56. Royal Audience

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The carriage ride was surprisingly comfortable considering the speed at which we traversed. Granted, the distribution of force that a vehicle's suspension is capable of is a constant source of inquiry and experimentation with a steady supply of investment. So a royal carriage being provided with the most comfortable technology available is no surprise, especially when the royal in question has the legendary senses of a dragon.

No matter how well distributed the force is, motion sickness was inevitable even for the legendary Moon Dragon Goddess who urged me to take the journey in the first place. I spared myself no small amount of joy at Selene's expense and I tried to hide my smile behind a cup of tea at her envious glare.

"When are you finally going to let me help you get used to motion sickness?"

"No amount of torture can convince me to go through anything you think is a good idea," she scoffed with a smile.

"Four hundred years and you still think my training is 'hellish', huh?" I mused.

"Kurnugi was the only person who ever thought otherwise, and our son left to be a nomad more reclusive than any other dragon in history pursuing 'the Way of the Sword Saint'. It's been nearly half a century since he last showed his face. Pretty sure the boy is hiding from you," the blonde chided. "What I think is more insane is your insistence on using human devices when you can't derive any satisfaction from it. I love them just as much as you, dear, but you and I both know that no matter how much tea you drink there will never be any flavour."

"That may be so, but I do owe the Heartfilia Konzern for lending me the Zodiac keys and being unable to return more than Cancer and Aquarius to their possession. What better endorsement for their investments can exist, hmm? Besides, the seats are still quite comfy."

"I could've just teleported us…"

"Oh, hush. At least we're almost there."

The raucous noise of the excited crowds quietly thrummed through the carriage's walls as we the caravan entered Fiore's capital city. I couldn't help but share in Crocus' ever-energetic markets' anticipation, diverting my excitement through my tapping foot. Though a bemused voice did manage to divert my attention if only a little.

"It's only been a few days since your last shopping spree, Alectsa. The markets can't survive this much inflation…"

"Fiore has been in a cold war with Zeref and the 'Bitch Queen' for a few months now. Even if Toma never acquiesces to my proposals, Fiore is still in my territory and alleviating the stress put on the economy by the shift towards military funding is a small part I can play in their efforts to defend it."

"Ever the doting mother," she snarked. "She would be offended if she ever found out what you did to her kingdom."

I mirrored her toothy expression with one of my own.

The crowd's cheers were soon drowned out by the sound of heralds' horns as we approached the palace. The caravan drew to a stop and my partner dashed out of the door as soon as it opened even a smidge causing my lips to quirk. The door opened further to reveal my violet-skinned elfin lady's maid who gently held her hand out for mine.

"Thank you, Elarra," I responded as I let her help me out of the carriage.

"It is my pleasure, Your Serene Majesty," she rotely replied which caused me to roll my eyes. Even after four hundred years, the dark elf refuses to drop pretences in public.

I turned to my left to find that Selene had recomposed herself, her face a mask of such perfect poise and seductive confidence that one would never be able to tell that she had just dry-heaved into the bushes.

『So, are you going to tell me why you demanded me to come to Fiore so early into the year?』

『I found her~』Her voice sang into my mind just as mine did to hers.

『Who?』

『You.』

My spine straightened and my heartbeat accelerated.

『How old was she?』

Sensing the urgency in my voice, the playful tone left hers. 『Early adolescence. Fourteen at the oldest.』

『Was I that young when everything started…?』

Her hand brushed itself against my elbow, a small but gentle anchor to keep me grounded. 『Still no luck with your memories?』

『No. What I've told you is all I've ever remembered of the modern age.』

『Your name. Music. Loss. An adult man named Siegraine with blue hair. A swordswoman. Water. A dragon slayer. A deathmatch. A yawning black hole. And Zeref.』

『Mmh. Maybe this Siegraine plays a role in my future.』

At times it felt agonizing how little I could recall what I was in my past knowing full well they were events set in the future, just a string of events with no coherent thread between them, and now that they were potentially memories of the present a sense of urgency was pressing down on me to understand what they were.

But, if four centuries of governance have taught me one thing, it's that worrying solely about the future is dangerous and that I should also focus on the present.

My hands clapping together brought the attention of all of the servants present. In unison, they all sorted themselves into teams with beaming expressions. A routine they were all familiar with, and I couldn't rightly blame them. I was also itching to join them.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! You all know the drill. Each and every one of you has a spending limit of 100 billion J. Invest it in yourselves, your loved ones, or your countries' economies. But before we leave you better damn well spend every single jewel in your possession!"

"""YES, MA'AM!"""

"Good! Now let's hurry up and make ourselves comfortable so we can implode this economy!"

—

Wrapping myself around Selene's arm, a little group of handmaids and ourselves were escorted through the Flower Light Palace's hallways towards the throne room. The chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron was our sole escort and some of the maids couldn't help but openly fawn over the stoic man in an attempt to crack his demeanour.

Mercurius, deserving of its title as one of the ten most beautiful pieces of architecture in the whole Ishgaran Peninsula, was easily the kingdom's centrepiece as it stood proudly over the rest of the city and valley, eclipsing even the Domas Flau colosseum in terms of architectural prominence.

White marble halls that shone due to the efforts of the staff, adorned with various colourful flora expertly manicured by the palace gardeners and large windows that allowed for plenty of natural light to feed the bodies and souls of flowers and humans alike.

It was perfect. A monument to four hundred years of tradition.

Yet only a select few know that Crocus overlays a scar left behind by the Dragon King Festival.

Our group was led to a set of prominent doors where a young page spoke a few words with our guide before heading through the doors ahead of us. The chief of the guard turned towards me and Selene with a bow, "I hope your stay here is a pleasant one, Your Majesties."

"Are you not meant to attend to King Toma, Arcadios?" the Dragon Goddess asked.

The chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron rose from his bow, unperturbed by her lack of proper referral towards his liege. "I do, but a new batch of recruits needs to be browbeaten before they do something incorrigible towards your servants."

"A faux pas is nothing to worry about. Nothing will happen and our staff are plenty capable of defending themselves."

"A faux pas even being a possibility is something that needs to be corrected from them while they're fresh-faced and malleable. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The brunette knight tried to worm his way through the gaggle of dark elves and humans who all wore coquettish smiles on their faces as they whispered sweet temptations in his ears.

"You ever seen what a proper dancer can do with her body?"

"My great grand-niece is a knight, too. Think you can tame her for me?"

"Why don't you let me take that armour off of you, big boy?"

"I've been looking to settle down for a while now, handsome."

"If you were a triangle you would have been an acute one."

I couldn't help but chuckle as his footsteps hurried with each pass at him, only for him to jump as Elarra opted to just smack his ass instead of saying anything.

After the page's announcement finished the two guards opened the door for us and our entourage. On the opposite end of the opulent throne room King Toma E. Fiore sat upon his throne, and his daughter, Hisui E. Fiore, who was almost as big as he was small, sat upon his lap with a giddy energy lacing her entire body. To their right were the usual members of the Magic Council, including the rumoured prodigy with a shared name as the man from my memories. To their left were high-standing members of the palace staff and Royal Army, including the equally short Minister of Defense, Darton, who originally was a citizen of Minstrel.

"A pleasure as always, King Toma," I said with a smile.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesties. Though, I do wish you had sent word of your arrival sooner than you did. The markets and armies are by no means prepared for your arrival."

"Why, that's part of the fun, no? Consider this a stress test, if you wish."

"If I may ask, Your Majesties," spoke Chairman Crawford Seam, "Everyone here is curious as to the reason for your arrival. Your visits usually coincide with the arrival of Spring and it's still only late January. Not to mention your request to have Mr Fernandez here to act as an escort, which in particular has piqued the interest of the Magic Council."

Fortunately, I had rather good reasons for coming separate from my wife saying that she wanted to pull me somewhere for a while. "Rumours of a cult attacking a train carrying enough Etherion to wipe out a small country have made their way across the sea. I'm here to see if such a thing was true and to personally oversee the pursuit of the stolen materials."

Everyone in the court, even the young princess, shrank into themselves. Their silence spoke volumes, and I unconsciously started to leak magic pressure into the room. Third Seat Chairman Michello, a small, middle-aged man with feline body modifications was the one to break the silence that grew to choke the air. "While the rumours are true that there was an attack, we foresaw the security needs ahead of time and hired several S-class wizards to reinforce the cargo. This included Karen Lilica, a Celestial Wizard who owns the Aries and Leo Zodiac Keys, and the former pirate queen Lyubov of Phantom Lord. Nothing was stolen and the known assailant was apprehended and is undergoing questioning. We intended on making a public statement later in the week, Your Majesty."

I stared the man and the others down, looking for any sign of him lying or withholding information. Surprisingly, he didn't waver in the slightest.

『What do think?』

『They don't strike me as suicidal.』

I cast my gaze around at the others before finally relenting the pressure. "How long ago was the incident?"

"Almost two weeks ago."

"Did you send a dossier explaining the potential threat to the other sovereigns yet?"

"The messengers left two days ago with all relevant information that we know of."

"Good. Though expediency of an event of this magnitude should be pressured no matter how little information you have. Just the knowledge that someone is trying to steal Etherion is an international security risk, or has the relay network been forgotten about entirely?"

"Unfortunately we've had to localize a majority of our agents from the relay network to reinforce our internal network due to the focus on arming ourselves against the Alvarez threat," answered the king.

"Hmm, I see," I murmured. "Interfering in your matters is something I don't wholly plan to do as a matter of respect, as while it's within my territory I have assigned the region to the Hisui lineage's rule. How you govern it is up to you. But make no mistake, if I see something that needs correction, no matter how vehemently you reject my will you will understand that I am, by all function, your suzerain and that incompetency will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty…"

"Don't look sullen, Toma. You're a king and a father, your head must be held high while you lead your people to prosperity. I know you can do it, just as your forefathers did before you," seeing him nod and follow my instructions with the determined glint in his eye that all of his family have, I smiled. Clapping my hands to dismiss the dark atmosphere, I turned towards Siegrain. "As for the second question, it's because I wish to see the next generation of the magic world. Just as I've done in the past with the likes of Mavis Vermillion, Precht Gaebolg, and Gildarts Clive. Surely none of you are old enough to forget the latter?"

"I tried to tell them, Your Majesty," Councilman Yajima spoke up, "but stubborn old fools are fools all the same."

"Like you're any better, shorty," Councilwoman Belno said as she slapped him on the back.

"Oh! Why you-!"

"Ahem." Everyone's attention was brought to King Toma as he coughed into his fist. "Now that the more pressing questions on everyone's minds have been answered, why don't we break and reunite at dinner, everyone?"

I smiled and nodded. "That sounds exemplary, Your Majesty."

『No matter what, the way to appease you will always be the prospect of a meal, huh?』

『Shut it.』

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