Chapter 19: The Party Begins, The Hero Arrives...
"You ready for the big event?" Aurelia asked, barely able to hold back her excitement.
"Of course" Yuu said as he fixed his bowtie, preparing for the party.
The two of them were wearing fancy party clothes. The Princess was wearing a pink dress with lovely embrodery, and a lovely and sparkling pair of shoes. Normally, as Yuu discovered, she tended to wear more casual clothes around the house or such. Even now, under the dress, she actually had a pair of shorts on as well as other things, and she possessed a number of defensive items. But all that could be seen is her lovely hair, complete with a rose-like hairpin made of rubies, her lovely dress, and her beautiful dance shoes.
As for Yuu, he was wearing tall white socks, dress dancing shoes, suspender shorts that ended just above the knees, a white dress shirt, and a fancy black vest. To top it off, he was wearing a red bow tie. He undoubtedly looked cute, but he was ignoring that detail.
As for Lyo and Zak, they were wearing outfits similar to him, only Zak had a dress jacket and his socks were a bit shorter, while Lyo had a green bowtie to bring out his eyes and hair, and his sleeves were a tad bit shorter. Matilda meanwhile was wearing a sparkling red dress and a pink ribbon in her hair.
At the moment, the five of them were riding in the carriage towards the lord's residence. They had just gone through the main gate without issue, and were just pulling up. Yuu was a bit surprised by how smooth the ride was.
"Does this carriage have some sort of balancer or suspension or something?"
"Indeed. Its far more comfortable then a normal carriage...by the way Yuu, that looks really cute on you".
"Oh shut up" he said, a bit embarrassed. "It will all be worth it to see the dumbfounded look on that man's face".
"Well, that is certainly true".
"...they are like a pair of sadistic friends who discovered they share the ideas of how to torment others" Zak muttered. Lyo and Matilda both nodded with him.
"I wouldn't call us sadistic..." Yuu started.
"...just that we desire proper justice" Aurelia finished.
"Uh huh" Zak replied, sighing. You know, people usually spark the romance flag with the Princess, Yuu. Not the sadistic friends flag...you both need some help in the head.
"Too bad this isn't the Spring, Summer, or Fall Midden Party. It would have been interesting to see you dress up for that".
"...why do I have a bad feeling" Yuu mentioned.
"Its because for those noble parties, its tradition for all children thirteen and under to wear dresses" Zak mentioned, prefering not to think about it.
"I dont think I will go to tho..."
"Its a great time to spy on various nobles and learn what you need to manipulate them also" Aurelia said, cutting Yuu off. Yuu twitched a little...
"Her temptation is totally working on you, isn't it?" Zak asked.
"...first hand observations...I could learn all of their weaknesses if I am lucky...gossip from children might provide insights too...but I really dont want to...".
The Princess just smiled with satisfaction, but Matilda looked at her with a deadpan look.
"You are trying to get another date aren't you, so you can keep the suitors away?"
"Maybe~"
Matilda sighed. The princess meanwhile giggled, which was something she didn't do a lot.
"Incidentally, in order to sell this, how many times will I need to compliment you?"
"Ah, I would say we need to make cutesy googly eyes at each other a few times, probably pay each other at least twenty compliments, though repeats are fine so long as we dont repeat them too soon, and a few will need to come while we are dancing, and at the very start".
"Ahh, sounds like a bother".
"It is a bother".
"Too bad they are not all corrupt" Yuu mused.
"That would certainly make the night a lot more interesting" Aurelia agreed.
"Oi oi! Stop thinking about murdering everyone!"
"Snap out of it Aurelia!"
"No! Bad Yuu!"
The two looked away from thier friends.
"We were not thinking that at all..."
"...just that noble gatherings are tiresome events".
The trio looked at the duo as if they wished to just give up now.
And with that sort of atmosphere, the five people arrived at the party. Naturally, before they went out, the Royal Guard went out first, securing the area, before opening the door to let them out. The Princess came out first, holding out her hand. It was taken by Yuu, who came out after her, and gave it a kiss. Next came out Matilda, who held out her hand. This hand was taken by Lyo, who gave it a kiss. And finally Zak, who came here without a date, came out last.
Yuu and Aurelia looked back at Matilda and Lyo. In order to make things look better and easier, they decided to make those two come as a couple as well, however....
Okay, here goes the secret second operation...
...get Lyo and Matilda more used to the opposite gender!
Lyo had been with Yuu the last three years, so Yuu felt that Lyo was totally unprepared to talk with girls when he got that old. Matilda, who stayed with the Princess as her best friend several times, was also isolated. Yuu and The Princess might have some more...isolationist tendencies regarding themselves, but they didn't want Lyo or Matilda to develop weird habits either.
And so, they had promptly decided to set the two up! Their personalities were similar also, so they should be able to get along provided they did not start arguing who had the better best friend.
For the record, that topic quickly became banned for both of them. No one wanted a repeat of the so called "Bloody Lunch Incident".
And so, escorted by the guards, the group of five headed into the mansion. At the front, there were two knights dressed in black armor, holding weapons made of black steel. The Royal Guard introduced them.
"This is the Princess and her company".
The knights kneeled at once, before returning to attention. That was when their eyes layed upon Yuu, the person who they were told to keep an eye on if they saw. However, none of them could move right now since the Princess was with him, as well as the royal guard.
So instead, they just started sweating bullets, knowing they might get yelled at unreasonably later, and they left them pass.
"Welcome to the party, everyone. Please enjoy your stay".
As they walked in, Yuu sighed with relief once they were far enough away. His shadow, although it seemed to be a bit more tame and calm and a bit easier to control, seemed to want to go wild in this place. Thankfully, he had taken control of the power, so he was able to utilize it far better then before. Therefore, there was no way this party should turn into a bloodbath.
As much as it might be easier for him to do so.
And so, they entered the main party.
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The Margrave was frozen stiff, the moment that entered his sight. Yes, Margrave Alibaster was currently speechless when he saw those two walking together, holding hands, towards him. His face stiffened, and was making a dumb and goofy expression. Normally, he was not that dumb, or that obvious.
But the last thing he expected was Yuu and Princess Aurelia to arrive together, hand in hand, looking like a proper couple and approaching him. He was already worried about the two's seperate actions, but now here they were, clearly together! A unified front against him?! And if Yuu recalls the wrong thing, it would be all over for him if he said it in front of the Princess!
"My lord, as you remember, this is the First Princess, Aurelia Reynard. She is accompanied here today by her date, the young and promising Adventurer Yuu, who despite his age and stature helped defeat a nearby Ancient Vampire which was planning to assault and attack the Princess on the way to town. With them is Lady Matilda, and her date of Lyo, who was also a member of that party, and the A-Rank Adventurer Zak who also assisted".
The moment those things were heard, everyone gasped and all attention went on the five. After all, defeating an Ancient Vampire was no easy feat. Although most vampires dont possess overwhelming amounts of strength, their long lifespans have caused them to develop incredible skill and predictive ability, making them tough to beat in that aspect. Let alone the A-Rank Adventurer Zak, Yuu and Lyo were also publicly declared to have played a major role in the battle.
While they might not have family names, they came with the Princess and could not be so easily looked down upon already. But even then, plenty of nobles were actually thinking highly of them. In terms of adventurer ranks, the beginners, or failures, tend to be at Ranks H-F. The ones who were able to stabily make a living successfully were Ranks E and D. The ones who could be said to be professional experts were Rank C and B. Exceptional prodigies were Rank A. And those who are considered great invididuals who defy the norm are Rank S.
As such, even Rank C or Bs would garner respect from Nobles, to the point where they could be considered minor nobles in their own right. Rank As would be treated even better, and could even meet with Royalty on occasion of their own choosing. Rank S...those people could be considered the equals of Dukes, and depending on their achievments, might even be considered equals to royalty.
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After all, they have the strength and power to take out threats that would bother the kingdom immensely. And while there were a good number of C-Rankers, there were not too many of them. B Rankers were even less, and A Rankers could be said to be hard to come across if you looked randomly though crowds. S Rankers, there was not even one in this city.
Because of all this, especially because they came with the princess, he could not just dismiss them or act coldly to them. Right now, they had the advantage. And he wasn't able to react well. His fists trembled with rage and fear, his embarrassment grown from having been blindsided by their tactics. The tactics of children! Getting the better of him!
However, he held all of that back, and managed to make a calm and pleased expression as he bowed to greet them.
"My ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the party".
"Thank you, Margrave Alibaster. I am sure we will enjoy ourselves, right sweetie?" she said, turning to Yuu part way through. On que, he gave her a gentle and quick kiss on the lips, as a flowery atmosphere could be felt around them, drawing the adoration of the crowd.
"Of course, my lovely princess. Together we will surely be entertained tonight" he replied, speaking as well as if he was noble born. His speech was police and precise, and catered not just to the one he was with, but even the surroundings.
It was thanks to his training in his previous life that he did for interviews to get a job. Even though he studied and trained like crazy, he figured it might be hard for a young middleschooler like him to get one, so he practiced ettiquette and polite speaking, as well as manners. He was rusty though, but Aurelia helped him learn the mannerisms and politeness before the party.
Noble society was bothersome, and if he was going to become known as the Princess' boyfriend or lover or whatever for awhile, he would at least score as many points as he did right now. If he did that, he wouldn't need to score points later. The princess promised him she would also help keep the bothersome stuff away, though the way she looked...Yuu had a feeling she would need a break sometimes.
She was able to fight him in the baths pretty well, and they did a sparring match against each other in the training yard. She was good, talented. Used some sort of special royal magic. More then likely, she had been polishing her combat skills intensely ever since her mother was killed, because she outpaced a good amount of royal guards.
It briefly occured to Yuu she might be a reincarnator, but after asking Zak, he learned the truth. A few generations ago, a Summoned Hero married into their family, and the power of his blood was passed down through them. As a result of her bloodline and special Royal Magic, she was quite the fighter herself, probably equal to Yuu without either side using Trump Cards.
And Yuu was absolutely sure she had them, just like she knew he had some.
As the two walked through the main hall, they ended up greeting several of the others that joined. Yuu made mental notes of who they were. The Duke Family, Cardias, were major players in arbitration and law. It seemed like he would be able to use them for his own plans against corrupt nobles like Alibaster, but also they could be a thorn in his side, so he would have to stay careful. They had a boy around his age named Artori, who appeared to be staring daggers at him, but had blushed cheeks when looking at the Princess.
There was also a few nobles who helped run the Commerce Guild. The Ardet Family, the Elchrem Family, and the Tortel Family. Their children were also here, the former two bringing two sons, and the last one a son and a daughter. The daughter was about fifteen, and the son about thirteen. Ardet had a twenty year old son and a twelve year old son, and Elchrem had a sixteen year old son and an eight year old son. They seemed fairly normal, although...the twelve year old, William Ardet, for some reason kept looking at Zak.
After this, Yuu realized it was going to be really hard to remember every single person, and thought he should prioritize more on the important people.
"Atten..." someone started to announce, when a ten year old brown haired girl with a ponytail jumped out in front. She was wearing formal wear for sure, although it looked just a bit sporty, adventurerous, and energetic combared to everyone else.
"We have arrived for the party!" she announced herself.
"Hold it! Rin-sama! Hero-sama!"
At this point, following the girl, a boy who appeared to be around their age, maybe a bit younger then Rin, ran up behind him. He was wearing a wizard hat over his blonde hair, with a staff holstered on his belt, and wearing some noble and fancy looking clothes as he ran after her similar to what Yuu was wearing.
The way they spoke felt a bit strange and different then the others, although Yuu recognized it quickly. Zak did as well.
The people who were making the announcement quickly rallied and started over.
"The Hero, Rin Kurami, has arrived! As well as the King, Roland Reynard!"
And so, the Hero had arrived.
Yuu could already tell, at a glance, that she was the problematic sort that would annoy him to no end. Her energy, her lack of reading the atmosphere, her sudden explosive appearance. She was, without a doubt, a Grade A Typical Dense Hero.
Even the Princess twitched a little on seeing her. Considering her incompatibility with Yuu, that would also make her incompatible with the Princess. Upon seeing her, Yuu reflexively created a soundproof barrier so they could speak without people overhearing them, while a ruckus went on outside the barrier.
"Oi oi, there are several things id like to retort right there".
"...I know what you mean, her personality is like an extreme version of Matilda's or Lyo's".
"To think she would make those two look tame...but, why did you summon a ten year old hero?"
"its easier to summon a child then an adult. The less mass someone has, the easier it is. Also, we had...issues...with older summons in the past. Anyways, it was discovered that children as young as nine or ten were perfectly competant when trained and taught well, and adapted to the world more easily. We had a few issues in the past with summons arbitrarily trying to change our culture because of their morales or such, and the circumstances of their own world. Things tended to get violent as a result...well, some people still summon those heroes as well because they want someone who will be ready faster as well. And part of it is luck, we can do the summoning ritual, but we cant quite pick and choose who we get. Sometimes it can be totally random".
"I see..." he replied. So basically, a hero summoning was similar to a lottery.
"That is why, when heroes need to be summoned, like to deal with the increase in monsters, the Demon Kings and Demon Lords, multiple countries summon heroes. After all, its not like a single hero can be everywhere at once. That said, you can put some factors or desires you want for the hero into the summoning. You are limited to a certain number of factors though, too many and it fails".
"...exactly what factors went into this one?"
"My father wanted a girl who could make friends easily so I would have another friend, I suspect".
But the personalities are totally incompatbie...
"Ohh! Aura!" Rin shouted, running over. Yuu quickly dismissed the barrier when they noticed her. "Ah, is this your date? The boy you like? He looks cute! A catbeastkin huh? Extra cute! Super cute!"
Yuu's patience suddenly found itself rapidly being depleted.
"What are you, six? Seven?"
"...im nine".
At those words, she froze a bit, noticing Yuu's strained smile. Not only that, Aurelia had a strained smile herself, also possessing a height complex.
Rin finally noticed the landmines she had stepped on, and quickly apologized.
"In any case, did I hear it right? You beat an ancient vampire? That means your strong right? Wanna spar?"
"Now would not be the time for sparring" Yuu replied. "At the moment, I have a lovely girl to accompany tonight".
Skillfully deflecting while also praising the princess, Yuu managed to pull that off.
This tomboy hero...
"Aww, Yuu" Aurelia said, her perfect acting looking as if she truly and honestly adored those words. The two stared into each other's eyes, and a pink atmosphere enveloped them.
Zak, who was watching with Matilda and Lyo on the sidelines, sighed.
"Alright, what do you think those two are actually thinking of right now?"
"Yuu probably is thinking about stealing everything from Alibaster and leaving him peniless and powerless, gloating over him".
"Aura is probably thinking about how she will revoke Alibasters nobility, publicly shame him, and maybe even execute him".
"...that sounds about right. That should be able to create that atmosphere for them".
That said, they looked over at the other person there...the hero. Zak wondered just how far along her heroic blood was....Lyo already had his awakened, but that isn't as especially strange. Traumatic events tend to awaken them after all, and Zak had heard briefly about what happened to his village.
He was still a bit surprised about Yuu subjugating the Demon that was possessing him, but there was an even bigger concern that weighed on his mind.
Why did the Demon King, or any of his minions, target Yuu? His memories didn't awaken till they were six, after the incident with the carrage getting chopped up and exploding, or at least being set on...fire...
The moment Zak thought that, his eyes went wide as he realized something. Something big, and something major. He quickly used magic to send a brief signal to Yuu and the others, and then headed out towards a balcony a bit further away.
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"I must say Zak, I was a bit surprised" Yuu said, only somewhat annoyed. Yuu, Aurelia, Lyo, and Matilda had followed Zak onto the balcony after getting an emergency telepathic ping from Zak, who was now basking alone in the moonlight.
"Don't tell me you called us out here for a blood donation" the princess added.
"No...its just, something I realized that might be too serious to ignore" Zak said, turning around to face them. "Furthermore, it could mean there may be an enemy we have unaccounted for...as well as a third, or even fourth, party to all this".
Hearing those words, Yuu and Aurelia immediately judged this could be vitally important, and gestured him to explain.
"Yuu, how much do you remember about that night three years ago...when the carriage you had been forced into was destroyed? How much do any of you actually know about that?"
"I know some rotten adventurers brought him along for entertainment while they traveled".
"They were basically talked into it by the receptionist".
"Then Yuu's powers went on a rampage and destroyed it, right?"
"...tell me, why did Yuu's powers take that long to activate though, when it seems to be an automatic mechanism. It does seem to make exceptions in certain situations, possibly to avoid causing its master more trouble then its worth, but....what evidence, what witness is there, that has confirmed it was Yuu's power? Yuu, what do you actually remember from that night?"
"I remember being forced to experience a lot of horrible and embarrassing things. I...think I might have passed out or something after that, because the next thing I remember was waking up in the snow".
"So you remember the before and after clearly, but not that specific timeframe".
"Zak, what are you saying exactly?"
"Yuu, what was the first magic you used?"
"Fire, on accident though. I needed a fire to survive. It was cold that night".
Zak narrowed his eyes at that.
"And the carriage was also on fire?"
"Yes, what is your point?"
"Yuu, what is the element you have the very worst affinity with?"
"Well fire, you know..." Yuu started to say, when his eyes went wide with shock. "...fire is my worst element".
Zak nodded his head, as everyone soaked in the ramification of what was just said.
"If it was your powers that went on a rampage, the carriage should not have been consumed in flames. Not in the snow. And that said...although the roads tend to be in more open and clear places, how cold does it usually get in that area?"
Again, a wave of shock overtook them all. Even the Princess, who had the matter of what happened to him investigated recently while she was vetting him, was shocked.
"Ice and snow, that is your highest magical affinity. If you were reflexively trying to defend yourself, that is what you would create. But fire?"
"Wait though, I clearly remember making fire! Everything from after the incident is clear!"
"Yuu...I think your memories may have been tampered with".
"I dont get it though...if the carriage was attacked like that, were they trying to kill Yuu or protect him?" Lyo asked, confused.
"That is why I suggested there could be as many as two other parties. A third party, which tried to kill Yuu....and a fourth party, capable of using fire or at least mental magic, to alter his memories. Whoever altered his memories however didn't try to kill him, it would have been easy for them if they wanted to. Which means whoever altered Yuu's memories was someone who wanted to keep him alive. Its possible it was a minion of the Demon King, but...it might be possible that the minions of the Demon King were the attackers".
"Wait wait, first the Demon King wants to corrupt me, and now he wants to kill me? That makes no sense Zak".
"Well, I dont think the Demon King wanted you dead himself. However, what would be the best way to learn about the corruption in the noble societies of kingdoms? Though illegal criminal groups, like assassins and hitmen and such".
"This is all conjecture...it could be any number of ways or reasons" Matilda pointed out. "Also its confusing".
"Agreed...we dont have enough information to make a definitive conclusion. However, we can confirm one thing. Yuu likely did not have his Shadow Power until that night. Because it did not activate at all until then. Which means, every single rumor about you having some strange curse or such was likely a lie, or just falsehoods from the start. However, it best supports the timeline, and explains why none of your abusers died to Shadow before that night".
"So then, the one who gave him Shadow was likely the one that protected him...unless it was the Demon King's minions that protected him, that is. But I dont see them leaving someone who they hoped to turn into a pawn or an ally in those conditions" Aurelia added.
"But then, who could it be?" Lyo asked.
"What a very good question" an unfamiliar boy's voice said, seeming to come behind Zak. The group looked in that direction, and on one of the gargoyles that stretched out from the balcony, a boy landed, his feet being placed heel to toe as he pretended to balance perfectly on his own. Wearing unique clothes, and a silly look on his face, it was a face that would shock quite a few.
It was one of the gods of this world, and a major one at that, Avalon.