Chapter 8 | The Assassin Is Named a Holy Knight
Following the dinner with Duke Gephis, there were many more parties and social functions my family and I had to attend. As I’d expected, it all became exhausting before long.
A certain number among the nobility considered it a sign of status to leave the management of their domains to subordinates and then live in a villa in the royal capital. Going to gatherings with other aristocrats became the daily routine. I didn’t know how they handled it.
“You’re so popular, Lugh. In just a few days here, you’ve been flooded with wedding proposals.”
“Mom, will you stop that? I’m tired enough already.”
The only reason I was being sent around the country in Epona’s place was to give the central government an excuse to keep her in the royal capital. I was a sacrificial pawn. Still, many took the central government’s announcement at face value, and I was bombarded with offers of marriage wherever I went.
“Dia, you’re getting lots of them yourself,” I commented.
“I’ve passed on them all. It sickens me to even look at them,” she replied.
Dia had turned down an impressive number of proposals while living in Viekone, so she probably hated these sorts of things even more than I did.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm, I’m actually glad to hear that,” my mother said. “You should have seen your faces during the dinner.”
Dia blushed slightly. “I was really touched, Lugh. You didn’t hesitate at all.”
I’d trained myself never to show emotion, but that had been a moment of weakness.
“…Please don’t tease me too much.”
“You’re so cute today, Lugh,” Dia remarked, and she reached over to hug me on the bed I was sitting on.
There was jealousy in Tarte’s eyes. If she wanted to embrace me, too, she should have done so.
“We finally only have two more days. It feels like we’ve been here forever,” I said.
Since arriving, it had been nothing but social functions. The medal ceremony was today, and once the afterparty concluded, we could finally head back to Tuatha Dé. We’d only been here for a short while, but I’d become quite homesick.
“This is your big moment, Lugh, so we need to dress you up nicely,” my mom all but sang.
“Ah, I’ll help with that. Ta-daa! I have a makeup kit. Even guys can look good when they put on a little,” said Dia.
“Um, I’ll do what I can, too,” Tarte chimed in.
The three of them closed in on me. It was a bit frightening. Dad saw the scene unfolding and chuckled.
“…Dad, do you enjoy seeing me in pain?” I asked.
“No, I was just thinking about how you’ve always been so strangely mature from such a young age, but that all falls apart in front of them,” he answered.
“Aren’t you the same with Mom, Dad?”
“You’re not wrong. It may always be the women who wear the pants in the Tuatha Dé household.”
I couldn’t accept that. As a man, I wanted to lead.
In the end, I was helpless against the mysterious power the girls of this family held, and they dressed me as they pleased. Fortunately, the end result wasn’t so bad.
The ceremony to recognize distinguished service was being held within the castle before an audience with the king. As the stars of the show, Epona and I would go last.
Carriages had been coming and going endlessly from the castle since morning. Many guests were from foreign countries. As this ceremony concerned demon slaying, it was relevant to people of all nations.
Dia used makeup to disguise her face slightly as a precaution. There were visitors here from Viekone as well.
Someone called me from where I’d been waiting and guided me to the door leading to the throne room. Epona was already there. She was wearing a dignified men’s blue and white outfit that befit the hero.
“Hello, Lugh. Have you been comfortable here in the capital?” she inquired.
“Honestly, I’m sick of going to party after party. I don’t know how you put up with this lifestyle.”
“Ah-ha-ha, you get used to it. How does my power feel?”
“I’m growing accustomed with time. The excessive strength threw me off at first, but with some work, I’ve become able to manage it.”
All the might in the world didn’t mean much if you couldn’t control it. Managing my recent jump in physical ability was trying, but I was handling it well enough.
“That’s good. You’ll definitely be able to kill demons.”
“Yeah. Even solo-type demons shouldn’t be a problem for me now,” I declared.
Demons fell into two categories, solo-type and commander-type. The latter were creatures like General Orc, who summoned countless underlings and crushed everything in their paths with overwhelming numbers. On the opposite side of things were solo-types, which couldn’t create monsters but possessed unbelievable power.
Without Epona’s gift, I still would have been able to defeat commander-type demons, but solo-types would have been difficult.
There’s no doubt both kinds were a significant threat, regardless of their differences.
“Honored hero, Lord Lugh, please come this way,” called a servant. He opened the door, meaning our time had come.
A red carpet extended to the throne, flanked on either side by attendees. I noticed a surprising face among the crowd—Maha. Perhaps a select number of prominent merchants had been invited to help make this a grand affair.
Maha had purposely kept her attendance a secret from me and stuck out her tongue when I locked eyes with her.
“I can’t believe that girl.”
Epona and I walked down the carpet together. It was embarrassing having everyone’s eyes focused on us. When we reached the king, we knelt and bowed our heads.
The ruler of Alvan looked to be a timid and overly kind sort of person.
“Hero Epona. Raise your head,” he commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Epona replied, and she stood.
“You did splendidly in eradicating the demon during the recent battle. You rendered service befitting of your title. I hereby confer upon you these rewards.”
The king then read out the list of Epona’s compensation. A troubled look crossed her face when the king stated that everything would be delivered to her family’s household. She was quick to erase that expression, however, and accepted the prizes graciously.
“Next, Lugh Tuatha Dé. You located the demon in the midst of all that chaos and guided the hero to it. You also routed more monsters than anyone, including the hero, and you continued to fight until the demon was slain. Despite not being the hero yourself, you demonstrated strength and prowess that rivals his own. This birth of this young legend is a blessing from the gods!”
The audience got even more excited for me than they had for Epona. Someone from a low-ranking noble family being treated as the hero’s equal was the kind of success story that only existed in fairy tales. Anyone would have been delighted to be in my shoes. I was not all that pleased about this, however.
“Lugh Tuatha Dé, I bestow upon you the position of Holy Knight. You will receive privilege equal to that of the hero.”
“I am much obliged.”
Holy Knight. The name was a bit excessive. Being granted the same privileges as Epona was also a surprise. Her authority was far-reaching. With this, I’d be able to do just about anything I pleased.
“Come before me.”
I obeyed the king and approached. He placed a necklace on me. Strung on it was a pocket watch in the shape of a sword, a symbol of my new status.
“Lugh Tuatha Dé, I expect results in keeping with your new station. Go and wipe the demons from this land,” proclaimed the king.
“I will give my best efforts to live up to your expectations, Your Majesty,” I responded.
A few people started to clap, and the whole room quickly broke into thunderous applause. Had the situation been different, this may have been rather touching. Yet, considering I was tasked with killing creatures immortal against all but the hero, the standing ovation was like cheering at a funeral.
I had been searching for a way to kill demons, but the king and those in the audience didn’t know that. Thinking about this was making my head hurt.
The rest of the ceremony played out as expected. We then moved to a dance hall, and the gathering turned into a grand party. Music sounded through the large chamber, and many people began to dance.
It wasn’t long before I was surrounded and bombarded with questions. I stuck to safe answers to avoid making any comments that could be used against me. There were so many people approaching that I couldn’t even find time to eat.
As soon as I finally felt like I’d have a chance to catch my breath, the music changed. A crowd of noble ladies rushed over to me, seeing it as an opportunity to invite me to waltz. All I wanted to do was slip away. Then I felt someone grab my hand.
“Would you allow me this dance?”
“Gladly, proxy representative of Natural You.”
It was Maha. She couldn’t have made an appearance at a more opportune time. Waltzing with her would be much less stressful than with some girl I was barely acquainted with.
I’d learned how to dance a long time ago, specifically for infiltrating gatherings like this. Maha was also experienced in these matters, due to being the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She’d received a high-quality education before being orphaned and had plenty of chances to polish those skills while serving as my representative at Natural You.
“You seem tired, Sir Holy Knight.”
She was using a different form of address with me than usual. Illig Balor and Lugh Tuatha Dé were separate people, and as far as anyone knew, this was the first time Lugh and Maha had met.
“What can I say? This kind of thing doesn’t really suit me,” I said in reply.
“I don’t think that’s true. Even surrounded by vanity and fantasy, you can dance skillfully.”
“Can and want to are different things.”
“Then what is it you’re doing now?”
“I’m dancing because I want to. This isn’t so bad when it’s with you, Maha.”
She looked stunning in her blue dress, and she radiated a mature sort of charm. This kind of womanly appeal was something Dia and Tarte couldn’t match.
“Hee-hee, I’m glad to hear it. I have a prophecy for you. Good news will arrive soon.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Maha’s ambiguous statement was likely referring to something I’d been seeking for a while using the Balor Company information network.
The music’s intensity grew as it reached its climax, and the dancing quickened to match it.
A smile crossed Maha’s face. Spending time with her like this released all the pent-up frustration building in me since arriving in the royal capital. It wasn’t chance that we ended up dancing like this—Maha was worried about me and had sought me out faster than anyone else. I wanted to return the favor.
Using a special method of directed speaking so that others wouldn’t overhear, I stated, “Maha, after returning home, I’ll be heading to Milteu. I have some jobs to take care of.”
“You’re as busy as ever.”
“I guess so. But after that, let’s take a day to go on a date.”
“That would be lovely. I’ll dress up as nicely as I can. I’ll make theater and restaurant reservations, too. And then…”
Her plans came out swift. It was shaping up to be an eventful day, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Typically, I was always taking the lead. It was nice to be on the other side for a change.
I danced with Dia next, and before I knew it, the party was over. Despite the late hour, my family and I decided to head home now rather than wait until morning.
This trip had proven fruitful in several ways. The few chances I’d have to train during breaks in my cluttered schedule were going to be very important.
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