Chapter 132: SHALL WE DANCE(8)

The next morning, I quickly prepared to go out. Sieri, who had been snuggling in bed trying to forget yesterday's commotion, rubbed her groggy, half-open eyes at my bustling movements and asked.

"Lusius? Where are you going?"

"Yes. Sieri. Could you stay in the room for a bit today?"

I said that and paused for a moment. With such bad rumors going around, was it right for me to leave Sieri behind? Wouldn't it be better to just take her with me? Before Sieri could even answer, I finished my thought, nodded to myself, and spoke.

"No, let's go together, Sieri. It's not like it'll take that long, right?"

"Where are we going?"

Sieri stretched, her eyes still heavy with sleep. I pulled back Sieri's blanket and took the wanted poster from my travel bag. As I took the paper out of the bag, Sieri looked at me with a questioning gaze. I folded the paper neatly, put it in my pocket, and said,

"We're going to the Royal Palace."

After Sieri put on her makeup and I finished washing my face and feet, we came out to find Robin, who had woken up early, eating his breakfast. It seemed he had drunk heavily with the other knights yesterday, as his face was so haggard that I felt like I might get a hangover just by looking at him. Even so, upon seeing me come down, Robin hurriedly tried to clear his bowl and stand up.

"What? But....."

"I'm on my way to have an audience with His Majesty anyway, so even if you come, you'll just have to wait. Understand? I'm giving you a day off today, so go and rest."

"Ah, I understand."

I firmly dismissed Robin. It wasn't that he was bothering me, but I was worried he'd throw up in the carriage while escorting me with that hungover face. Robin, too, didn't seem to be in the best condition as he shook his head and chugged some water.

It was obvious the coachman wanted to rest as well, but the coachman couldn't rest. It was unthinkable for Sieri and me to go to the Royal Palace on foot. The coachman grabbed his throbbing head and pulled the reins. I boarded the carriage with Sieri.

"For what business are you going to see the king?"

"Evangeline."

I took out the wanted poster. Drawn on the same crisp, old paper as any other wanted poster, the picture depicted Evangeline's appearance. I planned to show this picture to the king and propose a nationwide wanted order. No matter how skilled Evangeline was at transformation, there must have been at least one place where she walked around in her true form.

Also, even if we couldn't find Evangeline, the fact that the entire nation knew her face would be a considerable burden for her. I didn't really want to come all this way for a single wanted poster, but since Erina had requested the ball, I figured I'd take the opportunity to report directly to the king.

"That's the mage, right? The one who's incredibly dangerous."

"Yes. That incredibly dangerous mage."

"....She's pretty."

Sieri, who was looking at the wanted poster, casually tossed out a comment. I glanced at the wanted poster and frowned once. Is she pretty? She certainly had a beautiful face, but for some reason, I wasn't drawn to her.

"I think Sieri is prettier."

"....Really. Please don't say things like that. It's embarrassing."

"It's fine, because Sieri is cuter when she's embarrassed."

".....I'm not going to talk."

"Heh."

"Hmph.... Please don't imitate Cellu."

Faced with my ultimate move, Sieri almost burst out laughing but barely managed to hold it in. The carriage was inspected at the castle gate, and we were guided to the audience chamber. Since I was the one with business, I left Sieri in the waiting room and went to meet the king alone.

I had thought this during the dungeon exploration before, but the king was a man with a truly tired expression. A laziness and fatigue that suggested he wouldn't even try to do anything himself, from eating to sleeping, seemed to be steeped into him. I felt a little sorry, thinking the news I brought would add another burden to that fatigue. But what could be done? As they say, he who wears the crown must bear its weight; the king had to do his best.

"Peta Lusius. Yes. I've heard all about your great deeds in the Northern Territory. You returned alive from the dragon, and I hear you annihilated the ains. Ever since the defeat of the Demon King, our kingdom's future is bright thanks to you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"So, what business brings you to see me today? If it's a report on your deeds, submit it as a written document. I'm a bit preoccupied with the ball at the moment, so I will send a suitable reward later."

The king started rattling off answers to the 'reasons Peta Lusius came for an audience' that he had anticipated. Among them were a few things I was genuinely curious about, so I just kept nodding and repeating "yes, yes." After the king had said his piece, he asked me.

"Alright. Is your business finished then?"

"When I met the dragon in the Northern Mountains, I was able to obtain a portrait of Evangeline from it."

The king, as well as a few escort knights nearby, began to whisper with surprised faces. This was because Evangeline was currently one of the most important issues. The king nodded with a satisfied expression, and I passed the wanted poster to the escort knight next to the king. The king checked the wanted poster and spoke to me.

"A beautiful woman. So, are you certain this woman is Evangeline?"

"Yes. I am certain. The dragon guaranteed it. It also said she was a person from 8,000 years ago and that she learned magic from it."

"It's not certain she still looks like this. In fact, it might put Evangeline on her guard, so I believe it's best to hold off on this portrait case for now."

The king said so in a resolute tone and put the portrait into a box. I was a little disappointed, but the king's words had a point. If Evangeline found out her identity had been revealed, she might suddenly go into hiding. Right now she was running amok, thinking she'd never be caught, but if her face was revealed, that would become difficult.

"If just one more piece of evidence to track Evangeline's footsteps emerges, I believe it would be right to release the wanted posters then. Until that time, all those present here shall keep silent about this matter."

"Yes!"

The knights answered in a booming voice. It seemed the king was determined to catch Evangeline. I was a bit disappointed but had no intention of arguing with the king, so I decided to back down at this point. The king asked me again. His tone gave off the vibe of a late-night convenience store part-timer looking forward to leaving work.

"Are you finished now?"

"There is more. I would like to request an item for discussion with the Elf Queen....."

One of the dungeons Arty had told me about was inside the Elf Forest. The other two were in the Western Coast and the Dwarf Kingdom respectively, and I could go to those two anytime, but the dungeon inside the Elf Forest was in a corner of the elves' holy land, making it difficult for me to just enter.

"Peta Lusius, you are a half-elf, so why do you ask me for a favor regarding the elves' affairs?"

"Because the target of my loyalty is Your Majesty."

It was a simple reason. To enter the Elf Forest's holy land, one needed the Elf Queen's permission, and it was a place that, until now, had rarely been granted to even elves. As I belonged to the Human Kingdom and the Archdeity Church, I was even less able to enter recklessly. So I had to sweet-talk the Elf Queen, and it was much more persuasive to convey it through the king rather than the inarticulate Erina.

"I see. Then, should I propose the matter of Peta Lusius's entry to the Holy Land to the Elf Queen?"

"Yes, that is correct. I would be grateful if you would do just that."

"Alright. If you have no further business, you may leave, Peta Lusius. Let me just say one thing out of concern."

Just as I was about to turn around, the king spoke again. I immediately stood in a proper posture and listened to the king's words.

"They say heroes desire beautiful women, but the rumors about you are far too, well... um... be more moderate."

"I will keep that in mind."

I could see the knights failing to maintain their composure, their lips twitching. And with that, I ended my audience with the king and got back on the carriage. Sieri asked.

"You took longer than I expected."

"It was your first time in the main palace. What did you think?"

"It was so scary. I was afraid if I touched one thing wrong.... that I would become a burden to you, Lusius."

"You did well."

If she had touched something wrong, it would have cost a fortune. Perhaps to show off its wealth, the Royal Palace had expensive antiques laid out all over, from the corridors to the reception room. Even I felt a bit burdened moving around, so Sieri's action was the right one. I patted Sieri's head, telling her she did well, and had the coachman drive the carriage.

"Where are we going next?"

"We should rest today."

Since we had fled from that chaos yesterday, we couldn't go to the ball today. I'd had my audience and shown my face at the ball, so running away like this wasn't a bad option. Sieri asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Are we resting tomorrow, too?"

"Tomorrow? Shall we go to the ball tomorrow? I heard a rumor that Sieri was practicing her dancing."

"What? N-no. Dancing... I-I'm not good at it."

"It's fine. I'm clumsy too. I've been terrible at dancing since I was a child."

"But you danced so well at the Archdeity Church's holy night ball....."

"Did I? I thought I danced really poorly back then."

I played along with Sieri's words and looked out at the street. In the middle of the street, a familiar face was walking down the road. I shouted to the coachman.

"Stop! Stop! Robin?"

Robin was staring somewhere with a goofy grin on his face. I looked in the direction Robin was staring and heard the sound of singing. As I stuck my head out, the coachman spoke.

"Ah, that's the voice of Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba of the Rosalyn Family. She's quite famous as the Canary of the Rosalyn Family. They're a rather well-known family from the north, it seems they've come for the ball today."

Canary? I hastily turned my gaze to find the owner of the song. In the plaza in front of the fountain, a woman was singing with dozens of musicians. She was leading the song, her voice alone overwhelming the audience, at times like a gentle breeze, at others with lightning-like technique.

Her fair skin, characteristic of the north, and her high, beautiful voice truly made her worthy of being called a 'Canary.' Who weighed around 90kg.

"Tsk....."

I shook my head in regret. I should have known when Robin was grinning like that. But she certainly sang well, so I had the carriage stop for a moment. Sieri said.

"What a truly beautiful voice."

"I agree."

Robin was still staring at Rosalyn Yuba with a goofy grin on his face. He stopped listening to the song and spoke to me in a small voice.

"My Lord. I think I have fallen in love."

Is this the moment Robin finally gets over married women, I wondered, and asked the coachman.

"Coachman. Is Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba married?"

"No. She is still unmarried. I heard there were no nobles willing to marry into a family in the north."

Robin's dejected voice came through.

"Is that so...."

I was so dumbfounded that I asked.

"No, fuck, Robin. Why are you disappointed?"

"What? N-no! I was thinking how fortunate it is."

This guy's a dangerous bastard. For real.