Chapter 47

Having triumphantly won the bet with King Gris, we returned to Vesteria Castle and were to have a meeting with His Majesty.

Currently, King Gris sits on his throne with a solemn expression. Claude, who received treatment in the castle's medical room, is bandaged in several places. Only the four of us—Claude, Rea, and I—are gathered here.

Then, Rea, who had been looking at me with concern, finally spoke up.

"Hey, Allen. Are you really okay? Your body...?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't feel any pain, so I think I'm okay."

Upon arriving at Vesteria Castle, Claude and I were immediately taken to the medical room.

She had suffered from the final explosion, with bruises and lacerations all over her body, and was instructed to rest for a week.

On the other hand, I didn't have a single scratch on my body, and was released without any treatment.

(I thought I had a few injuries at the beginning...)

But in reality, there wasn't a single mark on my body.

(Hmm... Sometimes, strange things do happen...)

While I was thinking about this,

"..."

"..."

Neither the King nor Claude said a word. The throne room was silent, filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Since it wouldn't do to remain silent forever, I decided to start the conversation.

"King Gris. As I mentioned yesterday, there was a major misunderstanding—"

"Enough, don't finish that sentence."

He cut me off, just as he always does, refusing to listen to anyone.

"Hey, Dad! Listen to Allen properly! And what about that 'ridiculous sword'? I want a proper explanation!"

Rea, venting her pent-up frustration, bombarded him with questions.

"That, that is... Well..."

"What?"

Under Rea's icy gaze,

"Ahem. Allen Roder, listen here."

He deflected the question to me to avoid her pursuit.

"What is it?"

I couldn't ignore the King's call.

When I responded,

"Don't use Allen just when it's convenient, Dad."

Rea, with a vein popping on her forehead, questioned the King in a calm tone.

"Rea, it's okay. I'm not bothered, so calm down..."

"If Allen says so, I'll be quiet... But Allen is always too kind..."

She grumbled but eventually calmed down.

Then,

"I'll acknowledge it."

The King closed his eyes and quietly muttered.

"Your relationship with Rea... I, I'll acknowledge your romantic relationship..."

"..."

"..."

Rea and I looked at each other in surprise. If we heard correctly, he said 'romantic relationship' and not 'master-servant relationship.'

"Grr... How many times do I have to say it! I'm acknowledging your romantic relationship...!"

He stood up, agitated, and glared at me.

"Thank you, sir..."

"Thanks, Dad."

We expressed our gratitude and then looked at Claude.

Noticing our gaze, she turned her head away.

(Claude...)

It seems she had omitted the word 'slave' when reporting to the King and instead presented it as a romantic relationship.

(But, thinking about it... This man got so angry just because his daughter has a boyfriend...)

Isn't he a bit overprotective...?

That thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it as hasty.

(I'm still a student; I can't understand the feelings of a father with a daughter...)

It's too early to label the King as 'overprotective.'

As I was thinking this,

"But! I'm not acknowledging everything! I'm only acknowledging a clean and proper relationship! Absolutely, absolutely not a physical one!"

The King said something outrageous.

"Of course not!"

"Hey, Dad! What are you shouting about!?"

Rea and I, blushing, shouted in unison.

"Very well. But, Allen Roder, remember this: I haven't acknowledged you, nor have I accepted Rea having a boyfriend!"

The King continued.

"Of course, I intend to send you back to Senren Academy tomorrow! —Claude!"

"Yes! The special aircraft is ready for immediate departure!"

"Good job."

Satisfied with Claude's response, the King nodded deeply. It seems I'll be sent back to Senren Academy tomorrow morning.

(...I'm on summer break, right?)

These past few days have felt like I've been flying around the world non-stop.

(If I'm not mistaken... No, I can confidently say this)

I'm having a much harder time than when I was normally attending the academy.

(Ah... I wish summer break would end soon...)

Thinking the opposite of what a normal student would, Rea and I left the throne room together.

■

After Allen and Rea left, Gris sighed deeply in the now quiet throne room.

"Damn, I should have prepared a more direct 'setup'... Remember this, Allen Roder... Next time, I'll use explosives, not just a strong drug..."

Seething with anger towards Allen, he slammed his fist on the throne.

Seeing his agitated state, Claude spoke up, her voice strained.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. As the captain of Rea's personal guard, I have failed. I am prepared to accept any punishment."

Seeing Claude bow her head humbly, Gris asked a question that had been bothering him.

"Claude, what exactly happened? From my perspective, it looked like you made a mistake and self-destructed."

He questioned why Claude, who had been in an advantageous position, suddenly detonated the <Army of Inorganic>.

"Claude, it may sound like an excuse, but... that decision was undoubtedly the right one."

"Hmm... Continue."

"If I had made a mistake and attacked Allen Roder there... I would have been—no, I would definitely have been killed."

Gris was taken aback by her unexpected statement.

"What do you mean? Explain clearly!"

"Yes! When my sword was about to cut him, his spirit core, which I hadn't sensed at all during the match, briefly surfaced. A man with white hair and a fearsome face—just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. That—Allen Roder's spirit core is a genuine monster..."

Her earnest voice echoed loudly in the throne room.

"Hmm... A spirit core that makes you say that... Tell me, what is its rank?"

Asked this, Claude hesitated but finally spoke.

"From what I can tell, it is at least on par with Rea's original Dragon King."

"Is that in its current sealed state? Or in its awakened state?"

"Awakened state."

Unable to contain himself, Gris stood up and raised his voice.

"Impossible! Such a powerful spirit core in a mere boy...? Claude, are you mistaken!?"

"Your Majesty... It is at least on par with the original Dragon King. It might even surpass it."

"! ...Is this not a joke or a lie!?"

"Yes..."

Seeing Claude's serious expression, Gris understood that her words were true.

"Such a thing... I can't believe it..."

Muttering to himself, Gris sank deeply into his throne.

"By the way, wasn't it Reia who leaked the information about Allen and Rea's relationship?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Gris placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought.

"I see... That girl had a plan...!"

"?"

Claude, not understanding his meaning, tilted her head in confusion.

"She deliberately leaked the information to lure me in and drive a wedge with Allen Roder! What a nasty move... She seems harmless but is truly insidious..."

Gris, speaking with disgust, clenched his teeth.

(Damn, how much does she know...! If I play my cards right, can I bring Allen Roder to my side? Or is he already a puppet of Reia? In any case, I need to accelerate my plans...)

"Anyway, since they have a card on par with the original Dragon King, we need to strengthen our national defense!"

"You are correct."

"What about the mission given to the Royal Guard Knights?"

"Yes! According to the latest report, the spirit crystal pill manufacturing plant discovered within Vesteria has been destroyed!"

"What about the black organization, the masterminds?"

"Unfortunately, it seems they had already fled... The large quantity of spirit crystal pills that were supposed to have been manufactured and the whereabouts of the black organization are completely unknown."

"Damn, they're quick on their feet..."

Gris, spitting out a curse, quickly switched his thoughts and issued the next order.

"Very well. Have two—no, three of them return to Vesteria Castle, and have the rest continue to pursue the black organization."

"Yes, I understand!"

Claude, receiving Gris's command, immediately took action.

Alone in the vast throne room, Gris rubbed his impressive beard, deep in thought.

"A spirit core on par with the original Dragon King... Allen Roder, could he be...? No, I'm overthinking this..."

■

After the meeting with King Gris, I finally let out a sigh of relief as we left the throne room.

"Phew, that was a relief... I should thank Claude."

If she had reported the master-servant relationship as it was, it would have likely led to a more complicated situation.

However,

"Hmm, she was spreading rumors to Dad... I can't thank her sincerely..."

Rea, not entirely convinced, crossed her arms and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Hehe, you're tough."

"As I said before, Allen is a bit too kind... But that's also a good thing."

While talking about this, we left the castle.

Then,

"Hey... Allen. Dad thinks we're... lovers, right...?"

Rea, looking somewhat hesitant, asked for confirmation.

"From what he said, it seems so."

"In that case, shouldn't we do something... 'lover-like' to avoid suspicion?"

"Ah, that's a good point."

I nodded, and at that moment,

"Right!?"

For some reason, she said it with a bit of urgency.

"Ah, yeah... But, what kind of 'lover-like' things...?"

I've never had a girlfriend before, and to be honest, I didn't have any friends of my age until I entered Senren Academy.

"Actually, I have a good idea... Will you listen?"

"Sure, I'd like to hear it."

She took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Um... How about... a date...?"

Rea, blushing, said it with a shy smile.