The Banquet (1)
The war against the demonic beasts was far from over.
The Empire had declared victory, yes. And this was no longer the age when annihilation had stood knocking at the door. But Rifts still tore open across the land, and even now, somewhere, someone was being wounded or killed fighting the beasts that spilled from them.
It was far too soon, in other words, to eat and drink and make merry without a care in the world. And so the imperial banquet was a modest affair. The court no longer summoned every noble house in the Empire, nor did it squander the treasury on lavish excess. It simply called those who had stood by the Empire through these hard times — to encourage them, and to honor them.
Applause filled the hall as the princess's commendation fell. A demon merchant group that had opened its coffers to relieve the Empire's people now stood receiving the gratitude of a human princess.
There were still those among the nobility who looked poorly upon demons. The Fiore family was one such house, and they were far from alone. But this was not their own territory — this was the Imperial Palace. And the imperial family had officially declared the demons their comrades-in-arms. Showing one's true colors in a place like this would do no one any good. Of course everyone applauded.
It's written all over your faces, you lot.
With the medal the princess had bestowed pinned to her chest, Karina stepped down from the dais, thinking just that.
She knew well enough that opinions on demons were split. Among the nobles gathered here, some thought well of them. Some remained neutral. And some hated them every bit as much as they hated demonic beasts. It couldn't be helped. This was their land, their world. No matter how much blood and sweat the demons poured into the fight, understanding would not come easily. She had no desire to force it upon them. But the least they could do was acknowledge the effort — accept that they had fought and bled and died side by side. In the end, though, those people wanted to ignore even that. They wanted to forget it entirely.
Still, she was no noble. In her world, money — not honor — was the true measure of strength. The reputation of demons might not be kind, but she was a merchant group first and foremost. She wasn't particularly worried.
But...
Her friend Sien was different. She was the head of Lichtenauer, a human noble house. As a half-blood of human and demon, she would have to endure that crushing weight. Karina knew well how vicious the political wars between noble families could be. They may not have drawn blades, but people said it was every bit as fierce as a battlefield. And there, Sien's bloodline would be the worst possible weakness.
The present situation made that painfully clear. Once the commendations had ended and the banquet begun, the nobles clustered around the Fiore family were openly snubbing Sien. They even blocked any noble who tried to approach her. The intent was obvious: isolate Lichtenauer from the very start.
Bastards.
She had hoped, perhaps, that someone from the imperial family might intervene. But neither the Emperor nor the princess was anywhere to be seen. And the Fiore family had successfully closed a Rift — they had been among the foremost to receive commendation tonight. Of course the nobles would flock to them.
Sien stood alone, silently tipping back her glass. The pitiful sight of her made Karina grind her teeth.
I'd go stand by her myself if I could...
But Sien was already being snubbed for being a half-blood. If a demon — and a merchant, no less, not even a noble — approached her now, it would only make things worse. For the moment, staying away was the greater help.
"Haaa..."
Karina could only sigh and drain her own glass, watching Sien from afar and hoping she would find a way through this moment.
"Lady Sien."
Adel, who had been reading the room for some time, finally spoke. He knew nothing of politics. The barbed words the nobles traded among themselves were beyond him. Even so, the nature of the present situation was plain enough. They were openly ignoring Sien, trying to humiliate her — and at the center of it all, as always, stood the Fiore family.
Even Adel felt a flicker of irritation. During his years of service, he had seen this sort of thing elsewhere. People who formed a smaller faction within a larger one. Who used it to sow division from within. Who drew lines, stirred conflict, and then climbed over everyone else on the back of that chaos.
What did I used to do when I saw people like that?
What else? He killed them all. You had to come down hard from the start, or someone else would try the same thing. A single lapse in discipline could mean total annihilation. That was why the rules had to be set in stone.
The First Wolf of Ulfhedinn had been Adel. Internal strife was something he could settle himself. The Emperor had turned a blind eye, and for good reason — people like that were poison to any unit, and a gift to the enemy. He had made sure the fallout never reached Adel.
Ordinarily, His Majesty or Her Highness would have stepped in...
But Sien was not simply human. She carried the blood of demons, and the people of the Empire did not look kindly on that. Even the imperial family could not defy public sentiment without limit. They had acknowledged the demons, yes — but they could not force that acknowledgment on anyone. And the entire Empire had paid a staggering price fighting the demonic beasts. If the court openly sheltered the very race blamed for that catastrophe, they would lose their legitimacy.
"Adel."
"Yes, Lady Sien."
"I expected this. That they wouldn't welcome me. I knew it would be like this."
"Then why did you not decline the invitation?"
"Does running away make it go away? I have to face it. I am the head of Lichtenauer. Like it or not, I will have to ally with those nobles at times, and compete with them at others."
"..."
"Standing here like this only plays into Fiore's hands. I had hoped, just a little, that someone among them might make the first move. It seems that's too much to ask. So I suppose I should go to them myself."
She was doing her best to sound unbothered. Adel could hear the faint tremor in her voice all the same. Rage, humiliation, contempt — every ugly feeling she was shoving down and ignoring, trying to think and act only for Lichtenauer.
There was so little he knew how to do. That fact left him sorry, and more than a little frustrated. He had never felt this way before. Why now, of all moments? He was starting to think something was wrong with him.
"Head of House Lichtenauer."
Just then, someone approached Sien. At first they thought it was a noble who had slipped free of the Fiore family's grip. It did not take long for everyone to realize they were looking at someone of an entirely different caliber.
"Ah— ah."
The figure who now stood before her was second only to the Emperor himself. The imperial family's eldest daughter. First in the line of succession. A powerhouse who wielded chakra.
"Sien of Lichtenauer greets Her Imperial Highness, Princess Yekaterina."
Sien hurriedly bowed. And so, if only for the briefest instant, she missed the look that passed between Adel, standing behind her, and the princess.
"Her Highness?"
"The princess has come back?"
Word had it that the princess was no great lover of banquets. Had she not, just a short while ago, finished her commendations and left the hall entirely? And yet Princess Yekaterina had returned — and now she stood face to face with the head of Lichtenauer, a half-blood of human and demon.
"So it is you. The one who newly took the seat of family head."
"It is, Your Highness."
"I have heard the reports. I am told that with fewer than twenty knights, you protected the Empire's people and completely closed a third-grade Rift. A most remarkable feat."
At the princess's words, every noble in the hall turned to look at Sien. Fewer than twenty knights — and while protecting civilians, no less — she had closed a third-grade Rift? They had dismissed it as an idle rumor, something that couldn't possibly be true. But if the princess herself was saying it, it must have been an extraordinary achievement indeed.
As the nobles found themselves newly impressed by Lichtenauer's martial strength, Sien had to swallow a dry gulp.
I'd done everything I could to keep it quiet, so Adel wouldn't stand out...
She had taken measures to keep the story from spreading. Even the neighboring nobles didn't know the full truth. And now, out of nowhere, the princess was bringing it up. She hadn't done anything wrong, and yet her chest tightened all the same.
"I would like to speak with you a little further, if I may."
"Eh? Ah— ah! I-it would be an honor, Your Highness."
"Thank you for making the time, Head of Lichtenauer. Shall we, then?"
By every measure, Yekaterina was a flawless being. As the eldest imperial daughter, her legitimacy was already beyond anyone's power to shake. With her keen insight and wisdom, she had even handled affairs of state in the Emperor's stead. And she was a warrior who could slay demonic beasts as if it were nothing. Naturally, watching Sien walk off at the princess's side left the assembled nobles more than a little shaken.
"What on earth is going on?"
"I cannot make sense of this. How is this possible?"
"Lichtenauer may be a renowned swordsmanship house, but they never had any particular connection to the imperial family..."
The sudden deaths of the family head and the heir. A house that had suffered catastrophic losses. They had all assumed Fiore would now stand above Lichtenauer — and so they had followed Etria's lead in snubbing Sien. But the moment they saw the princess and Sien together, every last one of them plunged into chaos. The person they had been scorning might well be the one closest to future power. Someone they absolutely needed to befriend.
Etria of Fiore, who had been orchestrating this entire situation, ground her teeth as she watched Sien's receding back.
"Ah. One moment."
Princess Yekaterina, who had been leading Sien away, stopped as if something had just occurred to her.
"Leave your escort behind, if you would. It would be rather awkward with too many ears about."
"Ah, yes. Of course. Adel? Wait here a moment."
Sien gave the order without a second thought. The princess led her off toward the gardens, and they disappeared from view.
And so Adel found himself standing alone. He remained where he was — until he sensed a presence behind him.
"You said you were going on a journey. And yet you've returned in less than half a year, never mind a full one."
"...My path simply happened to lead here."
"Unexpected, all the same. I did not think I would see you again so soon."
So said the Emperor who ruled this vast Empire, gesturing for Adel to come speak with him.