Chapter 482: An "Invitation" from the King of Vermillion!
"R-Right… speaking of family…"
When Luke and Ikki began talking about relatives, Stella suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to them.
The girl clearly wanted to say something, yet she was unexpectedly hesitant.
Stella's unusual behavior immediately caught Luke and Ikki's attention.
After all, the current Stella was different from her original-story counterpart.
Since she had never fallen in love, she rarely displayed such bashful, feminine behavior.
After being stared at curiously by both of them, Stella grew embarrassed but actually calmed down.
She took a deep breath and finally extended an invitation.
"Um… summer vacation starts after this, right?"
"Once the award ceremony and celebration banquet are over, and we've finished dealing with everything here…"
"Could you two come visit my home?"
The moment she finished, Luke and Ikki both froze.
They exchanged a glance before Luke asked,
"Your home…"
"You mean the royal palace of the Vermillion Kingdom, right?"
"Stella, are you actually inviting us over to hang out at your house?!"
Luke and Ikki were not overreacting.
If Stella were an ordinary person, inviting two close friends home after nearly spending an entire year together would have been perfectly normal.
But Stella was different.
Her family was genuine royalty.
A real princess casually inviting Luke and Ikki home like ordinary friends was not impossible, but it still felt strangely surreal.
At Luke's question, Stella stiffened.
After hesitating for several seconds, she sighed as though giving up and explained with a troubled expression.
"Actually… my father wants to meet both of you."
Stella cleared her throat slightly.
Then, recalling her father's exact words, she imitated him for Luke and Ikki.
"My daughter actually met two men while studying abroad… no, two male friends."
"As her father, I need to know what kind of people my daughter is associating with."
"They dare approach my precious daughter? Just watch me deal with—cough, cough. I mean, I should properly entertain them and thank them for looking after her."
"…Yeah."
"That was basically what he said."
Stella looked utterly helpless.
To make sure Luke and Ikki understood the situation, she had even perfectly reproduced every suspicious correction her father had made mid-sentence.
After hearing that, Luke and Ikki immediately understood their predicament.
They also developed a vivid impression of a king they had never met.
The two exchanged another glance.
Then answered in perfect unison.
"I refuse!!!" ×2
"Why?!"
Stella immediately panicked.
"How can you reject a girl's invitation like that?! That's completely ungentlemanly!"
"Being ungentlemanly is better than dying."
"Your father obviously has a problem with us. If I accept, I'm afraid I won't leave the Vermillion Kingdom alive!"
"Exactly. I really appreciate the invitation, Stella, but being targeted by an actual king is terrifying."
"I only just reconciled with my family. I'm not planning to become suicidal anytime soon."
"You're imagining things!"
"Even my father wouldn't go that far… probably… um…"
Stella had originally intended to refute them.
But halfway through, she thought about her father's extreme daughter complex and began doubting herself.
She had absolutely no confidence in promising that Luke and Ikki would return alive.
"B-But if you refuse, Father will call me every single day and keep talking about it!"
"I'll be driven insane!"
Out of options, Stella used a finishing move she almost never resorted to against Luke and Ikki.
Her expression turned pitiful.
Even her eyes began to glisten faintly.
Then Stella pleaded in a sweet, spoiled voice,
"Come on~ Just help me out~"
There was no denying it.
With Stella's looks, acting cute like that had devastating power.
And after receiving that attack, Luke and Ikki each gave their answer.
"Heh. Acting cute won't work on me. I refuse."
"Uh… well, if you're asking that seriously, Stella…"
"It is summer vacation, so I guess going once should be fine."
"???"
The sudden betrayal left Luke stunned.
He stared at Ikki in disbelief.
"You traitor!"
"Fine! You can go by yourself!"
"But when the king starts hunting you down, don't expect me to save you."
"I'm definitely not going there to die—"
"Great! Since you both agreed, I'll arrange plane tickets for the three of us later."
"We can decide the exact date afterward. There's no rush."
"??? I didn't agree!"
"Ikki agreed!"
"The three of us always act together, so when there's a disagreement, the minority follows the majority!"
"…I object to that decision-making system."
"Objection denied!"
"I have other things to do during vacation. I can't go!"
"That's fine."
"I'll book the tickets after you finish your personal business. Summer vacation is long, so waiting another week or two won't matter."
"…I'm busy for the entire vacation."
"Heh. You're lying!"
"Tch… Ikki, you traitor!"
"Huh?! S-Sorry…"
Amid their noisy argument, the announcement finally came over the speakers.
"Will the three award recipients please come onto the stage!"
...
The three left the lounge and, following the staff's guidance, took their places beside operating committee chairman Kaieda Yuzou.
Kaieda then called their names one at a time.
"Hagun Academy first-year, Stella Vermillion!"
"You achieved third place in the 62nd Seven Star Sword Art Festival."
"It is my honor to present you with this award. Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Stella accepted her certificate and medal.
After bowing to Kaieda and the audience, she turned and stood on the third-place section of the podium.
"Hagun Academy first-year, Kurogane Ikki!"
"You achieved second place in the 62nd Seven Star Sword Art Festival."
"It is my honor to present you with this award. Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Ikki likewise accepted his certificate and medal.
After bowing, he took his place on the second-place section of the podium.
Once both of them were standing in position—It was finally Luke's turn.
As the champion, his award was slightly different from Stella and Ikki's.
"Hagun Academy first-year, Luke Ashburn!"
"You fought your way through countless fierce battles and ultimately claimed the championship!"
"I hereby present you with this trophy, this medal, and the title of 'Seven Stars Sword King.'"
"Congratulations!"
…
…
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