Seemingly introducing them, Kaiser held out his hand.
[From the leftââââ Diaz Familyâs Head, Hausen Diaz-dono.]
He was an elderly man with gray hair elegantly brushed back.
His hair was long and tied back like a tail.
He was dressed in black, reminiscent of a military uniform.
He was tall and his back strengthened outââââ Heâs standing rather too straight even.
From his appearance, one can imagine that he must have been very popular in his youth.
[Ord Familyâs Head, Yoyo Ord-dono.]
This one was an elderly woman, with short, trimmed gray hair.
Her face had quite the wrinkles on it, but that doesnât hide the sharp eyes she had.
You could define her as a smart, dignified beauty.
Perhaps, she had always been like that since she was young.
What is surprising is that she stands as tall as the nearby Diaz Family Headâ¦â¦
Noââ- Thereâs her stature.
She may be taller than the Diaz Familyâs Head.
No, is she even taller than Wrightâ¦â¦?
Anyhow, sheâs taller than anyone here.
[And the last one is the Seat Familyâs Head, Rinne Seat.]
A middle-aged woman.
She looks like sheâs in her 40s or early 50s.
Sheâs slightly plump.
She was wearing the most flamboyant dress in the place, with a soft and wide skirt.
She looked strong-willed.
Her hair is well-groomed and shiny, although thereâs some white hair in it.
The Diaz Familyâs Headââââ Hausen held out his hand, offering a handshake.
[Ahh, you must be the rumored Fly King-san, arenât you? Take good care of his Majesty, will you? Please, please.]
I returned the handshake.
He was acting humble, but he was showing no weakness.
Standing tall, the next person to greet me is the Ord Familyâs Headââââ Yoyo.
[You had your face hidden and voice changed, and yet, to have actually gained the trust of his Majestyâ¦â¦ His Majesty isnât the kind of person who would fall for a con man. Youâre one real piece of work, arenât you?]
[Ahh! Geez, I canât stand it anymore! Hey, you! Seras Ashrain!]
The person approached by the Seat Familyâs Headâââ- Rinne.
When I was about to intervene, Kaiser stopped me with a look and a movement.
âIt will be alrightâ, or so his eyes told me.
[Y- Yes. My apologies for the late greetingâ¦â¦ Iâm Seras Ashrain of the Fly King Squadrâââ-]
[Hey, whatâs with the dress!?]
[Ehâ¦â¦Ah, I borrowed this from his Majestyâ¦â¦ Ummm, if thereâs a problemââââ]
[It looks really great on you!]
[Huh? Ummmâ¦â¦]
[It was my creation! My- cre- a- tion! Well, isnât it lovely!? I knew the Seras Ashrain would be able to pull it off so well! Right!? You think so too, right!? Come on, say it!]
Plak plak plak!
Two women of about the same stature began running towards our direction, slightly lifting up their skirts in a curtsy with both hands.
[My, oh my, my, my, Esteemed Sister! You have called for us!? Ara, indeed! Seras Ashrain!]
[I- Itâs a pleasure to meet you. Iâm Fly King Squadronâs Deputy Head, Seras Ashrââââ]
[Geez, move yourself back a bit, Josette! Here! This outfit hereâ¦â¦ I created it! My, Seras Ashrain! For you to have expressly chosen this dress, you have the talent! You should come to my house as soon as possible! Now, which one of my sons will you marryââââ]
[Stop there, Camilla! Seras Ashrain is the bride of the Fly King over there! This dimwit!]
[Keh! Youâre always denying everything without listening! Are you that envious of my talent!?]
[Wha!? Whatâs with that attitude!? Keh! That dress isnât something you created all by yourself! Itâs thanks to Esteemed Sister Rinne! In the first place, an outfitâs beauty stands out along with its wearer! Isnât that right, Seras Ashrain!?]
[Noâ¦â¦ Before I say anything else, I think this dress is a very magnificentââââ]
[A bundle of humility, Seras Ashrain! Oh my! Thatâs right! The outfit his Majesty wears todayâ¦â¦ It was all me too! Fufun!]
[Haaahhhhh!? Half of that is created thanks to my efforts!]
[Indeed, I see that!]
[In that case, that is a victory for the two of us!]
[Ara, youâre right! Now that you mentioned it, that is indeed the case!]
[Keh! You two are getting annoying, shut up! Get along with each other!]
[ [ We already did, Esteemed Sister. ] ]
[Stop making excuses! You look really unsightly!]
[ [ Forgive us, Esteemed Sisterâ¦â¦! ] ]
[That aside, gaze upon herâ¦â¦ Look! Look at her! This is a miracle talent who can make full use of her dressâ¦â¦ Seras Ashrain! One, two, say it!]
[ [ Seras Ashrain! ] ]
[Hmmm, Seras Ashrain is a very good girl! Thatâs why, I also approve of Fly King-chan!]
[Esteemed Sister, I think youâre judging too quicklyâ¦â¦]
[Ahh, I love it when you give out such candid advice, Josette! In that case, letâs talk a little more with Seras Ashrain, shall we?]
[Ara! Oh my! Hey, get out of the way, men! Youâre in the way, hindrances! Can you not sully the scene with your presence!? Youâre ruining the beautiful composition!]
[Go do your gawking far away! Shoo! Youâll disturb the picturesque work of art! Do your heads not get it!? At the moment, this table will be the ladiesâ flower garden! Keh!]
[The only men allowed near this table are his Majesty, Kaiser-dono and Fly King-chan! Ah, guess old Hause can too! â¦â¦Ahh, putting them aside, youâre so beautiful, Seras Ashrain! Can you try making this pose please? â¦â¦Ahh, how lovely! Hey, call the royal painter! Quickly call them!]
â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..
Kaiserâs look seemed to ask me, âDidnât I tell you?â.
These women held quite the power to them.
Wellâ¦â¦ If theyâre like that, Iâm sure it will be alright.
It doesnât seem like they have any bad intentions anyway.
[Fo fo fo. She may look like that, but sheâs said to be the most outstanding head of the Seat Family in history. She manages her household very well.]
Hausen stroked the white beard on his chin with two fingers.
Yoyo, at his side, snatched up an empty chair and pulled it closer to her.
[The support of those excellent sisters is quite great. All three of them enjoy making clothes and other things, and they are all artists in their own right. They have talent in that area too.]
Yoyo crosses her long legs.
Even when she sits down, her back is straight.
Her line of sight doesnât feel too low even when sitting in a chair.
[As I have already told you, she is also a talented head of their family. Even though she acts like that. Appearances arenât always what they seem.]
Hausen laughs like a good-natured old man.
[Though she says that, we have now left the management to the next Head of the family. The battle against Urza is left to the next generation. Usually, we old people would just stay at our home here in the imperial capital. Weâre old. Weâre already retired.]
At his words, Yoyo frowned, looking displeased.
[And who the heck did you say is retired, you sh*tty old man!?]
[H- Hahaâ¦â¦ She has always been a foul-mouthed woman. Iâm sorry if sheâs being rude, Fly King-dono.]
Gah!
Yoyo sat up and kicked Hausenâs thigh.
[Stop talking in that creepy tone, you sh*tty old man!]
[â¦â¦The heck are you on now, you sh*tty old bat?]
The elegant old butler vibe heâd had earlier vanished in an instant.
Haisen glared at Yoyo with cold anger on his face.
[Go die in a ditch already.]
[Ah? You asking to die right here?]
[Ahh?]
The two Family Heads butt their foreheads against each other and started exchanging taunts.
While all of these were happening, Kaiser looked at them warmly.
[The two of them have known each other since childhood.]
[One of those with inseparable relationships huh.]
[Thatâs right. However, despite what Hausen-dono said earlier, being how they passed the responsibility to the next generation of Heads, they still have a huge influence on themâ¦â¦ Well, I think his Majesty thought that this time, the Anti-Alion movement would be done while those three are still alive and well.]
[He thinks they can handle any complaints from the other nobles?]
[That is indeed the case. Of course, the country wouldnât have been united without his Majestyâs prestige. However, the groundwork was supported by the Heads of the three Elected Imperial Households.]
[Soâââ- Fly King.]
After the both of them spat at each other (which the both of them dodged), Yoyo turned to me.
[Iâve heard about you from his Majesty. He apparently knows your background and your goal, and he has decided to trust you. In that case, thatâs good. We wonât complain. We, the three Elected Imperial Households, support you. If you have any questions, consult us. We will help you.]
Hausen, whose way of speaking became vulgar, followed suit.
[Yeah, you can use us old people as you like.]
Seemingly satisfied with me, I nodded.
[I see.]
Hausen and Yoyo nodded in response.
I briefly looked at the three sisters of the Seat family, who were still clamoring around among themselves.
Then, I turned back to the two old Heads of the Elected Imperial Householdsâ¦â¦
[After meeting with the three Heads of the Elected Imperial Households today, I think I understand why his Majesty has decided to wage this Anti-Goddess War.]
[Hoh?]
Yoyo raised her chin, urging me to go on.
[Mira doesnât consist of just its young and talented Emperor. Iâve heard that Mira has an abundance of talented people but, I seeâ¦â¦ Your side has so much talent that you have a good chance of winning even against the Holy Alliance.]
[It seems like youâre also good at flattery. You pass.]
âHoweverâ¦â¦â, Hausen continued.
[We, the three Elected Imperial Households, arenât unconditional supporters of the Emperor. If we judge that the Emperor isnât worthy to succeed the will of the previous Emperors, we will not accept them. Even after he succeeds the throne, we will reject them. If we think that the situation is completely hopeless, we will even abandon Mira.]
[Successive Emperors are required to be âPerfect Emperorsâ to prevent that from happening. Of course, we, the three Elected Imperial Households, will support them in their efforts to achieve perfection. But if we think that the one sitting on the throne is hopeless, that would be the end of our assistance for them.]
[Of course, the three Elected Imperial Households also put a lot of effort into education to maintain the quality of Emperors. Families with power are prone to corruption. Itâs surprisingly difficult to maintain a certain level of quality and sustain it for a long period of time.] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Upon those words, I remarked.
[If those who select the Emperor become rottenâââ- Everything it touches would be just as rotten as them.]
Propping her elbows on her spread out knees, the corners of Yoyoâs lips lifted a bit.
[Yeah, that is indeed the case, Fly King.]
If even entities like the judiciary and third-party organizations become corrupt.
The country and its system will lose their healthy functionality.
All that remains is for the country to rot and fall on itself.
Thatâs why the three Elected Imperial Households need to work tirelessly to maintain that âcriteriaâ huh.
[Ahhâ¦â¦ I understand now. Your choice of words, your comprehensionâ¦â¦ The speed of your replies, those were just the way his Majesty likes it.]
[However, while Iâm grateful that you trust meâ¦â¦ I donât really think this should be something I myself should be saying, but donât you think Iâm suspicious?]
[Of course, youâre suspicious.]
Yoyo immediately responded.
[But in this battle, if itâs useful, even if theyâre a little suspicious, I have no choice but to use them. This isnât a battle where we can win just by a frontal, fair-and-square clash. We would need to dye our blades with poison to win.]
[A person who is just idiotically honest and innocent is too weak against such enemies, ending up running around on their palms. Just like this sh*tty old bat.]
[An old man who couldnât prevent the enemyâs invasion during that defense of the Imperial Capital canât say that now, right?]
At this moment, Kaiser interrupted and gently settled down the situation.
[Now, now, Yoyo-dono. With such a large number of people pouring into the city, the remaining war potential of the Imperial Capital is probably limited to what we can handle. In fact, it was only because Hausen-dono took direct command of the battle in the middle of the battle that we were able to avoid a loss greater than what it currently isâ¦â¦]
[Stop pampering the old man, Prime Minister-dono.]
[Oi, Yoyo. Didnât that ghost of Zera invade through your Ord Familyâs territory and rushed to where his Majesty is?]
[If I had been in the Imperial Capital when that happened, someone like the Exiled Emperor would be crushed easily by me.]
Kaiser whispered softly to me.
[Yoyo-dono was leading the Ordsâ soldiers and departed for the castle walls. Since the Ordsâ territory is to the northwest of the Imperial Capital, it seemed like she was planning to go straight and gather reinforcements if the state of the war permits it.]
The argument between the two family heads heated up.
Even so, these twoâ¦â¦
[Letâs settle this right here and now, Yoyo!]
[Ahh, fine by me! Come on, Hausen!]
Moving my gaze to the sideâââ- I saw Seras, standing at some distance away, her face looking pale.
Dealing with the excitement of the three sisters, she was looking at me.
Perhaps noticing this, Yoyo clicked her tongue and raised the volume of her voice.
[Donât worry about it! This is just something like a greeting to us!]
[If we really didnât get along, our relationship wouldnât have lasted this long. Donât worry, Elf girl.]
Hausen followed suit.
The atmosphere between the two of them was palpable.
Yeahâ¦â¦ Theyâre like them. Gio and Liese, I mean.
â¦â¦No, there wasnât a moment when the situation seemed a bit serious.
Because of that, Seras had also become concerned.
However, the people around us acted like âit was just the same as usualâ.
Yoyo, who seemed like she was about to rise to her feet, sat back on her seat with a thump.
[Even soâ¦â¦ That Elf really is unbelievably stupidly beautiful, isnât she?]
[Yeah. Itâs the first time in my long life that I have seen a modeling beauty that looks as good as his Majesty. Her beauty doesnât even allow the Seat familyâs handmade dress to look like itâs wearing her.]
[Tsk, Iâll have to agree with the sh*tty old man here.]
[You sure canât be honest even when youâre at that age, arenât you? Good griefâ¦â¦]
[Shut your mouth.]
Brushing off Hausenâs words, Yoyo turned to me.
[And so, putting aside whether youâre from some group of sorcerers or not, if youâre deemed worthy in his Majestyâs eyes, we have nothing more to say. Today, youâre better off pleasing those puny nobles than us. Hmph, that would be quite a troubling matter to do though.]
[But now that weâre actually talking, Iâd like toâ¦â¦]
As he shoves his hands in his pockets, Hausenâs gaze slips to the side.
â¦â¦Theyâve been watching over there for a while.
Itâs âthose guysâ who arrived here in the midst of our conversation, people Iâm also a little conscious of.
[I feel like it would be more dangerous to bring that girl to our side.]
At the end of Hausenâs gazeâ¦â¦
[In a way different from the Fly King, I just canât sense what sheâs thinking. His Majesty says he trusts her butâ¦â¦ I donât think the trust he has for Fly King is the same as he has for hers.]
Standing there wereâ¦â¦
[Uhyooohh!? Now ainât this a luxurious meal! Hey, look here, Atsuko! Everyone! Itâs a war! Itâs a battlefield! Well thenâ¦â¦ Letâs go nourish our energy.]
âââAsagi and her group of Heroes.
â½
After that, as planned, we showed the people around us âthe scene of my conversation with the Mad Emperorâ.
In the first place, that was the purpose of this evening party.
âHis Majesty seems to have his guard relaxed around the Fly King.â
The faintly audible conversation and the expressions of those around us.
I could feel such thoughts from themâ¦â¦
Whispering a few requests to the Mad Emperor, I then left my seat.
Thereupon, I gave off an air of wanting to be left alone and stood by the wall.
[â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.]
The âDonât talk to meâ aura seems to be having an effect.
As I had requested the Mad Emperor, Seras is at the same table as Munin.
The Heads of the three Elected Imperial Households are also present there.
Kaiser, who is also sitting at the table, said.
âYou can leave the two of them to me. Ahhâ¦â¦ Donât worry. I already have a partner in mind. Even with my position, Iâm famed for my earnestness to her to the point of being teased. I have no desire to make enemies with the King of Sorcery.â
â¦â¦I guess I can trust the Mad Emperor and Kaiser to handle the situation over there.
Soâ¦â¦
[Do you have some business with me?]
While I was giving off an unapproachable aura, she approached me, looking resolute.
While I was alone, trying to look for the right momentâ¦â¦
Even without her coming over to hereââââ
She herself had approached me.
[U- Ummmâ¦â¦ Iâd like to talk to you for a momentâ¦â¦ but would it be alright?]
Kashima.
The next chapter is scheduled to be updated tomorrow, July 12th (Monday), around 9:00 pm.