Rischel (5)
Divine Sword Aser.
The queen of Rischel, known as the girl-king, was terribly tense right now.
'H-he's really here──!!'
Clutching her pounding chest like a fan who'd just run into her idol, she barely managed to face him.
"──!"
And when she caught sight of his dazzlingly handsome face, she immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
'Eek…!'
Was her hair messed up?
What if her expression looked weird?
Was her outfit okay?
A whirlwind of trivial worries swirled in her head, pushing Aser to her limits.
But Aser was one of the Seven Powers, a superhuman who'd climbed into the top ranks!
She had the willpower to shrug off amateurish mental attacks…!
"It's been a while."
"I've been waiting for you all this time."
In the end, she just barely managed to finish her greeting.
'G-good job! You did it without messing up, Aser! I'm so proud of you!'
Finally calming her nerves by humming her self-composed song 'Don't Give Up, Aser' in her head, she jolted at the sudden voice.
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
"──!!"
'P-polite speech!'
She'd only ever heard casual talk from him before, so the thrill hit her even harder.
Naturally smitten all over again, she mentally crafted their wedding rings as she continued.
"Your courage in rushing to our aid in Rischel's crisis—on behalf of Rischel, I offer my deepest gratitude."
"I'm here solely at the Association's request. Please, no need for such excessive praise."
Of course. This time, he wasn't visiting as the Supreme Student Council President, but as the number one ranked hero.
Guessing his intentions, Aser nodded and replied.
"Understood. But please remember this: Rischel stands ready to devote itself endlessly to the one who saved our nation."
Of course, that goes double for me.
Did her words, dripping with affection, reach him?
He fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Excellent."
The pleasantries ended there.
She wanted to dive straight into discussing the current issues, but that would have to wait.
"You must be exhausted from the long journey. We've prepared quarters for your stay. Rest and recover there first, then we'll talk more."
"Thank you. I'll gladly accept your hospitality."
As he bowed lightly and left the audience chamber with his entourage, Aser finally let out a deep sigh.
"Th-that was tense…"
She never expected the sudden switch to polite speech.
She'd almost let her giddy grin slip through.
Stroking her chest from atop the jade throne, she couldn't help but perk up at the voices nearby.
"…That startled me."
"Yeah, he's way hotter than before!"
"No wife yet, right?"
"Even if there is, doesn't matter. I'm stealing him."
"Agreed."
"Actually, that'd be even better. Married guys have a whole different charm."
Overhearing the knights' chatter, Aser imagined him as a married man and unwittingly swallowed hard, then shuddered in surprise.
"…Your Majesty?"
"Ahem! It's nothing. Anyway, let's review our plans going forward."
Aser's voice turned serious again, and the knights around the round table all turned to her.
"As you all know, evil demons are targeting Rischel. According to the Divine Spear's records, the enemy is the second-ranked of the Four Heavenly Kings: the Death Devil."
"Hold on, Your Majesty."
A red-haired beauty suddenly raised her hand as Aser explained.
Her tanned skin and open outfit exposing her midriff gave off a wild warrior vibe, more feral than a prim knight.
"Speak, Kay."
"Did we really need to call in Mu-geuk to deal with this Death Devil? Not that I'm against bringing him in… but, y'know, couldn't we handle it ourselves?"
"Hmm."
Aser closed her eyes briefly, choosing her words carefully in response to her beloved step-sister and vassal.
"Certainly. If the enemy's power is what I expect, we could take it down among ourselves."
The queen herself was higher on the Seven Powers list than the Divine Spear, and her Round Table knights were hero-level in strength, if not officially heroes—superior hero caliber, at least.
'The Divine Spear fell not just due to personal power, but lack of reliable subordinates. Even one decent underling could have changed things.'
Of course, this was just Aser's opinion, but experts agreed the Divine Spear fought alone and lost.
With another from the Seven Powers—or even a top-ranker or superior hero—they wouldn't have lost so easily. Her judgment wasn't off.
"But that's assuming the Death Devil went all-out against the Divine Spear."
"Hmm…"
"As you know, it didn't show its full power. Not even half, probably. That's why I requested backup from the Association—just in case."
Best case, her hunch was right, and she could handle it solo.
Even if it was stronger than her, no problem—she had her trusty Round Table knights.
But if it was vastly stronger…
"If it's upper Seven Powers level—or anywhere near the Darkness Devil—you and I together wouldn't stand a chance."
A heavy silence fell over the Round Table.
They knew.
They might not grasp upper Seven Powers strength, but they all knew how absurd the Darkness Devil was.
Everyone here bore traumas from the Holy Site Reclamation War, where she'd rampaged.
"Without the Army God, Demon God, or Sword God, it took three Seven Powers to drive her off."
The tank Divine Sword up front, the healer Holy God in the rear, the DPS Divine Bow sniping from afar.
The ultimate human party comp.
Yet they couldn't gain the upper hand against the Darkness Devil—they barely retreated.
She hadn't even been pushed back; she'd called it boring and left the battlefield herself.
More accurately, they weren't even worthy opponents.
"So we had to prepare for the worst."
If the Death Devil matched the Darkness Devil, Rischel's forces alone wouldn't cut it.
Hence the request to the Hero Association for a top-ranker.
And they sent the number one: Mu-geuk.
"I wanted to invite the other Seven Powers, but they're all busy. The Association was the next best thing—a ranker would be a huge boost for us."
Though I never dreamed they'd send Mu-geuk as reinforcements…
Aser continued, then broke into a bright smile.
"Still, this is our chance. I've sent invitations forever, but he's never once replied—until now, showing up like a miracle in our crisis. If that's not fate, what is?!"
"Exactly."
"Right!"
"For the month our honored guest stays in Rischel, we must seize this opportunity fully—make him fall in love with Rischel."
Not just a good impression—make it feel like home.
Yes, Aser wanted him to stay long-term.
And that was every fairy's deepest wish…
"So, from this throne, I issue a royal decree."
Clack!─
Aser's blue eyes swept over them, and the knights gazing up bowed in unison.
『Awaiting your command──!』
"Glory to Rischel. Blessings to the fairies."
As the knights bowed to the floor, the queen's voice echoed in their ears.
『Yes, My Lord──!』
'A national decree…'
Nice ring to it.
Aser smiled faintly down at her kneeling knights.
───
'Wearing me out already.'
Maybe it's the all-female atmosphere.
Just sitting here built up serious mental fatigue.
───
Bags unpacked roughly, nothing pressing—so free time until the evening banquet.
'Tatiana's probably in her room.'
Rooms were assigned in opposite directions, so unless it was the banquet, we wouldn't cross paths.
'She's tired too—no need to bother her.'
Oh, right—I promised to oversee Gawain's sparring.
Thinking of it, I stepped out and headed straight for the training grounds where she'd likely be.
I'd frequented the palace before, so no getting lost.
"…Hm?"
"……Ah."
───Except I didn't expect to run into a familiar face rounding the corner.
Thud-thud-thud──!
"……!!"
"Careful."
The girl, eyes wide in surprise, hurried over and clung to me.
At her familiar antics, I gently stroked her head and murmured a low warning.
She dazedly touched my face.
Then words burst from her tightly pursed lips.
"…It's really you."
"What else would it be, a fake?"
"It's really big bro."
She buried her face in my chest again.
Looking down at her, I examined her closely.
Her appearance had grown strikingly more like the girl-king's than before, and her usual blank face now beamed, cheeks twitching with joy.
"Long time no see, Mordred."
She'd always followed me like a little sister, so I quietly called her name.
She stared blankly for a moment, then lit up radiantly.
"You here to marry me…?"
"No."
Right, she was the same.
Sighing inwardly at the forgotten fact.