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Chapter 254: Summit eting (1)
The second floor of the party house.
A chilling atmosphere, like a winter night, had settled inside the lounge.
“Ugh.”
Lanez, sitting beside with her arms wrapped around herself, glared fiercely at Callia.
Her gaze was filled with murderous intent, exuding an aura as sharp as frost.
Fortunately, she seed to be exercising so degree of restraint(?), as the worst-case scenario—her launching a full-on attack against Callia—was not unfolding.
“Hm. So the rumors about you being involved with multiple won were true.”
Callia turned slightly toward Lanez, wearing her signature languid smile.
“The more fragrant the flower, the more bees it attracts. Quite fitting for a man who has caught my eye.”
“……”
I let out a quiet sigh as I looked at Callia.
“I believe I already gave you my answer back then.”
“Hmph. I rember.”
She shrugged as she replied.
For a brief mont, a flicker of bitterness passed through her eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
Soon, she returned to her usual haughty expression, glancing around.
“By the way, is it customary to receive guests without offering them anything to drink?”
“…You're an uninvited guest.”
“Hmph. And yet, despite my esteed presence gracing this cramped little room, you still refuse to serve anything?”
“…Fine. Please wait a mont.”
I let out a sigh, got up from my seat, and searched through the cupboard.
I pulled out so instant coffee from the Republic—sothing I had stocked up on for breaks.
“D-Dale….”
Lanez followed behind and pulled out a small vial filled with a mysterious liquid from her pocket.
“S-Should I secretly slip this in?”
“……”
What even is that?
“Uh, it’s… a sleeping potion.”
“…Why do you have sothing like that?”
“I-I was planning to… use it on you later….”
“……”
Right.
Thanks for your honesty, Lanez.
“For now, let’s just pour this down the drain….”
“N-No, wait!”
I forcibly took the sleeping potion from her and poured it into the sink.
“It wouldn’t have worked anyway.”
A sleeping drug wouldn't affect a hero who had reached the domain of the demigods.
“T-Then maybe sothing that makes her feel good… Ah. N-No, that wouldn’t be a good idea either.”
“…Wait.”
Where does she keep getting these things?
“Lanez, she’s the Empress of the Empire. I understand how you feel, but you absolutely cannot cause a scene.”
“Ugh… O-Okay.”
She bit her lip and nodded reluctantly.
Leaving her behind, I poured the instant coffee and handed it to Empress Callia.
It was cheap coffee, unlikely to suit the refined taste of soone who only drank the highest-quality brews.
“…Thank you.”
Callia took a small sip and smiled faintly.
“By the way, is it really alright for Your Majesty to be wandering around without any guards?”
“Haha. Who would dare to act as my guard?”
“……”
She wasn’t wrong.
“You ntioned earlier that you ca because of the summit eting….”
“Well, the real reason is that I simply wanted to see you again.”
“……”
Co on, Your Majesty.
If you keep this up, I won’t be able to hold Lanez back.
“Fufu. Just a joke.”
She sipped her coffee leisurely, enjoying my reaction.
“Haa. So, what exactly is this summit eting about?”
“It is a gathering of the top five ranked heroes—those commonly referred to as ‘Masters.’”
“…Masters?”
The Masters.
A title granted to the top five ranked heroes of the Three Nations.
The current mbers were as follows:
1st place – ‘Empress’ Callia Padsha.
2nd place – ‘Pope’ Marianne.
3rd place – ‘Thunder God’ Lionel Ryu.
4th place – ‘Holy Kingdom’s Sword’ Johan Basilio.
5th place – ‘Falling Blossom Blade’ Khalid Han.
One couldn’t earn the title of Master by strength alone.
Only those who wielded power significant enough to influence an entire nation were qualified.
‘Empress Callia represents the Empire, Marianne and Johan Basilio are from the Holy Kingdom, Lionel Ryu represents the Republic… and.’
The fifth-ranked, Khalid Han, was said to be the leader of the continent’s largest rcenary group.
‘Yeah, that’s definitely a eting worthy of the na “summit.”’
It was a gathering of the most powerful figures on the continent.
“And this eting is happening here?”
“The Hero Academy is centrally located on the continent, making it the most convenient place to gather. Besides, one of the Masters is the Academy’s headmaster.”
“…That’s true.”
The Masters were gathering at the Hero Academy, huh?
Sothing similar had happened in my previous life as well.
“What’s the reason for this eting?”
“It’s classified information… but I suppose you’ll need to know regardless.”
Callia shrugged before continuing.
“The reason the Masters are gathering is to form the ‘Three Nations Alliance.’”
“…Ah.”
The Three Nations Alliance.
In my past life, it was only ford after the large-scale invasion of the demons.
‘The future has changed.’
With Callia’s assassination plan failing, the timing of the alliance’s formation had significantly advanced.
“Have all your doubts been resolved now?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for explaining.”
“Hehe. There’s no need for such formality between you and , is there?”
“……”
What exactly is our relationship, anyway?
“By the way….”
As she sipped her coffee, Empress Callia turned her gaze toward Lanez.
“You’re called Lanez, correct?”
“Ugh…!”
Like a wildcat with its tail stepped on, Lanez glared at Callia with wary eyes.
She clung tightly to my arm as if it were her most precious treasure, grinding her teeth.
“I-If you’re thinking of taking Dale away… Even if you’re the Empress, I-I won’t stand for it!”
“Hm?”
Callia widened her eyes in surprise and tilted her head.
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“Why would I take Dale away from you?”
“Uh…?”
It seed like an unexpected answer.
Lanez looked at Callia in confusion.
“B-But before… I-I heard you told Professor Elisha to break up with Dale…?”
“Ah, yes. That’s true.”
Callia let out a bitter smile and shook her head.
“At the ti, I was flustered by emotions I had never experienced before. It may sound like an excuse… but I still regret that incident.”
“Then….”
“I have no intention of taking Dale from you, so you can rest easy.”
“…Ugh.”
Lanez’s expression softened slightly—but only for a mont.
She still didn’t seem fully convinced, tightening her grip around my arm and glaring fiercely.
“D-Do you think I’ll fall for that so easily?”
Even though Lanez had grown up in a border town of the Holy Kingdom, she had heard plenty of rumors about Callia.
Empress Callia.
The current number one-ranked hero, said to have reached the realm of demigods.
A ruler who stood above all and was considered the most powerful sovereign in the empire’s history.
She was also infamous for being a relentless conqueror who would use any ans necessary to obtain what she wanted.
“I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard about , but I am not the shaless plunderer you imagine.”
It was true that she had obtained everything she ever desired.
But that wasn’t because she was greedy—it was simply because her abilities and authority were overwhelming enough to claim anything she wished.
“B-But….”
Lanez bit her lip and shouted.
“Dale told before!”
“Hm? Told you what?”
“That… that Her Majesty is r-really beautiful!”
Even as a fellow woman, Callia’s beauty was enough to leave anyone speechless.
Her platinum-blonde hair shone like lted gold, and her eyes were srizing.
Even though she was dressed in ordinary casual clothes rather than a lavish gown, her noble aura was unmistakable.
And most of all…
“Ugh, uhh.”
Her tall stature, slender waist, and long limbs rivaled even Professor Elisha’s.
Compared to her, Lanez felt like nothing more than a little girl.
In short—
In strength, in power, in beauty.
There was nothing in which she could surpass Callia.
“S-So unfair….”
Lanez anxiously chewed on her fingernails, glaring sharply.
She had felt similar emotions when facing Iris, Yurina, and Professor Elisha, but Callia was on another level.
However—
“…What?”
The very person she was jealous of seed utterly stunned by what she had just heard.
“Oh ho. Hmmm. Hehehe. Is that so? Dale said that?”
Callia’s shoulders trembled slightly as she tried to suppress the corners of her lips from curling up.
But it was only for a mont.
Quickly regaining her composure, she cleared her throat.
“Ahem! And yet, despite that, you rejected my offer to be my consort?”
“Well, just because Your Majesty is beautiful doesn’t an I want to be your consort.”
Romantic relationships aren’t built on looks alone.
“Hmph. But isn’t it hard to say they are completely unrelated?”
“That’s….”
She wasn’t wrong.
Appearance plays a bigger role in human relationships than most people think.
Even in sa-gender relationships, looks matter—so in relationships between n and won, it goes without saying.
“Hehe. I want to hear it from your own lips, not from soone else.”
“…Hear what?”
“That you think I’m beautiful.”
“…….”
Callia looked at with sparkling eyes, her face filled with eager anticipation.
“I refuse—.”
“Co to think of it, considering how much Lionel bragged, the party house’s facilities seem rather inadequate.”
Ha.
“Don’t tell … you’re trying to bribe with money?”
If so, she had chosen the wrong person.
“The lounge could use a full renovation… and is that a training ground downstairs? That could use so work too.”
I would never succumb to re money—.
“Oh, and Lionel also boasted about a hot spring in the basent, but isn’t it just a glorified bathhouse? If you want, I can build a proper hot spring next to the party house.”
I-I won’t… give in….
“Of course, it will be a mixed-gender hot spring.”
“Empress Callia is dazzlingly beautiful.”
“Hmmm.”
Callia closed her eyes as if savoring the words.
Her lips twitched, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
“Yes… I am… beautiful….”
For the first ti ever, Callia had an utterly dazed, lovestruck smile on her face.
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