Rischel (10)
The banquet concluded without a hitch.
The tense atmosphere, which had frozen upon Aser's appearance, gradually thawed as the festivities heated up.
Even the Round Table members, who had seemed poised to cause a major incident, spent the evening surprisingly quietly.
Of course, there were a few suspicious figures: Lancelot waiting in every hallway,
Merlin slyly offering drinks,
Gareth quietly pocketing the utensils I'd used.
But despite spotting those few, no major commotion erupted, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Then, we'll meet again at tomorrow's meeting. I'll be waiting."
"Yes, until tomorrow."
With that, Aser finally rose from her throne atop the jade seat, signaling the natural end of the banquet.
"Let's call it a night for us too."
"Yes, President."
As the crowd began to disperse one by one, Tatiana and I also left the banquet hall.
"I'll head out here then..."
"Sure, see you tomorrow."
"Yes, have a good night."
Once Tatiana headed to her own quarters, I made my way alone to mine.
───
The guest room was impeccably clean on the outside, as expected.
Not a speck of dust anywhere—the interior looked meticulously maintained. I let out a small sigh of admiration as I stepped inside.
'As expected of VIP quarters.'
Not just the basic furniture, but even the most ordinary decorative items exuded luxury.
Selling just one of those would probably fetch a fortune.
I examined the longsword hanging on the wall, then shifted my gaze to survey the seemingly pristine room.
How long did I stare like that?
"Come on out already."
After quietly observing the room, I spoke into the empty air.
No change despite my words, spoken with strange certainty. I opened my mouth again.
"I'll count to three. If you don't come out by then, you'll regret it."
One.
"Wait a second...!"
The moment I said that, unfamiliar women burst out from everywhere in the room.
Wardrobe, bed, ceiling, bathroom, floor, and more.
So many of them—it was hard to believe how they'd all hidden in a space like this. They all flew toward me at once.
"I knew it. You were here."
Though I hadn't expected quite so many.
How much skill had they honed, exactly?
The women, all clad in thin garments, knelt on the floor with miserable expressions.
"H-How did you know?"
"We hid our presence perfectly."
That's exactly what I told you not to train for.
You're knights, aren't you?
I looked down at the kneeling group with narrowed eyes.
"Simple. Because I trusted Rischel."
"Trusted... us?"
"Yes. I was certain that the Rischel I know would definitely send intruders into my room at night."
There was no way a group scheming to win me over wouldn't try something foolish in my bedroom while I slept.
Of course, it was a different kind of trust, but I believed it anyway.
That the people of the Rischel I knew would invade my bedroom.
'Back when I stayed in old Rischel, I caught intruders every single night before bed anyway.'
If anything, the fact that their habits hadn't changed over time was reassuring.
"Kgh! We thought time had dulled your vigilance!"
"That's why I said we should jump him the moment we got in!"
"I didn't expect to get caught so easily!"
"Enough."
I cut off the murmuring women sharply, slowly tapping my crossed arms with a finger.
Sensing something ominous in my reaction, the woman at the front spoke cautiously.
"B-But we came out right away, so you'll forgive us, right?"
"Yeah, this is our first time!"
"We won't get caught next time!"
"You won't even promise not to do it again."
"Th-That's..."
Under my piercing gaze, the women broke out in cold sweats.
After a brief standoff, I let out a deep sigh.
"Haa... Fine, just go. This is the men's quarters."
VIP quarters at that— if I reported them, they'd face severe punishment.
Of course, given local customs, it wouldn't be overly harsh, but they'd at least get docked pay.
"Y-You're not going to punish us?"
"No."
"Wh-Why not?!"
What exactly were they hoping for?
Some of the women approached with incredulous looks at my firm refusal.
"We're criminals! Please punish us!"
"Go home."
"We're even prepared for harsh corporal punishment!"
Wait—did these girls get caught on purpose expecting this?
Finally realizing their true intentions, I broke into a cold sweat and stepped back a couple of paces.
"Come on! Anytime!"
"No thanks!"
"We've got bodies tempered as knights! We can handle all but the most extreme play... ahem! punishment! Come on...!"
"...Get out!"
"Ahh! Just wait a moment...!"
"Our history time...!"
In the end, I resorted to harsh words and physically tossed them out of the room.
Only after even those clinging desperately vanished beyond the door could I finally exhale deeply.
"This is getting ridiculous."
They exceeded expectations in every sense.
'I thought the same back then, but this country's no joke.'
And their skills were improving, making it even scarier.
That stealth was so advanced—if I hadn't trusted Rischel's people, I might have let my guard down.
'Perfect for honing peeping techniques, though.'
Still, this was too much!
I was even considering keeping aura-based detection active at all times.
I was deeply feeling why I'd always dreaded visiting Rischel.
"...First, I need to handle the rest."
But my brief deliberation ended there.
I moved around the room, removing every listening device and camera I found.
"Magical and technological measures combined. Do they have nothing better to do?"
The spells on them were unmistakably Merlin's work.
Of course the Round Table wouldn't miss a golden opportunity like this.
'So the cameras and bugs are Gareth's doing.'
Now I could even deduce who did what, hitting me with a sudden wave of reality.
How many times had I been through this to identify culprits from traces alone?!
"Haa..."
After clearing all the devices and remnants, I floated a small orb fragment in the air.
Woooong—
The fragment, floating briefly, glowed faint blue as I infused it with aura, spreading a thin barrier over the entire room.
"That should give me some peace."
With the security barrier up, I let out a quiet sigh.
A special barrier prepared for situations like this.
Made with overtechnology compiling all of Academy City's tech.
We hadn't been idle on our end either.
'It has interception functions too, so it could give intruders a nasty surprise.'
The goal was for rumors of the barrier to spread and deter them.
'I can't keep catching them personally forever...'
Running high-aura observation haki constantly would drain me, leaving me short at a critical moment.
Besides, no one knew if demons would attack tomorrow, in a week, or a month—we needed to stay in peak condition.
"Hoo..."
Time to sleep.
Meetings started early tomorrow.
The banquet had run late; I needed rest.
'Oh, almost forgot.'
After a quick wash and settling into bed, I suddenly sat up and approached the window.
'Sometimes there are voyeurs outside.'
I locked the window and drew the curtains tight.
Only then could I finally sleep easy.
Such was daily life in Rischel.
───
Meanwhile, at that very hour, in the central control room of the anti-invasion barrier Avalon.
The eight fairies managing Avalon darted about frantically amid the chaotic sprawl of magic circles, their faces etched with urgency.
"Mae! Repair Avalon!"
"I'm on it!"
"Moronoe sis! Enemy interception yet?"
"Just wait! Interception system's still under repair!"
As all the fairies bustled before the screens, a mature fairy suddenly entered, removing her gloves.
"Morgen, status?"
"Not good. Too much damage from their preemptive strike."
"Moronoe, interception later. Focus everything on repairing Avalon first."
"Got it, Morgan sis!"
She, clad in a navy blue dress with her long golden hair braided into one, began directing the fairies while manipulating the screens.
But right after, a black demon beyond the screen swung a massive sword, shaking the control room violently.
Kugugung—!
"Kyaa!"
"Mae!"
"Kgh...! Everyone okay?"
"Yeah! All safe!"
The momentarily staggering fairies quickly steadied themselves and redoubled efforts on Avalon's repairs.
Morgan, watching her sisters silently, then called out to a small fairy among them.
"Titis—!"
"Y-Yes!"
"Go to Camelot right now and report to Aser."
"B-But right now...!"
"Hurry! If we delay more, it'll be irreversible!"
Yet even at Morgan's shout, Titis hesitated to move.
She sensed it instinctively.
With Avalon's interception broken now,
if the repair system failed too, Avalon would shatter for sure.
And Avalon's control required exactly nine fairies for full operation.
Missing even one would drastically slow repairs.
Which might let those vile demons into Rischel.
As if reading Titis's worry, Morgan's voice reached the frozen fairy.
"Avalon won't hold much longer."
"No way! If we cling desperately...!"
"No, the barrier's damage is too severe already. Their destruction outpaces our repairs."
"B-But...!"
"So we must warn Camelot of the assault while Avalon still stands."
Morgan then locked eyes with Titis.
"Titis, listen well. Rischel's fate rests on you."
"Mor...gan sis!"
"You can do it. Please, Titis."
"...I'll be right back. You must stay safe!"
Titis bolted from the control room at Morgan's words.
Morgan turned back to the screen and addressed her remaining sisters.
"Alright, now let's begin."
Show those scum the terror of fairies.
Morgan murmured, glaring coldly at the Four Heavenly Kings beyond the screen.