The sword gripped in the hands of the man called the great general looks thoroughly rusted.
Would they really allow something like this to be brought into the hall? It feels like a breach of manners.
But leaving a friend’s memento to rust like that, what kind of person does that? So, it is probably a lie.
Facing the man who radiates the dignity of a conqueror with his silent 『Well, what will you do?』… I reach a decision.
「Noie.」
「……」
「Draw that sword.」
「Yes.」
She rises lightly and walks over with soft steps.
The general grins and holds the sheathed sword out to her, hilt first.
I sense nothing strange in the air. But I do not let my guard down.
「…Wait.」
My whispered voice stops her hand just as she is about to grasp it.
I calculated that my voice would reach her at this distance.
Think. What is he plotting?
The sword is probably not rusted at all. But it should be impossible to draw. Above all, there is no guarantee it even has a blade.
So, there is only one thing to do.
『If you try to draw it and it will not come out, crush it completely…』
She gives a small nod and carries out the instruction.
The sword refuses to budge from its sheath… so she clamps both ends between her hands and begins to squeeze.
Begi-begi-bogi-bogi!
It makes a hideous, unfamiliar screech… then compresses into a ball.
「A sword that cannot be drawn is useless. If it is a memento, this shape will do.」
「……」
Her usual expressionless face. Her usual flat tone.
Watching her calmly offer the lump of iron scrap on her open palms is, quite frankly, terrifying.
Even the great general silently accepts it without a word.
His aim was probably to humiliate Noie here. Something like 『The one who slays dragons is this frail?』
I will never allow such a third-rate villain move from a shoujo manga.
If anything, Noie’s strength could be proven by casually saying 『Go catch that dragon flying over there』.
If there is no reason to hide it, we will crush them outright.
Well… Noie did the crushing, though.
「Great General. My wife has been rude.」
「…Not at all. On the battlefield, something like this would not even count as rude.」
Your actions are already rude enough, are they not? Are you that bitter about your little scheme failing last time?
「With strength like this, slaying dragons must be easy. If you do not mind, I would love for you to send a fine dragon to my country sometime.」
「In that case, after the ceremony, I can have Noie throw one over for delivery. To the gates of the imperial palace? Or perhaps the courtyard? Inside the palace itself… would probably make cleaning quite troublesome.」
「……」
He glares at me with furious eyes, but I am just as angry!
Thinking back carefully, the reason we ended up needing this revenge wedding in the first place is entirely the Empire’s fault!
I am seriously tempted to have a dozen dragons hurled right into their palace as payback!
Noie would be the one throwing them, though.
As I glare back while feeling a tiny bit of fear, a flash of yellow blocks my view.
Noie, still standing, steps between us. Her ahoge is fluffed up like an excited cat’s tail.
This is bad. If she snaps, no one can stop her.
…Onii-chaaaan. Is it okay to call for help about now?
「Ahahaha… Well, well. To think the great general of the Empire himself would be teased by a youth who has only just come of age. What a rare sight we are witnessing.」
While all the honored guests watch with bated breath, that voice rings out at the perfect 『now or never』 moment.
Could this be my eldest brother I have yet to meet?
No, probably not. The voice comes from among the guests… and judging from the rumors about him, doing something this bold would probably get me scolded terribly later.
Would groveling work in this world too?
The man who appeared at this exquisite timing… is one of those overly suave pretty-boy types. Who is he?
「It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Argusta. And the beautiful wife Noie-sama. I am Hartzen, serving as finance minister of the Selswin Republic.」
The man, Hartzen, who bows elegantly… scores pretty low in my book.
Sorry. How do I put this… everything from his looks to his vibe just rubs me the wrong way. I would take the great general over him any day.
「Is the joking not going a bit far in such a celebratory setting? General. And Prince, you are taking the jest too seriously as well. A little over-the-top prank in a festive gathering… it is merely part of the rough manners of a barbaric warmonger. The custom among them is to laugh it off and move on.」
That was some seriously sneaky poison.
The one glaring is not the general anymore, it is the suave pretty boy approaching. I did not say anything that bad, did I?
「A celebratory occasion is for celebrating, General.」
「…Indeed. My joke went too far. Forgive me, Prince. And Your Majesty Univance.」
The general turns sharply on his heel and walks away.
Not that he is heading home or anything. I would not mind if he did, though.
The pretty boy chuckles softly while watching the general’s retreating back, then turns his gaze… toward Noie.
Something about it rubs me the wrong way. I whisper 『Noie, come back』, and she immediately returns to sit beside me, snuggling close again.
Yes. For going along with my sudden improv… tonight we are definitely doing the mutual happiness combo of lap pillow plus head stroking.
「You two seem very close.」
What is with those eyes?
I am completely head over heels for Noie. Yes, I will not deny it. I am utterly in love, what of it?
「My country will send six wagon loads of gold as celebration. And perhaps two carriages of decorations as well. As thanks for the entertaining show.」
「……」
My hips nearly give out.
Did he just say six wagons? What kind of amount is that? Pride? Spite? What is going on?
「And also…」
There is more outrageous stuff coming?
「My country is a nation of commerce that has solved everything with money. So, this is a business proposal to Argusta-sama… How much would you price that Noie at? We are prepared to offer up to one hundred wagon loads of gold.」
The pretty boy flashes a thin smile as he drops that insane bombshell.
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