Chapter 76: When Women Gather
A gathering of major countries. However, this time, there was little need for prior coordination. The main reason for this was the fact that the ranks of the participants were clearly defined.
One of them is the seat. The highest seat was occupied by the Elected King of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, who was in attendance. The next seat was the Luine Kingdom with the crown prince in attendance, and the last seat was the Lemberg Empire.
The three countries were seated easily. But that does not mean that the meeting will go smoothly. There is no specific agenda, just a meeting to deepen the friendship. It was difficult to come up with a topic of conversation.
"I would like to congratulate you on your engagement, but the formalities will have to wait until the next time."
This is the best he could come up with as a starting point.
"Thank you. His Majesty the Elected King Selim."
The first princess of the Lemberg Empire, Rosa Linde Lemberg, answered Elected King Selim's congratulatory words with a big smile.
"But when did you get engaged? Our country didn't know."
"I'm sorry. It was decided that Heinz would stay here, so we just take the formalities in a hurry. The official announcement was scheduled after Heinz returned and had a domestic ceremony."
"Is that so? But... why are you in such a hurry?"
The formal ceremony was to take place two years after the private engagement. The two years are also two years after the selection of a hero. Elected King Selim wondered why the private betrothal was necessary.
"Father!"
Princess Milianea raised her voice to the question of Elected King Selim. Because she felt the question was a little too intrusive.
"Ah, was this a rude question?"
"No. I'm going to give Heinz a proper title because of the matter of the hero, and he'll be away for three years..."
"Yeah, you were just trying to keep the brim on."
"Father!"
This is not for stepping too far, but for blaming the bad words. It's not a word that a king would use in public, and that too toward a princess of another country.
"Ah, this is rude"
"No, it's as His Majesty the Elected King Selim said. It would be a problem if I was forgotten in three years."
Princess Rosa Linde replied with a smile to the rude words of Elected King Selim. No matter what she thinks in her heart, it is a courtesy attitude towards the king of another country.
"I'm sure he'll never forget such a lovely person as Her Royal Highness Rosa Linde. Right?"
"Yes……"
"Eh?"
Even if he doesn't understand the meaning of the stare, Elected King Selim understands that Princess Milianea is angry.
"No. There was a wonderful person like Millianea-sama. I'm glad I got engaged."
"My daughter? No man would like such a strong-willed girl."
"Father, what do you mean?"
"...You see."
Elected King Selim needed consideration even in such a situation.
"I have to express my gratitude to Millianea-sama as well."
"To me?"
Princess Milianea's well-shaped eyebrows were raised. She doesn't remember why she wants to thank her.
"I heard that Heinz consulted you many times."
"...That's mutual."
"Even so, it was fortunate for Heinz to have someone to consult with. Thank you."
"No problem, I do not mind"
To Princess Rosa Linde's words of thanks, Princess Milianea returns with a light nod. It was somehow not a pleasant feeling.
"So, is Princess Milianea planning to get engaged?"
"No"
"That's not good. His Majesty Elected King Selim, we must find a good man for her as soon as possible."
"No, not yet. My daughter is still a child."
Elected King Selim was suddenly thrown into the conversation. Treating her daughter, Princess Milianea, as a child is half-serious and half-conscious of the fact that he does not want the conversation to go any deeper than this.
"Only parents think so. Children grow up more than parents think."
"Is that so?"
Elected King Selim's thoughts did not reach her, and Princess Rosa Linde did not finish it.
"Yes, that's right. It would be terrible if she had fallen in love with the wrong person while thinking she was still a child."
"No, as expected. That kind of thing."
As expected, Elected King Selim did not worry about that. Even though she is away from her country, Princess Milianea has many retainers around her. They would never allow such a situation, and he believes that even if it does happen, it will surely reach his ears.
"I don't know. Or maybe it's already..."
"Oh, I see."
Seeing Princess Rosa Linde's suggestive glance, Princess Milianea realized her words.
"What do you mean by that?"
"No, it's nothing. Rosa Linde-sama, I'm still not engaged yet. I'm still a child, and I'm so in love with a man that I think I'll leave my country to meet him without fulfilling my duties as a member of the royal family. It is unimaginable."
"Milia?"
Elected King Selim is surprised by Princess Milianea's sudden words.
"…That’s a very specific example, isn’t it?"
Receiving that, Princess Rosa Linde's expression shows sternness.
"It's just a coincidence."
"Is that so? Speaking of royal duties, as long as you're a princess, you're not allowed to fall in love freely. Be careful not to forget that and fall in love just because you're a child."
"Eh?"
A counterattack by Princess Rosa Linde. Elected King Selim leaks a voice of surprise at the content.
"That's a needless worry. But if there's someone nice enough to do that, I'd like to meet them. Unfortunately, I've never met anyone like that."
"...That's a pity."
The expression of Princess Rosa Linde is getting more and more grim. Princess Milianea, she says, finds Heinz unattractive. Princess Rosa Linde understood that accurately.
"No, it can't be helped. People like that don't appear very often."
"But when they do appear, it is possible that you are not aware of their charms?"
"I don't know about that. I am a good judge of character."
Finally, the two princesses start arguing without hiding their hostility.
"Um, both of you?"
Elected King Selim raised his voice to stop it.
"Father, you've been noisy since a while ago."
"But Milia."
"I'm sorry. Elected King Selim. We're talking about something important right now."
"……Yes"
Even so, Elected King Selim became smaller and had no choice but to remain silent. In addition, when it seemed that the battle between the two princesses would increase in intensity.
"My brother is here!"
""Eh?""
Princess Grace of the Luine Kingdom raised her voice.
"I'm sure everyone can understand my brother's charms. Or do you two not understand it?"
There's no need for you to participate in the war here―― Prince Albert's murmur didn't reach Princess Grace.
"Grace-sama, the charm that children feel and the charm that adults feel are different."
"What's that?"
Princess Grace is furious at being treated like a child by Princess Milianea.
"But there is at most one difference between Millianea-sama and Grace-sama, ah, their mental ages."
Why are you picking a fight when you meet for the first time―― Even Heinz's whisper doesn't reach Princess Rosa Linde.
"What?"
The moment when most of the men thought that it would finally develop into a three-way quarrel.
"Sakura"
Prince Albert called out to Princess Grace.
"Yes, brother."
"Shut up"
"……Yes"
Princess Grace was upset because her beloved brother was angry with her. After he had quieted Princess Grace, Crown Prince Albert's gaze turned to the two remaining women.
"Don't you two ever let me hear me say that I am tired of dealing with women and children, okay?"
"I'm already saying the same thing."
Princess Milianea complains back to Prince Albert's words.
"I think it's better to just say it in a roundabout way."
Prince Albert's gaze suddenly changed into a severe one. The pressure that comes with it. It was something that even princesses who had no knowledge of martial arts could feel.
"...I understand. It's over. Is that okay?"
"Y-yeah"
The feelings of the two, who had been heated by the pressure, cooled down at once.
"Heh, that's amazing. I see, there are times when wisdom is extolled."
In a relaxed tone, Elected King Selim praises Prince Albert.
"……No"
Prince Albert can't bring himself to accept it obediently. He doesn't have that kind of personality, but Prince Albert didn't intend to focus only on the princesses. Elected King Selim was not struck by Prince Albert's words.
"As expected of His Majesty Selim?"
Here Heinz opened his mouth for the first time.
"What are you talking about?"
"No, nothing."
Heinz knew for the first time from the gaze directed at him. The strong light in the eyes of Elected King Selim.
The strangeness of the king of a country.
◇◇◇
The people from the Lemberg Empire have been hastily moved to an inn of the capital. The reason is that they could not get into the dormitory they had secured because of the arrival of Princess Rosa Linde's delegation.
The number of people in the princess's entourage would be extraordinary. The number of attendants and maids who would take care of her would be too large to be taken into account. Even if they had rented an entire building, it would not have been able to accommodate all of them, so they had to be divided into several separate lodgings.
After the meeting in the three countries, Heinz and Princess Rosa Linde returned to the inn. They could not just relax. They had another appointment. But it is a fairly relaxed atmosphere.
"Let's introduce them. Our country's hero candidates."
"Nice to meet you. Your Imperial Highness. My name is Mei Katsuragi. Nice to meet you."
After being introduced by Heinz, Mei introduces herself. Mei and the others have also come to the inn to meet with Princess Rosa Linde.
"My name is Maki Takeshita."
"My name is Rina Moriyama."
"My name is Manami Hasegawa."
The other hero candidates, including Manami, continued to introduce themselves.
"Nice to meet you all. My name is Rosa Linde Lemberg."
Mei and the others looked a little nervous, but Princess Rosa Linde greeted them with a friendly smile. The hearts of Mei and the others seemed to relax immediately after receiving the friendly greeting.
"Good. I was wondering what I should do if you were a strict person."
"Maki, you're too casual"
Mei warns Maki, who has returned to her usual tone. The other person is the princess of the country they intend to serve. They cannot be accused of being rude.
"I don't mind. This is not an official occasion."
"See, the princess knows what she's talking about."
"Maki!"
"It's fine. We can get to know each other faster if we treat each other normally, right?"
"Yes, but"
A higher-ups said so. Mei didn't just believe it as it is.
"I'm the one who wants it that way."
"...Then don't be too conscious of it."
It's also rude to say it many times and refuse it. Although she was a little worried, Mei decided to accept Princess Rosa Linde's request.
"Yes. Then."
"But you're beautiful after all."
"Eh, me?"
Mei looked deeply at Princess Rosa Linde's face. Just when she decided to stop being awed, she suddenly said this.
"I imagined what kind of person the princess would be, but there was one thing I knew."
"What is it?"
"Her Highness the Princess is absolutely beautiful."
"That's..."
"That's right. That's the one thing I was sure of. The great people of this world are foul."
Maki immediately jumped on Mei's words.
"Um, what do you mean by [foul]?"
"All of the people who are called royalty are surprisingly beautiful. It's a foul to be beautiful and have a good family history, isn't it? Mei was so-so in the original world, but in this world, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. Even I know that."
Mei responds with a bit of sulking to Maki's words.
"What, does that mean that you have the self-awareness that you were cool in our former world? Surprisingly, aren't you confident?"
"Even though I wasn’t as popular as Shizuru, I was also pretty popular."
"Ah, Tojo-san. If you put her personality aside, she's certainly an exceptionally beautiful woman."
That personality should have been rated quite well in the original world, but now it's like this.
"I can't compete with Shizuru. As a woman, I'm depressed."
"What should you do if you are depressed? Give up on life?"
"I didn't say that much."
"But how come everyone is so beautiful?"
"Well, I..."
Mei and Maki are trying to have a reasonable amount of fun with common topics, but Princess Rosa Linde is not used to this kind of talk. She was unable to carry on the conversation well.
"That's because it's royalty."
Seeing the situation, Heinz immediately took over the conversation.
"That's what I want to know why they're so beautiful when they're royalty."
"If you become the king of a country, you can marry the most beautiful woman in that country."
"Because of their blood?"
"I think that's what it means. In reality, it will be among the women of the leading noble families because of their family backgrounds, but those nobles can also marry the most beautiful women in their lands. If you repeat the process in this way, I think the probability of having a woman with a good appearance will increase."
This is not a story with any evidence. But as long as it's vaguely plausible, that's all that matters. Both Mei and Maki were just trying to get the conversation going.
"I agree. And Heinz-san too."
"My family is different. It's a family of knights."
"What do you mean?"
"Not all knight families are the same, but my grandfather wanted to have strong children, regardless of beauty or ugliness. Therefore, he wanted to marry a sturdy woman. My grandmother was not a beautiful woman, even if I was her grandson. And let me tell you, this is a very considerate way of talking about my grandmother."
The Lemberg Empire places great value on military prowess. What is important for the knights who are its symbol is only to be strong. That is all. Heinz's grandfather was a man who lived up to that belief.
"......Princess, I'm so happy for you."
"For what?"
"Heinz-san doesn't look like his grandmother."
"Maki, that's rude to Heinz-san's grandmother."
Mei scolds Maki's words without hesitation. Even though she accepts rudeness, Mei intends to set her own standards for conversation.
"...I see. But"
"Um, I don’t care about appearance either. The Lemberg Empire is a military country. It's seen as nice even if you have a scar on your face."
"Is that so?"
"Of course, there is honor and dishonor due to the wound, so I can't say it unconditionally."
A scar on the back is considered dishonorable, so naturally it is not praised. However, it is not something that can be judged only by looking at the wound, so it is judged based on the person's history rather than on the presence or absence of the wound.
"That kind of country..."
Listening to Princess Rosa Linde's story, Maki is clearly disappointed.
"What is it?"
"You mean it's rare to find a man as handsome as Heinz-san?"
Maki was planning to have a handsome lover, eventually a husband. After listening to Heinz and Princess Rosa Linde, she seems to be depressed because it seems difficult.
"I don't know? I've never looked at it that way."
"I see……"
"Well, Maki, are you in a position to be depressed?"
Rina, who had been silent until now, finally entered the conversation. Looking at the exchanges so far, she knows that it's really okay as usual.
"What do you mean?"
"Because Maki looks like you can marry a handsome guy, right?"
Usually. Maki's appearance is what many boys would describe as such.
"Ah, you say that? Even Rina can't talk about people, can she?"
"I'm not saying that it has to be handsome."
"So what do you like?"
Good looks are better than bad. Maki, who considers Rina's words as a pretext, asked her what she likes in a man in order to draw out her true feelings.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Then, if you had to choose one in your class, who would it be?"
"Not in class"
"Then what about our school year?"
"That's……"
Rina stutters at Maki's question. It is obvious.
"You, now, do you actually have someone you like?"
"Like... not that much, but if you ask me if I like him, I guess so."
Rina has no intention of hiding anything. He honestly admitted Maki's pursuit.
"Who?"
"...Ren-kun"
"What!?" "No way!?" "Ehh!?"
At Rina's answer, Mei and the other two raised their voices in surprise.
"Don't be so surprised. Ren-kun's face isn't bad."
"Well, he does have a cute face."
"But not only is he cute, but his eyes are sharp and he looks manly sometimes. And although he is small, he has a great body."
"What do you mean, he has a great body?"
"When he took off his clothes, his muscles look like sculptures. It feels like a thin macho?”
"When..."
When did you get a chance to see Ren's body? Maki is a little surprised at Rina's words.
"He's a little short, but his face is also small, so his style looks good."
"...Certainly. That guy is cool when you think about it like this."
"See?"
Even Maki has to admit that Ren's appearance is good. However, even Maki, who likes handsome men, has a reason to take a step back when it comes to Ren.
"But his personality is hard to take."
"Well. Besides, he wouldn't take me for a partner. I wouldn't dare stand in line next to that woman."
"Yeah, that."
The image of Rin floated in their heads.
"That person is also quite beautiful, isn’t she? She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever met in this world."
"When did Ren-kun meet such a beautiful woman?"
"It is wrong"
"Heh? Do you know anything about it, Manami?"
Maki never thought that Manami would participate in such a topic.
"That woman is certainly very beautiful, but she's not the best."
"Is that so?"
"There's another girl on Ren's side. That girl is Ren's beloved."
Manami saw Luna. He remembered that when they first met, Luna had introduced herself as Ren's life-long companion, and Ren had agreed with her.
"Is she beautiful?"
"It's so beautiful that you can't believe it's from this world. It's like an angel and a devil."
"......That's a great analogy."
"But that's how it feels. She's a beautiful girl with a mysterious atmosphere."
"I can't believe Manami said that much. I'd like to see her once."
Manami rarely praises a person's appearance so much. Rather, she never joins into these conversations. It is impossible not to be concerned when such a beautiful girl Manami talks about so enthusiastically.
"She used to come to the academy several times before. she also came during the swordsmanship tournament in our first year. She sat next to Ren the whole time."
"At the time of the attack? I don't remember."
"Wait a minute"
Heinz suddenly interrupted the girls' conversation.
"What?"
"She was at the swordsmanship tournament where the attack took place?"
"Yes"
"At that time……"
A slight sense of discomfort. Heinz remembers that Ren was in the spectator seat. However, he has no memories that she was there.
"Is that woman still on Ren's side?"
"I know!"
Regardless of Heinz's question, Maki raises her voice.
"What!?"
"I saw it in the monastery! I saw her... I saw her, but I don't remember."
"What do you mean?"
"One of the people who suddenly appeared with Ren. But my memory is vague."
A beautiful woman on either side of Ren. One of them is Rin and the other is Luna. But she remembers the fact that they were there, but what exactly she looked like never came up.
"What about Mei?"
"I remember there were three of them, but I don't remember what that girl looked like."
"...Again?"
Same condition as him. It's not a coincidence if it's a lot of people. There is still something Ren is hiding. Heinz thought so.
"What about Ren?"
"That's right. When it comes to him, there is nothing we can know, but more and more we don't know. He is a troublesome man."
"That troublesome man came out on his own for the first time. That's what this case is about, isn't it?"
Ren's participation in the swordsmanship tournament. Even Mei, who has no interest in swordsmanship, is curious about this.
"Perhaps."
"What is he up to?"
"I don't know."
"We might know when the day of the competition came...... or would not be able to even after it's over."
"I guess......"
What is Ren up to? But he knows it's not about winning the swordsmanship tournament. Then, when it comes to something, it is completely unimaginable.
"So salvation doesn't matter to those of us who don't participate in the competition?"
"I don't understand either."
Heinz, Mei, and Manami have a strong sense of caution, a feeling that could be described as fear, toward Ren. Ren always seems to see what they cannot see and act on what they do not know. Even when he does nothing or does something, they have a hunch that his intentions are there. No matter how much they think about it, they know they will never be able to read Ren's intentions.
◇◇◇
"Sorry"
This was Princess Rosa Linde's first word when she finally settled into her room. She can't talk about this in public.
"No. But I wanted to hear from you a little earlier."
Heinz did not know until the last minute that Princess Rosa Linde was coming to the capital.
"I wanted to surprise Heinz."
"Yeah, I was quite surprised. But why?"
"There are many people who worry me. Heinz is surrounded by women."
"It's the other way around. It's all men."
For Heinz, it's really unnecessary care. Heinz has no intention of betraying Princess Rosa Linde even without such concern.
"It's not about your retainers."
"Let me tell you, I have nothing to do with Princess Milianea."
This is the first name that comes out of Heinz's mouth. Princess Rosa Linde's face clouded slightly when she heard that.
"I don't know about that. She reacted strangely today."
"That's because Rosa provokes her. She's strong-willed."
"I understand. I felt a little defeated."
"Is something wrong?"
There was an argument. Heinz believes that the exchange was not so heated as to determine the winner.
"The gaze of the crown prince of the Luine Kingdom. She endured it for a short time. I am not good at all. I trembled in an instant."
"That's... that's also strength of mind. And... would you be offended if I say this?"
"What? I won't get angry, so tell me."
"She is concerned about the country. She has a desire to do something about it. I suppose that feeling of carrying the country on her shoulders has given birth to the feeling that she will not be defeated by the crown prince of another kingdom."
Princess Milianea has the potential to become the Elected King of the Izrim Magic Kingdom. That is the difference with Princess Rosa Linde.
"...I don't have it. I just want to support Heinz."
"It's fine. With your support, I'll be able to do my best."
"Thank you. But Heinz has to fight with that crown prince."
The person she was afraid of. Prince Albert and Heinz must compete.
"It's just as rumored. He's full of ambition. The Luine Kingdom definitely has the ambition to conquer the continent. There's no way they can't have ambition with that crown prince."
"Can you win?"
"I can't say anything right now. All I can say is do my best to win."
"All the heroes you rely on are women."
"Oi? That's a little too much jealousy for you."
"I mean, how can it be that they're all women?"
"That's because they're mages. If you divide hero candidates into sword and mage types, it's almost the same as dividing them into men and women. If you think I'm lying, you can look at the list of hero candidates later."
"If you say so much, I'll believe you."
"Are you really worried about this?"
If she came to the church country with jealousy, Heinz would be a little worried. From now on, he will worry about talking to women at work.
"No way, Father actually told me to come here."
"His Majesty? Why is that?"
Hearing the emperor's words, Heinz's expression suddenly changed to something serious.
"...Brother's physical condition is not good."
"You don't mean?"
"He is fine. He is not in critical condition. If it were, I wouldn't be able to leave the country."
"Yes, you're right. Then why?"
"He'll be fine this time. He'll probably be fine the next time. And the one after that."
"Rosa?"
Heinz was puzzled by Princess Rosa Linde's tone of voice, which was somewhat dismissive.
"However, if it continues over and over again, his physical strength will gradually decrease, and eventually the time will come when he can no longer endure it. That's what the doctors say."
"I see..."
The next emperor is likely to be a short-lived one. That would be bad for the Lemberg Empire.
"And it could be three years later. It could be ten years. It could be even longer."
"…………"
Heinz understood what Princess Rosa Linde wanted to say. She suggested that the problem could be bigger than short-lived. For Heinz too.
"A message from Father. First of all, as emperor."
"Yeah"
"It's a problem. If you continue to live half-heartedly, the imperial position will continue to be ambiguous. Heinz will be asked to stand his ground. You must be prepared to do so."
"Yeah, I know."
Heinz often takes the place of the Crown Prince when his physical condition continues to deteriorate. Not a few will accuse him of disrespecting the Crown Prince for it. Some of them may even go to more extreme lengths. Not only from those who see Heinz as an enemy, but also from those who are on his side.
"And a word as a father. This may be the last time you both can spend time together leisurely. So enjoy it."
"Time for the two of us? Even if he says so."
"It means to enjoy our newlywed life while we still can."
"No way..."
Even the engagement is still a private one. Heinz is a retainer, and while there is no one here who would complain, he is in a position where he must refrain from talking in a friendly manner alone with her.
"We got Father's permission. Heinz, we're already a couple."
"Rosa... are you sure about this?"
"That's why I came all the way to the church capital."
"I see"
"Let's enjoy our time together"
"Yeah, that's right"
The emperor of the Lemberg Empire cares. It shows that the events that lie ahead are so difficult that the emperor must take such care. Emperor Lemberg understood well how dangerous the succession issue was for the country.
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