“My words end here. Ugh, the stench of pigs…! I shall take my leave.”
“Pardon? Saintess, you must at least introduce the professors for this social gathering…”
“I will not hear it.”
Yurien tried to persuade her, but the Saintess refused firmly.
“It is already a famous tale that the tyrant Orban bought them all off the moment the professor introductions were over and used them as the first foundation for his rise to the throne. Therefore, until the debut ceremony ends and regular classes begin, we will not reveal who the professors are.”
“Then that means the professors will be present throughout the debut ceremony party.”
“Hee~?”
The corners of the Saintess’s mouth stretched wide.
“You are one of the only two who are not pigs. This lady is in a good mood today. I have seen two creatures today that are not pigs.”
The Saintess’s gaze moved between Yurien and Lea.
The moment their eyes met, Lea hurriedly lowered her gaze.
She was frightening, but more than that, being liked by that little girl would be no small trouble.
Above all, since she herself was the Virenshai that the Saintess and the Church were after, she would be seized and forcibly interrogated about the whole affair, and before she knew it, that clever Saintess would have wrung everything out of her.
Earei herself was insignificant, but if the Saintess heard that a holy knight she had personally appointed had been spurned, she would surely take it as an insult to the Church and drag Seorin down from the throne by her hair.
“So, you pigs had best not run wild here as you please and offend the professors. Make sure you clearly convey that to the haughty pigs who crawl in even later than this lady.”
“Of course.”
Yurien bent at the waist to see her off.
But the Saintess took up her staff, trudged over, and stood among the Church knights.
“They should be arriving soon. Perhaps they are the pigs among pigs?”
“Pardon?”
When the Saintess snapped her fingers, she was enveloped in light.
Leaving the bewildered nobles behind, the Church teleported straight back to their headquarters.
It was a magic circle a pope of two generations past had obtained through a deal with Mistress.
Silence.
“Ahem, everyone. Please take Her Holiness’s words into consideration and be certain to share with the classmates who arrive later that the professors are here in disguise…”
In the midst of that uncomfortable silence, Yurien cleared his throat and tried in his own way to bring things under control.
And that effort came to nothing with a thunderous boom.
Kwaaang!
“Huahahahahahahahat!”
She was a beauty with dark skin and white hair.
Wearing a daring dress that left her shoulders bare with an off-shoulder cut and exposed her arms entirely with its sleeveless design, she laughed heartily with a huge axe slung over her shoulder.
“Greetings, all! This body is Ortega Derbek! The only daughter of the Margrave of Derbek!”
“My lady, you are not an only daughter. Sir Marvin, the royal consort, is your elder brother, is he not?”
“Shut up, Mercy. As if I would acknowledge some weakling like that as my elder brother. And since I am the only daughter, saying I am the only daughter is correct.”
Responding roughly to the maid standing beside her, Ortega set down the enormous pile of bear pelts she had been carrying on her back.
Kuuung!
“These are bestowed gifts! If there is anyone who wishes to write the history of the snowy plains and mountains alongside Derbek, come and take one!”
Bestowed gifts.
These, too, were party goods.
However, the party goods brought by nobles of great houses were given as tokens to promising noble children at the debut ceremony, accepting them into their faction.
That was why, in practice, they were called bestowed gifts.
Yet Ortega openly told everyone to take the bestowed gifts.
An opportunity to enter the faction of a great house was right before their eyes.
Naturally, there was no one who would refuse.
“Lady Derbek. I shall gratefully accept!”
A nobleman ran over and reached for a bear pelt.
Before his hand could touch it, the man was sent flying after being struck by the haft of the axe Ortega swung.
“Guhhek!”
“Ah~ no feel to that at all.”
Cracking her neck, Ortega looked dissatisfied.
“L-Lady, why…?”
“Did you think you could obtain Derbek’s bestowed gift for free?”
“But my lady said to take one…”
“Of course.”
Ortega spread both arms.
“If you can take one, then try!”
“That is absurd…!”
At that moment, a muscular man with scars all over his body stepped forward.
“Simple. I like it. I am Raman of Gerdon. A mere viscount. Since the weather is cold, I will be taking a bear pelt.”
When the man raised his greatsword and aimed it, only then did Ortega lift her axe and take her stance.
Holding the axe in one hand, she beckoned with her fingers.
At that provocation, the man stamped the ground and charged.
The match was decided easily.
With two swings of the axe, the greatsword broke.
“I’ve lost.”
“I like your spirit! Take it!”
“Much obliged!”
Raman wrapped himself in the bear pelt Ortega handed him and stood proudly by her side.
Seeing that, nobles of the martial line began challenging Ortega one after another.
“Please accept my sword!”
“I’m next!”
“Good, good! But spirit alone is not enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Derbek. This body shall test you thoroughly, huahahahahahahahat!”
The center of the debut ceremony had transformed into an arena.
As Lea merely watched in silence, Viscountess Nerasmun whispered to her.
“Aren’t you going? It looks like an opportunity to join the Derbek faction. Derbek would be enough to stop us, wouldn’t they?”
Lea smiled weakly and shook her head.
“I hate them no less than you do.”
Only then did Nerasmun recall that Marvin and Shurs had been involved in Lea’s wound.
Having unintentionally dug into it, the viscountess was slightly flustered.
Just then, through the door Derbek had left open, a handsome red-haired man entered, leading his attendants.
Nerasmun recognized at a glance who he was.
“This is why the North cannot be united. Derbek tries to solve everything through battle.”
“That’s the Mashel family. The second-in-command, always contending with Derbek for hegemony over the North whenever they get the chance. Derbek of strength, Mashel of moderation. They’re a top-priority recruitment target for both you and us.”
Lea already knew of the Mashel family as well.
They had fought together, after all.
However, having learned the deportment of a lady, and because it was Nerasmun who was, for once, leading the conversation, she did not interrupt and simply listened.
“Robian Mashel! Shall I face that whip of yours again after so long?”
“No, thank you, Lady Ortega. Today, at this debut ceremony, I must gather talents who will bring down your Derbek.”
“Huahahahahahahahat! Good! I shall leave that pleasure for later!”
Watching Ortega wave her hand and return to the battle with a crazed expression, Robian clicked his tongue.
While she ran rampant, Robian left the hall alone and calmly examined the outskirts, then headed to the table of a noble who had set out models of castle walls and bridges as party goods.
“What is this? A toy?”
“Greetings, Sir Mashel! I am Galang of Fatus. Our family has practiced masonry and architecture as our hereditary trade for generations, building castles and bridges on any terrain and under any conditions…”
“Ho.”
Seeing Robian become engrossed in Galang’s explanation, the other nobles below the great houses finally realized that the debut ceremony had begun in earnest.
All at once, they became busy, belatedly cleaning the tables where they had set out their party goods or rearranging the items.
Yurien noticed this as well and instructed the waiting orchestra to begin playing music.
Since the Church, which was supposed to manage the debut ceremony from the start, had run off because it was bothersome, he had no choice.
But this became yet another trigger.
“Why! What a profoundly refined performance.”
A woman with tawny skin, wearing a dress that subtly revealed her cleavage, entered with her attendants and was captivated by the performance.
The woman went straight to the orchestra and asked one of them, who was playing the violin.
“I am Ursel of the Puyol family. And your name is?”
“I-I am merely a violinist in the orchestra, with no family name.”
Even at the bewildered answer of the orchestra member, Ursel continued her question.
“Your name?”
“It is… Karn.”
“The Puyol family of Midona does not discriminate between highborn and lowborn when it comes to talent.”
The Puyol family was the second power in the South, managing Midona, the stronghold of the Hailan family.
“Give this man our family’s scarf.”
“Thank you!”
The orchestra member who received the bestowed gift trembled with emotion.
Even if they were not necessarily children of great houses, the subordinate nobles who had come as attendants were going from table to table, searching for talents useful to their factions.
Those who challenged received Derbek’s bear pelts, those who were practical received Mashel’s badges, and those who pursued the arts received Puyol’s scarves.
That was why no one so much as glanced at the table of Learie Bashport, who had offered only delicious bread.
“Wh-what should we do?”
“Why are you asking me? You were the one who said you’d stop us. Honestly, aren’t you an outcast type too, just like us Nerasmun and Bashport?”
“…I am.”
Ah, damn it. She’s cute when she gets gloomy.
Nerasmun found herself troubled over how she was supposed to handle this woman’s precariousness.
“We can’t just stay like this.”
“What?”
“Doors open to those who knock.”
“Hey, hey. It feels strange when you suddenly get proactive in a way that doesn’t suit what you’ve been doing.”
“This is a crisis!”
Lea took a deep breath, picked up a few loaves of bread, and headed toward the table where Robian Mashel stood.
“This battering ram is modular, so in terrain where it cannot be transported on wheels, people and draft animals can carry or pull it to move it…”
“Then compared to a non-modular one, its durability and power would be inferior, would they not?”
“……”
“Since ancient times, impregnable castles have been built in places where it is difficult to transport siege weapons such as battering rams…”
“And in cases where supply lines are stretched, would it truly…”
“……”
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, Robian sighed and asked Lea, who had been standing quietly behind him.
“Lady, what is it?”
“Ah! It is nothing. I merely thought you might be hungry, so I prepared some bread and was waiting in case you needed it.”
Robian, displeased that an important discussion about weaponry had been interrupted by a woman, snatched the bread from Lea’s hand.
Like a rough northerner, Robian immediately tore into it with a bite, then was surprised by its unexpectedly soft and sweet taste.
“It is delicious dipped in stew, and also delicious with meat or fruit placed on top.”
Lea explained earnestly, but to Robian, it was merely bread.
After handing the remaining half to the noble he had been speaking with, he resumed their conversation.
“Is it difficult to make it lighter?”
“If we make it any lighter than this, its power as a siege weapon will become inadequate.”
“……”
“Haa.”
Robian said bluntly.
“I ate well, Lady. You may go now.”
“Ah, yes…”
This time, her target was Ursel Puyol.
There was still Ortega fighting in the middle of the hall, but Derbek and Hailan were to be excluded unconditionally.
“U-um. Lady Puyol!”
Wait, Derbek and Hailan?
“Oh my, what is it? And you are?”
Derbek was here, but where was Hailan?
“I am…”
Kwaaang!
A new roar rang out after Ortega’s.
“Oh dear! Young master! Are you all right?”
“Ugh! You bastard! You said I just had to go straight, so I did, and I hit my head!”
“This humble one said you had to go straight properly. I did not tell you to stagger side to side as you went!”
“You…! Forget it. I won’t bother talking. Anyway, is this the social gathering?”
Holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand and being supported by his servant Belgirt with the other, Shuren entered the social gathering.
There were no attendants around him.
Instead, cheap women he had paid to bring out from a brothel followed Shuren inside, only to be horrified upon seeing the assembled nobles, their legs trembling violently.
“Damn it, did I drink too much? I can’t tell if I’m hungry or thirsty. You there!”
Shuren pointed roughly and beckoned.
“Bring me something to drink or eat.”
“……”
“You there! Are your ears stuffed? I said bring me even that bread in your hands!”
“……”
“This… Maybe because you’re a noble wench, you can’t understand a damn word.”
As he strode closer, Shuren’s drunken eyes began to make out the other person’s form.
At last, when Shuren came right up before that person’s nose, he grinned at the familiar face.
“Well, well… I was wondering why your neck was so stiff.”
A terrible reek of alcohol came from his open mouth.
“Aren’t you the young lady of Bashport?”
Lea’s face hardened coldly.