"The guests have almost arrived..."
Under the dark evening sky, countless magical lights eventually illuminated the surroundings beyond the original location where Eris Greyrat's ten-year ceremony was taking place. Beyond the gates, there was a settlement where the attendants who came with the guests stayed, all of them eating and resting.
All these people would have to wait long enough until the ceremony was over.
"I've never seen so many people in Fittoa before, they are certainly all old acquaintances..."
"Simple humans are like that," said Gilgamesh as he looked at all the people gathered below.
Gilgamesh and Sauros left the balcony and walked towards the stands leading to the main hall. The giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminated the surroundings enough. They were in an elevated part of the hall, waiting for all the guests to enter, so Sauros, with his strong character and thundering voice, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this place. I am Sauros, the grandfather of my dear granddaughter. This time, we are here to celebrate her ten years. I must say that I am happy to have reached this age and to be able to celebrate her birthday. But there is something else I want to say, Prince Gilgamesh, who stands beside me, is officially the fiancé of my daughter Eris Greyrat, so I hope for your blessings."
When everyone received this news, there was a cold silence, but because of how experienced the nobles were, they started applauding one by one.
Applause and cheers erupted like a formal banquet.
However, everyone knew that this banquet was more peculiar than they were used to. In this ceremony, in addition to celebrating Eris's birthday, her engagement to Gilgamesh would be celebrated, so greetings would be brief, and Eris, as the host, would not receive gifts.
"As you all know from the invitation, there are only two very simple rules. First, if a fight breaks out, the knights in the vicinity will escort the parties involved to the duel arena right in front of us. Second, the challenger must accept defeat, and the victor must show mercy. Do not forget that this is a ceremony."
The nobles secretly called this ceremony one made by the Red Prince. It was normal for there to be bloodshed here, after all, it wouldn't be considered normal considering Gilgamesh's history.
Many influential people had gathered in this place, and each of them was shocked to learn that Eris Greyrat, the girl with no noble blood, would marry the bloodthirsty Gilgamesh Asura, the prince who could very well take the throne through force and a path filled with blood.
Everyone obviously came only to observe the situation from a distance; none were so foolish as to challenge someone as simple nobles. Perhaps that was the message Prince Gilgamesh wanted to send, telling everyone that they were nobody; the strength in the blood of the nobles should be strong and lead through power, but very few understood that message.
The only rule in this place was not to kill and to accept duels.
Some found it a pity not to be able to kill their enemies if a situation like this arose, but it was still satisfying for the winner to trample their enemies in front of influential faces. The loser had to admit that they were weaker and inferior, which was very satisfying for those who dared to challenge someone.
When this was announced, Gilgamesh looked at Rudeus, sitting at a table next to Ghislaine, who was drinking and looking around. He had only seen Rudeus's past since, upon learning that he was a reincarnate, he wanted to find out without any ability to see the future what this young boy would do.
When the speech ended, Gilgamesh planned to head directly to where Eris was, as if he had little or no consideration for the people around him.
He was the future King of this kingdom, so he should not seek the approval of the people gathered here.
What others had to do was make an effort to come and speak with him.
Gilgamesh took a glass of wine from a tray carried by one of the working servants. This wine was the finest in the Kingdom, but he didn't quite like the taste.
"Haha, I must congratulate you on this engagement, Prince Gilgamesh."
The first to approach him in an attempt to get to Eris's table was a young man no taller than him.
"I accept your congratulations as a blessing for my engagement to flourish." When Gilgamesh received the congratulations, his indifferent eyes told this young man to leave his sight if he had nothing more to say.
"Then, I'll take my leave, Prince Gilgamesh," said the young man awkwardly as he moved away from his side.
Creating a connection, friendship, or any kind of relationship is important for nobles. They try to send their children as if they were relevant, but in Gilgamesh's eyes, they don't deserve even a few minutes of his attention. Not only were they trash, but their etiquette and behavior were the worst scum that could be found in this place.
Of course, Gilgamesh sensed the unease of this young man, so he wanted nothing more than to get rid of him. After those brief greetings, he walked to the table where Eris was and sat down next to her.
"I must say, you look beautiful in that dress. Are you wearing your combat attire underneath?" Gilgamesh asked as he looked ahead where Eris's parents were talking to some curious nobles.
If you don't have the character to be near the prince, it's better to go with the future in-laws. So weak that they don't even deserve Gilgamesh's attention.
"Of course, I'm prepared," Eris said with a happy smile on her face.
"What do you think the faces of all these people will be like when they find out about the main event?" Gilgamesh asked as he drank wine.
"We'll have to find out. This new method has never been implemented at a banquet before. Who's peculiar enough to have conflicts while celebrating something?" Eris was very comfortable because she didn't have to dance; she knew her potential lay in the sword, and that was the only thing she excelled in.
Just as they were about to get up and walk, Rudeus appeared in front of them and bowed with a noble salute and a calm demeanor.
"I wish you both a happy future. If your desire is to be together, fate will smile upon you both," said Rudeus, offering his congratulations on Gilgamesh's official engagement to Eris.