Chapter 49: Real face
“The high ceiling is adorned with colorful frescoes. The floor is covered with a soft, long-haired carpet, and gold decorations are displayed all over the walls. Luxurious fresh flowers are arranged in shiny glass vases.”
“This is. . .”
“The palace.”
“Kyu!”
I screamed in a voice that wouldn’t come out.
“. . .A, haha, you’re joking right?”
“It’s not a joke, Hiira-dono should know that, right?”
“Uh.”
I wanted to laugh it off and say it wasn’t true, but unfortunately, I had visited the palace before when I was scouted as a saint. So, if someone told me this was the palace, I would know it was true.
“Moreover. . .is this place possibly be the. . .”
The towering spires visible outside the window, the angle of the sunlight.
And the color of the walls all clearly indicated where we were in the royal palace.
“Hey, you there!”
The palace guards clad in polished armor gathered around us.
“Who are you?!”
They stared at my halo with fear.
“That wheat halo. . .!! You’re Saint Hiira!!!”
“Ahaha. . .I guess I’m a celebrity even in the palace. . .”
I chuckled while hiding my halo.
They were more interested than I had imagined. Just because it’s a wheat halo doesn’t mean it’s delicious. It’s prickly, so if it gets caught in your hair, it’s quite difficult to remove.
Contrary to my panic, Synovidos calmly faced them with a dignified posture. He exuded an aura of authority that extended to his spine.
“Don’t you know that only I pass through this path?”
“What do you mean?”
“. . .Summon the royal family.. Mention Shinobu Bitou of Igahan.”
“Synovidos. . .Igahan. . .?”
Ah, I guess it sounds like that.
“. . .It might be better to say that a suspicious person in black clothes appeared in the Friendship Corridor.”
I felt a slightly sarcastic nuance mixed in with the continued voice.
“A-Anyway, we’ll hear your story after we capture you. . .Put your hands up!”
The royal guard who couldn’t understand Synovidos’ words ended up resorting to force.
Clang. At the moment when the unpleasant sound of metal was made and the sword was drawn from its sheath.
“Put away your sword!!”
A noble prince with a clear and resonant voice came clanking from the back.
“Your Highness!”
The royal guards were in a commotion and all kneeled down and bowed their heads.
“. . .[Whoever knows the name of the Friendship Corridor and has a foreign name, no matter when he appears, the palace will welcome him with the same treatment as the king]. I never thought he would really appear.”
Shining golden hair tied up long and blue eyes. A noble azure mantle with a brilliantly dyed white emblem.
The noble prince, who had a splendid physique but was intellectual and had a sense of nobility that made it unthinkable to raise his hand to women and children, muttered something to Synovidos and looked at him.
“Are you the heir?”
Synovidos said. What, what are they talking about?
The noble prince then knelt down in front of Synovidos.
“I am the first prince, Slead. I will guide you to the throne room. Please come with me and Miss Saint Hiira, the silver saint who is with you.”
What happened?
What’s going on? Huh? The prince? The prince is kneeling down???
As I tried to kneel down, Synovidos stopped me with a single word, “That’s enough.”
“Hiira-dono is a guest and my friend. . .If you do as I say, there’s no need to worry.”
ーーー
The ceiling was so high that even 50 people on top of each other wouldn’t reach it.
Beyond the long carpet that seemed like it wouldn’t even reach with 100 people holding hands, the king was present.
When I bowed to greet them, I was allowed to stand up.
Meanwhile, Synovidos remained motionless.
During the time it took for me and Synovidos to arrive at the throne room (the hallway was so long that we had to take a break), important ministers and members of the royal family had gathered.
Some had stern faces, some looked flustered and confused, and some seemed sleepy.
Everyone looked like they had been urgently summoned.
Wait a minute.
Who is Bitou Shinobu, Synovidos, who can summon all members of the royal family?
I stood next to him, hiding beside his tall figure like his servant.
“It’s okay.”
He gently placed his hand on my trembling shoulder due to nervousness.
“Hiira-dono just needs to stand tall.”
Synovidos’ voice, which I could only hear, was gentle. It was strange that I could always feel relieved and calm with him, even in such an absurd place, as he touched my shoulder.
“Thank you. . .”
The saint’s robe was heavy, but it was comfortable to wear. The veil that swayed with every movement felt somewhat embarrassing.
As if trying to distract myself, I peeked at the throne.
There sat His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen.
Below them were the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the First Princess.
The king, who was around 40 years old and still had a greasy appearance, had a well-trained body with a straightened back and a tightened atmosphere. He had a stern face and was staring at Synovidos with a fierce look.
Her Majesty the Queen still looks like a woman in her twenties with black hair, and she doesn’t hide her agitation.
The reason why she looks almost the same age as the Crown Prince is that she became the queen after the former queen, who was around the same age as the Crown Prince, passed away during childbirth.
The Crown Prince is the blond nobleman we met earlier.
The Second Prince is Kasdar’s contemporary, a brown-haired older brother who seems full of youthful vigor.
The black-haired princess is still small, sitting with an incomprehensible expression while being held and comforted by her nursemaid.
She’s so cute.
Even though they were sitting in a grand place wearing luxurious dresses, it was strange how the presence of an infant made me feel like “oh, these people are human too.”
As I was escaping from reality, I heard the king’s voice.
“. . .I can’t believe the first king’s will was true.”
They looked down at Synovidos and stood up, bowing politely.
Wait, the royal family is standing up?! For Synovidos?!
“I am the 13th king of Lucidia, Sadin. Nice to meet you for the first time.”
However, Synovidos answered with a terribly cold voice.
“I regret that this is our first meeting.”
“What?”
The king was speechless. It was probably the most disrespectful treatment he had ever received in his life.
Synovidos looked at me and whispered, bending his back slightly.
“Hiira-dono, you’ll float a little.”
“Eh, float?”
“Excuse me.”
After declining, Synovidos put his arm around my waist and we floated up.
“Huh?!”
The nobles were in an uproar. I held onto him tightly, gasping for breath.
Synovidos straightened his back and faced the king head-on.
“The current king is a descendant of my best friend. It’s quite a status to be on the side looking down on me from the throne.”
“You. . .”
I see, that’s why we’re floating.
Synovidos was naturally floating, but the king looked very uncomfortable. It seemed like they had different perceptions of the situation.
Or maybe I just couldn’t think of anything else because I was floating.
Swallowing my scream, I clung to Synovidos to avoid falling. As a flour-type saint, I couldn’t fly on my own and had to eat flour from all the abilities to activate it in an emergency.
“Your Majesty.”
Synovidos spoke quietly but clearly.
“I came here today to confirm your intentions.”
Synovidos gently put his hand on his mask. I was stunned. His long, bony hand covered the mask, and it easily came off with a snap, revealing his face.
In an instant,
The black attire spread out and covered my field of vision. It was a storm. I, along with the other nobles, covered my face from the gusts of wind.
“. . .hmm. . .”
The scent that floated on the wind was the familiar smell of the forest.
It was the scent that Lala-san said smelled like sandalwood. And it had a warm and gentle magic that enveloped me.
Together with the black clothes, long black hair spread out gracefully like the night sky.
As the swirling black clothes settled down, a beautifully sculpted face was revealed.
There were dignified eyebrows, a nose with beautiful contours, and even the shape of the throat, chin, and ears that could be seen from under the black clothes were familiar.
He was a tall man whom I had looked up to countless times like this.
“. . .Demon King-sama. . .”
“Ah.”
Demon King Synovidos-sama smiled thinly.
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