The party would be held at the royal palace.
One of the grand halls, built for large-scale gatherings.
Long tables.
Assigned seats, with every position predetermined.
The venue before us was so meticulously prepared that it was hard to believe it had been arranged in just ten days.
A party venue, fully prepared and merely waiting for the curtain to rise — it truly set the heart racing.
I had arrived on-site as one of the staff, and now stood near the entrance of the reception room with Eris, watching the faces of the attendees as they filtered in.
Though it was called a reception room, it wasn't small — it had its own setup, more like a cocktail party.
Those who wore expressions of anticipation.
Those who wore expressions of unease.
Such people had arrived at the venue early.
In the reception room, they were engaged in speculation about what Ariel would say today,
and how the Grabel faction would respond.
Those who looked somewhat amused were not the ones at the center of the storm.
Their stake in the outcome was minimal, which is to say, they were minor players.
The first heavyweight arrived somewhat late.
Pilemon Notos Greyrat.
He had brought his eldest son and a guard, and shot me a hostile look as he passed through the entrance where I stood.
Then, as if spitting the words out, he said:
"...Hmph. Don't tell me you think you can come crawling back to the Notos Greyrat family now."
Quite the opening line.
"I don't."
"You'd best remember that in the normal course of things, you wouldn't even be permitted to call yourself a Greyrat."
"Uh, sure, okay."
Having said his piece for no apparent reason, Pilemon made the rounds in the reception room, then disappeared into one of the private rooms set aside for high-ranking nobles.
"What was that about..."
Eris was indignant.
Come to think of it,
back when I'd still been living at Eris's house,
there had been that time she'd pointed out how uncomfortable I must have felt.
At the time, I hadn't felt uncomfortable at all,
but if Paul had bowed his head to Notos instead of Boreas,
and if the tutor had been someone from the Notos family,
I probably would have felt plenty uncomfortable around those people...
Well, never mind that.
Pilemon was indeed Paul's younger brother, making him my uncle, but he was also someone Ghislaine would cut down later.
The fact that he was an unpleasant person as far as I was concerned was perfectly fine by me.
Starting with Pilemon, the main players in today's "party" arrived one after another.
The parents of my two attendants were here, as well as members of Tris's birth family.
Then came the four great regional lords.
Euros, Zephyrus.
And Boreas.
The head of the Boreas family... what was his name again?
Thomas, or Gordon...?
I remembered that it had sounded like a locomotive name.
Ah, right. James.
He too had come with his eldest son in tow.
His face resembled Saulus's more than Philip's, if anything.
He was burly, too.
But his face was considerably gaunt.
According to Ariel, he had resigned from his ministerial post and was operating as a mere regional lord.
Having lost his territory, I'd heard he was in quite a dire situation.
And yet, the reason his house hadn't been destroyed was either
because the land remained even after losing the territory,
or thanks to James's efforts.
...Efforts, huh.
The reconstruction of the Fittoa Region had not progressed.
But you only had to look at the haggardness of his face to know James hadn't been idle.
He too had been caught up in the fallout of that displacement incident
and was fighting desperately to survive.
The meaning of "surviving" was probably different from that of those directly caught in the displacement incident, but...
Either way, just as I couldn't understand his feelings, he couldn't understand the feelings of those who had been displaced.
"..."
He gave me — or rather, Eris standing beside me — a single glance, then withdrew to the private rooms as well.
And finally:
Minister Darius arrived later than anyone else.
With a single guard in tow.
When Darius saw me, his face went pale and he immediately averted his eyes.
The guard, upon seeing me, approached.
Looking at him more closely in the light, I had to admit he was dressed in an absurd outfit.
A kimono-like robe, with a mushroom-shaped head.
Four swords at his waist.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am the North Emperor, Aubert Corbett by name. In certain circles, I go by the epithet 'Peacock Sword.'"
I glanced down at his feet — he was standing firmly on both legs.
No sign of a limp.
He appeared to have fully recovered.
This was the Asura Kingdom, after all. Perhaps they had healers capable of treating wounds like that.
"Thank you for the kind introduction. I've heard the name. Rudeus Greyrat."
"The 'Mudhole'... no, perhaps I should say 'Dragon's Dog'?"
So Orsted was the "master," then.
What a nostalgic title.
Woof.
Still, the fact that he used the term "Dragon's Dog" suggested Aubert really wasn't an apostle of the Man-God...
"Oh, pardon me... I heard you were attacked several times along the way."
"...Yes, that's right."
"So I've heard — you cut your way through assassins who used underhanded tactics with remarkable skill."
Calling others underhanded when he was the one who'd sent them...
His tone was joking, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile.
But Aubert's eyes weren't laughing.
"Next time, we settle this head-on."
For a brief moment, Aubert's face took on a serious expression that didn't suit his features at all, and then he walked away.
Was that a declaration of war?
Both the first time and the second, he seemed to have set his sights on me.
Did that mean he really was the third apostle?
First Prince Grabel would not be coming to a reception room like this.
He would be coming directly to the main hall.
With that, all the players had assembled.
---
At the appropriate moment, the party began.
The nobles filed into the hall one by one and took their assigned seats.
I watched from the wall, standing among the other guards.
Today, thanks to Ariel's arrangements, there were hardly any guards near the party venue.
As a result, nearly every noble had brought their own escort.
Eris and Ghislaine stood beside me with their arms crossed, scanning the surroundings.
Sylphie was absent.
She had stepped outside for the time being, as she had an important role to play in the ceremony about to unfold.
Once the hall was full of nobles, Ariel, who had been standing in the seats of honor, took a step forward.
"Thank you all for gathering here today, despite your busy schedules."
Ariel, as the host, delivered the opening address.
It began with word of the king's illness, then moved on to the various developments in the kingdom's recent political situation, and a recounting of her thoughts about the Asura Kingdom during her time abroad...
And then, the attack began.
"Now, the reason I have gathered you all here today is simple. There are two people I would like to introduce to you."
At Ariel's words, a beautifully dressed, alluring woman appeared.
She emerged from the entrance, slowly crossed the hall, and took her place beside Ariel.
The moment he saw her face, Darius's eyes went wide.
Among the nobles, some went pale and rose to their feet.
So that was the Purplehorse clan.
"I happened to encounter her by chance during my travels. The second daughter of the Purplehorse family — Lady Tristina."
The young lady was introduced.
Tris pinched the hem of her dress and curtsied with a perfection that Eris could never hope to match.
"I am honored by the introduction. My name is Tristina Purplehorse."
The hall erupted in murmurs.
She was supposed to be missing.
No, I'd heard she was dead.
She was alive?
What a beautiful young woman she'd become.
The murmuring gathered momentum and direction, converging on a single point.
"But why... why are you here..."
"When I found and rescued her, she was in very weak condition. She told me that she had several things to say to a certain person present here today, so I brought her along."
At those words, Tris stepped forward.
Right up close to Darius, who sat in the seats of honor.
Looking at him with eyes one might use to regard a pig... Tris began to speak.
Not with her usual rough, bandit-like manner of speaking.
But in beautiful, elegant words that no one could mistake for anything other than a noble lady's.
How she had been betrayed by her family and purchased by Minister Darius.
How she had been kept like a dog by Minister Darius.
How she had nearly been killed in the shadows of the Fittoa Region disappearance incident.
How she had narrowly escaped with her life, only to be picked up by bandits and become a plaything for their leader.
And how she had been rescued by Ariel.
The story — embellished here and there — was told in a measured, matter-of-fact tone.
It was a fabricated tale designed to bring tears to anyone who heard it.
Tris's time as a bandit was concealed, replaced with a narrative in which she had merely endured her suffering until Ariel's party happened to rescue her.
A deeply moving story.
Some nobles were openly weeping... though they were probably plants arranged by Ariel.
The others, especially those aligned with Darius, could not hide their confusion.
The members of the Purplehorse family were deathly pale, beads of sweat on their faces.
Darius, the main culprit, appeared to be holding it together on the surface.
He wore the expression of a man who had wriggled out of such predicaments countless times before.
The story ended.
"Now then..."
Ariel stepped forward.
Wearing her usual cool smile, she opened her mouth.
"I must say, I'm shocked. Lord Darius. I never imagined something like this would come to light so suddenly. No, truly. Who could have imagined that Lord Darius would use his power to abduct a noble's daughter and even treat her as his personal sex slave..."
At that point, Ariel's tone suddenly escalated.
It shifted into one of fierce denunciation, hammering away at Darius.
"And that this was done by the hands of a senior minister — a pillar of the state! An atrocity that must never be tolerated in the Asura Kingdom! Have you anything to say in your defense?!"
Darius let out a single snort.
He rose slowly to his feet.
"Lady Ariel seems to be in quite the playful mood today."
Darius fixed Tris with his crafty, fox-like eyes.
"To bring some woman of unknown origins here and have her impersonate a daughter of the Purplehorse family. I, Darius, admittedly have no shortage of such rumors attached to my name, but this is the first time I've been lied to so brazenly to my face."
Darius laughed, cackling as he surveyed the room.
His gestures seemed to solicit agreement from those around him that Tris was an imposter.
"Lord Darius, you're saying this story is a fabrication?"
"Indeed. Allow me to turn the question back on you, Lady Ariel. Can you prove that this Tristina is truly a daughter of the Purplehorse family?"
"Tristina."
At Ariel's signal, Tristina produced something from inside her dress.
It was a ring.
A ring bearing a beautiful purple gemstone.
Inside the gem, an intricate carving of a horse could be seen.
"An amethyst ring with a horse engraving. Indeed, that is the Purplehorse family's proof of identity."
Darius said this, but his expression of composure did not change.
If anything, the smirk on his face had grown even more contemptuous.
"I see, I see. If she possesses that, then she is indeed a daughter of the Purplehorse family..."
Darius looked at Ariel and Tris with a repugnant, appraising gaze.
"— or so I would like to say."
Darius grinned.
"Well, you see, just the other day, the second daughter of the Purplehorse family, Lady Tristina, was actually discovered."
"Discovered?"
Ariel tilted her head.
"As you may all recall, about a month ago there was a major sweep in the capital. We rounded up an entire band of thieves that had been nesting in the city. And it was during that operation that Lady Tristina's... body was found."
"!?"
A month ago.
So he had already made his moves.
"Of course, the ring had already been sold on the market, so identification was difficult. However, Lady Tristina's body bore a feature known only to her family. That feature was a crescent-shaped birthmark on her chest..."
That was a lie.
There was no way.
Tristina had no such birthmark.
She shouldn't.
At the very least, based on all the times I'd glimpsed her in revealing clothing, she didn't have one.
"Isn't that right? Lord Freitas Purplehorse, current head of the Purplehorse family?"
But there was no way to verify that it was a lie.
If the head of the Purplehorse family said it was so right here and now, black would become white.
And if they said "show us," Tris didn't have such a birthmark.
What would she do?
Ariel.
Had she prepared something for this?
Like she'd somehow marked Tris's chest with seven scars in advance, or something?
She'd maintained that poker-faced smile since earlier, but she wasn't secretly panicking, was she?
"..."
A man who appeared to be the head of the Purplehorse family stood up.
Looking at him now, yes, his face did bear a resemblance to Tris's.
His pale face and twitching mouth bore no resemblance to Tris when she was fired up, though.
"Come now, surely you agree, Lord Freitas Purplehorse. You did personally confirm the body. Lady Tristina was not missing — she was already deceased."
Darius whispered like a demon, all the while wearing what he probably thought was a cheerful smile.
"Therefore, this woman present here is an imposter claiming to be Tristina. Would you declare as much? To put an end to this charade. Otherwise, in such a large gathering, we would have no choice but to order the young lady to bare her skin for all to see."
Darius's composure.
Ariel's smile.
Freitas's terror.
A tense atmosphere swept through the hall.
Even I, who was merely watching, had a mouth as dry as dust.
"M-My daughter is..."
Freitas spoke slowly.
"My daughter was taken from me by Minister Darius..."
"Lord Freitas! What are you saying!?"
"The woman standing there is undoubtedly my daughter, Tristina! Lady Ariel, I beg you — bring Minister Darius to justice for abducting, imprisoning, and defiling my daughter!"
Darius sprang to his feet.
"Don't be ridiculous, Freitas! You must have it! The document with the seal you stamped for identification!"
"...Lord Darius. No such document exists."
"...!"
Ariel smiled, faintly, ever so faintly.
Ah, so that was it.
Of course.
Naturally.
Ariel had already turned the Purplehorse family.
She had read Darius's move and countered it in advance.
I wanted to learn from her skill.
"Well then, Minister Darius. I'm afraid, coming from the head of the Purplehorse family himself..."
Somehow, Ariel's smile was starting to look almost cruel.
"To abduct, imprison, and defile a noble's daughter... No matter how influential a figure in the kingdom one may be, a crime is a crime. It is not something that can be escaped. You will be judged by the laws of the kingdom."
Darius's face twisted.
It twisted hideously, his eyes darting around the room.
There was no one left in the room on Darius's side.
Trapped this completely, all that remained was to fall.
Perhaps if someone spoke up in Darius's defense, he might be saved.
But the majority thought they'd rather do anything than risk being implicated as an accomplice by siding with him.
After all,
even if Darius was removed from the picture, it wouldn't shake First Prince Grabel's victory.
Grabel had built up that much of a power base during Ariel's absence.
If anything, Darius was a thorn in their side.
An obstacle going forward.
Darius was finished.
Ariel had defeated Darius.
From here on, Darius would be driven out by the other nobles without Ariel having to lift a finger.
Even if the legal outcome amounted to nothing much.
If there was something to drag someone down with, Asura's nobles would use it.
There was only one person here who would be troubled by Darius's downfall.
The one person above Darius, who possessed such formidable political acumen.
"What a noisy party this has turned out to be."
As if he had been waiting for precisely this moment.
He appeared.
A middle-aged prince with a pragmatic face and golden hair.
First Prince Grabel.
He entered from the seats of honor and glared at Ariel with a composed expression.
The second round was about to begin.
---
Grabel Saphin Asura.
He moved directly to stand before Ariel.
"Ariel. What do you think you're doing, stirring up this kind of commotion while Father is ill?"
"Commotion...? I merely defended the honor of the nobility."
"I'm telling you to consider the time and place."
Grabel shook his head in displeasure.
"With Father incapacitated, Minister Darius's abilities are indispensable to the Asura Kingdom."
"Even so, a crime is a crime."
"Even if it is a crime, we have Darius, a high-ranking noble, and the Purplehorses, a mid-ranking family. When it comes to matters of state, I shouldn't have to tell you which one takes priority."
His words drew an explicit line of superiority and inferiority.
In my previous life, where human equality was the rallying cry, such words would have drawn condemnation. But this was the Asura Kingdom.
A world built by people who recognized inequality and accepted it.
"Yes, of course. But Brother, I'll say it again — a crime is a crime. If we don't pass judgment, the kingdom cannot function."
"A crime, is it... I see. Indeed, you're right. However, Ariel. The sort of people who should be exposed and punished for their crimes are plentiful in this room. Do you intend to punish all of them?"
"Yes, of course. If it becomes necessary."
The implication being: "If it's not necessary for Ariel, the crime won't be punished."
The Asura Kingdom, where this kind of thing was accepted, was rotten to the core.
"Hmph. I say Darius doesn't need to be punished, and you say he does."
Grabel sneered and directed a confident smile at Ariel.
"Then we're at an impasse, aren't we?"
"Indeed we are."
Grabel shook his head with a show of exasperation and surveyed the room.
"It seems the two of us can't reach a conclusion. And with Minister Darius — the one who might normally break the deadlock — himself at the center of this..."
With that, Grabel scanned the room.
What would he do?
"Let us follow precedent and decide by majority vote. After all, nearly all of this country's most important figures are gathered here. Let us decide — which of us, Ariel or I, is in the right."
Democratic...
One might think so, but that wasn't it.
This was a challenge to the surrounding nobles.
Side with Ariel, or side with Grabel.
Which one of them did they think would win?
And implicitly:
Support me now, and all is well.
Be my enemy, and you will be branded a traitor and purged.
"..."
The nobles didn't flinch.
They had probably anticipated that this moment would come someday — and soon.
Or perhaps, between Second Prince Halfas and First Prince Grabel, such a moment had already occurred once before.
Either way,
the nobles would make their decision.
Right here, right now — with Ariel, or with Grabel.
This wasn't a matter of which side they secretly supported.
This was about openly declaring which side they stood with.
They would read the situation and decide.
Darius had sunk.
This was a major blow for Grabel's faction.
But still.
Grabel's faction still retained many powerful figures.
The four great regional lords, the Notos, the Boreas.
Beyond them, numerous high-ranking nobles had pledged their support to Grabel.
In terms of sheer numbers, Grabel's victory should have been assured.
"You're right, Brother. But before that — there is one more person I would like to introduce to everyone."
"What?"
Ariel snapped her fingers.
Elmore, the attendant waiting outside on the terrace, used a ring to send a signal.
The next instant,
accompanied by a deafening roar, a pillar of fire erupted from one corner of the castle.
Intermediate-grade fire magic: Flame Pillar.
Amplified to its maximum through silent casting, the flames scorched the castle wall as they soared into the sky.
Needless to say, this was Sylphie's handiwork.
"What in the...!?"
"...!"
"Impossible...!"
The nobles saw the rising fire.
But they weren't particularly surprised by it.
Magic of this level was a common sight in the capital.
What caught their attention was beyond the flames.
There, visible through the fire, was something you couldn't just see any day in the capital.
Illuminated by the Flame Pillar, floating in the night sky.
A massive shadow.
"The aerial fortress!?"
"When did it get so close...!?"
The aerial fortress, Chaos Breaker.
The magnificent fortress was barreling toward them at a speed that inspired fear.
It flew so low it seemed as though it might collide.
Every trembling noble fixed their gaze out the window.
It stopped.
Directly overhead.
The aerial fortress came to a halt directly above the royal castle, the Silver Palace.
"..."
Silence descended.
Still, how did Perugius intend to come down?
Surely he wasn't going to jump...
No wait, come to think of it, he was an authority on teleportation and summoning magic.
He could probably teleport straight down.
"Could it be... he's actually coming..."
"..."
"No way, but, still..."
Someone murmured.
The other nobles stared out the windows, their previous tension replaced by excitement.
The attendant Elmore took her position before the door at the lower end of the hall.
Not the upper seats?
Some nobles wondered at this, but no one offered an explanation.
Before long, the sound of footsteps was heard.
The clicking of heels — one person's worth.
But among the noble guards, some sensed that the presence was not that of a single person.
Thirteen.
Those who noticed the count trembled.
Just as the legends said.
The footsteps stopped before the door.
"He has arrived."
At Elmore's words, several people held their breath.
And then, the door opened.
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
"...!"
A man in a white mantle, with silver hair and golden eyes.
Though he looked somewhat different from his portrait, the man appeared with an overwhelming presence.
With twelve servants at his back.
Terror, fear, reverence, admiration.
Receiving all manner of gazes, he parted the crowd as he advanced.
And came to stand before Ariel and Grabel.
The twelve spirits split into two groups of six and moved to opposite ends of the hall.
One group took up positions beside me, where I stood as Ariel's guard.
The other beside Aubert, who stood as Darius's guard.
Silvaril, somewhat more festively dressed than usual, came to stand beside me.
His expression was hidden behind his mask, but he seemed to be in a good mood today.
"I am truly honored by the invitation. Ariel Anemoi Asura. ...Am I a bit late?"
"Not at all. The leading character always makes a late entrance."
Perugius gave a soft chuckle.
Ariel too wore a radiant smile.
Grabel was the one left speechless.
He looked up at the tall Perugius, eyes wide.
"Everyone, allow me to make an introduction. One of the 'Three Heroes Who Slew the Demon God.' 'The Armored Dragon King' — Lord Perugius Dola."
Perugius did not bow, surveying the room with nothing more than his gaze.
The surrounding nobles scrambled to their feet, dropping to one knee and bowing their heads.
"I am Perugius Dola."
His kingly bearing was so magnificent it was almost absurd.
Perugius was someone of immense stature.
More so, perhaps, than the current king...
That was the impression he gave.
"Now, everyone. Raise your heads. Tonight, I too am merely a guest. We share the same table, if only for this evening. There is no need to be so afraid."
At his words, the nobles rose, albeit nervously, and returned to their seats.
Then Perugius let out a surprised sound.
There were three empty seats among those occupied by the nobles.
Three in a row, near the upper seats.
Three people were standing.
Ariel, Grabel, and Perugius.
"Oh my, this is a problem. Three empty seats. Now then, Ariel Anemoi Asura. Grabel Saphin Asura. Where should I sit?"
"...!"
Grabel swallowed hard.
One could almost hear the sound of nobles swallowing dryly.
This was theater.
Not just I — everyone knew.
Who had called Perugius.
At what timing.
"You should, of course... take the seat of highest honor."
Grabel said this in a trembling voice.
He had no choice but to say it.
He had been swallowed by the atmosphere of the room.
As though Perugius had the power to decide the king.
As though Perugius had the power to decide where to sit.
Why did Grabel have to yield to Perugius?
Someone with the composure to point this out should, in principle, have been present.
But there was no one now.
Well, there was someone — but considering his position, he hesitated to open his mouth.
The nobles probably realized.
Just before this theater began.
Why Darius had been denounced.
Perugius spoke.
Without anyone interrupting.
"No. I have been away from this country for too long. I cannot very well take the seat of the next king."
Perugius placed a hand on Ariel's back.
Even as he spoke of the next king, it was Ariel's back he touched.
"Ariel. That seat is yours. I shall sit beside you."
In that moment, the nobles present understood.
The next king had been decided — it was Ariel.
---
Ariel had won.
Using me to hold Aubert in check,
her own strength to hold Luke in check,
Tris to hold Darius in check,
and Perugius to hold Grabel in check.
Well, her battle would probably continue for a while yet, but the momentum had been decided.
Darius and Grabel had no card stronger than Perugius.
None, that is, for Darius and Grabel.
"...Lord Perugius!"
The moment Silvaril cried out.
The ceiling came crashing down.
A noble was caught in the falling chandelier and crushed.
Several nobles were injured by the scattered debris.
The scale of destruction wasn't great.
The ceiling had fallen as if to destroy the center of the tables.
No.
It wasn't the ceiling.
What had fallen was a single person.
She had broken through the ceiling and come falling down.
A small frame, with deeply wrinkled skin.
She planted a beautiful golden sword into the floor like a walking stick.
The old woman stood there.
"My, my, so this is what the dream foretold..."
Murmuring thus,
she descended upon "the stage."
And surveying the room, she declared:
"See? I've come to save you."
The Water God, Reida Lyra.
She directed those words at Darius.
The Man-God's final card had been played.