“Oh, to be your alchemist tutor, Miss Tasianna? Sure, I was planning to spend my vacation in Saelariel but I can take some time for you.” After introducing ourselves, Krymdar ordered a servant to bring another chair to his table and offered us to sit at his table while we discussed things.

Tasianna clapped. “That would be fantastic Sir Krymdar, but … aren’t you here with the human empire’s entourage? Won’t you be missed? You are an imperial alchemist, after all.” She looked over at a group of men in military outfits decorated with a weird symbol of a gavel with an eye. According to Maverina, those were people from her home, the Empire of Folschreck.

Eshe isn’t with them, hmmm.

Tasianna’s alchemy abilities had stagnated—Cernust had only shown her the basics after all—so her only options to improve her skills were to either buy an alchemy book from the alchemy guild or to go under a tutor and absorb his knowledge. Having learned the importance of money somewhat, she decided on finding a master to save on money and to acquire a more “quality” education than learning by her lonesome.

When Maverina introduced us to Krymdar, we were all a bit surprised to learn he was an imperial alchemist. It got even weirder when he suddenly mentioned the fact he knew I was a princess of Kargryx, the one who went missing as an egg. Before he could explain anything, Maverina interrupted us, admitting her confusion at why the dark elf was kneeling before me, and we all sat down.

After Maverina explained the situation to Krymdar, he quickly accepted Tasianna’s proposal. Although fortunate, his answer came quite suddenly. He barely took any time to think about it despite being part of the empire’s representatives sent to Artorias, who would most likely leave and return to the Empire once their business was done here.

“Don’t worry about it,”—Krymdar waved his hand dismissively—“I can return whenever I want. The truth is that the position is for me to keep watch over the humans. Make sure they don’t cause any more trouble for my homeland and the people living in Saelariel.”

Saori and I stopped eating the food on our plates, widening our eyes at what we just heard. Is he a spy? I thought, wondering if I misunderstood what he just said or not. Having understood our confusion, Tasianna asked, “Uhm, is this something you should be saying, Sir Krymdar?” before looking over at Maverina, leisurely drinking her tea.

“It’s an open secret,” Krymdar stated, pointing out that pretty much everybody in the empire already knew this, even mentioning how unpopular elves and half-elves were in the empire’s big cities. “It was part of the peace agreement our alliance demanded of the empire at the end of the War for the Faefolk. The levianewts, dragonewts, and dwarves didn’t want to do the whole spying thing, so we elves volunteered. We have to make sure that the atrocities that led to those wars won’t be started again, right? Miss Tasianna, as a wind elf, shouldn’t you already know these things?”

If Tasianna had been a real wind elf, she would just by being around other elves, but, given that Tasianna was a fairy who was mostly isolated from the affairs of the world until that accident happened, it was not like she ever had the chance to learn this part of history. All she knew about the world was through history books, the occasional elf visitor, and the stories fairy adventurers left behind in her village.

Krymdar shrugged it off, but it was likely he was suspicious of Tasianna now. Nevertheless, he still explained that there were other agents within the Empire who could take over his duties. Although it might not even be needed, he could probably find some excuse to send to his superiors to allow him to stay around to help Tasianna.

At that moment, a servant came over to Maverina, informing her that the dukes had arrived and that Duchess Morgiana wanted to speak with her about something. Once she left us, Krymdar immediately continued the telepathic discussion we had before.

[“Well, I think the best excuse for Muraina would be to just tell the truth. I’m pretty sure she won’t have anything against me helping our dear dragon princess’s companion, right?”]

I narrowed my eyes, looking at Krymdar’s smirk with irritation. [“First, how do you know this? Second, who is this Muraina? Third, how do you know this?”]

The fact that every new stranger somehow knew my secret was starting to get on my nerves, even though I knew there had to be a reasonable explanation for all of this. It also didn’t help that he was a spy.

Noticing my annoyance, he waved both of his hands in front of him before responding, [“Nothing serious, I might be a spy but I just arrived here with the others; as if I had the time to go around and eavesdrop for information on a girl. No, it’s actually quite simple. Muraina is the Hunter’s Guild’s master and she recently received a report from the branch master of Firwood. ‘The princess has hatched and is safe,’ was all she needed to know.”]

Farron?

I was stunned to hear this but there was still more Krymdar wanted to say, [“I applaud you for your cautiousness, but do not worry, Princess Hestia, the Saelari aren’t your enemies. In fact, I know you weren’t informed of this yet, but your father, Emperor Eltharion, and your mother, Sixth Empress Melloxstressa, have asked Kargryx’s allies to—”]

[“I already know.”]

[“We already know.”]

All three of us interrupted Krymdar’s monologuing, causing him to comedically flinch back as if somebody shot at him. With the biggest “Ehhhhhh?” expression to break his smug gentlemen exterior, we began explaining to him how we had already learned about the situation with the Dragon Empire’s allies from others, never mentioning Yorshka or Cernust, as I was still unsure if I wanted to trust this spy.

Befuddled, Krymdar began prodding me for answers but I simply kept quiet about it, stating he should do some “spy work.” Tasianna was a bit worried that my rude tone would anger Krymdar, but the man himself seemed to respect my privacy.

“Women are allowed to have secrets. Seems like Muraina hid some information from me to turn me into a jester. By the six, this is what happens when you’re away from home for so long,” he said, scratching his hair and stopping the telepathic link. “Regardless, I guess my flamboyance didn’t matter in the presentation. Forget about it, will you three? With that out of the way, Muraina asked me if I were to meet you to direct you to her office at the Hunter’s Guild. If you understand the situation, you should be able to guess what we Saelari wish to discuss, Lady Hestia. She would like to confirm your safety herself.”

At this point, it was a hundred percent clear to me that this Muraina was either an elf or a half-elf, purely ‘cause Krymdar called her a Saelari. According to Tasianna, this was how the elves living inside Saelariel called themselves. Silva, the faemancer our party met in Firwood, kept her promise and hadn’t revealed my existence as I wanted, from the sound of it.

Since our party intended to visit the hunter’s guild to continue questing for money and experience, especially Grimnir who was complaining about having zero SP, it wouldn’t harm us to meet with this Muraina. We also needed to gain permission for entering the dungeon in Griffonpeak, so there was that too.

Krymdar then asked Tasianna why she wanted to learn alchemy, mentioning it would help him understand what he needed to focus on. When Tasianna mentioned she wanted to create catalysts for us out of rank B monster organs, Krymdar couldn’t help but look worried.

“That’s … honestly, making manatools is one of the harder procedures for an alchemist, simply because it’s completely different from making potions and elixirs. You are required to keep pouring mana into the catalyst during the entire process to keep the mixture from exploding, and that means arcane corruption risks,” Krymdar explained but Tasianna could only smile, unnerving the dark elf.

Krymdar and Tasianna then spoke about alchemy, with the latter explaining what she had already learned. Meanwhile, Saori and I just continued eating, waiting for the main event of this ball. As the two of us contemplated on ordering some more from the butlers and maid walking around the dining room, trumpet sounds suddenly erupted inside the ballroom.

Hmm?

Taking it as a signal, the nobles around us dropped what they were doing and immediately moved towards the ballroom with everybody else. Ellaine was among this group with her family.

“Oooh, the dukes are ready to present themselves,” Krymdar stated.

Considering how the dukes of the seven duchies were literally the most important people in their respective lands just below the royal family, it would probably be considered immensely rude if their vassals didn’t greet them. Like middle management not welcoming the CEO of a company level rude.

Technically, I probably should go over just to see who the dukes were but … I was naturally gluttonous without the sun up and I couldn’t control myself when the food at the banquet smelled so good. Thankfully, my senses were superhuman with all my skills, especially my hearing.

The trumpets were eventually replaced by the serene sounds of harps and geiglers. As a butler was about to announce the first ducal attendee, the combined clapping of the aristocrats began to overtake the voice of the single announcer. However, suddenly, his voice became far more audible, piercing through the clapping.

“That is a voice amplification rod,” Krymdar answered. “It is a piece of manatech used for announcements. Using a wind rune, it allows people to speak louder than usual.”

In other words, it was a practical application of my [Aerokinesis] into a tool for mass use. Krymdar did mention it had a hard limit to how loud it could be since it didn’t protect its user from the sounds, meaning my [Aerokinesis] microphone and “stereo system” was still better. I didn’t have to deal with tinnitus when I controlled the wind.

As the duke’s introduction progressed, I made sure to remember each of their names, just so I wouldn’t accidentally anger one of them.

Geoffrey Wyllt Myrrdin, Venitius Siero Lecartiglio, Mazarin Colbert Equevanna, Joseph Liam Olivus, Isaac Albreaus Greenveil, Morheim Gregor Groushia, Morgana Diana Morgiana. In this order, so it should end—Wait, is that Eshe?!

“With great honor, the royal family would now present the most recently blessed Saintess. A woman of the empire who grew up in one of the most prosperous cities inside the Great Evida Desert. Please, grant this illustrious guest of ours a warm welcome. Saintess Eshe of Sarkafiina!”

Cheers erupted once again inside the ballroom, greeting a brown-skinned woman wearing a white and red robe beaming a warm smile at everybody. Two guards flanked behind her to the sides—Eshe’s knights—but nobody gave them any attention. Eshe stopped moving in front of the crowd, causing them to stop and listen to her next words.

“May the Goddess’s light bless everybody in this kingdom, banishing the shadows lingering over it. My name is Eshe, a simple shrine maiden who was granted the divine honor of being the newest Saintess of the Goddess herself. Please, excuse me for my dreary attire in the face of everybody’s efforts today,” Eshe curtsied, earning an applause by everybody, especially from any noble belonging to the Olivus duchy. “Tonight, the Goddess has something planned for us, so please, await it.”

As Eshe moved from the entrance to the ballroom, the nobles began to gossip about what she said but that was quickly drowned out when a group of young noble ladies suddenly made a ton of noise.

“Look, look, it’s Lord Charleslyt! He’s talking with people now! Come now, let’s go over to him.”

“Handsome as always. Honestly, I do wonder why Lord Grand Duke Equevanna made Lord Fillion his heir when Lord Charleslyt is a rank B adventurer at such a young age. That duchy always baffles me.”

“You speak from the experience of someone from Lecartiglio who values strength and military experience over everything. Lord Fillion is the more proficient entrepreneur and merchant, something the Grand Duke must prioritize to keep the ‘Grand Duke of Economic Affairs’ title within their house. I hear Lord Duke Greenveil had been planning something.”

B rank isn’t abnormal for nobles, honestly. Count and Countess Helvas are qualified rank B hunters, after all. I did spar and received some training from the Count to get [Gale Steps], but I can definitely see him being inferior to Master Kush, Farron, and Yorshka.

From the sound of it, this Charleslyt seemed to be quite young, as the younger noblewomen were crowding around him while the older or married ones were merely gossiping. Sadly, the crowd made it impossible for me to see this person, but whatever.

“Most likely the king and the royal family will be announced next,” Krymdar stated. “Ooh, seems like the ball will actually begin in a moment.”

“Truly? Well, that means we should finish our food soon, Lady Hestia,” Saori said before looking over to Tasianna. “We’ll let Lady Hestia do her thing while we focus on ou—”

At that moment, a large number of footsteps entered the dining room. A crowd of nobles suddenly began walking towards our table, led by four women. When I turned around, prompted by Saori pausing mid-way her sentence, I identified Maverina and Eshe among the group. The last two were obviously related, a mature lady wearing a fine dress with a young woman following behind her, looking at us with suppressed anticipation.

When the four stopped, the crowd of nobles stopped also and began looking at us with curiosity. When the name “Lady Duchess Morgiana” escaped their gossiping mouths, I finally understood why this woman stood before me. I wiped my mouth clean and stood up, which Eshe took as a sign to begin the greetings.

“Lady Hestia, Madam Tasianna. It is good to see you two again. Also, Madam Saori, correct? Lady Hestia had talked about you quite a bit, so I was anticipating our meeting today,” Eshe curtsied. “Oh, Sir Krymdar, it is good to meet you here. I did not think you would be seated with Lady Hestia and her companions.”

Krymdar shook his head at her statement, still sitting down. “I’m not, Saintess Eshe. We simply became acquaintances just now through a favor, and as we continued speaking, the Lady Dragonewt began eating with me for some reason, hahaha!”

Come to think of it, I’m supposed to sit with Ellaine and her family at Duke Greenveil’s table, I remembered before looking over to the table in question. Count Helvas and Duke Greenveil are speaking now. Hmm, who is that young woman next to Duke Greenveil? Why is she and Ellaine avoiding eye contact?

Thinking about it when I had no idea about the situation wouldn’t be fruitful, so I brought my attention back to Eshe. “I didn’t know you would be presented with the dukes. I was wondering why you weren’t with the other members of the empire.” I pointed at the group of men with a gavel and eye symbol on their suits.

“Oh, I thought so too, but Lycerepthor Judge Pestrodus told me I should present myself more since I am a Saintess. Although …” Eshe gestured to me to come closer so she could whisper into my ear. “I do feel a bit anxious attending this ball. I admit, I would rather stay at the orphanage right now than be presented like this.”

At the end of the day, Eshe was a commoner by birth and she has expressed her dislike of being surrounded by nobles whenever I asked her why she very rarely visited the cathedral. While she learned the mannerisms of a noble when she was an apprentice priestess in the past, she eventually became a shrine maiden to manage the orphanage in her city.

Theodore mentioned that there was some kinda drama that happened between Eshe and the nobles from the city she came from, but I didn’t think it would be good to ask about it, since it had nothing to do with me. Eshe clearly wasn’t a big fan of nobles, but prying into people's past was just plain out rude.

“Oh, but let us continue speaking at a different occasion. I just wanted to greet you today, Lady Hestia, but I shouldn’t take up the time of these noble ladies.” After handing the floor over to Maverina, Eshe then left towards the empire’s representatives.

Maverina nodded and introduced the woman next to her. “Lady Hestia, may I present to you Lady Duchess Morgiana. An illustrious member of the mage’s guild who possesses the rank of Master. In addition, with Lord Duke Myrrdin, she is one of my two vice guild masters.”

While I haven’t familiarized myself with the hierarchy of the mage’s guild just yet, I knew my rank was that of an Arcanist, the rank below Master. From what I understood, Arcanists were experienced mages who have the abilities of a rank C adventurer but weren’t as experienced as a Master; reaching Master rank also required a substantial amount of contributions to the guild, whether through deeds, research, or various donations.

I knew that Houses Morgiana and Myrrdin were the magic-focused ducal houses of Artorias and were rivals when it came to claiming the distinguished title of Grand Duke of Arcane Affairs. Looking at Duchess Morgiana, she had long dark pink hair kept together in an updo, revealing sharp, almost elvish long ears. In addition, I was also fascinated by her peculiar irises, which had a large, thick blue ring around the pupil in each of her green eyes.

The Duchess curtsied. “Lady Hestia, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Duchess Morgana Diana Morgiana, one of the seven dukes of His Majesty, King Drangleic.”

I replied by copying her curtsy. “Y-yes, it is a great honor, Lady Morgana. I am Hestia Atsuko, a guest of King Drangleic from one of Loatryx’s kinkyuro clans. I have been waiting to meet you for a long time for my surgery.”

Duchess Morgiana was one of the kingdom’s few mana surgeons, and possibly the most skilled one. As King Drangleic arranged, her introduction today was for us to know each other before the operation for my wings. I felt a bit anxious since my goal to fix my damaged mana paths was so close in hand, but the nobles around us weren’t interested in this part. They were more focused on the rest of my introduction.

“Guest? What? I heard there was supposedly a dragonewt noble visiting Greenveil as a guest of Duke Greenveil, but His Majesty is sponsoring her as well?”

“That’s the young lady, right? The one that the professors at the academy have been discussing. How is she speaking so casually with Lady Duchess Morgiana? What is this kinkyuro?”

Annoyed at the background fuzz, I opened up my mouth again to hopefully silence everybody’s gossiping, asking, “If this isn’t rude to ask, Lady Morgana, are you possibly a half-elf?” I pointed out her sharp ears, wondering why nobody had mentioned them to me.

Duchess Morgiana reacted to my question by looking over to Tasianna and Krymdar, frowning a bit. The nobles behind her also began to look uneasy, causing me to wonder if what I asked was taboo.

She then returned her focus back to me. “Let me just say, House Morgiana does have elven ancestry, that is true—as evidenced by our ears and extended lifespan. However …I am human … and so are my children.” She then turned around and bowed deeply towards Krymdar and Tasianna. Krymdar didn’t show much of a reaction, looking at the Duchess with a lack of emotions, while Tasinna returned a bow out of respect.

Noticing this, the rest of the nobles also bowed out of respect, almost reminding me of Manuela when she first learned Tasianna was a fairy. The duchy of Morgiana used to have a very amicable relationship with the elves and fairies until the War of the Faefolk. While the people of Morgiana were regretful and apologetic for staying neutral during the war, many elves became antagonistic towards their old allies. While Tasianna forgave humanity, Krymdar seemingly hadn’t yet.

The Duchess then clapped her hands together. “About the surgery, Lady Hestia, it had been arranged and prepared for. If you wish, we could perform it tonight after the ball. I will restrain myself from the wine if you so desire.” I nodded to her offer, thanking her profusely. “Perfect, then let me please introduce you to the surgeon who will perform your treatment.”

“It isn’t you, Lady Morgana?”

“I will be the main surgeon’s assistant, to make sure everything works out. However, I wish to give a promising surgeon some experience if you would allow it.” The Duchess then pushed the young lady from behind her forward and introduced her. “This is my heir and only daughter among my four children. A magic prodigy even for her age.”

This purple-haired young woman was slightly taller than me, shared the same ears and eyes as the Duchess, and beamed an enthusiastic smile at me before forming her hands into two peace signs and holding them in front of her face. “Konbanwa, Atsuko-oujo-sama! Thyra Nimue Morgiana-desu!” (Good evening, Princess Hestia. I am Thyra Nimue Morgiana!)

“Oh, konbanwa, Thyra-san—Wait what? Ehhhhhhhhh!”

“Huuuuuuuuh?”

Saori and I were dumbfounded, flinching back dramatically, speechless as we kept our mouths wide open. I knew if Manuella were here, she would scold me just like how my etiquette teacher used to, but I was still preoccupied with what this young woman just said to me. If my ears weren’t mishearing anything, then the Duchess’s daughter just spoke—

Japanese? How!

When we didn’t say anything in response, Thyra slowly lowered her hands, looking worriedly at us. “Uhm, d-did I pronounce the words wrong? I apologize, the last time I had Aiko-san teach me was almost a year ago, so I might have forgotten how to say it properly.”

Instead of me, Saori came forward, more shocked than ever. “‘Aiko-san?’ Lady Thyra, where did you hear that name?”

Aiko Hasebe, one of Saori’s students, was one of the two students assigned as Saint candidates by the church when they were first kidnapped to Peolynca. Tamae and the others had told me a bit about her.

Thyra smiled, awkwardly. “Uhm, you are the ‘sensei,’ right, Segawa Saori-Sensei?”

I immediately cast [Air Shield] around us, blocking anybody from listening in this discussion. Thyra and the Duchess were startled by it, but it seemed they understood the reason for it immediately.

“I apologize so very much for my daughter’s behavior, Princess Hestia, Madam Saori, Madam Tasianna,” the Duchess said before flicking her daughter’s forehead. “As you three are surely aware, His Majesty had already informed us seven dukes about your presence here in Artorias. We were allowed to share this information with our heirs, yet I didn’t expect this.”

The two explained that Thyra used to be a temporary shrine maiden at Aureolis’s church to learn holy magic and had only recently come back to Artorias to continue her training as the heir of House Morgiana. There, she met and became the lady-in-waiting for one of Saori’s students, the aforementioned Aiko Hasebe.

“Lady Aiko had taught me some Nihongo upon my selfish wish and, during one of those lessons, she mentioned her high school teacher from her world. You, Saori-san. Hiehie, I thought it would be funny to introduce myself like this, since I knew you two would understand me.” Thyra looked at Saori and me, clearly showing no regret for stunning us like that, fully ignoring her furious mother.

“You are a fool, daughter,” her mother denounced her behavior. “You may act however you wish at home, but please at the very least act like a proper noblewoman while in public! This information is supposed to be kept secret under His Majesty’s orders!”

“Come now, Mother, as if anybody would have understood it. Barely anybody unimportant spoke with Asaka-san and the others when they visited Griffonpeak. Lord Duke Olivus and the church made sure nobody could speak with them except for the dukes and His Majesty. A little bit of nihongo wouldn’t hurt to make Lady Hestia feel more comfortable around me.”

If I were to be truthful, I felt as if I could trust Thyra a bit, not ’cause of her Japanese, but ’cause of her rather carefree personality. She has this aura of a proper noble lady hiding a fun-loving nature. She seemed like a good friend.

Of course, since we just learned how Thyra had met Saori’s students, we did want to know more about what happened, but this wasn’t the time or place to do so. As such, we decided to push this matter back. Returning to the subject of my surgery, I was still nervous that Thyra would be doing this since the King commissioned the Duchess to do so, but I still agreed after the Duchess vouched for my safety.

The moment we dispelled the [Air Shield], the nobles’ gossiping around us was becoming more and more intense until the Duchess asked everybody to leave with her. Some still looked back at us but left us alone.

Krymdar whistled. “I guess the dukes were informed all about this, huh?”

With nobody else coming up to us to talk, Saori and I focused on finishing our food. Just in time, too, as another commotion started in the ballroom, this time for the king’s and the rest of the royal family’s grand entrance. Sadly, I couldn’t sit this one out, so we said our goodbyes to Krymdar and followed the rest of the nobles into the next room.

The ballroom had two sets of stairs leading up to an elevated platform where somebody could look down at the people dancing beneath them. There, a door opened and a swarm of doves was released out into the ballroom, filling the room with flapping wings as they escaped through multiple opened windows.

“It is with great honor that I may present to the illustrious lords and ladies of the Kingdom of Artorias, your one true king of this majestic Kingdom of the Griffons,” a butler announced through that microphone-like manatech. “May I present, the Patriarch of House Artorias, Greifmarshal of the Kingdom, our Majesty, the Griffon King, Drangelic var Artorias!”

Compared to the Dukes’ and Eshe’s entrance, the applause King Dranleic received felt more reserved, as if they were showing him respect. It might not have been as loud but everywhere I looked, people had genuine smiles as they looked up at the figures above them. Holding a beautiful human woman’s hand and surrounded by five younger arvisians, the king of Artorias smiled at everybody.

Woah.

Every royal had a title given to them by the Divine System to prove the authenticity of their lineage, allowing them to exude a powerful aura in return. This royal aura wasn’t exactly a skill like [Noble Aura] or [Royal Presence], but it was quite similar in function to the latter. I felt awe as I looked at him.

“Lords and ladies of my kingdom,” King Drangleic started as he spread his wings out. “It fills me with joy to see all of you here to celebrate with me the visit of our sovereign liege’s representative. Lycerpthor Judge Pestrodus, a renowned lycerepth member. Imperial Alchemist Krymdar, a dark elf with immense skill. And, not to mention, our Goddess’s most recently blessed Saintess, Lady Eshe of Sarkafiina, the Saintess of Orphans.”

Another round of clapping erupted.

“As such, this day is not dedicated to me but to our guests. A wonderful day to bond, I must say,” the King paused before noticing where I was and giving me a meaningful look. “As such, I wouldn’t like to dally any further. Today is one to be enjoyed, so let us begin with a dance.”

The elated voices of young men and women could be heard everywhere. Men were making sure they were wearing their suits properly while the women looked around in anticipation, wondering who they wanted to dance with. Those already married looked at their second half passionately.

“I would like to announce another guest within our fold, somebody I had only informed a select few about. Tonight, this young lady would like to enrich our night with her wonderful voice.” He then looked at me once again. “Lady Hestia Atsuko, a dragonewt noble of one of the kinkyuro clans, the highest powers inside the republic of Loatryx. Please.”

I took a deep breath with my eyes closed. Calmed my heart down. I opened my eyes and moved forward, as the crowd divided in two for me. Those from the Greenveil duchy had already heard about me due to the rumors, those following Duchess Morgiana learned who I was, and anybody who hadn’t already were flabbergasted at their King’s announcement.

I moved to the platform where the musicians used to play. There, alone and without any instruments, I amplified my voice through [Aerokinesis]. I wanted to say something but everybody’s questioning stares weren’t helping me calm down. There was an awkward silence, but I welcomed it. Any seconds to calm my heart down were precious to me.

“… My name is Hestia Atsuko, a dragonewt from the kinkyuro clans of Loatryx. As you might have heard, the kinkyuro is the highest power of the republic, the beastkin children of the six strongest ancient dragons of history. An example would be Dragon God Kargryxmor, God of Oaths and Dragonkin, and a subordinate god of Goddess Aurena.”

Commotion, but it was something I expected. From speaking with Aurora, I came to the decision to use my pseudo-status as a member of the Kargryxmor clan to present myself here, without specifying it. Kargryxmor’s advice was to keep a lowish profile until I became stronger. Presenting myself as a high-tier noble was better than telling everybody I was a dragon and a princess.

Getting some attention was unavoidable if I wanted to come forth and perform before the nobles, but it was important to not attract too much. Aurena hadn’t specified whether there were demonkin agents in Griffonpeak, so I had to stay safe. A random noble who liked to sing wouldn’t be a huge threat, after all.

“I have come to Artorias as a simple traveler, but I was invited today by His Majesty, King Drangleic, to perform before everybody. To present you with my music.” Once again, I used [Aerokinesis] to imitate an instrument. It wasn’t the violin, for I have Ellaine’s spare geigler. No, for the song that I will perform, I needed my father’s specialty.

Papa, guide my hands.

The piano.

“Ooh, what is this sound? Where is it coming from?”

“Is she manipulating the winds to create these sounds? What masterful control!”

<[Music Resonation (Minor)] [Stage Fever (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>

Every note resonated through the ballroom, stunning the nobles. During my stay in Artorias, I very much enjoyed the music the nobles and musicians of Artorias were able to make, however, I still very much missed the acoustic sound of the piano. Not even a harpsichord or a Peolyncian version existed.

While I couldn’t remember the exact buildup of a piano, I was able to simulate its notes. Every key was something I remembered and I could force the air to make that exact sound. My mama loved the violin while my papa played the piano. Tonight, I would perform the latter.

“I wish to give everybody a wonderful night today. As I understand it, Artorian balls start with a free dancing phase where anybody may dance with anybody; however, for the first song, I wish for pairs. If you have a partner you wish to share a dance with, a dance where you may enjoy each other’s company as if you were the only ones in the world. If you have a loved one, I believe this will be a tune to remember.”

Husbands and wives and fiancees immediately understood what I meant, grabbing each other’s hands as they moved to the middle of the dance floor. The young men and women who didn’t have an exact partner grumbled a bit at what was happening but were forced to move away from the middle. Some looked around to find a partner, but most were unsure if they were supposed to ask a random dance partner or not.

In their hesitation, it was already decided. Those who understood what I said acted immediately. As such, my music began. I had not started singing yet but the pairs were already dancing, guessing the mood correctly.

I looked around. I noticed some familiar faces. Count and Countess Helvas. Marquess and Marchioness Sirius. Duke and Duchess Greenveil. Duchess and Duke Morgiana. As I continued, more familiar faces came.

Antonio?

Antonio, Severa’s brother and a hippogryph knight, and potentially Cernust’s brother-in-law, was dancing on the dance floor with his partner, though I couldn’t see the aforementioned Cernust and Severa anywhere. When I was worried something happened to them, Antonio noticed me and shook his head and nodded with a smile. His eyes then drew me over to the crowd, where Severa was stranding with a saddened smile, showing me a ring with a verdant green scale.

‘Dragons give their scales to those they trust,’ I probably have to ask them about it later on, but I guess this was good news? Nice job, Cernust!

There were also a few other faces that I personally didn’t want to see. These were the Chezaic twins. During the Davison accident, I was one of the reasons why their parents were executed for conspiring with that mad alchemist. They were sent to their relatives in Equevanna, but from the look they gave me, it was obvious they couldn’t forgive me. I mean, I understood them. If I were in their position, I would not forgive myself either.

They went away … Focus on the song, Hestia. You are an idol!

“Listen to the winds of the night, the tranquility of the shining, bright moonlight  ♫

I am here to see the waxing and waning of the four seasons throughout the year  ♫

You are here for me, dancing linked with the rhythm of our hearts  ♫”

Slow and steady. “My Light’s Blessing” was not a waltz song as I wrote it as a ballad for my concerts, but I thought that, if I suppressed the intensity of my voice and focused on singing it calmly without raising my voice too much, I could turn it into something people could dance together with.

“At this moment now, we are the focus of our small world ♫

Hold me tightly, my love, your warmth calms me so, let this last for eternity ♫

I feel the heaven’s eyes on us, for you are my light’s blessing ♫

Let us forget reality for this small moment of silence under the moon ♫”

Usually, I would use soprano to sing the chorus to show off my vocal range. It was to impress people, perfect for a concert. However, this was a dance, a slow dance even. I had to adapt the song and keep my voice in the middle, a mezzo-soprano.

I couldn’t help my smile once I opened my eyes during the end of this chorus to lead into the second verse. The pairs were dancing slowly together, staring into each other’s eyes or embracing each other. The spectators were enthralled by the dancing and music, some even complained they wanted to join mid-way.

The piano music and my singing continued to fill the room until my first song was over. Clapping—no cheering or whistling—just clapping and the appreciation for the artist. It reminded me of how the audience would show their respect to the music my father conducted. It motivated me to continue.

As it would be boring to only perform slow songs, I changed to more happy ballads for the next few songs, mentioning people may dance with anybody they wanted. The noblewomen clamored to acquire the hand of the most attractive men while some noblemen asked their partner in a most gentlemanly way. Regardless, this was where partners were exchanged amongst each other.

Amid my singing, I also noticed Ellaine and Jonathan enjoying some dances with their partners. They were nobles, I know, so this was just making connections but I was glad to see them having fun. As the night continued and my songs dwindled until I had nothing left, my performance had to stop.

“Thank you very much, Lady Hestia! A fine musical showing from Loatryx!”

“Wonderful music, My Lady! Would you be willing to share a dance with us now?”

I curtsied to the applause, accepting all the claps for myself. This was the moment where I had to hand the stage back to the music crew, but I still had one final announcement.

“Thank you everybody for your warm welcome. It was a great honor to perform here today before such an impeccable audience!” I said through my [Aerokinesis]. “However, before I leave, I would like to inform everybody of something…” As I pause, a halo of white flames appeared above my head after I silently cast [Halo of Consecration]. “I am Hestia Atsuko, a priestess of the Goddess and blessed to be her first Idol.”

Another bomb. I was sure if the nobles of Artorias received another bomb tonight, some of them would probably have heart attacks. While they had only just enjoyed my singing, they were now questioning what an idol was and why I called myself “blessed by the Goddess.” But all these questions were about to be answered the moment Eshe stood next to me at the stage.

“I can confirm this, lords and ladies of Artorias, for the reason why I have come to Artorias was due to a message from the Goddess herself. She had ordered me to greet her newest blessed, Lady Hestia.” Vouched by the newest Saintess. This was the clout I needed.

“The Saintess’s words are true, my vassals,” King Drangleic spoke. “I have already confirmed the authenticity of Lady Hestia’s words. She has a blessing bequeathed to her by the Goddess of Light.”

As if a switch was flipped, everybody’s opinion of me was turned around. They were finding excuses upon excuses to understand the situation in their own ways. Many understood the reason why I performed today wasn’t ’cause I was a Loatryx noble, but ’cause I was a blessed.

However, there were a few people who seemed annoyed, but that was something Theodore had already informed me. Amongst the crowd were also a few priests. Similar to Theodore who attended the ball today, white-robed priests may not inherit any land or titles, but they could still be part of noble society if they wanted. These people were not informed about this, and it seemed many of them didn’t take this information too well.

Now, why did I present myself as an idol? Well, obviously, it was to distract people from the idea that I was a Champion of Aurena. A Champion was somebody who performed Divine Quests for their gods, so the demonkin would probably become wary if they knew me as a Champion. However, the first-ever idol was born in Peolynca. They probably couldn’t understand the concept of an idol immediately and would probably think of it as another variation of a Saint.

“If you wish to understand what an idol is, then please think of my performance today. In addition, if you truly wish to understand what an idol does, then I would like to invite all of you to my concert on the sixth of SpringBloom, to celebrate the founding of Artorias, in the lower city’s merchant district,” I informed everybody. “However, I would also like to show my appreciation for everybody’s hospitality, as such, my adventuring party shall sell everybody attending the concert yeast-leavened bread and pastries!”

“What!” The numerous nobles did not shout this; in fact, it was only Duke Greenveil. He looked over to Count Helvas, who could only bow his head and show him a guilty smile. The rest of the guests were of course flabbergasted, as they just heard the “luxurious” yeast was being sold.

I snapped my fingers, signaling Saori and Tasianna at the banquet table to reveal trays full of donuts, cake, muffins, and other yeast treats to the audience. “I would like everybody to try them, although I would ask everybody to remain fair and not hoard everything for yourselves. It took my handful of retainers much sweat and effort to make the yeast and bake everything. As such, I must apologize for my inability to make more in such a short time.”

“Make them feel bad about it, that way, nobody is allowed to complain,” Count Helvas told me beforehand.

Nobles were greedy, especially Greenveil nobles who were gourmets. Yeast-baked goods being shared freely would be an instant success, so to prevent people from taking too much, I had to make sure everybody understood how hard it was to make. Yeast was still considered a luxury, so people would consider me as a very caring person as such.

“If you enjoy the treats today, then please, I will sell more on the sixth. In addition, through my retainer, Ellaine Fiero Helvas, I have made an agreement with her family House Helvas and House Greenveil to produce yeast within Artorian borders. Loatryx wishes to share our wealth under my name, Hestia Atsuko.”

Clappings erupted once again in the audience. I have successfully stolen everybody’s focus.

<213 humans and beastmen have become your followers>

<Total follower count updated. Total follower of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 654>

Build up, build up, build up, ready the nuke … and drop another bomb! I need 2500 followers for the next milestone but with how much I’ve been promoting myself through the restaurant and now here, I will reach it!

Of course, not everybody was super thrilled about this. Duke Greenveil, for example, was flanked by a devilishly smirking Saori and a wryly smiling Count Helvas, both pushing the Duke into speaking about their deal together. Saori forced the Sarlenzia company’s demand for fulinoe leaves to spike, and now she would force the Duke to need our yeast recipe.

Smart choice to not share the recipe, just that we will have them work with us to spread the yeast. Jeez, so devilish.

As I left the stage, people were obviously trying to speak to me now, but I told them to give me some space to drink water after all the singing. Krymdar then came over to me, asking me with a smirk why I decided to share the yeast around, something the elves used to spread to Artorias.

“This is not your yeast, Sir Krymdar,” I said, causing Krymdar to grow even more curious but he did not pursue it more. He kneeled once again before leaving the ball entirely. As I wondered if I was being a bit too bratty somebody else came over to speak with me.

And this was somebody the nobles around me did not appreciate.

“Greetings, Lady Idol, may the Goddess’s light shine upon you. My name is Pestrodus von Spitzwald. I am a Judge of the Lycerpth, the international police force of the empire of humans. I would like to speak with you.”

… Why have I only gotten in trouble with the law since I came over to Griffonpeak?