Chapter 78

It was ten days after the Coming of Age Ceremony where the Mantis Festival took place.

The emperor declared a redo of the party. According to the investigation by Mr. and Mrs. Odin, they decided to sell off most of the acquired treasures, use the money to redo the party within the capital. It was quite generous. Probably, it was also to maintain the emperor's prestige. Well, the cost of the chariots and such would likely come from the national budget, so there might be some number magic involved.

Mr. Odin, who was in my room, informed me that with a significant amount of gold and silver coins circulating, they could be mixed in and sold off. He was munching on gold coin chips, and Miss Fligg was sulking, regretting that she had done something unnecessary. "Miss Fligg, those gold coins are worth 80,000 yen each, right? You didn't plan to sell them from the beginning, did you?"

Due to the party redo, the officials were in a death march. Even if it was only within the capital, coordinating it was something even a layman like me could understand. They would need a large amount of ingredients again, and it seemed a mini-boom had arrived.

There were injuries from the stampede, but no deaths. Officially, that was the case. People were terrified by the stampede, but they praised the excellent response of the military and the samurai guild. After that, the emperor's declaration to redo the party made people think, "Indeed, the emperor is great," and his approval rating soared. The story had taken a slightly different turn from the original.

As for the filial piety girl, Takano Miharu, she was inside the imperial city. It was probably a party hall. A dazzling hall. How much money must have been spent?

Many people were in the hall, and among them, I was wearing a hastily made dress, a bit pouting with my cheeks puffed up, wishing I could have worn my favorite dress.

"Then, we will begin the commendation for those who prevented the Scissors Mantis stampede! First, the captain of the Imperial Capital Defense Force, Iron Spider Battalion..."

At the back of the hall, there was a staircase, and beyond it, a tatami room. It was a completely out-of-place Japanese-style room on the smooth floor of the party venue.

The emperor rested his elbow on the armrest, holding a fan in his hand. With a charismatic and stern face, he sat cross-legged on a cushion, exuding the air of a Japanese lord. It was a fusion of Japanese and Western styles. I remember from my trivia that in the past, tatami was expensive, and only a few sheets were laid on a wooden floor, and only the most important lords could sit on them. This was probably a remnant of that.

The tank battalion members, 16 in total, were kneeling and bowing on the tatami. How did they know where the top of the stairs was? It was projected on the hologram in the venue. All the nobles and commoners must have been watching this. It was the biggest event recently.

"I, the Saku family, have served the Oda family for 500 years..."

The overweight captain, coughing and showing his nervousness, was proudly telling a grand story. Was he going to start from the Big Bang?

The reward was 100 gold plates per person. The glittering gold plates were placed on trays and handed to the captains. I heard someone say that each plate was worth 100,000 yen, so it was a 10 million yen reward. They were also awarded some kind of medal.

Giving gold rewards to soldiers, that's what an imperial system is all about. In my previous life, soldiers would have found it difficult to get promotions or rewards even if they worked hard.

Everyone cheered and clapped, so I clapped with my small hands. I wanted to eat, so I hoped it would end soon.

The overweight man's speech was long, and when he started talking about his ancestors conquering Ishiyama Hongan-ji, the emperor threw his fan at him, ending it. Nice emperor.

The comical man bowed deeply and left, and the soldiers retreated with a wry smile. Then, the holy girl came in, quietly ascending the stairs.

A silver-haired, red-eyed beauty. The author must have created her as the most popular character. I like silver-haired characters too.

The gentle and kind-looking Saint Nana climbed the stairs and sat on the tatami. She was wearing a luxurious and extravagant kimono, probably enchanted. Her movements were smooth, and the patterns of birds looked like they could come to life.

"Next, for saving many people and defeating the King Mantis, who was the center of the enemy, with the help of others, we move to the commendation for the Holy Maiden, Seina Takano!"

When the announcer declared this through the microphone, more people cheered than for the overweight man. Poor overweight man. He couldn't compete with a beautiful girl.

"Saint Nana!"

"Our holy maiden!"

"Long live Saint Nana!"

Everyone was moved, and I clapped along with them.

"Thank you, Saint Nana! For saving us!"

It was touching. Saint Nana had apparently cast healing magic on many people and defeated the King Mantis with the help of the samurai guild. She was the heroine of the original, and she was doing a great job.

I got excited and waved my hands like an idol. "Kyaa, Seina-sama!"

"Um... Mii-sama?"

"What is it, Yami-chan?"

Bouncing and cheering for the idol-like Seina, I turned to Yami, who was standing next to me, looking hesitant.

"Um... No, it's nothing..."

"?"

She didn't seem like she was going to tell me, so I just tilted my head and smiled.

So, it was decided that Seina had defeated the King Mantis.

The emperor couldn't publicly announce that 'Loki' had defeated the King Mantis just for fun. After all, 'Loki' was the prime suspect in the liberation of the 'Hidden Temple' and the Scissors Mantis stampede. So, they decided to cover it up, as it would have been a disaster to reveal that 'Loki' had defeated the King Mantis.

Fortunately, people believed it was Seina, and only a few people, including Yami, the daughter of the loyal samurai guild leader, knew it was 'Loki.' It was easy to impose a gag order.

So, Seina was now the person of the hour. She was being broadcast on TV and radio every day, and there were rumors of a movie adaptation. She was being praised as a miraculous holy maiden who convinced her guards to go to the battlefield to save the commoners.

Seina, taking all the credit for what I did, waved at the magic camera with a smile, holding up the reward medal, beaming. She showed no sign of guilt.

Being a royal, she was working hard to gain popularity. I was fully supporting her, as I was aware that my contributions were significant. Honestly, I felt bad for pushing it on her. The pressure of such achievements must be overwhelming, and I felt sorry for her. It would be tough for Seina from now on.

"Mii-chan, let's go."

Miharu's father called out to her, his voice tense. He held Miharu's small hand, and she responded with an innocent smile. Her mother also held her hand, making Miharu very happy.

I knew what was going to happen next. Despite feeling regret, I pretended not to know to reassure my parents. I was being the innocent and cute Mii-chan.

My parents swallowed hard, and our family climbed the stairs. My uncle, Arashi, and my grandfather, Kaze, were also climbing the stairs next to us.

Arashi glared at us with hatred, but it was his own fault. I wanted to glare back.

Grandfather Kaze had a complicated look on his face, unsure whether to be happy or regretful.

"The commendation is over."

The emperor raised his hand to stop the cameras. The hologram disappeared, so it seemed he didn't intend to make an example of us. I was relieved that no one would see. The emperor's voice still echoed in the hall, probably intended for the high nobles.

"There is something to confirm."

"Hehe~"

I sat down and bowed. "O-daikan-sama~"

"Haha!"

The others just bowed slightly.

"Mii-chan, it's too early to bow."

Mother poked me and whispered. "Oh, is it?"

"Hehe. It's fine. It's what children do."

Laughing, the emperor seemed to indicate that I didn't need to bow. The emperor, a stern-looking middle-aged man, exuded the air of a charismatic and authoritative king.

He was said to look like Oda Nobunaga, the ancestor of the Takano family. Seina, with high-level control over all attributes except the omnipotent one, was called a sword saint for her sword skills.

In the original, he never fought, so it was hard to gauge his strength. There was no event in the game where you fought the emperor, so it was unclear how strong he was. But from his appearance, he seemed strong. The game mentioned he used a light-speed sword, but who knows. As the emperor, he probably didn't have many opportunities to fight.

"Prime Minister."

With just one word, the announcer stood at attention and spoke. The announcer was actually the prime minister.

"Hai! Takano Arashi. You used dangerous magic at the emperor's party, which could have caused casualties. Do you have any objections?"

"The magic was completely under control and adjusted to affect only this little girl. There was no danger to the surroundings!"

The energetic alien answered confidently. The prime minister was surprised and stared at the alien. Grandfather Kaze had a distant look, and Father was speechless. I understood. This guy was a crew member of the Mars ship.

"So, by answering here, you are asking for protection for this person. It's impossible for the weak and foolish Yoshirei to protect her."

The alien puffed out his chest. The prime minister looked at Grandfather Kaze with disbelief, wondering if this was really his biological child. He almost said, "Is this 'Loki' in disguise?"

"I see, it's impossible for the weak Yoshirei. So, you caused that commotion?"

"Hai! I showed my lack of judgment!"

"I understand. Then, I will pass judgment."

The emperor looked at Grandfather Kaze with pity. To be pitied by the emperor...

"Then, Takano Miharu shall have power. For using dangerous magic at my party, as punishment, Arashi shall be a commoner and ordered to conquer dungeons. He shall not call himself a member of the Takano Viscount family!"

"What!"

The alien was moved by the lenient judgment but the next part was the problem.

"Kaze. You shall retire. The head of the family shall be Takano Miharu. To assist the young head, Takano Yoshirei shall act as the head until she is 20!"

With a sharp, authoritative gaze, the emperor declared it, cutting through the air. It wasn't surprising. I had already heard about it... Ugh.

It seemed the Takano family would become a viscount family. Why was Mii-chan the head?