The Arhen Succession Ceremony
"Lady Melissa Arhen and Lord Eugene Frucus now enter!"
The butler's voice rang out from the banquet hall entrance, and the entire chamber fell silent in an instant. Countless eyes turned toward them. The gazes fixed on Melissa carried a tangle of complicated emotions; the ones locked on me were thick with open hostility. Hardly surprising — I was the enemy commander who had declared war on the Cobalt Kingdom.
Melissa and I strode into the hall without hesitation. She was the star of tonight's banquet. I had intended to hang back a little, but Melissa had her arm linked through mine and showed no sign of letting go. Fine. If that was how it was going to be, I would see this through beside her to the end.
Nobles began drifting toward Melissa — retainers and allies of the Arhen Ducal House.
"My lady… no, Your Grace. We received word from His Grace the Duke. We are overjoyed that you have returned."
"You are as beautiful as ever, Your Grace."
"This banquet may well be the last of its kind… I am grateful simply to see you like this."
The nobles were warm toward her. Melissa had been popular long before she ever left the Arhen household. She was beautiful — face and figure both without a single flaw. Her temperament was decent, and she had the talent to match. People like that were hard to dislike even if you tried. Even among the maids at the mansion in Tevra, Melissa had been well-liked.
She had even managed to completely captivate the current king, Dulibard.
"My thanks. I feel the same. It is a pleasure to see you all again and speak after so long."
Melissa smiled gently. The younger male nobles stared at her as though entranced by that smile.
She still had her arm linked through mine. Maybe she was trying to keep me from getting bored — she shifted her body just enough to brush those full breasts against my arm.
The banquet itself was dull, but Melissa made it bearable.
"So you are Count Frucus. I never dreamed I would see you here."
"I hear you recently conquered the Solfmed Kingdom. Impressive. The people of the Rapheli Kingdom must be singing your praises. Though I also heard that war left hundreds of thousands dead. Ah — no particular meaning in that. I was merely stating a fact I happened to hear."
The treatment directed at me was pure sarcasm. They didn't dare show open hostility, but the spite leaked through every word.
I swallowed the urge to start a scene. Melissa was the protagonist of this banquet. I was not about to ruin it for her.
Duke Graus Arhen made his appearance near the very end. The moment he entered, the atmosphere turned solemn. This was no ordinary party.
"Melissa Arhen. Step forward."
The Duke's voice was quiet, yet somehow it carried through the entire hall. Only then did Melissa release my arm and walk toward him with steady, confident strides.
She dropped to one knee before him. Duke Arhen drew a sword from his waist — a ceremonial blade, its hilt wrought in gold, its steel etched with patterns and set with jewels. Not a weapon for battle.
"Melissa Arhen. As one who inherits the great blood of the legendary hero Arhen…"
The Duke launched into a long, tedious speech with a grave expression.
He said he would keep the succession ceremony brief… yet here he is, doing every last bit of it.
Servants slipped in through the rear doors and quietly arranged objects around the Duke and Melissa — portraits of successive Arhen Dukes, expensive-looking flowers, and the like. Some kind of tradition, apparently.
"I will not accept this!!"
Someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
It was a young man's voice. Every eye in the banquet hall swung toward a single boy — roughly fifteen, with dark blue-black hair, glaring at Duke Arhen and Melissa.
The moment the Duke saw him, his brow furrowed.
"…Verdo. The succession ceremony is in progress. Do not make a scene. Be quiet."
Duke Arhen tried to resume the rite, but Verdo shouted again.
"I said I will not accept this! That woman left the family! And now she suddenly returns today and inherits the title — does that make any sense?! The rightful heir of the Arhen Ducal House is me!"
"Verdo. Do not call her 'that woman.' Melissa is your sister, and she is the new Duke of Arhen. Apologize to her for your rudeness."
Verdo clenched his teeth.
"I refuse!"
"…Verdo Arhen…!"
The Duke looked furious at his son's defiance. The air around them had already gone ice-cold.
Verdo flinched — then balled his fists and stood his ground against the Duke. Melissa showed no intention of intervening. Fair enough. If she stepped in now, things would only get messier.
Duke Arhen let out a quiet sigh.
"…Verdo. Deciding the heir of the Arhen Ducal House is my authority as the current Duke. Your approval is not required."
"I am Father's heir! I have lived my entire life as Father's successor! I received the education, trained in the sword and in magic, all so I could inherit the title! And now everything changes in a single day?! Does that make any sense at all?! Father! You are the one who named me heir!"
Verdo turned his glare on the vassals standing nearby.
"Why did none of you stop him?! Do you truly believe this is right?!"
"Young Master Verdo… please, calm yourself first. This matter…"
The vassals glanced at Duke Arhen for cues. Clearly, no one had explained the situation to Verdo. Melissa was not going to remain Duke of Arhen forever. Once this was over, the title would cease to matter — the Arhen Ducal House would become the royal house.
"Verdo. Return to your room."
The Duke's command came without a single word of explanation, and that only stoked Verdo's rebellion further.
"I refuse!"
Duke Arhen sighed. He was about to order the knights to drag Verdo out when a young noble stepped forward.
"Your Grace, Duke Arhen. Forgive my presumption, but we support Young Master Verdo. The position of heir rightfully belongs to him. We acknowledge Lady Melissa's bloodline and ability, but for her to succeed the Arhen Ducal House is improper."
He was clearly a minor noble — meaning he had no idea what was actually going on.
Starting with that young noble, others began stepping forward to voice their convictions. The common thread: all of them were young.
"I also support Young Master Verdo."
"Young Master Verdo is the rightful heir of the Arhen Ducal House."
The young nobles clustered around Verdo. His expression eased somewhat, and he glared at Duke Arhen with newfound confidence.
"Y-you insolent brats!"
"Ignorant fools sticking their noses where they don't belong…!"
The vassals erupted in anger at the young nobles' behavior. One noble even started shouting at his own son. The hall grew noisy; the chaos only deepened.
Duke Arhen bore some of the blame for this mess.
He probably only explained the situation to the vassals he trusts.
I understood what he was worried about.
Spies.
Even information that would eventually leak — he wanted to delay it as long as possible.
Well. It'll be cleaned up soon enough. The ones backing Verdo are all young nobles. Every noble who actually holds power is on Duke Arhen's side.
The Duke had his vassals firmly in hand. The situation would resolve quickly.
A low, strange resonance filled the air.
Kruuuuuung.
The nobles mid-rant all fell silent at once. Every one of them looked up at the ceiling.
Wuuuuuuung.
The ceiling was rippling. The distortion spread in every direction — crawling across the walls, reaching the floor. The ground seemed to shake. Or rather, it looked that way.
…It only looks like it's shaking and warping. The ceiling and floor aren't actually moving. The fruit on the tables hasn't so much as trembled — that's the proof.
This was an attack.
Not magic. If it were magic, I would have sensed it immediately. Either an artifact… or a demon's power.
The latter, most likely.
A demon contractor from Panteum had spotted me and decided to kill me. Taking out Duke Arhen in the process would be a massive favor to Dulibard.
Still, they moved awfully fast… Looks like they were watching Duke Arhen from the start.
That would explain everything.
Yuria was not at my side right now. Even so, I felt no particular fear.
"Master. This is an attack."
Melissa's voice reached me through a transmission. Our eyes met.
"Yeah. Probably a demon. Don't know which one yet. Stay sharp."
I sent the reply. We scanned our surroundings, tension coiling tight.
Wuuuuuuuuung!
The ceiling, walls, and floor began to heave like waves. The hall erupted into chaos.
"M-magic?!"
"Knights! What are you standing around for?! Resolve this!"
"I think I'm going to be sick… Outside… I need to get outside."
Several nobles flung open the banquet hall doors and fled — only to find the same conditions waiting beyond them. As the situation worsened, Duke Arhen's voice cracked like a whip.
"Everyone, calm yourselves!! The ground is not actually moving! This is nothing but a cheap illusion! Those who feel nauseous — close your eyes! Knights, prepare for combat!"
The Duke's sheer presence restored a measure of order. But the situation remained dire.
Wuuuuuung.
A warped pulse washed over the entire space. Now even the people looked as though they were melting and rippling.
I know this one. A demon that appeared in the original story. The name was… Birubiru, wasn't it?
Birubiru, the Mirror Demon.
A demon closer to a phenomenon than a physical being. No sense of self. Its power activated solely according to the will of its contractor.
A real pain in the ass just showed up.