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Volume 17 Chapter 9 - Armored Dragon King and Second Princess

Part 1

Audience Room of Sky Castle Chaos Breaker.

12 Familiars standing in a row.

Sylvaril of the Void.

Arumanfi of the Bright.

Yuruzu of Atonement.

Karowante of Insight.

Sukeakoto of Time.

Clearnight of Thunder.

Dotbath of Destruction.

Trophimus of the Wave.

Harkenmail of Life.

Gall of Earthquake.

Furiousful of Fury.

Paramount of Darkness.

And sitting before them, their master.

Armored Dragon King Perugius Dola.

Facing him, the Second Princess of Asura Kingdom.

Ariel Anemoi Asura.

"…"

After our meeting, via Sylvaril, Ariel requested an audience with Perugius.

Sylvaril immediately went to work, and in the meantime Ariel changed outfits.

Sylphy and Luke changed their outfits as well.

They were good-looking, stylish outfits worthy of the titles of Second Princess of Asura Kingdom and her guards.

As for me, I wore the robe Orsted lent me.

Well, since it\'s Orsted\'s, it should be fine.

Ariel walks up proudly between the twelve familiars.

Unfettered despite being the center of attention, she offers an elegant curtsy towards Perugius.

Sylphy and Luke both kneel.

This time I kneel as well.

"Thank you once again for making time for me."

"Let\'s be clear. What shall we have today? From the looks of it, this isn\'t an invitation to a tea party…"

Perugius pretends like he doesn\'t know.

With Clearnight of Thunder\'s power, he should be able to hear everything in the castle.

Just putting on airs.

Well, the question might also be part of the act.

"For becoming king of Asura Kingdom, I\'m here to request Perugius-sama\'s support."

Ariel, unshaken by Perugius\'s act, declares her purpose.

"Well then… let me ask again."

Perugius places an elbow on the throne\'s armrest, a hand on his cheek, tilting his head he asks.

"What is the most important factor of a king?"

Ariel raises her chin up.

"The most important factor…"

I don\'t know her answer.

So I don\'t know if it\'s right.

Ariel said she knows, but there\'s no guarantee that it\'s right.

Well, even if she told me, I still won\'t know if it\'s right…

Maybe it would be better if I had checked.

No, let\'s trust Ariel.

Seeing how confident she is, the possibility does exist.

"Is \'to inherit wills\'."

Her words echo.

Only silence responds.

A silence that seem impossible for this audience room with 17 in attendance.

"Ha."

Perugius answers like he\'s just taking another breath.

No way to tell from his expression whether the answer is correct.

To inherit wills.

I can understand why this was Ariel\'s answer.

Death litters on Ariel\'s path to the throne.

Since Derrick, 13 of her followers have died.

Who were they? What sort of future did they wish for?

In their death, they entrust their will with Ariel.

That became the foundation of Ariel\'s will to be king.

And Perugius\'s friend.

Kaunis Freean Asura was a man at war.

Rumors are he\'s easy to get along with despite being royalty.

That person became king.

So maybe, he also inherited the wills of those that died in battle?

I sense a connection in this answer.

So this must be the answer.

But somehow.

For me at least, it felt a little cheap…

"… Hah. Inherit wills?"

Perugius jeers at Ariel and laughs.

"In other words, your intention to become king is just something you were influenced by other people to have. Can that person be called a true king?"

Contempt in his voice.

In other word, wrong answer?

But Ariel looks unshaken.

"Yes, that\'s right. Perugius-sama. The likes of my intentions are just something I was influenced by other people to have. I am far from what the public views a true king to be. However…"

Ariel inhales, her voice remains resolute.

"If I\'m a king with regard to those who\'ve entrusted their wills to me, then even if I\'m not a true king, I don\'t care."

"Ha…"

Perugius looks disinterested.

While resting his chin in his hands sullenly, he asks a new question.

"So you\'re telling me, that I should lend my powers to a foolish king?"

"Yes, because I\'m a fool, that\'s why I request your assistance."

"Ha!"

Is this going well?

I thought Ariel responded well.

A true king isn\'t a concept you can grasp, nor an answer you can find.

Just aim to be one as king.

Govern them and become the king they desire.

I don\'t know if it\'s right, but that sounds splendid.

But maybe the answer Perugius seeks is different?

"So you thought that with that answer, you\'d really receive my assistance?"

"No, Perugius-sama. But those are my true feelings. I have not lied. That is why Ariel Anemoi Asura seeks the throne."

With a strong, unwavering gaze Ariel looks toward Perugius.

"If that is no good, then Perugius-sama\'s power is unnecessary."

Words of repudiation.

Perugius\'s eyes widen, his twelve familiars visibly agitated.

Sylphy and Luke too, look in shock.

I\'m also shocked.

"So you don\'t need me to become king?"

"If my ideals and Perugius-sama\'s ideal are too far apart, it would just become a hindrance."

Perugius stops supporting his head and slowly stands up.

That look, is it anger?

His lips tight, eyes wide.

His fists are unclenched, but he looks overbearing.

Then he suddenly raises a hand.

For a moment, I thought he was about to issue an attack order to his familiars.

"Well said, Ariel Anemoi Asura! Your conviction, I have received it!"

I was already pouring magic into my staff, but stopped… when I heard those words.

"I, Armored Dragon King Perugius Dola, swear on my departed friend, Kaunis Freean Asura, to lend you my support!"

Perugius roars.

"Ready the magic teleportation circles! Return immediately to Asura palace. Prepare for my arrival, and call for me!"

"Thank you very much."

Ariel offers her gratitude to Perugius.

Sylphy and Luke both bow their heads even lower.

I grasp my staff still stiffly.

Honestly, I didn\'t think it went well.

The answer was wrong.

Ariel picked one that Perugius didn\'t approve of.

Yet, Perugius still lends Ariel his power.

Did he realize something in his conversation with Ariel?

Regardless, Perugius swears Ariel his support.

Thus, Ariel gained Perugius\'s backing.

Part 2

Ariel takes her leave from the audience room.

Ariel looks composed, but Luke and Sylphy look accomplished.

"…"

I was leaving with them… when I suddenly turn around.

Perugius and his twelve familiars remain behind.

Perugius was watching us leave, and we inevitably exchanged a glance.

"What is it, Rudeus Greyrat."

"Nothing…"

I turn back and plan my retreat with Ariel.

But it still bothers me.

"So in the end, the most important factor of a king, was that the right answer?"

Perugius answers with a snort,

"That wasn\'t what I hoped for."

"Then, why?"

Perugius laughs happily when he heard my question.

"Ariel Anemoi Asura does not at all resemble Kaunis. But the way she talks, how she stands up for herself reminds me of something. Wasn\'t Kaunis, the so called [Ideal King], also someone like her?"

Kaunis, the Ideal King?

"Everyone regards Kaunis as the ideal king, but even he thought that he was far from ideal. In his youth at the bar, in our war encampments, even after becoming king of Asura, he often talked about what it meant to be the ideal king."

Perugius speaks with nostalgia.

In the end, Ariel is far from Perugius\'s ideal.

But maybe she\'s closer to the ideal for Kaunis, something like that?

The ideal differs for everyone.

"I see … For Perugius-sama, then, what is the ideal king?"

Perugius stares me down when I asked.

"I have no reason to tell you."

"Indeed. Apologies."

I take a bow and decide to leave the scene.

If he doesn\'t want to tell, I don\'t need to know.

But suppose he did?

Suppose I tell Ariel the answer later.

Maybe Ariel will lose her hard-earned confidence again and become lost again.

So if I don\'t need to know, he doesn\'t have to tell me.

"Rudeus Greyrat."

But Perugius stops me in my tracks once again.

When I turn around again, Perugius is already up and heading towards the other exit.

"Let me ask you a question."

"What is it?"

"Why did you not mention Orsted? I dislike him, but I cannot ignore his name. If you had mentioned him in that situation, wouldn\'t the conversation have gone more smoothly?"

Orsted has asked Perugius himself and was refused.

So I thought mentioning Orsted wouldn\'t do much good.

Am I being tested?

What did he want me to say?

"Because the one who wants to be king wasn\'t Orsted-sama."

"But he does want Ariel as king, correct? And you agree as well? If so, then why not bring that name out as much as possible?"

"Even if we did that, Ariel-sama still needs Perugius-sama\'s support if she is to be king. Orsted-sama and I do want to help, but we\'re mere outsiders. I think it\'s counterproductive to bring him up to force the topic."

I think it\'s a good idea.

Ultimately, it\'s ideal to let the person in question be involved.

I don\'t have anything in particular planned for after Ariel becomes king.

I mean, I don\'t expect anything from her.

I don\'t know what Orsted has planned though…

Regardless, since this isn\'t my responsibility, I don\'t need to force anything.

"Your way of thinking is too timid."

Perugius acts like he spat out something and returns to his room.

"…"

Unable to stand the gaze of the remaining twelve familiars, I take my leave.

It\'s a little embarrassing.

So in other words, he\'s saying that it\'s no good for me to say noncommittal and insincere things.

Part 3

I head towards Ariel\'s room after leaving the audience room.

I apologize for my lateness as I enter.

A snow white, almost transparent shoulder comes into view.

Ariel is changing.

Sylphy is stripping that gorgeous outfit off her body, showing a loosened corset underneath.

"Ah! Hey! Rudi!"

"It\'s fine. Rudeus-sama has done me a great service this time. No matter what time it is, he has no need for permission to enter the room."

"Hold on, Ariel-sama…"

"Ah… Sorry, Sylphy. I wasn\'t considerate. Rudeus-sama, please, you\'ll do me a great favor if you just wait for a moment."

Before that line was said, I have already left the room and shut the door.

Ariel seems to have misunderstood my intentions. I was not shameless enough to spectate on a girl changing.

But Ariel\'s figure sure is something.

Eris has a nice figure too, but that\'s because she honed her body.

Ariel\'s figure is a gift from god, I got the feeling that you can\'t train a body like that.

Maybe it\'s in her DNA?

But when it comes to proportions, Sylphy won\'t lose either.

She has neither the boobs or butt.

But her proportions are ideal.

I love that about her.

Of course, Roxy is a God, so no comparisons.

"Next time, I\'ll learn to knock."

When I don\'t, I get an eye full of a man doing dirty deeds with dolls.

From those experiences, I should have known better.

I\'m too forgetful.

Eh?

Say, wasn\'t Luke in the room too?

And that guy was okay?

… Probably.

When it comes to who Ariel feels the most secure with, it has to be Luke.

"Rudi, it\'s okay now."

After a while, the door opens a crack and Sylphy appears behind it.

Despite what she said, I can see the unhappiness on Sylphy\'s face.

"Ariel\'s, did you see?"

"Um. Her panties are white."

Sylphy puffs her cheeks.

By the way, her panties are also white.

I confirmed this yesterday, so I\'m confident.

After poking her puffed cheek, I strut in the room.

She pinches my butt on my way in.

"Sylphiette-san."

"What is it, Rudeus-san."

"Let\'s leave the flirting for when we get home."

"… Seriously!"

Sylphy swats my butt, and still pouting, she trots across the room and violently sat down on a chair in the corner.

Her rosy cheeks are also very lovely.

Well, enough about that.

Now changed, Ariel sits in the middle of the room.

Even her everyday wear she looks of a princess, maybe that\'s the difference of a price tag?

No, enough about that.

First I\'ll apologize.

"Earlier, when you\'re changing, sorry."

"No… So how was it?"

"How was what?"

"My body."

Eh, do I have to answer?

Oh, this is also a test.

Today is test day.

I won\'t make a mistake this time.

"Wonderful… I think, in various places, but I love Sylphy the most."

"Really? Sorry to be an eyesore."

Ariel giggles and Sylphy lets out [What are you saying…] with her face glowing red.

Luke can only shrug.

Is it because of the success in convincing Perugius? The mood is rather relaxed.

"Please sit."

She puts on a serious face and offers me a seat.

I oblige.

"It\'s all thanks to Rudeus-sama that we can move forward."

"No, I didn\'t do much."

"No need to be modest. Wasn\'t it just as Rudeus-sama said? The answer was within me."

It ended well.

This might also be fate, but…

According to the diary, without Derrick here, Ariel would not be able to convince Perugius.

With my help, Ariel found the answer with her own strength.

I think so.

I think it turned out well.

"However, the next step. Perugius-sama said to head immediately back to the palace and prepare the venue. I plan to follow his instructions and head back to Asura palace."

"Prepare the venue?"

"In the literal sense."

I don\'t understand it in the literal sense, though.

Oh, let me think about this.

If I read between the lines, this means Perugius does not plan to travel with us to Asura Kingdom.

So, Ariel heads back first and prepares a place suitable for Perugius\'s arrival.

For example, a party venue where many nobles will gather.

Get that ready for him, and call for Perugius.

And Perugius and the Twelve Familiars will arrive with much fanfare.

All the nobles will scream [OMG, it\'s Perugius] and pant while prostrating themselves before him.

Something like that?

"… Well, what\'s the hurry? Shouldn\'t we take more time to get ready?"

"That can\'t be done. I already received word of my father\'s illness."

Ariel looks surprisingly composed while announcing such a serious news.

Well, I expected the news to come later, but Ariel already received the news?

If so, that reduces the chance that Luke is apostle of Hitogami.

Because it\'s less likely that he heard it from Hitogami.

Well, the possibility exists that Hitogami told Luke, and Luke in turn told Ariel?

Hold on.

Then it\'s also possible for Ariel to hear this directly from Hitogami?

Ariel might be an apostle of Hitogami.

It\'s checkmate for us if Ariel is an apostle.

Maybe Orsted got the timing wrong.

Regardless, I should consult Orsted about the possibility of Ariel as an apostle.

"Looking at Rudeus-sama\'s reaction, you already knew."

"Ah?"

"Or maybe, now that you\'re an subordinate of the Dragon God, even the illness of Asura\'s King doesn\'t bother you."

"That\'s because… after seeing Luke-senpai abruptly requesting my aid and Ariel-sama in such a hurry, I had a premonition about the situation."

I tried saying that.

Ariel looks convinced, nodding her head.

Good enough.

"Since Rudeus-sama probably also expected it… Then, will fourteen, fifteen days to get ready suffice?"

Ariel only needs two weeks to get ready.

Pretty rushed.

Well, my diary doesn\'t have any exact dates recorded.

Maybe this was the right timing.

And Orsted got his timing wrong.

"Luckily, we can request Perugius-sama to prepare a magic teleportation circle for us, so our travel time might not be long, and we might have time to spare. But with my father ill, if I don\'t hurry back we might miss our timing. By the time I arrive, my brothers might have already solidified their position."

Sounds like the king will die from this illness.

Then, the successor will be christened.

If we drag our feet, Ariel might not get a chance to join the fight.

Even so, I also worry.

Orsted spoke of a troublesome character in Asura Kingdom.

Senior Minister Darius Silva Ganius.

According to Orsted, as long as he lives, Ariel\'s chances of victory remains slim.

That\'s why we need Darius\'s Achilles Heel, by getting in touch with Tris.

If Tris is here, we can take down Darius.

A mere Senior Minister of a country should be nothing when we have Perugius\'s backing.

That\'s what I think, but if that\'s the case, Orsted wouldn\'t need to point him out in particular.

With Perugius\'s support, we\'re evenly matched against the First Prince.

But if we get rid of Darius, we will have the advantage.

Victory comes to those who make the first move.

"Ariel-sama. About the magic teleport circles, how about we ask whether there\'s one by the borders of Asura Kingdom?"

"Eh, why?"

"As the princess of the kingdom, if you don\'t cross the border formally, wouldn\'t that raise a lot of questions? Moreover, teleportation magic is a forbidden technique. It would be obvious if we use it in the kingdom. I think, we are better off traveling by foot from the borders to the capital and showing your person to the public."

"I see, that does make sense."

Alright.

Well, then all I need is an excuse to make contact with Tris\'s organization.

I haven\'t thought about the details on how to make contact yet, but that shouldn\'t be hard.

When it comes to those organizations, money talks.

"I disagree."

The person that interrupted the conversation is Luke.

"His Highness is ill. We don\'t know what traps First and Second Prince will set for our route back. Magic teleportation circles may be forbidden. But as long as we\'re not seen, we can make up excuses."

"Right… that also makes sense."

"This wasn\'t like before. We\'ll have Rudeus-sama\'s support as well, so we\'re fine combat-wise. But according to rumors, the First Prince has hired North Emperor as mercenary. We should be safe once we reach the palace, but on the way we\'ll be in danger if attacked by North God Style assassins."

I can sense the fear in Luke\'s words.

"Being targeted… I\'ll pass…"

From looking at their expressions, Ariel\'s and Sylphy\'s feelings lean toward Luke\'s argument.

These three struggled in their escape from Asura Kingdom.

They must be scared to be targeted again.

In that case, what then?

Can I find an excuse somewhere, as early as possible, and make contact with Tris?

No, Ariel won\'t be pleased if I disappear anytime in the journey.

I still have not determined whether Luke is Hitogami\'s apostle.

His suggestion might also be under Hitogami\'s guidance.

"Both Rudeus-sama and Luke make good arguments, so… Sylphy, what do you think?"

While Ariel was worrying, she drew Sylphy into the topic of conversation.

"Well, for me, I think it\'s better if we teleport in the country. I don\'t know where we\'ll arrive at, but if by avoiding the border crossing we can avoid the First Prince, I think it\'s worth the risk."

Yikes, Sylphy leans toward Luke too?

"Besides, we didn\'t make a huge scene when we left either. So I think it\'s fine to return quietly. From the border to the capital will take at least a month… so there\'s travel fatigue to consider as well."

"Is that so… Understood. Then, accordingly, let\'s teleport inside Asura Kingdom."

Those are good reasons.

Hard to disagree.

Did I make a mistake by not sharing what I know with Sylphy?

It can\'t be helped.

I\'ll just have to figure out another way to make contact with Tris.

Maybe I can ask someone else for help?

Ghyslaine… will probably fail in negotiations.

Speaking of which, I need to introduce Ghyslaine to Ariel before we head out.

Elinalise… is pregnant.

In that case, I can\'t ask Cliff either.

Who else do I trust and can negotiate?

Zanoba doesn\'t seem to have much negotiating skills.

Maybe if he brought Ginger along…

No, I shouldn\'t involve the prince of another country in this.

While I was thinking.

\'Knock knock,\' a rattle from the door.

"Come in."

"Please excuse me."

The one that entered is Sylvaril.

She examines the room and lightly fluffs her wings.

Then, she says.

"We have just confirmed that all the magic teleportation circles inside Asura Kingdom have been destroyed."

"What?"

That came out of nowhere.

All the magic teleport circles, destroyed.

"How did that happen?"

Sylvaril explains plainly.

After the audience with Perugius, she received immediate orders to activate magic teleportation circles.

Inside the Sky Castle, there are many magic circles pointed inside Asura Kingdom.

But when Sylvaril checked them, the magic teleportation circles were unpowered and unresponsive.

Finding this strange, Sylvaril requested Arumanfi to investigate, and he discovered the magic circles there destroyed.

Accordingly, Arumanfi investigated other locations and found all of the ones Perugius can access inside Asura Kingdom destroyed.

Thus, Sylvaril says.

"It is impossible to teleport into Asura Kingdom."

The closest available magic circle is near the border of Asura Kingdom.

From there we will have to travel by foot.

Someone did this on purpose.

But who could have done this?

Is it Hitogami, or Orsted?

Tomorrow I should check with Orsted about this.

But right now, it\'s hard to clear my name on this.

Luke looks at me suspiciously.

This happened right after I made my proposal.

As if to say, [Do you know about this already?]

Sylphy too, looks nervously in my direction.

Their distrust of Orsted grew.

Only Ariel looks unwavered.

"In that case, it can\'t be helped. Let\'s go with Rudeus-sama\'s proposal instead."

"Yes, but Ariel-sama…"

Luke has a voice of dismay.

Ariel ignores him and continues plainly.

"Luke, inform Elmore and Kleene and prepare for travel. Sylphy will come with me to make our rounds with the luminaries in Ranoa Kingdom. Rudeus-sama, I\'m counting on you. Everyone, please make your goodbyes."

"… Yes."

Luke quietly nods.

We disperse, each holding our own reservations.