Chapter 148
The second day dawned.
The gathering was scheduled to resu in the evening, so there was a bit of free ti until then.
Since I had gone to sleep late, I got out of bed well past noon and headed to the dining hall, only to spot a group of people already seated there.
“Ah, Leios.”
Won with hair of all different colors greeted .
All of them possessed striking beauty, and the young knights dining on the other side kept glancing over with looks that clearly said they wanted to strike up a conversation. Still, knowing they were with my group, they seed to be holding themselves back.
“…It feels like you all got close in just one day.”
Esralda had blended into the group as naturally as if she had always been there.
Not only Petra, but even Alice and the other girls looked close in no ti at all. As I moved over to join them, Yuria subtly shifted her seat to make room.
“There’s just sothing that clicks between girls, you know.”
Esralda spoke to with a proud air. As I looked at her with an incredulous expression at that baseless confidence, Yuria beside her gave a wry smile and whispered in a small voice.
“We got close quickly by talking about Leios.”
“…I really hope you didn’t say anything strange.”
Yuria averted her gaze with an awkward expression. Feeling a slight chill from that reaction, I lifted my head and saw Petra glancing my way with a visibly restless face.
“…Ngh.”
At the sa ti, the cold stares from the won bore down on , leaving no choice but to scratch my cheek.
Esralda had feelings for .
In that situation, if she t people I was close with, it was inevitable she would steer the conversation in that direction.
As Petra herself had said, she didn’t have many friends. To an outsider, her personality might seem quite cold, but in truth she was soft-hearted. She had probably been unable to withstand Esralda’s relentless offensive.
I didn’t know how far the conversation had gone, but judging by the unfriendly looks, it seed even that hadn’t sat well with them.
“Leios.”
Elysia, seated toward the front, called my na. When I turned my head, she hesitated slightly before continuing.
“If you have so ti during this vacation, would you like to go to Britain? My father contacted saying he had achieved sothing a few days ago and wanted to see you.”
“King Arthur?”
If soone of Arthur Pendragon Britain’s caliber spoke of an achievent, it was surely no ordinary matter.
‘Did he reach Sword Master.’
He had been soone closer to that wall than I was to begin with. Recalling that in the original story he had already reached Sword Master by the ti he t the protagonist, it wasn’t hard to guess that the achievent he ntioned ant advancing a realm.
‘It would’ve been nice if he could’ve attended the gathering. Then again, it must be hard for him to leave his post at this ti.’
As the weather grew colder, it was a ti when one had to keep a close watch on monster movents. Especially in the mountain ranges around Britain, countless monsters were said to dwell.
They often descended to raid inhabited villages in preparation for winter, so precautions were necessary.
“Tell him I’ll co pay my respects before the vacation ends. I should have so leeway around then.”
“Yes, I’ll let him know.”
At that, Elysia’s face brightened. While I was at it, helping clear out the mountain ranges and gaining so real combat experience wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Taking Werner, or even Gawain who was rotting away at the Academy, along with also seed like a good plan.
“My father also contacted , asking if you could co by once.”
This ti, Leysias spoke up. She continued carefully, watching the others’ expressions.
“He said he’s discovered sothing regarding the correlation between Protheus’s Fla and holy power that you ntioned after the journey to the Holy Kingdom, and that he wants to et you in person.”
“The Count of Sheffield.”
That wasn’t sothing I could just brush off.
After the journey to the Holy Kingdom, I had contacted the Count of Sheffield through Leysias.
The topic had been the relationship between Protheus’s Fla and holy power.
For so reason, certain demons and Majin possessed unbelievable resistance to those forces.
They could endure not only the power of Excalibur, but even the combined might of the Holy King and Saintess who represented the Holy Kingdom.
What was more, when it ca to Agares, he had even withstood Protheus’s Fla that had defeated Gremory.
Yet when Protheus’s Fla and holy power were combined, they exhibited extraordinary might.
Both the resistance to holy power and holy flas, and the relationship between the two, were settings that never appeared in the original work, so I had no knowledge of them.
I had asked Chris just in case, but neither of those fields had been her specialty to begin with.
That was why I had sought help from the Count of Sheffield, a scion of a magic noble family with long tradition and history. Hearing that he had found sothing out lightened my heart considerably.
“Then I should stop by South Yorkshire first before heading to Britain. Pass that along to the Count.”
“Yes.”
At my words, Leysias replied energetically, clearly pleased. Just then, a deliberately exaggerated cough sounded from sowhere.
“Ahem.”
“…Petra?”
She, seated at the far end opposite , drew attention with an uncharacteristic deanor. Then, with her face slightly flushed, she looked straight at .
“Coincidentally, my father also contacted saying he wants to et you.”
“…The Count of Leipzig.”
By that point, it was impossible not to notice the peculiar atmosphere filling the room.
Elysia and Leysias exchanged glances and swallowed dryly. Only Esralda and Alice, who couldn’t use their parents as an excuse, crossed their arms with openly displeased expressions.
Petra nodded with an attitude that seed to drive a wedge right into the middle of it all.
“In a few years, we’ll both be graduating from the Academy, won’t we? And with what His Majesty the Emperor said, we can’t remain in an engagent indefinitely. So I thought we should start preparing for marriage in advance.”
Compared to the previous two, it wasn’t as urgent an issue, but its impact was incomparable.
At the ntion of engagent and marriage, everyone’s faces twitched. Esralda had gone so far as to grip the handle of her fork as if it were about to shatter.
…For a mage, that grip strength was sothing else.
“…Ah, right.”
Faced with an atmosphere that had turned strange in an instant, I hurriedly nodded. Then I chose my words carefully.
“Then let’s take care of the urgent matters first. We’ll go to South Yorkshire, then head to Britain, and after that, to Leipzig.”
Even using Teleport Gates, we’d probably need to start moving at least two weeks in advance. That way, even if sothing unexpected happened, we could handle all those schedules.
The al continued. However, unlike earlier when it had been lively, a slightly uncomfortable air now hung over us. It spread to other tables, making everyone else steal glances our way and hold their breath.
Still, our group of won simply continued eating with sowhat complicated expressions.
“…Ah, so you were here.”
Just then, a lifeline appeared to save .
At the entrance of the dining hall, Philip spotted and hurried over. He said the Sword Saint had summoned and asked to co along.
“Let’s go.”
I had nearly finished my al anyway, so I stood up without hesitation. I bid my companions a brief farewell, saying I’d see them later, and quickly left the dining hall.
“You saved my life.”
“……?”
Philip tilted his head, asking what I ant. I shrugged and said thanks anyway, and only then did he seem to catch on, giving a wry smile.
“Even popularity can be exhausting.”
“It wasn’t like this before. So, what did you an about the Sword Saint calling for ?”
At that, Philip’s expression changed as he glanced around. After confirming that we were alone, he spoke in a low voice.
“There was information that several people from the list you gave t secretly overnight.”
“…That.”
He handed a piece of parchnt from his pocket, listing the personal details of several individuals.
People from neither the sa kingdom nor the sa school, with no apparent connection whatsoever. And yet, they had gathered overnight.
“So these ones are confird. What about the others?”
“They’re quiet. As you said, even among demons and Majin there should be factions, so we can’t let our guard down. We’ve got eyes on all of them.”
“As I ntioned, they’re sensitive to those kinds of signs and energies. So—”
“Don’t worry. Do you know how many eyes this territory has? Even without sending people directly connected to us, there are passersby on the streets, shop clerks, cleaners. There are endless ways to gather information.”
‘I see.’
All those we suspected had reached at least the realm of Sword Master.
Even for seasoned experts, they’d be dangerous, and it was impossible to monitor all of them at once.
But if information was gathered from people who were already there, it was hardly difficult. After all, no one living in this territory would dare go against the Sword Saint’s na.
“We’ll talk in more detail inside.”
When I entered the Sword Saint’s office, several people greeted . All of them were either his direct lineage or core mbers of the knight order—experts who wielded trendous influence in this territory.
“Hey, has the thief arrived!”
“…Who are you calling a thief?”
Of course, to they all felt like uncles with a big age gap.
At first, I had thought there might be so subtle territorial behavior.
The fact that I had beco the Sword Saint’s disciple was sothing everyone involved here knew. I assud they’d naturally harbor so resentnt toward soone who had appeared out of nowhere and taken a place among them.
But their attitude was simple.
One after another, they challenged to spar. Then, once they were satisfied, they welcod .
If anything, I was the one who felt bewildered.
Watching , the Sword Saint burst out laughing heartily.
“You heard from Philip, right? A few of the ones on the list you handed over t overnight.”
“What do you plan to do?”
Whether we would move first to deal with them swiftly and warn those hiding, or wait until they made their move and wipe them out all at once.
Each option had its pros and cons. Moreover, since we could prove their identities, we could even steamroll any diplomatic issues.
With so many distinguished figures here to serve as witnesses, what was there to hesitate about?
“Do you have any idea what ans they might use to cause trouble?”
At the Sword Saint’s question, I fell into brief contemplation.
They usually used insiders to stir up chaos. If they offered people as sacrifices, creating lesser monsters would be easy enough.
Up until now, they had avoided that to leave no traces while operating under the surface, but with rumors spreading from the Holy Kingdom to every nation, there was no longer any need for such restraint.
“But if they’re thinking clearly, they won’t disperse their forces. Given the strength gathered here, at most it’d be a diversionary tactic……”
And besides, wasn’t there a tempting piece of prey right in front of them?
A man bearing the title of ‘Hero’.
“If it were , I’d aim for myself.”
Of course, I had no intention of going down without a fight.
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