Welcome Party
The location is a large mansion owned by the Fonedao family in the royal capital.
"Welcome to a dinner where water and wind dance!"
A well-dressed man standing high on the second floor shouted a welcome voice that echoed throughout the venue.
Comfortable tones of music using a variety of instruments complemented the elegance of the venue.
Inside the venue, the children of famous aristocrats attending the academy, including the three major aristocrats of the kingdom, were gathered.
This is also possible thanks to the power of the Fonedao family, which is the organizer.
Eul, an exchange student from the Asurora Empire, also wore an imperial party dress and went around greeting the nobles in the venue.
It cannot be said that Eul has come to the kingdom with the future of the empire on her shoulders; she is merely a representative of international students, but Eul is also a member of the imperial aristocracy, so exchanges like this are essential.
While exchanging social greetings with heirs of noble families around the same age, Eul came into view with Machen, an exchange student from the same empire.
He is a shy guy and doesn't seem to like interacting with people much, so he seems to be more focused on the dishes.
Eul took a break from greeting the nobles and called out to her fellow countryman.
"Machen. Are you having fun?"
"Ah, um, Eul-sama. Y-yes. As a commoner, I've never seen these kinds of foods before, and just looking at them is interesting."
"Haha, I see. I'll thank Del-dono. Brelin was also there a while ago, but do you know where he went?"
Eul looks around the large venue, but all she can see is people from the kingdom.
Partly because Brelin, the bearded dwarf was nowhere to be found.
In response to Eul's question, Machen held up a cup of water.
The cup is engraved with decorations that imitate wind and water.
"He seems to be curious about the decorations on this cup, and is asking the waiter a question over there"
Eul looks toward the direction indicated.
The dwarf's distinctive beard can be seen behind the girls who are wearing royal party dresses.
A waiter stands next to him, holding a cup identical to Machen's, pointing out each decoration, responding to the shadows of his rich beard.
Eul put her hand on her chin and muttered in admiration.
"Hmm, I guess if you're a dwarf, even one of the decorations from a foreign country can be used as research material. I'd like to bring that technology back to the empire."
Machen proudly handed Eul a new cup filled with drink, probably having received it from a passing waiter.
"Eul-sama, h-here."
"Oh, thank you"
Eul puts her mouth on the cup.
The drink inside was grape juice.
The juice had a rich fruity smell and was not bad, but it was a little too astringent for Eul's taste.
However, Eul quickly drank it down, partly because she was thirsty after greeting the nobles.
Since it was a party for students attending the school, no alcohol was served.
"Then, I have to say hello to the other kingdom aristocrats, so I'll go. You should continue to enjoy the party."
After telling Machen that, Eul went out to greet the kingdom's nobles again.
"Eul-dono"
The man who was leading the party earlier, Del Fonedao, called out to Eul who was greeting the nobles.
He is the grandson of the current head of the Fonedao family and the son of the current leader of the Wind Holy Knights.
In short, it is the legitimate bloodline of the Fonedao family.
When the two met, they exchanged greetings in the homeland style.
"Nice to meet you again, Eul-dono. Welcome to the Kingdom of Shirsodi."
"Del-dono. Thank you for inviting me today. We are thrilled to be able to participate in such a wonderful party."
"The Kingdom of Shirsodi and the Empire of Asurora have now entered into an agreement. It is only natural that we welcome our comrades."
As they were thanking each other, Aifie appeared out of nowhere.
"Oh, good day to you."
She is also a student attending Royal Academy.
Considering that she is the Ojousama of the Asur family, one of the three major noble families in the kingdom, and also has blood from the Fonedao family, there is no way that the host, Del, would not have invited her to this party.
Today, Aifie was wearing a slightly sexy dress that made it easy to see the curves of her body.
She also wears earrings that resemble water drops, which further enhances her beauty.
The boys in the venue were probably used to seeing ladies with good-looking faces, but right now they were transfixed by Aifie's beauty.
A few days ago, they fought in the magic arena, so Eul was smiling softly at Aifie.
"Aifietouka-jou, thank you very much for the match the other day. I gained something from that, and it was a truly meaningful time."
"You're welcome. There weren't many people who would compete with me that much these days, so it was fun."
Aifie's own abilities as a mage have already surpassed that of a student.
Therefore, the number of people who can be her practice partners is limited in the first place.
In addition, no matter who the noble in the kingdom is, if the other person is a daughter of the Asur family, one of the three most senior nobles in the kingdom, their fear may even cause them to flee.
For those reasons, Aifie's magic practice has been mostly on her own lately, so the match with Eul was a good opportunity to encourage her own growth.
When Aifie and Eul were talking about that move, there was a bit of noise in the corner of the venue.
When Aifie and the others all looked in that direction, they noticed that the flow of people had changed.
Someone steps into the space that has been opened up by the crowd.
A childhood friend whom Aifie still cares about.
Then, a man who looked familiar to Eul entered the party venue, accompanied by a beastman maid.
"He is……"
When Eul looked at his face and muttered, Del approached her and whispered in her ear in a small voice.
From the slightly frowning expression on his face, it can be inferred that he does not have good feelings towards him.
"...Eul-dono. I'm sorry that we invited him here, but please be careful with him. He's..."
"I know. He's from the Noros family, right?"
Surprised, Del looks at Eul's face.
"Did you know?"
"The other day, I just had the chance to say hello to Aifietoka-dono. What can I say, he…"
"Isn't he creepy? He's especially suspicious within the Noros family. He doesn't just act out of selfishness like other members of the Noros family, but if you ask me if he's friendly with us, I don't think he's that kind of person. He seems to have a quick wit, and is actually more troublesome than the other members of the Noros family.''
Eul nodded at Del's words.
The reason for Tigaro's creepiness is probably his smile that you can't read, and his always elusive behavior.
Even though they are a friendly country, the fact that they warned Eul, who is a person from another country, shows the bad impression that Tigaro and the Noros family have within the kingdom.
As if realizing something, Aifie shook her long blue hair and opened her mouth to Del, the host.
"Come to think of it, it's rare for Del to call him."
"...Father told me to call him."
Del responded to Aifie's words, which sounded like a murmur, with his head drooping.
You can clearly see the amount of effort he puts into it.
"Uncle―― no, the leader of the Wind Holy Knights?"
Since it was a public place, Aifie asked while correcting her words.
Her mother is the daughter of the main Fonedao family―― the younger sister of the current leader of the Wind Holy Knights.
In other words, Del's father was like an uncle to Aifie.
Del nods to Aifie's question.
"Even if he's just one person, I can't control a member of the Noros family, one of the three greatest nobles in the kingdom. ...I wish he would put himself in my shoes as an organizer."
It was at that moment that Del, looking troubled, wiped his eyebrows with his fingers and let out a sigh.
There was the sound of something hard falling to the floor.
"Hiii!?"
The one who screamed nearby was a female student who had an encounter with Tigaro before.
She was also attending the party as she had been invited as a member of the nobility, but unfortunately she seemed to be near the place where the noise came from and turned in that direction in fear.
At the place where the sound came from, a beastman maid, covered in food, was kneeling in front of Tigaro.
Tigaro is smiling, but the female students can tell from his unusual atmosphere that he is angry.
"Kenna, can't you listen to my orders?"
"That's out of the question. Kenna's heart is always with Tigaro-sama."
A broken plate was lying at Kenna's feet, covered with food.
Although Tigaro was smiling, it wasn't hard to imagine that even from the people around him, Tigaro got angry at something the beastman maid had done and threw a plate of food at her.
The female student who was watching this quickly moved away so that Tigaro wouldn't catch her eye.
Eul, who was watching Tigaro and the others from a distance, asked Del, who was also watching the scene nearby.
"I don't know what made him angry, but she's his maid, right? Is it okay to treat her like that?"
"...For the Noros family, their slaves aren't even people, they're just property."
"Won't that beastman resist?"
"They won't be able to resist the Noros family's magic, and even if they do, they will only face even worse punishment."
Del said, feeling sorry for her.
Although it is possible to sympathize with the slaves, as long as the head of the country, the king and the royal family, recognize the slave owned by the Noros family, there is little that they can interfere with.
While Del was explaining to Eul, someone came from the side and headed towards Tigaro and the others.
The person approaching him with flowing blue hair and a dissatisfied look on her face was Aifietoka, the young lady from the Asur family, one of the three great noble families in the kingdom.
"Wait a minute!!!"
Aifie stepped into the open space and called out to Tigaro, drawing his attention to herself.
Even though Tigaro moved his gaze and saw Aifie in his field of vision, he just kept smiling eerily.
"You, what are you doing to your own maid!!"
"Aifietouka-jou, you can see it, right? It's a punishment. I told her to bring me something delicious, but she offered me other dishes that I didn't need."
"There's no need to do that!"
"Haha, there is. I'm the master, and she's the slave. If the slave isn't disciplined, then it's only natural for the master to correct it."
As if to provoke Aifie, who was screaming, Tigaro nudged the kneeling Kenna's head with his foot.
In Aifie's eyes, Tigaro's expression of joy is reflected.
Aifie waits for Kenna to make some kind of resistance, but she just accepts Tigaro's treatment.
Aifie, clutching her party dress tightly, could no longer hold back and stepped between Tigaro and Kenna.
She spreads both arms and blocks Tigaro's line of sight.
"Stop it. I won't tolerate it anymore."
"It's my property, though?"
"This child is not an object. This child is a person. There is no reason for you to bully her as you please."
At close range, their gazes intersect.
The surrounding people watched with bated breath in the tense atmosphere.
They don't seem to take their eyes off each other.
Neither of them gave in, just looking straight into each other's eyes.
As he gazed into Aifie's beautiful eyes, Tigaro's conversation with Skrios flashed through his mind.
If I could make this pretty girl my own...
As if to shake off that thought, Tigaro suddenly looked away from Aifie.
He has a disappointed smile on his face.
"Hahaha, I've lost interest."
Tigaro looked away, leaving his kneeling maid in the same position, and turned around and walked towards the entrance of the venue.
Aifie muttered sadly as she looked at Tigaro's back as he left.
"...You weren't like this in the past."
Her earrings, shaped like water drops, swayed.
---
Although things went as planned, Tigaro, who was not feeling well, walked to the gate to leave the Fonedao family mansion, feeling the night breeze.
As Tigaro was walking, he saw multiple figures walking from ahead.
A man and a woman walk in the lead.
Both of them appear to be fairly old, the man with a white beard on his chin, and the woman with wrinkles around her ears.
The ones following behind them are probably their bodyguards.
When Tigaro recognized their faces, he didn't panic, put his usual smile on his face, and greeted them in a smooth tone.
"Good evening. Lord Gugoros Fonedao, head of the Fonedao family. Lord Lapeia Ila Asur."
The man is a member of the Fonedao family, and the woman is a member of the Asur family, and both are powerful enough that even the royal family of the Shirsodi Kingdom cannot ignore them.
A man with a tight-lipped mouth and a grumpy expression asked the woman next to him with fine wrinkles on her face.
"...Lapeia. Do you know each other?"
"Ahyahya. Didn't you know? He's a Noros and the third son."
The woman laughs and answers.
As soon as he heard that, the man called Gugoros' gaze towards Tigaro became harsh.
Tigaro, who is used to being looked at harshly, greets them without any hesitation.
No matter how bad the relationship between the Noros family and the Fonedao family is, it would be rude not to greet them here.
"Thank you for your introduction. I'm Tigarokent Noros, the third son of the Noros family."
Before Tigaro finished saying that, Gugoros moved his mouth.
"――――"
Just when he thought he muttered something, the next moment the wind blew, Gugoros disappeared from Tigaro's sight.
"――!?"
Tigaro's eyes widened as he saw Gugoros disappear in an instant.
Then, he felt a chilling murderous intent from behind him.
Reacting to that, Tigaro hurriedly jumped back and turned around, ready to unleash his [Spirit Tail] at any time.
"Hmph. You're slower than that guy."
The murderous intent from earlier had already disappeared, but before he knew it, Gugoros had appeared in that direction.
"..."
Realizing that he had suddenly directed murderous intent at him, Tigaro suddenly started sweating and remained alert, waiting for Gugoros to make an inexplicable move.
Even though his murderous intent has disappeared now, his surprise move from behind was clearly an act of hostility toward Tigaro.
"Ahyahya. That's not Lemalgoas himself. Don't threaten young people too much, Gugoros."
"Hmph"
Gugoros snorted mockingly at Lapeia's words from the side, turned his back and walked to the mansion where the party was held.
After that, Tigaro finally released his stance and wiped his sweat.
Although they are members of the same three kingdom nobility, the Fonedao family and the Noros family have a conflicting relationship.
It wasn't hard to guess that Gugoros was probably just testing out Tigaro's potential as a potential adversary.
Tigaro regained his composure and put on a smile, then glanced at the wary servant and asked Lapeia, who was also an acquaintance.
"…What kind of business do you have for a party like this where there are only students?"
"We just came to see our little princess."
Hearing Lapeia's words, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening, Tigaro understood.
"…Aifietouka-jou?"
Although not as the same as the Noros family, the Asur family and the Fonedao family were not originally on such good terms.
Rather, they often conflict with each other because they manage different knight orders.
It is extremely rare for the Fonedao family and the Asur family to visit together.
However, there are exceptions to this relationship.
The only time the two families join hands unconditionally is when the person at the center of the situation is Aifie.
Although Aifie is the daughter of the main Asur family, her mother is also a member of the Fonedao family, so she often interacts with people from both families, and most of their relationships are good.
Due to her serious personality and cute and beautiful looks, people from both families are likely to have a soft spot for Aifie.
Tigaro can't help but generally agree with the feeling of wanting to indulge.
The reason why Aifie, who wasn't even the main guest, was dressed up so well today was probably because these two were coming.
"Ahyahya. That's what it is. See you next time, Tigarokent Noros."
Following Gugoros, who had already disappeared into the depths of the mansion, Lapeia, who was laughing loudly, also left towards the entrance of the mansion, surrounded by guards.
"..."
In an instant, he stared in the direction where Gugoros, who had taken his back from Tigaro, had disappeared.
――Is he the fastest in the kingdom?
With today's Tigaro, he probably won't be able to do anything about it.
However, judging from the way Gugoros spoke after getting behind Tigaro, it seems that Lemalgoas, Tigaro's father, would be able to react more quickly to that move.
The wall that he must overcome to protect Aifie and her mother, Tesia, is so high that he cannot see the future yet.
Tigaro quietly clenched his fists.
As he continued to look towards the venue, the mansion, Tigaro saw Kenna in a dirty maid uniform coming out of the entrance of the mansion after Tigaro threw food at her.
No comments:
Post a Comment