Chapter 61

The ticket-checking girl admitted that she was startled the moment she saw the emblem. Her hand even trembled, and the ticket almost slipped to the floor.

But it was only for a moment before she began to shake her head and sigh.

‘Sigh… That’s exactly why this ticket must be fake.’

She had never heard of an entry ticket that carried the royal emblem.

What’s more, the VIP ticket entrance was over at the express passage next door. This was just the regular ticket checkpoint. Even if it were a special royal pass, it shouldn’t be coming through here. The royal family members were supposed to enter free of charge anyway.

Miss Shaya was already exhausted from standing on her tiptoes.

She slapped the edge of the counter with her tiny hand. Her young voice was as soft as cotton candy, speaking words of threat that carried no real intimidation.

“What’s going on…! Isn’t this the express lane? Why is it so slow, still not done yet? It should be done by now!”

Damn it, standing here was torture for Miss Shaya. This counter was so tall—was that supposed to look down on short people?

If a dwarf from the Dwarf Tribe came here, they’d probably use their architectural expertise and turn this place into rubble.

However, the ticket-checking girl could only keep shaking her head.

Seeing how anxious the little girl was made her even more convinced of her suspicion.

‘She’s trying to sneak in…’

Looking around to confirm no one was nearby, the ticket-checking girl pushed the “fake” ticket back toward that tiny hand.

Then she began to gently advise.

“Sigh… Little girl, you’re still so young. You should be an honest, law-abiding citizen of the kingdom… You can’t exploit loopholes like this, and you definitely can’t joke about such things. I’ve seen many fake tickets, but misusing the royal emblem is a capital offense… Here, I won’t tell anyone. Run along now. Find a place to tear up this ticket. I’ll pretend you were never here.”

“?”

“Shaya! Shaya! Where did you go? Where are you!”

“Mm…? Sister Xiarette, I’m over here! You came just in time—come take a look. Did the king give you a fake ticket as a reward because he’s stingy? That’s not right, is it? She says this ticket is fake!”

“Hiss…!”

The ticket-checking girl was nearly scared to death!

‘Little girl, if you say things like that, are you looking to get exiled to the desert or the frozen plains?!’

But… the more the girl thought about it, the more something felt off.

‘The King?’

‘A reward?’

Would someone holding a fake ticket really speak so brazenly out in the open like that…?

Could it be that this was actually…

She didn’t need to think further.

Because the moment that blonde, peerlessly beautiful girl rushed over, her appearance and presence completely stunned the ticket-checking girl!

‘H-H-H-Hero?!’

Anyone who had worked for years around the buildings of Cormier Castle wouldn’t fail to recognize the Hero.

Xiarette came rushing over and finally caught up with Sheffy.

“Phew… I mean, seriously… You don’t even know your way around, and you’re still running so fast. You went the wrong way—this isn’t the express entrance. That’s over there.”

“What…! I thought both sides were fine. And there was no line here?”

“That’s because it’s past the peak entry time now… Silly Shaya.”

“Who are you calling silly?!”

“Alright, alright… we’re both silly, okay? Come with me. This path doesn’t lead around to the VIP seats. Ah… right.”

Xiarette was approachable and kind.

While leading her own Sheffy away, she didn’t forget to smile and thank the ticket-checking girl.

“Thank you for holding her up for so long. Otherwise, who knows where she might have ended up.”

“Eek…!! I’m so sorry for saying your ticket was fake!!!”

“Hmm?”

Xiarette didn’t know what had happened yet.

It wasn’t until later, after Sheffy explained it to her, that she understood the whole story—and gently poked Sheffy on the forehead.

“You, you… seriously have no self-awareness. You ran off before I could even explain. Something bearing the royal emblem can’t just be taken out casually. That’s equivalent to seeing the King himself. If you suddenly show it like that, how could anyone possibly believe it’s real?”

“But wasn’t this a reward from the King? Shouldn’t it come in large bundles? Is this thing actually rare?”

“Not exactly rare. One for you, one for me—only two in the whole kingdom.”

“What…! Oh, then it’s not rare at all. There are two.”

“Trust you to still have that mouth on you.”

Shameless Sheffy—no matter the situation, she would always cover up the embarrassment of going the wrong way.

Though the poor ticket-checking girl deserved some sympathy.

Her face had turned pale… she probably needed to go backstage and recover a bit before continuing her shift.

That’s why Xiarette hadn’t lingered earlier. She had quickly taken Sheffy and left, no need to keep scaring the poor girl—it wasn’t easy for her.

This time, the two switched to another passage.

This side of the corridor was clearly adorned with far more golden embellishments, appearing grand and splendid. This was the original VIP passage meant for nobles and the royal family, leading directly to the best seats in the arena.

Sheffy slightly raised her palm, and the dense, gentle lights seemed to pass through her fingertips, almost tangible—dazzling and beautiful.

“Mm, that side was pitch dark, and this side is fully covered in Light Magic Crystals. The two paths are so close, but the treatment is worlds apart.”

“That’s the kingdom’s tradition… there’s an unbridgeable chasm between nobles and commoners. Even the wealthiest merchant can’t walk through this passage. This rule… after hundreds of years, has become an unspoken convention. No one finds it strange.”

“Except us.” Sheffy walked forward, hands behind her head, flashing Xiarette a breezy smile.

“Sheffy… yeah, except us.”

After all, they knew this world didn’t have those so-called “hundreds of years.”

Xiarette wasn’t someone who would spout grand ideals about changing the nation.

She was actually quite selfish.

And this selfishness manifested in…

Her eyes, trailing along the gentle light, landed on Sheffy’s carefree smile.

Perhaps that smile was Xiarette’s selfishness.

She wished Sheffy could always smile like that—so long as those old, rigid traditions didn’t interfere with her smile, that would be enough.

If there ever came a day when Xiarette wanted to change those ideas, it would only be because they affected that free smile.

As they thought, and walked—

Their field of vision gradually opened up.

Coming out from the corridor’s exit, rows upon rows of seats were neatly arranged around the oval-shaped arena.

Speaking of which, this architectural layout was quite similar to what Sheffy and Xiarette remembered as a “football stadium” from their previous lives.

Only, this place wasn’t nearly as bright.

The venue was massive, and even with ample Light Magic Crystals, it only gave the place a classic, antique atmosphere—nothing overly extravagant. As a venue for viewing matches, it was just right.

And Sheffy’s gaze lingered on the crowd moving about in this area.

Fixated on their faces—

On the strange eye-covering masks they wore.

“Why are so many of them wearing masks? Is that the theme tonight? Xiarette, should we get some masks too?”

“There’s no need for that.”

Xiarette swept her eyes across the area—she also noticed those masked individuals.

Most of them wore those masks that only covered the eye sockets while leaving the eyes exposed, so they didn’t obstruct vision. These long-feathered masks were mostly ornamental, and for well-known high nobles, it was still easy to recognize who was who—there wasn’t much concealment.

Xiarette took out two identical long-feathered eye masks from her Storage Magic.

After helping Sheffy put hers on, she also placed the other one on her own face.

This small mask couldn’t hide Xiarette’s beauty—in fact, it added a hint of mystique and made her look even cooler!

“Xiarette, so cool!”

“Cool…! Really… Sheffy, you look adorable too?”

“I’m not cool?!”

“Well… I guess you are.”

She truly couldn’t bring herself to say it—Sheffy’s little face with the mask didn’t look mysterious at all. On the contrary, it made people want to protect her like a small animal.

If she said that out loud, Sheffy would probably bite her…

“This is just a simple half-face mask. It doesn’t really hide anyone’s identity. But in public venues like the Royal Capital, there’s a custom: when nobles wear this kind of mask, it means ‘don’t disturb.’ They’re here to enjoy the event, not to socialize. Well… it’s the same in the Demon Domain, right? High nobles often use these occasions to form connections or discuss trade. But if it spoils their mood, it’s not worth it.”

“Oh, oh, that’s true! Back in the Demon Domain, I once attended a fishing tournament, and some noble came up to ask if I could introduce him to my father, the Demon King. I was so mad…! Couldn’t he see I was fishing?!”

“So… did you introduce him?”

“Of course not. If someone doesn’t know how to read the room, what good would they be in the Demon King’s Castle? So I threw him in the lake. Only later did I find out he was actually a judge for the fishing tournament. No wonder I caught so few fish in that match… Turns out he took revenge in secret. So devious!”

“……”

No, Sheffy, I don’t think that was revenge.

You were probably just really bad at fishing.

Ahem, like earlier, this was something best kept to oneself—definitely not to be said out loud.

The VIP seats surrounded the entire front row of the arena. Each seat was spaced generously, with ample room between them.

If one carefully sensed the flow of magic, they would notice a magical barrier between the arena and the spectator area, designed to protect the audience from the effects of combat.

They randomly picked a pair of adjacent seats. Miss Shaya pressed down her skirt and hopped up. The luxurious leather comfort instantly lifted all of Sheffy’s spirits.

“Whoa, human craftsmanship really lives up to its name—so comfy! Xiarette, Xiarette, come sit! Do we get the donuts ourselves, or does someone bring them over?”

“Wait a bit—someone will probably bring them over. But hey… forget the donuts for now, fix your mask properly. Otherwise, it’ll get troublesome.”

“Huh? What’s the big deal? I’m not some high noble. If they’re looking for someone to talk business with, they wouldn’t come to me, right?”

Xiarette was just about to step forward and help Sheffy put her eye mask back on—it had fallen off when she hopped onto the seat.

And in just those few short seconds…

Sheffy heard from behind the seats, some finely dressed nobles—without masks—suddenly step forward and greet her.

“Earl Shaya, how do you do!”

“Earl Shaya, here to watch the match too? What a coincidence, what a coincidence!”

“Hahaha…! Young and promising, Earl Shaya—might you be interested in considering this—tsk.”

That final tsk was because the mask had been placed back onto Shaya’s face.

Which meant: Earl Shaya did not wish to speak with them, nor to discuss any business.

After those nobles dispersed, Xiarette shrugged and gave a helpless smile.

“See? Aren’t the humans even more enthusiastic than the Demon Clan, Earl Shaya?”

“Hiss… I forgot I was still an earl? Didn’t that title conferment ceremony not even happen?”

“The ceremony is just a formality. In the Royal Capital’s noble circle, who doesn’t already know about you—our newly appointed young… ahem, youthful earl? A noble promoted like you, breaking convention, is bound for greatness. That’s why so many are eager to cozy up to you.”

“Gotta find a way to return that title!”

“Impossible. Once a title is granted, unless you make a serious blunder, there’s no taking it back.”

“……”

“Don’t even think about making a mistake on purpose, okay? Even if you did, it’s still very hard for the King to revoke a title.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep