. But... It was also her duty to guide Takahisa down the correct path, as his support. With that thought, Lilianna quietly closed her eyes and steeled her determination. 

At that moment, the door to the bedroom Takahisa went into to sleep opened. Of course, appearing in the doorway was the boy himself. 

“Hey, Lily. They might be done with their conversation by now... Could we maybe go to Satsuki and Miharu’s rooms to check?” Takahisa asked Lilianna with a terribly anxious face. At this very moment, his only ally was herself—that was the delusion Lilianna was struck by. She knew just how weak Takahisa was; how he was only just a boy, despite his title as hero. 

Satsuki’s name had been mentioned, but the one Takahisa wanted to see was Miharu. That much was easy to see... 

Lilianna hesitated before answering. “...I cannot recommend it at this time.” 

“...” Takahisa hung his head despairingly, but the words Lilianna uttered next cheered him up. 

“However, we can go and check if that is the case. If you can promise me we will leave promptly if they are still occupied, I shall accompany you. What do you think?” 

“Let’s go!” His answer was immediate. The way his face changed made his thoughts so easy to read, he would have failed as a member of royalty or nobility. Takahisa was a type of person Lilianna had never interacted with, which was precisely why she didn’t know how to interact with him. 

“Then let us go. You shall all accompany us.” Lilianna chuckled, prompting them all to begin moving. She could feel a thorn-like pain prickling her heart. 

Roughly one hour had passed since Rio had told Satsuki and Miharu about his past life and discussed what to do about the future. 

Miharu finished discussing things alone with Satsuki and returned to Rio, then planned out their points of information for what was to come. 

In other words, how much of the truth they could reveal to Takahisa, keeping in mind the presence of Centostella Kingdom’s Princess Lilianna, and how much about his past life as Amakawa Haruto should be shared with Aki and the members of the Sendo family. 

“Miharu’s explained it all to me, but the bottleneck in telling the three Sendo family members the truth will be Aki, won’t it? She despises Haruto, but she doesn’t know about your past life yet... That makes everything complicated.” By putting the situation into words, Satsuki could feel how complex the issue was and smiled wryly. 

“Sorry,” Rio said. 

“I was unable to do anything out of fear my relationship with Aki would change, too...” Miharu hung her head apologetically. 

“No, the two of you shouldn’t be apologizing, but... hmm...” Satsuki cocked her head, wondering what could be done. “...I believe Aki’s emotions are illogical, but if it was something that could be explained in words then it wouldn’t drag on for so long, you know? That’s why it was hard for Miharu to talk to Aki about it. If she revealed Haruto’s past life to Aki, she could have recoiled and twisted the conversation off-course.” 

“...Yeah.” Miharu nodded bitterly. 

“It’s just... if we tell them we won’t be returning to Earth for the next few years at least, we’ll inevitably need to tell them about Haruto’s past life. And Takahisa needs to know Aki and Masato are safe, and the reverse applies, too. It would be cruel to keep the truth of our return to Earth hidden. Hmm...” Satsuki organized the information she had received accurately and pondered. “Then, how about this? We don’t want the discussion to go off-topic, and there’s also the concerns about Princess Lilianna, so first we’ll tell Takahisa a little information as we can. Just that Aki and Masato are both safe. Then for Aki and Masato... Once Aki is aware that Takahisa has been found safe and sound, we’ll tell her about Haruto’s past life. Now that Haruto’s named himself with the last name Amakawa, Aki will realize the truth as soon as she arrives at the castle. Which would be too late.” 

“...I have nothing to argue about there.” Rio placed a hand against his mouth and agreed with Satsuki. He thought it was the most reasonable plan in order to prevent the conversation from getting more complicated. 

“Really? If you have any objections at all, speak up.” 

“No, I believe that would be for the best. You’re very skilled at this, Satsuki.” 

“Ahaha, I guess I was a leader before— Or rather, a student council rep. I tend to voice my opinions without hesitation during a discussion. And when it comes to Aki, I can provide an objective opinion as a third party, I guess. Well, what do you think, Miharu?” Satsuki said shyly, before turning to Miharu for her opinion. 

“I don’t have a problem with that, either.” Miharu nodded. 

“The only other problem would be whether or not it would be okay to bring Aki and Masato to the castle if the three of them agree to meet, I suppose? Do we have an answer for that?” Rio asked. 

Satsuki exchanged a look with Miharu and nodded. “I discussed it with Miharu, and we think the only option is for them to meet at the castle—once they all agree to the risks involved.” 

“Got it. In that case, I’ll leave the explanation for Takahisa to you two, and I’ll sneak out of the castle tonight to explain things to Aki and Masato myself.” 

“Umm, I’ll go, too,” Miharu offered immediately. 

“...Okay. Then we’ll leave this place to Satsuki. If something happened to the security at the castle, someone might come here. It’d be bad if we were all missing.” 

“Gotcha. If someone ends up visiting, I’ll do something about it. Don’t worry,” Satsuki agreed readily. 

“Then we’re counting on you.” Rio nodded his head at Satsuki. 

Aishia, can you go run an errand for me? Rio asked Aishia secretly. 

Yeah, sure. Do you want me to go to Aki and Masato? Aishia must have been listening, as she replied immediately. 

Yeah. I’d like you to go to the stone house first and inform them that Takahisa has been found. Then, tonight, by the time Miharu and I visit, I’d like them to think carefully and decide if they’d like to meet him at the castle. 

Understood. I’ll be off now. Aishia promptly left Rio’s body in her spirit form and headed for the stone house. At that very moment, a knock on the door echoed through the living room. 

“...I wonder who that is?” Satsuki said, standing up and heading towards the door. She proceeded to open it to reveal the two female soldiers that had been on guard before her rooms, as well as Takahisa and Lilianna. They were accompanied by Lilianna’s attendant, Frill, and her guard knights. 

“Hey, Satsuki.” Takahisa greeted her with a rather awkward smile. 

“...Takahisa.” Satsuki blinked. She was sure she’d told him she had something important to discuss with Miharu, so she would contact him later. And yet, he had shown up here like this... 

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t wait any longer...” 

“Ahaha, well, we were just wrapping up our discussion...” Satsuki said, turning back to the living room. Rio and Miharu were seated together, their gazes directed at the visitors. 

Of course, the sight of Rio and Miharu sitting together was also within Takahisa’s field of view. 

“Ugh...” Instantly, Takahisa’s face darkened as he clenched his jaw. He wasn’t very impressed to hear he had been excluded while they were discussing something important. 

Satsuki sighed quietly. “...I suppose it’s good timing. There’s something we’d like to tell you, as well. Would you like to come in? Umm, sorry to say this to the Princess, but we’d like to speak to Takahisa alone.” 

“Is that okay, Lily?” Takahisa looked at Lilianna, who stood behind him. 

“...They’re friends you haven’t met in a long time, so I’m sure you have many things to discuss. In that case, I won’t act so uncouth as to insist upon my presence, but...” Lilianna paused for a moment, glancing at Rio—who had no relationship with Takahisa—before giving her answer cheerfully. 

“If so, I shall also excuse myself.” Rio read the implied message and immediately offered to leave. 

“Ah, but...” Satsuki reflexively hesitated, trying to stop Rio. 

“If you’re disallowing Her Highness’ presence with the reasoning of a reunion between friends, then there’s no sense in me being treated specially, is there? I’m sure that position-wise, Princess Lilianna would prefer to remain with Takahisa as much as possible, too,” Rio explained, showing consideration for Lilianna. 

It couldn’t be easy for the Centostella Kingdom to let go of their hero. They would want to keep him within their field of view as much as possible, after all—especially when he was going to be in the presence of an unknown, newly-appointed noble. It was all the more unfavorable for Lilianna from her position. If anything, they should be wary of it. It was also the nature of their closed-off kingdom. 

“I appreciate your consideration, Sir Amakawa.” Lilianna spoke the family name Rio had announced at the audience with the king, having clearly remembered it. 

“Not at all. It is an honor to make your acquaintance,” Rio said, showing respectful humility. Thus, Takahisa took Rio’s place in the discussion with Satsuki and Miharu as Rio left the room. 

After leaving the room, Rio and Lilianna descended the tower staircase together. Lilianna’s attendant, Frill, and the female knights Hilda, Kiara, and Alice took up the rear. 

They’re watching me. Are they wary of me? No, that’s not it... Rio felt their gazes on him and casually glanced backwards. Alice was staring intently at him. It was a bit too blatant to be a look of caution—it seemed more like she was staring out of curiosity. 

Just then, Lilianna spoke. “Sir Amakawa, how would you like to join me for a bit of conversation? You seem close to Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu, so I would love to hear your thoughts.” 

“...Of course, I have no reason to refuse. If Your Highness finds me a worthy conversation partner then it would be my pleasure to fulfill that role.” While Rio was slightly taken aback by the sudden request, he agreed readily. One could not refuse a royal’s request for no reason, after all. 

“Thank you very much. The area we’re staying in just so happens to be at the base of this tower, so let us head there.” Thus, the party spent the next minute leisurely making their way down the stairs towards the guest rooms where Lilianna was staying. On the way, they happened across Charlotte and Christina chatting in the corridor. The two of them were accompanied by their respective attendants, who were waiting nearby. 

“My, if it isn’t Princess Lilianna. And Sir Haruto, too. What might you two be up to?” Charlotte asked curiously. 

“Sir Takahisa is in Lady Satsuki’s quarters speaking with her and Lady Miharu, so I had a free moment to spare. I was thinking of sitting down with Sir Haruto,” Lilianna explained. 

“Oh my, is that so? In that case, I would love to join you.” 

“Of course, you’re more than welcome to,” Lilianna readily agreed. 

“Thank you. How about you, Princess Christina? You were about to return to your quarters just now, no?” Charlotte said brightly. 

“I... No, I shall. It’s a rare occasion, so I would appreciate the opportunity.” Christina looked like she was about to refuse for a brief moment, but she seemed to change her mind when she saw Rio’s face. 

“Then, it’s decided.” Charlotte beamed happily. “Oh... Princess Flora!” By pure coincidence, she spotted Flora passing by further down the corridor and called her name eagerly. 

Flora had been walking alongside the female knight that had been accompanying her, but came to a stop when she heard her name. When she spotted Rio and her older sister Christina, her eyes widened, and she approached hurriedly. 

“...Umm, why is everyone gathered here like this?” she asked Charlotte, while at the same time having her attention focused on Rio and Christina. Whereas Rio bowed once, Christina didn’t spare her a glance and remained standing still. 

“I had just spotted Princess Christina in the hallway and was talking to her when Princess Lilianna and Sir Haruto appeared, so the four of us are about to have tea together.” Charlotte looked between the two sisters of the Beltrum Kingdom casually and spoke with a beaming smile. 

For the record, tea parties were how women in royal and noble circles socialized, and an invitation to tea was the same as an invitation to chat. While there were exceptions, it was a silently accepted rule that the higher-ranked person would invite a lower-ranked person to tea if their conversation was to be drawn out. If they were at equal standing, then it didn’t matter who did the inviting. Conversely, if the higher-ranked person didn’t extend an invitation to tea, it was a silent way of expressing that they didn’t want to talk for long. In this regard, one needed to be able to read the room with great sensitivity. 

“Everyone is having tea together...” Flora seemed to want to join in herself, as she looked around at the four of them with slightly envious, puppy-like eyes. Charlotte tilted her head. 

“What were you doing, Princess Flora?” 

“I was thinking of taking a short walk before returning to my rooms...” Flora replied honestly. Like Christina and Lilianna, the rooms Flora was staying in were also on this floor. 

“I see,” Charlotte nodded, smiling cheerfully. However, that was all she said. She didn’t proceed to invite Flora along right away. 

“...Umm. Then, if you would excuse me.” Flora looked uncomfortable and avoided meeting anyone’s eyes as she slowly tried to turn back. 

“Oh my, hold on a minute. Would you like to join us too, Princess Flora?” It was at this point that Charlotte finally invited Flora to tea. 

“Huh? But... Are you sure?” Flora asked timidly, watching Rio and Christina’s expressions. 

“Of course. I don’t mind,” Charlotte nodded brightly. 

“I would be happy to have you there, too. I rarely ever have the chance to have tea with princesses from other kingdoms,” Lilianna also agreed cheerfully. 

“I also have no reason to refuse,” Rio added. From a social standpoint, Rio wasn’t able to refuse like the rest of them. 

This left her older sister Christina, who was currently here as an ambassador for the Kingdom of Beltrum. As Flora’s sister, who was the representative of the Restoration, which was rebelling against her kingdom, they were in opposing factions. 

However, as she had already agreed to joining them for tea, changing her mind so blatantly would be seen as an act of disrespect towards Charlotte and Lilianna. 

“...I don’t mind either.” Christina restrained herself from sighing heavily and nodded with a poker face. 

“Thank you so much,” Flora said happily. 

“Now, where shall we go to talk? I was planning on using the guest room where I’m staying, but...” said Lilianna. 

“There’s a rooftop garden for the royalty here to use. Allow me to lead the way,” Charlotte immediately suggested, and began to move. And so, Rio ended up going to a tea party with the four princesses of Galarc, Beltrum, and Centostella, representing the three large kingdoms spanning from the west to the east of Strahl. 

They were surrounded by their respective attendants, making for a rather large party. Naturally, just walking through the castle like that attracted much attention. The people they passed by in the corridors would be drawn to the four beautiful princesses first. Then, most people would widen their eyes and freeze, before snapping back to their senses and hurrying down a side corridor to avoid them. 

The next one to catch their attention would be Rio, the lone man among them who had just been appointed as an honorary knight. The sight of these four people gathering to have tea was so unheard of, it was likely that it would never happen again. There was no way they weren’t conspicuous. 

I’m going to wear myself out before the third night even begins. Just how did things end up like this? While any other boy of the royal family would have been envious and enthusiastic over such a situation, Rio’s face twitched silently instead. 

Some time before then, in Satsuki’s quarters, an explanation was being given to Takahisa. Satsuki had emphasized how the things they were about to say were to be kept strictly between them, before informing Takahisa that Aki and Masato were safe. 

“Aki and Masato... they’re safe?” Takahisa parroted Satsuki’s words in shock. 

“Yes. Haruto took them in, along with Miharu, and they are currently living in a safe place. The only ones who know this are Haruto, Miharu, and myself. And now you, Takahisa. Make sure you keep that in mind,” Satsuki explained. 

“Haruto did...?” Takahisa said, looking slightly conflicted. 

“The two of them wandered into this world with Miharu, so they were saved along with her.” 

“W-Wait just a second. If that’s the case, then why weren’t they brought to the castle, too?” 

“They couldn’t be sure of how they would be treated at the castle. That’s why Miharu came with Haruto on their behalf first.” 

“You said they’re in a safe place... is that place really safe?” 

“They’ve been safe until today, haven’t they?” Satsuki pointed out to calm Takahisa. 

“...But if the two of them are safe, I’ll take them in! And Miharu, too!” Takahisa blurted out in frustration, unable to take it any longer. Miharu was about to say something reflexively, but Satsuki stopped her with a hand. 

“That wouldn’t be you taking them in, but the Centostella Kingdom, no? If they came to the castle, they could be used in a political way. They might lose their freedom to act, too. And while it might be your responsibility to look after Aki and Masato as their older brother, that’s not the case for Miharu, no?” she said with a sigh. 

“B-But the castle is definitely safer! Lily is trustworthy, too!” 

“If you’re insisting that much, then I’ll believe she isn’t a bad person at heart. But that doesn’t mean we can trust her. I don’t know what kind of person Princess Lilianna is, and I don’t know what kind of kingdom Centostella is, either. Even if the princess is a good person, the kingdom could be different. Would Princess Lilianna be able to go against the interests of her kingdom to act on Aki and Masato’s behalf? Does she have the power to do so?” 

“That’s...!” Takahisa tried to object, but struggled to find his words. 

“You can’t say for certain, right? Even I don’t trust the Galarc Kingdom completely. That’s why I can understand your desire to stay with your little brother and sister, and I personally would like to stay with you too, but I’m worried...” Satsuki added, frowning. 

“You say you’re worried, but I’m more worried not having them beside me. I just can’t sit still and wonder if something might happen to them. I’ve already experienced that enough in these past few months. The pain of not having the people I care about beside me... Not being able to protect them if something happens...” 

“I believe they’ll be safe as long as they’re under Haruto’s protection, though...” Satsuki realized that just like how Lilianna was for her, Haruto was someone Takahisa probably couldn’t trust, either. 

“...It seems like you trust Haruto quite a bit, Satsuki,” Takahisa said with a slightly biting tone. 

“Well, Haruto does have the track record of protecting Miharu from the moment she came to this world. He even brought her to us. Even though he wouldn’t have gotten anything out of it, helping a stranger... helping strangers like Miharu and your siblings, you know? And when I actually sat down and talked to him, he seemed like a really sincere person.” Satsuki looked at Miharu as she spoke of Rio’s accomplishments and personality. They weren’t entirely strangers, so she fumbled a bit with her words, but Takahisa didn’t seem to find that particularly strange. 

“Then you should trust me, too! And you should trust Lily, who’s been supporting me until now! Do you not want to believe me, Satsuki?” Takahisa objected heatedly. 

“Of course, I believe your feelings about Aki, Masato, and Miharu are true. I also believe you have a responsibility over Aki and Masato as their older brother, and that it would normally be the right thing for you to do. We don’t deny that and won’t stop you from meeting them.” In contrast, Satsuki spoke calmly to Takahisa. 

“Then...!” Takahisa seemed to have taken Satsuki’s words as something encouraging, as he smiled in relief. However, he looked sullen once again because of what Satsuki said next. 

“But if you’re going to meet Aki and Masato, I want you to promise that you won’t ignore their own intentions. While I know you must have been anxious being alone this entire time, that doesn’t mean you can just push your opinion onto others, you know? Not everyone might think the same way as you. Furthermore, you don’t have the power to decide Miharu’s actions for yourself, Takahisa.” 

“...” 

“Sorry for sounding so bossy. But when I look at you right now, all I see is your anxiety. There’s no guarantee that Aki and Masato think the same way as you, and if that were the case, I don’t want you to force your opinions onto them. I’d be happy if you didn’t think of this as me lecturing you, but rather a request from an upperclassman.” Satsuki looked a little guilty as she spoke to the silent Takahisa. 

“Right...” Takahisa pouted and nodded. 

“Then... I doubt I need to ask again, but do you want to see Aki and Masato?” 

“Yes.” 

“The two of them are currently living outside the castle. As heroes, we won’t be able to leave the castle with no explanation to the king, and even if we explained it, they’ll just tell us to call them here. So, if you want to meet them, we’ll have to bring Aki and Masato to the castle. But the final decision of whether they want to come to the castle or not falls on the two of them. How long do you think you can stay in this kingdom, Takahisa?” 

“They figured we’d have a few things to catch up on, so we’ll be staying for a few days longer.” 

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. Haruto will visit the two of them as early as tomorrow to explain the situation. If the two of them agree to come to the castle, he should be able to bring them right over. Can you wait until then?” 

“...Of course.” Takahisa suppressed his desire to see them right away and nodded sullenly. 

“That settles it. Are you okay with this, Miharu?” Satsuki exhaled, turning to Miharu. She nodded slowly. 

“Yes. Sorry, I left all the explaining to you...” 

“It’s fine—this is my job as your upperclassman,” Satsuki boasted a bit, shrugging her shoulders. 

“Thank you. So all that’s left is to wait until Haru-kun... Haruto returns? Was there anything else we had to say...?” Miharu smiled softly and relaxed, which probably caused her to accidentally call Haruto “Haru-kun.” She immediately corrected herself into saying “Haruto,” but Satsuki and Takahisa both heard her clearly. Takahisa looked like he wanted to say something in response to the intimate nickname. 

“...What’s the plan for Haruto?” Takahisa asked, but he couldn’t ask about the nickname Haru-kun. 

“Haruto’s staying in these rooms too,” Satsuki answered. 

“What?!” Takahisa’s expression fell in shock. He looked at Miharu and Satsuki incredulously, as though he was questioning what they were thinking. 

“Even though he’s staying here, he has a separate bedroom.” So it wasn’t a problem, Satsuki implied. 

“Still, staying in the same rooms as a man in your age group...” Takahisa simply couldn’t wrap his mind around it. 

“It was easier to share information by having him stay in these quarters. Anyway, you’re staying in the same rooms as Princess Lilianna, aren’t you?” 

“It’s fine for me! I swear I wouldn’t do anything like forcefully approach a woman, and the other guard knights and attendants are there, too. But here it’s just you and Miharu, right? You’re putting too much trust in him.” 

“You speak as though you’re an exception... Just so you know, Haruto isn’t the type to forcefully approach a woman, either. Isn’t that right, Miharu?” Satsuki laughed with slight exasperation before suddenly turning to Miharu. 

“Eh? Ah, y-yes!” Miharu hadn’t expected to be asked about it, so she was taken aback at first. Takahisa saw that the two of them trusted Haruto completely and frowned in disapproval. 

...Satsuki seems to be concerned about bringing Aki and Masato to the castle, but I’m more concerned not having them with me. And Miharu too... He couldn’t leave them to anyone else. If anything bad happened to them while they were away from him, he’d regret it. 

Aki and Masato will definitely come to see me. Then, the three of us will be together and we can finally settle into a steady life. No, Miharu has to be by my side, too. I will protect her and I’ll regret nothing. That’s why I need to tell her, once Aki and Masato arrive... Takahisa silently decided with determination. 

The conversation continued for a while after that, but before long, they had finished explaining everything they could to Takahisa. Satsuki suggested they go look for Rio, hoping that Takahisa could learn more about him. 

Meanwhile, some time after Satsuki and Miharu had finished their conversation with Takahisa... 

Only a small number of people—including the royal family and their attendants—could access the Galarc castle rooftop garden. Rio found himself seated there with four beautiful princesses: Charlotte, Flora, Christina, and Lilianna. 

Tea and sweets were prepared promptly, and the tea party commenced. 

The attendants and female knights of each kingdom stood around Rio, creating a situation where everyone apart from Rio was a woman. They all stood silently as the princesses chatted brightly amongst themselves. 

The content of their discussion focused on Rio, who was currently the hottest topic of the castle. First, each princess offered him words of congratulations for his promotion to an honorary knighthood. 

“The way you fought at the banquet was wonderful. You drove back the invaders with truly incredible skill, especially that final moment where you cut down the photon bullets with your dagger,” Charlotte said, commending Rio openly. 

“It was a splendid sight. I’m impressed that you were able to cut down those countless bullets of light magic flying at such rapid speeds. Were you able to see the trajectory of all those lights?” Christina asked, admiration in her voice. 

“Yes, somehow.” Rio nodded rather awkwardly, as the eyes of everyone present were focused solely on him. 

“Such a feat cannot be accomplished by just anyone, you realize? Even those who were trained to fight... Would you be able to do it, Vanessa?” Christina asked, turning to question the female knight in her twenties; Vanessa was standing a short distance away from her. She thought for a moment before answering. 

“...I do not believe so. To be honest, I wouldn’t even think of attempting it. Everyone on the upper floor behind Sir Amakawa was at risk of being caught in the crossfire, though I believe he had no choice but to do what he did in that situation.” 

Vanessa...? When Rio heard the name, he felt a faint tug on his memory. He had heard it before, and glanced at Vanessa’s face out of curiosity. 

Not only her name—her face was familiar, too. 

Ah, is she perhaps the female knight that was in the slums that time? Along with Professor and Christina... Rio recalled Vanessa in the recesses of his memory. She was the one who had forced Rio to go to the castle, stating the need for questioning. That had left an impression. 

“What about you, Hilda?” Lilianna turned around to question the oldest knight that was guarding her. Hilda was similar in age to Vanessa. 

“...If I could enhance my physical body with an enchanted sword, I believe I would be able to grasp the basics, but I’m not so confident I would be able to actually see all the trajectories and counter them. It would definitely be impossible with regular physical body enchantment through sorcery or magic,” Hilda replied. 

“That just shows how superior Sir Haruto’s skills are, I suppose,” Charlotte said brightly. 

“I do have a little confidence in my kinetic vision,” Rio admitted somewhat shyly. 

Well, I am enhancing my physical body with spirit arts too, after all, he thought, looking back on the battle. He had suppressed his abnormal power a fair amount so that no onlookers would suspect anything, but even then, Rio had moved in a way that exceeded the normal physical limits that sorcery and magic could enhance up to. 

In his natural state, Rio’s physical body was no different to that of a regular person. He couldn’t move beyond the limits of his body, either. 

“Oh, such modesty. While the other knights were struggling to finish off the other invaders in a one-on-one duel, Sir Haruto shut down six of them easily,” Charlotte said. 

“Yes, it was truly splendid,” Lilianna agreed without hesitation. 

“Oh yes, speaking of which— Princess Flora. You witnessed Sir Haruto fight from up close in the battle at Amande, no?” Charlotte suddenly asked. 

“Huh? Ah, yes... I saw him when he was fighting monsters on the main street, as well as when I was abducted by a mercenary named Lucius.” Flora watched Rio’s expression carefully and nodded. 

“I’ve heard that powerful monsters called minotaurs had spawned, and that Lucius was fairly skilled himself. I would love to hear more about how Sir Haruto fought,” Charlotte expressed curiously with her innocent face, pleading for details. 

“It was amazing. He went face-to-face against a minotaur that was several meters tall with a huge stone sword, and the mercenary... The mercenary was completely overwhelmed... And he used his enchanted sword to repel the sudden breath attack of the demi-dragon...” Flora watched Rio’s face as she grasped for words. In the battle with Lucius, Rio had used some kind of tremendous wave attack that clearly wasn’t magic, but she purposefully chose not to say anything about it. 

“...He really has achieved some tremendous things.” Lilianna’s eyes were round and wide as she looked at Rio, who mustered a bashful smile. Meanwhile, Christina hadn’t said a word to Flora since the start of the tea party and hadn’t even met her gaze once, as though there was no one seated there. 

“...” She gave the slightest of glances to Flora, before frowning faintly. After that, she looked at Rio as though she was about to say something, then hesitated, before ultimately closing her mouth. 

“Hehe, Princess Flora has been saved by Sir Haruto multiple times.” Charlotte smiled almost gloatingly, looking at Christina as she spoke to Flora. 

“Yes. I would like to repay the debt somehow, but...” Flora watched Rio’s face and showed a darker expression on her own. She may have been recalling Rio’s past that she had heard during the battle with Lucius. 

“My answer to that has not changed since I last spoke to you in Amande,” Rio said softly, shaking his head. Christina looked between Rio and Flora’s faces with a thoughtful expression. 

At the gazebo where they were holding their tea party, which was a simple structure placed as a resting area in the garden, a servant girl of the Galarc Kingdom appeared. For her to be permitted here, she must have worked closely under Charlotte. 

“Princess Charlotte, please excuse the interruption. Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu have arrived with the hero of the Centostella Kingdom. They say they’re searching for Sir Amakawa. Shall I show them here?” 

“Of course, go right ahead. Bring them here promptly,” Charlotte said, and the girl left. Less than a minute later, Satsuki and the others arrived behind the same girl. 

“Hello—sorry for disturbing your downtime. Everyone’s here together...” Satsuki blinked at the sight of all the great kingdoms’ princesses gathered together. When she spotted Rio among them, she looked at him in exasperation. 

“...Is something the matter, Lady Satsuki?” Rio inquired. They were surrounded by princesses, so he called her by her title. 

“No, not really... I’m just surprised to see you having fun drinking tea with so many princesses in the short time you were separated from us. I should have expected as much from the Black Knight.” Satsuki seemed to be a little annoyed after all, but she finished her thought with a teasing smile. 

I can’t believe he was off surrounding himself with cute girls while we were caught up in a serious conversation, she thought, puffing her cheeks up slightly. 

“Ahaha... That is the honorable second name bestowed upon me by His Majesty, but I feel the title of ‘Black Knight’ is still too heavy a burden—and somewhat embarrassing to hear. If you could perhaps refrain from using it...” Rio forced an uncomfortable smile as he pleaded with Satsuki in a roundabout way. 

“Oh? But it’s so cool.” 

“I beg of you, Great Hero.” 

“Urgh...” Satsuki’s face twitched in embarrassment. 

“Is everything all right, Lady Satsuki?” Charlotte cocked her head in question. 

“No, it’s just that having Haruto call me ‘hero’ feels really embarrassing, even though I’m fine when other people call me that.” 

“In that case, please call me as you normally do, too,” Rio asked a bashful Satsuki. 

“Fine. Gosh.” Satsuki pouted her lips. 

“Hehe, the two of you seem so close. Now, come and take a seat, the three of you—welcome to the tea party. Lady Satsuki can sit beside Sir Haruto, Sir Takahisa can sit beside Princess Lilianna, and Lady Miharu can sit between them.” Charlotte beamed happily, deciding the order of seating for the three of them and urging them into their seats. 

“Okay, excuse us, then. Let’s sit down, Miharu.” Takahisa walked forward first, pulling out Miharu’s seat for her. 

“...Yeah. Thank you.” Miharu nodded with a slightly troubled face, walking to the seat. 

“Here you are, Lady Satsuki.” Rio also stood up to pull out Satsuki’s seat for her. 

“Thanks, Haruto.” Satsuki chuckled as she sat down. 

Once Takahisa sat in his seat, he turned to Lilianna. “So you were here too, Lily. But how did this lineup gather together like this? Even Princess Christina and Princess Flora are here...” 

“Ah, I was a little curious about that, too. Only 30 minutes have passed since Haruto left the room with Princess Lilianna...” Satsuki immediately jumped on that topic. 

“After Sir Haruto and I descended the tower staircase, we ran into Princess Christina and Princess Charlotte talking together. That was when we decided to have tea,” Lilianna answered with a gentle smile. 

“We were just talking about Sir Haruto right now,” Charlotte explained to Satsuki and the others. 

“Hmm, about Haruto, you say...” Satsuki looked at Rio sitting beside her with interest. 

“Hehe, are you interested?” Charlotte giggled mischievously. 

“Well, yes. Aren’t you, too, Miharu?” Satsuki wasn’t entirely against the idea, nodding before looking at Miharu beside her. 

“...Yes, I am curious.” Miharu nodded firmly, staring closely at Rio on the other side of Satsuki. But Rio seemed to be feeling a little awkward, as he avoided Miharu’s gaze. 

Satsuki and Miharu’s interest was drawn towards Rio, whereas Takahisa looked a little bitter and unamused. When Lilianna noticed that, her widened eyes welled with slight anguish. 

At the same time, Flora seemed to be concerned by Rio and her older sister Christina, as she was glancing between them. Christina seemed to have noticed her little sister’s gaze, but purposefully chose to look the other way. Charlotte carefully observed all of it. 

I had a hunch Sir Takahisa was besotted with Lady Miharu at the banquet last night, but it doesn’t seem like Lady Miharu returns those feelings. But Lady Miharu is in love with Sir Haruto, and although Sir Haruto has noticed this, for some reason, he is trying to distance himself. No, perhaps he’s worried about it? And, finally, Princess Flora seems to hold some feelings toward Sir Haruto, but Sir Haruto thinks nothing of it. Oh, how I look forward to tonight’s banquet. Charlotte’s mouth twitched faintly.