Liselotte gave a radiant smile. “Why, that would be a great help. I was thinking of sending only the best people.”
“Abnormal situations have been occurring continuously, including the appearance of that dragon-like creature. I’m sure it has been a source of many headaches, what with all the incidents being caused by matters not of mankind.”
“...Yes. Actually, there were reports of adventurers going missing some time ago, which could possibly be related to the mass spawns of monsters.” Liselotte frowned bitterly.
“I understand how you must feel,” Duke Huguenot murmured, sighing quietly.
“I have no words for all the trouble we must have caused you, having you come here at such troubling times.”
“Hahaha. No no, we were the ones who chose to visit you unannounced. I should be the one apologizing for visiting uninvited at such a busy time.”
“That is no trouble at all, but... Did you come here with some business in mind, Duke Huguenot?”
“Oh yes, now that you mention it... all the events up until now have completely distracted me from our original goal.” Duke Huguenot shrugged with a faint smile.
“Which is...?” Liselotte cocked her head, inquiring after his intentions.
“It’s about Charles Arbor’s wedding ceremony. We received information that due to certain circumstances, the bride Celia was abducted. I wanted to hear your story, as someone who was present.”
“...Is that so? Information travels fast.” Liselotte said, impressed. I had assumed the mastermind behind the incident was Duke Huguenot, but could I be wrong? Contrary to her outward attitude, she analyzed his words calmly.
“I would like you to tell me more about it. To be honest, I am not sure which force would be behind it.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Thus, the two began their discussion about Celia’s abduction.
Interlude: Meanwhile, in the Proxia Empire
The Proxia Empire was a military superpower located north of the Strahl region. It boasted a large land size and bordered the Beltrum Kingdom to the south, which was shaped longer horizontally, whereas the Galarc Kingdom to the southeast was shaped longer vertically.
However, while its landsize was comparable to its vast military prowess, the Proxia Empire was, in actuality, an extremely young country established merely 40 years ago.
The founding emperor, Nidoll, was a former orphan born to a small and impoverished kingdom. Once he grew up and started working as a mercenary, he made a name for himself with his unparalleled fighting ability. After seizing sovereignty of the small kingdom he belonged to, he formed the Proxia Empire.
The lands to the north of the Strahl region had once been known as warring countries, high in number and small in size. Led by Nidoll, the Proxia Empire army stormed them one after another and expanded its land size in the blink of an eye. At the center of their military force were the elite demi-dragon knights, a squad formed of low ranked demi-dragons including winged lizards and lizard runners. They made use of the demi-dragons’ mobility to specialize in blitzkrieg-like attacks and capture over twenty small countries to date.
However, the strongest warrior that supported the Proxia Empire was not in the demi-dragon knights. The strongest person in the empire, both past and present, was the founding emperor — Nidoll Proxia.
Even in his sixties, Nidoll’s physical body showed no sign of old age; his enormous frame was still as hard as a boulder and fighting prowess as tremendous as ever, leaving both his own country and other countries in fear. Word of Nidoll’s military exploits had traveled wide and far throughout Strahl, making him undoubtedly the strongest in the entire region.
At present, somewhere in the imperial capital of the Proxia Empire, Nidgard, Nidoll stood on the wide balcony of the towering imperial castle, idly looking down at the cityscape of the capital below. While the area would normally be forbidden to even the nobles of the imperial court, from behind Nidoll spoke a friendly male voice.
“Yo, Nidoll. How’s it going?”
“Bored,” Nidoll replied listlessly. He didn’t bother to turn around, showing no interest in the man talking to him.
The young man was wearing the outfit of a soldier. His body was clad in high-quality combat clothes, and there was a sword hanging from his waist, but he showed none of the proper mannerisms of a knight.
“Ha. You’re always looking so damn depressed. Are you that restless for war? Actually, I’ve just been preparing an interesting stage for you to take part in,” the man said with a sneer.
“Hmph. My tastes don’t match yours. I’m not interested,” Nidoll answered with a huff.
The man shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Stubborn as usual, I see. That aside, what are you gonna do? What about Beltrum? Though I’m not involved over there.”
“I couldn’t care less about that kingdom,” Nidoll stated bluntly.
“Now now, you shouldn’t be like that. It wouldn’t be fun if the Arbor faction fell now.”
“Don’t worry about that. As a sign of friendship and reassurance, I’ve sent an official goodwill ambassador. Nothing will come of their internal conflicts.”
“Hah. You sure went out of your way for a kingdom that’ll fall sooner or later.” Contrary to his words, the man gave a pleasant smile.
“I suppose we do agree there,” Nidoll said, huffing with a grin.
“Right. I guess I’ll be making my way back to the kingdom of Paladia now.” With nothing more to say, the man made to turn on his heel and leave, when another man’s voice rang through the terrace.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Ah? Well, if it ain’t Reiss,” the man turned back and said. There, standing before him, was the man in question.
“I’ve been searching for you, Mr. Lucius,” Reiss said, grinning with an emotionless smile.
“Hah, and you always seem to show up at the most convenient time for yourself,” Lucius said with a sneer.
“Now, don’t say that. You and I know each other quite well, do we not?” Reiss retorted with a hollow smile.
“Stop that — it’s disgusting. If you have business, say it already,” Lucius said in clear irritation. Nidoll didn’t seem to be particularly interested in their exchange, as he observed with a blank face.
“I actually wanted to ask you for assistance,” Reiss said.
“Let’s hear the deets,” Lucius said with a grin.
“As you may have heard already, the Kingdom of Beltrum has been shaken by the incident involving Charles Arbor’s wedding ceremony. I am thinking of attacking the Ricca Guild in order to correct that balance, but I lack the military strength to do so,” Reiss said regrettably.
“You’re saying your collection isn’t enough?”
“Yes, the Ricca Guild’s closest confidant was stronger than expected, along with — no, on top of another rather irregular case. In terms of combat ability, even a significant number of minotaurs and revenants weren’t enough to put up a fight.”
“Oh?” Lucius’ eyes widened in interest.
“This irregular case has been quite the thorn in my side, which is why I wanted to ask for your cooperation. Oh, and your help won’t be needed, Nidoll. You stand out too much.” Reiss said, turning to Nidoll to state the last few sentences with emphasis.
“Hmph. I am aware.” Nidoll snorted disinterestedly.
“So you want me to take care of that irregular case, is that it?” Lucius asked jokingly, but Reiss bluntly shook his head.
“No, I’ll have my monsters create a distraction while you’ll be in charge of conducting a kidnapping.”
“Tch. What a boring role.” Lucius was clearly disappointed.
“As it should be. If the kidnapping is successful, the goal of the attack will be achieved. Purposefully putting our best against a formidable opponent would be the most foolish of moves to make.” Reiss sighed in exasperation. He knew that Lucius must be aware of this himself, but he also knew that Luc
ius liked to prioritize his own pleasure over logic at times.
“I know, I know. Well, I’ll still make sure to have fun in my own way. So who do you want me to abduct? If you’re in Amande, then it’d be that Lisse-something brat who’s been making a name for herself everywhere recently, no?” Lucius asked casually.
Reiss shook his head faintly. “No. While it would be favorable to take her if the chance arises, she is only my second priority. The target is someone else.”
“Oh? Weren’t you aiming for the Ricca Guild?” Lucius furrowed his brow dubiously.
“Yes, attacking Amande and destroying the city would create quite the issue for the Ricca Guild, or rather the Galarc Kingdom in general,” Reiss replied in a roundabout way.
“Hah. Cut the crap tell me who the target is already,” Lucius urged Reiss with annoyance.
“The Second Princess of Beltrum — Princess Flora.”
Reiss revealed the name of their attack target, and the plan to raid Amande quietly progressed.
Chapter 3: Intruders
Back in the Kingdom of Galarc, in the city of Amande, the night after Rio had defeated the minotaurs and saved the day...
The cafeteria on the first floor of the Ricca Guild inn that Rio was staying at was also open to the general public as a luxury high end restaurant. Rio was enjoying dinner with Celia and Aishia in a private room; directly opposite to the door of the private room they were using was an open window. It allowed them to look over the spacious back courtyard as they enjoyed the finest food and liquor, and on days with good weather, the terrace was open for seating, too.
“Having such a wide garden at the back of an inn is wonderful. It’s been well maintained.” Celia gazed at the garden in an uplifted mood as she waited for the next dish to be carried out.
“It’s an inn. Would be perfect if it had a bathtub deep enough to submerge in,” Aishia uttered simply.
“That’s dreaming a little too high, there. Baths like the one in the stone house aren’t common in the Strahl region. Isn’t it enough that there’s a bathroom in each room?” Celia asked with a wry smile.
There were bathrooms in the rooms allocated to Rio’s party, too, with a shallow bathtub that allowed for washing up, but they didn’t compare to the bath installed in the stone house. However, bathrooms were already more than enough by Strahl region standards.
“The two of you are completely accustomed to deeper bathtubs, I see,” Rio said with a smile.
“Yup, I like taking baths. Makes me sleepy.” Aishia nodded, speaking softly.
“This girl really falls asleep, you know? I was so surprised when I got in after her,” Celia said tiredly.
“The warmth is comfortable.”
“Geez...” Aishia’s blunt remark made Celia puff up her cheeks slightly.
“Ahaha,” Rio laughed with amusement. From appearances alone, Aishia looked more mature than Celia did, but at times like this it was hard to tell who was older.
Thus, their conversation continued until a waiter knocked on the door to the room and carried in the newest dishes.
“Thank you for waiting. Would you like to select your next drink too?” the employee asked, noticing that there was little alcohol remaining in the decanter.
“Let’s see. Cecilia, would you like to choose the next one? I’m not too familiar with the different makers,” Rio said. Having been raised as a noble, Celia should’ve been more familiar with brands and makers than Rio.
“I’m not very knowledgeable myself...” Celia said as she looked at the menu. “Then how about this house wine, in the same decanter as this, please.” The wine on the front sign of the store seemed to have attracted her attention, as she pointed it out for their order.
“Understood.” The store attendant responded respectfully, leaving without a sound.
“Where was the wine made?” Rio asked.
“Here in Duke Cretia’s territory. It’s a product made in the vineyards of the Ricca Guild. Since it’s a locally made item and all, how about we just sit back and enjoy ourselves?” Celia said, giggling happily.
“Yes, I think that’s a good choice.” Rio nodded with a faint smile. He normally couldn’t help himself from drinking the alcohol made by the spirit folk, but having a Strahl-made drink for once sounded good. All the more so during a time like this when they were living an irregular, luxurious lifestyle.
“The new dishes are also delicious.” Aishia maneuvered her knife and fork elegantly to pick at the newly served dishes while smacking her lips. A gentle mood had settled in the peaceful and refined private room.
“...It sounds kind of noisy out there,” Rio said with a glance at the door. Shouting could be heard down the corridor; it seemed as though someone was arguing. Since the restaurant was so quiet, the slightly raised voices could be heard quite well.
“...Is it a fight?” Celia murmured worriedly. As more time passed, the arguing party seemed to be drawing closer to their room. Then, right on the other side of the door, the aggravated voice of a young man could be heard.
“I’m telling you, I insist on using the private room I had last time. If it’s money, I can pay three times the usual rate.”
“This isn’t a matter of money. The room is currently in use by other customers. We will not ask them to leave,” a man who was most likely an employee of the inn objected firmly.
Judging by the situation, Rio took a guess at what was happening and spoke rather tiredly. “...It sounds like this room may be in demand.”
“What... should we do?” Celia asked, looking at Rio.
“Let’s wait a little longer and see what happens. They could be trying to use a different room, so it would be a little silly to purposely step outside if we were wrong.” Rio’s words were simple as he gave a gentle smile.
“We’re visiting as very important guests. The upper class of this city will hear of this,” A different male voice to the aggravated man said, speaking carefully. His voice also sounded rather young, his tone overbearing. In reality, by dangling their influence, it was clear they were making a threat. Perhaps they were used to things like this.
“...If you’re referring to Lady Liselotte, then please, feel free to appeal to her directly. We are simply following our instructions.” The inn’s employee did not back down.
“...What a stubborn fool. Enough — it’s no use speaking with you. You’d better watch your back later,” the second male said as a final warning.
“As you wish,” the employee replied bluntly.
The aggravated man must have run out of patience, as he spoke up in irritation. “That’s enough, Stewart. We’ll settle this with the other customers ourselves.”
“You may not,” the employee protested, but the angry man’s voice rose loudly.
“Move it. You’re in the way.”
“S-Sir! You cannot do this!” The employee yelled; perhaps he had been pushed out of the way. The quarrel was occurring right outside the room Rio and the others were in. It was almost certain that their room was the one in question.
“...I’ll deal with this. The two of you should ignore them.” Rio sighed with annoyance from the bottom of his heart as he addressed Celia and Aishia. Immediately after that, the door to their room flew open without even a knock.
◇ ◇ ◇
Stewart Huguenot was Duke Huguenot’s eldest son. With his father the most prominent great lord in the kingdom, he was the prodigal son that had been raised with everything he could ever want.
While he was satisfied with the minimum amount of time his busy father spent with him during his childhood, those around him would praise him endlessly. Even if he caused a little trouble here and there, no one would scold him. But even for someone like Stewart, there were two turning points of his life.
The first was when he was eleven and participated in the outdoor drill at the Royal Academy, during which the incident where Flora nearly fell off the cliff occurred. The blame had been falsely shifted to the or
phan, Rio, but it was the first time Stewart had provoked the fierce rage of Duke Huguenot since he was born.
However, contrary to the intense emotions of rage, Duke Huguenot was exceedingly cold. Instead of verbally abusing his son for the failure, he listened to Stewart directly explain the events that happened.
“There will be no next time.”
He’d concluded with those menacing words, his cold gaze mixed with disappointment and contempt.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
It was the first time Stewart felt fear toward his father. At the same time, he realized that he would never be a subject of his father’s familial love. Because Duke Huguenot had not felt anger towards his son, but anger at prioritizing himself over his family. When he had said “There will be no next time,” the duke was declaring that the next time Stewart made a fatal mistake, he would be mercilessly discarded as nothing more than a defective item. To Duke Huguenot, he was no more than a political tool. Stewart finally realized that harsh truth.
Perhaps it was from then onwards that Stewart became more aware of his status in society. While his outward attitude did not change, he was constantly aware of whether he was dealing with people higher or lower than him, constantly checking and clarifying his own status. As a result, Stewart discriminated more against those he believed were below him, while interacting carefully with those he was unsure of or above him.
The second turning point of Stewart’s life was when his father, Duke Huguenot, lost his position. He learned that even his terrifying father could fall... Perhaps he had misjudged their status, or maybe there were other complicated factors that had contributed. Still, when he considered that, Stewart suddenly felt fed up with the life of a noble. There was no way he could change his lifestyle at the age of fifteen, and he had already been raised as a noble accustomed to a certain standard of living.
However, Stewart had no confidence in his ability to behave as Duke Huguenot’s successor well in the future. If there was a successor, it would be his little brother. Some people even believed Duke Huguenot had raised his brother as the main succession candidate.
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