Basically, what I want to say is this.
She is really capable when it comes to networking.
Ariel truly is capable.
"Once, I also considered asking Rudeus-sama to work for me, but..."
"Really?"
"I gave up right away. There are plenty of reasons, but the greatest was..."
Ariel looks straight ahead.
Forward, across the cloud cover sky on the other side of the beautiful garden.
Even further away, towards the edge of the blue sky.
As she stares, she murmurs.
"[You, who desire power beyond your means, shall face ruin.]"
For an instant, I thought that was meant for me.
But, no.
Ariel follows up that line.
"A line from my younger days, from a play I watched at Asura palace, Great Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu said that."
That's definitely a lie.
Who came up with this bullshit history.
Kishirika could never come up with a line that cool.
"It was the curse Kishirika placed on Golden Knight Aldebaran before her death."
"... Oh."
"Afterward, Aldebaran became the King. He was feared by all, and was ultimately rebelled against and killed."
How dramatic.
Wait, this sounds completely different from the history I knew.
"That play was a required watch by Asura royalty for our coming of age." [3]
Coming of age? So their 5th, 10th, and 15th birthdays.
In Asura Kingdom, these must be major events.
For royalties, plays are probably a must.
"Of course the truth differs, but it was crammed with all the ideologies of the Asura line."
So it was different to historical fact after all.
I see.
It's entirely different from what I knew as well.
The Golden Knight Aldebaran and Kishirika Kishirisu fought to a stalemate.
But wasn't it really the battle between Demon Dragon King Laplace and Fighting God?
Well, it doesn't matter, but still.
"All of the ideologies?"
"Yes. Like war, victory, governance, and kingship."
"..."
"Even so, why was Aldebaran betrayed and murdered? Did some king write this play to warn his descendants of our ruin? I wondered about that when I was young. I was 15 when I finally realized that, the line [You, who desires power beyond your means, shall face ruin] covers everything."
With that said, Ariel looks toward the distant sky.
"Power beyond one's means leads to destruction. Thus, only handle what you can control, what you can master. The power to manipulate all is the way of the king. Right now, I still think so."
... Ariel looks downcast.
Her long eyelashes cast a shadow.
"I understand. Perugius-sama and Rudeus-sama, both are more powerful than I."
A gentle smile reappears on Ariel, her usual one.
But she looks like she's about to cry.
"One more time, and if Perugius-sama refuses, I'll give up."
"Give up?"
"Yes. Of course, I won't give up on becoming king even if I don't have Perugius-sama's backing. Because I still believe that Asura's throne is not too much for me, at the very least."
"..."
I can feel it.
The sigh.
But it did not come.
"Ariel-sama."
"Yes, Rudeus-sama?"
"How am I powerful?"
Powerful, being special.
Indeed, I once dreamed of being such.
In my past life, I thought so, and that's why I failed.
That's why in this world, I try to avoid thinking that I'm special.
I haven't forgotten that.
"Rudeus-sama excels in many areas, but... more than anything else, your magic power."
"Magic power."
Indeed, in that area, I might be special.
All thanks to my Laplace Factor, my magic potential are higher than most.
It's at a level most people can't possibly reach, regardless of how much effort they put in.
Of course, that's also because of what I had done with my life.
But that alone can't solve everything.
Whether it can solve my problems is a different story.
"Indeed, if all my worries can be solved with magic power, I might have thought of myself as powerful as well."
"Your worries?"
"I worry daily. Particularly, there are so many thoughts of [How do I explain this to my family...] that it's suffocating."
Fear of Hitogami.
Used as Orsted's bait. [4]
I tell my family nothing but lies and deceit.
I'm powerful?
Quit joking around.
"Perugius-sama may be different but... at least, I am not powerful. Your best friend Sylphy's husband might have a bit more magic power than usual, a bit more esoteric knowledge than usual, but he's just another average magician with his own private worries."
Even I feel embarrassed for saying this.
But that was my honest thoughts.
I grab Ariel's hand from the table.
A soft hand.
So small, her fingers feel like they would snap at any moment.
From the corner of my eyes, I can see Sylphy burning up.
"Ariel-sama, actually today, I came not to chit-chat."
"Oh, have you come to court me?"
Ariel's mood didn't change when I suddenly grabbed her.
A gentle smile.
A weary smile, but.
This is her neutral face.
"Court... it's an interesting proposition, but no. The ones who asked me were Sylphy and Luke."