“Sub-Master of the Blispiel Clan, Sir Aiden Stroke, and his six companions are entering!”
The moment the servant announced it in a booming voice, every eye in the banquet hall turned toward the entrance.
The Blispiel Clan was currently the hottest topic even inside the Wiblet Empire.
This clan, made up of young and promising members, had not only caused Caracol’s collapse but had also indirectly humiliated the emperor who stood behind them.
Because of that, quite a few imperial nobles felt both surprise and humiliation that the emperor had sent the invitation first.
Of course, every matter in the world has two sides. There were also those who understood the emperor’s action as a realistic judgment. From the perspective of contending for supremacy in the central region, the Blispiel Clan—which now dominated Elanore and Glicia—was an existence that could not be ignored.
That was right.
Above all, the most important fact was that the emperor himself had been the first to extend the hand of reconciliation toward the Blispiel Clan. Therefore, they were now an excellent connection in anyone’s eyes.
First, the young master of the Stroke family—the center of attention—entered arm-in-arm with a platinum-blonde girl of similar age.
Both of them looked composed yet slightly flushed, leaving a strong impression.
Some nobles shook their heads or let out sighs. They were the ones who had been considering a permanent alliance between their families.
“So they are lovers as well as comrades.”
“Still, isn’t she only his fiancée for now? It doesn’t seem like there’s no room to maneuver…”
“You don’t know anything. The target worth pursuing isn’t only Aiden Stroke himself.”
The nobles who quickly assessed the situation immediately shifted their gazes elsewhere.
If they couldn’t aim for the leader, they would aim for the horses.
The ideal marriage partner was the Blispiel Clan’s Sub-Master, but if that wasn’t possible, forming ties with his close associates would suffice.
The crowd’s attention passed over the red-haired boy who had contributed to the victory in the knight competition and the lively priestess girl in turn. Both had distinctive enough appearances to leave an impression, but ultimately their eyes converged on one woman.
The woman with light brown hair—Mariana.
“…Who on earth is that beautiful lady? Did the Blispiel Clan have such a member?”
“I think I heard that Lady Pontiroig, the Count’s daughter, has been staying as a guest at the clan house.”
Why had the Blispiel Clan brought such a woman to the banquet? The experienced nobles quickly guessed Aiden’s intention, and it was naturally passed on to their children as well.
Suddenly, Aiden’s group found their seats and sat down.
Almost immediately, several hot-blooded young men approached Mariana.
Mariana was quickly surrounded by nobles.
She seemed slightly flustered at first, but quickly took center stage among them thanks to her natural social skills. At this rate, the princes who would soon appear would also show great interest in her.
In the original work, the one who had claimed her was the Second Prince.
Since the most important Crown Prince was already married, if she formed a marital tie with the imperial family, following the original history would be the ideal scenario. By sending Mariana here and later securing connections with the Baskaya Knight Empire as well, the central region of the Prima Continent would essentially fall into their hands.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached his ear.
“Well, if it isn’t the Sub-Master of the Blispiel Clan. It’s been a while.”
“…You are.”
The person who approached me was none other than Loreno Pecheli—the very man who had tried to seize Umbril from the Quentaltin Clan using the Giant’s Sword.
“What is your business?”
“I heard the circulating rumors that before reaching your mid-teens, Sub-Master, you wasted your time without learning either knightly martial arts or noble etiquette.”
“And?”
“Don’t misunderstand—I’m not trying to mock you. But not everything in the world can be achieved through innate talent and ability alone. In a place like this, one must display appropriate dignity.”
“………”
“It seems I’ve rambled on too long. I’ll take my leave now.”
Loreno left after delivering his cryptic remark. I pondered the meaning of his words for a moment, but soon decided not to dwell on it.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”
“Entering today to celebrate his seventy-first birthday is the great ruler of the Wiblet Empire, His Majesty Eliodoro Wiblet Leonor!”
Accompanied by dozens of attendants, Emperor Eliodoro made his entrance.
Immediately afterward, everyone already present in the banquet hall lowered their bodies.
Lesser nobles with no significant background bowed so low their heads nearly touched the floor, and even several young counts bent at a right angle. The few who only slightly inclined their chests were a handful of elder nobles who possessed not only high status but also personal closeness to the emperor.
As we were not citizens of the empire, it was sufficient for us to place a fist over our chests and bow our heads.
“Everyone, raise your heads.”
The emperor spoke. His voice was calm yet carried the dignity that overwhelmed the entire hall, befitting the ruler of a great empire.
“I wish to see the guest I personally invited! Thus, the second son of the Stroke Principality, Aiden, come forth!”
“…Haa. I’ll be right back.”
Letting out a sigh, I headed toward the elevated seat where the emperor sat, taking only Chesa with me.
“Sub-Master of the Blispiel Clan and second son of the Stroke Grand Ducal house, Aiden, greets the great Emperor of the Wiblet Empire.”
“Welcome. I am pleased that you responded to the invitation, you who have made your name resound across the continent.”
“How could I ignore a letter sent by the ruler of a great empire?”
Seen up close, the emperor was an elderly man of rather frail build, in inverse proportion to the dignity that overwhelmed the crowd. He looked me over and spoke again.
“You resemble Duke Dibl greatly.”
“Do you know my grandfather?”
“Before ascending the throne, I once traveled across the continent to broaden my horizons. During that time, I formed quite a deep friendship with the previous Grand Duke of the Stroke Principality.”
The emperor was 71 years old. If the previous Grand Duke Dibl—Estriel’s great-uncle’s older brother—had still been alive, they would indeed have been of similar age.
While I was surprised by the unexpected information, the emperor shifted his gaze to the girl beside me.
“And who is this young lady?”
“Second daughter of the Utland Ducal house, Chesa greets the great Emperor of the Wiblet Empire.”
Chesa slightly lifted the hem of her skirt in greeting. Upon hearing the introduction, the emperor’s expression became indescribably subtle.
“Utland… you mean the prestigious magic house of the Croa Kingdom. However, from what I see, your appearance seems quite distant from that of northerners. Was the Duchess of Utland from a central noble family?”
“That is…”
The emperor’s question caused Chesa’s expression to darken slightly. The fact that she was not born from the legal wife was something of a reverse scale for her.
I explained to the emperor.
“The Duchess of Utland is from a northern count family, but there may have been central blood in her ancestors. It seems my fiancée inherited that trait through atavism.”
“I see.”
The emperor nodded readily.
Having safely navigated the awkward question, I exchanged various trivial matters with him. Unexpectedly, the emperor showed no signs of resentment regarding the issues tied to the Caracol Clan.
If I was not mistaken, he seemed filled only with goodwill toward me.
The reason soon became clear.
“In the distant past, Dibl and I once spoke of mixing our children’s blood someday. Due to political circumstances, that promise could not be fulfilled, but I now have several grown and beautiful granddaughters.”
“That means…”
“Aiden, would you consider becoming the emperor’s grandson-in-law? If you accept this proposal, the Wiblet Empire will provide unlimited national-level support for the development of the Blispiel Clan.”
“Hmm…”
This was quite a difficult proposal for me.
I still retained a modern person’s worldview, and I had already designated Mariana’s role for tying the Blispiel Clan to the Wiblet Empire.
However, since the emperor of a nation had personally brought up the matter, I could not brush it off casually.
“I am grateful that you think highly of me, but I must decline that proposal.”
The moment I stated it clearly, displeasure spread across the emperor’s face. Of course, I had prepared an excuse to appease him.
“The reason is simple. If I were to accept this marriage talk, I would certainly commit an even greater discourtesy toward Your Majesty.”
The emperor looked puzzled.
“Discourtesy? How so?”
“First, my fiancée Chesa and I have known each other since childhood.”
“I have heard that much.”
“That is not all. After coming of age, Chesa and I left our hometown together and have lived relying on each other. In that process, our feelings of cherishing one another have grown very deep. Therefore, if I were to accept another woman I have never met, regardless of my own mindset, I would inevitably end up treating her differently. Could there be a greater discourtesy toward Your Majesty’s bloodline?”
The emperor stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! How interesting—such deep sense of honor. This is the first time I’ve seen someone refuse the chance to form ties with the Wiblet Empire for such a reason. If that is truly your thinking, then I understand. Let us end this old man’s conversation here. Go and enjoy the banquet.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
After bowing politely, I quickly escaped from the emperor.
“Chesa. Just a moment.”
“…What?”
On the way back, I wrapped an arm around Chesa’s waist, pulled her close, and lightly kissed her forehead. Her expression stiffened slightly, but she offered no resistance.
“A-Aiden…”
She stared at me with a flushed face and slightly parted lips. By emphasizing our close relationship so openly, troublesome people should no longer approach.
…Instead, Clara attached herself with a triumphant expression.
“Ooooh~ Declaring your love right in front of His Majesty the Emperor! Aiden-nim is such a doting husband! Lady Chesa must be so happy.”
“…We’re not married yet.”
Chesa protested with a slightly flushed face. She must have been embarrassed by the public display of affection in front of everyone.
It had been a bit sudden, even for me.
Thinking about it, I felt a little embarrassed too.
I should change the subject quickly.
“…Ahem. The important part starts now. Pay close attention to the faces of the imperial family members entering.”
“Yeees~”
Today was the banquet celebrating Emperor Eliodoro’s birthday.
All the imperial family members would make their appearance in the hall, and among them would surely be someone cooperating with Praszkeak.
After the emperor—the star of the evening—entered, the lowest-ranking 11th Prince and his family began appearing one after another.
I checked the character sheets of the emperor and several imperial family members and shook my head.
“As expected… the Emperor, the 11th Prince, the 10th Prince, and the 8th Princess are definitely eliminated from consideration.”
“If the emperor himself had been a demon worshipper, it wouldn’t have ended as a joke. Besides, imperial family members with low succession rights weren’t really candidates to begin with.”
Estriel, who had been hiding his presence like a ghost, chimed in.
He planned to identify the demon worshipper using the holy relic the Church of Utility had reluctantly lent him for this mission—the Inquisitor’s Needle (S). No matter how small it was, he wouldn’t have been able to bring such an item inside the capital without the emperor’s personal invitation.
In any case, to both support the worshippers and control the massive Praszkeak Guild so it didn’t run wild, the backer had to be someone of very high status within the empire.
There couldn’t be many individuals among the entire imperial family capable of acting as the mastermind.
Incidentally, I was also curious which granddaughter the emperor had wanted to connect me with. If it had been the second daughter of the 5th Princess, “Valerie Lacruz,” that would have created quite an interesting picture. As a magic genius, she had treated Chesa like an older sister in the original work.
While I was lost in thought, princes and princesses continued to appear one after another. Neither their character sheets nor the Inquisitor’s Needle (S) showed any reaction.
Then—
[Hey, Epio.]
“…Yeah.”
Epio, who had been sitting with a stiff expression the entire time, suddenly stood up. Feeling puzzled, I asked him.
“I felt an energy. It’s exactly the same as the strange wave I felt from the guy who took Visanya the other day…”
“…What?”
I was greatly startled.
In other words, that meant—
The man presumed to be the leader of Praszkeak was currently in the banquet hall?
[It’s not a mistake. It’s definitely the same wave as yesterday.]
At the same time as Plebelziam’s telepathic message, Epio’s sharp eyes turned toward the entrance. Estriel and I unconsciously followed his gaze.
At the end of that gaze, the 1st Prince with a benevolent expression was entering the banquet hall together with his family.
…Character Sheet.