Chapter 15: Princess

For those wondering where Alfin is, she is born in S1189.

It is still S1187, so we won't see her just yet (:

Drop those power stones and add to your collection!

*

It was quite unexpected to see two members of the Gralsritter arrive in the Treasury, but somewhat expected as well. It was a time of uneasiness, not only to Liberl but the same to other nations. To the point to where the Septian Church came in for a visit in person. While there were other religions in Zemuria, the Septian Church was the most dominant one, which gave the teachings of the Goddess Aidios.

The future First Dominion of the Gralsritter, Ein Selnate and her Knight, Rufina Argent. They appeared very young now, but they came in to check up on the Shining Ring. After a small scuffle with General Morgan, the two Gralsritter were able to confirm that their Sacrament was in no danger and shortly left after having a small talk with Queen Alicia and I.

Seeing it was just us now, General Morgan and Queen Alicia were able to close the sealed door of the Treasury, returning it back to normal. Before long we left the basement of Grancel Castle, and returned to the guest area.

I was brought back to father, to which he was already notified of there being a banquet. To further which brought another surprise. Enough time had passed by to reach evening now, but in the guest area, three figures could be seen seated near each other.

Giliath Osborne, Henry MacDowell, and Cassius Bright. Three leading figures of the three different nations that are bound to have conflict in the future. And yet here they are, happily chatting away with each other, waiting for the banquet to start and the other figures to arrive. They also watched two little figures play nearby, while a third one joined them not so long ago, aka me. As for Henry, he did say he would most likely join in tomorrow, but it seems he received the invitation for tonight as well. And with them came their families too.

"Naoto, you made it back!", A happy voice reached my ears, only to see a figure dash my way. Who else could it be but Estelle?

Seeing her dash my way, I quickly stepped to the right, only for Estelle to miss her hug completely. As a result she, she tumbled over, only to enter a rolling summersault, head forward. All of us saw Estelle keep rolling until she reached a line of a few people. She managed to crash into the closest one, stopping her momentum.

"Ouch...", Estelle said, letting out complaint as she rubbed her head, not noticing she tumbled into a figure before her. As for the figure, he let out an angry voice seeing this happen to him.

"Hmph, who is this ungrateful brat to suddenly barge in here while we are waiting to enter the banquet hall?", The angry voice echoed, drawing other's attention who were also waiting in line.

Upon a closer look, he had brown hair that was cut into a bowl shape. He had a wispy mustache and a short cut beard that didn't even cover his full lips. On top of that, he was wearing very vibrant and colorful robes styled similarly to the royal family. Seeing the child in front of him not leave, an anger mark appeared on his face.

"Get rid of this thing, Phillip. This child is unpleasant to my eyes.", The figure said out in anger once more.

"M-My Lord, you may want to rethink that...You do have a hard time paying attention to your surroundings sometimes after all.", The voice behind him said, who was apparently called Phillip. He appeared to be a butler.

"Hah?", The figure retorted. "If I want someone gone, you make them gone. Do I make myself clear?", The angry voice retorted again at Phillip, who in turn looked at Estelle who was beside the two.

'I was wondering when this guy was going to show up.', I inwardly spoke to myself while Elie looked onward at Estelle with a worried look in her eyes.

Yet at this time, we saw one of the three figures beside us stand up, who was one of the three figureheads making friendly conversation with each other. He brought a smile to his face as he walked.

"Are you sure you want to get rid of my Estelle now, Your Grace?", Cassius said as he walked up to him. Seeing Cassius approach, the vibrant dressed figure started to stutter a bit before he responded.

"C-Colonel Bright! Don't tell me this girl is your child? I-I didn't think you would make it back in time to send off His Highness tomorrow...", The figure said, shrinking his voice as he did, obviously intimidated by the smile Cassius currently wore.

"Even if you are Her Majesty's nephew, please choose your next words, very carefully Your Grace.", Cassius responded with his own retort as his eyes closed, arching upward into a crescent moon.

"Hmph, keep your child on a leash, Colonel Bright. Phillip, we are leaving. Our turn has arrived to enter.", The voice said, switching the tone as he wanted to make an escape now. Cassius saw this figure leave with his butler into the dining room to where many others could be seated, watching the maids coming and going with plates of food.

Seeing him leave, Cassius picked up Estelle, only to rub her head.

"You aren't hurt, are you, Estelle?"

"Only a bit, but I'm okay, Daddy! Besides, it was Naoto's fault this time. He wouldn't hug me.", Estelle said, puffing her cheeks out a bit with a pout.

"Haha, you were asking for that one, Estelle. I do apologize for that little disturbance though. Who was that guy just now?"

"Who you met just now was Her Majesty's nephew, Duke Dunan. He is quite an unruly fellow, so I apologize on his behalf.", Colonel Bright said, apologizing.

"It is no trouble. That fellow looks like he was one of the last people to arrive for the banquet. It shouldn't be long for Her Majesty to start the toast. Shall we head on in?", Giliath asked us.

We saw no other people in the main hallway now. I saw quite a few Majors enter so far. Even the Dean of Jenis Royal Academy arrived not too long ago, Dean Collins. Besides father though, not many Erebonians showed up to this banquet. Let alone any Bracers here. It's a shame, but the Bracers I currently know are either not born yet, or that they are still kids a little older than us or teens who have yet to start their Bracer exams. Hell even Zin who was one of the older Bracers was only fourteen. Even Cassius doesn't become a Bracer until he retires from the military in five to six years time.

With this fleeting thought, I heard Henry speak up next.

"I agree. We shouldn't have Her Majesty wait for us. Elie, it's time to go. Make sure to be on your best behavior during the banquet tonight.", Henry MacDowell said as approached Elie's side. She nodded.

"Okay, Grandpa. It was nice to see you again, Naoto.", Elie spoke back to me. Estelle, Elie and I were able to play a bit during the time the guests arrived for Her Majesty's banquet. Now that everyone has arrived, our fun time ended. Henry took his granddaughter and vanished into the banquet hall.

"I expect the same for you Estelle. No roughhousing okay?", Cassius also said to Estelle as he placed her back down.

"Okay, Daddy. Can the three of us play later again?", Estelle asked.

"Haha, we will see if you behave well during dinner.", Cassius responded with a laugh. Hearing that, Estelle became nervous but nodded her head. She looked back at me and gave me a quick wave before Cassius and Estelle vanished into the hall.

As for father, he only stood up, placing his tea cup on the nearest table. He didn't say anything to me, but I knew it was time to head on in, so I arrived at his side. He stayed silent, expecting I was to behave the same. Seeing this, he smiled, as if he expected this. We proceeded to head on in, only to see a long table with several plates of food on it. Several figures could be seen with Her Majesty seated at the other end. Beside her was a little child, probably no more than one year old like the three of us were.

Despite being a toddler, she was the spitting image of the princess shown in the sky saga. She was even wearing a fancy purple and white dress that suited her current size. I could see her observing the many people sitting at the table, but her eyes changed the moment she turned our way. I saw her look at Estelle and Elie earlier as well.

We only glanced at each other briefly before I continued beside father's side. As for father, many of the Mayors almost popped their eyes out again seeing Giliath take his seat with me next to him. To avoid suspicion, the three of us sat in different spots across the table. However, at this time, I unexpectedly heard a mechanical voice sound off inside my mind.

[Ding! Player Naoto has successfully encountered three or more girls of Zemuria with strong fates tied to their soul. Hidden title unlocked. Received title: Harem Seeker].

"Bruh.", I uttered softly as my eyes turned wide, hearing this announcement after encountering the princess. If there was to be any bruh moments, it would be now.