The day after I made a black hole appear above the academy, I was called to the Royal Palace to have an audience with His Majesty, the king. Although the orb floating in the air yesterday had quickly disappeared, many people had witnessed it, causing a bit of a stir in the Royal Capital. Knights were dispatched to the Academy to investigate the situation. Naturally, I was questioned, but of course, I made sure to emphasize that Prince Edwin was responsible for the entire situation.
Along with the prince and the headmaster, other Academy teachers and students who watched it happen were questioned as well.
When I was called to the Royal Palace, I learned that the Academy uniform was on the same level as a military uniform, and I was able to appear as is for my audience with the king.
Not only is it comfortable, but I can wear it almost anywhere? This is great! From now on, I’m always gonna be in uniform.
The heavy doors to the audience chamber opened, and the knight who had guided me here prompted me to enter. The room was adorned with lavish furnishings and a red carpet, with a handsome, mature-looking man seated in the back. It was the king himself, and the queen was seated next to him. They were surrounded by people who looked to be prominent figures in this kingdom. I was knowledgeable about the principal aristocrats, but I couldn’t put any names to the faces in front of me.
Upon seeing me, they began to whisper among themselves.
My hair? Again? This is getting old.
However, the king and queen’s expressions were free of that sort of disgust—perhaps they were just good at hiding how they felt, but for now, it was reassuring. I stepped forward to the center of the audience chamber and bowed to the king and queen.
“Yumiella Dolkness, raise your head,” His Majesty called out. He refrained from continuing until I lifted my head up. “I am aware of what happened at the Academy. It seems that my son and the teachers at the Academy behaved rudely. You have my apologies, Lady Yumiella.”
Though it was just a small bow from the king, the audience hall echoed with gasps of shock, and I was just as surprised to be receiving an apology from the king himself.
“I-It’s all right. There’s no need for you to apologize, Your Majesty. I was the one who caused trouble for everyone by conducting myself abnormally, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”
The king responded to my panicked apology in a kind voice. “Lady Yumiella, please raise your head. There were a variety of methods that could have been used to confirm your level, such as a physical assessment or a simple display of magic. I find it unreasonable that they made accusations based on their one-sided assumptions. However, it is also true that many would find it hard to believe that a petite young lady such as yourself was level 99. Some of my vassals are suspicious of your level as well, which is why I would like for Adolphe to decide the truth. A decision from him should satisfy everyone.” As His Majesty spoke, a strapping man who appeared to be around the same age as the king stepped forward.
So you’re Adolphe, Commander of the Knight’s Order.
He was considered to be the strongest knight in the entire kingdom. If I remembered correctly, he was around level 60. To put that into perspective, the recommended level to take on the Demon Lord was around 60 to 70—he was definitely strong.
“In honor of your attainment of the highest level of human achievement, I will deliver a strike with my full strength.” Adolphe stood before me and unsheathed his sword, immediately swinging it sideways toward my throat.
Huh? We’re starting already?
I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for me to counterattack, but it felt wrong to use magic without permission in front of the king.
The king didn’t say I should fight, but he also didn’t tell me to block the attack. I guess I should just dodge it.
All of my thoughts took place within a split second, allowing me to evade the attack with a curtsy. The sword had barely missed the top of my head. I raised my head to prepare for the next attack, but Commander Adolphe had already sheathed his blade, looking slightly disappointed.
“Not even members of the Knight’s Order can handle that strike,” he confessed. “On top of that, it appears you even had time to think about how you would dodge the attack. There is no doubt that you are level 99.” It was only after Commander Adolphe finished speaking that the others realized he had even swung his sword, once again filling the chamber with whispers.
“I’m sorry about that, Lady Yumiella,” Adolphe apologized. He spoke quietly, so only I could hear. “As a knight, I’m ashamed to have surprised you with an attack like that, but I can’t go against His Majesty’s orders.”
Ah, so the king had instructed him to do that in advance.
“I apologize for testing you so suddenly, Lady Yumiella. I’m glad that you weren’t harmed.”
Once Commander Adolphe had returned to his position next to the king, His Majesty asked, “Would you please show us some magic as well? You are free to use any small-scale magic right here.”
“Yes, I’ll go right ahead, then.”
I decided to cast Shadow Lance in an effort to use a spell that presented the least amount of danger for everyone in the room. Slowly, several black lances rose from my shadow, causing a commotion.
“Dark magic. How interesting... Court Archmage, is there anything dangerous about the element of darkness?”
An elderly man dressed in robes spoke up to answer the king’s question.