Huh? I reflexively looked back at Tesilid, who quickly covered his mouth and turned away as if he were startled by my glance.
That was when Raewyn noticed the hand I had just waved in the air. "By the way, I don't think I've seen that ring on you before," he remarked.
Looking as though a sudden shocking thought had crossed his mind, he instantly whipped his head around in the direction of Tesilid's left hand. There, a ring clearly matching mine was sparkling more brilliantly than ever, as if to show itself off.
Witnessing the shock in his eyes, I felt the need to explain. "These are artifacts we managed to secure not too long ago. I acquired them with Tesilid, and we each took one because they're only effective on those with bishop-level divine power."
"I see. But why is he wearing it on his ring finger?"
"Because it won't fit on any other finger."
"Right..."
That was when Prinz approached and grabbed Raewyn's shoulder. "Hang in there, Raewyn," he muttered.
"Prinz?"
It seemed that the two of them were close enough to talk casually to each other now. I was looking at them, feeling pleased with the progress their relationship had made, when I heard Prinz say something to Raewyn I didn't understand.
"I support you," Prinz declared quietly, patting Raewyn again on the back. "Based on our years together at the Knight Academy, I feel very confident that you're a good person."
What in the world is he talking about?
Meanwhile, the members of the Silver Citadel were now gathered around Tesilid, nudging him as they offered equally cryptic comments.
"What's the plan, Tesilid?" Hestio asked quietly. "The son of a duke is major competition."
"It's too soon to give up yet. If you think about it, Tesilid's situation requiring a matrilocal arrangement might be a big advantage," Ephael reasoned.
"I'm going to have to maintain a neutral perspective on this," Ash said, but his tone was sympathetic. "Apologies, Brother Tesilid."
I was snorting at the absurdity of their conversation when my necklace vibrated.
«You know, Ailette...»
"What?"
«He's a Wallenstein... which means not just one million gold, but three million might be on the table. Have you considered that?»
Ha, seriously? You too, Agnes?
"Shall we drop this topic?"
«Pfffft, you're no fun. Fine.»
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls cannot control their laughter.â
Seeing how Tesilid was simply letting others tease him without saying a word, I nudged him with my elbow and told him, "Don't listen to them."
"All right."
It was time for me to get things moving.
"Okay, boys, we should leave for the kingdom now."
"Yes," agreed Raewyn. "We shall depart this instant."
The multi-user teleportation stone that Prinz took out shattered, as the dust formed from it reflected the sunlight and turned our vision white. When I closed my eyes and opened them again, my surroundings had changed entirely.
â¬Â«System» Transported to Vilhelon, the capital of the Vinchester Kingdom. Time zone has changed to the local time.â
The kingdom was bursting with majestic excellence, and in the middle of the extravagantly decorated courtyard were two rows of royal knights lined on either side waiting to politely greet us.
"Welcome, Your Eminence!"
My attitude as I received this warm welcome was rather disengaged. I was paying more attention to Tesilid beside me, rather than to our welcoming committee. His eyes had suddenly dimmed the moment we arrived here, the walls of the kingdom that surrounded us evidently forcing him to recall painful memories from the past.
This place is enemy territory for Tesilid. He had to stay sharp and focused if he was to fend off any surprise attacks that might be awaiting him.
"Thank you for the warm welcome, nobles of Vinchester."
As soon as Tesilid took a brave step forward, wearing a polite smile to mask his discomfort, an unusual message popped up.
â¬The Cliché Gourmet senses a potentially melodramatic scene and peeks their head out.â
Our arrival into new territory was followed by the arrival of a new god, but I wasn't particularly surprised by this as I continued to walk forward. We stepped out of the sunlight as we passed through the entrance into the royal palace, walking until we reached the Grand Hall, lavishly decorated to demonstrate the royal family's status. There we found Princess Celesteed, patiently awaiting our arrival.
The princess with white-blonde hair that flowed in waves down her back politely paid us her respects. "It is an honor to have you here today. Thank you for making the journey, Your Eminence," she said.
"Our sincerest gratitude for coming out to greet us, Princess Celesteed, Your Highness."
Next to the princess was the familiar face of a noble lady, who also happened to be my closest friend.
"Bia," I said warmly.
"Allie."
Aside from her name, I couldn't decide what I should say first because seeing her face filled my mind with a million thoughts at once. Both a bit tongue-tied, we ended up exchanging a slightly hollow greeting as we stared at each other.
Then, the necklace vibrated. «Are you guys talking with your eyes or something? What did Bia say? How is she feeling?»
Agnes' words helped me regain my senses. If it weren't for her, I would've focused too deeply on my personal relationship, despite having come here for political reasons. Hiding my embarrassment, I asked Celesteed, "Did we keep you waiting for long?"
"Waiting for the one who saved my life went by in an instant, regardless of the actual time."
That means she waited a while. Royals and their way of talking...
"You have no idea how anxious we were about the unexpected situation on the last day at the dungeon, Your Eminence. It is truly a relief to see that you made it back safely."
"I have but god to thank."
"I must give a prayer of gratitude to your god that protected you, as well. I promise that I will give an offering when your church is complete."
"Is that so? God will fill your future days with brilliant glory!"
I always supported you, but I want to support you more now.
Though only for a split second, Celesteed looked surprised by my particularly diplomatic reaction. She seemed to have taken notice of the eyes and ears surrounding us, for she responded with a smile and changed the topic. "Apologies for keeping a precious guest here too long. You must meet Her Majesty, so I shall take you to the reception hall."
As I walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Celesteed, she briefly explained our schedule. "Tomorrow, we will be holding a large banquet in your honor to show our most sincere gratitude. The main nobles are desperate to meet the hero of the Helkaion and Anaxia subjugations, so they will be greatly honored if you grace them with your presence."
"I see. I look forward to it, as it will be my first high society banquet," I replied mildly, then darted my eyes to the side to check on Tesilid.
Hmm, as expected... The handsome man parted his lips for a second, but shut them again, a sign that he had just forced down a sigh. He seemed to be recalling the experience of attending one of these banquets in his past life with a sense of sorrowâno doubt the nobles in attendance wouldn't have been particularly kind to a holy knight with a commoner background.
It was obvious the sort of things that would've happened there, considering that the original story had an extremely traditional and backward plot. Nitpicking over his outfit, etiquette, and conversational skills, musing about false rumors, talking behind his back, insulting him to his face, mocking his status, forcing him to drink, criticizing his appearance... The list went on.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls boldly suggests that you should use the Divine Advent if they try to mess with the main lead again this time.â
â¬The Advocate of Confidentiality clicks their tongue and remarks that a breath of fresh air to shake up a stuffy dynamic would be especially sweet in a story that is so frustrating and outdated.â
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World snorts and tells The Advocate of Confidentiality that no one needs the breath of fresh air to be sweeter than it already is.â
Soon, we seemed to have reached our destination because turning a corner revealed the throne room at the end of the hallway. Celesteed took a short breath, then called me with a tinge of nervousness in her voice.
"Your Eminence."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Are you aware of the current situation regarding the Vinchester family?" She meant it as, "I can explain it to you if you need," but, of course, it wasn't necessary.
"Indeed, I'm aware. You need not be worried."
"I see." Celesteed sighed deeply, relieved that she had been worried over nothing. "Now then, everyone except for Her Eminence and the master of the holy sword shall wait here."
With that, the hinges of two massive doors rotated smoothly and opened on either side.
"Dame Ailette Rodeline, the Divine Emissary of the Holy Kingdom of Elfenheim, and Tesilid Argente, Master of the Holy Sword, have arrived."
Tesilid and I stepped through the door as the servant wrapped up their elaborate introduction, lowering our gazes as we walked to the innermost area of the room toward the elevated throne. In truth, the king of Vinchester had been bedridden with sickness for quite some time. Hence, his wife, the queen, was acting as regent.
"It is an honor to be in your presence, Your Majesty, the revered queen of Vinchester Kingdom."
Queen Laviosa, the birth mother of Rigarez, the third prince, peered down at them from the throne. "Please stand up, Divine Emissary."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Sitting on the throne was a woman possessing an intimidating aura and a cold beauty, as if she'd been carved out of an iceberg. Although she was soon to turn forty, her stunning looks seemed to distort the concept of time and age. She gazed at them with mesmerizing, icy blue eyes while her hair, which had turned white as snow following a misfortune from her past, made her look both frigid and exotic.
She definitely became the queen through her looks alone. Queen Laviosa was originally the daughter of a viscount family that lost their standing, but she became a queen when the king fell in love with her and married her as his second wife. Having entered the royal palace with absolutely no support, the pain and suffering she had to endure could not be described in words.
The innocent woman did her best to distance herself from the whirlwind of politics and lead a quiet life. Unfortunately, the world couldn't resist sinking its talons into the breathtaking woman who had given birth to two of the king's children. The loss of Reminick, her first son and the second prince, was the turning point that completely transformed her into the ruthless creature that sat before them today. Since then, the world viewed Queen Laviosa as nothing more than a power-hungry villainess.
Currently, Queen Laviosa's sole goal was to make sure Rigarez, her only son and the third prince, became the next king, which meant she was most likely displeased about the fact that I saved Celesteed's life.
"First, I'd like to thank you for saving Princess Celesteed and Prince Hardale."
Hearing her dry voice, stripped of any emotion, belatedly reminded me that we had helped Hardale as well. I had honestly forgotten about the prince entirely, too busy dealing with Reed's reckless appearance, but he must have successfully escaped. It was interesting how the most useless people always seemed to be able to cling to life.
"It was our pleasure." I said it as short as I could because the longer I spoke, the more I was going to annoy her.
Queen Laviosa seemed to have shared the same sentiment, for she stripped away whatever emotion was left and went straight to the point. "We promise to treat the Divine Emissary of the holy kingdom as the daughter of God. We wish you comfort during your stay here."
Her comment was pretty level on the surface, but what she really meant was hidden beneath.
She wants me to stay on neutral grounds and return to the holy kingdom without incident. It was a warning for the daughter of God to remove herself from worldly matters such as politics. As the Divine Emissary and the granddaughter of Grand Duke Heathfenrir, I had a great deal of influence. Queen Laviosa knew that this influence would not be used to support her son, which was why she was attempting to eliminate my presence from the political scene altogether.
"Oh, my... Have I spoken too vaguely?" She must have thought that my extended silence was the result of the failure to understand her hidden meaning, for her tone became far more overtly hostile. "I suggest you steer clear of the succession issue concerning the throne. That way, I won't need to get involved with your people either."
It was a clear threat. In fact, she wasn't even looking at me by the time she finished her sentence. The way she glared at Tesilid was so cold, I wouldn't be surprised if frost started forming around her eyes.
«It sounds like she's saying that she's going to hurt Tesilid first if you test her.»
You're absolutely right, Agnes.