The Revenge of the Soul Eater

I was invited to the Drugnoth mansion, and as Claudia had declared, I was welcomed with open arms by the entire duke family.

I'm sure that not only Claudia, but also the vassals of the duke's household were enthusiastic in their hospitality to me. I'm sure I wouldn't have been turned away at the door even if I had come alone for this amount of time. This, too, was just as Claudia had said, and I'm very grateful for that.

The family of the Duke of Drugnoth is the leading noble family of the Canarian Kingdom. Although the fact that I'm being treated as a guest of honor at their mansion makes me feel a little uncomfortable - in the sense of being out of place - there's no way I wouldn't be happy to have my actions evaluated highly. My opinion of the Dukes of Dragnoth was only growing.

The disappointing thing was the absence of Lord Dragnaut and Astrid, which was, well, as expected.

Speaking of as expected, the wedding ceremony of Crown Prince Azar and Princess Sakuya was also causing a great deal of trouble in the royal palace.

Originally, the person who was strongly promoting their wedding ceremony was the Marquis of Colchia, an imperialist nobleman. This marquis had greatly weakened his position after the earlier incident with Jijinbo, but by taking advantage of the chaos created by the appearance of the Demonic Beast Runaway (Stampede) and the Illusory Species (Hydra), he once again strengthened his political position.

In other words, she drew out a great deal of support from the empire under the guise of a marriage ceremony, and at the same time, suggested that the empire would change its course from a marriage policy to a military invasion if the marriage ceremony was cancelled, and pushed for the marriage ceremony at once.

Naturally, there was a great deal of opposition, but King Thorvald of all people made the decision.

The Canary Kingdom's national strength is not even close to that of the Ad Astera Empire. This is where the current chaos comes in. In this situation, if the imperial army attacked in earnest, the Canary Kingdom would not stand a chance.

Instead of turning a blind eye to the other side's faults, it would be better to extract a large amount of aid and use it to fund the reconstruction.

The king's decision was in line with the Colchia's donation, which made the marriage official. Some of them were so outraged that they tried to break up the marriage ceremony by force, and it is said that Lord Dragnaut had to stay in the palace to keep them from doing so.

Astrid, as the de facto commander of the dragon knights in the absence of their leader (Lord Dragnaut), travels around Canary to maintain the security of the area, and it is said that this one also comes back to the Duke's residence only once every few days.

After finishing telling you the whole story, Claudia exhaled a small breath.

''I'm worried about my father and sister when they come back home, because they always look terribly tired.

You're right, you can't help but feel the struggle.

I cross my arms with a difficult look on my face. I would help the dukes if I could, but I have to go to Belka afterwards to search for the King of Beasts (Behemoth). This is necessary to stop the pollution of the Titis Forest and the Kale River.

Besides, I'm sure the sparrows and seals are worried about me in Ishka. I also wanted to return home as soon as possible to reassure them.

It's not a good idea to imply that you can't help Claudia in this situation.

--The only thing that matters is the fact that the person who's in charge of the project is the person who's in charge of the project. If we defeat the behemoths there and return in a hurry, we can help Claudia and the others without a care in the world. Okay, I'll do that.

As I was thinking about this, there was a knock on the door of the guest room with a thump, thump.　　

Claudia nods her head lightly, then says "Excuse me" to me and heads for the door. The one who appeared from the open door was the duke's butler, holding a letter in his hand.

Looking at the butler's somewhat bitter face, it does not seem to be good news.

A whispered conversation exchanged between Claudia and the butler. I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but it wasn't that I wasn't interested enough to cover both ears, so a few words jumped into my ears.

One of them included the words 'His Royal Highness the Crown Prince' and 'His Majesty the King', which caused me to reflexively raise my eyebrows.

Whether it's King Thorvald or Crown Prince Azar, they are the ones who cut off Claudia, who is suffering from the curse, in the form of an annulment of her engagement. The Dauphin, in particular, is said not to have sent a single letter of concern for Claudia on her deathbed, despite his position as her fiancé.

As a person who has a fondness for Claudia, I can't have good feelings for them - especially for the Dauphin.

When Claudia came back, I found a hint of fading in her face, which inevitably increased my emotions.

And out of the corner of my eye, Claudia opens her mouth as if she is disappointed.

I'm sorry, Sora-san, I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect.

'Well, you don't mind me--but is it a call from His Majesty?

I nodded my head.

According to Claudia, Lord Dragnaut had been packed up in the royal palace these days. If the king had something to do with the duke's house, he could simply summon the dragnaught in the palace and there was no need to invite Claudia.

And yet the king sent a messenger to the duke's residence. In other words, the king's business was not with the duke's family, but with Claudia personally. Based on what he said earlier, his errand must be about the Dauphin.

The Dauphin, who has broken off the engagement, is calling Claudia to the royal court via her father. That it's not a pleasant thing is evident from the expressions on the butler's and Claudia's faces.

Having thought that far, I was a little unsure whether or not I should continue with my words.

As mentioned before, I don't intend to stay in the royal capital for long. I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of these things, but I should avoid stirring things up without knowing what's going on. I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what's going on.

In the first place, it's not like Claudia asked for my help. I think it's time for us to back down quietly and not do anything unnecessary. I think so.

-- but on the other hand, there was certainly a feeling that we shouldn't back down here. The call that seemed to have been made in the absence of Lord Drugnoth and Astrid was bothering me.

What flashed through his mind was the face of the younger Dauphin, who had pressed him to offer Claw Solus at some time ago. Even then, the crown prince had avoided Lord Dragnaut and Astrid.

Should I step into this case or should I back down?

I ask myself. The answer came back to me in an instant - step into it with guns blazing.

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth with a wicked look on my face.

"Claudia-sama, I would like to ask you frankly. I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but--

Yes, what is it?

Do you have a problem with someone who dumped you and wants you back?

When I asked frankly, as I had declared, a strange sound leaked out of Claudia's mouth, buhu.

'So, Sola-san?　Um, what does that mean...?

I meant specifically, are you having trouble with the wooing of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

In response to this question, Claudia fumed and showed signs of hesitation as to how to answer.

It seems to have made up its mind somewhat, and nodded its head in annoyance.

You'll be able to find a lot more information about the company's products.

'I'm sorry, but I heard a glimpse of His Royal Highness the Dauphin when Lady Claudia was talking to the steward a moment ago. As I said at the beginning, Lady Claudia was very beautiful. In addition, considering the character of the Dauphin, whom I had met in the past, I surmised that this might be the case.

Hearing my answer, Claudia nodded with a serious face, I see, and then smiled with a chuckle.

''Hmph, after all, it's impossible to claim that Sola-san is an unranked, unofficial civilian. It's a brilliant deduction.''

Thank you for the compliment. So, you see. If you don't mind, Lady Claudia, I would like to ask you to take me to the royal court.

Are you sure?

I nodded widely in response to the hesitant question.

'Of course. Although it has been prolonged because of the hydra, the story of holding Claudia-sama as a "hostage" has not yet gone out of the window.

When I brought up the earlier story, Claudia gave me an apologetic, yet happy, look.

The idea of welcoming an unmarried princess (Claudia) into the home of a single man (me) to show people that they are in an engaged relationship. Although there were several other aims, the main focus of that story was to prevent a situation like this one.

It's a little late, but if Claudia and I take this opportunity to visit the royal palace together and publicly announce our future cohabitation, we should be able to expect sufficient effect. This would allow me to help Claudia without having to stay in King's Landing for too long.

The problem is if the Dauphin didn't give up - when he asked for Klau Solas before, the Dauphin said "offer it up", but he didn't try to forcefully take it away. He was forceful, but not arrogant. If he was such a person, he would not have tried to take Claudia by force.

If this guess is wrong, and the crown prince tries to tear me and Claudia apart - then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Canary Kingdom will receive the punishment he deserves for his crime.

''Speaking of which, Claudia-sama. I heard that you were summoned by His Majesty, what was your errand?

It's not like he wrote to me to tell me that he wanted me to get back together with his son. Thinking this, I asked her, and Claudia's expression tensed up.

"In a few days, His Holiness the Pope will be visiting from the Holy Kingdom, and he asked me if I would be willing to act as a caretaker with His Highness the Crown Prince for his visit.

The moment I heard that, I couldn't help but gawk at it.

Speaking of the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, there is only one Pope. He is the supreme head of the Temple of Law, which exercises the miracles of the divine realm such as 'Restoration' and 'Divine Descent'. There are several other temples in the Holy Kingdom, but only the Temple of Law calls itself the Pope.

The Pope is also the de facto leader of the Holy Kingdom and must have had a close relationship with the Ad Astera Empire. I heard that it was also the Pope who taught me about the existence of the warding magic that prevented Hydra's poison.

That Pope will be coming to the royal capital soon, Claudia said. Is it to apply the warding magic - no, they should not have found the necessary catalyst yet. So, then, is it to take care of this marriage ceremony? It's a marriage between countries, no wonder the Pope himself went out for it.

However, I feel that it's too early to enter the Canary Kingdom for a wedding ceremony. The ceremony is still almost a month away. Maybe there is some other reason.

-- Thinking about this and that, I put on the formal dress I borrowed from the duke's family.

After that, I rode with Claudia in a carriage to the royal palace. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.