Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 704

It was exactly two days after Esmué’s arrival that the royal family showed up at Levien.

The grand procession that arrived carrying Itisel VII, his entourage, and even the prince and princess was so close to the royal guard and the military that it was easily visible to the naked eye even from the terrace connected to the conference room. In fact, dozens of dragons were circling the sky in the distance, moving with the military, so it was impossible not to notice unless you had poor eyesight.

At first, I thought that since the king himself had come, Sir Ekaph, who had stayed in the capital to protect the king, might have come with him, so I asked Cheryl, who was neatly dressed and taking a stance, but she tilted her head and vaguely denied it.

“If you see the flag, it is certain that the young duke has come and will be guarding the capital. It is good to have two capable men, but anything in excess can be poisonous.”

“···That applies here too?”

“The current Levien is a stage for a play that deliberately attracts foreign attention. If the owner of the house shows up with both hands full of cards while other countries’ important figures come with their own escorts, it would be nothing more than a joke.”

The front lines were pushed farther than before, the surveillance system was over-deployed and felt like an impregnable fortress due to the unintentional use of the Allied Forces of the Kingdom, and on top of that, there was an escort of the leaders of the Empire and the Demonic Cult, as well as the famous Levien Margrave and the warriors.

Even so, if they brought in a bunch of strong people with skills comparable to those of a master, it meant that Gao would not buy it. Cheryl explained that since Esmu and the Marquis of Bende were involved, they could bring in the young duke under the pretext of matching their ranks.

It would be better to have a laugh than to die because of a one in a million chance, but do we have to worry about that in the midst of all this? The king and the guards are all having a hard time.

“Actually, there are other tricks as well. It’s like we are the people of Itisel, but our affiliation is divided.”

“Oh, so that’s how it’s used again. But even if I’m a demon, where are you?”

“Ethe’s warrior Siegfried Party”

“I’m so excited.”

“What are you saying?”

It was Saint Deoni who revealed herself while shaking her head and laughing.

“I was just sticking my tongue out at the nobles’ squabbling. But are you going to attend the meeting dressed like that?”

I don’t have the hobby of nitpicking other people’s behavior, but since the saintess’s appearance was so different from what I expected, I couldn’t help but ask. The saintess, who was standing on the terrace in a state where anyone could mistake her for a knight because she was fully armed, rather than saying she was meeting with representatives from each country, answered with her arms crossed.

“Of course. Isn’t this a place where we need to have serious discussions about future interests? We’re not in a position to wear fancy clothes. Isn’t that the case with you, warrior?”

I was fully armed, even wearing a shield, because I didn’t know what would happen, but since the saint’s words were more like a joke than sincere, I didn’t bother to refute them.

The game has already been decided. This meeting is nothing more than a stage to officially record the world while having a puppet audience called the United Kingdoms. Perhaps in the distant future, history books will record the Empire as mediating while the Masinism, no different from a government in exile, continues to assert its rights and engage in heated debates with Itisel.

“I guess I should stand guard well so that the saintess doesn’t have to fight herself.”

So I just changed the subject and made a joke. The saint smiled faintly and responded with a smile.

There were voices of concern within the Masin Church that I might need to participate directly, but I rejected it for a variety of reasons. One reason was that the story would only get more complicated if I got involved due to the massive support of the Kingdom Alliance, but the biggest problem was that the elite troops brought from each country to prepare for the Demon King’s army were depicted as keeping each other in check in the conference room in preparation for my impulsive actions.

That shouldn’t be the case. The powers of each country should not be glaring at each other in the conference room, but should stand guard outside just in case. Because no one knows what the Demon King’s army will do.

“Oh, by the way, Princess Iron Blood and Count Levien seem to be in a strangely uncomfortable mood. Do you know anything about it?”

After finishing the light chat and heading back to the conference room, the saintess turned her head as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her and asked a question without thinking. I felt the anxiety that I had been putting off in my head with the excuse of the visit of a master-level spirit mage creeping up on me…

“I haven’t heard anything.”

···He shook his head calmly.·

It wasn’t a lie. I really didn’t hear anything.

When I returned after finishing my duel with Cheryl, all I could see was Esmue, who was clearly upset with an expression I had never seen before, Ragnis, who was completely sullen, and Asili, who was smiling awkwardly.

Even though I knelt down and asked for an explanation from Asili, who had the mildest reaction, all I got in return was to wait for a moment…

“Maybe he’s holding back his emotions for a perfect performance? I heard there are some actors like that.”

“Indeed…! It’s a very possible guess. If that’s true, I guess I should prepare more. It was a good idea to ask.”

I felt a strange sense of guilt as I watched the saint disappear into the distance in admiration, but I couldn’t say that the two of us were in a relationship and that there was a temporary problem because of the woman’s constant entanglement, so I kept my mouth shut.

I thought I had gotten out of the situation with such a pitiful remark, but Cheryl, who had been quietly listening from the side, suddenly barged in.

“···What is your relationship with the Iron-Blooded Princess?”

“He is the one who saved the princess from being kidnapped.”

Don’t panic!

Do you know how many simulations I’ve run on the possibility of being asked this question? I’ve been through a lot, so I’m not one to stutter or do the same old clichés!

Even from the way he looked down as if nothing had happened while already making up an alibi based on facts, I think it was perfect acting!

“It feels like you’re saying a prepared answer.”

…Were you too perfect···?

I blinked my eyes and shrugged my shoulders as naturally as possible to hide the momentary twitching in my face, but I felt a cold sweat forming on my back.

“Because I have nothing else to say. Or was there some kind of answer you were hoping for?”

In fact, I can tell you all the state secrets that the head of the House of Lords and the royal family were secretly working together, but this is a separate matter.

No matter how shameless I am, when I mention that I am in a relationship with three women, it is impossible to endure the cold, contemptuous gaze from Cheryl and the evaluation that will fall in real time. Above all, it would take an hour just to explain the situation to correct the misunderstanding, but the royal procession that was far away has already arrived right in front of Levien, so there was no time for that.

After a brief moment of silence as they exchanged glances, Cheryl’s mouth, which had been wide open, opened heavily.

“···No· It’s okay now·”

Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned around and left the terrace to greet the royal family.

I wanted to ask him right away, “Why ‘now’? Why are you leaving room for it?” But I knew it would only arouse suspicion, so I had no choice but to follow him and walk quietly.

◈

As we passed through the castle, which was bustling with preparations for the meeting, and headed toward the castle gate along the main street, the atmosphere was quite different from when the imperial delegation or the saintess arrived.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live the true saint, King Itisel VII!”

“Blessings to the Prince and Princess!”

The army and carriages were entering Levien, receiving a warm welcome and shouting loudly.

Cheryl, who was looking around at the people around her with a look of incomprehension while feeling full of excitement to the point where she felt like they had planted a wind catcher to raise the mood, tilted her head and muttered.

“If someone saw me, they would think I came back victorious. Praise towards the royal family is certainly a good thing, but… isn’t this a bit excessive? How could this be?”

Strangely, he’s smart when it comes to difficult things, but he’s clueless when it comes to this stuff.

While I was giving her a short lecture on what a wind catcher was, the Knights of the Dragon appeared at the forefront, crossing the street through the crowd.

It seems that some of the work that was originally done by cavalrymen was being done by some of the dragons. It was amazing to see the dragons walking gracefully on two legs without any hesitation. They say that some can do it even after a lot of training, and some can’t.

But surprisingly, there was something else that really caught my attention.

Even Cheryl and I looked at each other as if we couldn’t believe it, not to mention the people around us. We were speechless for a moment at the incredible performance.

“Isn’t it that they cheer for that instead of being a wind catcher?”

“I was thinking about that too just now.”

Coming to my senses belatedly, I couldn’t deny what Cheryl had said.

The sight of four fire giants guarding a chariot, clad in armor that glowed like lava, had enough impact to drive people into a frenzy.