CHAPTER 149………………………………………
The Summit Begins! (2)
The Young Prince shuddered as he remembered the men standing behind the demon princess.
A demon man with dark red hair and red eyes.
A human man with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Neither had frowned, but the eyes that looked at him flickered with cold fire…
Etina also recalled their faces and chuckled.
“They were obviously completely smitten with the princess.”
And if he was blonde, that had to be the former Prince Halkion supported by the Iliod Guild.
‘If possible, it’d be nice if the demon princess favored him more… but who knows.’
She knew that the princess cared for both the demon prince and the human prince…
But in the end, human hearts tend to lean more toward love than friendship.
At that moment, a woman’s voice scolded from behind.
“Etina. This is not the time to be so soft.”
“Ah… Mother.”
The Empress Hecabe had come along as part of the delegation.
It seemed she was uneasy about sending even her young son.
The wizards exchanged glances.
‘The Empress isn’t particularly fond of demons.’
‘Especially with all the strange rumors going around in the Northern Kingdom…’
The Empress had criticized the fall of the Alcyone royal family, calling demons “too barbaric.”
“Demons may be powerful, but there’s nothing to learn from them.”
Yet Etina smiled calmly.
“We shouldn’t be swayed by such rumors, Mother. After all, we are royalty. But Kasandros—”
At that call, Kasandros flinched and looked up.
The playful, smiling sister from moments ago was gone, replaced by a solemn queen looking down at him.
“You must tell me immediately if you feel unwell, yes?”
“….”
“I brought you here at your repeated request, but you mustn’t show weakness in this place.”
Kasandros bit his lip.
‘It’s not that I’m sick. The truth is…’
But no matter what he said, he doubted she would believe him.
Even the Magic Tower hadn’t been able to figure out the cause of his symptoms.
So, in the end, the boy reluctantly nodded.
“…Yes, Sister.”
With key figures from both kingdoms gathered, the palace was bathed in a bright, festive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Ares watched the hall with a displeased expression.
He muttered to the companion he got along with best at times like this.
“Blue eyes.”
“Why do you call me, Ismenios?”
“Did you see that little brat’s expression earlier?”
“…I did.”
Kalion smiled softly.
Of course, his true feelings didn’t follow the smile.
The more a child reminded him of his own childhood, the more irritated he became.
“That was Shion’s moment of becoming someone’s first love again.”
“This is maddening.”
Ares tilted his head and frowned.
‘Please, just look this way, you annoying princess.’
Shion now sat at the head of the hall with the Demon King.
He wanted, even by chance, one more glance from her, one more subtle smile.
Just to see her face one more time.
‘Just once…’
But the princess hadn’t looked his way since Erevos, even when the King of Iliod arrived.
And she hadn’t spoken a word all day, making it hard to even approach her.
‘All this trouble, and I hurried my graduation because of who?’
He wanted to wait for the right time to confess, but his patience was wearing thin, his head nearly boiling.
Then, a cold, reproachful voice came from behind.
“Both of you, maintain your expressions.”
It was Glauco Eunomian, Shion’s appointed aide.
Whenever Ares and Kalion met him, he glared coldly over his glasses.
Ares exchanged a look with Kalion.
‘Why does he look so sour only when he sees us?’
‘Does he even know?’
When Glauco spoke first, even Ares was slightly taken aback.
“Are you planning to participate in the fall tournament for the Kore Knights?”
“Ah? Ah… yes. Of course.”
“Good.”
“…?”
‘Why is that good for you?’ Ares wanted to ask.
But before he could, Glauco had already turned to Kalion.
“Sir Icarus, will you also participate in the tournament?”
“…I suppose. Do I need to report that to you in advance?”
“Not really.”
Glauco answered coldly.
The princess had affection for Kalion due to their long history together.
It was natural that their bond was special.
However, recently Glauco felt uneasy whenever Kalion was near.
“He’s been getting unusually much attention lately, you see.”
“….”
“I just worry about unnecessary trouble, so I ask out of caution.”
Kalion was gaining influence not only among humans passing through Kore, but also among the new demon nobility.
‘He behaves properly in front of the princess, but…’
To Glauco, this seemed precarious, like a finely balanced scale ready to shatter.
So he had to say what needed to be said, even if he crossed the line.
“The princess is very busy, so you two should avoid causing her unnecessary burden.”
After lecturing the surprised pair, Glauco went to assist the princess.
Ares muttered irritably, watching him walk away.
“Annoying. How could we possibly burden Shion?”
“….”
“Hey, blue eyes. Are you entering the tournament too?”
Kalion tore his gaze from Shion’s back.
Perhaps it was the light of the hall, but her blue eyes seemed to shimmer with yellow…
Kalion just laughed at Ares, who squinted.
“I’ll decide based on the situation.”
Of course, he would enter.
If he could win and claim that woman, even at the cost of killing someone right there.
Thus, on the day the two nations officially began their duties, the Iliod party once again sparkled with excitement.
‘Ah, the Black Rose is leading today’s schedule!’
Despite the heat, she wore a golden dress, and it shone just as brilliantly.
‘So cute!’
‘Wait, isn’t it rude that the Demon King isn’t stepping forward?’
After all, Etina herself was leading the proceedings.
Soon, however, Iliod’s thoughts began to change, perhaps quite a lot.
“I don’t think we can accept that proposal this time either. Looking at the summit from fifty years ago, we concluded it was difficult back then too.”
“Since customs were lowered last year when the guild operated in the capital Kore, adjusting them again would require a proportional compensation, no?”
The princess spoke in a clear, melodious voice, noticing all the favorable clauses slipped in by the others.
‘Damn. Cute, but terrifying at work!’
‘I thought the Demon King put her forward to soften the mood.’
But one princess wasn’t enough to intimidate.
Even the so-called “aides” who unconsciously underestimated her due to her youth were no pushovers.
Thea smiled gracefully, and Glauco adjusted his glasses with a bored expression.
Different expressions, but both full of determination.
‘Heh. Let’s win perfectly for the princess!’
‘Time to squeeze foreign capital dry.’
Seeing those expressions, the demons nodded in satisfaction.
The next generation had a very bright future.
Etina let out a hollow laugh.
‘Oh my, there was a reason the Demon King stepped back, wasn’t there?’
With a seemingly indifferent, yet proud look.
Even with the young princess at the forefront, he was confident he’d lose nothing.
‘Then I’ll have to take this seriously too.’
Because her side’s goal was to export a new artifact.
Specifically, the “perfect doll” developed in the Magic Tower, now to be introduced to Tartarus.
‘Shall we try negotiating?’
And so, until then, the summit progressed peacefully, no matter how intense the discussions.
That is, until the youngest prince collided with the demon princess and fell into a coma during a break.
