Chapter 36. The Diva Fanatic
—First Encounter, viewpoint of Kiritaka—
As the trade representative for the Water Gate City, one of the five major cities of the Lugunica, and the heir of the Muuse Trading Company, Kiritaka, since the age of 18, had been troubled.
Troubled by how to stop women from constantly thinking about stripping him, throwing him on a bed, and making him their husband.
Unbeknownst to him, this feeling gradually turned into fear—a fear of women.
Perhaps it was at that time that he became a Lolicon, and his aesthetic standards deviated from the mainstream of the Lugunica. After all, the higher the mainstream aesthetic value, the more women believed they could succeed in seducing him.
The first time Kiritaka realized his abnormality was when he met Liliana-san.
Love at first sight—a concept he once scoffed at—now descended upon him.
Just an accidental glimpse of her, and Kiritaka's entire attention was captivated by the strong, confident, and joyful aura she exuded. When he got closer, looking at the brown-skinned girl before him, who had the appearance of a little girl no matter how he looked at her, Kiritaka found no distaste in his heart.
In fact, he liked the woman before him even more. Yes, Kiritaka was certain he had fallen in love.
"Thank you very much for your favor, but I apologize. As a minstrel, this humble girl is like the wind and will not stay in one place. Liliana's adventure has not yet come to an end…"
His unhesitating confession was met with a tactful refusal. Kiritaka was stunned by this unexpected development, but it only confirmed to him that the person before him was his only one, the goddess in his heart.
"Liliana! My charming songstress! I hope you can forever capture me with your singing."
His long-term education allowed Kiritaka to maintain basic courtesy, but he admitted that at the time, he did not attach much importance to the woman's singing, because he was Kiritaka.
The singing stopped. Kiritaka stared blankly at the woman. He could feel that the moving sensation in his heart had not yet dissipated. The shock Liliana's singing brought to Kiritaka surpassed even the shock brought by her appearance.
—If there is a God of Music in this world, then the woman before me must be her incarnation.
Kiritaka looked at the woman before him. He wanted to possess everything about this woman, but he could not feel a trace of blasphemous emotion towards her singing, which was
approaching or even reaching the realm of the gods. Kiritaka was thus captivated by Liliana's singing. Although captivated by her song, Kiritaka did not abandon his feelings. Thus,
"You want to travel with me? Suit yourself."
With Liliana's consent, Kiritaka became her first companion. He imagined that Liliana would eventually fall for his charm, and he also wanted to be the first to hear the song that Liliana considered her goal.
A few years later, Kiritaka was known as the 'Diva Fanatic'.
.
.
.
—6x Minutes After the War Council Ended, A Warehouse of the Muuse Trading Company—
Suddenly hearing a familiar voice singing beautiful music, Kiritaka paused, suddenly raising his head to look at the "shooting star" from which the sound came. Then he frantically pulled out a golden pocket watch from his pocket.
"The time hasn't come yet. Does that mean it's early?"
'That means I actually missed the start of Liliana-san's most important performance!'
Kiritaka's expression turned gloomy.
"Dynes, here..."
Kiritaka, putting the pocket watch back into his pocket, subconsciously called out the name of his trustworthy friend, but Kiritaka turned around and was silent, looking at the empty space behind him. He suddenly remembered that Dynes, his right-hand man, was seriously injured in the battle this morning and was recuperating in the field hospital.
"Otto..."
Kiritaka looked around, then suddenly remembered that Otto had left in a hurry a dozen minutes ago after saying something to Ram on the other end of the speaking mirror.
"Excuse me, Kiritaka-san. If possible, I hope my meager efforts can alleviate your worries."
Kiritaka looked at the man responsible for protecting him, who had suddenly spoken. His expression became incredibly conflicted. After calling out twice, his fervent mood gradually cooled. Kiritaka finally reacted to the meaning of the singing starting early—the situation in the Water Gate City was worse than the worst-case scenario predicted.
In this situation, in this situation...
—"Kiritaka, our most beloved Water Gate City is entrusted to you."
Kiritaka remembered the last words of the other seven council members before they were frozen.
To ensure the smooth progress of the inducement plan and to prevent valuable combat power from being used to protect them, causing the frontline to collapse, they voluntarily chose to be frozen after knowing that Pandora could not break Emilia-sama's ice (PS: This was based on an inquiry about Pandora previously looking for Emilia, which revealed that Pandora could not break the ice of a rampaging Emilia-sama).
"I am very sorry, Julius-san. I cannot entrust the work that determines the lives of tens of thousands of people in the city to a stranger. I hope you can understand."
Kiritaka's love for the Water Gate City suppressed his selfish desires.
"Hey! You—"
"It was presumptuous of me. Then, allow me to prepare your ground dragon for you first. Fortunately, the streets are empty now. With my beloved dragon, we should be able to reach the scene in about four minutes."
Julius reached out and stopped Ricardo, who was slightly annoyed beside him, then bowed slightly to express his apology, before saying something that could slightly calm the agitated Kiritaka.
Watching the man's every word and action, Kiritaka understood why he was once called the Finest Knight, but just as Kiritaka had said, even though he trusted the man before him more in his heart, Kiritaka had no intention of handing over the future of the city to him.
—Perhaps it is precisely because of this sense of responsibility, stronger than anyone else's, that he was recognized by the people and became a member of the Council of Ten, and was entrusted with the future by the Council of Ten.
Julius thought this as he looked at Kiritaka, then at the busy Muuse Trading Company employees still adjusting equipment and the members of the Dragon Scale standing still.
"It's a good team, isn't it?"
A familiar voice spoke the inner thoughts of the two outsiders with a proud tone. Kiritaka subconsciously looked over.
"Dynes, you—"
"Boss, in a crisis where you won't even watch Liliana-san's concert, how can I continue to lie down? So I'm here to take over your shift."
"Are your injuries okay!"
"Should I exclaim that he is indeed the owner of the 'Blue' title? Actually, I feel fine enough to participate in the fight, but compared to being an insignificant cannon fodder on the front line, isn't it more useful to be a pillar in the rear?"
Dynes, the captain of the Dragon Scale, smiled.
"Go, Boss. After striving for several years, how can you fail at the last step?"
"I understand, but first, let me confirm you are Dynes."
Kiritaka said, pulling out the speaking mirror to contact the rear.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting