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Chapter 310: A City in Trouble. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2022-05-02 22:45:53 +0000 UTC<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]’s Main Job [Corrosive Pyromancer] has risen from [Level 0] to [Level 15]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
<Max level of Job [Corrosive Pyromancer] has been reached>
<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Virulent Corrosion]>
<Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change>
<Virulent Corrosion Level: 0/30>
<Job Skill gained: [Virulent Corrosion]>
<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Secondary Job to [Holy Mage] [Space-Time Mage] [Healer]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
<Max level of Job [Holy Mage] [Space-Time Mage] has been reached>
<Healer Level: 0/10>
<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Corrosive Fire Lv. 6] [Mana Eyes Lv. 6] [Water Resistance Lv. 5] gained>
“Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, Third Princess of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx, Daughter of Emperor Eltharion and Sixth Empress Melloxtressa, Champion of the Goddess of Light, and Leader of the C rank hunter company, Aurora.” I gave a curtsy inside this decorated and lavished throne room, making sure my head only nodded slightly, as was custom.
“The Principality of Yeos and the royal family Caimlace warmly welcomes Princess Hestia to our court. May the Goddess bless our auspicious meeting today with bountiful light.” A suited man with a sharp goatee bowed deeply as he greeted me before gesturing towards the two people behind him, sitting on thrones. “May I present, His Royal Highness, Prince Markval Caimlace the Fifth, and his mother, Princess Dowager Estelle Gleasa Caimlace.”
I looked up, seeing a young pubescent boy sitting on the throne with his head held up high and a certain strength in his eyes. On the other hand, his mother sitting next to him was showing a forced smile in an attempt to hide the darkness in her expression. Untold numbers of restless nights could be seen on her face.
Looking down, the retainers of the royal throne were standing in two neat rows to the sides of the court’s carpet. On one side were a bunch of knights I had never seen before, save for one aged individual, the warrior-priest leader Jethro. I hadn’t told him about my identity until just now, so the surprise in his face was obvious. I wondered if he thought I lied to him?
On the other side, there was a group of ministers and politicians. The man with the goatee was undoubtedly the seneschal, Yurius Alberstien, a perfect match to the description I received from Jethro. There was another noteworthy member there, a finely-dressed woman with a small tiara, sharing the same royal blue hair color as her brother and Yeostar. That had to be the only daughter of the previous Prince of Yeos, Princess Anasthasia Caimlace.
“Princess Hestia, it is an honor to receive your serendipitous visit to our humble nation. I am aware you are not here as a delegate of the great Empire of the West, the Dragon Empire Kargryx, but I can assure you, we will treat you with the respect of one.” The young prince announced, acting and sounding like a proper ruler with the way he conducted himself. “And for that, I humbly apologize to you for our country’s conduct. Your visit was a surprise, sowe were unable to make the proper arrangements. I hope the three days since your visit have been well.”
“All is well, Your Highness. Traveling as the Goddess’s Champion means being flexible and working with what is available. If I were to expect a royal greeting every time I visit a new locale, it would only hinder my duties and take up my own time.” I let the prince and his country go with no hard feelings. All of this was still just formalities.
To be honest, if I were here as a princess of an empire, my treatment could be called into question. However, with how I didn’t want people to know I was a princess at the gate, I couldn’t fault them really. I didn’t even send a letter in advance to announce my appearance. Even if they apologized formally, just to maintain relation, there was really nothing for them to be sorry about.
“You are most gracious, Princess Hestia. Your kindness and patience undoubtedly makes you a blessed of our merciful Goddess. Surely, our meeting is all part of her plans.” He gave a small nod to be before gesturing to his seneschal.
“Duke Yurius Alberstien. It must be the grace of the Goddess to bless me with your acquaintance today, Your Imperial Highness.” He bowed deeply, almost looking like he would fall if he went even further down. “As announced, we shall honor you here as Her Holiness’s blessed, instead of by your imperial status, Champion Hestia. However, before we go into business, may I inquire about your stay? You’ve been staying at an inn in the harbor, correct? Would you like to temporarily move to the castle? I assure you, your every need will be satisfied here.”
More like the castle would be a better place to monitor me.
Not to mention having to act formally here instead of however I wanted to at the inn. It was better if I gave a proper excuse here.
“I must humbly decline.” I stated bluntly. “Although I would welcome a change of scenery, for the purpose of my stay at the harbor, the inn I rent suffices, and it is actually the more preferable choice.”
“Oh?” The seneschal tilted his head, prompting to continue.
“As you might be aware, there are two blessed from the Goddess of Water currently situated on Karhalanteel Island. Their Divine Quest is to protect the shrine and seal while the tournament is ongoing,” I began. “One of them, Saint Kushlek’zar, is my magician master. As a Champion, I am still young and have much to learn, regardless of my identity as a dragon. Warrior-priest Jethro can attest to my stay there. I’ve been diligently training in preparation for today’s festival.”
Everybody turned to Jethro, barely unnerving him. It appeared he caught on quickly and expected something like this. He confirmed my statement, even going further by telling everybody how I’ve been using visiting the local mercenary guild frequently and how I donated most of my merfiend spoils to the warrior-priests.
Considering how speechless he was to learn I was a princess today, he did a great assist. The seneschal instantly dropped the matter to my elation. Despite how much of a misogynist Jethro was, even after the first day, he knew when to put it aside for moments like these.
“May I also inquire where your mother, Empress Melloxtressa, is, Champion Hestia?” the seneschal asked, but I shot that question down.
“We are not here as delegates. My mother is enjoying her time like any other tourist or visitor. If you wish to know if the Principality of Yeos is safe while she is around, then, yes. She is not a whimsical, mindless dragon, Duke Alberstien.” I then turned my attention away from him. “Now, I believe Prince Markval’s time is more precious than these trivial questions. I also have to register in time for the tournament. May I begin with my reason for being here?”
“… Yes, of course, Your Imperial Highness. I was out of line.”
With that out of the way, I began retelling everything I told Jethro already, about how I was here on a Divine Quest from Aurena and Yeostar. My main objective was to protect the blood of Yeostar, and to make sure a new Champion of Yeostar would be knighted. For that, I had already accepted Jethro’s proposal to join the festival’s tournament.
Prince Markval Was surprised to hear that last part, but seemed to appreciate me wanting to help out to the point I would join the fray. In addition, everybody else was shocked to hear it, too. Apparently, Jethro had not told anybody about this at all, literally concealing it from his family, too. There really was friction inside the royal palace.
Duke Alberstien and several other noblemen confronted Jethro on this subject, questioning why he was “sending ‘our ‘illustrious guest’ into the tournament.” While they didn’t explicitly say it, from the look I received from the nobles up until now, I had the feeling their opinion on women was just as high as Jethro's.
“I repeat, my job is to make sure the blood doesn’t go into a random person's hand. Sir Jethro has already given me the necessary information to understand the situation. From my three days here, I have seen no ship from the Empire arriving at the docks to assist with the tournament security. I am here to help.” I redirected their ire away from Jethro, bringing their attention back to me.
“I concur.” The young prince supported me. “Duke Alberstien, we have a Champion here with us. Let us have her work with us to make sure we can find a blessed for ancestor Yeostar.”
“Y-Yes, of course, sire. However, please don’t think every Champion is similar to Champion Royce. He was one of a kind.” The Duke turned around, looking at his liege with a stern face. “We have to make sure the memento Sir Royce left behind is given to somebody worthy of it. We need to meticulously make sure his sacrifice is not in vain, so we can show our friends, the Empire, that Yeos is still the bastion of the strongest Champion.”
“Empire?! Our friends?!” Jethro suddenly exploded at the mention of Folschrek, stomping his way towards Alberstien. “You must be out of your mind, Alberstien! What sort of sycophant are you to still support the Empire after everything they’ve done to us? Where is the support we requested? Why is a girl here before the great Empire of Humankind?! A woman and bunch of beastmen are more willing to help us than our ‘allies!’”
“Blasphemy!” Alberstien scoffed back. “You are supposed to be a man of faith, but you show little of that role when speaking about the land of the Emperor of Light! The Church has appointed the Emperor of Folschreck to be our bulwark against the demonkins. The darklands! What human would not be willing to support them? They fight on our behalf, but all I hear from that mouth of yours is scorn!”
“Our Prince and Champion Royce would not be dead if you hadn’t convinced His Highness to support the Empire! You spoke of gaining favors, but what you did was send my brother and many of our countrymen to their graves! Where were our ‘allies’ when we needed aid? They care not for us!”
A bombastic argument between the leaders of the noble faction and the warrior-priests of Yeostar erupted in the throne room, deafening everybody as they fought without showing signs of rest. Not a single attempt to stop them arrived, as both the knights and ministers simply cowered and averted their eyes.
I could see Prince Markval trying to speak, but his voice reached nobody. The young ruler was flabbergasted, panicking as he didn’t know how to calm down the bad vibes in the room. From the looks of it, if I didn’t step in soon, this would just go nowhere.
“Pa—” I was about to say something until some banshee suddenly screamed
“QUIEEEEEET!” That shriek silenced everybody in the room, bringing their attention towards the throne area. It was Markval’s mother, the Princess Regent. “All this talking, talking! You are all incompetant! Enough of this, taint my son no longer! Court is adjourned!”
“Adjourned?!” Alberstien stared up in shock. “Your Highness, we have a gue—”
“Deal with her yourself! Court is adjourned!” The royal mother quickly moved and began pushing her son, trying to get him out of the room. He tried to stop her, but every word he said went to deaf ears. “Now, now, my son, you need to rest. There are so many dangers around. You need to rest your weary mind. Come, come, with your mother.”
And just like that, the whole royal meeting was over in the most unexpected way possible. Before the prince left completely, I sent him a telepathic message, [“Blood and sweat on sword and ground, the stars shine bright with glory abound.”] He looked at me with widened eyes, but couldn’t say anything before his mother left him.
Hopefully, he’ll get it. I shrugged my shoulders after delivering Yeostar’s message to Prince Markval.
Yup… this country has major problems.
And I didn’t mean just their cultural and ideological issues. Two of the most influential members of this principality’s court began an open argument and nobody was willing to stop them, all while they were greeting a guest. It was outrageous, honestly. The wounds in this place ran deeper than I thought.
With a quick curtsy, I excused myself while they were still speechless. While I was walking out of the door, I could hear Alberstien cursing the Princess Dowager under his breath, but it honestly wasn’t my problem. Still, I made a mental note of the people who caught my attention today. Gael would probably want to hear about everything.
With a deep sigh, my ears picked up the hastened footstep of somebody behind me. Metal clanging against each other and the ground could also be heard. When I turned around, Jethro was there.
“Oh, hey. What is it?” Our friendship level was a colossal zero, as he never tried to warm up to me. In other words, I had all the right to act however with him.
“Champion Hestia… why didn’t you reveal your true identity when we first met? Why did you hide it from me?” he asked with a more curious expression, not looking as offended as I thought he would.
“Because it didn’t matter,” I told him bluntly. “I was there not as a princess, but as a Champion. Or, would you have treated me better if I came to the island as ‘Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor?’ Who knows, but I personally like it more if we spoke without our personas on. Anyways, this can’t be the only thing you came running to me for, right?”
“… Yes.” He gave a short nod, understanding I wanted to change topics. “For the tournament… I pray for your success. Please, help us make sure this tournament ends on a good note.”
“Ehehe…” I burst out a small snicker before showing him a peace sign. “Got it~ Leave it to me.”
Whether he was rude to me in the past or not, his request just now was sincere. I didn’t know if something changed his mindset on my participation, but I honestly could believe it. Outside of a pretty beastman unfriendly populace, the whole royal palace felt like it could break apart at any moment now.
I returned to the palace’s foyer, where Tasianna greeted me with a deep bow. I explained to her what happened and she sympathized with me about the problems this country possessed. After our gossip, my fairy friend told me Shay had flown over here a while ago, telling me Mother became bored and went to the beach where she would wait for me.
“Shay said the Empress wishes to spend some time with you after your qualification match. She found some interesting stands.”
“So why couldn’t she just wait at the— You know what, I should have expected this. Her interest can’t be held for that long, haaaa.”
I told everybody Mother wasn’t whimsical, but maybe I lied a bit about it. She can be quite random sometimes to appease her interests.
With a deep sigh, I asked Tasianna to lead the way. It would be best for me to meet Mother quickly, finish the qualification match, and then go have some fun with her. Buuuuuut, before we could do anything, I had another person waiting for my attention.
I turned around. It was Markval’s older half-sister, Anasthasia. Although she was part of the royal family, she did not speak once during the court meeting.
“Oh, Princess Anasthasia? A pleasure.” I curtsied while Tasianna bowed.
“Oh, please, there is no need for any formalities right now, Champion Hesita. Any sort of prestige our country had was just blown away inside the throne room, so it really doesn’t matter anymore.”
Hmm?
Her tone of voice suggested she was exhausted and wanted this over with, so I simply shrugged and looked around, noticing a few guards around. Anasthasia shooker her hand, telling me this wasn’t important enough to go to another room for.
“I am only here for a request, specifically, with your normal, everyday occupation as an adventurer.” She then handed me a piece of parchment, detailing events happening next week. “I don’t think it was too surprising there was a three-day delay until our meeting today, right? We need to gather information on you.”
“Wow, you certainly are blunt about it. And here I thought you would want to hide it.” I said it in the most sarcastic manner possible, still reading through the different events and noting them in my head for Mother and me to enjoy.
“So you knew?”
“Of course, why else would you wait that long to invite me? We could have had that meeting on the same day you sent that missive to me.”
Master and I pretty much expected for them to try to gain information on us. Considering how we arrived out of nowhere, any proper nation would try to know more about us before proper talks came into play. The problem was, they couldn’t use whatever they dug up with all that effort since the Princess Dowager stopped any talks.
And here I was all ready for some politicking. Oh boy, what a shaaaaaame.
“Then, I will get straight to the point,” the princess announced. “I had heard from rumors that you’re supposedly an ‘idol?’ A musician or something?”
I nodded. “That’s my quasi-official role, yeah. Champion of the Goddess is easier to understand for everybody, but I personally am the Goddess’s first idol. A combination between Champion and Saint whose duty is to bring hope to people.”
Of course, to the Church of Aurena and also the Pantheon of Aurena, I am more or less a champion, since the term idol didn’t exist amongst the blessed. Aurena herself acknowledged me more as an “Idol of Aurena” as I wanted to be called that way. Like Themrayn said, my unique skill was more suited for a Saint than a Champion, and that’s why I was a hybrid between the two.
When I gave this explanation to Anasthasia, she nodded. “I won’t try to understand the way of the Goddess, so I will accept you like that, Idol Hestia. So, I heard from these rumors you performed multiple concerts in Artorias and also in Estralia, recently? And they attract plenty of people?”
I nodded.
“Then, could I commission you to perform such a concert in Elyonda?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Hold on, I was pretty sure I told everybody that I was here for a Divine Quest. Are you now asking me to prepare for something like this, while I also have to participate in the tournament?”
My eye was twitching a bit from all the pent-up stress building up in my body. Not only did Yeostar, Andira, and Erithia pretty much force upon me a pretty monumental task, I also had to be aware that possible demonkins or their sympathizers were around to sabotage this festival. Now, somebody wanted me to coordinate a whole fucking concert?!
What was this pressure?!
Noticing my bad mood, Anasthasia’s eyebrows furled into a frown, looking slightly desperate. “Please, I beg of you. I know this is much to ask, but please consider it at least. Although it doesn’t show it right now, Yeos is currently on its way to an economic recession due to all the war bills piling up before our treasury. We need to earn Davi.”
My eyes widened. That was not what I expected to hear. “Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t this be a matter you should tell the seneschal or your brother?”
“Markval’s mother, my step-mother, became extremely paranoid after my father’s death during the war. It also doesn’t help that she and my mother hated each other, even before all of this. She doesn’t trust me.” She grimaced. “And, the men… In Yeos, women aren’t supposed to take on administrative roles concerning the country like I am, right now. The only reason why I am Yeos’s treasurer is due to my godfather’s — the previous treasurer and head administrator of the land — will to entrust me the position until I am betrothed and married off. It had my father’ signature on it, so nobody can speak up against it.”
“Are you telling me, nobody is listening to you?”
“Both Duke Alberstien and my uncle, Jethro, are currently building up our weakened military for different reasons. However, I couldn’t care less about it. The peasants on the borders of the principality are being riled up by our neighbors, and our nobles are asking for compensation for our ruined war efforts. There are debts to be paid. This Festival of Yeostar isn’t only there to announce a new Champion of Yeostar, but also our only means to avoid becoming bankrupt!”
“Well, then it’s a big success. I walked through Elyonda when I came here. The city is so crowded, I thought pickpockets were trying to steal from me multiple times.” Incomparable to Artorias when it came to the number of people around, but Elyonda was also a smaller city. The density of the crowds was enough for me to feel like I was in New York again.
“But, how many of them came from the Empire?” She posed a question I couldn’t ask. “I honestly thought outside of the usual delegates, like a royal knight to protect the sanctity of the tournament, we would also welcome multiple merchants and nobles. However, not a single ship from the Empire came. We need to attract more people.”
“… And you were thinking of using my name for Artorias and Estralia, right?” I stated that carefully, just to make sure in case she didn’t know I formed an alliance with both of them.
“Yes, your concerts were a big success, right? Also something about you serving food? I wasn’t sure what to make of that information.” She looked puzzled. “However, from what I learned, people liked it. For the concert in Gleisvale, I heard even the seven dukes and the king of Artorais attended it! Numerous notable personages from Artorias came to Estralia just to hear you perform music!”
A bit of a misunderstanding. They didn’t come to Gleisvale, they came into my subspace where I performed that concert. My subspace could bridge people together without needing them to travel to meet in person. However, before I could correct her, she grabbed my hands.
“Please, Idol Hestia, for the good of God Yeostar’s country, I plead for you to consider this offer! If you need people to prepare it, I can sort it out for you!” Her royal blue hair waved as she spoke animatedly, staring right at me with her yellow eyes. Her earnest plea; it felt like this wasn’t such a simple thing at all.
“… I’ll consider it.”
“Thank you very much, may the Goddess always lead you down the path of righteousness!”
Tasianna and I then turned around, walking outside the palace while Anasthasia thanked me once again as a farewell. After we made it out of the palace’s vicinity, back into Elyonda’s noble district, I couldn’t help but feel like a complete idiot.
Should have said, no. I should have just said, no!
“Ehehe,” Tasianna laughed while I felt more weight put on my shoulder. “Lady Hestia, you are an idol through and through. Even in a city you dislike, you are willing to perform a concert! Incredible!”
“… Ask Amelia for help for me, will you?” I said in defeat, accepting my faith.
Even if I didn’t like this country at all, from my initial impression, I had to grit my teeth and just do it. I was an idol, and idols wouldn’t complain if they had to do their job. My duty was to bring people a smile with my music. It didn’t matter if I was performing in front of a bunch of assholes or not. If they were willing to listen to me, then my time was theirs to enjoy!
Gotta act more mature. I slapped my cheeks, remembering once again why I became an idol in the first place.
My deal with Aurena was to connect people through music, to have them resolve their issues through this intervention. If music could touch souls, then I would become the binding agent to bring them together. And Yeos would be a test for that.
Could I bring people to like me despite most of its citizens being unfriendly towards beastmen while the nobility had a strong stigma against women in power? That sounded like a real challenge for me to tackle, and the idol inside of me told me I could.
They probably won’t enjoy my usual arsenal of songs. In other words, I have to touch on their cultural and historical weak spots. Songs about valiant tales!
With a plan in mind, I now needed to do some research for the lyrics. However, first, I had to perform my duty.
“Come on, Tasianna. Time to get Mother and get back to the arena!”
Duty first, fun later.
Comments
Diego Rossi
Anasthasia shooker her hand, - shook (I think)
