I'll be posting a slightly shorter story in about an hour.
"This person is Aura's big sister!"
Sure enough, there was a resemblance in their features, but their auras were completely different... No, wait—if this were like Aura when she was putting on that innocent act when we first met, the vibe might actually be similar... which would mean Aina is the same as Aura on the inside...
While I was lost in these thoughts, Aina turned to face me.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tenma. This
foolish little sister
of mine has always been causing you so much trouble. I'm Aina, her elder sister... By the way, were you perhaps thinking something strange?"
Aina's sharp intuition and piercing gaze made my heart stop for an instant.
"No—I was just thinking you really are as beautiful as they said."
At the words that had tumbled out of my mouth on impulse, Aina's expression didn't so much as twitch.
"You flatter me. I'm honored."
At her elegant bow, which practically radiated dignity, I glanced back at Aura on my back and sighed.
Seeing me like that, Aura started thrashing about again.
"W-wait a second, Tenma! What was that sigh for?!"
Aura quickly slid off my back, planted herself in front of me, and pointed at Aina.
"Tenma, you're being tricked by big sister! She's incredibly fierce on the inside! And on top of that, she still hasn't found anyone to marry her!"
Still worked up, Aura continued badmouthing Aina at full volume, finger pointed straight at her.
What Aura failed to notice was that Aina had put on a mask-like smile and was now standing right behind her.
"Someone that fierce would never find anyone to mar—gyah!"
As Aura was about to continue her badmouthing, Aina's—
blow—
landed right on the crown of her skull, practically demanding a sound effect.
"Aura, is this the sort of tone you always use with your own master? ...Know your place!"
Aina had gotten behind her and wrapped herself around Aura's body, squeezing tight.
That technique was once the signature move of the man synonymous with "Are you doing okay!!"
"C-Cobra twist!"
Without paying the slightest attention to our shock, Aina continued tightening her hold.
Aura seemed unable to even cry out from the pain, her face flushed bright red.
"Aina, what do you think you're doing?!"
While everyone else stood there dumbfounded, it was Kurif who interjected into this one-sided sisterly quarrel.
As a butler, he naturally couldn't just stand by and let this terrible scene play out.
However, the one who went completely beyond my expectations was—
Kurif—
himself.
"If you maintain such clean form with the hold, you'll eventually get escaped from! Shift more of your weight backward!"
Following his advice, Aina gradually began shifting her weight backward. At the same time, Aura's breathing grew fainter.
I thought Aura's life was genuinely in danger and was about to step in, but Aina released her before I could.
"Everyone, I'm terribly sorry for the commotion. It's been so long since I've roughhoused with my little sister that I got a bit too carried away."
Aina bowed to everyone, then gently placed her hand on Aura's shoulder as the girl barely managed to remain standing on her own.
"Aura, that's enough fooling around. And remember your place... Otherwise, next time it'll hurt even more."
Hearing those words, Aura began to tremble violently.
Seeing Aura in that state, Aina wore a satisfied expression, then turned toward me and—
"Tenma-sama. If"
"that"
"one gets out of line again, please let me know. I'll make sure to properly tame... I mean, educate her."
She had let some slightly ominous words slip, but Aina quickly corrected herself and smiled.
"Well, let's keep the fooling around to about that much. His Majesty is waiting."
It seemed Kurif was willing to guide us to where the King was waiting.
Taking the lead at the front of our group, Kurif gave Aina some instructions and sent her away.
"Hey, Jeanne."
"What is it, Tenma?"
"Aina wasn't angry about Aura's attitude toward me, was she?"
"No, it was definitely about Aura's... untimely remark."
"We should be careful."
"Yeah..."
As we had that conversation, we arrived at the audience chamber on the fourth floor of the castle.
"I've brought everyone. Please open the door."
Kurif called out to the soldier standing in front of the door.
The soldier checked us over and then opened the door.
"The Grand Duke's party has arrived."
"Very well, let them in."
Entering the room under the Grand Duke's lead, the King sat on a magnificent chair directly ahead. He looked somewhat older than the last time I'd seen him, but his presence still radiated vigor.
A beautiful woman sat in the chair beside the King. Presumably the Queen. I'd heard she was around the same age as my mothers, so she must be the same age as the King, yet she looked younger than her years.
Three men stood on the steps three levels below the King's chair.
The first was dressed in decorated clothing, distinguishing him from the other two, but otherwise had no particular notable features.
The second was a slender man wearing glasses. He was watching us—or rather, watching me—as if assessing my worth.
The third was a head and a half taller than the other two, his physique clearly well-trained even through his clothing. He too was looking at me, but his face wore a broad, knowing grin, as if he were hatching some scheme.
"Guards, you've done well. You may stand down."
At the King's words, the soldiers waiting inside all filed out.
"Now then."
The King slowly rose from his seat, descended the stairs, and walked over to us.
"It's been a long time, Tenma. Have you been well?"
Unlike the King I remembered, he spoke with a voice full of dignity.
Something felt off, but having been addressed by the King, I couldn't neglect a proper greeting.
"It's been too long, Your Majesty. I apologize for causing you so much concern—"
While I was in the middle of my greeting to the King, an arrow flew toward me from my side.
I snatched the incoming arrow out of the air and immediately sprinted in the direction it came from.
Rounding to the shadow of the pillar where I assumed the archer was, I found a man there, prostrate on the ground.
"What is this?"
Still irritated, I tossed the arrow aside and glared at the King and the others.
The ones shocked by the whole sequence of events were the Queen and the first and second men.
On the contrary, the ones laughing were the King and the third man.
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry! It was just a little prank. Forgive me!"
The King apologized while laughing. The third man was also gesturing his apologies.
Thinking this had gone a bit too far even for a prank, I was about to protest when the Queen got to the King before me and raised the staff in her hand.
"Ugh!"
With a dull thud, the Queen's blow struck the King squarely on the rear, and he collapsed while clutching his backside.
"What are you thinking?! Lyle, you come here too!"
Lyle must have been the third man's name. The man called Lyle approached timidly, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"An adult who holds the title of 'Minister of Military Affairs' shooting arrows at a child for fun — what on earth were you thinking?!"
"No, Mother. I wasn't playing or anything..."
"Don't talk back!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
It seemed the man called Lyle was the Minister of Military Affairs... the Minister of War, apparently.
The Minister of Military Affairs, who stood at the pinnacle of the military, was cowering before the Queen, making his large frame shrink to nothing... Under no circumstances would he ever want his subordinates to see him like this.
"I'm sorry. Even though we were the ones who invited you,
my
two idiots went and did this... Let's move somewhere else to talk."
With that, the Queen grabbed my arm and headed for the door.
The rest of them were stunned, but the Queen didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Come along, you two."
She beckoned to Jeanne and the others with a wave of her hand. Confused, Jeanne and the rest followed, with Grandpa, His Highness the Grand Duke, Tida and Luna, Kurif, the first man, and the second man trailing behind.
Just as the Minister of Military Affairs was about to quietly follow behind the second man, the Queen turned around.
"If Lyle wishes to participate, then prepare cakes and tea... It won't do to serve something halfhearted."
At those words, the Minister of Military Affairs saluted and ran off in the opposite direction from the one we were heading.
"Now then, shall we go?"
The Queen pulled me along with a beaming expression, but when I asked whether it was all right to leave the King behind, her face turned serious.
"He can be left to his own devices. Firing arrows at his own guests — and children at that — is far too reckless a prank. There's no need to worry about Tenma."
It was certainly too reckless, but the arrowheads had been wrapped in cloth, so he probably did really intend it as a test of skill... That still didn't make it acceptable, of course.
For now, I decided to follow the Queen's lead and put the King out of my mind.
The King himself was still unable to stand after the Queen's blow.
We had briefly made eye contact, but the Queen had shielded the King — crawling on the floor and reaching out toward us — by pushing my back and escorting me out of the room.
"This way. Come in."
The Queen led me to a room at the far end of the floor just below the Audience Chamber.
"This is a room for guests, so there's no need for excessive formality."
So saying, the Queen gestured for us to take our seats. She didn't seem to mind at all that Jeanne and the others were slaves, and when Jeanne and Aura hesitated, she grabbed their hands and forcibly sat them down beside me.
"Your Majesty, doesn't it bother you that Jeanne and the others are slaves?"
I asked the question because the Queen's cheerful expression toward Jeanne and the others had sparked my curiosity. Without a moment's hesitation, the Queen replied:
"Because these children are Tenma's family, and they are guests whom I invited to this room. There's no reason to worry about it now."
She said this with a smile.
Apparently, since she had knowingly invited them despite them being slaves, she saw no point in worrying about it now. But I was concerned that the other nobles—especially the Reformist Faction—might use it as ammunition if they found out.
As if reading my thoughts, the first man spoke up in the Queen's place.
"That is not something you need to worry about. Rather, if the Reformist Faction raises a fuss over this, it actually makes it easier for us to whittle down their fighting strength."
I didn't quite understand what he meant, so after thinking for a moment, the man continued.
"Would you want to be on friendly terms with those who looked down on those children?"
"Ah, so that's what you mean."
Once I understood, the man smiled. However, Jeanne and the others still didn't seem to get it, so the man began to explain to them.
"Listen—you are merely slaves for now, but that evaluation will be overturned before long. And dramatically so."
On top of Jeanne and the others tilting their heads in confusion, Tida also appeared not to understand.
"You two will be known as the attendants of the dragon-slaying hero. Former nobles who fell into slavery, only to have their lives saved by a hero—what a story people would love… including the romantic angle."
"Grandmother, Father—is the reason you invited Jeanne and the others here to curry favor with Tenma?"
At Tida's characteristically blunt way of putting it, the man she called father gave a wry smile.
"That may be how it looks from the outside, but that is not truly how we feel. Still, what's wrong with that? This is something that benefits both sides."
Tida's father—the Crown Prince—said this, but the Queen wore an expression that clearly said she found the accusation unfair.
"Oh, I'm different, though. Tenma is my dear friend's child, and the way he treats his girlfriends, I could see it wasn't how one treats slaves—it was how one treats family. So I simply invited them as the family of my friend's child."
She said this with a hint of irritation. The Crown Prince gave a wry chuckle at this as well, but he seemed to believe his own reasoning wasn't wrong, so he offered no further words of justification.
Just as the atmosphere in the room was on the verge of turning awkward, the door suddenly burst open with force.
Everyone startled and turned toward the door, and the Minister of Military Affairs from earlier peered through from the other side.
"Sorry I'm late! I brought tea and tea snacks!"
The Minister of Military Affairs stood there clutching a basket that didn't match the mood at all. Behind him, Aina could be seen following along with a complete tea set and sandwiches loaded onto a wagon.
"I remembered there were snacks delivered to my room yesterday... Here they are!"
What the Minister of Military Affairs pulled from the basket were small cream puffs — what are commonly called petite choux.
"They've apparently been popular in Gunjou City recently, so I pressed Duke Sanga and had him get some for me!"
Only Tida and Luna
were
happy about it, but the others wore wry smiles, and the Queen herself let out a sigh.
"Lyle... Disqualification!"
"Why?!"
At the Minister of Military Affairs' shout, the Queen sighed again and pointed at the petite choux.
"What are
these
called as a snack?"
"Um... they're called petite choux, but..."
"No, not that... What
brand
of snack are they?"
"Hah... I think it's something like Tenma Brand... Ah!"
"What's the point of bringing the snack to the person who invented it... Put more thought into things."
The Minister of Military Affairs wore an expression like he'd been caught red-handed, and seeing that face, Grandpa and His Grace the Grand Duke were stifling their laughter, while the first and second men looked utterly exasperated.
The scene was so far removed from the image I had of the Minister of Military Affairs that I couldn't help but laugh.
"I-I'm sorry... I haven't had any of Manpukutei's snacks since I set out on my journey, so I'm rather excited to see how things have turned out."
Saying that, she picked up a puff pastry from the basket and popped it into her mouth.
"Mm, delicious! Dad really has gotten good at this! Minister of Military Affairs, thank you for your thoughtfulness."
Hearing my words, Her Majesty the Queen also took a puff pastry and placed it on her plate.
"Well, if Tenma is fine with it, then there's no problem... Lyle, just because you're in the military doesn't mean you should forget theconsideration expected of a noble."
"Yes... I'll keep that in mind..."
Seeing Her Majesty the Queen take a puff pastry, Aina began distributing them onto each person's plate and pouring tea.
Since Aura was just standing there watching, Aina didn't pour tea for herself and Aura.
After finishing distributing the tea, Aina called Aura over to her.
Aura approached timidly, wondering what was going on, but when Aina told her to pour tea for the two of them, she began pouring with great confidence... however,
"It's awful!"
"Not enough steeping!"
"Too much steeping!"
"You didn't warm the cup!"
And so on, one criticism after another rained down on her without pause.
Thinking this might be a bit too harsh, I glanced over, and Aina turned to face me.
"Lord Tenma, please leave my little sister's break time and free time to me. I won't say she'll be a full-fledged maid, but I will tame her into something far better than she is now."
She made that proposal out of nowhere. Upon hearing it, Aura was desperately gesturing behind Aina's back, pleading with her to refuse.
Seeing Aura like that, I gave my answer immediately.
"Thank you very much. I'll be counting on you."
Seeing me bow politely, Aina looked momentarily surprised, but quickly composed herself and nodded with satisfaction.
Behind her, Aura collapsed to the floor with an expression of utter despair, as though she'd just witnessed the end of the world.
Watching Aura like that, images of thump-thump thump-thump replayed in my head, though I couldn't really pin down any particular feeling about it.
"Oh, how wonderful! Oh, and while we're at it, Jeanne should receive instruction from Aina too!"
"Hwah?!"
At the Queen's sudden proposal, this time it was Jeanne who froze solid.
"Come now, Jeanne is a girl of age, you know. I think she needs that sort of experience! Think of it as bride training."
Under the Queen's forceful urging, Jeanne nodded along, unable to resist the momentum.
"I'll speak to His Majesty so that Tenma and the others can freely enter and leave the royal castle. For now, let's begin the first lesson the day after tomorrow around noon. Does that work for you, Aina?"
"Understood, Lady Maria."
As plans were decided one after another, Jeanne couldn't so much as interject—she could only listen and nod.
"Now, now, Mother. More importantly, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. It would be rather rude to carry on with the conversation without so much as an introduction..."
The first man offered this suggestion to the Queen.
"Oh my, how embarrassing—I got all excited like a young girl... My apologies. I'm Maria von Blue Mail Christin. I was close friends with your mother, Celia. It's lovely to meet you."
As the man beside the Queen moved to speak next, I hurried to stand, but he gestured for me to stay seated.
"There's no need to stand. I am Caesar von Blue Mail Christin, Crown Prince. My son and daughter seem to have caused you trouble—my sincerest apologies."
With that, Crown Prince Caesar bowed his head. It was a situation that would be unthinkable under normal circumstances, but neither the Queen nor any of the other royals present showed the slightest surprise.
"Next would be me—I'm Zane von Blue Mail Christin, the King's second son and also the Minister of Finance."
This was just a brief greeting. Though I couldn't quite tell, it seemed like he was wary of me.
"Sorry about earlier. I was curious about how the rumored Tenma would react! I'm Lyle von Blue Mail Christin!"
A boisterous man who lived up to his appearance, with an unmistakable military bearing.
Of the three, he felt the most like the King.
"I'm late with my introduction. I am..."
"Hold on a moment."
The Queen stopped me before I could offer my greeting.
"We may be meeting for the first time, but we owe each other various debts. On top of that, you're the child of my dear friend—there's no need for stiff formalities. When we're not in public, speak to me however you normally would."
"Well, but..."
"In your normal voice, I said."
"...Yes, understood."
The Queen, satisfied with my response, urged me to continue with my introductions.
I looked to the Crown Prince to confirm whether this was really alright, but he was simply smiling.
"Mother has given her permission, so don't worry about it. Besides, I heard you called His Majesty 'old man.' If that's the case, formal language is a lost cause at this point. Oh, and you can drop the Crown Prince title for me too."
The Crown Prince—Caesar-sama—was laughing while bringing up my past.
"Then just call me Lyle. I'm not used to having a kid call me Minister!"
Lyle piled on as well, following Caesar's lead.
"Oh my! Then you can call me Maria too. Understood, Tenma."
The royals of this country apparently had very relaxed personalities. Well, at least among themselves.
In the midst of all this, only the Finance Minister hadn't opened his mouth... In principle, it felt like the royals' casual attitude was the correct one, but in this particular situation, it was strange that the opposite looked unusual.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Tenma the adventurer. It's a pleasure to meet you."
After me, Jeanne and Aura also greeted them, but the two of them were properly reading the room and used polite language throughout.
Well, it went without saying, really. Being disrespectful to royalty was, in principle, a punishable-by-death offense with no room for argument.
Watching Aura's greeting, Aina's eyes were notably stern.
I didn't understand what it was about, but apparently Aura had made some kind of mistake.
"Hmm, so everyone's been given permission to use first names... Then I suppose I may call you by yours as well. Go on, say it."
His Grace the Grand Duke said this and urged me to call him by his name, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Seeing that, Grandpa interjected from the side.
"You, did you teach Tenma your name?"
"Ah... that's right."
From there, the two of them launched into their usual exchange of insults.
These two really were always at each other's throats, no matter where they were... If they got along that badly, they didn't have to sit next to each other...
While all this commotion was going on—it was only the two of them making noise, and they happened to be the oldest people in the room—the door slowly opened.
"How cruel... leaving me behind like that..."
The King was propping himself up on a cane as he opened the door, but before he could finish his sentence, Maria swiftly walked over to the door.
"I didn't invite you."
Cutting off the King's words with that, she ruthlessly shoved the powerless King out of the room, closed the door, and even locked it.
From outside the door, the sound of knocking and the King's voice crying "Let me in" could be heard, but Maria completely ignored it and sat back down in her seat as if nothing had happened, asking Aina for a refill of tea.
After that, the King tried several times, but Maria shut him down every time, and in the end the King was never able to re-enter the room.
"It's already late today, so you're staying over. Aina, prepare three rooms."
"As you command."
On Maria's orders, Aina left the room.
When she opened the door, I caught a brief glimpse of the King, but one glare from Maria was enough to keep him from stepping inside.
"Tenma, do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"
Lyle asked about my schedule, and when I told him I had nothing in particular, he broke into a grin for some reason.
"Great! Then come to the castle's training grounds tomorrow! The Imperial Guard and the First Knight Order are holding a joint exercise, so you'll join in!"
"Hey, Lyle. Isn't this a little too sudden?"
Caesar-sama protested on my behalf, but Lyle paid him no mind and kept talking.
"It's the perfect chance to see what Tenma can do. Besides, if Tenma shows the knights what he's capable of, it'll cut down on a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings!"
"Well, that's exactly the kind of thing that's going to cause unnecessary misunderstandings..."
I put in a protest of my own, but with a personality like the King's, it probably wasn't going to do much good.
"Don't worry! The Imperial Guard and the First Knight Order both value ability above all else! Anyone who's got real skill gets more respect there than in most other knight orders!"
Lyle laughed heartily, but the sight of him looked so much like a mirror image of the King that the only two words floating through my mind were "oh no."
"Tenma, just give up... Once Lyle gets like this, he doesn't listen to anyone..."
Caesar-sama said that with a look of genuine apology.
Maria and the Finance Minister were shaking their heads as if to say "just accept it."
"My lady. The rooms are ready."
While Lyle was still laughing away, Aina came in to announce that preparations were complete.
"Very well. Thank you for your hard work. Tenma and the others must be tired, so let's call it a day. Aina, please show them to their rooms."
With those words from Maria, the day's proceedings came to an end.
I just stepped out the door after Aina when the King, who had been hiding in the shadows of the doorframe, grabbed me by the shoulder.
"Tenma... You could have at least tried to convince Maria for me, you know..."
The King was on the verge of tears. It seemed the blow he'd received from Maria was still lingering, because he was standing with his legs slightly apart, wincing.
As I put on an awkward smile, Maria's voice rang out from inside the room.
"You. I have something to discuss with you. Get back in here."
The King's face went pale at Maria's words, but the pain in his backside left him unable to flee. Shoulders slumped, he slowly shuffled back into the room.
Right after that, Caesar-sama and the others inside also hurried out, and the door was shut behind them.
Immediately afterward, a voice like furious shouting could be heard from inside the room... but since the door was closed, I couldn't make out the details. For some reason, though, the King's wailing apologies rang out crystal clear.
"...Well, it's the same as always. No point worrying about it. We're dismissed for today. Tida and Luna, you two are getting a lecture in my room."
At Caesar-sama's words, Tida and Luna both looked like they were about to cry, but they didn't even think about running. Silently, they followed after Caesar-sama.
"This way, please, Tenma-sama. Tenma-sama and Merlin-sama each have their own rooms. Jeanne and Aura will share a room."
Aina guided me onward, and the room we arrived at was at the far end of the same floor—the old man's room was across from it, and Jeanne and the others were right next door.
"Thank you for your hard work today. I'll come wake you in the morning, so please rest easy. If there's anything you need, there's an attendant in the waiting room over there, so don't hesitate to make any request."
With that, Aina gave a bow and retraced her steps the way she'd come.
"Well, I'm certainly tired today... Tenma, tell me all about it again tomorrow. Good night."
"Tenma, good night. See you tomorrow."
"Good night, Tenma-sama."
One by one, they filed into their rooms.
Aura was only slightly more careful with her words than usual. That's how scared she must be of Aina's punishments.
I hope she grows into a proper maid without becoming like Aina, though. That's a little terrifying.
I figured I'd better head to my own room and get some sleep before Aina showed up to punish me for thinking such rude thoughts.
Just as I was about to drift off, I realized I hadn't prepared food for Shiromaru and the others. I hurriedly grabbed the pre-made rations and tossed them into the bag, and they devoured the lot at an astonishing pace, finishing everything in the blink of an eye.
I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to let Shiromaru and the others out into the room, so I decided to let them spend the night in the bag for now and finally crawled under the covers to sleep.
All I could hope was that tomorrow wouldn't turn into a huge mess...
I'm very grateful for all the kind feedback and comments I've received.
As for my image of the Royal Capital, I've been writing it with the idea that there are fields and farmland even within the city streets.
I plan to touch on that in the story at some point.
I hope you'll continue enjoying the story from here on as well.