AT last I’ve come to pay a visit to the Kingdom of Gaea’s royal capital.
Laurent, along with me and Julius hidden by an invisibility spell, are in a meeting with the mastermind earl behind the assassination attempt on Prince Guido. He’s the former seigneur of the region where Elle Village is located. He seems to be cut from the same cloth as his perverted messenger with his haughty, holier-than-thou personality.
Makes sense the earl would be this way with an underling like that.
The evil lord is quick to tell us his brilliant plan.
Basically, he wants Laurent to attack Guido and Aela with magic during tonight’s ball. In the best-case scenario, he will kill Guido and Aela by surprise during the banquet. Even if the assassination attempt fails, the earl intends to overthrow Guido by using the attack by a righteous villager under his dominion as evidence he is an unfit ruler.
What a hackneyed plan!
It seems like a crummy scheme to me, but the evil Earl of Perverts grandly explained it with a confident smile.
After hearing the earl out, Julius and I disguise ourselves with Illusion Magic and make ourselves at home in a corner of the dance hall where the ball is being held. Laurent is standing beside the evil earl.
“I finally get to see Aela again!”
Aela hasn’t arrived at the ball yet, but I should get to see her soon!
“Yes, you will… In any case, the situation she and Guido find themselves in is far worse than I thought,” Julius says gravely. His blond hair has been dyed black by the illusion, transforming his appearance into something easier to blend in with a crowd.
“How so?”
“Most of the nobles attending this ball are a part of the faction opposed to Guido. From the start, the nobles in opposition to him said they were throwing this party to strengthen their ties to the prince, but they have zero interest in building a relationship with him. They are using the invitation as a pretext to catch him off guard and put him in danger.”
“Wow. How did you know?”
“I picked up on their conversations with a spell. The majority of nobles in attendance are aware of the earl’s plan. What’s worse is that Laurent isn’t the only assassin they hired to kill Guido.”
“Seriously?!”
“The nobles in favor of Guido are being stalled outside the castle by some sort of interference. I sense several dozen people pacing unhappily outside the gates.”
I look up at Julius as he speaks and see a magic circle shining in his left eye. He’s using Search.
“Then this ball is being held to set up Guido and Aela?”
“Looks that way. I can see anticipation for what is about to happen coming from every noble present. Fear as well. Fear of Guido and Aela, that is. Their magic is an anomaly in Gaea. After the war with Analia ended, the nobles came to be suspicious of people possessing powers they can’t control or defeat. Thus, they want to get rid of them. Such is the thought process of the weak.”
Another magic circle appears in Julius’s eye. I recognize it as a telepathy circle. He’s probably reading the inner workings of their minds.
Ultimately, the nobles used Guido and Aela however they wanted and are trying to get rid of them like used trash now that they serve no purpose.
Annoyed, I purse my lips.
The Demon Lord who established Analia was a monster in his own right, but so are the nobles of Gaea! They aren’t so different.
“We should let Laurent know.”
“I already sent him word through magic,” Julius says.
Laurent turns in our direction and gives a nod from where he stands some distance away at the evil earl’s side.
That was fast! Wow, is Julius useful or what!
At a single glance he grasped the full story behind this ball, too. Julius is almost so powerful it’s starting to become a turn-off!
I’m beginning to worry I won’t be able to take the spotlight. Won’t the problems take care of themselves with Julius on the scene…?
“Hey, Julius, you are going to give me the best moment, right?” I nervously check with him.
“Of course. I promised you I would,” he vows.
I stare at him, wordlessly saying with my eyes, “It’s a promise. I trust you. I know you have prepared a time slot for my speech.”
Commotion ripples through the dance hall, stealing my attention. Assuming a big player has arrived, I glance toward the doors.
“Oh, it’s Aela and Guido!” I exclaim.
Entering through the doors are Guido decked out in a fancy dark-green tailcoat, and Aela dressed in a crimson gown with lots of frills. Golem stands at their side like a sentinel ready to protect them.
I’m so happy to see the group I could dance across the hall to them!
“Elle, you can’t go talk to them yet,” Julius says with a restrained laugh.
“I-I know!”
For a second, I had the impulse to go over and say, “It’s me! Elle!” But that would crush our plans. I’m well aware of that.
“Let’s move somewhere they can’t see us. Guido might not notice, but Aela has a keen eye,” Julius recommends. We exit the hall onto the balcony and watch over the party from there.
The gathering is gorgeous from a distance, but a chill hangs in the air. I can see nobles surrounding Guido, Aela, and Golem, chatting them up with fake smiles plastered on their rouged lips as they plot their downfall.
“I wonder when they will make their move.”
“Won’t be long. They want to finish this before the group of nobles in favor of Guido notice and storm the dance hall.”
No sooner does Julius answer me than the game begins.
“You wretched witch!” an assassin roars and jumps out of the crowd.
Guido steps in front of Aela and grabs the assassin’s hand, stopping his blade from reaching her. Another assassin attacks Guido with a knife as glass shatters and guests scream. Several more assassins join in the attack.
But Golem swiftly deflects their knives and knocks them back with his unsheathed sword.
Guido glares contemptuously around the dangerous dance hall.
“I was told this party was being held so you could join my side, but it appears it’s the blatant trap it seemed like from the start. You have to do more than this pathetic attempt to kill me,” Guido says, throwing aside the assassin he caught.
He’s strong. Wow, Guido, I think you’ve gotten stronger since last time.
While all of this is going on, the crooked earl is pestering Laurent. I can’t hear what he is saying, but from the way he’s flapping his lips, I have no doubt it’s along the lines of “Go! Do it! It’s your turn!”
All right! It’s almost show time!
“Julius, now!” I signal. Julius nods. And then—
KA-BOOOOOM!
An explosion shakes the air and ground. Followed by the sound of something large breaking and a powerful gust of wind.
Once the racket stops, I open my eyes, which I had closed to keep the dust out, and look up at the beautiful starry sky.
Woo-hoo! I was able to destroy the building’s ceiling just right!
Frightened by the roof being ripped off, the lords and ladies start running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Sucks for them, for I’ve used magic to lock everyone inside.
“Why?! Why won’t the doors open?!”
Partygoers scream and yank on the doorknobs.
“If the doors are broken, then we can escape from the balcony…!”
I form a smile for the nobles who have come running straight into my clutches.
At last! At long last! My moment in the spotlight has come!
I rip off the plain outfit I was wearing as a disguise and deactivate the illusion spell.
I’m wearing a white blouse with an ascot and a deep-red skirt. My hair, which has been dyed a dull brown by the illusion, regains its fiery red.
My bright-red twintails dance in the night breeze.