Kapitel 222: [FGO]: 222
Location: Hoshin Trading Company Headquarters
The president of the Hoshin Trading Company, Anastasia, who was also one of the five candidates participating in the royal selection, was hosting Emilia and her companions.
"Thank you for your help, Lady Anastasia," Emilia said with a hint of helplessness in her expression as she addressed the purple-haired girl sitting across from her.
Anastasia Hoshin took a delicate sip of tea, her face adorned with a graceful smile, and replied softly, "Lady Emilia, there's no need for such formalities. After all, we've signed an alliance and are allies who watch over each other. I trust that if I were in need, you would surely extend a helping hand as well. But, in truth, the person you should be thanking most is your mentor, Mr. Ryou."
Anastasia smiled brightly.
"Could it be that Sensei had already foreseen this situation?"
Emilia asked in surprise.
"Of course," Anastasia said, pulling a letter from her pocket and handing it to Emilia.
"This was delivered to our trading company the day before you arrived in the capital."
Emilia took the letter. As she gazed at the familiar handwriting, a wave of warmth filled her heart. Only the three of them knew how much they had endured today.
After running around the entire day, facing disdain from countless people, not a single inn was willing to let them stay. The only establishment that agreed to host them, a combined inn and tavern, demanded rent five times the normal rate. Not only was the price exorbitant, but the accommodations were dreadful, barely better than a pigsty. The tavern on the first floor reeked of cheap alcohol and perfume, with scantily clad waitresses wandering about.
When the three entered, the customers' eyes nearly glued themselves to them. One particularly vulgar group ogled shamelessly, their gazes lingering on sensitive areas.
Although any one of the three could have easily defeated everyone present, they chose not to stay, wishing to avoid unnecessary trouble. They thought the matter was settled.
Much to their surprise, the lecherous group followed them after they left, ambushing their dragon carriage in a secluded area and attempting to use force against them.
Naturally, these fools sealed their doom by picking a fight with a titanium steel wall.
Initially, Emilia had wanted to hand them over to the city guard, but Anastasia, enraged by their disgusting behavior, froze them into shards of ice. The ice princess, with her immense power, was not one to suffer such offenses lightly.
Though venting their anger by dealing with the men brought some satisfaction, it didn't solve their primary problem: they still had nowhere to stay.
Just when they were at a loss, members of the Iron Fang Mercenary Group found them and invited them to the Hoshin Trading Company, leading to the current situation.
Anastasia and Emilia chatted idly about various topics. After training under their respective mentors, Emilia had become adept at conversation, able to deflect probing questions without offending anyone, even if she wasn't yet skilled enough to extract information herself.
Rem stood behind Emilia, while Anastasia's silent companion, whose name was strikingly similar to Anastasia's, sat quietly in the corner, sipping her tea with no visible interest in the conversation.
It was then that Anastasia, turning her teacup in her hands, spoke up. "Lady Emilia, I must admit I have a bad habit. Whenever I set my sights on something, I must have it—whether it's wealth, treasures, or power. And now, it seems I've added one more thing to that list—talent."
As Anastasia finished her sentence, she looked up, her eyes meeting Emilia's directly.
"Would you, Lady Emilia, be willing to part with your mentor and let me have him?"
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Before Emilia could respond, an immense killing intent burst forth from Ice Princess Anastasia, her cold gaze fixed on the purple-haired girl.
Bang!
The door to the room was suddenly thrown open. Julius was the first to rush in, followed by a large werewolf and three squirrel-like warriors. They immediately drew their weapons, positioning themselves defensively in front of Anastasia, their faces tense as they stared at the silver-haired princess.
Despite their numbers, they felt no sense of safety.
The beautiful, elegant silver-haired girl exuded a terrifying aura, like a dragon in human form. Her sheer presence was overwhelming, pressing down on them with the force of a tsunami. It took everything they had to remain standing.
Julius, in particular, was shocked. The oppressive force radiating from this seemingly fragile girl rivaled that of Reinhard, the Strongest Man and Most Powerful Sword Saint in History.
Though they outnumbered her five to one, it felt as though they were the ones surrounded. Cold sweat dripped from their faces as the silver-haired girl fixed them with an icy gaze.
Anastasia, too, was stunned.
When she first met the cold and distant girl, Anastasia had been curious. But the girl's aloof demeanor had eventually shifted Anastasia's attention to Emilia, from whom she tried to extract information.
Now, however, it was clear—the true powerhouse in their midst had been the silent companion all along, her sheer presence enough to render Anastasia's forces utterly immobile.
For a moment, Anastasia felt as though the heavens were mocking her.
After all the storms she had weathered—building the Hoshin Trading Company from the ground up at just 22 and creating a massive multinational organization—she had always prided herself on her composure and strength. Yet even she had to admit to feeling a pang of jealousy toward Emilia.
Despite being a half-demon, the most hated of all creatures on the continent, Emilia had managed to gather such extraordinary talent around her. Anastasia couldn't help but envy that.
Sensing the tension in the air, as if a fight might break out at any moment, Anastasia quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Ah, my apologies! Lady Emilia, I was only joking. Please don't take it seriously~"
Anastasia clasped her hands together, closing one eye playfully as she apologized.
Emilia, not one to hold grudges and mindful of the help she had received, decided to let the matter go.
"It's fine. We didn't take offense."
With that, Emilia gently took her companion's hand, her eyes showing a hint of pleading.
After spending enough time with Emilia, most people couldn't help but grow fond of the kind-hearted and innocent girl. Even Anastasia's cold-heartedness was no exception. Perhaps Emilia was the only person besides Ryou who could make Anastasia back down, even a little.
And so, the small dispute came to an end. Still, Anastasia Hoshin had gained something from the encounter: at the very least, she had glimpsed the terrifying true nature of her seemingly harmless ally.
...
The night passed quickly.
The next day marked the official start of the royal selection ceremony. Emilia and her two companions were escorted out of the Hoshin Trading Company through a hidden passage by the deputy leader of the Iron Fang Mercenaries, the cat-beastman siblings, heading toward the royal castle via a different route.
The alliance between Emilia and Anastasia was a secret, and it wasn't yet time to reveal the relationship between their two camps. Additionally, it had been the Iron Fang Mercenaries who helped Emilia evade the spies tailing her the previous day. As a world-renowned mercenary group, they were highly skilled in such matters.
When word spread that Emilia's group had mysteriously reappeared on the streets, several factions kept an eye on her cursed and smashed porcelain in frustration. They had spent the entire night targeting her, only for her to slip away, rendering their efforts in vain.
"Achoo!"
Emilia suddenly sneezed as she sat in the dragon carriage.
"Huh? Lia, are you feeling unwell? Could it be you've caught a cold?"
Puck immediately flew out from Emilia's hair, fussing over her with concern.
Emilia quickly reassured him, "I'm fine, Puck. My nose just felt a little itchy for a moment."
"Really?"
"Really."
Still, Puck remained somewhat suspicious.
"Lia, you tend to hide when you're not feeling well. Are you sure you're not doing that again?"
Emilia smiled wryly.
"It's nothing this time, I promise. Look, I'm in perfect shape!"
She struck a playful pose, flexing her arms as if to show off her muscles—though, of course, she had none to display.
After some coaxing, Puck finally let her be.
As the dragon carriage neared the royal castle, an incident suddenly occurred.
While Rem drove the carriage toward the royal council hall, a figure darted out from a nearby alley. Reacting with lightning speed, Rem pulled the reins sharply, causing the dragon to veer to the right. The sudden force made the entire carriage groan as if it might fall apart.
Though Rem's reaction was swift, the carriage, carrying three people, was too large and unwieldy. Worse yet, the figure didn't slow down but instead accelerated, crashing headlong into it.
The impact knocked the figure to the ground. It was a short, scruffy man in tattered burlap clothes, his face lecherous and grimy. As he fell, he rolled onto the ground, letting out exaggerated screams of agony as though the carriage had crushed his legs.
As if on cue, a dozen burly men rushed out of the alley, surrounding the carriage.
"You knocked someone over! Get out of the carriage!" one of them shouted.
"Yeah! You hit someone and think you can just leave?"
"This is the royal capital! Even nobles don't get to act so high and mighty!" The group clamored aggressively, as though they intended to drag Rem off the carriage.
If Ryou had been there, he would have laughed at how poorly the men were faking an injury.
But sadly, Rem had never encountered such a situation before. She panicked, forgetting her superhuman strength, which could have crushed them all with a single hand. Her expression turned to one of frustration and confusion.
"It was him who ran out of the alley so suddenly! I swerved to avoid him..."
Rem's voice trembled with grievance.
"You weren't paying attention while driving the carriage!" one of the men countered.
"Yeah, you hit him and now won't even admit it! Do you think you're better than us just because you're nobles?"
The man who had been hit continued wailing, his screams so dramatic they could rival a Brazilian footballer's most theatrical dive. His over-the-top performance attracted a crowd of onlookers, who began pointing and whispering.
When they realized the person in the carriage was Emilia, the mood shifted dramatically.
No matter the truth, it was always the silver-haired half-demon's fault.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein