Alina Earthrain
Alina Earthrain. The younger sister of the Earthrain Duke, born late in his life. A rare case in noble society. Though one might say she was doted on and raised with excessive affection as the late-born child, she began displaying actions that defied common sense in an entirely different way. Solo traversal of the Great Mountain Range. Independent subjugation of the large-scale monster 'Honey Bee.' Multiple proxy participations in territorial duels. Numerous participations in subjugation campaigns. Multiple honors and medals. Appointment as a royal 'Guardian Knight' under direct royal command. And so on.
Honestly, if it weren't for me, wouldn't Irina have followed Alina Earthrain's path? From what I know, she's a woman more popular among women than men. I believe there are even literary works featuring her as the protagonist. On top of that, separate from her ducal house, she herself holds numerous medals, titles, and knight appointments—in a sense, she could be considered the highest-ranking noble among those gathered here.
"You should make your entrance now…"
"No. If I think about the nobles flocking here, it'll only bring more troublesome matters, won't it?"
Seeing her refuse with a crooked smile, she seemed to dislike formalities just as the rumors said. On top of that, her masculine way of speaking. She was a peculiar woman.
"Besides, isn't this your rival's coming-of-age ceremony? She wouldn't be pleased either."
"……Rival?"
A strange word. Rival? An enemy in love? Startled, I looked at her. My gaze met the eyes shining between Alina Earthrain's strands of hair. As expected… crimson?
"Didn't you receive the letter?"
"If it's a letter… you mean the Duke's missive?"
The one asking if I wanted to meet his sister. It had been written extremely casually, and that one line scrawled at the very end had made me think it was a joke. Of course, since it was written in the Duke's own hand, there couldn't be any falsehood in it. But did Alina Earthrain herself truly mean it? She didn't seem like the type to enjoy such conversations.
Seeing my odd expression, she nodded.
"If you were just some pretentious fool, I would've simply planned to leave. But…"
Was that a compliment…? …No, was she actually interested in me?
"Anyway, even if I went in, it'd only be a pack of beasts lusting after my blood. I just wanted to see your face and be satisfied."
"Haha. Thank you."
"Well, your appearance is passable enough."
A compliment? Alina Earthrain exhaled smoke from her pipe into the air. The hazy smoke disappeared beyond the dark night sky. Her gaze lowered.
"There's something beneath the ground."
"……You noticed?"
I'd thought I'd hidden it quite discreetly so even the Earthrain Duke wouldn't detect it.
"Whenever I arrive in unknown lands, I scan my surroundings at least once. Very discreetly."
"Hmm."
A bright red tongue licked her lips. Alina Earthrain said this and turned her head. The banquet hall built atop the hill. From the terrace, the view of the city was visible.
"Right now it's only a cross shape centered on the inner castle, but do you plan to install it across the entire city someday?"
"That's the plan. Though the cost is considerable, and I'd have to move personally to do it."
The installation cost itself wasn't that high. The problem was the magic power lines buried deep underground. They had to be installed carefully so they wouldn't be detected. This part was something only I could do. In the first place, only a very small number of people even knew about these lines.
"This city itself will become your cage. Is it an obsession?"
"Haha. After being hit once, it felt like absolute shit, you see."
"Aha."
She nodded as if she'd understood something from my words.
"There are people like that. People who seem to have no connection to words like power, domination, or conquest… but who go absolutely berserk if someone touches what's theirs."
"I didn't go that berserk."
At my words, Alina smiled. Her gaze as she looked at me was sharp.
"What kind of lord would install something like this across an entire city just because some commoner was touched, even if it is his own territory? Admit it. You're a beast. A very savage, ruthless, and terrifying beast. One who doesn't forgive even the slightest provocation against yourself."
"Hmm."
Alina Earthrain looked down at the glowing city.
"I wonder if they know."
The magic power lines spread beneath the city.
"That with one person's choice, they could all vanish in an instant."
"If someone heard that, they'd think I was a mad tyrant."
Though, I wouldn't kill my own citizens just because I'd gone mad. At my words, she chuckled as well.
"True. That aside, it's quite impressive. A beautiful work of art."
"Well, I did put some effort into making it look that way."
By now, the time had passed evening and could be called night. By the standards of this world where night fell quickly, it was time for everyone to be asleep. Yet the city was bright. Very bright. The roads cutting through the center glowed, and the central fountain shone brilliantly with a lavish fountain show, illuminating the sky. And above all—
"Is that for performance purposes?"
Alina looked again toward the interior of the banquet hall, at the magic stones embedded in the ceiling. Not just for tonight, but ones I'd installed at considerable expense for future uses of the hall.
"That's right."
"Using magic stones, which are said to be in short supply elsewhere, to decorate so lavishly. Do you know? After your coming-of-age ceremony, the number of people designing extravagant ceremonies has increased."
"Has it become a trend?"
Back then, I'd had no choice. I'd prepared in such a rush that I'd needed that kind of deception. Alina shook her head at my words.
"Those of marquis rank and above have started pushing themselves quite hard to prove their magic power. Our Earthrain house has no one holding a coming-of-age ceremony right now, so it's fine, but my nephew will probably have a hard time."
"Hahaha."
I laughed awkwardly. Living long really does bring about these situations. Leading a trend, of all things.
"Well… I should be going now."
"You're leaving already?"
Whoosh. Her pipe smoke drifted toward me.
"I've seen your face, and I've decided what to do going forward. …Besides, if I stay, she won't be comfortable, will she?"
She meant Irina. From what I'd heard, this really might lead to a formal proposal. But…
"Then wait just a moment before you go."
"Hm?"
Seeing her look as if she really was about to disappear, I hurriedly stopped her. Alina, who had been leaning precariously as if about to fall from the terrace, only turned her head.
"Stay and see the fairy descending from the sky."
It was about time.
* * *
"Everyone."
From the central staircase. As I slowly descended, I drew the gazes of the attendees. In the midst of them, I also confirmed the presence of Alina Earthrain, hidden behind the curtains on one side of the terrace.
"While I sincerely welcome all of you who have taken time from your busy schedules to attend…"
Feeling the gazes of the nobles who had been conversing among themselves, I began the proceedings as previously arranged.
"The star of today's event, the jewel of the sky! The southern flower proudly presented by the Boran County! I present to you Irina Boran!"
The sky unfolded. A blue sky and sun spread from the magic stones embedded in the ceiling. In an instant, the banquet hall transformed into a stage as if suspended in the middle of the heavens. The mist that rose up in a moment coalesced into clouds, and from within those clouds, she appeared. Descending upon the clouds, her dress was a concept they had likely never seen before. Unlike the usual flamboyant dresses, it possessed a dignified and graceful beauty that seemed to symbolize her. At the same time, the translucent silk fabric that seemed to reflect the opposite side embroidered the air, further highlighting Irina's mystique within the clouds.
From within, Irina slowly opened her eyes, looked at the people attending the banquet, smiled, and spoke.
"I am Irina of the Boran County. To all of you who have come to this place, thank you for traveling such a long distance to attend my coming-of-age ceremony."
* * *
Watching Irina descend from the sky, Alina thought to herself.
"If his rank were just a little lower, he could've become a party planner."
Even she, who had no interest in such things, found herself wanting to hire him to design her own banquets.
"Leoric Franz… He'd make a suitable husband."
Though their conversation had been brief, based on the impression left by her brother who acted like a father—the Earthrain Duke—and everything she'd felt so far, he wasn't bad. And though she behaved as if she lacked common sense, she wasn't without thoughts of eventually needing to marry. She looked at Irina, who had appeared in the banquet hall in a mystical form. She didn't think she'd been swayed by appearance, but considering their ages, she felt a slight twinge of jealousy that even surprised herself.
"Ha. Acting like some other girl just because a man I like appeared. So I really am a woman after all?"
A laugh escaped her at her own state.
"I've already claimed the man, so now I need to seduce him. Seduction, huh…"
It had been the same when she was young, but until now, many men had approached her. She'd simply rejected them all. For the first time in her life contemplating a relationship with the opposite sex, the advice of the Earthrain Duke's divine beast, Earth, suddenly came to mind.
"Should I just pounce on him at night?"
Though part of her thought that wasn't quite right, her innate instincts whispered that it might be the correct answer.