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“Hmm. I mean, I can tell it’s impressive, but it’s kind of different from what I imagined.”
Kansas reacted to Ains’s comment.
“You were expecting something more obviously flashy and glittering?”
“Yeah. Like gold and silver treasures everywhere.”
“True magnates don’t show that kind of nouveau rich taste on the surface. Look—see that small vase over there?”
Following Kansas’s gaze, Ains saw a single flower placed in a vase atop a low shelf at the end of the corridor.
“That alone is worth several hundred gold coins.”
“How much is one gold coin worth?”
“About a commoner’s monthly wage.”
Ains confirmed with Sophia behind him, then froze in shock.
“What!? That’s worth that much? Even I could make a vase like that.”
“Hahaha. I’m not well-versed in art either, but that’s how it goes.”
So the money was being spent where you couldn’t easily see it, Ains thought in understanding.
As they passed by, he glanced at it again and muttered,
“Still… I really could make that.”
The long corridor was designed so that one side overlooked the garden, with an entire wall made of glass.
It must have been designed to take in as much natural light as possible, because the corridor was bright even without lamps.
At the far end of the corridor stood a large double door. Two knights on each side—four in total—dressed differently from the guards seen earlier, opened the doors as the group approached.
“Ains-dono, beyond this point you will be meeting His Majesty, even if it is only an informal audience. If you conduct yourself as we do, behind my daughter and myself, there will be no issue.”
Kansas spoke while fixing his gaze on the space beyond the open doors.
“I understand.”
“I will support you as well, Ains-sama.”
Sophia added quietly from behind.
The hall beyond was constructed with a high, dome-shaped ceiling.
Along both sides of the hall stood numerous knights in armor with swords at their waists, standing perfectly upright.
At the far end, beyond a short flight of steps and flanked by knights, loomed an ostentatious throne that radiated pressure.
Seeing it, Ains immediately understood that this was the throne hall.
“His Majesty the King will now enter! All four of you, lower your faces and await!”
A heavily built knight with a piercing gaze shouted the command from below the throne.
Following Kansas’s lead, Ains knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
Kansas knelt in front, Laika knelt half a step behind him, and Ains and Sophia lined up behind them, faces lowered.
‘This kind of feels like I’ve become a knight.’
Having never served a lord before, Ains found the posture strangely novel. Beside him, Sophia and Kansas carried themselves with practiced composure.
After a short wait, Ains sensed the presence of several people entering the hall near the throne.
“Kansas Brandy, raise your face.”
A hoarse voice reached the four kneeling figures.
Kansas did not raise his head.
“Kansas Brandy, Marquess. Raise your face.”
“Yes!”
At the second call from the sharp-eyed knight, Kansas raised his head.
“The other three may raise their faces as well.”
The hoarse voice reached them again, but seeing that Sophia beside him did not move an inch, Ains followed her lead.
“Raise your faces.”
Hearing the knight’s command and confirming that Laika ahead and Sophia beside him had lifted their heads, Ains raised his gaze a beat later and took in the throne.
“It has been some time, Lord Brandy. Since the conflict with the Empire, was it not?”
“Indeed. It was a harsh campaign, but I managed to return with body intact.”
“With your ability, that must have been easy enough.”
“I remain within the bounds of the ordinary. Regrettably, a mere talented man cannot hope to match a true genius.”
The king seated on the throne and Kansas exchanged words in a relaxed manner.
‘I thought this would be much more solemn. That’s unexpected.’
Maintaining his posture, Ains studied the throne.
White-haired, the king bore the face of a seasoned ruler who had tasted both bitterness and sweetness. The many deep wrinkles etched into his face spoke of countless trials endured.
To the king’s left stood a grown man. Though still lacking compared to the king, he possessed the bearing of a ruler.
Beside him stood a plump, middle-aged man who looked every bit the civil official.
To the king’s right stood a young woman close to Laika’s age, standing straight with her hands clasped before her.
Her golden hair flowed smoothly down to her waist, and her pale aqua-blue dress gave her a doll-like charm.
“I have received a general report, Lord Brandy. I hear you have captured Corbelli of the Next-Era Luminaries. Among those you have brought, is there a genius who surpasses Corbelli?”
Despite the genial tone of his voice, the king’s gaze shifted from Kansas to Ains with a sharpness that seemed intent on laying bare one’s true nature.
“I remember Lady Laika. I hear she has deepened ties with Kirishiya as well. But I do not recognize the two behind her, Lord Brandy.”
At the king’s words, the woman in the pale aqua dress softened her eyes slightly.
Ains understood that her name was Kirishiya.
Seeing Kirishiya’s expression, Laika allowed a faint smile to form.
“Yes! My knightly retinue and my daughter both owe their lives to them. Not a single casualty was suffered against Corbelli. Furthermore, according to my daughter’s report, they repelled him without allowing even a single counterattack.”
“Is that the truth!”
At Kansas’s words, the king gripped the armrest and leaned forward slightly.
The young man at his side and Kirishiya both showed clear surprise.
“Yes! I have brought them today both to introduce them and to explain the circumstances.”
“I see. If that is true, then I would very much like to hear the details.”
As the king spoke, his gaze rested on Ains—
(There’s something deliberate about this hall.)
Already looking away from the four figures near the throne, Ains began observing the hall itself.
He could feel it.
A steady flow of mana permeating the space—something magical or sorcerous woven into the hall itself.
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