A week had passed since the disappearance of Ide and Titee.
An emergency summit of the Northern Alliance’s heads of state had been called, and it was now ongoing in the throne room of Viaysia Castle. Gathered there were the dignitaries of the nations belonging to the Northern Alliance, their guards, and representatives of the ethnic groups residing in the north.
Numerous conference tables had been brought into the throne room, allowing for everyone to gather in one place. From where I sat at one of those tables and looking to my left and right I saw a lineup of stubborn, difficult individuals. They were the formidable members of the Northern Alliance nations.
Officially, I was labeled as a vehicle for the Connection spell, or a combatant in case of emergency, but the real reason I was there was probably to leverage the value of my name. I was seated next to Rouge, who was acting as Ide’s proxy, and it was supposedly so that I would serve as a minor deterrent to other nations.
Honestly, it was suffocating. The same exhaustion I’d felt at the ball in Laoravia was building up inside my body. But enduring that fatigue, I kept up the pretense of being a capable hero, glaring at those around me.
Beside me Rouge had stood talking this whole time. It had been going on for over half a day now. The subject of her lengthy speech wasn’t just the outcome of last week’s battle in the capital but also the death of Chancellor Ide. As the Jewelculus closest to Ide, she was conveying his final words to the entire Northern Alliance.
“Ide’s final words were to say that Viaysia will transform into a nation that no longer relies solely on the Sovereign Queen Lorde. We must build a country where everyone can decide their own path to follow.”
Now, with Ide’s will finally delivered, the assembled figures in the throne room stirred. It was all adults, and they all frowned. I supposed that was only natural. Ide’s sudden disappearance was suspicious enough on its own, and now Rouge was openly acting as his spokesperson. Though they didn’t openly voice their complaints, their expressions betrayed strong dissatisfaction and suspicion.
Technically, Rouge was the highest-ranking figure in Viaysia now. When the rebuilding of this country began, the founding members had been Ide, Sith, Rouge, and Noir. With the two oldest, Ide and Sith, gone, Rouge naturally rose to the top—but honestly, no one seemed convinced. Everyone saw it as a position of convenience. Above all, Rouge was far too young. She lacked any sense of authority. Even in a world not governed by seniority, being spoken to by a girl more than two generations younger than they were must have left the others with plenty to think about.
However, the voice beside Rouge silenced the adults harboring such grievances. “Did someone want to say something?”
It wasn’t me. The voice belonged to Kunelle Chronicle Shulz Regia Ingrid: a defective vampire, the Honored Missing Princess of Regia, and head of the Ingrid Grand Company. Hearing her voice, the adults averted their glaring eyes. Though her youthful appearance and mannerisms were often deceptive, in terms of age alone, she was the top of the top. She was a true living legend who could treat even the most wrinkled old generals like children.
Kunelle sat on the opposite side of Rouge from me and maintained a glare at the other attendees that was different from the one I was leveling at them. She was the most out-of-place figure in the room. Starting with the eccentric formal attire she wore, her aura warped the very air around her. Her bewitching, unfathomable expression, her overwhelming presence born of her history and supporters—nothing about her was ordinary. And now she sat beside Rouge as a supporter.
Faced with the venerable, legendary authority of the ageless Kunelle, no one dared interrupt Rouge’s monologue.
And so, holding in her right hand the nation’s ultimate weapon, Aikawa Kanami Siegfried Vizzita Vartwhoseyards von Walker, and in her left hand the nation’s ultimate authority, Kunelle Chronicle Shulz Regia Ingrid, Rouge, the supreme authority of the land, smashed the lie of Ide’s so-called last will and testament into the attendees’ faces and determined the future personnel arrangements of Viaysia.
“Therefore, starting today, the position of Viaysia’s Sovereign Ruler and the Apostle’s role will change slightly. I won’t say they’re retiring, but they will intervene much less than before. You can think of them as very, very quiet advisors.”
Mid-speech she glanced behind her. Directly beneath the fluttering pennant bearing the Viaysia national crest sat Hitaki, silently, upon the throne. Standing beside her, dressed in formal attire and posing as Apostle Sith, was Dia.
Dia gave a slight nod in response to Rouge’s words, proving she was indeed the legendary Apostle.
“Well then, shall we call it a day? Fortunately, the Southern Alliance recently faced an unexpected problem with their commander in chief suddenly disappearing, so we have plenty of time. We’ll discuss the details another day,” Rouge concluded.
With that, Snow, standing guard near the throne, led both the Apostle and the Sovereign Queen Lorde out of the chamber.