A Date
As Selena’s bruises were almost healed, late into the night, the conversation in Razetta’s study showed no signs of ending.
“So, you’re saying you want to throw a banquet to celebrate Cyron becoming the guardian dragon?”
Bagan summarized Razetta’s opinion and asked again. No matter how he thought about it, the idea seemed more like Razetta’s than Cyron’s, which made him suspicious. And since Cyron was just standing there with a blank look, ready to agree to anything Razetta said, there was nothing more to add.
He couldn’t quite grasp why Razetta had come up with this in the first place. But the answer was surprisingly simple.
“If we hold a banquet to commemorate the guardian dragon appointment, we’ll naturally invite all my brothers as honored guests. In other words, this is my chance to finally have my worth recognized. Up until now, De Marinda hasn’t been very popular among the citizens of Seiros Kingdom. All because I’m only half Dragonian.”
Just as she said, while De Marinda under Razetta’s leadership was famous as a tourist destination in other countries, it received poor treatment from the citizens of Seiros Kingdom, who valued tradition above all.
It was only natural. De Meca on the western front fiercely repelled monster invasions with adventurers and mercenaries at its core, while De Pruna on the eastern front bordering Sog Kingdom boasted three impregnable fortresses that had blocked enemy attacks for ages. And as for the central De Seiran, it was home to the war hero and one of the Seven Great Heroes, the Divine Spear Vidion, as well as the king himself. There was nothing more to say.
In comparison, De Marinda—known as the southern defensive line—had done little during the war and mostly dealt in exports and tourism. So it was no wonder they weren’t respected.
In reality, while the lords governing each city were praised by the people, Razetta, despite being a Dragonian, only received criticism. Not a single favorable gaze came her way.
That was why she wanted to change those views with this opportunity. To shift the atmosphere from one of mockery to one of admiration for accomplishing something great. And that opportunity was Cyron’s declaration as guardian dragon.
Of course, the condition was that he would only protect De Marinda. But the declaration of a guardian dragon from the mightiest race, a Blue Dragon, was no small matter.
“I get that part. But why do you need me there?”
Yes, he understood everything. But Bagan couldn’t see why he had to attend the banquet. No, he simply didn’t understand it.
“It’s a gathering of the kingdom’s honored guests. What’s the point of having an outsider like me—”
“Outsider? Who’s the outsider? You, Bagan? You’ve got to be kidding… Listen carefully. You defeated Palamus, the sworn enemy of our clan. You cleaned up De Meca’s underworld. You prevented the dungeon that was going to appear in the coastal waters, and you even encouraged Cyron to become the guardian dragon. After all that, do you really think you can still call yourself an outsider?”
After hearing Razetta’s words, even Bagan had to admit she had a point.
Ah, there’s no escaping this now.
In truth, no matter how one framed Bagan’s actions as the work of an adventurer, it would be a lie to say they hadn’t affected Seiros Kingdom. At this point, Bagan’s influence had risen to the same level as Gion, the guildmaster of Seiros Kingdom’s adventurer guild.
“My eldest brother will definitely have heard about you by now. The men in our family aren’t exactly known for keeping their mouths shut. So take this chance to introduce yourself properly. I’d be even more grateful if you could lean toward my side in the conversation.”
As Razetta said, receiving a proper introduction like this was now something to be thankful for. It would be difficult to arrange such an occasion if not for a banquet. Especially since Pelion was the king of Seiros Kingdom—without an audience, one couldn’t even see his face. And an audience wasn’t something you could get just by knocking on the door like when he met Montihall and Razetta.
In fact, while Montihall and Razetta were already hard to meet, Pelion was on an entirely different level of difficulty.
I failed to meet him many times even in the game.
Even after playing the game thousands of times, he had often been unable to meet him due to insufficient kingdom contribution points. That was how difficult it was to meet Pelion.
“I’ll do the introduction, but I have no intention of becoming anyone’s political support. I’m just an adventurer, after all.”
Adventurers tended to value freedom above all. Bagan was the same, so he had no plans to lend his strength to anyone’s faction.
“That’s a shame, but anyway, the banquet is scheduled to be held at De Marinda Castle in two days. Make sure you’re prepared.”
Razetta brushed off her disappointment and continued.
“If you have time, at least get yourself a formal outfit.”
As she said, Bagan didn’t have any formal attire. Even when he had gone to meet Montihall before, he had dressed more neatly than usual, but it certainly wasn’t party-appropriate. Since the banquet was to celebrate Cyron’s declaration as guardian dragon, there would be a proper party. Even Bagan didn’t want to show up looking shabby.
Hmm, I guess I should get a new outfit.
Bagan nodded at the thought.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
“Yes. Oh, right. Since I’ll be busy once the banquet starts, I’ll say it now. Thank you for everything you’ve done for De Marinda this time. Especially what you did for Selena.”
Razetta bowed her head. Despite her lack of power, she had her pride. Bowing to someone without any official title wasn’t easy for her. The sincerity of her gratitude left Bagan feeling strangely moved.
Her first impression was terrible, but now… she’s not so bad.
After learning about the hardships she carried, his initial bad impression had been completely washed away.
“It was nothing, really.”
Selena, who had been listening from the side, lowered her head in embarrassment, her ears turning bright red. If she were an ordinary woman, it would have been cute. But because it was Selena, it came across as seductive.
She really is a dangerous woman.
Bagan thought that only she could make him feel this way.
“Then I’ll be going.”
He was about to bow to Razetta and leave when Selena, who had been hesitating in embarrassment, fidgeted as if she had something she absolutely needed to say before he left.
Razetta noticed and subtly touched her wrist. Thanks to that, Selena met her eyes.
Do it! Just do it!
Razetta’s eyes were clearly saying that. She was pouring courage into her, cheering her on.
And finally—
“B-Bagan!”
Bagan, who had lowered his head, looked up at Selena’s call. Her face had turned as red as a ripe apple, and her hands were fidgeting as if she were playing cat’s cradle with invisible string, clearly showing her anxiety.
Bagan, whose gaze had been fixed on her cherry-like lips, asked,
“What is it?”
Whether his answer gave her courage or she had simply been waiting for a response, she finally spoke.
“Would you… go shopping for clothes with me tomorrow?”
This was. A date.
Come to think of it, I did lose that spar…
He recalled the bet Selena had made during their duel just moments ago. Thanks to that, Bagan’s brain froze completely, unable to form a single coherent thought.
He should have just said okay, but like an idiot, he kept his mouth shut tight.
Was the sight of him that frustrating?
(Hey~ You dense idiot. Just say you needed new clothes anyway and that you’d appreciate her help picking them out!)
I-Is that really okay?
(Clothes aren’t what matters to her. She just wants to spend time with you.)
Okay, got it. I’ll try saying that.
After a heated internal debate that even accelerated his thoughts, he finally spoke.
“I actually needed some new clothes anyway, so that works out perfectly. I have terrible taste, so I’m not good at picking them out myself.”
Having said that, Bagan screamed internally.
I added way too much!
(It’s fine! That was a solid opening move.)
The moment he thought he had messed up, Selena’s reaction changed exactly as Sally had predicted.
“Great. Let’s meet at the clock tower in the town below the castle at the usual time you come to the training grounds every day.”
Her expression brightened as if she were in a wonderful mood. She naturally specified the time and place for Bagan.
Bagan felt like he was getting hit with uppercuts one after another in his mind.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow. I’ll head out now.”
Bagan couldn’t hide his smile either. He grinned and left the study, not forgetting to wave back at Selena’s goodbye.
Once out of the study, Bagan savored the moment he had only imagined before.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He was literally throwing uppercuts into the air.
Selena approached me first…
Since it was his first date, the excitement in his heart refused to fade.
“Mmm-hmm-hmm~”
He even started humming without realizing it. With that light feeling, Bagan walked back to the inn with a spring in his step.
Even the crude jokes the guards were happily exchanging as he left the castle sounded pleasant to his ears. That was how good his mood was.
Back at the inn, his heart was pounding so hard from excitement that he couldn’t fall asleep right away. If Arien hadn’t given him that sleeping medicine, he probably would have stayed up all night.
The next day, Bagan woke up early, washed up, and asked Sally for help to complete a perfect medieval boyfriend look.
He wore crisp white slacks, a black coat adorned with white lace and gold accents, and underneath, a high-quality white suit matched to the lace, with a black shirt beneath that. It felt stuffy compared to his usual clothes, but when he looked in the mirror, the result was quite impressive.
His body was tall with broad shoulders and well-defined, compact muscles. His skin was pale—perhaps Palamus had put some thought into it—and his face was strikingly handsome. Even his hair looked better after a little styling.
“Whew~ Time to go.”
Bagan calmed his nervous heart and slowly stepped out of the inn room.
As expected, all eyes were on him the moment he left the inn.
“He looks ridiculously handsome. Bet his personality sucks though.”
“Is he a noble? Be careful not to bump into him.”
“He can hear you, shut up.”
But Bagan was so nervous that he didn’t even register the stares or comments. His steps were so stiff that even the cool outfit lost half its effect.
Anyway, when he arrived at the clock tower in the town below the castle, he looked around. He soon spotted her. She wasn’t standing right under the clock tower but a little further away, near a fence.
She had her hands clasped together shyly and kept glancing around. It was surprisingly cute.
She wore a simple sky-blue dress, but her fiery red hair and stunning beauty multiplied the overall elegance several times over.
Yes, clothes didn’t matter to her. The saying that the face completes the fashion wasn’t an empty phrase.
Bagan walked toward her with stiff steps and waved.
“Selena!”
“Ah, Bagan! But if you call me by that name—!”
Only then did Bagan realize his mistake. The area was crowded, and Selena was the Navy Grand Admiral of De Marinda. She was famous enough that almost everyone knew her.
As soon as they heard the name, the people around them turned their heads.
With no other choice, Bagan used magic.
“Sense Eraser.”
Using the 5th-class spell that erased presence, he made the two of them invisible to others. Now, to the people around them, they would only see grass and a fence.
In that state, Bagan spoke to her. He had already cast a soundproofing spell as well.
“Hello.”
“Yeah. Hello.”
They confirmed each other’s presence like that and spent a joyful time on their date.