Chapter 210 - Reconciliation?
When Rivett and I returned to the ground, everyone walked toward us with anxious expressions. The council members went to Rivett, while Glenn and the others came to me.
"W-Well, what happened?"
Glenn asked immediately, and I puffed out my chest to answer.
"Yes. I've reached a reconciliation with Rivett. I believe he'll cooperate with us from now on."
When I said that, Strass furrowed his brow and spoke, apparently interpreting it differently.
"By cooperation, do you perhaps mean marriage...?"
"Of course not."
I denied it immediately, and before Strass could say anything, Eliza stepped forward.
"Thank goodness! You're not getting married, right? Even if you do get married, please stay at Fiddiq Academy!"
With teary eyes, Eliza pleaded. I had never intended to marry in the first place, so why would she think that?
As I wondered, even Shenley came up to me with teary eyes.
"Aoi-sensei, I'm so relieved... Fighting someone as amazing as the elven king was a little scary."
It seemed she had simply been frightened by the magical duel. Certainly, in the general image, elves were regarded as superior mages, and I had prior information that the king was the greatest among them. With that in mind, my challenge must have appeared reckless.
That said, I had planned to create a vacuum and render him unconscious if things went wrong, so I had judged that I had a good chance in a one-on-one fight. If all the council members had joined Rivett's side and attacked together, I might have lost, but I still thought I could at least survive.
Well, that was just wishful thinking.
As I spoke with the four, Owen also arrived late. For some reason, he wore a displeased expression.
"He picked the fight himself, so you should have just killed him..."
For some reason, he complained that I hadn't killed Rivett.
"No, I hold no grudge against him."
When I answered, Owen shook his head with a subtly disgusted look.
"The elven royal family is nothing but a hindrance to the advancement of magic."
Owen muttered with an unusually deep resentment. It seemed he had some kind of history with them, but I didn't know if I should touch on it. Either way, he seemed unwilling to talk about it and averted his gaze, so I decided not to press.
As I was thinking about that, Langus walked over with a strangely proud expression.
"Oh, my consort! What splendid magical skill! To overwhelm my father—I still can't believe it! But I watched and cheered for you from high above! That ice magic, that fire magic! And above all, the way you used water magic to interrupt Father's spell! Absolutely magnificent!"
"I'm not your consort... Still, you could see clearly from up there?"
I denied the marriage part and asked instead. Langus laughed, showing his white teeth.
"Ha ha ha! As an elven royal, I can at least use Eagle Eye, the hunter's vision. I am known as a skilled mage myself, you know."
Langus said this in high spirits. The hunter's vision—another unique elven spell. It didn't seem particularly difficult, but it might have a mechanism that wasn't scientifically based.
"I really need to study elven magic more closely."
I murmured quietly, but Langus's ears caught it, and he nodded with a radiant smile.
"Indeed! I'll teach you everything! In fact, some elven magic is kept secret by the royal family. Even some council members have never seen certain spells. If you become my consort, I'll teach you even those!"
He casually said something that could affect national defense and interests. I was the one who felt worried just hearing it.
"...Langus. If you marry, that's fine, but then you can't become king, so you must not teach royal magic."
Lenji came over and made a sensible point. Langus frowned but said nothing—which meant he likely accepted Lenji's words. Good. I had thought all the royals might be reckless, but at least they had that much sense.
As these exchanges continued, Rivett, apparently having finished some discussion with the council members, walked over with a sullen expression.
"...This is no longer the time for a meeting to decide the next king. We'll adjourn for now. By the way, Aoi—there are many things I wish to discuss with you. Come to the royal castle early tomorrow morning."
With that, Rivett turned on his heel and left.
Several elven guards and some council members also departed, but a figure approached me.
"That was quite an ordeal."
Spire said with a wry smile. I nodded in return and answered.
"I'm sorry as well. In the end, it turned into a huge commotion."
When I answered, Spire's wry smile deepened, and he shook his head.
"No, I think it was necessary. As I said earlier, everyone knew that our kingdom would only decline if things continued as they were. Most of us, myself included, had been averting our eyes from the future to come. But this incident has likely made us realize that we need to look beyond our borders. If that happens, the population should grow—including half-elves. Depending on the situation, we may even start accepting travelers from other nations. I believe that will become a great advantage for the elven kingdom."
Spire said this with a clear, refreshed expression, as if a burden had been lifted. Then he gave a light bow and left.
As I watched him go, Lenji and Asor also came over.
"...Human mage. Next time, please teach me about your magic."
Lenji said that cheerfully and left, and then Asor straightened his back and spoke.
"I-I was deeply moved. I had heard that the mages of other races weren't very strong, but that was wrong. I-I'd also like to ask you about magic. Well then, see you."
Asor said this nervously, then spun around and walked away. Laughing at his antics, Lenji followed.
Somehow, after watching them leave, I looked at Langus, who remained. He tilted his head and looked at me with a radiant smile.
"Is something wrong, my consort?"
"I'm not your consort."
Langus simply wouldn't listen, and I felt my energy was being drained. At this rate, I felt more exhausted than after the fight with Rivett.
Slumping my shoulders as I refuted him, I looked at Owen. I had hoped for help, but Owen leaned forward, his upper body tilting toward me, and spoke with a straight face.
"If you get a chance to see royal magic, let me sit in. Understood?"
"...I don't think such an opportunity will arise."
"No, it will. Rather, make it happen. Figure it out."
And with that, the magic-obsessed Owen showed his true colors. I felt even more drained and just wanted to return to the inn and sleep.
Just then, a rescue finally arrived.
"Lord Langus, Lord Owen. The two candidates, please return to the royal castle. The meeting to decide the next king will continue tomorrow. This time, I hope to witness the candidates' magic, so I ask for your cooperation."
A female elven council member called out, and both of them made displeased faces.
"I was planning to have dinner with Lady Aoi tonight."
"We will not. When did that ever come up?"
I firmly rejected Langus's delusion. Then Owen nodded deeply and looked at me.
"Exactly right. Aoi and I are scheduled to discuss newly developed magic today. There's no room for other matters."
"Please spare me today. I'm truly exhausted."
I also brushed off Owen's magic-obsessed remark. Then Edra appeared from behind the female elf.
"Hmm, that's only natural. You faced the king head-on in magical combat. The only one who has ever done that was the former king—His Majesty's own father. If you weren't exhausted, you'd be a true monster."
"..."
I fell silent at that. I couldn't very well say that I wasn't that tired from using magic. That would get me treated as a monster in all seriousness.
As I grew uneasy in a strange way, Edra let out a breathy laugh and shook his head.
"Well, we haven't done much, yet we're tired too. One might say we're tired from being amazed. Still, I consider it a valuable experience. Now then, we'll take the candidates back with us. I'm sorry, but this place cannot remain open without a council member present. Please return with us."
"Yes, that's fine."
I agreed with Edra, and we all headed back. The stairs were quite long, yet oddly, no one used flight magic. Though narrow and long, the staircase had a sacred atmosphere about it, making one feel it was proper to ascend and descend properly.