บท 125: 125 Victory Party
Chapter 125: Victory Party
After that, the conversation passed quickly as we had one goal. The Duke promised that he would cooperate with me. Because he was such a determined man, he had become the leader of an aristocratic movement and would most likely succeed in placing on the throne someone with his blood.
"But Hero…easier said than done. Because…"
"That Fox seems cocky, but in reality, she is quite careful."
"Ah, you know a lot about her."
"A little bit?"
I knew enough.
"This vile fox — sorry, daughter of the emperor, known as the most beautiful woman in the Holy Empire — has many enemies. If you want to master her, then it is better to go to her personally."
"This is also one of the options."
"If you don't like it, there is another option! My daughter's birthday is in a month. If you invite her to a party that day, then she will come. This party will bring together almost all the aristocrats of the Holy Empire, so there is no reason she shouldn't come."
That was the adequate alternative. But I held information that was unknown to others.
"Duke. There is another good way."
I spread rumors that I had defeated the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion, Noebius. I didn't want to tell everyone that I had gotten a combo of fifty hits in that battle, but to graduate, I needed fame points. And I wasn't lying; I had defeated him.
Rumors about this quickly spread. It wasn't like the second playthrough when it contaminated about half of the central continent with poison, but it still left a lot of damage. Indeed, a Disaster! People who had lived for centuries in fear of one of the Five Disasters immediately raised a fuss.
"Hero, have you defeated the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion?!"
"What? And when was the Hero summoned?"
"I saw the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion!"
"Wow! Incredible!"
The stupid inhabitants of the fantasy world praised me. They didn't provide the Hero who saved them with free housing or food but instead tried to coax me with praise so that I could take out my wallet and have a feast.
Why was I overreacting? During the first playthrough, due to this behavior of the inhabitants, my companions recklessly scattered money, which made me bankrupt several times over. In the 7th year, after the Hero was summoned, even a poster appeared with the words: "Greetings to all the villagers at the Hero's party."
And I used a lot of money…
I was a simpleton, but things were far different now. These clever freeloaders wouldn't pull a single coin from me now that I had no companions to take care of.
"Greee~♪"
Only one dragon ate a lot, but that was okay. As we walked through the marketplace, the residents exclaimed how cute he was and threw food at him. Wasn't that better than being eaten by a hungry dragon?
"Okay, Green Cake. Grow faster and become the strongest dragon."
"G-Greee…."
Rumors about me spread outside the city and throughout the Holy Empire. Naturally, this reached the ears of the imperial princess.
"Hoho! As you said, she came. You even seem to know the color of her underwear," said the duke with a sly glance."
Discussing the color of a woman's underwear…
"Such a comparison doesn't fit your status, Duke."
To pretend to be innocent, she most likely wore white.
*
Royals and aristocrats couldn't just meet people, as others may misunderstand it. If aristocrats with a lot of power meet, then you might think that they were preparing a coup, even if they would claim that this was a meeting for personal reasons. If a young girl and a guy meet, they would think they were dating and had already spent a hot night together.
It was no different from celebrities and politicians who must monitor their behavior and speech. The higher the status, the more seriously you needed to take care of your image. It was not for nothing that everyone started making noise when someone from the royal family or the aristocrats visited a place. Plus, women needed to be more careful than men.
Ordinary people could meet someone at a bar or get to know each other through friends, like each other, and get married, but with aristocrats, things were different. Even a newborn child can be killed if there was even the slightest hint that it was associated with a scandal or political intrigue. And if a girl met a guy, she immediately fell under suspicion.
Therefore, any meeting needed a reason. Because of this, aristocrats often threw parties, not just to boast of their luxury, as ordinary citizens may think.
"Hero. Do you like the party atmosphere?"
"Not very luxurious, only in moderation."
"It looks like you are used to parties. It's not very luxurious here for you."
"Haha. A Little?"
The Duke, who promised to cooperate, threw a party in honor of the brave Hero who defeated the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion, Noebius. All aristocrats, regardless of age, arrived at the party. They didn't want to sit at home while everyone was having fun. At the same time, they wanted to see the Hero who brought down the Disaster. The girl in front of me was the same.
"Nice to meet you, Hero."
An unmarried girl in her prime, the only daughter of the emperor. She, like no one else, couldn't go alone where she pleased. The girl greeted me by lifting the end of the snow-white dress that accentuated her figure. The shape of her eyes was like a real fox.
I wanted to pierce her eyes, but too many people were gathered here. For the sake of Reputation, I restrained myself and answered her with the Fair Hero's smile.
"Nice to meet you, princess."
The princess of the Holy Empire. At least she knew what to wear in this old-fashioned fantasy world. She was indeed born with talent.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 194
▷ Specialization: Princess (Rank → Attention ↑)
▷ Skills: Charisma S, Elegance A, Eternal youth B, Politics B, Intelligence B …
▷ Condition: Excitement
Her Status was quite interesting. Combat power was lousy, but her other skills were excellent compared to the other old noblewomen. It wasn't just for women. With Politics (B), she could firmly hold people in her hands with her power of persuasion, even without any support. In addition, she had a high rank in Charisma and Elegance.
She would be able to charm male politicians so that they lost concentration, resulting in which any meeting would instantly turn into a stage for her solo performance. And the people who can interfere against her could be counted on one hand.
"Oh!"
"…Any problems?"
What was she pretending to be?
"Um…if I say that, don't think anything like that. But when you looked at me with your ferocious gaze, my heart immediately fluttered…" Answered the princess, covering part of her face with a fan, which made only her eyes visible.
"You want to be beaten— Hmm! Later I will introduce you to the dragon that I am raising. He certainly won't be able to compete with you in beauty, but he's pretty cute."
"And you have a good tongue."
"It's just the basics."
For a Hero with twenty-five years of experience in the fantasy world, these were the basics. I was not a savage with muscles like Hercules from Greek mythology, and I was well acquainted with the rules of etiquette in different countries. The Holy Empire was no exception; it went without saying to compliment a woman at a party.
And the princess, of course, knew about it. However, when she heard my compliment, she pretended to be embarrassed.
► Suggestion: Maybe she fell in love with you?
Miss Trainee. You didn't have to believe everything that was shown in dramas and written in novels.
The imperial princess was pretending now. In the first playthrough, she did the same. She was saved from the knights of the Holy Empire chasing her by the Hero's companions. And then, having praised the companions and gained their sympathy, the princess became a part of the Hero's squad.
Do you know what she did? She said Lanuvel was cute. This woman was so vile that for her benefit, she could blatantly lie, dropping her pride in the process.
"Hero. Can you tell us how you dealt with the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion? "
The princess openly asked about my abilities. She wanted to check if the rumors about me were true. And if I were weaker than she expected, she would immediately change her attitude and show her real insides. After thinking for one second, I answered.
"I didn't tell you that I defeated the Supreme Dragon of Oblivion, Noebius, to brag. I just wanted to inform the people of the Holy Empire that they have nothing more to fear. And no matter what I say now, won't that sound like a bluff? The result speaks for itself."
"Ah…sorry."
"It's fine."
Why was she suddenly apologizing?
"No. I didn't understand the deep meaning of your actions and asked you about this. I'm so ashamed that I can't even lift my head…Ah! As an excuse, I want to invite you after the party…do you mind?"
"It's an honor for me."
Everyone at the party heard that she was the first to invite a man, and such a "brave action" would negatively affect her reputation. However, when such an offer came, even if you didn't like this girl, you needed to accept it. That was, if you were a man who knew etiquette.
"Daughter of the Emperor and the Hero?"
"They met for the first time today…"
"As expected of the mean fox."
The aristocrats who watched this picture immediately began to whisper. That, too, must be part of her plan. Then…
"Dear Princess. The Hero's time is very precious. As I spend my time on personal affairs, the number of those I can save decreases. Therefore, prepare a suitable reward."
If you want to use me, you need to prepare the appropriate board.
"Reward…"
The princess, with flushed cheeks, put a hand on her cool chest and tilted her head, looking at me in amazement. She was ashamed of underestimating the Hero's Politics skill.
► Confusion: I don't think so…
Miss Trainee. Watch and learn. This experienced hero will teach you the principles of politics for free.
*
After the party, I was able to get a huge monetary reward from the imperial princess, but it seemed to be irritating the emperor's daughter. The emperor's daughter didn't leave the duke's domain, although it was enemy territory. And she tried to seduce me by any means. It was embarrassing to see how hard she tried.
"How annoying…"
When the unfortunate princess left the Duke's lands, her carriage would fall under a heavy rockfall, because of which she would die. This was her destiny. But it seemed she wasn't going to leave.
"Green Cake. Do your thing."
"Greeee…?"
The green dragon tilted his head, not understanding at all what his owner wanted from him. If the dragon ate the emperor's daughter, then peace and quiet would reign in the Holy Empire, and there would also be no need to worry about dark spots on my Reputation. Couldn't such a pet mistakenly eat a person?
We needed training. Fifteen days had passed since his birth when I struck the egg with my sword.
Tottering, tottering.
Green Cake could now walk by himself. Every time he fell or wanted to give up, I stepped on his tail and pushed him so that he worked hard. In general, I taught him diligently. But for some reason, the level of skill rose only for Saint H, who did nothing at all.
"Hero, a group has arrived claiming to be your companions."
I made a plan and wanted to make the dragon hunt from tomorrow when one of the knights told me this strange news. Companions?
"They're some swindlers. I have no companions."
"Is that so? Wow! Even the world-famous archaeologist Lanuvel is lying!"
"Wait…"
I have no companions, but there are dummies that I support.
"Sir Hero! Lanuvel has been looking for you for so long!"
"We nearly died from a deadly poison."
After receiving my permission, Lanuvel and the Porter, led by the knight, entered the castle. Thief E quietly followed them.
"And you managed to survive."
Not sure about the Porter, but if Lanuvel had died, no big deal. However, instead, she only got stronger. And much more!
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 349
▷ Specialization: Scientist (Knowledge → Magic ↑)
▷ Skills: Magic SS, Witchcraft S, Charisma A, Eternal youth B, Cooking B …
▷ Condition: Good
Why didn't Lanuvel's level drop even when I killed her, and she was even able to resurrect? She was different from Tamer E, but I didn't know-how. This was suspicious, so I stared at her…
"Ah! Are you the Hero's precious companions?"
This was what the polar fox's eyes looked like when it found prey in the snow? The princess, who was spying on how I was raising Green Cake, walked briskly and pretended to be close. To avoid misunderstandings, I immediately replied.
"No."
"Thank God."
"Hmm?"
The princess, who had been standing next to me, immediately left without even telling Lanuvel that she was cute. Hearing from me that this foxlike woman was the imperial princess, the porter immediately fell silent and stood rooted to the spot. Because for him, the imperial family was something sublime.
Thief E simply had nothing else to say. Although she was a crook who had deceived the Hero with fake breasts, she was still from the royal family of elves, so for her, the emperor's daughter wasn't something outstanding. But looking at the leaving princess, Thief E turned to me.
"Hero-savage."
"What? Just don't brag that you won against the emperor's daughter with fake breasts."
The princess made that offensive expression because she thought Thief E was prettier than her.
"No! How can you say that!"
"If not, then what is it?"
"I found the Chaos Artifact."
"From this land?"
As if in denial, she shook her head and replied, pointing to the emperor's leaving daughter.
"Under that girl's skirt."
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