Chapter: 25
The Rilberg Delegation
He certainly knew my taste in food.
Pleased to see Jusielia eating so well, Ritain placed her on the princess’s chair so she could eat in comfort.
“Jusielia, are you feeling all right?”
“Kyang.”
“Don’t push yourself. Just stay for a little while.”
“Kyahang.”
As Jusielia nodded, Ritain lovingly stroked his daughter’s head.
Watching them, Ijeten’s eyes lit up. He quickly leaned in and whispered in Jusielia’s ear.
“Jusielia, my birthday is in two months, too.”
“…Kruang?”
“You should make one for me, too. Please?”
he pleaded in a pitiful voice, gesturing upward.
Flabbergasted, Jusielia smacked her childish brother on the head with her paw.
But her paws were so soft that the blow had no effect, and Ijeten was unfazed.
“Oh? You want more strawberries? Here you go.”
With a grin, Ijeten picked out the biggest, most luscious strawberry and popped it into Jusielia’s mouth.
*Munch, munch.*
Watching his little sister happily chew the strawberry, Ijeten continued.
My birthday card doesn’t have to be that big.
I don’t want you to overexert yourself and get sick again, so one about your size would be perfect.
But, he rambled, he would like it to have about a hundred of your paw prints.
*This is ridiculous.*
Jusielia glanced around.
Young lords and ladies her brother’s age were hovering nearby, eager to speak not only with the Emperor but also with Crown Prince Ijeten.
Yet here he was, glued to her side.
*Is this really okay?*
It was a relief that the Penterin imperial authority was strong enough for the royal family to do as they pleased.
*But it’s a matter of social skills.*
Sharing the same concern as the Crown Prince’s aide, Count Talon, Jusielia shook her head.
Just then.
“Announcing the delegation from the Rilberg Empire of the Western Continent, here to celebrate the birth of His Imperial Majesty!”
Jusielia whipped her head toward the entrance of the banquet hall, her eyes wide.
*The Rilberg delegation!*
As Jusielia, her eyes twinkling with curiosity, craned her neck to see, Ijeten stepped in front of her, blocking her view.
She peeked.
When she leaned to the left, Ijeten casually shifted to his left.
When she peeked to the right, he blatantly stood to his right.
*Ugh, what the heck! I can’t see!*
*Thump! Thump!*
Jusielia punched Ijeten’s side for playing games at such a crucial moment.
She thought she’d gotten a little stronger since her illness, but to Ijeten, the mighty Golden Tiger, her paws felt like cotton.
When Ijeten didn’t even flinch, Jusielia growled and leaped off the chair.
“Jusielia…”
“Kyahung!”
When he even called out to her, Jusielia, utterly bewildered, retorted sharply.
What was that about?! And what was with that teary-eyed look?
There was no way her paws could have hurt him.
Just in case, Jusielia lifted a paw to examine it, then tilted her head in confusion.
“Heh.”
Watching from behind, Ritain let out a small chuckle.
When Jusielia turned, Ritain beckoned to his daughter.
“Jusielia, there is something I must tell you before you meet the Rilberg delegation.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Control your jealousy, Crown Prince. These people are here to help Jusielia.”
Ritain’s stern, low-voiced rebuke made Ijeten press his lips together.
But his face was a mask of displeasure.
Ritain gently adjusted the tiara that had slipped when Jusielia tilted her head and spoke softly.
“Jusielia, the one who healed you yesterday was not a priest, but a mage.”
“Kyang?”
Jusielia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Until now, she had assumed it was a priest who had healed her.
“Don’t be alarmed, Jusielia.”
Ijeten, assuming she was flustered because she knew nothing about magic, tried to soothe her.
Ritain added to the explanation.
“A mage from Rilberg, who is here for the exchange, helped you. In fact, it was an Archmage who healed you. So, be sure to treat them with kindness.”
“Kyang…”
Jusielia nodded.
It was completely unexpected, but she knew she had to properly express her gratitude.
But who could the mage have been?
*Could it be?*
She knew it was impossible, but…
A strange premonition washed over her, and her heart began to pound.
Seeing the Rilberg delegation approach the dais, Ritain rose from his seat to welcome them.
Ijeten was worried about the dazed look on Jusielia’s face, but as the Crown Prince, he took his place behind Ritain.
This was a momentous occasion.
It was a historic moment—the first exchange in hundreds of years between the two empires, long separated by the Eastern and Western continents.
A strange sense of tension and anticipation filled the banquet hall.
Moreover, this was the first step in preparing for the renewed battle against the Dark Divine Beast.
A meeting between beastmen and humans.
A union of supernatural abilities and magic.
At that moment, Duke Atasix, Chancellor of the Penterin Empire and a brown bear beastman, stepped between the Penterin royal family and the Rilberg delegation.
He extended a hand and greeted the Rilberg delegation with a polite bow.
“Welcome, esteemed delegation from the Rilberg Empire. It is an honor to meet the envoys of the enigmatic human empire.”
As Duke Atasix smiled gently and extended his hand, a branch sprouted from the floor, and a blue flower blossomed upon it.
“In our country, it is believed that this star-like flower blooms when a welcome guest arrives. We trust that you, the delegation of the Rilberg Empire, are indeed such welcome guests.”
The blue flower that Duke Atasix conjured with a smile truly resembled a star. It was so beautiful that it brought smiles to the faces of the Rilberg delegation.
Normally, a beastman receives only a single supernatural ability, but those from the four great beastman families, like Duke Atasix, are blessed with two or more.
Befitting a brown bear, the Duke possessed immense strength. He had also inherited the blessing of the brown bear divine beast, who lived among the mountain flora, granting him the ability to control plants.
Of course, reaching a level where one could make flowers bloom so freely was a feat only someone of Duke Atasix’s caliber could achieve.
“We offer our greetings.”
The delegates, who had been admiring the welcoming blue flower, exchanged glances. Then, in unison, they removed their hoods and knelt on one knee before Emperor Ritain.
However, a small child at the very back remained standing, their hood still in place.
The Penterin nobles, excluding the emperor’s party, were taken aback, whispering amongst themselves and pointing at the child.
Why was that child just standing there when everyone else was kneeling?
“That child…”
“What in the world?”
The hall buzzed with murmurs, but the Emperor and the Crown Prince, who knew the child’s identity, remained silent and watched.
Then, the child who stood alone began to speak.
“The delegation from our Rilberg Empire consists of three Archmages, ten adjunct mages, and one special mage.”
Just as they thought.
The child wasn’t just small.
The voice was indeed that of a young boy.
“And I am the special mage.”
But the child’s calm voice held a strange power that soothed the agitated crowd.
The child walked between the two lines of kneeling delegates, extended a hand, and manipulated their mana.
Gasps erupted from the onlookers.
“Oh, my!”
“Oh!”
*Flutter—*
A hundred small, golden birds materialized from the child’s hand. They took the flowered branches created by Duke Atasix in their beaks and flew out the window into the distance.
Flower petals scattered, and golden dust falling from the birds made the air sparkle. As everyone stood mesmerized by the beautiful sight…
…the child’s hood vanished, revealing him to be dressed in the formal attire of the Rilberg Emperor.
Black hair, crimson eyes, and a delicate, pretty face that could be mistaken for a girl’s at first glance.
Seeing the face again, Ritain’s expression was calm, just as he had expected. Ijeten, however, scowled.
*Why is a boy so pretty? It’s unsettling.*
The corner of Ijeten’s mouth twitched as he shot the young Rilberg emperor a cold look.
In response to the Crown Prince’s reaction, Ekiel smiled faintly and spoke in a gentle voice.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Emperor of the Rilberg Empire, Ekiel Isles Rilberg—”
Just then.
“Jusielia!”
Before the young emperor could finish, something shot past him, and Ijeten cried out in alarm.
