Chapter 7: Banquet, Turmoil of Day 2
Later, on the first floor of the social hall adjacent to the Galarc royal castle, the second night of the banquet was set to begin. Many guests from other kingdoms had been invited by Galarc to attend the second night onwards and were currently entering the venue one after another. The smaller kingdoms present had a favorable relationship with Galarc, in contrast to the large kingdoms, which were in precarious relationships with the host kingdom. The Galarc Kingdom didn’t have alliances with any large kingdoms east of the center of the Strahl region — at most, they had a cordial relationship with the Restoration, Beltrum Kingdom’s special administration to the west of Galarc. Beltrum’s main government had been distancing themselves for a while now, and the Centostella Kingdom to the south refused all diplomatic relations.
However, both the near-estranged Beltrum government and Centostella were attending tonight. The air around the banquet felt exceptional, their presence creating a strange mood among the invited guests, gathering the attention of several small kingdoms. On top of that, it was the first time the disaffected Huguenot faction would come face to face with the main Beltrum government in public, which would have inevitable repercussions, too.
And so, the nobles already in the hall were all impatiently waiting for the official guests from Strahl’s large kingdoms to arrive.
Normally, when a banquet was held in the name of the king of a large kingdom, it was custom for the attending kingdoms to send their own royalty as a representative, but the order of introduction was one-sidedly decided by the host kingdom based on national power and diplomatic relations. Thus, the attendees all looked forward to seeing what order the outside kingdoms would be introduced.
Presently, most of the officials from the small kingdoms had entered already, leaving only the more powerful small kingdoms to go.
“Rubia Kingdom’s First Princess, Princess Sylvie, has arrived!” The announcer’s voice echoed through the hall. The door on the upper floor of the hall opened, revealing Sylvie herself.
Sylvie wasn’t attending with a partner, and instead had five servants accompanying her.
“Ooh, if it isn’t the Princess Knight, Sylvie.”
“What a dignified woman, as always.”
“She normally attends events with her sister instead of a male partner, but I don’t see her little sister this time. It’s rare to catch her alone.”
The eyes of the male nobles were more passionate than for any of the other small kingdom royalty introduced until now. A few female nobles were also watching Sylvie with heated gazes.
Sylvie Rubia — the First Princess of the Rubia Kingdom who had been in a private talk with Reiss and Charles moments ago. She was in her late teens.
She was tall and slender for a woman, her alluring appearance highlighted by her dignified facial structure and beautiful blonde hair that reached down her back. Her most notable feature was the pure white dress she wore. It didn’t have a cute design like those of the other female nobles — its peculiar style nearly resembling ritualistic battlewear; it seemed to only be missing a sword around her waist. As a young lady, her body had a softness relative to her age, but the way she held herself was like that of a warrior.
In reality, her nickname of “Princess Knight” wasn’t for nothing, as Sylvie acted as a knight despite being royalty. Because of that oddity, Sylvie’s name was widespread, despite being a small kingdom’s princess.
Meanwhile, as the nobles in the hall focused their attention on Sylvie, Hiroaki was getting excited as he stood outside the door on the upper floor of the hall.
“Wow, a Princess Knight! In the flesh! Seeing a Princess Knight was a bucket list must for coming to a fantasy world. I’ve been waiting for this moment! If it’s possible, I’d like to hear her say the words ‘j-just kill me!’ too... Whew!” Hiroaki had been completely obsessed with other world fantasies while he was on Earth, so seeing a princess knight was like a dream come true for him. His inner fanboy shone through when he found out that Sylvie was also known as the Princess Knight, leaving him cheering excitedly even after she had entered the hall.
Most of the small kingdoms that were invited had already entered, leaving only the most influential of the small kingdoms and the large kingdoms left. Incidentally, Duke Huguenot and Charles were among those remaining, but while the fated rivals were within each other’s view, they both chose to ignore the other and stand in the corners of the corridor in silence.
Roanna was right beside Hiroaki, watching his excitement with a somewhat strained smile. Just then, a boy approached Hiroaki. He looked to be in his mid to late teens, his silky golden hair falling across his handsome face.
“...May I ask, out of curiosity, what did you mean by ‘just kill me’?” the golden-haired boy asked Hiroaki.
“...Ah? Mind your own business.” Hiroaki’s mood was immediately soured as he glared at the boy.
“How harsh. We may be affiliated with different powers — I was hoping we could get along for at least tonight, as a fellow Japanese person.” The blond haired boy shrugged with a faint smile.
“The halfie with the natural airhead face can shut up. I have nothing to say to you.” Hiroaki had apparently decided to despise the blond boy.
The blond boy showed no discouragement as he immediately went on to address Roanna, who was beside Hiroaki. “In that case, may I ask you the same question instead?”
“Oh, umm. No, I don’t know either...” Roanna was having a hard time answering, which was understandable. The boy standing before Roanna was someone she couldn’t interact with freely, even as the daughter of a duke.
“Hey, you bastard. Don’t go chatting up my Roanna right in front of me. Seriously — playboys need to stay in their own lane. Normies like you who try to play innocent disgust me the most.” Hiroaki made his irritation clear as he flared up at the blond boy.
“I wasn’t going to make a move on her...”
“So shameless... Guys like you end up ruining your own friendships all the time. You say you won’t make a move, but then the woman your friend likes falls for you,” Hiroaki said with an annoyed frown.
“Ahaha, you say that like you’ve experienced it yourself,” the blond-haired boy said in return.
“Tch. Bastard can’t get the hint... Go back to your partner already.”
“Unfortunately, she’s still getting ready. Though she should be here soon.”
“Ah? Well, if it’s a hero you want to talk to, there’s another one besides me. Look, go talk to that woman there,” Hiroaki said, gaze turning towards Satsuki, who was walking over with Rio and Charlotte’s group.
“Oh, so she is the one from the Sumeragi Group...” the blond boy narrowed his eyes at Satsuki’s face and muttered.
“...Long time no see, Shigekura Rui. I wondered if it was you when I heard the name of the hero summoned in Beltrum. What an odd twist of fate,” Satsuki said to the blond boy. His name was Shigekura Rui, the hero summoned to the main Beltrum government.
“How odd indeed. I never imagined that another acquaintance of mine would end up in the same world,” Rui agreed with a strained smile.
“Ah? You guys know each other?” Hiroaki furrowed his brows in doubt.
“Yeah, through our parents’ connections. We’ve exchanged a few words in the past, enough to know each other’s name and face,” said Rui.
“Ah, so you’re rich kids, then. So people living the high life exist in Japan too, huh? No wonder you can’t get the hint.” Hiroaki looked at the two of them as though he was seeing something odd.
“E-Excuse me?” Satsuki’s brows twitched together, her face stiffening. Just then, Flora came up to Hiroaki.
“I’m sorry for the delay, great hero. Changing took longer than expected.”
“You’re here, Flora. No, it’s alright. If you got here any earlier you would’ve just been bothered by a creep,” Hiroaki replied with a smirk. Out of regard for Flora, Satsuki pouted her lips and sighed silently, swallowing her indignation.
“Might you be Princess Christina’s little sister?” Rui asked Flora, his eyes widening.
“...Yes.” Flora nodded fearfully.
“Oh my, speaking of which, Princess Christina has just arrived.” Charlotte, who had been talking to Rio a short distance away, looked towards the end of the corridor. There, wearing the same lavender dress as Flora, was Christina. She was making her way towards Rui.
“I’m sorry for the wait, great hero,” Christina said to Rui first. Flora was in her field of vision, but she acted as though she hadn’t noticed her at all.
“Not at all. There’s still time until we enter the hall, and I just arrived earlier myself.” In reality, Rui had been waiting for quite some time now, but he didn’t breathe a word of that.
“Long time no see, Princess Christina.” Charlotte sprang forward lightly and addressed Christina with a smile.
“Yes, it’s been a while, Princess Charlotte. Thank you for your invitation to this honorable banquet,” Christina with a friendly and elegant smile.
“No, no, we’ve been establishing a secret relationship with the Restoration recently, but we also became more estranged with the main Beltrum government, which I found very sad. I didn’t have high hopes, so I’m so happy to see you accepted our invitation,” Charlotte said with an honest smile.
“The fact that the Galarc Kingdom backed a side in our kingdom’s internal affairs is, at the very least, seen as a problem. However... I attended today in hopes that it could assist in repairing the gap between our kingdoms,” Christina replied flawlessly.
“Why, that would be splendid. Don’t you agree, Princess Flora? You haven’t seen your sister in a while, no? How about taking this opportunity to exchange some words?” Charlotte looked at Flora and heavily touched upon the delicate topic.
Flora gazed at Christina and gulped before opening her mouth. “Umm, Sister...”
“Unfortunately, I did not come all the way here to exchange words with those who have deserted our kingdom,” Christina said, curtly refusing the interaction with Flora. Charles and the other nobles of the Beltrum government observed the scene from a distance.
“Uh...” Flora flinched.
“Oh, what a harsh world it is.” Charlotte expressed her exaggerated disappointment with a sigh.
“Oh? So you won’t even exchange words with me, the hero?” Hiroaki joined the conversation with a bold grin.
“No, the great hero was summoned through the sacred stone belonging to the Beltrum main government, so we are prepared to welcome you at any moment. I apologize for the delayed introduction — I am the Beltrum Kingdom’s First Princess, Christina. It’s an honor to meet you,” Christina said fluently, pinching the hem of her dress to greet Hiroaki gracefully.
Hiroaki was captivated by Christina’s elegant appearance and mannerisms for a moment, before suddenly calming down. “...Ah, well. With how similar you look to Flora, there’s no denying you’re sisters. You have a pretty face too. Though the aura you exude is fairly different.”
“It’s an honor to receive the great hero’s compliment. I hope we have a cordial time tonight. The heroes from my kingdom are eagerly awaiting a chance to meet you as well.” Christina pasted a smile on her face as she spoke to Hiroaki.
“Well, I suppose I could listen to what they want to say. But nothing more than that,” said Hiroaki.
“Please do. Incidentally, I would love to greet the hero of the Galarc Kingdom as well. Might that be you?” Christina nodded with a smile before turning her gaze to Satsuki next.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Princess Christina. I’m Satsuki Sumeragi, the hero summoned to the Galarc Kingdom. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Satsuki said in a ladylike manner.
“I am most obliged by your polite greeting. My name is Christina, the First Princess of the Beltrum Kingdom.” Christina returned the greeting with a royal air about her.
“Now, allow me to introduce Lady Satsuki and my partner for tonight, Sir Haruto. Sir Haruto, please come this way.” Charlotte turned around and called out to Rio, who was watching quietly from a short distance away.
“He is the partner for the two of you tonight? It’s our first time meeting... right?” Christina stared closely at Rio’s face and cocked her head in wonder. At the same time, Flora stiffened and watched them with bated breath.
“Of course it’s your first time meeting. Sir Haruto isn’t a noble, but rather a great hero who stepped into the spotlight recently.” Charlotte smiled cheerily.
“A great hero, you say?” Christina continued to stare closely at Rio. The title of “great hero” was fairly exaggerated, so it was understandable for her to be curious. Rui was also watching Rio with deep interest, his attention focused solely on him.
“Yes. If you could introduce yourself directly, Sir Haruto.” Charlotte oozed confidence as she nodded.
“It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness. As stated, I am Haruto. While it is not appropriate for me to receive the title of ‘great hero’ in the presence of true heroes, I am most honored to be in your audience,” Rio said to Christina reverently, showing humility.
“...It’s nice to meet you too. His mannerisms are reminiscent of a high-ranking veteran knight... May I ask what feat he accomplished?” Christina’s eyes widened faintly as she asked Charlotte.
“Why, it’s beyond what words can describe... To summarize, he saved Lady Satsuki’s close friend, Lady Miharu, repelled a demi-dragon and tsunami of monsters, saved Liselotte Cretia, who is a noblewoman from our kingdom, and finally, he rescued your little sister, Princess Flora, when she was abducted!” Charlotte stared back at Christina and smiled as though she saw through her thoughts.
“...When she was abducted?” Christina asked, focusing on that part alone.
“Oh? Are you worried for your sister after all? It seems like the events that happened at Amande have yet to reach you,” Charlotte said with mischievous delight.
“...No,” Christina erased her expression and shook her head. The first thing that came to her mind when she heard Flora was abducted was the kidnapping incident from when Christina was seven.
However, the one who saved Flora back then was an orphan boy the same age as Christina. He had been admitted into the Royal Academy as a reward and demonstrated truly excellent abilities there, but his origins as an orphan and black hair from his immigrant background meant he was isolated from his classmates. Ultimately, he was slighted at the kingdom’s convenience and disappeared afterward. There was no knowing where he was now...
...It couldn’t be, right? His name and hair color are both different. The incident Princess Charlotte is referring to isn’t the same one, anyway. Christina stared at Haruto’s androgynous face. For a moment, Rio surfaced at the back of her mind, but she soon banished that thought.
“Oh, it looks like Takahisa and the others are here.” Satsuki looked towards the back of the corridor and noticed Takahisa, Lilianna, and Miharu approaching them. Behind them were three female knights.
“Tch, the other hero’s another hunk, huh? And he only has women in tow...” Hiroaki muttered in disgust. As he was doing so, Takahisa and the others spotted Satsuki and came right up to her.
“Sorry for the wait, everyone,” Takahisa said in a refreshing tone.
“The Centostella Kingdom’s hero is here too? This means all the heroes who were invited to the banquet are attending.” Charlotte looked around at the heroes gathered and giggled.
The Galarc Kingdom’s hero, Sumeragi Satsuki. The Centostella Kingdom’s hero, Sendo Takahisa. The Beltrum Kingdom’s hero, Shigekura Rui. The Restoration’s hero, Sakata Hiroaki. These four heroes were assembled, together, for the first time.
“Hmm...” Hiroaki snorted in displeasure. Despite doing so, he had a smug grin on his face, as though he was enjoying the feeling of being someone special.
“I’m sure you’ve all been informed already, but the heroes and their partners — as well as any other attendants — will all enter the venue together. As the princess of the host kingdom, I will be taking the lead with Lady Satsuki and Sir Haruto, so please understand that. For now, we are to wait here,” Charlotte explained smoothly. Unlike the first night of the banquet, King Francois and First Prince Michel were already in the venue to welcome the guests from the smaller kingdoms.
“Ah, I have no intention of getting along with the normies. Let’s go, Flora, Roanna.” Hiroaki took his own partners and relocated them a small distance away.
“Honestly, what an uncooperative man. I’m astounded he can act so smugly just because he happened to get caught up in all this.” Satsuki said, watching Hiroaki’s back with disapproval.
“He seems like a difficult person to please.” Rui gave a small shrug.
“Well, I do agree that we don’t need to act more familiar with each other than necessary.” Satsuki sighed despite herself.
“Indeed. We’ve all established our own positions too, after all. That being said, I’m sure there are things we want to ask each other, so some compromise may be necessary,” Rui agreed.
“Oh, what kinds of things were you thinking of?” Satsuki smiled innocently.
“Ahaha, how harsh of you. Well, if I had to say, then perhaps something about the sorcery hidden in the sacred stones used to summon us to this world?” Rui said, trying to ask about a way to return to Earth in a roundabout manner.
“Unfortunately, there’s no way of returning to Earth,” Satsuki replied bluntly.
“I see, so it’s as I feared. The other possibility I considered was the sorcery hidden in the equally-powerful divine arms... You saw a dream about how to handle the divine arms too, right?” Rui asked Satsuki in an intellectual tone.
“Yes, the one where an unknown voice lectured me, right?”
“Right. It seems like everyone who possesses divine arms sees a dream, then. In my case, I was given no information other than how to handle the divine arms. What about you?”
“Me, too. It didn’t seem like I could hold a conversation with them, and I woke up before I knew it. What about you, Takahisa?” Satsuki shook her head exaggeratedly to emphasize her point.
“Nope, mine was the same as the two of you,” said Takahisa.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet — my name is Shigekura Rui.” Rui gave a friendly smile to Takahisa and Miharu and Lilianna beside him. “As you can see, I’m half-Japanese and lived in the United States until I was sixteen, but I’m a Japanese native, and I was a seventeen-year-old high schooler.”
“That makes you my upperclassman by one year. I’m Sendo Takahisa. Likewise, I was a high schooler. Though I only just entered...” Takahisa said with a bitter smile. When Rui stuck out his hand for a handshake, Takahisa returned it.
“I see. It’s nice to meet you. By the way, you’re Japanese too, right?” Rui asked, looking at Miharu.
“Yes. I’m Ayase Miharu. I’m the same age as Takahisa and one year below Satsuki. Pleased to meet you.” Miharu seemed to be slightly nervous, as she straightened her posture and introduced herself in a stiff voice.
“The pleasure is mine. Your dress suits you very well. I always thought Japanese women suited Japanese-styled clothes better, but I’ll have to reevaluate that thought.” Rui looked into Miharu’s eyes, extending his hand for a handshake like he’d done with Takahisa.
“Umm, thank you very much,” Miharu said hesitantly. She faltered for a moment, wondering if she should return the handshake, before Takahisa stepped in first.
“Sorry, Miharu isn’t very comfortable around men,” he informed Rui curtly.
Rui’s eyes widened slightly before he smiled. “Ah, is that so? Do excuse me. It was custom to use handshakes over bowing in the U.S.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry for the trouble,” Miharu said with a friendly shake of her head. “Takahisa, don’t be rude,” she added quietly, this time offering her own hand out for Rui.
Rui shook hands with Miharu before smiling happily. “Thank you very much. I’d like to ask Haruto and the other two there for a handshake too, but I fear they may be with Takahisa and Haruto. I’ll hold back.” He looked at Lilianna and Charlotte and smiled jokingly.
“No, I am simply her partner for tonight — here by Her Highness’ will. Pleased to make your acquaintance, great hero,” Rio chuckled, offering his hand out for Rui to shake. Rui returned the gesture happily.
“Same here, great hero,” Rui replied with no sign of sarcasm.
“Oh, am I not worth getting jealous over?” Charlotte pouted cutely. Rio could only give a strained smile.
“It’s an unspoken rule that men and women only shake hands in official settings if they have a close relationship. Otherwise, it may be best to refrain from doing it during a first meeting. No one will dare speak against the hero, but there may be people who are bothered by it on the inside. At any rate, I am Lilianna Centostella. It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Shigekura,” Lilianna said succinctly.
“I see. I learned something new today.” Rui nodded cheerfully.
“Miharu, Lily, do you guys have a moment?” Takahisa took Miharu and Lily’s hands, moving them a short distance away.
“Huh? O-Okay.” Miharu casually disentangled her hand and moved with Lilianna. This left Rio, Satsuki, Charlotte, Rui and Christina behind.
“Hehe, it looks like Sir Takahisa and Sir Hiroaki are both gentlemen with a strong possessive nature,” Charlotte said once Takahisa left.
“H-Hey, Char, you can’t say that,” Satsuki chided with a half smile.
“Hahaha. Every man has a little bit of a possessive desire within them. Even I do.” Rui laughed heartily.
“Why, is that so? Then Princess Christina...?” Charlotte asked with excitement, exuding curiosity.
“Princess Christina is a lovely woman, but I have someone I love already. I don’t consider myself possessive over her.” Rui shook his head bluntly.
“Yes. I’m only here as a royal figure. Like Haruto over there, I am simply acting as a partner for one night,” Christina said with a small smile. It almost seemed as though she was mocking herself, but the reason didn’t appear to be because Rui’s feelings weren’t directed towards her.
Charlotte could sense that the relationship between Rui and Christina was a businesslike one and sighed in disappointment. “Why, how candid of you to say so. But this leaves those three to wonder about. If I may ask, Lady Satsuki, were Sir Takahisa and Lady Miharu going out with each other?”
“Hmm, I wonder. There were rumors in middle school that they may have been, but...” Satsuki said, then glanced at Rio.
“...” Rio was watching Miharu and the others in silence. Just then, the door to the hall opened and a knight stepped in.
“Lady Charlotte, preparations in the venue are complete,” the knight reported.
“Everyone, it sounds like they’re ready. Please, this way.”
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the social hall, the royalty from each small kingdom had finally finished entering the venue and were eagerly awaiting the entrance of the four heroes. In the corner of the hall, the Rubia Kingdom’s First Princess Sylvie and her attendants were chatting with the royalty from neighboring kingdoms.
“Introducing the Galarc Kingdom hero, Lady Satsuki Sumeragi, the Restoration’s hero, Sir Hiroaki Sakata, the Centostella Kingdom’s hero, Sir Takahisa Sendo, and Beltrum Kingdom’s hero, Sir Rui Shigekura!” The voice of the announcer echoed. The royalty and nobility in the hall burst into chatter as the door on the upper floor opened.
The first to appear was Satsuki, escorted by Rio and Charlotte. The men from the smaller kingdoms were familiar with Charlotte already, so their attention was focused on Satsuki and Rio.
The younger princesses were watching Rio with particular interest. With his glossy gray hair, his androgynous but sharp and intense features, and his confident attitude while escorting a hero and princess, Rio truly was picture perfect.
As that was happening, Hiroaki appeared next in the doorway. He was accompanied by Flora and Roanna, but unlike Rio, there was no element of surprise here. And so, the nobles in the hall applauded loudly to welcome them, but otherwise didn’t make a fuss.
“Ooh!”
Next to appear was Takahisa, Lilianna, and Miharu. The Centostella Kingdom had shut down all diplomatic relations with their neighboring kingdoms; despite being a large kingdom, the faces of their royalty were pretty much unknown, so the amount of attention they received was quite high. There were bigger cheers for them than for Hiroaki, and the people in the venue strained their eyes to burn the image of the three into their minds.
Finally, the last ones to appear were Shigekura Rui and Christina.
“Ooh...” The nobles in the hall raised their voices. Rather than cheers, this was closer to the stirring that occurred as with Rio. The reason was, of course, because of the internal issues the Beltrum Kingdom was currently experiencing.
The Beltrum Kingdom’s First and Second Princess, representatives of opposing factions, were both attending. In other words: Christina and Flora. The attendees were extremely curious about how the two would interact with each other.
Ah, did it seem like the nobles had a weaker reaction towards me? Is it too predictable of me to bring the same partners two days in a row? Or are faces what matter more for heroes in the end? Tch, I should have asked Liselotte to come too... Hiroaki was displeased with how the cheers for him were weaker in comparison to the other heroes and frowned unhappily.
In contrast to Hiroaki’s mood, the royalty and nobility on the lower floor were reaching the peak of their excitement now that the four heroes had arrived, their eyes glued to them. Behind them, Duke Huguenot, Charles Arbor, and all the other official figures entered the venue and continued to make their way down the stairs, but not many paid attention to them.
Afterward, the opening speech that Francois was to give before the second day of the banquet finally began. During said speech, one person quietly attempted to slip through the cheering crowds. It was Reiss, who had snuck in among the Rubia Kingdom attendants.
“Oi, Rei— Jean. Jean Bernard, where do you think you’re going?” Sylvie noticed Reiss trying to sneak away in the commotion and immediately called out to him. She had been constantly aware of Reiss the whole night, unwilling to let her guard down.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a little business with the wall. Worry not, I shall be back soon. If you’re anxious, you may have someone else accompany me,” Reiss said with a cheery grin. For the record, “business with the wall” was slang for “going to the toilet.”
“...Tch, be back within ten. Hey.” Sylvie ordered Reiss, then sent a signal to one of her female knights to follow him.
“Understood. If you’d excuse me.” Reiss nodded respectfully, then departed with the female knight. He proceeded to leave the hall and head for the restroom.
The corridors were packed with patrolling soldiers, strictly ensuring that no one wandered where they shouldn’t be. In particular, several soldiers had taken up positions before the door to the upper hall to make it impossible to reach Satsuki and others inside.
Reiss narrowed his eyes when he spotted the staircase that led to the upper floor.
“...Hey, walk faster,” the female knight ordered Reiss unhappily.
“Rushing someone in need? I can’t say I’m impressed. Ten minutes is plenty of time to return, so there’s no need to be impatient,” Reiss replied airily.
“Tch.” The female knight clicked her tongue in annoyance, but continued to follow Reiss to the restroom in silence. The toilets were in individual stalls and quite spacious inside. There was a small window for ventilation, but no entrance other than the door.
The female knight opened the door and checked there was no way to escape before hurrying Reiss along. “Make it quick.”
“Yes, I’ll be out soon,” Reiss said, stepping into the stall alone. “As expected of a social hall toilet. They’ve built it so pointlessly large, it’s like they’re asking for intruders to be invited. Perhaps I shall leave it around here, then.” Reiss took out two essence crystals the size of a fist from his breast pocket and placed them both on the floor. One was a magic artifact to set coordinates for teleportation sorcery, and the other was an artifact with sealing barrier sorcery to prevent the fluctuation of ode and mana from being externally detected.
Preparations complete. All that’s left is for the troops set to ambush to arrive once it’s time. But with the boy we confronted in Amande in attendance, this may turn out interesting. I couldn’t sense his contract spirit around, but it could either be lying in wait inside his body in spirit form or moving about on its own. Reiss looked down at the artifacts on the floor in satisfaction, recalling Rio’s face when he entered with Satsuki and Charlotte.
However, his presence won’t be a hindrance this time. As long as the troops rush into the venue as planned, it will be plenty sufficient as an opening move. No matter which way it goes afterward, my mission is complete. Thinking of it that way makes it so easy. I think I’ll spend the rest of my time watching the chaos of the hall and how he intervenes, Reiss thought, a sneer at his mouth. Then, roughly ten seconds later, he opened the stall door as though he had just finished his business.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, let us head back,” Reiss said and returned to the banquet hall.
About one hour later, large numbers of royalty and nobility took turns visiting the upper floor to greet the heroes from each power. However, as Satsuki and Hiroaki had completed their greetings of the Galarc and Restoration nobles yesterday, they only had the officials from small kingdoms greeting them.
Because of this, they had fewer people gathering around them than Takahisa and Rui, and the burden was lessened on Rio and Charlotte.
At the same time, Miharu, who was acting as Takahisa’s partner, was being pressed to respond to a greater number of people than yesterday, partly due to the rarely-seen Centostella Kingdom. Furthermore, King Francois and First Prince Michel were proactively moving around to engage the foreign nobles in conversation.
“Speaking of which, Princess Charlotte. Do you need to greet the foreign officials along with His Majesty and Prince Michel as well?” Rio asked Charlotte during a break in the rush of people.
“No, I’m fine. Father said I should focus on being an assistant to Lady Satsuki and a partner to you, Sir Haruto. Thankfully, that means I am able to stay with you two for the whole night.” Charlotte smiled happily, closing the distance between herself and Rio by stepping closer to him.
“...Be that as it may, Char, you seem fairly fond of Haruto there.” Satsuki noticed how close Charlotte’s sense of distance was and gave her an inquiring look.
“Why, of course. Sir Haruto is a very well-mannered and kind gentleman. It’s like I’ve made a new older brother,” Charlotte answered, leaning coquettishly against Rio’s arm.
“Hmm...” Satsuki looked at Rio with slightly reproachful eyes. “Don’t you think you’re a little too close for that? Right, Haruto?” she asked implicitly.
“Princess Charlotte. While it’s an honor to have you say that...” Rio trailed off, showing his discomfort in a roundabout way.
“Am I a bother?” Charlotte tugged gently on Rio’s arm, bringing him closer to her still-growing breasts.
“No, not at all...” Rio struggled to reply.
“Good for you, Haruto. Congrats on your new, cute little sister.” Satsuki said in a standoffish way, pouting slightly.
...Hmph. Why am I feeling a little irritated? Satsuki thought, feeling confused by her own state of mind.
“People may misunderstand our relationship if you act too familiarly, so it may be better to refrain from anything excessive,” Rio persuaded Charlotte softly.
“Why not let them misunderstand?” Charlotte looked up at Rio’s face, giving him a bewitching expression unfitting for her age. Or so one would think.
Charlotte giggled cheekily and stepped back from Rio, then peered up at his face and batted her eyelashes. “Jokes aside, Sir Haruto, what happened to the promise you made me about asking me out for a dance?”
“Hmm, so you promised such a thing,” Satsuki said curiously.
“Yes. As a woman, I would have liked to have been asked for a dance first, but as a princess, I shall yield the first turn to Lady Satsuki. Now, why don’t the two of you go and dance?” Charlotte said.
“No... Well, if Haruto asks me for a dance, I suppose I shall give him a dance.” Satsuki’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she turned away from Rio.
“May I have your hand for one song, Lady Satsuki?” Rio extended his hand dramatically, a slightly amused smile on his face.
“Then, for just one song...” Satsuki took Rio’s hand hesitantly.
However, just at that very moment, the door on the upper floor of the hall burst open with great force. Everyone in the hall — including Rio and the others — reflexively looked towards the door. Masked men dressed in black outfits and wielding daggers came rushing through the door.
“K-Kyaah!” the women in the hall screamed. The intruders coming through the first floor door ran towards the stairs, sneaking past the chaos of the hall to aim for the staircase leading to the upper floor.
“What?!”
“Get away! Go!”
“Run for it!”
The guests on the first floor all panicked.
“C-Calm down!”
“Let us through!”
“Repel the enemy!”
The security knights patrolling the venue yelled above the commotion. They tried to intercept the assailants, but most of them were being shoved back by the crowds and unable to take action. The attackers took that chance to close in on the staircase, ignoring the other attendees.
Meanwhile, the intruders on the upper floor were trying to attack the heroes and royals who had been chatting away with the guests.
“Protect the royal family and heroes!” Security on the upper floor was stricter than below. Including royalty from the Galarc Kingdom, the heroes, and officials from the other kingdoms, there were only about thirty attendees on the upper floor, making it easier for the knights to move in and create a wall to block the attackers.
There were twenty assailants that had come in through the upper floor door, so with thirty security guards they had the advantage in numbers to repel them, but the attackers were desperate, putting their lives on the line to break through the wall of knights. “Charge from the front and sides! Break through!”
“Don’t let them through! Everyone, gather together behind us!” The commanding knight of the upper floor yelled.
“This way, you two.” Rio immediately moved Satsuki and Charlotte towards the back of the human shield the knights were providing. Miharu, Takahisa, Lilianna, Christina, Rui, Flora, Hiroaki, and Roanna, as well as Francois and Michel, swiftly moved as they were told, knowing they were key targets.
“Hey hey, this is no joke. Gather behind you? They’re coming up the stairs as well! At this rate, we’ll be sandwiched in!” Hiroaki watched the assailants rapidly approaching from below in a panic, then searched his surroundings for an escape. However, there was only one staircase connecting the upper and lower floors, and the area near the upper floor door was filled with awaiting assailants.
There was nowhere to run — they could only wait for the knights to repel the attackers. However, the attackers seemed to have simulated the attack in advance, as there was no hesitation in their movements and each one of them moved with quite a bit of finesse.
While the knights were winning in numbers, the upper floor’s forces were evenly matched.
Meanwhile, the knights squeezing through the crowds on the first floor attempted to block the advancement of the attackers, but as the attackers were a group of around twenty, there was nothing one or two knights could do.
The knights were moving at their own discretion due to their high skill levels as individuals, but that was what was currently ruining them. There were more knights than attackers on the first floor, but as they were scattered all over the large hall, they were being outnumbered in a focused area.
The attackers wielded daggers with the intention of killing, the knights had clubs with no intention of killing, but there wasn’t much difference in arms. However, the attackers coordinated together to take on each lone knight, so the first floor knights were being held back. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they ran up the stairs.
This doesn’t look like a good situation. The knights are starting to gather at the foot of the staircase, but there’s still too few of them. They’ll come up the stairs like this. Rio looked downstairs and processed the situation calmly, before looking at the fight taking place on the upper floor once again. The knights on their side seemed to be managing to repel the attackers, so they weren’t going to break through soon.
“Wh...” Miharu and Satsuki were frozen in fear. It was probably their first time seeing a battle take place in the flesh, so it was no wonder they were overwhelmed by what was happening.
“Satsuki, stay here with Princess Charlotte. Don’t move from here, either, Miharu. I am going to stop their invasion from below,” Rio said, having assessed the situation in mere seconds.
Aishia, can you check what’s happening on the upper floor in your spirit form?
Got it, Aishia replied immediately. At the same time, Rio ran for the staircase.
“Wai— Haruto?!” Satsuki saw Rio heading for the staircase and called after him in a panic. She reflexively tried to follow him. But Charlotte grabbed Satsuki’s dress first.
“Lady Satsuki, there’s nothing you can do dressed like that. Please follow Sir Haruto’s directions. It would be terrible for the kingdom if something happened to you, the hero.” Charlotte said, persuading Satsuki to stop. Her tone was more serious than usual, showing a glimpse of her sense of duty as a royal.
“Ugh...” Satsuki grinded her teeth in frustration.
“It’s okay. Haruto is strong. Please believe in him.” Miharu ran over to Satsuki and joined in persuading her. However, her hand that grasped Satsuki’s dress was trembling slightly.
“Argh, fine! Whatever!” Satsuki accepted in frustration, but remained where she was. Takahisa came running after Miharu in a panic, bringing along Lilianna and her three knight guards.
“M-Miharu, don’t move on your own,” Takahisa said with a slightly flustered look.
“Hilda, if worst comes to worst, use your wall magic at your own discretion to protect us and the other heroes,” Lilianna ordered one of the female knights. The upper floor of the hall had over thirty people present, but it would have been impossible to create a magic wall for them all with just the three of them. Thus, they had to limit the number of targets to protect.
However, even then, there were still slightly greater numbers than would be feasible.
Hilda paused for a brief moment before agreeing. “...Understood. I shall see it through.”
“Tch, they’re coming up the stairs!” Hiroaki yelled. Six knights had gone around the front of the stairs, but fourteen assailants had reached the stairs. They probably wouldn’t be able to fend them off.
“Everyone downstairs! I shall assist you, so feel free to let through any opponents you cannot handle. Augendae Corporis!” Rio took up position halfway down the stairs and called out to the knights below. Then he chanted the spell to activate the bracelet containing physical strengthening sorcery. However, that was simply camouflage that he canceled as soon as it activated, as he instead strengthened his body with spirit arts.
“Ah, the rumored hero. That’s some confidence, but we’ll take your word for it! You lot, don’t die pushing yourselves! Only take on as many as you can handle!” The highest ranked knight by the stairs ordered the other knights.
If they died for nothing, they’d simply be shifting the burden onto someone else. The fact he didn’t tell them to try dying was proof he had a rational head on his shoulders.
“Yes, sir!” The other knights each readied their weapons and clashed with the attackers at the bottom of the staircase.
“Six of you, hold them off!” Six of the assailants moved towards the knights at the foot of the staircase, while the other eight all ran up the stairs. Rio stood in their way.
“Allow me to assist in what little way I can. This should reduce the numbers a bit. Don’t move!” Shigekura Rui took his divine bow in hand and stood on the stairs behind Rio. He pulled his bow ready, took aim, and fired a lightning arrow.
The lightning arrow pierced through one of the attackers in the back. “Guah?!” He was sent flying, a tremendous electric current running through his body, instantly rendering him incapable of fighting.
Rui proceeded to fire one more arrow and pierced through another assailant. But, at that point, the attackers had already drawn near Rio, and the battle on the staircase was getting messy. Determining that the shot would be reckless, he lowered his bow.
“...I leave the rest to you!” Rui yelled, retreating back.
“Understood,” Rio replied, then charged down the stairs. He used the downwards momentum to close in on the attacker in the lead.
“Hah, ah... Guh?!” The attacker reacted to Rio’s movements and thrust out his dagger. However, Rio skillfully avoided the knife-wielding hand and flung the dagger into the distance. Then, he landed his bare fist into the solar plexus of the enemy, knocking him unconscious.
That’s one. Rio looked around at the attackers warily. Then, for one brief instant, the attackers movements faltered. Rio aimed for that moment and closed in on them from a diagonal approach.
“Ah?!” One of the attackers sensed Rio’s advance and reflexively swung his dagger at his torso. However, Rio had read the path of trajectory and swiftly grabbed his hand, restraining it with a powerful knee to the stomach. The attacker’s yell sounded more like a gasp for air.
Two down. Rio closed in on an attacker that had been trying to run past him while he was occupied. He sent a sharp blow of his palm into their side.
“Gah?” The attacker’s body folded like a leaf, sending him crashing to the floor before another assailant trying to run up.
Three.
“Tch!” On the spur of the moment, the assailant leaped over the body of his ally. But in that time, Rio had already jumped with a running start, wrapped around ahead of the attacker, and aimed a kick at his face as he was about to land, pushing him back down the stairs. “...” The attacker’s mask crumbled as he rolled down the stairs, landing in complete silence.
And four. Two more to go, he counted calmly as he landed on the staircase.
“Ugh...” There were two attackers left. Having four of their comrades finished off in ten seconds made them come to a pause. They could sense that it would be impossible to force their way.
“Whoa...” Satsuki, who was watching Rio fight from the top of the stairs, found herself captivated by his tremendous fighting capability. The same went for Miharu, Flora, and Christina.
“The other knights have their hands full fighting one on one, and yet...” Charlotte watched Rio’s fight take place below with wide eyes.
“Archer!” The two assailants Rio was facing moved. One of them yelled loudly, charging towards Rio in a self-sacrificial move.
...Archer? Instantly, Rio felt suspicious. Neither of them had a bow equipped.
Was it a bluff? A hidden weapon? No... Did they mean Rui? Rio listed off a variety of possibilities as he braced himself, observing the attackers every move as they positioned themselves in a line.
“Ngh!” The assailant in the front charged with desperation, thrusting his dagger-wielding right hand forward. He wasn’t focusing on aiming anywhere — it was simply a thrust focusing on speed. Rio calmly parried the assailant’s hand holding the dagger. Or so he thought, when —
“Haaah!” Stab, stab, stab. The attacker attempted a rush attack of thrusts, in what was truly a desperate attack. However, Rio could see through all of it, accurately handling each attack.
The one at the back isn’t moving... If so, I’ll take care of this one first, Rio determined in an instant and shifted his body slightly to the side. The sharp thrust of the attacker sliced through the air a hair’s breadth away from Rio’s torso.
Rio proceeded to go around the attacker’s flank and used his left hand to snatch the dagger away. After cleanly toppling his opponent by kicking his feet out from under him, the attacker floated in the air for a moment. Then, Rio landed a sharp backhanded chop to the attacker’s abdomen.
“Gah...!” The assailant’s body hit the ground with great force, knocking him out with a groan.
“Photon Projectilis!” The other assailant waiting behind the first one read Rio’s movements and aimed his finger before chanting a spell.
Archer... so they meant a long-ranged attack. Rio held the dagger he stole from the attacker at the ready. In the next moment, several bullets of magic light came firing towards Rio.
“Hah!” Rio locked on all the flying bullets within his sight and poured magic essence into the dagger in his hand. He raised its strength with spirit arts, then swung it faster than the eye could see, mowing down the assailant’s bullets one after another, scattering them.
“Wha...?!” Both the attacker who fired the photon bullets and those who witnessed the scene were all rendered speechless. In the meantime, Rio simply adjusted his grip on the dagger to a backhanded one and charged at the frozen attacker.
“Guh...” Using the pommel of the dagger, he struck the attacker in the solar plexus. The attacker clutched his stomach as he collapsed.
As a result, the only one remaining conscious on the stairs was Rio.
Reinforcements came running downstairs, and they’ve captured all the attackers. As for above... Rio looked below and confirmed the six attackers at the foot of the stairs were being apprehended. Next, he moved to go upstairs.
Reinforcements came through the door. The fight upstairs is over, Aishia’s voice echoed in Rio’s head. Once he confirmed the battle was completely over, Rio decided to abide by the rules of the banquet and discarded the dagger in his hand, effectively laying down his arms. It fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Oooh!” The royalty and nobility in the hall who had been watching Rio cheered. Those cheers soon reached every end of the hall.
Goodness me, what a sight to behold, as always. I didn’t expect this many troops to stand any real chance, but he really took the spotlight. Reiss watched Rio with admiration from the crowd of guests taking refuge at the back of the first floor space.
“...Hey, Reiss.” Sylvie said.
“Oh? My name is Jean Bernard, Princess Sylvie.” Reiss shrugged his shoulders, grinning.
“The attack just now... don’t tell me...” Sylvie glared at Reiss with suspicion.
“Tell you what?” Reiss cocked his head nonchalantly.
“...I have something to discuss with you later. Don’t try and pull anything strange, got it?” Sylvie seemed to be aware of the people around her, as she threatened Reiss in a low voice.
“I’m not sure what you’ve misunderstood here, but are you suspecting me of doing something?” Reiss responded aloofly.
“Silence. If you did what I suspect you of doing, you may drag our kingdom down into an international dispute. You’re telling me everything later,” Sylvie pressed in a demanding tone.
“Well, I suppose I have borrowed your little sister as a sign of our friendship, after all. I could entertain you in some discussion as a return for that,” Reiss chuckled with a smirk.
“Ngh...”
“Oh my, how scary.” When the glare in Sylvie’s eyes intensified, Reiss gave a casual shrug.
Meanwhile, Francois was rushing the knights into transporting the unconscious assailants. He didn’t want them to be within view of the guests for too long. “Hurry it up. Find out who they are no matter what. Start the investigation inside the building too.”
The knights promptly dashed about the hall, carrying the apprehended and unconscious attackers outside.
After Francois had given out orders, he turned to Rio and Rui to thank them. “Haruto, you have done a great deed. Your ability to repel the attackers coming up from the stairs was truly splendid. Sir Rui, thank you for driving back the enemy too.”
“I simply fired two arrows. No matter what you think of it, Haruto contributed the most. In fact, I’m sure he would have managed perfectly fine without me,” Rui said, passing the achievement onto Rio.
“The guests will be on standby within the hall until we can confirm the area is secured. But I’d like to officially announce your meritorious deeds to raise morale. Will you cooperate with this?” Francois asked, cleverly wanting to put their military exploits to good use.
“Gladly.”
“Of course.” Rui and Rio agreed readily. Rio’s efforts by the staircase had been witnessed by all the nobles in the hall, and many of them also had seen Rui use his divine arms for a brief moment, too. It was the perfect morale booster.
As a result — on top of the fact that no one other than the assailants had been killed in the attack — Rio and Rui received an abundance of praise from the guests.
Exactly as planned. Now, to remove the evidence. Reiss looked up at Rio and Rui on the upper floor and casually reached into his breast pocket, crushing the small gems there. At the same time, the assailants that had been carried outside all began to writhe in pain, their bodies convulsing as they died. However, at that point, no one inside the venue was aware.
Afterward, the safety of the area around the venue was confirmed and the curtains closed on the second night of the banquet, with no official notice of the assailants’ deaths.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login