Chapter 782: The present young nobleman 1
General Lucas seemed to be enjoying tea at the same café where I once went with Anzeros. He could have easily prepared something like that at his own mansion, but I suppose he has his reasons. Maybe he thinks it’s more likely to lead to encounters with women, or that showing off a stylish café scene to the lower ranks will boost his popularity.
“You……why are you here……!”
General Lucas’s gaze turned menacing, and his hand reached for the rapier at his waist. But seeing Anzeros, Laila, and Sharon tense up around me, he awkwardly pulled his hand back from the hilt.
“……Princess Sharon”
Oh, I noticed Sharon’s gaze. Come to think of it, we’re technically equals in many ways. Laila positions herself to respond to any attack on me while issuing a warning.
“Ho. It’s best not to make any foolish moves. Though I’m not here, Dianne and white clan´s Irina are present. This won’t end well”
“……Irina as well? ……What do you want?”
Lucas lowered his eyes, trying to regain his composure, but still asked bluntly.
“It’s nothing important”
“I didn’t ask you, human”
“……Tsk”
This guy is really unpleasant.
“I apologize for visiting unannounced. I was just passing by on my way to treat someone”
“……Are you from Saint Gardo?”
Oh, he knows Princess Ran. His voice changed noticeably.
“Welcome to my home, Claves. I’m sorry we can’t offer you a proper welcome. If you’d like, we can prepare a simple dinner for you”
He suddenly flashes a sparkling smile and spreads his arms wide, looking understanding. ……Come to think of it, he acted like this when he was flirting with Anzeros. If you didn’t know about his previous atrocities, you might be fooled. He was wary of me and Laila……well, Princess Ran and the others are probably the same. But the only one who was mesmerized by his handsome smile was Fiona.
“I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry. Perhaps we’ll meet again someday”
“…If I may be so bold, you should be wary of that man. My foolish younger sister has somehow ended up calling herself his slave. If you let your guard down, who knows what he might do”
“…………”
Princess Ran ignored him as if she hadn’t heard a word. She probably wanted to save face for him, but her fear of me as a dragon rider was too strong to let him go without a response. Fiona, on the other hand, was openly wary of me. She really is too obvious. As for Laurier and Marone, they didn’t know me very well, but they had heard about the terrible thing that had happened to me, so they smiled nervously.
“Is that the rumored……One-Ball Prince?”
“No, don’t say that, Laurier!?”
Marone panics, but the one-ball prince just twitches his ear and holds back. His overwhelming good looks seem to have weakened his pressure slightly.
“Is he really one-ball?”
Mira joins in with a serious expression. The one-ball prince’s smile twitches, but he still holds back.
“You shouldn’t say that in front of him. I heard that Selenium stomped on him and both were supposed to be like that, but somehow the local medicine managed to save one side”
“Selenium did that……?”
Naris pretends to scold them but joins in, and even Sharon nod in agreement. They start to feel sorry for him.
“You guys are provoking him too much. He’s strong, after all”
“I don’t care about the others, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to call him ‘after all”
General Lucas is on the verge of losing his temper, but he manages to control himself and only shakes his fist slightly. Princess Ran is at a loss for words and can only smile wryly. Fiona seems confused by the conversation.
General Lucas had been using the southern dialect when speaking to Princess Ran. As usual, Naris was translating for me. However……it seems that my female slaves still have a bad impression of him, and they seem to be intentionally provoking him. But he is, after all, Aurora’s relative, and even though he didn’t apologize to me specifically, he did help out during the Kalwin incident, so I don’t want to completely humiliate him and ruin his reputation. But how should I settle the situation? If I let them have too much glory, the female slaves will probably boo them.
……In the end, I decided to leave it all to Irina and buy some time.
“I have a complicated relationship with the general, but he helped us in a battle against another dragon faction a while ago”
“……It was a deal. Personally, I didn’t want to be too friendly with him because of my stupid sister”
“H, Haa……”
We went back into the cafe and sat down with Princess Ran, General Lucas, Sharon, and me, and I took some time to explain everything to the princess. I had Laila stand outside the cafe. I would ask Irina and Dianne to bring her back when they returned. If Laila got angry, things would get out of hand.
“His sword was effective against dragons. Is there a sword technique in Saint Gardo that creates shockwaves? Something like that, but more powerful……”
“Ah, there are skilled knights who use such techniques. Apparently, it’s particularly popular in Trot”
“……Well, that’s just a trick. My sword is more elegant and cruel”
General Lucas ran his fingers through his red hair. He was so handsome it was almost unbearable. When an ultra-handsome guy really tries to look cool, he truly dominates the scene. It was similar to how Nord’s dance engulfed the room and made her the absolute center of attention. Her perfect, decadent aura was so overwhelming that even jealous remarks felt out of place. The fact that Princess Ran seemed unfazed by it only made her resolve seem even more terrifying.
“For example, even this spoon handle could split a rock if I wanted to. Needless to say, people and monsters are no match……that’s why my skills were recognized. Though I don’t particularly enjoy barbaric work, opportunities to fight dragons openly aren’t that common. I thought it might be good to test my skills”
“……That’s truly impressive skill. I know little about martial arts, but to hear you say that about a dragon rider”
“……Muu”
Princess Ran dodged General Lucas’s boastful glance and redirected the compliment toward me. General Lucas seemed offended, but from her perspective, I was still far more terrifying and handsome than him. Sharon set down her teacup and smiled.
“That was a good technique. Even without that, I hear you have quite a knack for sword fighting”
“I’m not sure if Princess Sharon of the Black Arm, who is renowned for her skills, will be satisfied”
“I was defeated by Aurora once. I have no intention of losing again, but if it comes to that, I’m not sure I can match her”
Ah, good. Sharon seems to understand my intentions and is going to give me a boost. However, they make a handsome couple, but Sharon is over 100 years old, isn’t she? I don’t know her exact age, but judging from how Naris and Almeida treat her. On the other hand, General Lucas is around 30, I think. Even though he was so cocky during the trampling incident, he’s still a young elf. The difference in their composure reflects that gap in experience…….. No, actually, Sharon started showing that kind of composure after she left Felios and became the leader of the Gauntlet Quartet. Their bloodlines are nearly equal, their combat abilities are on the same level, and in terms of beauty, it doesn’t really matter among elves. Everyone in that race is so used to beauty. So, for someone like General Lucas, who always looks down on women, Sharon might be a tough opponent because he doesn’t have much to feel superior about. Lucas’s nobleman moves don’t seem to work on Sharon, but she gracefully lets him save face, which helps improve the atmosphere. ……The conversation between Naris and Anzeros, who are watching from a distance, can be heard.
“……Knight Chief Sharon can talk like that, giving others the upper hand?”
“That kind of thing is something you pick up naturally when you move in high society. My mother, on the other hand, can shed her facade in an instant”
“Ah……now that you mention it, she used to be a princess, didn’t she?”
“Well, she’s still a princess, isn’t she?”
“……If you told her that, she’d definitely stroke her collar and say, 『Not anymore……♪』 for five gold coins”
“The bet’s off. ……Actually, Naris never takes off her collar either”
“Ah…..wait, say something!”
“Eh, what?”
The sound of something being hurriedly removed can be heard. Why doesn’t she realize she’s been wearing it the whole time? Finally, just as the atmosphere is starting to calm down, Irina and the others arrive.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. ……Sky-blue prince, you’re in the way”
“……You”
“It’s been a while……not that long, though. Since the Kalwin incident, I think”
General Lucas is naturally awestruck by Irina, who appears as if she is the guest of honor. Ah, when it comes to the dignity of standing above others, Irina, the head of her clan, is truly the best. There’s no need to compare; even General Lucas can’t afford to be casual with her. One could say it’s just the strict hierarchy among elves, but when it comes to the presence that allows her to act so naturally even while making others kneel, there’s no one who can match Irina.
“Well then. Smithson-dono, let me have a bite”
“……Why can you sit on my knee in this atmosphere?”
“Why should I show restraint to someone who’s being so formal? Besides, we have no business with Lucas. We’ll just eat and leave, right? What are you fussing about?”
“……You”
Technically, I’m the second most important person in this forest domain after Dior. As long as Aurora is busy with her female slave business, I’m the heir apparent, so you can’t treat me like this.
“Irina-sama. May I speak?”
“Mu?”
Lucas, kneeling on the floor, kept his eyes down and interrupted Irina to make his request.
“……I humbly request permission to engage in a duel with the War God”
“……What did you say?”
“We have crossed paths several times, but there has never been an opportunity to duel in our prime. ……The fact that I am perceived as absolutely inferior to her is a major issue for me. I would like to request this opportunity”
Lucas raised his eyes and looked at Irina……and me, who was sitting in her chair. Irina sighed, sipped my tea, and put it down.
“If you make me act as a referee, I won’t allow any unnecessary complaints about the result. No fighting to the death”
“Yes”
“…That’s how it is. Dianne, can you accompany him?”
Dianne shrugged her shoulders while crossing her arms.
“If it’s not going to take half a day, I can join in for a little fun”
……Eh, are we really going to have a match? What happens if she loses……no, I don’t think she’ll lose, but.