Let me talk in order about what happened in the 10 days following the battle at the venue.
First Day. The matter with Orsted.
After defeating Darius, our triumphant return from the venue led to a victory celebration.
As expected from Ariel, but I was exhausted and retired to my room.
Even if I say that, after returning to my room, all I could think about was how Sylphy openly confessed her love for me by saying [I choose Rudi] in public.
Honestly, because I was dumped in the diary, I was feeling a little anxiety.
For her to proudly choose me in front of so many people...
She’s a better girl than I deserve.
However, Sylphy also seemed tired, at the end of the game without having to rush the second round.
Sylphy fell asleep peacefully.
I bathed with cold water to cool myself.
On the way back, Eris was bursting into me with rough breaths and still in battle excitement, admiring me wildly.
I think, Eris is a wild young lady who has learned to control her malice.
The next day my spirit was so drained I felt as if I didn't have the energy to breathe and shriveled up like a dried fish.
Then a maid came with a letter addressed to me.
The letter was sealed with a crest of a dragon.
No doubt, it's an office memo.
The contents of the memo were brief, expressing concern over any injuries and stating the location of today's meeting.
The conference room was in a cemetery located on the edge of the nobles' residential area.
Not only is the cemetery old and unkempt, it's also a wide and lonely place, like an island in the middle of the capital.
The conference room is in a crypt below one of the tombs.
This seems like a place that would be filled with the undead at night.
There one who is more frightening than the undead lurked.
"Have you come, Rudeus Greyrat?"
"Yes, I’m here!"
Sitting on the coffin, Orsted was waiting with one hand on his chin [1].
What he’s doing now is disrespectful towards the deceased.
I cannot bring myself to sit on the coffin, so I begin making tables and chairs with earth magic and set up a candle that was brought.
"Please."
"Oh, pardon me."
Under invitation from the chairman, I also sit after him.
Well, it's the start of the meeting.
"First of all, let me congratulate your hard work, Rudeus. Now, Ariel becoming king is confirmed "
"Can’t it not be confirmed until the previous king’s death? Or has it already been established?"
I heard that in his old age the King was suffering from an incurable disease... but, there is still time until his death.
During that time, Grabell’s faction will definitely try to struggle to regain their position, and not just once or twice.
We can’t let our guard down yet.
We still need to ensure Ariel takes the throne.
There are still uncertainties.
Water King Isolte whose teacher was killed in front of her eyes...
The Boreas house who sided with Darius...
I should be very careful of these two.
They've been forced into a corner, they will likely do everything within their power to lash out.
I had thought this... but.
"Oh, Ariel had already become king when she received Perugius’s backing. Defeating Darius was only a matter of time."
Orsted seems confident.
For me, I won’t be sure yet, but he seems to think everything is already set in stone.
"You look confused, Rudeus Greyrat."
Oops, looks like he could tell from my face.
"I ~~ee, I was wondering, Orsted-sama. There are still some parts that I can’t be sure of."
"..."
Orsted is staring at me.
Honestly, does just saying that mean I don't trust my president?
All I'm trying to say is that it's not over yet.
"Iya~, look, Orsted-sama, are you sure that you didn’t miss anything? Maybe if looks like the end, but we can’t make sure that Hitogami didn’t leave anything behind as parting gift right? So, there is no reason to say that this is already over."
"..."
That's all I can say, I have no choice now but to remain silent.
Orsted is still hiding something from me.
Surely, he won't tell someone like me what it's is.
"I’m formerly Hitogami’s apostle anyway, you don’t need to tell me..."
Those words came out clearly from me.
Words that I did not intend to let out.
A slip of the tongue.
Hearing that, Orsted rises.
Observing me with his tremendous power.
"Iyaa, I, I'm sorry, I didn’t mean it like that... It’s not like I’m unhappy with things that you didn’t tell me."
"Certainly, Rudeus Greyrat, I did not trust you completely."
While fully opening my foresight eye, I’m looking for a way to escape.
It is useless, I’m surrounded by Orsted's shadow.
When I run away, he will catch up to me immediately.
It can't be helped, showing my belly is the only way[2].
"This time, the likelihood of you betraying me was also taken into account, I was constantly monitoring you."
Monitoring.
Well, I can believe it.
Orsted’s mood, even Auber, everybody seems to have been watching me while I was on the job.
"But you have proven that you are not a man that’s just all talk, you can be trusted."
"...."
"I must also apologize to you, Rudeus Greyrat. I have lied to you."
After having said that, Orsted sat back down.
"You lied?"
After asking again, Orsted was showing a scary face.
Well, he has a difficult face.
This man, I think he must put a little more time to practice his smiling face.
Smiling is a cornerstone of communication.
Then again I've been told I'm not very good at it either.
"Yes. I told you before that in exchange for obtaining the power to see fate, by using the secret technique created by the first generation Dragon God to fight Hitogami, I am separated from the principles of the world."
"Yes."
That was how he could see a rough version of the future.
"Half of it is a lie. I don’t have any power to see the future."
Hmm...
"So, the part about being separated from the principles of the world is true, right?"
"Yes. But, Rudeus Greyrat. What do you think it means to be separated from the principles of the world?"