“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Sumeragi. I am the head of the Duke Cretia house, Cedric. By your leave, please allow me to introduce everyone to you. From the Beltrum Kingdom, this is the hero, Sir Sakata, the second Princess Flora, and Duke Fontaine’s daughter Lady Roanna. Everyone else aside from Haruto are my family members. This is my wife Julianne, my son George, and his fiancee Colette. I believe you are acquainted with Liselotte from the other day?” Cedric said succinctly.
“Pleased to meet you. It’s an honor to be meeting the three of you, who have come all the way from Beltrum Kingdom, as well as the nobles that represent Galarc Kingdom,” Satsuki said respectfully.
“There’s no need to stay on our feet for any longer. Please, let us have a seat,” Cedric urged.
At the same time, the members of the Cretia family immediately decided on the seating based on social status and affiliation in their heads. They shuffled from the places they had been sitting at moments ago, encouraging Satsuki and Hiroaki and the others into their spots. In the end, everyone had their seats and faced one another.
Satsuki sat down and faced Hiroaki, immediately talking to him with a friendly voice. “I had heard there were heroes summoned to every area just like me, but I’m happy to be able to actually meet one in person, Mr. Sakata Hiroaki. I doubt there’s even a need to confirm this, but you’re from Japan too, correct?”
“Well, yeah. It’s strange to meet another Japanese person in a fantasy world, but the main hero summoned to the Beltrum Kingdom also had a Japanese name, so there must have been some kind of rule behind it. Though I’m a little surprised to see a Japanese person other than a hero in this world,” Hiroaki said, looking at Miharu.
“Miharu was dragged into the summoning along with me and another person, our friend, who probably ended up as a hero as well,” Satsuki explained.
“Huh, dragged into a summoning. Well, that’s the typical way things go. But if you’re not a hero, then you don’t have a divine arms, right?” Hiroaki seemed to have an interest in Miharu’s circumstances, as he questioned her out of his own curiosity.
“Yes. I couldn’t understand the language of this world when I first arrived.” Miharu nodded.
“Oh, damn. Seriously? Being summoned to another world without any cheat-like benefits sounds more like a punishment... What a tragedy,” Hiroaki said heartily. Satsuki pouted a little unhappily to hear Hiroaki’s insensitive remarks to a girl he was meeting for the first time.
“No, thankfully Haruto took me into his care.” Miharu shook her head with a frown.
“Huh? Haruto, you say?” Hiroaki narrowed his eyes in suspicion and looked at Rio.
“Miharu was summoned to a location completely separate from me and our other friend. She was thrown into a grass field in this world and was wandering, lost, when Haruto saved her, or something.” Satsuki had lost a lot of her original friendliness, explaining things with a rather prickly tone.
Hiroaki accepted the explanation, then stared at Rio’s face once more. “Hmm, so that’s why you asked to accompany Liselotte to the banquet... But you said your parents were immigrants, right? Were they actually from Earth? Face aside, your name sounds a little Japanese. Hmm... Wait, hold on. You couldn’t possibly... be a hero, right? Is that enchanted sword a divine arms?” He seemed to have misunderstood the reason as to why Rio had taken care of Miharu.
“You jest. As I informed you when we first met, my parents are immigrants and I am a human born and raised in this world. I have friends I have known for a long time, too. The enchanted sword is not a divine arms.” Rio shook his head as though to dismiss the ridiculous thought.
“Ah, right. It was just a thought. I thought it was a pretty fantastic deduction, but now that you mention it, you knew one of Liselotte’s attendant girls already. Still, that was a lucky break. If you hadn’t been the first one to find her, wouldn’t her life pretty much be over?” Hiroaki said jokingly.
“Please stop being so insensitive. Slave merchants actually tried to abduct Miharu because she didn’t know the language,” Satsuki said to Hiroaki harshly.
“Hey, hey, are you serious? Well, not knowing the language would certainly be a disadvantage, but...” Hiroaki’s eyes widened as he stared closely at Miharu. He didn’t say it out loud, but his gaze was clearly stating: “Looks like that would definitely sell high.”
“But?” Satsuki asked cheerfully.
“Ah... Nope, it’s nothing. By the way, how old are you guys?” Even Hiroaki realized that would be a bad comment to make and changed the topic.
“I just turned sixteen years old.”
“...I’m seventeen this year.” Miharu and Satsuki told him their ages.
“Heh, so you’re former high schoolers.” Hiroaki grinned.
“And how old would you be?” Satsuki asked.
“...Nineteen.” Hiroaki offered his age after a delicate pause.
“So a former university student?”
“Ah, you shouldn’t ask anyone who’s nineteen if they’re in a university or not — it’s generally considered tactless. There might be people who failed their exams out there.”
“Oh, so you failed your entrance exams. Sorry about that.”
Just who was the one lacking tact here? Satsuki thought as she ducked her head with a friendly smile.
“Tch, must be nice to be a student that doesn’t have to do their exams anymore. Just so you know, I’m only in this situation because I wouldn’t take anything less than my first choice school. I did get a B-grade. I simply passed up on my backup school. The high school I went to is a famous one too.” Hiroaki clicked his tongue.
“I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of, though. It isn’t rare for a prep school to have people take their exams multiple times.” Satsuki said incredulously.
“I’m not ashamed of it,” Hiroaki said, growing even more displeased. A tense air descended upon the room.
Satsuki had nothing more to say to Hiroaki, instead looking at Rio to question him curiously. “That aside, what do you think of our dresses, Haruto?”
“I think they suit the two of you very well,” Rio replied to the sudden spotlight with a faint smile.
“I see — thank you.” Satsuki laughed pleasantly. Miharu looked bashful. Hiroaki watched the two of them and snorted.
“Well, in that case, what do you think of my dress, Sir Haruto? There are so many beautiful people here, I’ve lost my confidence a little,” Charlotte asked, also seeking Rio’s opinion.
Rio sat up straight with a troubled expression. “I think it suits you extremely well,” he replied simply.
Charlotte grinned widely. “Why, thank you very much. In that case, I’d like you to attend one of the three days of the banquet with me as my partner,” she asked suddenly.
“No, while that would definitely be an honor...” Rio trailed off, struggling for words. It was disrespectful to decline, but he didn’t think it was something that he could accept lightly, either.
“Oh? In that case, I would like to have Haruto as a partner for one day too,” Satsuki said, jokingly stepping forth as another candidate.
“Then, Lady Miharu and Liselotte can have Sir Haruto for today, while the second and third day will be monopolized by Satsuki and I with one day each,” Charlotte summarized, completely on board with the idea.
Rio was at a complete loss as he attempted to interrupt. “I believe the two of you may be getting a little hasty there...”
“Haha. You’re in great demand, Haruto.” Cedric laughed heartily.
“Meh!” Hiroaki grumbled in disgust.
“...” Flora looked somewhat envious, frowning as she watched their exchange. Seated opposite her, Miharu noticed.
...Is the princess watching Haruto? She wondered, before Flora’s eyes suddenly turned to the front. When she made eye contact with Miharu, she gave a slightly uncomfortable bow as she realized she had been caught looking at Rio.
Miharu watched Flora questioningly as sh
e returned the bow.
“...It was mentioned that Lady Miharu is under Sir Haruto’s protection, but you weren’t present at Amande, if I recall correctly?” Flora questioned Miharu nervously as she watched Rio.
“Yes. I was living elsewhere with Haruto’s friends,” Miharu replied honestly.
“Ah. Come to think of it, you had some fairly pretty followers with you in Amande. Are those two not here today?” Hiroaki had clear memories of Aishia and Celia accompanying Rio at the time.
“Yes. They’ve swapped places with Miharu and are visiting my friends instead,” said Rio.
“I see. While it’s against my principles to show interest in another man’s women, I would have liked to see those two in gowns,” Hiroaki said a bit shyly.
“Oh? Are those of us here not enough for you, great hero?” Liselotte laughed mischievously.
Hiroaki looked back at Liselotte, who was seated a fair distance from him. “Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. If, say, Liselotte was sitting before me as a conversation partner, then I probably wouldn’t show any interest in any other woman,” he said smugly. In other words, he wanted to be the center of attention.
These two Japanese chicks — especially that stuck-up Satsuki one — don’t seem like they’ll be as considerate as Liselotte can be. While Flora has the looks, the way she speaks is... Well, I don’t mind her beside me, but the order we’re in just doesn’t cut it.
At present, Satsuki was seated opposite Hiroaki in the seat of honor, and beside her was Miharu. Meanwhile, the quiet Flora was seated beside Hiroaki. Because of that, Hiroaki wasn’t the center of attention like he usually was, which he found quite dull.
Honestly, what a rude man. He’s basically saying that it’s a drag having me seated before him. Well, I feel the same way about having you before me. I’d much prefer Haruto there. Satsuki saw through Hiroaki’s true intentions and raged on the inside while maintaining her smile.
“You have two such pretty and adorable girls with you already, how greedy of you to make a pass at Liselotte as well,” Satsuki said to Hiroaki with sarcastic exasperation.
“Oh? This is a polygamous world, you know. I’d appreciate it if you keep irrelevant comments to yourself.”
“You mean you have no intention of choosing one person?”
“I don’t want to rank the women who adore me. I have no intention of rejecting anyone, y’know?” Hiroaki replied with a huff and a sneer.
“...Is that so.” Satsuki couldn’t find anything else to say through her exasperation and ended the conversation there. She couldn’t imagine Liselotte adored Hiroaki by any means, but she chose not to voice that out loud.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and a guard entered the room. “Excuse me. It is almost time for everyone to enter the venue.”
◇ ◇ ◇
The first floor of the social hall used as the venue for the banquet — the largest hall in the Galarc Kingdom — was crowded with royalty and nobility.
The venue was decorated extravagantly from floor to ceiling in a show of the king’s power. The chandeliers lit by the sorcery in them alone were enough to qualify the hall itself as a palace.
The hall could accommodate a maximum of 5,000 people in a stand-up buffet arrangement, but for a banquet to be held comfortably, roughly half that number was best. Tonight, about 1,500 elites had gathered at the venue, so there was plenty of room to use the hall comfortably.
The first day of the banquet was limited to the royalty and nobility affiliated with the Galarc Kingdom and Beltrum Kingdom’s Huguenot faction, so that number would increase by several hundred by the second day on.
“So, it’s finally time to unveil the hero of our kingdom.”
“The rumors say she’s a young girl, only seventeen years of age.”
“I’ve heard that she’s extremely beautiful.”
“Oh, I look forward to it. Perhaps a younger person would be more desperate to be married, too.”
The extravagantly-dressed guests held such conversations all over the venue. While a normal party would be filled with small talk, shameless bragging, and probing into each others’ lives, tonight, every noble was completely immersed in sharing rumors about Satsuki.
That being said, since Satsuki had closed off contact with practically everyone except the Galarc royalty since she was summoned to the castle and had been given strict orders to stay silent, it was understandable that the nobles wanted to gossip about her and were looking forward to her arrival. As the guest of honor, Satsuki was to enter the venue with the king after all the attendees had arrived. As most of the invited guests were already within the venue, her appearance was due soon.
Incidentally, it was normal at these types of parties for those with the highest rank or influence to arrive the latest, so the only ones missing besides Satsuki and the king were the leading royals and nobles from the Galarc Kingdom and Duke Huguenot’s faction.
Those already within the venue were all the elites selected from each power faction, but those about to enter were even more elite than them. Among them were the Duke Cretia family members, including Rio, Miharu, and Liselotte, as well as Hiroaki, Flora, and Roanna.
“It looks like Duke Gregory’s people are here. Which means Duke Cretia’s family should be next, followed by Her Highness, Princess Flora, and the hero affiliated with the Huguenot faction,” a noble of the Galarc Kingdom said, chatting with a noble from Duke Huguenot’s faction as Duke Gregory, a middle-aged man with good physique, entered the venue.
“Oh, speaking of Duke Cretia, I have heard that his daughter, Lady Liselotte, has made quite a few spectacular achievements. Something about how Amande was under attack by monsters just the other day...” the noble from Duke Huguenot’s faction replied.
“Apparently, Amande was restored splendidly in no time at all. That woman is the living embodiment of intelligence and beauty. She still has no fiancé, so you could say Duke Cretia would be the ideal person to become close to...”
“She would certainly be out of reach of the average youngster. I constantly hear rumors of marriage proposals, but I wonder who will be the one to eventually win her heart.” With her influence both internally and externally to the kingdom, her marriage partner was a topic that was almost always gossiped about.
“The Duke Cretia family has arrived!” The voice of the noble in charge of announcements at the venue echoed throughout the hall. Those in the hall immediately fell silent at the name of the most prosperous noble family in the Galarc Kingdom, currently surpassing Duke Gregory’s family by a fair amount.
“Hmph.” The already-present Duke Gregory snorted in displeasure. The arrival of the Cretia family after the Gregory family meant that King Francois held the Cretia family in higher esteem. As the head of his family, it was certainly unpleasant for Gregory to see.
The door on the upper floor of the hall opened, revealing Duke Cretia and his family members. Leading the way was the head of the family, Cedric, and his wife Julianne.
The nobles in the venue had continued chatting with each other during his appearance, but now, everyone’s attention was naturally focused on the Cretia family.
“So the head of the family, Sir Cedric, and his wife, Lady Julianna have arrived first. I’m so envious of their beauty as a couple.”
“I’ve heard they get along extremely well as a couple too. Well, with a lady as wonderful as Lady Julianne, it’s no wonder they can remain so devoted regardless of age.”
The nobles conversed lightly until Liselotte’s older brother George and his fiancée Colette appeared after.
“Looks like the next head of the Cretia family has arrived. And the second son Sir Pascal seems absent after all.”
“Sir Pascal is currently occupied with the command of our army by the Proxia Empire border. The recent state of tension must have made him prioritize his duties more.”
“Hmm, then his absence could not be helped. However... I don’t see Lady Liselotte following b
ehind them. Could she be absent too?” Pascal aside, when the members of the Cretia family cut off after George and Colette’s arrival to the venue, the nobles present started murmuring to each other in surprise.
George, meanwhile, sensed the confused air in the venue and grinned cheerfully. “Oh my, as expected of my little sister’s reputation. Causing a fuss simply with her absence alone. However, I’m sure there’ll be an even greater fuss when she appears after this.”
“I look forward to the response,” Colette agreed with a giggle.
At any rate, with the Cretia family’s arrival, all the nobles of the Galarc Kingdom attending tonight should have been accounted for. The next guests to enter would be Hiroaki and the other members of Duke Huguenot’s faction, or so everyone expected. However —
“Next, may I announce the arrival of Lady Satsuki Sumeragi’s close friend, Lady Miharu Ayase, her savior Sir Haruto, and finally, Lady Liselotte Cretia!”
“What?!” Hearing the announcement of the appearance of Satsuki’s close friend, her savior, and even Liselotte had the whole hall in turmoil.
The door at the upper floor of the hall opened once more, revealing one man and two women. They were, of course, Rio, Miharu, and Liselotte. Rio had a dressed-up Miharu and Liselotte on each side of him, which earned him the attention of the entire venue.
“How... young...”
“There’s no mistaking that one of them is the young Lady Liselotte, but I wonder which is Lady Satsuki’s friend and which is the savior between the gray-haired boy and black-haired girl?”
“While it isn’t too unusual to bring two women as partners to these events, who would have thought one of the women would be Lady Liselotte... Just what kind of relationship is that?”
“That is also a point of interest... My my, Lady Liselotte aside, the other boy and girl are another remarkable couple and easy on the eyes.”
Liselotte was already deemed to be the most unattainable woman in the Galarc Kingdom, having a reputation as an iron wall of a beauty who had never had any love affairs rumored of her, so for her to appear along with Satsuki’s friend was naturally a huge shock to the nobles.
Heroes in the Moonlight Page 15
