I was now in a luxurious carriage with Master Grom, lord of the city of Suphore, for the King's Capital all the way. In addition to the two of us, there were two knights in the carriage, who were the guards of Master Grom, and one civilian who appeared to be his aides, five in all. Of course, the lord's movement can't be all he needs to escort, and a small carriage with knights in front of and behind this carriage is consolidating its protection.
Why is this happening? That's because we received a subpoena from Wang Du the other day. What a direct call from His Majesty the Duke, there can be no right of veto for me and Master Grom, so I quickly rescheduled to leave for the King's Capital. Apparently, the reception and training center shifts were greatly insane thanks to it and many students raised their dissatisfaction. Even I'd like to complain about one of them, but that's unacceptable from the standpoint. Even if I didn't like it, I had no choice but to go.
(I promised you two we'd go hang out next holiday...)
As soon as I told him I was going to King's Capital, Karin and Siel were surprised to see each other round their eyes. I'm going to look back somehow on what happened when I got the story.
§ § §
"Calling from the King!? That's not awesome, Lapis!
"Yes! Does this mean Lapis' activity caught my eye? The king has decided to reward himself!
Two people who somehow thrive on the caller just like that. I'm just upset about the excitement.
"Calm down, both of you. I don't know why they called me, so I'm not sure you'll get a reward."
"But you never call it in without a reason, do you?
"That's right. I didn't do anything wrong, and I'm sure the story of defeating Rich and his work at the training center got into the king's ear. I can't think of anything else."
Unlike the two optimistic people, I was taking this very seriously. Not nearly as good as defeating the Demon King 300 years ago, but I think I've overacted a little conspicuously these days. I couldn't help but think that it was necessary or force majeure in itself for a variety of reasons, but there are aspects of me that I somewhat regret that there was some other way to get people's attention.
"Souvenirs, please!
"Because I expect it!
§ § §
"Mr. Lapis. What's wrong with you?
"Huh? No, it's nothing"
I thought of the two faces that sent me off with a smile on my face, and they said I was smiling bitterly without knowing. Mislead the escorts with a loving laugh who turn a strange eye. This journey in the carriage took over a week. There is quite a distance from the city of Suphore to Wang Capital, a week for a fast legged carriage, a few days behind that for a regular carriage, and this carriage with escorts is scheduled to take two weeks. It's taking longer than I thought because I need to stay in the previous villages and cities where I go by supply, and I also meet the lord of the place where I stay.
If only Master Grom and the escorts are going to attend a light dinner party, it would be easy, but for some reason they have even ordered me to attend, so I don't have time to rest on the road. I am also accustomed to the dress-style courtesy provided by Master Grom quickly to meet the royal family.
"A call from His Majesty the King..."
Master Grom will talk to you about how you cared because you thought I was bored.
"What do you think is the reason?
"... is it because you defeated Rich?
"That's most likely. It shouldn't even exist in the Knights of the King's Capital, such as Yingjie, who defeats Rich alone. If I were in His Majesty's shoes, I'd think I'd want to keep it near me."
I knew it would happen. It's been a pain in the ass. What if the king told me to stay in the capital or something? I just bought a house, and I'm blessed with my job, and I don't want to leave that city anymore. Above all, there are two people in that city, Karin and Ciel. If it's enough to stay away from them and build relationships from scratch again, it's better to have pulled into the mountains like it used to be.
"In that case, can't you say no if you're ordered to move to the King's Capital?
"... that would be difficult. In my country, which is a royal government, His Majesty is an absolute power. If you refuse that order, there must be various inconvenient aspects to it. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be hard to live in."
Can't you... Oh, it's depressing. Why do you have to do this to help people? It would have been best if the king had broken it even in his belly and decided that there was no story about this one. You didn't see it as depressing, Master Grom goes on to say it.
"But well... I guess that depends on the negotiations, too. Let me talk to you on the assumption that I'll take you in, and even Your Majesty won't want to buy your unhappiness, so you won't be too forced to do it, will you? Instead of declining to move to Wang Capital, why don't you offer some kind of conditionality here? That would give you a little hope, wouldn't it?
"I see... that's true..."
The point is, you don't have to keep it that way. For me, negotiating didn't have a choice from the beginning, Master Grom's words were the thought of scales falling out of my eyes. It was cash when it seemed like it, and I was able to make the rest of the journey relatively easy.
§ § §
I have visited Wang Du in training, so I will not feel fresh now. As usual, there was no surprise, no particular sentiment, that it was a messy and restless city. Except for the lively people who usually cross the street, if the aristocratic carriage were to pass by. Hurry up to both ends of the street to break up and wait for the carriage to pass. A chilling peek through the back window was causing people who had done it to start to move vigorously again. I knew urban humans, unlike the countryside, were energetic.
You need to go through the gates twice to enter the royal castle. Once in front of the jump bridge, once after crossing the jump bridge. With soldier packs on each side and strict vigilance, it should be pretty hard for outlaws to break through. Master Grom's line was only aristocratic on the boulder, and there was nothing like being able to examine the inside of the carriage from corner to corner. Once you get into the castle, all you have to do is act as you are told later. The knight of the escort was split between Master Grom's escort and a squad carrying his baggage, and the carriage he came in was kept somewhere by the working men who worked for the castle. Probably going to separate the horse from the carriage and give the horse leaves and water.
Me and Master Grom are guided by a castle clerk and walk down a long corridor that leads to the back. The first castle to enter is large, and one hallway is very unlikely to compare to the castle of Master Grom. I think there's still room for five adults in this, walking side by side.
The castle itself hasn't changed much.
I've observed the castle without neighborhood while flying my gaze in all directions, and there's nothing significantly different from the castle three hundred years ago. There was no distinction between whether this castle itself had been in use for a long time, or whether architectural technology had not advanced so much after three hundred years.
Just because you get to the castle doesn't mean you can meet the king right away. There's waiting in order, and most importantly, we need to get dressed. So the first person I was shown was a modest room according to my identity. Master Grom and the knight were to be dressed in the big room, and I, the woman, was to be dressed in a separate room. Put your arms through the unfamiliar dress-style courtesy clothes and carefully check for any strange spots in the mirror. I'm not attending the feast, so I don't have any decorations.
"Okay."
It's not strange...... should be. Even at dinner parties I used to attend, I think this is what a low-status girl's courtesy looked like. When I left the room in a hurry because it took longer than I expected, Master Grom and the others who were already ready were waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting"
"What, it's only natural that women's support takes time. I don't care. Still... you look great."
"... I'm afraid"
I should have seen it many times already, but once again, Dear Glom, I keep an eye on it as impressed. That's what he, the nobleman, tells you, apparently makes it look pretty good. That's a relief for now. The rendezvous will once again lead us through the castle, guided by an earlier civilian. From time to time, different knights and nobles have looked at each other with interest, but every time they have met and done so.
"This way."
In front of a long hallway protrusion, a beautifully decorated giant double-open door, a tenacious knight had his eyes open. Those knights, who saw us in the line walking ahead of the civilian population, opened the door with force and without saying anything. If you cage, you're just serving as the last guard, and the door looks pretty heavy. But I guess the lack of sound is well maintained evidence.
Master Grom nodded one thing, prompted by a civilian to move on, and went inside with a grand foothold. Many of us were waiting for us there as we rushed after them with our gaze down so they wouldn't leave us.
A little further through the doors between the sights, the luxurious red carpet stretched straight back, and to the left and right stood the line of what seemed to be the heavy towns of this country. Many of them look aristocratic and are dressed in fairly fine clothes, even compared to the people who have been mistaken in the castle. And although the numbers are small, it is the armed knights who are so mixed up with them. That's not just a knight either. From equipment with different details than the average knight, he's probably a person with a higher rank.
And a few steps above them, high in the front, there are two luxurious thrones, one with a king and one with a queen sitting on her back. On the left and right of the two, there is one samurai and several knights of the escort. This is all the humans staring at this one, so I feel a little pressure on the boulders. But is Master Grom used to it, he approached the king without looking particularly concerned, and when he stopped at some distance, he fell on one knee on the spot. Me and the escort rush to imitate him.
"Your Majesty, Lord Grom of Suphor, I have come to your service as summoned."
"Hmmm. It is great"
King nodding to Eagle Deep - His Majesty Ludwin. Although the queen sitting beside her smiles softly, she never calls out.
"There is no one else who called them today. I'd like to hear more about the flood of monsters led by Rich and the Levre Empire Brave."
I knew it. I didn't want you to hit it. I hit a prediction. Master Grom, who does not break his sober attitude with the thought of chewing up the inner bitter bug, tells the story of a series of incidents in detail. Regardless of His Majesty Ludwin, who knows the revelations of the case, nobles and knights who were not heard anything were listening to Master Grom with a bitter smile. I guess you have no faith in me defeating the brave men of the Rich and Levre empires. Normally, it might be a scene where I get angry at being laughed at, but I don't even feel angry about being insulted because of this look, naturally.
- That's all I know.
"Hmm... so, is that better Lapis"
"Goodbye, Your Majesty."
When I answered that with my face up, my surroundings became noisy. The nobles who have ever smiled look at this one with curiosity. His Majesty Ludwin just raised his eyebrows a little.
"You're a beautiful daughter, as rumored. Are you sure they beat Rich better?
"Yes, it's true"
It became noisier than ever before as soon as possible.
"There's no way a daughter like that could defeat Rich!
"Has Lord Grom been busy at that age?"
"No, if it's true, it's the birth of a new hero"
"That beauty more than that. I don't want to keep you a civilian."
You say it's in front of the king, but you can say whatever you want without a shred of reluctance. His Majesty Ludwin himself was able to anticipate such a reaction to some extent, making him do as he pleases, especially without stopping, but someone appeared to silence it.
"Father! You don't deserve to believe this little girl bullshit!
That's what jumped out of me was a guy who looked like a late teenager. Considering what you called your father, you must be the prince of this country. A caged, connected eye that gives way to his father's silver hair and a length one head taller than his surroundings to make him feel the strength of his chi. My body was also working out there, and my standing behavior was sophisticated.
"It's Steed. I'm not asking your opinion right now. Stay back."
"No, Father, I won't shut up! You must have the soul guts to deceive the reward, based on your lapistic daughter there, an unparalleled track record at any rate! Don't let them fool you!
They'll say terrible things. I didn't deceive you, I didn't deceive you, I didn't advertise Rich or the brave. Wasn't there just talk out there before you knew it all?
"Many soldiers and spies have actually witnessed the scene of taking them down. Are you saying you can't believe the eyes of those people?
"You must have been hit by battlefield enthusiasm and had your head floating. No wonder you see hallucinations if you're an excited person!
Parent-child fights started abruptly. The noblemen and knights around me said to leave me out of it, but those eyes just shimmer when they find good entertainment. Master Grom is silent and unresponsive, and as always, he's just smiling at the queen. I don't even want to come, but I've been called up. I'm called a con man in front of a lot of people because I've been sprayed with rhetoric. Come on, I'm dying to go home. In the meantime, as soon as the eyes of me and the prince known as Steed met, watching the exchange in front of me with glistening eyes, now it looks like a spear pointed this way.
"What those eyes! Are you making fun of me!?
"Huh? No, nothing..."
What the hell is that? I'm guessing you thought I was stupid, but is it okay in this country that such a quick fighter is a prince? His Majesty's drink echoed during a glance as he tried to reach out to me, where Steed, who had once stuffed me, was taken aback.
"Come on!
Vikri - and the Steed arm that's been stretching stops. After all, even this high-pressure person is afraid to be pissed off by the king.
"That's the behavior of a royal woman, such as a woman lying flat on her hands! Shame on you!
"But Father..."
"I said shut up! Stay back!
Yelling Steed ate his teeth so tightly that he stared at me with hateful eyes before returning to his original position. The people who had been making noise before also thought they couldn't resist touching the king's inquiry, holding their mouths at the same time. During such a quiet glance, only His Majesty's voice sounds quietly.
"That said, many would doubt the strength of Lapis, as Steed did. I don't think Grom's lying. Right there. Lapis, why don't you show some of your strength?
"Yes? Strength?
"What, it's not hard. Just pick a few delegates from the grievances and do a mock fight in the castle square. If you were as good as the report says, would that be easy?
I got into trouble. Even though it's still noticeable, I don't feel like showcasing the battle under the popular environment on this one is going to have a lot of consequences. Isn't there some way to avoid it? When I turned to Master Grom for help, he nodded quietly just knowing. Yay! I'm through! We are lords of boulders!
"No problem, Your Majesty. This Lapis will not be a match for a bunch of knights in line."
"Nah!?
"Tell me what! You fool my Knights!
"Just kidding! He'll show it to your eyes!
It's not coming through! It didn't make any sense! I thought we were communicating, but it seemed like it was totally my one-way street. Besides, he's provoking me instead of saying no. Yeah, you're totally motivated by the knights around in one word right now.
During the period of sight, the atmosphere is surrounded by an atmosphere that can no longer be refused. Dear Grom... I resent you.