Chapter 55

“…You all scared me to death! Such a big black sphere in the sky, and you all just flew right into it! I’m only at the third tier… I… I can’t fly! …Otherwise I would have gone in too! I definitely would have followed you in! It’s so good that you were able to come back…”

She seemed to have scolded me again just now!

“Good thing you can’t fly…”

Miss Shaya was so angry that she wanted to give her a big slap, but alas, Nona Wright had already made such a promise.

These words were truly spoken from Sheffy’s heart.

“I now understand that commoners can be completely noble too…”

Otherwise, this simpleton might really have rushed headlong into Zero’s domain without hesitation…!

“To express my apology… I just asked Her Highness the Third Princess and found out that Miss Shaya likes to eat donuts. So… I will pay for it myself and send lots of donuts to your residence.”

That would have been unbelievably foolish!

“This small and insignificant apology… though it’s nothing worth mentioning, Miss Shaya, please be sure to accept it. To me, for you to dare continue fighting in such a situation, you are a true knight.”

What she didn’t know was—

At this moment, standing in front of Livra, reflected in her emerald-green eyes, Miss Shaya was precisely this kind of “simpleton.”

That figure of hers leaping into the black hole without hesitation—

Had already been deeply imprinted into Livra’s mind.

Even though she felt it was a bit troublesome to say this…

While treating Livra’s scraped wrist from when she fell with healing magic… she also persuaded her to wipe her tears.

Miss Shaya and Xiarette exchanged a smile.

““Mm, we’re back.””

A long journey with no promised return; someone followed the path and waited anxiously.

Wasn’t this a small kind of happiness too…?

59. Ask whom?

In fact, Nona Wright had originally thought this way of apologizing was entirely insincere.

After all, giving food… the Hero’s family surely wouldn’t be lacking in ingredients.

But Nona Wright was eager to apologize immediately, and at the moment had no other way to express her regret… so she could only ask this question through Her Highness the Third Princess.

Her Highness the Third Princess looked rather simpleminded, and for her to provide this piece of information was already quite an extraordinary performance.

So maybe this little knight-in-training would fly into another fit of rage…

However, the expected situation did not occur.

Not only did Miss Shaya not fly into a rage—

On the contrary, she gave Nona Wright a thumbs-up!

“To recognize your mistake and correct it…! That’s a good thing! Slurp… fine, fine, fine… I’ll reluctantly accept those donuts you mentioned, alright? It’s not like a few donuts mean anything… it’s just that if I don’t accept them, you’ll probably feel guilty, right?”

Ugh… Sheffy, you really are something.

Did Xiarette not know her yet? She clearly wanted those donuts quite badly, but that mouth of hers—greedy and stubborn.

Even when eating, she had to eat with proper posture, and could never admit that she was craving them!

“Eh…? Is that really okay?”

“Why not? You’ve already been punished, so there’s no need for me to keep harping on it.”

Eh? Punished? When did that happen?

Nona Wright thought that Miss Shaya was referring to her injured arm—that this was the punishment.

In fact, what Shaya had in mind was the time in the hall, when the ground’s slipperiness had been increased a thousandfold by the Ice Bind!

They had originally thought about taking a detour because of it.

But Sheffy, with her sharp memory, suddenly noticed a small detail.

She looked over Nona Wright’s attire…

Back in the banquet hall, she seemed to be wearing a pale gold evening dress…?

Why was she now wearing a plain white simple dress?

“Uh… by the way, did you change clothes?”

“!”

Upon hearing this, Xiarette also noticed and felt a little puzzled.

Everyone had just been fighting.

You actually had time to change clothes?

More importantly, your arm was broken and you still changed clothes? You’ve really got a big heart!

Nona Wright heard this and immediately shook her head vigorously, as if trying to say that Shaya had remembered it wrong—she had always been wearing this outfit!

However, she really had changed clothes.

In fact, here was what had happened—

At that time, with both arms broken, Nona Wright lay alone on the lawn, helplessly watching the overwhelming battle in the sky above. The immense, almost tangible pressure made it hard for her to breathe, so much so that in her dazed fear, a certain uncomfortable warmth gradually spread beneath her skirt, soaking into the grass and giving it some unexpected irrigation on this rainless day.

In such circumstances, how could she possibly not change clothes…?!

It had been extremely difficult for her to change clothes at the time… with both arms unusable, it was the most painful experience of changing clothes in her life.

As a once high-flying genius young lady, suddenly struggling to change clothes like a helpless infant—after going through such a humiliating experience, she finally realized just how timid she truly was!

“Well… forget it, it’s got nothing to do with us.” Miss Shaya took Xiarette’s hand and walked around the now frozen-with-shame Nona. “Sister Xiarette, let’s go, let’s see what the King has to say.”

When outsiders were present, Shaya had to address Xiarette as “Sister Xiarette.”

After all, Shaya’s official identity was that of Xiarette’s subordinate little knight.

After walking a short distance ahead, Xiarette softly reminded Sheffy of what she had just said.

“That was wrong. The key isn’t what the King has to say, it’s how we’re going to speak to the King… Sheffy, have you thought about how we’re going to explain repelling the Six-Winged Demons?”

“Think? What is there to think about? Only people with slow brains need to think. People like me always make things up on the spot!”

“You’re implying I’m slow again…”

“I’m not, don’t slander me, okay? I’m just saying I’m smart enough~”

A chair that was still somewhat luxurious had been found to serve as a temporary royal throne.

King Celt Aurus sat steadily at the front of the Grand Hall’s entrance, while other members of the royal family stood several meters behind the temporary throne, waiting.

Next to the throne, Head of the Wright Family Eclight stood guard.

From this angle, one could see that the interior of the Grand Hall was already in complete disarray. Only with the illumination from the Light Magic Crystals could one see clearly—the exquisite food and fine wine, the cakes and drinks, were all scattered across the floor. This banquet was clearly beyond saving.

Only the stubborn wall clock still displayed the time: there were a little more than forty minutes left until midnight, when the birthday celebration would officially end.

The nobles were still being asked to wait on a nearby open field. They had heard that the King would soon announce something important.

Livra, seeing the two of them approach the throne, was inwardly overjoyed! She was happily chatting with her royal siblings, though the distance was a bit too far to hear clearly, but it was most likely about how excellent Xiarette and Shaya were!

Compared to Livra’s unshakably optimistic attitude at all times, King Celt Aurus appeared quite self-reproachful and gloomy.

Seeing that the Hero had arrived, he immediately began to speak.

“Hero… I deeply regret that this disturbance happened to occur tonight. Your birthday banquet had not yet been completed… and it suffered such destruction. You safeguard the peace of the kingdom… but the kingdom is always unable to safeguard your tranquility…”

As Xiarette’s father, Eclight was about to say something to reassure the King that such an apology was unnecessary.

But this time, Xiarette spoke even faster than he did.

“Your Majesty need not apologize for this. None of us here was at fault. Besides, as for the birthday banquet not being able to proceed, I feel no regret at all.”

“Haah… Hero, there’s no need to force yourself like this, I understand… it has caused your Wright Family to be wronged…”

There really wasn’t any such thing.

Xiarette had not been speaking politely to the King just now; every word had been her sincere feelings.

If one asked why…

It was because my peace, my happiness… I was holding them tightly in my own hand.

Sheffy suddenly felt her right hand being gripped even tighter, fingernails scratching at her palm in a ticklish way—but it wasn’t unpleasant.

It had never been lost, nor had it left because of the chaos.

If the Grand Hall remained, it was because she chose to be here.

If the Grand Hall ceased to be, they would simply leave together.

What regret could there be?

Seeing that the Hero was so sensible, the King refrained from any more needless words.

What he really wanted to know was—what exactly had happened in that black hole space.

“Jeffriel’s appearance this time… serves as a warning to us. The defense of the Royal Capital must not be allowed to lapse in the slightest. But what I am curious about is—why did Jeffriel retreat? He had been so aggressive, relentless in every step, and that black hole space was his doing. Yet… he chose to leave on his own?”

Oh oh, if only we had known this was what the King would ask! That would make things simple!

Anyway, Xiarette, your father Eclight is here as well. The two of you fought Jeffriel together and coordinated well—you surely have some unspoken understanding, right?

Quick, quick, Xiarette, give your father a subtle look. Let him first go along with the story that the two of you together forced Jeffriel to retreat, and that along the way you conveniently pulled me out of the space as well.

Please don’t let it be like last time with Livra, where everything got pinned on me again! I only want peace and tranquility!

This time, Xiarette had learned her lesson.

She blinked, signaling her father to speak first according to common sense. She could explain later.

But what she didn’t understand was this:

The blood of the Wright Family ran true.

She was simple, a fool.

So her father was also simple, also a fool.

And sure enough—

Eclight turned, cupped his hands, and reported.

Once again, it sent Sheffy’s blood pressure soaring!

“Your Majesty, I too am unsure… it is true that my daughter Xiarette and I jointly restrained that Six-Winged Demon, but the restraint was only temporary. He released some kind of large-scale magic of the Restraint type. After that, we do not know. According to everyone’s account, it was after Miss Shaya charged into that space that Jeffriel was forced to flee. Therefore, I believe this question should be directed to Miss Shaya.”

60. Time to slip away!

Well then, I should have expected that you’re all a family of geniuses.

Careful, or I’ll really lose my temper!

Miss Shaya—who was she?

She had already said it: what she was best at was making things up on the spot.

Handling something like this? Just open her mouth and go!

“As for this matter… I’d say I just got lucky.”

“Oh…? Miss Shaya, how do you mean by that?”

“You should know, my ability is to seal weakened Six-Winged Demons. Jeffriel’s abilities had no effect on me. By the time Sister Xiarette and this uncle here had drained him of his magic, I flew in and used a special sealing magic. Though I didn’t fully succeed in sealing him, Jeffriel got scared and ran. Maybe he was afraid that if he came to the Royal Capital, he might never leave alive.”

“!”

This wasn’t entirely a lie.

Because Uncle Jeffriel had *indeed* nearly met his end here.

—All thanks to Sheffy’s righteous super headbutt.

Whether the King chose to believe it or not, it didn’t matter. At the time, Sheffy had rushed in to save someone, fearing for Xiarette’s safety, and hadn’t thought things through at all.

Even if you don’t believe me, I’ll stick to this story. Stubborn as a dead duck—what can you do to me?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep