Evan D. Sherden At a Party (1)
Leonine, the only Duke of the Silk Line. He was the youngest brother of the current king, a nobleman among the nobles who possessed the blood of the royal family.
"That is why you have to behave well there. Even if we are with the Marquis who rules the dungeon city, it will be difficult."
"At the very least, why did you bother to differentiate him from the royal family?" Shine tilted his head as Evan explained in the carriage riding toward their destination. He had omitted a lot because it felt too annoying to explain, Evan admitted with a bitter smile.
"Duke Leonine, who is located to the west of our country, isn't in a territory the Silk Line controlled until more recently. It was a lawless zone where monsters grew the power of darkness and lived in harmony under the influence of demons and natives." It was a place full of dangers in a different sense to the harsh and cold north.
"By the way, the current duke, Sorde L. Silkline, was the third prince at the time he led an army to conquer it. In recognition of his achievements, he became independent by obtaining the name Leonin and ruled over the vast western regions. Even other countries respect him."
"I heard his territory is close to a third of the Silk Line."
"That's right."
"…Master, is our country a pretty strong one?" Shine asked, rather innocently as he listened to the explanation.
"The Silk Line is at the centre of human culture, although it has been pushed out by Baypeka in commerce, it had a booming agriculture. It has a long history, and it hasn't lost any power over the years. The demons who wish to conquer the human world aren't aiming at our country first for no reason."
"I see… I thought it wasn't a big deal, because the princess's slimes had wiped out the royal guard."
"That's… Serena is an exception. You also saw her ridiculous ability." Serena wasn't with them at the moment. She was eager to follow them but was unable to walk around so obviously at such a social event.
"Well, we just have to adhere to the right level of courtesy. Arisha, you. I'm talking to you."
"Don't worry. I will avoid offending my lovely fiancée." Arisha, who had been watching the scenery pass by out the window as if she were uninterested in the conversation, turned at Evan's call with a smile. Her blue eyes were gently twinkling.
'If she had this smile from start to finish, there would be no problem…no, wait.
"I'm not your fiancée. I was almost deceived!"
"But Evan, if you wish to get rid of the rumours, that's the easiest way."
"Ah."
Arisha had a good point; that would be the best way to relieve the unnecessary attention the dungeon knights and Evan were receiving. And, if he were to have ties to someone, Arisha would be a better choice. Serena would need a new excuse, but at least they would have some more time to think of one.
"A disguised engagement…?"
"Wouldn't it prevent other women from approaching you? You can use me as a shield, I'll stop them all and keep you safe."
"No, so what would your position be?"
"What should it be then… your wife?"
"That's not camouflage!"
She had no intention of leaving it as just a disguise! Evan grabbed his head as Arisha laughed, but it was true that they didn't have a better plan. At least that was better than the rumours that Serena had joined as his fiancée or that the knights were his harem!
"Whoo…you don't need to confirm it to anyone, all we have to do is create a believable atmosphere."
"Yes, I'm confident it'll work." Arisha declared so proudly. Because she already liked Evan, she didn't even need to act. Evan only smiled bitterly, but Belois clenched her fists as she vowed her rival wouldn't remain one step ahead of her.
"Huah…it's warm today." Shine yawned and looked outside the window. He was determined to be the perfect butler at this party!
***
Three days after heading out, the party arrived at Duke Leonine's. The Marquis's artefact wagon was swift, but the destination wasn't too far away in the first place.
"We've arrived, master."
"Thank you, Dain." Dain, their escort and driver, opened the door to let them out. Evan went out first, offering Arisha his hand to help her out after.
"Her eyes are purple. Perhaps she's the same as our lady!"
"Her face is shining…"
"He is also very pretty. Is she his fiancée?"
It was only a play to appeal to the relationship between the two, but Evan's appearance reaching out to Arisha and them holding hands looked natural. While the servants were waiting to come out and greet them, the one who seemed to be in charge was watching them politely.
"Welcome, Evan. My name is Eden, the butler. It is an honour to meet you."
"It's an honour to meet you, as well. May I have directions to our accommodations?"
"Yes, of course." The butler quieted down, now noticing the beauty exuded by Shine and Belois, who were following Evan and Arisha. If they weren't wearing servant suits, they might've inadvertently bowed their heads to them as well.
"These are my direct servants. These children are like my family, so please be kind."
"Of course, then I shall guide you." As expected of the head butler, Eden quickly guided the party. The other servants struggled to calm down, however, seeing Shine and Belois.
"Really pretty. A maid like that…"
"Living like family. They must be concubine candidates."
"Shh! Watch your words!"
"Look at that boy. He's young, but his muscles are already so large…are all the kids in the dungeon city like that?"
"He's so handsome too. Should I head to the dungeon city?" Rumours about Evan's party quickly spread to the Duke and those who had come to attend this party.
"Sherden's treasure has finally arrived."
"I want to see him once."
"But the master and his servants are not leaving their room. Ha, what the hell are they doing in there?"
"I saw Evan at his twelfth birthday party. A year has passed since then, so I wonder how he's grown…by the way, was he engaged to the young lady of the Pellati family?"
As Evan's party didn't show up, the rumours gradually grew, but Evan didn't care. There was no meaning in rumours without substance. Rather, it would be foolish to get involved with some strange nobles at this point.
What they were doing in the room was thoroughly preparing for the party.
"It is not Sorde who is hosting this party, but his son Matthew L. Leonine. He just turned eighteen, so it is probably to celebrate that." Evan let out a satisfied sigh as he sipped at his tea. Shine had to turn his head away to avoid breathing in the poison.
"Does he have any other sons?"
"Yes…but I hear they have a quiet personality, so you don't need to worry. The important one is Matthew, who planned this party."
"Is he important?"
"Listen quietly." There was nothing special about the nobles holding a party to celebrate someone's coming of age. However, the point to note was that the people invited were the children and not the noble families' heads. All of the young nobles had been invited to build friendships, but Evan knew the truth.
"He's trying to aim for the throne and include those who will be his strength in the future. He has taken the second rank for the succession of the throne, overtaking the second prince."
"Does the Duke know what his son is thinking?"
"Of course, however, he is neither helping nor stopping it. He is watching from behind. This invitation was sent in Matthew L. Leonine's name, right? It's proof that he's allowed it."
"Uh…master, why is this party so important?" At first, they had thought it was to alleviate the suspicions about Evan. Evan flicked Shine's forehead for interrupting again.
"You know that the nobility of the original dungeon city was not involved in the battles for kingship, right? That's why I was invited, not the successor, my brother Eric."
"Indeed."
"But if you think about it, even if I'm not the successor, I'm also a noble of the dungeon city. If he's inviting me, that means he is actively and aggressively gathering support."
"That's why you said it was a party you must go to…to understand the man named Matthew…"
"Yes, Lua. That is my second purpose in attending."
The fight for the throne had been organized over the generations in a way that didn't cause great bloodshed because there were countless other enemies for them to fight aside from humans. However, this time would be different
"Are you saying that this race for the throne will end in bloodshed?"
"Yes, perhaps." Matthew was the damn guy who caused infighting in the country when the Yo-ma Great War 3 was in full swing, making the situation even worse. Eventually, the country split in two, and that damage remained all the way to Yo-ma Great War 4. There was no way to stop it in the main story, and it probably wouldn't be different this time, but he decided to participate to see if he could at least try.
'No…in fact, it may be nothing more than a fan of the series wanting to watch the historic scene.
Evan smiled as he considered his own motives. That infighting was an event that couldn't be prevented in the game, but it could be easily cleared in the main scenario if you had strong heroes. Ultimately, all he cared about was protecting the dungeon city, so he didn't need to worry about it in the first place.
"So everyone needs to gather information and return safely. Practice moderation."
"Well, it'll be solved since you arrived."
"How wonderful, master."
"I'll follow your command."
"…Are you guys misunderstanding something?" Evan's eyes narrowed, but the party's attitude didn't change. He wanted them to quit being so annoying.
"Oh, and… the nobles."
"Do you want us to find out which of the nobles support him?"
"No, the arrangement will be noticeable without needing to recognize it. What I wanted to say is that there are quite a few aristocrats participating in this party who don't want to get involved." Evan pulled out photos of some of the nobles from their prepared materials and presented them to the group.
"These are the nobles you should be particularly careful to avoid. Just avoid them if it gets bothersome, and if it becomes an issue, call me over right away."
"I don't like how they look." Shine mumbled as he looked over the list.
"It's not a good thing to judge by appearance, but you're about 99.9% correct." The Yo-ma Great War series was famous for its matching roles with appearances and its story that had a complex world. If someone had an outstanding appearance, they usually had excellent abilities, and if someone seemed suspicious, they probably were. So, what about the remaining 0.1%? That was, of course, someone like Evan, whose beauty did not relate to ability.
"Arisha's status will protect her, but Lua and Shine, you need to be especially careful. If possible, don't leave my side."
"Okay, master."
"Why are you so worried?"
"Shine, you don't know how they'll act. You can kill the enemies you see in the dungeon, but nobles are different."
Nobles were generally good with words and, at the very least, had wealth and power from birth. But, even then, there were plenty of them that were ignorant or just plain rude.
"Well, this place is out of the reach of my family. There may be some who underestimate or bother you. It is best to avoid them if possible, but if you don't want to, you can use your strength. I'll figure it out after."
"Thank you for your concern, master."
Although she said that, Belois felt anxious as well, although it was pointless since she had no intention of leaving Evan's side. Rather, she was worried about Arisha, who would also remain by Evan's side.
She secretly exchanged looks with Arisha. They had different positions but held the same determination to protect Evan