Interlude: Sakata Hiroaki’s Interlude
Meanwhile, at the Restoration that was essentially being led by Duke Huguenot—
Their hero, Sakata Hiroaki, remained in the Galarc Kingdom instead of returning to their headquarters in Marquess Rodan’s territory.
As the symbols of the Restoration, Hiroaki and Flora were to use this chance to stay in the Galarc Kingdom to mutually deepen their friendship; it was what Duke Huguenot had discussed with King Francois the other day.
That being said, the mutual deepening of their friendship was for show. Their real aim was to implicitly select a candidate from the Galarc Kingdom’s nobility to become Hiroaki’s future concubine as they continued their friendly relationship.
Thus, on the day when Rio and Miharu departed the kingdom, Hiroaki was mingling with the noble ladies of Galarc with Flora and Roanna.
Today’s partner was Lisette, the daughter of the great lord Duke Gregory. However, today wasn’t their first time meeting each other—they had already interacted several times, and were invited to a tea party with several of her followers today.
Incidentally, the reason why Flora and Roanna were present was because they were representatives of the Restoration and needed to demonstrate to the Galarc side that they would one day become Hiroaki’s first wife or an equally high-ranking concubine. That being said, they couldn’t butt in unnecessarily, so they were simply watching over Hiroaki interacting with the young noblewomen of the Galarc Kingdom openly.
“Why, Sir Hiroaki seems to be very fond of eating sweets.” The young women were currently chatting happily with Hiroaki in order to please him.
“Yeah, though I may appear less manly because of it,” Hiroaki answered with a shrug.
“Not at all!”
“Yes. If you enjoy sweet foods, that just means it’s something else we have in common to discuss.”
“Moreover, making sweets is a hobby of Lady Lisette’s. How about you try the sweets she makes, Sir Hiroaki?”
“Why, that would be lovely. The cake Lady Lisette made before was so delicious...”
“Lady Lisette, wouldn’t this be a good chance to make something for Sir Hiroaki?”
The girls displayed magnificent coordination as they gossiped openly. They were daughters of dukes themselves, but they made sure to remember to praise Lisette, the host of the tea party.
“...Fine. It’ll be my first time serving a gentleman, but if Sir Hiroaki so desires, I’d be happy to do so.” Lisette blushed, peering at Hiroaki’s face shyly.
“Well, I don’t mind... But are you sure? I’m not a man that would lie about food. I’ll give my opinions without any reserve. Is that all right?” Hiroaki’s lips turned upwards teasingly.
“Well, when I imagine myself disappointing you, I feel very nervous, but... I want you to try my sweets despite that,” Lisette said, batting her eyes at Hiroaki.
“Oh? Sounds good to me. Then it seems like we’ll have to pick a date for our next tea party. I’ll eat whatever you make, so bring it,” Hiroaki said smugly.
“Of course!” Lisette nodded happily.
After that, the conversation continued to revolve around Hiroaki as time passed. Hiroaki seemed to be faintly aware that the people present here desired marriage and was enjoying the harem-like circumstances. However—
“Hahaha...”
Out of nowhere, thoughts of Liselotte—another noblewoman in Galarc who Hiroaki favored the most—came to mind and pulled him back to reality. If he were to choose a fiancee aside from Flora and Roanna, the first person that Hiroaki considered most suitable was Liselotte. It was disappointing that she had departed for Amande so soon after the end of the banquet.
Well, Lisette’s cute, too, and understands how to tickle a man’s instincts. She pays attention to things outside of just typical conversation, so I want to give her a passing mark, but... When compared to Liselotte... she just can’t hold a candle to her, really. Lisette and Liselotte. Even their names are similar. But it’s like she’s just one charm short of being a heroine...
He gave a rather harsh—if not rude—assessment of Lisette in his mind.
This is no good. I have to forget about Liselotte for now.
Hiroaki sighed quietly, trying to snap out of his mood.
“Are you not feeling well? You seem a little pale.” Lisette noticed the change in his expression and watched him softly.
“Ah, no, that’s not it. I just remembered something.” He hadn’t wanted to say his honest thoughts out loud like a fool, so he tried to evade the question awkwardly.
“Oh my, what did you remember?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Hiroaki’s gaze wandered as he racked his brains for an excuse, when a perfect one came to mind. “Ah, right. Did you hear the rumor of the hero from another kingdom creating a commotion in the castle the other day?”
“...Yes, somewhat. There were several witnesses, after all.” Lisette and the girls exchanged looks before nodding nervously. They knew that Hiroaki was referring to Takahisa, but no matter how much Takahisa was at fault, they had to be extremely careful when speaking negatively about the hero of the Centostella Kingdom.
It would be one matter if they were only in the presence of trusted friends, but as public figures, they couldn’t outwardly look down on another kingdom’s hero. Any careless comment could lead to disastrous problems for their family. It was understandable that they would hesitate to respond.
“After hearing what happened, I felt humiliated as another hero. How utterly embarrassing. Be honest—what did you think?” Because he was another hero, Hiroaki didn’t seem to have such considerations in mind, and boldly sought the opinion of Lisette and the others.
“Umm...” Lisette and the girls all broke out in a cold sweat.
“Sir Hiroaki, please refrain from touching upon delicate topics.” Roanna, who had been observing silently until now, sighed as she admonished Hiroaki.
“Hmm? Well, it may be so for you guys, but to me it was more like, ah, he’s gone and done it now. I wish I could have had the chance to give him a piece of my mind,” Hiroaki lamented.
“...” Roanna held her tongue and said nothing more.
“Well, I suppose he got a little too full of himself. With a slightly good-looking face like that, he was probably a normie in Japan, as well. Must have assumed he could do whatever he wanted the moment he gained some cheat-like power in another world, huh?” Hiroaki started bad-mouthing Takahisa animatedly.
“However, in reality, you can’t just do what you want. Being able to act like a piece of shit without any repercussions is a privilege for main characters in works of fiction. If you cross a line you shouldn’t cross in reality, of course everyone would be completely disgusted. Well, I suppose even if he were a main character, I’d be pretty stressed reading about him being overpowered, defeated, and then having his woman taken away from him. That kind of plot would definitely get flamed online...”
After saying that much, he seemed to feel a kind of sympathy for Takahisa and smiled bitterly. However, in the end, no one else present was able to understand what Hiroaki was trying to say—they all watched on in awkward confusion.
Hiroaki seemed to realize that the reaction wasn’t what he had hoped for. “Ah, let me put it simply. As another hero, I just wished he would act with more consideration of his position. If just one person like him is a hero, it hurts the image of the other heroes, too. Which wouldn’t be good for the kingdoms borrowing the power of the heroes, either, you know?” He gave an exaggerated shrug and looked around the room for agreement.
While everyone was hesitating to agree, Roanna opened her mouth first. “...I’m always amazed by your awareness of your position as a hero and figure of the public. As expected of you.”
“Ah, no, it’s only obvious. Nothing to be praised over.” Hiroaki looked slightly embarrassed as he responded humbly.
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