Vol. 1 - Ch. 257 - Rising Dragon Cup (2)

The clock ticked, revealing the time just before the opening of the Rising Dragon Cup's first day. 

"Prince Castice will not be attending the matches, as had been expected. He quoted 'I am not interested'."

At the tournament's venue, a servant of Rosemieur family announced the non participation of Prince Castice in the Emperor's waiting room, eliciting Girai's annoyance. 

"Tch. So he says, but he probably just doesn't want others to compare him. After all, this is a place where the best of the best from his peers has gathered."

For Girai, who had been directing the security of the tournament venue, nothing irks him like unstable variables outside of his control. 

Castice, his younger brother, had yet to graduate, thus making him ineligible for the succession war as of now. And after the early passing of his mother—not that she had hailed from any significant family—he had no one to support him either. Well, some of the rumours in the streets were that Castice's mother was simply assassinated due to the Emperor's favour toward her, but as the actual incident was a matter within Emperor's harem, even Girai had no way to ascertain the truth. 

But anyway, atleast, Girai had never seen his father displaying any interest in their straight-forward and mild-mannered younger brother, unlike Arichi who had earner the following from her quickwittedness. 

Castice's familial relationship was saddled with a fate of misfortune, where he had even lost his eldest brother—of the same mother—out of some illness who had been rumoured to have promising talent. As of now, it was almost guaranteed he would be withdrawing from the race, and that makes him a suitable pawn for his game. Ever since Arichi has announced her participation, Girai was now desperate to gain even an inch of influence to keep his chances. 

But since they both stood at different points of status, and Castice himself was quite prone to swing his fist, Girai never found a chance to talk with him. This tournament was quite a perfect chance for him to twist his hand and somehow force Castice in joining his faction.

"What shall be done, Your Majesty?"

"............Leave him alone."

The Emperor's disinterested voice rang out from the depth of the waiting room.

◆◆◆

When Girai received the words that the guests from every other nation had gathered, he took one of his team and left to receive Emperor Rault at the venue. He left the concourse and had just exited into the stand when he promptly noticed that person. 

Clad in silver mantle, a symbol of knight's oath to protect the Yuglia's royal family, the famed Royal Order of Yuglia was just right there, leading by their Captain Randy Von Dosperior. The man, Randy Von Dosperior, was also a widely known persona, a mantle embroidered with family crest—a skull—of Dosperior family, an prestigious house who had earned awe and respect from all over this continent, draped over him. 

But, that's not what attracted his attention. It was the presence of a young man who couldn't have appeared more out-of-place in this VIP section where every entrance was strictly limited. Moreover, the boy wore not the silver mantle, but a jet-black one. Then, there was this uncanny mask in the shape of an old man with droopy eyes wearing a distant look plastered to his face. 

...........So, he's Allen Rovenne. The boy who had so openly made fun of him. As much as Girait hated it, he was also the person who had garnered the attention of every delegate present. So much so that neither of them noticed his arrival.

"*Ahem*."

Giari cleared his throat to announce his presence, and then walked up to the two people at, standing ten meters behind Yuglia's King. 

"...Your excellency must be Randy-dono? I am Girai, the in-charge of this tournament's security."

He politely extended his hand. Randy returned the gesture with a handshake. 

"Indeed, I am Randy. Nice to meet you."

For the five seconds that handshake lasted, each delegate watched over the scene with a baited breath. For the Empire, House of Dosperior wasn't a mere thorn in the side to their victory over Yuglia. 

In the antiquated history of this continent, or one might even say even before the foundation of the Empire, the House of Dosperior had always stood as an obstacle in the advancement of the Rosemieur family. They're sword enemies. 

When their handshake ended, everyone's gaze turned to Allen. 

The rumours had already made their rounds in the ear of each delegate of other nations, with some claiming Prince Girai attempted an assassination on Allen but was easily thrown off, or how Allen had to flee and that's why he hid himself. They're all distorted lies, conveniently mixing in the reality and falsehood to spread among the people. 

Now, after their colorful fate, how would they proceed? Everyone's eyes had so strained out in this very moment as if to capture even the slightest of their gesture.

However Girai never even spared a glance at Allen, as if to show off the depth of social status that lied between them. He turned his head, and murmured in a form of monologue.

"Hmph. I just recalled a certain rat sniffing around the Empire, but as long as there's even a single breath in me, Olympus will never have a cinch. The sneaking rat should refrain from any more action if it values its life."

Allen shuddered when he heard that threat. Girai captured that, obviously pleased by the reaction, and turned on his heels. Though, halfway on the stairs, he murmured to reinforce his threat, his gaze still looking straight ahead.

"—There will be no next time. The rat should be glad of my broadmind."

"...Pfft."

And as if he was holding it in, Allen burst out in laughter. 

◆◆◆

—"The sneaking rat should refrain from any more action if it values its life."

The Prince Girai, or whatever he was, spilled out his pressure in intimidation, and murmured that off. Though I could swear it felt like he was purposely putting on air to appear some bigwig. 

Seriously, what kind of prank was going on? I never wanted anything except a nice trip to sightsee. Heck, it was his own plan—to kill us off—that became a precursor to all this ordeal, and now he had the nerve to preach to me to stay in my lane. I think I now understand the phrase 'you're not the one to say that' better. 

I had heard from Grayfia-san that he was quite a petty person—she had been quite snarky about him—but this went beyond even my preconceived expectation. 

However, instead of rage, I was overpowered by amusement at his mimicry of someone important. Every gesture, even the coughing at the beginning, of his was if he had been roleplaying. I do not dislike such a person, but I was sure I could never pull it off. 

But I endured my laughter. As a Japanese, the importance of three rules, TPO, was drilled into my soul from my previous life, and this was clearly not either of these. Even the way he turned around and the trailing mantle appeared so comical that he continued to amuse me.

Randy-san, who had noticed the shudder of my body was due to the laughter I was desperately holding back, craned his neck slightly and gave me «DO. NOT. LAUGH.» gaze. Alas, humans were deplorable beings, when you ask someone to not do something, the more they might do it involuntarily. 

However, I held back. I had been thoroughly trained about the importance of TOP for this very reason after all! 

Girai kept his gaze straight, as if looking down was beneath him, and went for stairs. He had been halfway down when he made his signature phrase in quiet a... impactful voice.

«—There will be no next. The rat should be glad of my broadmind.»

In that moment, his smug back reminded me of a certain celebrity from a musical group. So I decided to add a bit more flair to his performance, and made his mantle flutter coolly with my wind magic. 

"......pffft."

Ah, Randy-san's face turned to the ceiling, but I had to do it. I mean, he made himself appear to be some benevolent person, but beneath all that, his subordinates must have searched around for me with bloodshot eyes. 

Honestly, it was just Justin-senpai's incredible ability that he had managed to pinpoint me. And I refused to believe no one had noticed his action, not after he embellished a force of that number. Though I couldn't tell why they pretend to gloss over it. I guess he was the type of person to go off-point at everything he does. 

"......What's funny?"

As if I could tell the true reasoning. Anyway, I forged a meek persona and answered.

"No, nothing... I truly apologise for causing trouble to Your Highness by going missing. Well, there's one thing I would like to say though, kind of a payback for all the trouble."

My response had Prince's brow shot up. 

"Haa, what can someone of your meagre status even hope to tell me... but speak."

"Have you heard of the «Rebel» in the Olympus's slum, Your Highness?"

I had been thinking of tattling about those scumbags, who prey on kids, to Arichi-san afterward, but I realised I would only be bringing more questions to myself and decided to use him. I tried to broach the topic, but that guy just put another made-up smile on his face, chuckling for no reason.

"Kuku. Slum, you say......?"

"Hmph! It's beneath the stature of His Highness Girai to know about slums, a bygone place!"

Followed by Girai's remark, a sharply dressed servant-esque person harrumphed from the sideline. 

Well, he wasn't wrong. Now that I had a proper view of the Empire's social strata from up close, I agreed that the distinction between upper class and lower class ran too deep. 

Then again, I wasn't bored enough to speak of another nation's political ideology. 

".........After I had lost my way in complete carelessness, I coincidentally encountered that boy, the «Terrifying Evil Genius»."

I said, gazing at the window, as Girai's acting had began to bore me. But with my words, even VIPs stirred this time, albeit only for a fleeting moment.

"Kuku. Kuhahaha."

All the whispers dyed down when a certain man's—Emperor's laughter filled the place. 

Raul La Rosemieur. The Emperor had already taken his seat, and seemed completely uninterested in whatever shenanigans had been ongoing, but suddenly he burst out in laughter, as if truly amused by the situation.

◆◆◆

"Kuku. Kuhahaha."

Emperor Raul burst out in laughter. 

The scene appeared just like from a moment ago, when It was me who had been laughing at that guy's incompetence in my mind. The sudden situation hit me like a whiplash. 

Why was he laughing...? I was sure neither of my statements was meant as joke......

"......Show your face, Allen Rovenne."

I was perplexed when the remark flew my way with a sharp gaze, and took off my mask as told. 

The Emperor was unlike the clown that was Girai. He wasn't merely putting up an order, he just seemed to have the confidence that the other party would listen to him by any measure, even if  they initially resisted his order. 

"Wha—!" That said, apparently that clown didn't expect for the Emperor to speak of my name, and that caused a stupid groan to escape out of his mouth, a dumbfounded expression covering him.

However when the Emperor speak nothing more even as I took out my mask, I could only expand on my words. 

"...At a glance, he would look like an amicable person, quite an absurd one though. Apparently, he believed punching someone in the face was a form  of greeting. I was also blasted in the same way. Oh, but I did repay the greeting... Either way, it would be better to not take Rebel lightly. He proclaimed 'I am going to reform this rotten place from the ground up.' A true evil."

W-wait a minute. Now that I put it into words myself, wasn't it a big thing?? 

But he said all that by himself! 

This could easily be taken as a treason. Even in Japan, there were only atrocities that came under capital punishment. Either it was against a 'Murderer', or if the action come under 'harming national interest' category, like inciting a rebellion or colluding with foreign forces. 

I couldn't be entirely sure about this, but a revolt against the state government should be normally seen as treason. That's why I spoke only what had transpired. I mean, I had formally passed the mantle of "Evil Genius" to him starting today as well!

"Hmph, that's only laughable. It's nothing more than plaything of slum kids—"

"Don't interrupt."

The pitiful clown tried to say something, but he was immediately shut up by the words of the Emperor.

"......Come here, Allen Rovenne. Take the seat."

The Emperor said, pointing at the empty one meter space between him and Kind Patrick.

Comments