Published: September 10, 2025
This is Satou. Why are the speeches from the dignitaries at ceremonies always so long? I remember struggling to stay awake during them back in school.
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“Master!”
Arisa’s lively voice came through the clan communication, pulling me out of my research trance.
“We’re done with preparations here. You should come to the ceremony venue soon.”
“Got it—I'll be there right away.”
I saved the research data I was working on and stood up.
Perhaps my timing was bad—
“Could it be you’re still wondering about that black-haired man’s identity?”
—Looks like I worried Arisa.
The “black-haired man” Arisa mentioned was probably the mysterious figure who appeared in the Saga Empire’s Imperial Capital and stopped the sealing of the demon god from being undone.
“No, it’s not like that.”
Though his identity is unknown, he prevented a crisis by stopping the demon god’s revival, so I don’t see him as a big threat.
I suspect he’s related to the gods—perhaps a type of clan member or apostle.
“Is that so?”
Arisa seemed concerned because her divine “ability appraisal (status check)” couldn’t read his abilities, and the beast girls who saw him face-to-face couldn’t recognize his face.
For the former, I think the man might have been equipped with an item similar to the “Thief God’s Equipment” that Arisa and Liza wear.
“Teleporting directly to the royal castle’s waiting room might not be a good idea.”
“Right, since people are constantly coming and going, come via Mito’s room or the Pendragon mansion in the Royal Capital first.”
Since many maids and attendants are in Hikaru’s room at the royal castle, better to just go through the Pendragon mansion.
—Huh?
When I tried to use spatial magic’s “distant vision (clairvoyance)” to look at Arisa and the others, who had finished getting dressed, I sensed a spatial disruption field that Arisa probably set up.
I could force my way through, but there’s no need to be rude.
They might still be changing.
I moved from the Isolated Island Palace to the Pendragon mansion using unit placement.
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“Count! Please hurry!”
As I stepped out of the teleportation room, a maid attached to the Royal Capital Residence urged me on.
Although I had already changed into formal wear for the ceremony with the help of my quick change skill, I was told to change into white formalwear that matches Arisa and the others’ outfits.
It looked like the kind of formalwear a groom would wear.
“Do I have to wear makeup too?”
“Yes, the ceremony hall is quite large.”
It’s not like I’m performing in a theater, so I politely declined heavy makeup.
Today’s ceremony was to receive praise from the king for our achievements across the continent, and to hold the formation ceremony for the “private knight order” that I was authorized to form following the demon king slayer incident.
I wasn’t particularly interested in a private knight order myself, but since our exploits across the continent led to a flood of recruitment offers for my comrades, Arisa and Hikaru encouraged me to form one as a kind of breakwater.
Because of that, the members would mainly be those in the Isolated Island Palace, a small but elite group carefully selected by Arisa and Liza.
Of course, since there would likely be many new applicants, we made it a requirement that candidates must have defeated a “lord of the layer (floor master)” in Selbira Labyrinth without any casualties.
That condition means only about two pairs per year could qualify.
“Your Excellency, there are guests in the reception room—”
The butler I recently hired said that as he led me to the reception room.
I wasn’t expecting visitors today, but when I checked the map, I saw an unexpected figure.
“First Prince Soltric, I apologize for the wait.”
“No problem. I just stopped by on my way back from some business.”
Prince Soltric, heir to the Shiga Kingdom’s throne, stood up and answered casually.
Today he only had Bodan, a royal guard knight, as an attendant—though outside, about twenty royal guard knights who seemed to be the prince’s protectors were waiting.