16-6 A Story That Sounded Familiar

The young man who had come to speak to me was Count Richter.

He had quite a bold personality.

To think he did not feel even a trace of fear toward my vicious emblem.

The others quickly averted their eyes whenever they met mine.

That was generally the correct response, though.

This man resembled Antonio in appearance and atmosphere.

His appearance gave a slightly rugged impression, even somewhat rough around the edges, but that was only natural for an imperial noble from a country that prized military merit.

He was quite handsome, and like Antonio, he was the young head of a count’s house.

He was probably from a martial family, I supposed.

“This confectionery is causing a problem in court right now.”

“Then why serve it at a public occasion like this?”

“That is where the matter becomes rather delicate. Originally, this confectionery was sold by Count Brown. He is young, talented, and gifted in business as well. He is different from a military fool like me.”

“I see. But in this country, isn’t someone like you the one people would be more pleased with?”

“No, that is not true. That cannot be allowed to remain the case. It is something that must change someday. And yet that Duke Beckenheim had to go and…”

He seemed unable to hide his anger toward a duke of his own country.

But I was surprised.

To think there was someone in this boar-like nation who belonged to the military-merit faction and still thought this way.

I found him far more likable than some pretty-boy noble prince who only looked good on the surface.

That Duke Beckenheim was surely someone known as the Empire’s shame or something like that.

“When did that confectionery start being sold?”

“Hm? Let me see. About nine months ago, I believe.”

As expected, judging by the timing, the person making those sweets smelled like a Rare Visitor.

That was around the same time Aoi-chan began selling her picture crafts too.

He continued speaking.

“Count Brown’s confectionery gained a reputation in the Imperial Capital, and it was welcomed by many nobles and wealthy people. Commoners who could not afford it even spread rumors about wanting to eat it someday. It was rated the number one gift that women would be delighted to receive. But it became too famous. It caught the eye of the wrong person.”

“And that was Duke Beckenheim?”

“Yes. He used his status as a shield and tried to seize those interests. But Count Brown, young as he was, was a man of backbone and refused to comply.”

That Count Brown sounded just like the Orston people.

Even the part where a count was being bullied by a duke was exactly the same.

Was this kind of story just common in this world?

“And after pressure was applied from every direction, he could no longer even show his face in high society. It was practically the same as having his life as a noble erased. He had originally been well liked, and many people had high hopes for him. I was one of those people as well.”

“Could it be that the duke in question belongs to the second prince’s faction?”

“Y-yes. That is right. You are oddly well informed for a foreigner.”

“How many times do you think I have been attacked by those guys? So he is one of Marquis Nielsen’s friends too. That old man really never does anything decent, does he?”

This was a rare opportunity.

As payback, I might as well crush that guy’s reputation too.

Count Richter then continued the story.

“Normally, among nobles, there is an unwritten rule not to make a fuss about such matters. Even a duke should be no exception to that, but that duke has been a problem for ages, and even His Majesty the Emperor has had his hands full with him. His Highness Prince Sharion is also practically a puppet of Marquis Nielsen and Duke Beckenheim. Even today, with foreign guests of honor visiting the Imperial Palace, he is not present here, is he? He is probably with some woman anyway. If this were His Highness the Crown Prince, he would be here right now, running around and working himself to the bone.”

This guy sounded extremely dissatisfied.

Ah, right, right, right. That second prince.

He was hopeless, this one.

“That is why those sweets are a serious problem child. But because many people wanted to eat them, that thoroughly clueless, colossal fool of a second prince ordered them brought here specially as the emperor’s representative. But if someone were to touch them under the eyes of everyone present, that would mean sticking their nose into the succession struggle for the next emperor, an excessively important position that forms the very core of the country. That struggle is fierce enough that the parties involved would not hesitate to kill each other, so doing so would require considerable courage. He had them brought here because there were people who wanted to eat them, but actually touching them is something everyone is extremely hesitant to do. It is utterly absurd. So please, do not make too much noise about it and just leave it be.”

I remembered when those two princes had sparked against each other the moment they met.

I understood what he was trying to say.

But I was dissatisfied with this.

All right, let’s make a scene.

They did say that shame on a journey should be thrown away, after all.

“Fal. How about we make it song time? The blessing one.”

“Okay, sure. Where should I sing?”

“Over here, over here.”

Just as the dancing ended for the moment, I took Fal to the very center of the now-empty hall and had her sing.

“Everyone of the Empire, Sacred Elion-sama will now sing a holy hymn of blessing.”

I introduced it casually in a loud voice, so for an instant, the participants in the ball seemed unable to understand what I had said.

“Haaaaarl aarlua. Fialundasua oslii, miafaarla…”

As always, the wave of blessing itself that ran through the body filled the hall.

The people present found themselves sitting down without thinking.

Some remembered my words and knelt before the divine messenger of Ross, the chief god; some could not understand and stared blankly; and some understood but were left stunned. Each person showed their own form of shock.

Unlike the legendary recreation at the wedding in the Albatross Royal Palace, the imperial people had encountered it suddenly, so their reactions varied.

As for the young high priestess, she was prostrating herself in tears from sheer gratitude.

It was a scene I felt like I had seen somewhere before.

Everyone had heard rumors of the blessing, but encountering it so suddenly had shocked them considerably.

In that atmosphere, I suddenly shouted in a loud voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Sacred Elion-sama apparently has something important to say now. Please listen with all due reverence.”

As I said that, I took out the string telephone we had made during kindergarten crafts from my item box.

I crouched down and handed one end to Fal.

Then I quietly murmured instructions to her.

The people were listening with all their attention.

But the contents were—

“I want the craftsman who makes these sweets. Give that person to us!”

She had picked up one of the sweets in question, held it high, and shouted.

It was the cry from the soul of Sacred Elion, messenger of the gods.