Slip of the Tongue (1)
'Still, this timing is way too early.'
I hadn't expected the Abatus side to play their hand so soon. The official reason for getting us into this party was to mediate so we'd accept the prince's apology. If the prince and I wrapped up our talk right here and now, there'd be no reason for them to keep us pinned down in the venue any longer.
That said, dragging things out wouldn't do us any favors either, so I didn't bother stopping or blocking it—just let it happen. But the one actually steering the conversation was Cardio.
"Recently, there was that commotion where Lord Gilford challenged Lord Aizen to a duel. It was a minor outburst born from concerns about how mounted golems might undermine everything the knight orders have built up until now, combined with worries over the golems' stability..."
So that's how they package it. I was curious just how much more they could spin it.
Of course, Cardio seemed like the type who knew better than to drag on too long.
"...So, independently of the duel’s outcome, Lord Gilford has prepared twenty vials of the church's highest-grade holy water and fifty bundles of fur pelts as a gesture of compensation. Those items are currently being held by the Abatus family estate and are scheduled to arrive at the academy tomorrow."
"What..."
The prince looked like he'd just heard this for the first time. It was obvious whose pockets this was really coming out of. I could tell the intent right away.
They're really putting effort into screwing with people.
The prince's startled expression made it clear these were insanely expensive. But what was I supposed to do with holy water or fur pelts? Sure, if I handed them to Mina, she'd probably multiply them several times over, but to me, they were just luxury junk I couldn't use right now.
Noel got the implication too—she was smiling, but her cane trembled slightly. She was pissed.
They'd carefully picked out something utterly useless to me, probably figuring metal might get repurposed if they gave me that. Still, judging by the reactions, it was worth a fortune financially, so turning it down wasn't an option.
"...Thank you for the offer, Your Highness."
"Huh? Ah... yeah. Hope you put it to good use."
The prince said that, then made an "oh crap" face. He knew even he was going too far with this. But since he didn't say anything else, he must've thought it was pointless while still wanting to land that kind of jab.
Neither of them likes me much, after all.
The prince was basically part of the Abatus family too, as their distant relative through foreign affairs, and the Abatus house was practically at open war with us—they just hadn't declared it outright. Considering how many of their big plans had nearly derailed because of me, the odds of one of them suddenly pulling a knife here weren't zero.
But for now, our reason for coming here was done.
"Then I, Aizen Arclight, accept your apology, Your Highness."
"In that case, our Abatus family servants will deliver the items to your dormitory."
Conversation over. No reason to stick around.
"Now that things have wrapped up smoothly, how about a drink?"
"I don't drink."
"But Lady Noel is here too, so I won't bring out anything strong. Just a light beverage to wet the lips."
Even after I turned him down once, Cardio pushed on. What he brought out while we were still seated was a bottle that screamed expense at first glance.
"It's a famous imperial liquor. Nicknamed 'Devil's Blood,' I think? A sweet, red drink with devilish allure. Personally, it's my favorite."
He poured glasses for everyone, then took a sip first with a smile—probably to show there was no poison. Next up was me, so I squinted and drank.
High-end booze, closer to a beverage like he'd said. It was sickeningly sweet, but there was a bitter aftertaste. Some weird peach-like aroma, but overall, not my thing.
"Not really my taste."
"Haha, you just don't know good liquor yet. No worries—you'll come around."
Then Cardio poured into Noel's glass. But when she sniffed it and looked troubled, I jumped in quick.
"Noel doesn't seem to be feeling great today, so if you don't mind, I'll drink hers instead."
"...Thank you, Aizen."
I'd said it because she seemed to have her reasons for not drinking, and it hit the mark. Downed another glass of the stuff I didn't like, and by then the prince had his glass too. He drank, then murmured quietly.
"Good liquor has such a deep bouquet."
"Thank you."
Cardio smiled back. It really was more beverage than booze—no buzz even after two glasses in a row. Then he grinned and said,
"Still, I had high hopes. I wanted to chat with you, Lord Aizen, whose fame echoes throughout the kingdom, and now the chance has come. Accepting the prince's apology so straightforwardly too—you're as magnanimous as they say."
"Is that so."
"If it's not too rude, would you indulge me in some conversation here? To apologize for my family's rudeness, and offer some compensation of my own. I'd also like to learn more about you, Lord Aizen, and perhaps build a friendship if the opportunity arises."
That explained why they'd rushed to close out the prince thing. Sure, it was framed as making up for Hephaestus's rudeness and seizing the moment to talk, but it couldn't be that simple. More like they wanted to probe me again and size up what kind of person I really was.
No real excuse to refuse, either. Just now it involved a crown prince of the realm; now it was the host of the party—a major house's heir—wanting to talk with an invited guest of honor. Brushing off the host's request would give them ammo. I'd braced for not escaping easily, but damn, they'd prepared thoroughly.
Wonder if the prince realizes he's being treated like the lesser one here.
With the queen from the Abatus family, they were the prince's maternal relatives and backers. Cardio, the distant cousin, held the reins, so the prince looked a bit more relaxed—but the conversation order had basically rushed past his issue like it was no big deal.
"...If it's Lord Cardio's request, it'd be rude for me not to oblige, Lord Aizen, but all these lavish gifts are making me uneasy. How about we set another date to build that rapport?"
"I've heard Lord Aizen is a busy man. There's no greater gift than borrowing your precious time."
Cardio brushed off Noel's words. She'd meant it to keep him from taking full control and to spare the prince further lowballing, but Cardio ignored it. At least from the Abatus perspective, this chat made it clear: Gilford was just a pawn.
Poor guy, if you're into pitying him.
Still, a clueless prince deserved to be left hanging. Helping him once through Noel was already more than generous on our end.
Soon Cardio smiled, refilled his glass, and drank again.
"Where to start? Knowing your reputation, Lord Aizen, I have so much I want to say that now that we're actually talking, it's hard to begin. Ah, right—Arclight Territory. What kind of place is it? A genius like you must hail from some spiritually blessed land, no?"
"Just a place with nothing but potatoes, and I've barely been back home except for work, so you'd be better off asking Mark Arclight for details. He's the Arclight family's eldest son."
"Pushing aside such a famous figure for the heir position? Unexpected, to say the least. Sounds like the Arclight family has its issues."
It came off like he was slighting my home family at first glance... but somehow, it felt like he was also poking at why I'd been passed over as heir.
"Different views, I guess."
"Meaning your talents aren't getting the proper recognition compared to what you deserve. Must be tough."
Cardio smiled softly. Then he kept going.
"Speaking of talents, I hear the Cyclops is truly impressive. Word is it nearly got wrecked against a cyclops but ultimately crushed it? Amazing performance as a mobile artillery platform against monsters. The Phoenix count's family praised its power and safety, right?"
"The count was just being kind. It's still lacking."
"I imagine. Lord Hephaestus mentioned you haven't completed a Cyclops worthy of submitting to the royal family yet. Finishing a weapon is always the hard part, and the Cyclops clearly has that chronic issue."
Noel's expression soured. Things were getting interesting for me, though. Sure, the Cyclops had taken down the cyclops, but he emphasized how close it'd come to losing. We'd submitted blueprints, but no finished military model yet—and he twisted that into "no completed unit."
"With your limited support, Lord Aizen, you must've had endless worries during research. Our family understands—we research weapons too. Time, manpower, resources... doing it solo must be rough."
Cardio said it with another grin.
"Oh, right. Have you heard about the weapon our family plans to submit to the palace?"
"Heard plenty."
Comparisons everywhere. Cardio grinned.
"What do you think? You haven't seen it in person, but if you'd like..."
"Not really interested."
I said it with a small smile.
"Honestly, it just feels like a hot potato you gotta snatch up the second the war ends. Kills the curiosity."
Then, as if realizing too late, I covered my mouth a bit and chuckled.
"Ah, oops."
A slip of the tongue.
Probably.