Ch. 89
「The Sun of the Empire, His Majesty Aaron de Kan Megalopropis, the Emperor!」
I was blatantly picking my ear when it finally seemed like the guest of honor had arrived.
“Looks like I have to go.”
I glanced back at the party hall.
“Undine, I have to get back to the party, so keep that guy company for me.”
[Yes, Master. How long should I keep him trapped?]
“Until the party’s over.”
“Gurgle! Uhgh!”
“Let him out when I come back.”
Even though Rashamu was trapped inside the water, it was so clear that he could still meet my gaze.
He frantically gestured and pleaded with his hands for me to let him out, but if I were going to let him out so easily, I wouldn’t have trapped him in the first place.
“Don’t let him drown, make sure he can breathe from time to time.”
[Yes!]
Undine’s cheerful reply put me in a great mood.
“He’s the brother of your old enemy, you know. Remember? That scoundrel who split you in two with Aura Blade back then.”
[Ah, that swordsman?]
“Yeah! The red-haired one.”
[I don’t really consider him an enemy, though…]
“Undine. My enemy is your enemy, right?”
[……Of course! Then he’s my enemy! Bad person!] (T/N: Don’t get corrupted Undine! lol)
Even while I bantered with Undine, Rashamu struggled desperately to escape, but once you were inside the water, that was almost impossible.
Because my growth meant Undine had grown too, and [Unwater Breathing] was much sturdier than before.
And without being able to breathe, he couldn’t use his strength properly.
Struggling in water that absorbed shock was meaningless.
Hopefully Rashamu would figure that out soon.
Before leaving the balcony, I gave him a short farewell.
“Well then, goodbye, Prince Fedri.”
“Gurrgh!”
“And be sure to send my regards to your brother.”
I blew him a heartfelt hand kiss, then strolled lightly back toward the party hall.
I had left a precious duke’s son trapped underwater, but I wasn’t scared.
After all, I’d be returning to Dmitri after the party, so we’d never meet again.
No way would an imperial knight go around sobbing that he’d been beaten by a woman.
[Hehehe!]
[Master, you suddenly seem so cheerful?]
[In a fantastic mood.]
[If he committed any real crime just now…]
[It was forgetting about me! And for being a redhead!]
[It just looks like you’re venting your grudge against Rovenin…]
[What? You think I’m that kind of lunatic… Well, I guess so. Now that you mention it.]
Rai is surprisingly sharp sometimes.
—
When I left the balcony, the emperor was ascending the dais.
On it stood a golden throne.
Beside the throne, imperial knights were lined up—at this party, the only ones allowed to carry swords.
Unlike Rashamu, who had worn party attire, they were fully armored and watched the crowd with sharp eyes.
They were keeping a strict lookout in case anyone approached the emperor too closely.
The reason for banning weapons was, of course, to protect the emperor, but it also kept the other guests safe.
This party was so elite that even if a tenth of the attendees disappeared, it would cause serious upheaval across the continent.
‘If we go by rank alone, I’m probably the lowest-status guest here.’
As the daughter of a baron, that was my station—barely a noble.
I made my way slowly toward the dais.
In front of it, the invited guests were crowded together, waiting to hear the emperor’s speech, and I needed to find King Dikel III among them.
[Rai, look for the king.]
[There are too many people… Mind if I raise my head a little?]
[Don’t even try.]
It was exhausting searching for the king among so many elegantly dressed people. I grumbled, pushing through the nobles.
“Excuse me. Sorry, I just need to get by.”
Everyone was so fixated on the emperor’s every move, they hardly let anyone through.
I couldn’t just push them aside—they all had wine glasses in hand.
More than anything, my dress and shoes made it so hard to move.
[Ugh, I hate this dress. It’s so uncomfortable. And these shoes are awful.]
[There’s no helping it at a party.]
[They look nice, but I never want to wear them again.]
Grumbling at Rai, I searched for a familiar face.
When I’d finally pushed to the center of the crowd, I managed to spot the king.
I did my best to move toward him, and our eyes met.
He spotted where I was and gave a short nod.
It meant I could stay where I was, but I wanted to fulfill my role as an attendant, even if just a little.
「We will now begin His Majesty the Emperor’s commemorative address. All guests, please focus your attention.」
Damn. I was so close, but now I couldn’t move forward.
It was proper to stand still and be attentive while the emperor spoke.
Tch.
I stopped, folded my arms, and watched the emperor. I should’ve brought a glass of champagne—these things always go on forever…
「Today, here at this place…」
The emperor had only just started speaking. He hadn’t even finished his first sentence.
Boom!
A heavy presence suddenly shook the air.
At almost the same moment, an intense flow of mana—no, a wave of such strength it could only be called a shockwave—pressed down on the hall.
Those who couldn’t sense mana didn’t know what it was, but found themselves collapsing on the spot.
Something suffocating rapidly swept and crushed the entire hall, and I whipped my head around in horror, searching for the source of the wave, wondering what kind of lunatic would cast such large-scale magic in front of the emperor.
There was a faint vibration running up through my feet. The ground was rumbling, shaken by some unknown force.
Boom!
Boom!
Crash!
The earth-shaking noise grew louder and louder.
It felt as if the ground was trembling from the footsteps of some giant creature.
I couldn’t even begin to guess what it was.
Until I heard Rai’s voice.
[Dragon!]
Crack.
Before I could even process what that meant, I saw the ceiling collapsing.
Boulders and chandeliers were pouring down overhead! Oh my god!
“Kyaaah!”
A woman screamed like crazy. I couldn’t blame her.
The ceiling was coming apart, and it looked as easy as peeling an eggshell.
In the hand of that massive, scale-covered reptile.
[Found you! Humans.]
Through the shattered ceiling, it glared with shining eyes.
Its pupils rolled, thin and long—each one the size of a human body.
It didn’t feel real, but the terror was unmistakably real.
That was when the screaming began—over and over, from all directions, without end.
“Uaaah!”
“Eeeek!”
“It’s a dragon!”
Ah, I really have to admit it now. My luck is absolutely rotten.
Wherever I go, some huge incident always follows.
