Chapter 227
As noon approached, the arena filled with people.
Emperor Johannes, watching from the special box at the highest point, sighed as the dignitaries continued to arrive late.
"Who has come as a guest?"
"The guests from the Grand Duchies of Albatross and Rondine, and a guest from the Socal Empire."
"The United Kingdom and the Domain are absent...?"
"Yes. Both were made to remain in their rooms as persons of interest when Lady Leticia was kidnapped, but apparently they were displeased with how the situation was handled. In other words, they did not like being suspected of being the culprits."
"Hmph. Considering our relationship with the Kingdom, they were naturally going to be suspected..."
Johannes said that, then brought up the remaining guests.
"Wendy-dono and the Saint-dono cannot be helped, but what happened to the Fairy Princess-dono?"
Wendy, a guest from the Elven village, was in a room at the castle.
Her movements had been restricted, putting her in a state close to house arrest, but considering the seriousness of the incident she had been involved in, it could be called a lenient measure.
And Saint Leticia had been kidnapped, so she was not currently in the Imperial Capital.
It was only natural for those two to be absent from this gathering.
However, Fairy Princess Orihime was different.
"We have no report yet, but she did overexert herself restoring the barrier in the throne room..."
"I told you that could wait."
"That would not do."
"What will you do if Fairy Princess-dono says she is too tired to come? People will already find it suspicious that Saint Leticia is absent. If they learn that Fairy Princess-dono is absent too, the citizens will grow uneasy."
"Even so, restoring the barrier was our top priority. Besides, once the martial arts tournament begins, the citizens' anxiety will be kept to a minimum."
Despite one problem after another arising, they had chosen not to cancel the tournament so as not to make the citizens uneasy.
That had been the result of deliberations among the senior ministers.
It was also significant that Erik, the Foreign Minister, had secured a pledge from the Socal Empire's guest that the Socal Empire would not invade the Empire.
If the Socal Empire was uninvolved in this incident, then the Kingdom, the United Kingdom, and the Domain would be their opponents.
Since that was a situation they had anticipated, there was no need to panic.
Johannes had that much confidence in the Imperial Border Guard, and its ranks were filled with elite soldiers possessing the strength to justify it.
"That may be true, but..."
Johannes sighed at Franz's argument.
For Johannes, this martial arts tournament was a major event intended to conclude the celebrations for the twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession.
Recently, it had also served as an event to make the citizens forget the several problems that had occurred in the Empire.
That was why he had invited well-known guests from foreign countries.
If they failed to show their faces here, people would wonder what the point of inviting them had been.
As Johannes was thinking that, the citizens suddenly erupted in cheers.
"What is it?"
"It seems Fairy Princess-sama has arrived."
Sure enough, Orihime was entering the arena conspicuously, making sure the citizens could see her.
Waving to the citizens, Orihime approached Johannes with a smile.
"You have graced us with your presence, Fairy Princess-dono."
"Indeed, I am quite exhausted, Your Majesty. I was up all night, after all."
"I apologize for the trouble. You have my gratitude."
"I will accept plenty of thanks once everything is over. For now, give me special treatment. That should help conceal the Saint's absence, at least a little."
Saying that, Orihime pointed to the seat beside the Emperor.
Normally, the room only had chairs prepared for the Emperor and Empress.
Orihime was telling them to put one in there.
Her aim was to show the citizens that the Fairy Princess was close to the Emperor. If there was something conspicuous to draw their attention, no one would worry about those who were absent.
"I see. My thanks once again. Franz, have a chair prepared."
"Yes, Your Majesty. As you command."
A luxurious chair was prepared beside Johannes, and Orihime took her seat and tested its comfort.
"Yes, it is nice and soft! And the view is excellent. It is the best seat!"
Saying that, Orihime looked around.
Then she noticed something.
"Hmm? The commander of the Imperial Guard, who is always by Your Majesty's side, does not seem to be here."
"I have put Alida in charge of the castle. Franz arranged it that way. I have left the handling of today's affairs entirely to Franz."
"I see. Does that have anything to do with having me urgently repair the barrier?"
"I apologize, but as this concerns security, I must withhold the details."
"I see. Then I suppose you will not tell me whether Your Majesty's guard has been weakened by the absence of the Imperial Guard commander, either?"
"I apologize."
"Sorry, Fairy Princess-dono. The Chancellor is not very flexible."
"Do not worry about it. The Chancellor seems to be a secretive man. It seems one could not serve as Imperial Chancellor without being that way."
"Thank you for your understanding. Changing the subject, Fairy Princess-sama, where is Prince Arnold?"
Al, who had been serving as Orihime's attendant, was nowhere to be seen.
Franz looked around among the other guests, but he saw no sign of him there either.
"Arnold? I left him at the castle."
"Left him? Has that foolish son of mine done something?"
"Arnold has done well. He has entertained me greatly. That is why I left him behind. I intended to sit beside His Majesty from the beginning, you see. If I did that, Arnold would have nowhere to go. I felt sorry for him."
"I see. Thank you for your consideration."
"The thanks should go to you. Arnold was very considerate toward me. The other princes could not have done as well. I have taken a liking to Arnold. Thank you for assigning such a fine prince to attend on me."
Saying that, Orihime beamed.
Johannes looked slightly surprised by her assessment, but soon gave a quiet chuckle.
"Of course. He takes after me."
"Indeed. His capricious nature is exactly like yours."
Johannes glared at Franz when he heard that, but Franz let it roll off him without a care.
As they were having this conversation, the Empress, Brunhild, returned to the room after greeting the guests.
"Oh, Fairy Princess-sama."
"I am intruding, Your Majesty. I feel bad imposing on you, but please forgive my selfishness."
"What are you saying? Fairy Princess-sama is most welcome."
Saying that, Brunhild welcomed Orihime, though whether it was her true feeling was uncertain.
However, no one present cared about that.
Johannes prioritized Orihime's suggestion over Brunhild's feelings, and so did Franz. Orihime understood that, too, and therefore did not go out of her way to accommodate Brunhild.
Even Brunhild herself understood that, here, her own feelings came second.
That was what an empress was supposed to be, and if she did not behave that way, Johannes would ruthlessly push Brunhild even farther away.
The rift between them had grown even wider because of the Laurenz incident.
In the slightly tense room, Orihime heard the sound of a bell.
It was the bell announcing noon.
"Is it time? Then let us begin."
Johannes raised one hand while remaining seated.
That was the signal, and the knights standing in neat rows raised their horns and blew.
The sound of the horns echoed throughout the Imperial Capital.
When that was over, Johannes rose and declared loudly,
"From this moment on! I hereby declare the martial arts tournament open!!"
A tremendous cheer erupted after his declaration.
Listening to it, Orihime murmured softly,
"I pray for your success in battle... Arnold."
After that murmur, Orihime slowly honed her senses.
The foul odor had grown stronger than ever before.