Interlude 7
Surprise Event
Translator : PolterGlast
The Supreme Tournament
had safely concluded, and with the final banquet over, many were breathing a
sigh of relief. However, there were some who were diligently preparing for a
surprise event planned for the following day.
The instigators were
three people: Margrave Hastburg, the Demon Territory Count Solis, and the
Countess Solis.
"Demon Territory
Count, how are the preparations for tomorrow?"
"Yes, they are
proceeding without a hitch. By the way, how are His Majesty and all the honored
guests?"
"Ah, I have
already spoken to His Majesty before his departure from the Royal Capital, and
the same goes for the other honored guests. Lady Chris, what is the final
number of participating nobles?"
"Yes, with His
Majesty attending, there were no nobles who would refuse. All the nobles who
participated in this tournament and all the honored guests will be in
attendance."
"Still, Demon
Territory Count, though it was planned in advance, that final bit of
retaliation in the team match was a magnificent development."
"No, not at all.
I simply took the liberty of proposing it, thinking we could not miss the
opportunity of being graced with His Majesty's presence. I was somewhat worried
that it might be better to hold it in Burg, though..."
"Nonsense.
Teigoon has two bishops from the Central Church, who are not even in Burg.
There could be no better celebration to mark a new beginning. What's more, the
number of nobles in attendance, starting with His Majesty, is incomparable to
anything before. So much so that I've received a few complaints from his
sisters who are here this time."
"Well then, let
us all be thorough with our preparations until tomorrow's ceremony."
"Hahaha! So the
only ones who don't know are the groom and the groom's father? This, in its own
way, is a delightful scheme."
The three of them
laughed cheerfully and then went their separate ways to their respective
preparations.
※
When I awoke in the
morning, the area around me was strangely bustling.
Is His Majesty the
King departing? No, my brother (Takuhir) had told me that His Majesty and the
other honored guests were not departing until the next day. So that couldn't be
it.
I wondered if His
Majesty was going out somewhere, but I had been told he would be staying in
Teigoon for the entire day.
The Sixth Corps of the
Frontier Knights under my command was also out on patrol, and having nothing to
do, I decided to visit my father. Last night, he had been in high spirits,
saying he would form a night-time inspection team for the first time in a
while. I wonder, did it go well?
"That Chris...
she knew from the start. My grand plan... that Takuhir, letting himself be
talked into it by his mother..."
Seeing my utterly
exhausted father in the temporarily prepared office, rubbing his sleepy eyes
and muttering something over and over like a delirious babble, I understood
everything.
Yes, I was invited,
but I'm glad I declined to accompany him this time. So it was all in mother's
and my brother's hands.
Honestly, the last
time's condemnation was quite harsh.
Chrisia, who had been
so fond of me, had looked at me with eyes as if she were looking at filth, and
for a while, she wouldn't even meet my gaze properly. That was quite a shock.
Now, at last, our
relationship has been restored to the point where she interacts with me
normally. No, rather than restored, perhaps she has just become an adult and
has become more tolerant?
I am now engaged to
Flora, and I am not so foolish as to indulge in my old habits in a place where
so many of my family have gathered.
No, I don't mean to
call my father a fool, but that is a kind of sickness. Seeing my father
completely unrepentant even after being condemned, I was thoroughly convinced
of it.
Could it be that he
actually enjoys being condemned? There was a time when I was worried that my
own father had ventured down such a dangerous path. But now, I have decided to
think of it as a kind of sickness.
I quietly left my
father's presence.
Having nothing to do
and being bored, I thought I would go and invite Takuhir for a sword training
session (a punishment) for the matter from before, but I was turned away by Anne,
who said he was in the middle of preparing to attend to His Majesty.
That Takuhir...
leaving me, his older brother, aside and taking Anne, Miseri, Claire, and
Yoltia-san as his wives, and on top of that, being engaged to Lady Yuka... to
be surrounded by such a bevy of beauties, I am truly envious.
They are a delight
just to look at. I myself enjoy talking to them. Since Flora doesn't get
jealous of my brother's wives, I spent a lot of time talking with them at the
banquet last night.
Well, just one of
them... The one who defeated me so soundly... I'm still too embarrassed and
haven't been able to speak to her properly this time... My dear brother, if you
anger her, I'm sure she's terrifying.
My father aside,
shouldn't my brother, in his harem state, be the one to be condemned? I
sometimes think so.
And yet, Chrisia is
always doting on my brother, and not only is she fond of Lady Yuka, but she's
also fond of all of my brother's wives... I still don't understand the heart of
a woman.
After that, I wandered
around the lord's mansion, but everyone seemed busy and, for some reason, was
being distant with me.
Did I do something
wrong? Was it bad that I made my own arrangements for the team match? Have my
brother's subordinates come to dislike me?
I became a little
depressed.
Having nothing to do,
I decided to head to the state guesthouse where His Majesty was staying and greet
His Excellency, Gouras of the Royal Knights. There, I met an unexpected fellow.
"Huh? Why are you
here? Erol, weren't you supposed to be commanding the reserve troops and
stationed at the border fortress?"
"Well, well, if
it isn't Lord Darek. Or rather, did you not know? I, too, received an
invitation from the Margrave and left the border before dawn to come here,
but... pfft, you really didn't know, huh?"
Erol! With a smirk on
his face, he deliberately said that "didn't you know" part twice.
I feel like this guy
is gradually reverting to the old Erol. At that time, to the sincere and pure
Erol, maybe I shouldn't have said, 'The current you is creepy'?
Well, in reality, his
sincere and earnest side hasn't changed even now.
Seeing his single-minded
and serious demeanor, I sometimes felt the urge to tease him. The way he would
grit his teeth and come at me again, no matter how many times I defeated him in
sword training, was a world apart from my brother.
Through countless
sparring matches and mock group battles with Erol, his swordsmanship and
command ability have now become quite respectable.
As one of the two
vice-commanders leading the 2,000 riders under my command, he has grown to a
point where I have no complaints for now.
There was also my
crushing defeat in the team match yesterday, so I asked him to be my training
partner for a change of pace, but he refused, saying, "Please forgive me
for desecrating a sacred day with blood."
A sacred day? What's
that? It's true that today is a cloudless, clear day, but what does that have
to do with anything?
Having no choice, I
went out into the town. As I passed through the soldiers' station in the second
district and was about to enter the third, I saw that the area around the
church was, for some reason, heavily guarded.
On both sides of the
main street in that area, the Royal Knights were lined up without a single gap.
And when I passed, every knight raised their sword in a salute.
???
I'm not His Majesty,
you know? Or did they mistake me for someone of high rank?
After that, still at a
loose end and with nothing to do, I bought a honey pie at a shop in the central
plaza.
That Takuhir, to think
he'd use something like this to hook the hearts of women... he's really a
shrewd one. As his older brother, I am always surprised by my younger brother
who is always walking far ahead of me.
Well, in his case, a
lot of things are related to women. The number of female mages, the female
civil servants and executives, the number of policies that please women...
Does this mean he has
magnificently inherited our father's blood? Now that I think about it, isn't he
much more of a womanizer than I am!
And yet, why is he
never condemned at all, and always gathers gratitude and respect? As I thought,
he's probably just good at handling things and is cunning. I'll have to learn
from him in that regard...
As I was pondering
such thoughts, eating alone on a vacant bench, Erol came rushing over.
"Lord Darek? What
are you doing in a place like this!"
Hmm? Why am I the one
being scolded?
"Lady Flora and
everyone else have already completed their preparations!"
"But I haven't
heard anything."
"Hah, so you
don't know? You are the commander of our proud Frontier Knights, so please
don't cause us so much trouble. It would be a serious matter if you were to
make His Majesty wait!"
Looking closely, that
Erol had, at some point, changed into formal attire. That princely appearance
of his suits him strangely well.
Forcibly dragged along
by Erol, I was taken to the station of the Frontier Knights branch. There, a
formal uniform had been prepared, and I was handed a golden ceremonial sword
that was completely useless in a real battle.
"What's this? Is
there some kind of celebration? If His Majesty is attending, does that mean the
honored guests will also be present?"
"That is correct.
So please do not embarrass us. Quietly change into the designated attire."
I reluctantly changed
into the clothes, but... isn't this a little flashy? Still, that Takuhir, for a
message to me to have been missed is a blunder.
Later, I'll give him a
thorough training in swordsmanship, in a practical format. That guy always has
too many secrets.
The matter of the
mages.
The matter of the long
spears.
The matter of the
magic cannon.
The matter of the team
match.
Couldn't he have
consulted with me a little more? As his older brother, I'm a little lonely. And
that interesting toy (weapon) play, I definitely want to be included in it too.
As I was muttering
such things, I was taken through the back door and into the church.
"Well then, Lord
Darek, please enter the sanctuary through this door and proceed to the central
altar. No ifs, ands, or buts."
The moment he said
that, the doors were opened, and a narrow path of flowers stretched to the
central altar and to the door on the opposite side. Lining that flower path
were soldiers in formal attire.
Erol drew his sword,
held it before his chest, and joined the very front of the line of soldiers.
"Salute!"
At his voice, the
soldiers lining the path drew their swords in unison and crossed their tips
overhead. I thought they were unusually shiny blades, and realized they were
all ceremonial replica swords. A dazzling canopy, a path of flowers made of
swords, was created before me.
What kind of
entertainment is this? I mean, everyone lined up here are my subordinates! What
about guarding the highway! Why are you guys here?
Thinking this, I
reluctantly proceeded down the flower path to the center, and from the opposite
door, led by Margrave Hastburg, a pure white...
『Whaaa! 』
I somehow managed to
swallow the scream I was about to let out. For a moment, my mind went blank and
I almost froze, but seeing my younger brother sitting in the front row of the
chairs on this side, smirking, I understood everything.
『That bastard! He's done it now! And what's more,
everyone was in on it... 』
I now understood the
meaning of the words Erol had been repeating, and everything that had seemed
suspicious since the morning.
I took the hand of
Flora, who was dressed in a pure white gown and had come before the altar, led
by the Margrave. Having resigned myself to my fate, I was at their mercy from
then on.
I somehow managed to
respond to the words that the two priests, Bishop Grace and Bishop Rosa, alternately
spoke. And then... as the ceremony was nearing its end, when I had regained my
composure, it happened.
Facing the altar,
after we had both placed our hands on the sacred jewel and sworn our vows as
husband and wife, Flora spoke to me in a faint voice, unheard by those around
us.
"Lord Darek, as
your wife, I will do my utmost from now on. I too have been educated as the
daughter of a nobleman, so I understand the customs of the nobility and the
importance of producing an heir.
But, I... am a little jealous.
I just can't be as tolerant as Yuka-san... I'm sorry. If I were to hear stories
of you visiting brothels... I might go mad with jealousy and run wild."
"Whaaaaa!"
Damn it! In my
surprise, I had let out a cry.
"Wh-wh-where did
you hear that... Chrisia said you didn't notice..."
"How could I not
notice you talking about it in such a loud voice? And such an embarrassing
thing, if I didn't pretend not to notice, there's no way I could have endured
it! From now on, absolutely no more!"
"Hic!"
At that moment, Darek
was said to have seen in the face of his beautiful, smiling bride, the image of
his own mother's Hannya mask. This is
said to have been the beginning of the famously devoted husband Darek's
little-known status as a henpecked husband.
In the year 510 of the
Kyle calendar, Viscount Darek von Solis, eldest son of the House of Solis, and
Lady Flora, youngest child of the House of Hastburg, held their wedding
ceremony in Teigoon.
The wedding, attended
by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Kyle and numerous other lords, was an
extremely brilliant affair, and it is said that in contrast to the bride, who
was smiling from beginning to end, the groom's face was rather pale from
nervousness.
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