"Thank you for your concern, Lady Tessa, but I'd appreciate it if you don't imply that Mizuki is anything like the people that abducted me. Furthermore, I should clarify that my loyalty lies with him, not Lady Nedonera, and it derives from admiration, not a sense of debt. Finally, I wouldn't describe myself as a servant, nor is my position so temporary. I intend to continue working with Mizuki, as a member of Lady Nedonera's party, indefinitely." (Alto)
A shocked silence falls over everyone in the room, even Elira and company. I can't blame them, that was uncharacteristically abrasive of Alto. I'm shocked too, and I can feel my face go stiff hearing Alto's response. The one apparent exception is Nina, who is radiating amusement through our connection.
All the nobles and even their guests turn piercing glares at me, and I fight the urge to fidget in my discomfort. Thankfully, Darak Zardo returns his gaze to Nina and speaks up before anyone else can.
"Great Dragon, my own curiosities about Alto's statement aside, what do you think of this? She all but demanded that an elven noble treat your subordinate with more respect. More importantly, she plainly admitted that she has no real loyalty to you, and only to Mizuki." (Darak Zardo)
"Fufufu…I think it's great that Alto is showing some backbone. My presence here was a favor to your people, not the other way around, and her expectation that your nobles remain respectful is quite warranted. Also, I believe that Alto having loyalty towards Mizuki, but not me, is more desirable than the opposite situation. Mizuki is responsible for Alto, and he is completely loyal to me, so Alto isn't rogue." (Nina)
That's…a surprisingly levelheaded assessment from Nina. I'm impressed. Darak is surprised by Nina's response, but he contemplates it for a moment and seems to find the explanation reasonable. Then, Helena Izthil speaks for the first time. Her tone is cold and matter of fact.
"Can the nobles dispense with the idle curiosities and frivolous concerns? No policies have been broken, Mizuki is obviously trusted by everyone important, and I see no evidence that he's been anything but friendly towards our people. Instead, we should discuss Veyron and the demons, or did none of you notice that Lady Nedonera's visit was to decide if she'll assist us? I suggest that you temper your prejudices against the person most likely to convince her to aid us." (Helena Izthil)
Damn…I know that she's not exactly siding with me out of friendliness, but I like her. Someone who makes decisions that objectively…they have my respect whether they like me or not. Hearing her comment, most of the nobles go pale. Elira takes the opportunity to interject.
"Ehem…thank you Helena. That was certainly the case when we invited you all for this meeting, but circumstances have changed now. Within a few days of arriving as our guests, Lady Nedonera and her party were able to assess the situation with the demons independently, and they resolved it on their own. The matter has been settled for us, and there is now no threat to the Elven Kingdom from Veyron or the demons." (Elira)
That revelation causes a round of surprised noises from the nobles, even Darak Zardo and Tessa Uril. I understand, since Elira has been keeping that information tightly under wraps given the looming royal announcement. Helena Izthil is the first to ask a coherent follow up question.
"Great Dragon, do you mind explaining Queen Elira's statement, about the issue being resolved? There's obviously significant information we're missing." (Helena Izthil)
"Fufufufu…I have to say, I quite like you…you're clever and direct – Mizuki's favorite kind of person. Mizuki, dear, that's quite a long story she's asking for. Do you mind explaining it for me?" (Nina)
I bow deeply and step forward, and Helena's eyes turn towards me in anticipation.
"Of course, my Lady. Lady Helena, I believe your biggest misconception was about the demons' motivations and intentions, so allow me to explain that first." (Mizuki)
I recap for them how Nina, Zara, I first surveilled the demons' camp, what we observed, and how Zara had a duel with the leader of the demons, Dez. Then, I explain what Dez told us of the demons' true situation, and the reasons why the elves' initial intelligence reports were misleading. I, of course, leave out any magical actions by me, and subtly imply that I can't use magic.
"So, the demons were never intending to start a war with your people. They were just trying to avoid extinction at the hands of Veyron the only way they knew how." (Mizuki)
The nobles remain quiet for a few moments, digesting that information, then several of them ask me questions in sequence.
"Mizuki, I'm intrigued by your mention of this wolf-kin girl, Zara, who is skilled enough with a sword to beat a demon militant. How did she come to be in Lady Nedonera's service, and what is she like? Such weapon use is unheard of among the wolf-kin." (Cara Egris)
Cara is only staring at me with intense curiosity.
"She was one of the wolf-kin slaves freed by Lady Nedonera along with Alto. She made a similar request to join my Lady's party, which was accepted. As for her sword use, it was something she wished to learn for personal reasons. She's exceptionally open-minded and pragmatic, and she doesn't agree with many wolf-kin ideologies. He skills with the sword were mostly developed in sparring sessions with Princess Ilina's royal guard, Klaus." (Mizuki)
Cara mulls over that information, and Darak takes the opportunity to interject a question while narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously.
"Mizuki, can you truly not use magic? You may not be aware, but one of the elves you freed was my daughter. I received a letter from her stating that a kind human traveling with an Elder Dragon had freed her from imprisonment and a slave contract. Her phrasing made it sound like you, personally, freed her, instead of Lady Nedonera as you stated." (Darak)
I smile politely at him and produce my guild card from a jacket pocket, then hand it to him. He observes it for a moment, then looks up at me in surprise. I see Dargo rolling his eyes in the corner of the room.
"Lord Darak, I cannot speak to your daughter's intended message, but you can plainly see the results of my mandatory magic assessment at the guild. It's true that Lady Nedonera only helped the elves because I pleaded with her, so saying that I freed them could be accurate depending on your perspective." (Mizuki)
Darak nods thoughtfully as he returns my guild card to me.
"Still, I notice that you're an A-rank adventurer, so it's hard to believe that you could achieve such a status as a normal human without any magic aptitude." (Darak)
Clever guy.
"Well, you're partly correct. My loyalty to Lady Nedonera is not purely verbal, and there is also a contractual element that grants me her blessings. All I'm willing to divulge is that my physical abilities are much better than a normal human because of this blessing from her. As evidence of this blessing, you may notice that I share her green eyes, which are not naturally occurring among humans." (Mizuki)
This solicits curious gazes from several nobles, as well as Elira and Dargo who never received an explanation for my eye color. Ilina is just looking at me with surprise. I guess she didn't expect that cover story. Helena Izthil makes another timely interjection.
"You're all getting off topic with frivolous interests, again. Mizuki, could you finish explaining how Veyron was dealt with, who seemed to be the source of the demon crisis?" (Helena Izthil)
I nod to her politely.
"Of course, Lady Helena, that part is simple. My Lady goaded him into a wager, where the winner was determined by single combat between them. She easily defeated Veyron, and her prize was ownership of the minor continent, which Veyron considered his. To prevent him from causing trouble elsewhere, she gifted him his original portion of the continent to continue living on, and she forbade him from trespassing onto the remaining territory so the demons could live there in peace." (Mizuki)
Helena directs surprise and respect towards Nina.
"Great Dragon, that was as clever as it was generous. Why would you give up the continent and leave nothing for yourself after all that effort?" (Helena)
"Fufufufu…crushing the pride of that boastful idiot Veyron was reward enough for me – I never had any interest in the continent. The goading, the wager and its stakes, and the aftermath were entirely Mizuki's idea. He thought it was the best way to resolve the issue." (Nina)
Helena directs her gaze towards me, and her expression turns calculating.
"Did he now…" (Helena)
Before Helena can ask me further questions, Jorah Abel makes his presence known again.
"From what I can tell, this matter with the demons and Veyron has been settled for over a week now. Ergo, the reason for Lady Nedonera's visit has concluded, and us tolerating her human's presence has served its purpose as well. Why are they still here?" (Jorah)
Elira glances at me nervously, presumably wondering if I'll get tired of Jorah like I did Alara. I direct a thought message at her and Ilina.
[Relax, Elira, I'm not going to do anything. If Ilina's as determined as she seems, you'll be my mother-in-law eventually. As you'd hoped, that earns you quite a bit of latitude, even with idiots like this. Please feel free to address the situation how you'd like, and I'll do my best to support it.] (Mizuki)
Elira visibly relaxes, and I catch the hint of a smirk on Ilina's face. Elira lets out a huge sigh.
"Jorah, my patience with you has about expired. If you refuse to use Mizuki's name or blatantly disrespect him one more time, I'll be personally throwing you in a cell before Lady Nedonera has the chance to kill you over it. Consider this a loving gesture from your Queen. Now, to answer your question, they're still here so they can help with the agenda of the royal announcement, including this meeting." (Elira)
Jorah and even Tessa are taken aback by Elira's blatant threatening of a noble. Cara and Darak seem surprised, but also amused, as they glance at Elira. Helena outright chuckles – she's really something else.
"Fufufu…my Queen, thank you. Jorah, are you so stupid as to think you can blatantly antagonize an Elder Dragon without consequences? They don't value the approval of other races, so what do you think is stopping her from murdering you right here in front of us if you anger her? Do you think we have anything of value to offer her? Do you think it'd be remotely possible to punish her? Please, explain why you're so confident." (Helena)
Jorah turns a confused expression to Helena, and he becomes visibly angry.
"Don't be absurd, Helena. Even an Elder Dragon wouldn't dare murder an elven noble right in front of the Queen over something so minor." (Jorah)
Oh…oh, no…he's an idiot. Here I just thought he was hateful and belligerent, but he's truly drinking his own kool-aid. Nina is quick to correct him.
"Fufufufu…stupid elf, is that what you think? Lady Helena is correct, and obviously much smarter than you. If it weren't for Mizuki's tolerant nature protecting you, I would have killed you twice over for your behavior already, then gone about my day carefree." (Nina)
Based on how we met, there's no doubt in my mind she means that. Jorah goes pale and stops talking altogether. Every noble except Helena and Darak goes stiff as well.
"Ehem…my Queen, you mentioned that Lady Nedonera and her party remained in Avalon to help with the royal announcement proceedings. Could you be more specific?" (Darak)
The other nobles turn to Elira curiously, following Darak's question.
"Of course. We have a separate meeting tomorrow to discuss the subject of the royal announcement, so I won't disclose that yet, but everything else is fine." (Elira)