Chương 58: 55. The Queen of Minstrel

Jellal

The entirety of Crocus was abuzz with activity. Royal banners were being unfurled atop parapets and poles all throughout the royal capital as establishments that catered to the arts all rushed to make their buildings as presentable as possible, vying against each other for the eyes of someone who may never even look their way.

But the speed at which they set up this strange stage only made it look like a haphazardly orchestrated performance. Half of them were missing their centrepiece, others barely had what accounted for anything substantial. After all, most of their decorations are meant for seasonal festivals. Which, while still impressive considering they're festivals held in the capital of a country known for its beauty, would still be considered unsubstantial when you're trying to impress the Queen of the country established on the arts.

Still, I can't blame their poor displays. The amount of prep time the king, his camarilla and retinue, and the Magic Council all had to prepare for Her Majesty's visit was significantly less.

Her Majesty was known for being an avid collector of the arts and her palace has become a place of honour for any piece, no matter how small and insignificant. If it is a performance display she'll have it recorded, followed up by written step-by-step instructions as well as interviews of those familiar with it in as many forms as possible. Performers, orchestraters, viewers, people who just so happened to be passing by while she was in the vicinity. Then there's the vast collection of recipes and books, blueprints and formulas. All of which is open to the public.

A woman like her travelling anywhere makes waves within the mercantile trade. Especially since Fiore and Minstrel are separated by the Root Gulf and she never takes the short way across the body of water. As such those with good connections likely had at least a couple of weeks to prepare for her visit, and if they didn't they could still read from their competition that something big was happening and only needed to prepare. That time could be spent preserving valuable pieces until the opportune moment.

But the royal court only had one day of warning before a dragon that survived the Dragon King Festival showed up on their doorstep.

And she asked for me to personally be her escort for the duration of her visit. And the timing couldn't have been worse. Before I could even finish gathering all known information on the Walraven's dark guild and the last known locations of both the guild and Wolfheim I was called away and forced to listen to the insistent instructions of courtiers on proper etiquette.

So much happened within the few hours I was whisked away to Crocus that I couldn't follow it until I was standing next to the short King Toma and the young Princess Hisui. The three of us, the chairmen of the Magic Council, and the Royal Court all watching from a balcony of the Royal Palace in anticipation of Her Draconic Majesty's arrival.

I watched the sky, bathed orange with the rays of the cresting sun, eager to catch sight of the being that halted so many plans. After all, as annoying as it all is, it isn't every day someone gets the opportunity to see a dragon, let alone talk to one.

It was anticipation that all of us felt, meaning that no matter how early in the morning it was we were all energetic. That's why, even if it wasn't the first time they've visited, nor is it for a peaceful reason, even the king and his daughter were watching from a balcony instead of waiting in the throne room.

A tug on my shirt drew my attention to the young princess who looked at me with big curious eyes. "Mr. Wizard, why are you looking at the sky?"

"A dragon queen would surely come from the sky, right?"

"Dragon or not, royalty is still royalty, silly!" she giggled at my ignorance.

"What do you-?"

"Look, Mr. Fernendez," the king said with his finger pointing at the road. Each side was lined with soldiers and wizards, and beyond those lines of troops were hundreds of civilians all eagerly waiting for their opportunity to gaze at their shared interest. And on the far side of the road, barely visible was a moving trail of specks, so distant I could barely see the colourization on the carriages. But that doesn't make any sense…

"How can a dragon fit in a carriage!?"

"Ahahaha! The same way a dragon can rule a country and enter a building, Mr Fernandez. She becomes one of us," King Toma said with an amused smile.

"Ah…that makes sense I suppose…"

Of course, a dragon would learn transformation magic! Dammit, maybe I should take Ultear up on that lesson after all.

But…wait. If one dragon could learn transformation magic, then what's stopping others from learning it? Nothing, except maybe pride. But those who value the utility of it would learn it nonetheless. How many more dragons are there in reality? How many of these immortal beings playing human have I passed in the street?

'Alright, that's a new fear I never thought I'd have…'

"Daddy, look! Look, Daddy! She came in purple today!" The young princess shouted as she handed her father a pair of binoculars.

His Majesty breathed a sigh of relief as he looked through the item. "White, gold, and purple. Thank the heavens…"

"What does colour have to do with anything?"

"Over the centuries Her Draconic Majesty has fallen into a pattern of colour-coding her carriages based on the expectations of her visit," one of the chairmen of the Magic Council, Crawford Seam, said in response as he too was handed the binoculars. "Black and white determine whether she's coming for personal or government business. Gold and silver show whether she's coming with her consort or not. Red and purple display whether she's coming with peaceful or violent intentions."

"Though the degrees in what each meaning has can vary wildly," Yajima, another one of the chairmen added. "For instance, there was only one occasion where she travelled the world in white, silver, and red. She spent forty years looking for the twelve zodiac keys, and no one knew why until ten years after she finished her search."

"What…umm…what happened?" Nothing good could have come from her collecting all twelve zodiac keys with violent intentions for personal reasons.

"The year, X582, the Root Gulf that separates our countries was formed in a battle between the Draconic Queen of Minstrel, the Celestial Spirit King, and the Demonic King of the Underworld," he finished.

"The keys were all broken to summon the Celestial Spirit King so that the duration of his summons was 'satisfying,' in her own words. Over the course of fifty years, they were found again, each having reformed under their own time," Chairwoman Belno said as she handed me the binoculars.

I swallowed as I looked through them and as the picture came into focus a sense of domination flooded my being. All of the magic in my body screamed at me to run or bow before the creature that had yet to show its face to me. And I was supposed to follow her around for as long as she remained here!?

"He's quivering~"

"Aren't we all, Yajima? Every visit is no different."

"That might be true, Belno, that might be true. But wait until he learns about her consort!" Crawford chuckled.

"Ah, yes. Her."

'Her consort? What about her consort!? What kind of woman can tame a dragon that can challenge the Celestial Spirit King and Mard Geer!? That can survive Acnologia!?'

"We should probably go back to the throneroom, now," King Toma kindly interrupted their teasing. "It won't be long now until we're having tea with such a monster."

Princess Hisui jumped onto her father's shoulders as they all turned to descend. As the two members took their positions on the Royal thrones, the princess sat in her father's lap with a look of excitement while the rest of the court flanked the throne on either side.

The minutes were filled with the quiet murmurings of those present. Anticipation, excitement. Some were wondering if there was something in particular the couple were looking for during their visit. Others were looking forward to possible new business opportunities that she and His Majesty might open up with each other as she once again attempts to annex their kingdom. But one question above all else that I and those of the Magic Council wanted to know was what she wanted from me.

Then, like a confetti canon announcing a surprise party, the doors to the throneroom opened allowing two women, arm in arm to walk through. Both with gentle smiles on their faces. The first was a buxom blonde woman with piercing red eyes dressed in a loose white kimono decorated with fur trim and red lotus patterns. A hood, worn down instead of upon her head, had a crescent moon placed between two wings hanging off the part that would sit above the brow.

The second, who was latched onto the first's arm, had long white and black hair with rich wine-coloured eyes and wore a black turtleneck and pants with a red corset. Over her shoulder was a black leather and white fur cloak that hid her svelte figure, and hidden just barely by her bangs was a glowing gem embedded into her head.

Placed above them upon a parapet, a herald announced their names boldly into the throne room.

"Introducing now Her Draconic Majesty of the Queendom of Minstrel, Carver of the Root, Guardian of the Vivace Tree, the moonlight song, Queen Alectsa! With Queen Consort, heir of the moonlight, Dragon Goddess Selene!"