Read Novel Full Vol 1 Chapter 4 Part 1
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Chapter 4 – Night Party Infiltration Mission
Part 1
That night, Lexia and the others had changed into their dresses to accompany Laila to the night party as her attendants.
Tito, dressed in a dainty dress, clasped her hands nervously.
“Ugh, I’ve never been to a party where the nobles are gathered. I hope I won’t cause you any trouble…!”
“You don’t need to be so nervous. You look great in your dress.”
“Ah, t-thank you very much!”
“Tito’s mood can change dramatically depending on what she’s wearing, so it’s worth choosing!”
“Wait. Why am I the only one wearing men’s clothes?”
Luna adds to Lexia’s happy excitement.
While Lexia and the others were dressed in glamorous dresses, Luna, for some reason, was forced to wear men’s formal wear.
“It’s nice and easy to move around in, but doesn’t it make it look like I’m standing out as Laila-sama’s attendant?”
As she looked down at herself while saying this, Luna’s slender and well-proportioned body was wrapped in fine clothes, and her silky silver hair was tied with a blue ribbon. Her interesting and cool appearance exudes an elegance not inferior to that of a high-class aristocrat.
“Wow! Luna-san, you look so cool!”
“Yes, my Luna is both pretty and cool! So, let me recap tonight’s strategy!”
“What’s the deal?”
Next to Luna’s confused face, Lexia once again announces the mission.
“Our mission is to gather information about Prince Zazu while escorting Laila-sama. If we are acting suspiciously, we may be warned, so Laila-sama, don’t worry about us; just join the party.”
“I understand.”
“Then let’s head to the venue!”
“Wait, why am I the only one in men’s clothes?”
“Oh, stop it! If the attendants are only women, we might get ridiculed, right? Sometimes it is more useful to pretend to be a man, don’t you think?”
“Is that how it is…?”
Luna grunted half in disbelief, but when it came to social parties, Lexia knew better. Luna decided to go along.
The four of them got into the carriage and set out for the night party.
＊＊＊
When they arrived at the venue, the splendid hall was already crowded with people.
Dignitaries, nobles, and guests from other countries were chatting and laughing with glasses of wine in their hands, and the court orchestra was playing beautiful music.
When Laila, accompanied by Lexia and the others, entered the hall, she was greeted with a wave of exclamations of admiration.
“Oh, that’s Princess Laila of Regal! She is even more beautiful than rumors…!”
“Look, the attendants of Laila-sama. I’ve never seen such a beautiful lady before. Who are they, with their graceful gestures?”
“Oh, it’s rare to see a white cat beastman. Her fresh appearance is also very lovely.”
“──Ara? That blonde-haired young lady, have I seen her somewhere before…?”
Luna casually interrupted the gaze that was focused on Lexia.
If it were revealed that Lexia, the princess of Arcelia, is in the kingdom of Sahar, there would be problems.
“(Good grief, I’m not good at this kind of glittering occasion. Anyway, we must be careful not to expose Lexia’s true identity while protecting Laila-sama…──)”
“H-hey! Which nobleman’s son is that silver-haired boy? That refined elegance is something else! I would love to have him as my daughter’s fiance…!”
“Kyaaa, I’ve never seen such a beautiful young man! What a feast for the eyes!”
“(…Why am I the center of attention, too?)”
The eager gazes were a concern, but the entire audience was on the lookout for them while keeping a nonchalant face.
Laila, the star of the show, had a flowery smile on her face as she greeted the dignitaries who came one after another. Although the prince’s fiancée would have been subject to harsh criticism, Laila was received favorably due to her perfect manners and ladylike behavior.
“(She is indeed a model for all ladies.)”
However, there was a group of people who were keeping their distance from Laila.
They were the young ladies gathered by the window.
They were still at an age when they could be called girls, and they were whispering to each other in a low voice, giving a sympathetic gaze to Laila.
“Poor Laila-sama, to have that drunken Zazu-sama’s eyes on her…”
“It must be heartbreaking for her to leave her homeland. I hope she hasn’t been treated badly…”
“But I can see why Prince Zazu took notice of her. She is very beautiful. I hear she also has a talent for magic…”
“Still, that’s too much. Oh, how unfortunate…”
Lexia quickly responds to the overheard conversation.
“…They seem to know something.”
“It seems they do.”
“Well, let’s get to the bottom of this! Let’s get in touch with those girls and find out Prince Zazu’s secret!”
“B-but, will they easily tell it to someone they’ve never met before…?”
“Don’t worry; I have an idea. After all, I’ve prepared for this.”
Luna had a bad feeling about Lexia’s confidence.
“Hey. Please don’t cause any trouble──”
“So, Luna, it’s your turn!”
“…Huh?”
Luna let out an indifferent voice when she was nominated in a high voice.
＊＊＊
“When it comes to such a glamorous occasion, Lexia would be able to get around better than me. I have no idea what she’s thinking.”
Luna blurted out as she was sent off halfway forcibly.
For the time being, she turned to the young ladies who were all grouped together by the window.
“(…I’m worried about Laila-sama’s safety, but Tito is guarding her, and of course, there is a lot of royalty and nobility gathered here, so there will be no one who would go so far as to assassinate her. Unless something unexpected happens, there is no need to worry. For now, let’s concentrate on gathering information on Prince Zazu…).”
As Luna muttered in her heart, a murmur spread through the hall.
When she looked, she saw a nobleman with a big tiger greeting Laila.
“Laila-sama, this is the [Bloody Tiger], which lives only in the desert. It is a very rare creature, and I would like to show it to you, Laila-sama.”
The tiger, with red fur and gold stripes, is collared and chained. The nobles of the Sahar Kingdom were also curious about this rare creature.
“Vuvu, grrrrrrr…”
Laila blinked at the tiger, which was looking around restlessly.
“Well, this is… but isn’t [Bloody Tiger] supposed to be very nervous and turn on people immediately?”
“Well, there’s a secret way to control it──”
“Guuuuuhhh… gruaaaaaah!”
Before the nobleman could finish, the tiger roared. It shook off its chains and ran toward the window.
“Aaaaah! W-where are you going?”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
The young ladies who had gathered by the window screamed and ran away.
The tiger, screaming, came at the yellow-dressed young lady who had failed to flee.
“Goaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“N-nooooo!”
“Excuse me.”
“E-eh──Kyaaa!?”
Luna rushed to the young lady faster than the tiger, hugged her waist with her left arm, and released a string into the chandelier with her right hand.
Just in time, she dodged the tiger’s fangs and soared into the air.
“Oohh! Y-you floated! How in the world did you do that…?”
“Kyaaa, that’s so cool! Whose son is that gentleman?”
“How magnificent! Rescuing a maiden from a ferocious beast is like saving a princess from a fairy tale…!”
“Gyaww! G-grrr…”
The tiger had slammed into the window and wobbled, but now it ran for the exit of the hall.
On its trajectory is the figure of Laila.
“Gruaaaahhhh!”
“A-ah, Laila-sama is…!”
Lexia moved as screams swirled, and everyone cowered.
“Let me borrow it!”
Lexia snatched two trays from the hands of the nearby waiters and smashed them together.
“Gruaaaah!”
The tiger’s attention is momentarily diverted to Lexia, and at that moment, Tito embraces the tiger’s torso. They roll down the hall, entangled in each other.
“Grrrrrrrrrr!”
“O-okay, okay, don’t be afraid… it’s okay, calm down…!”
“Tito!”
As Tito held back the rampaging tiger, a high-pitched sound echoed through the hall.
The tiger instantly became quiet.
“Grr… grrr…”
The tiger returned to the nobleman with gentle steps and lay down like a dog. The owner, a nobleman, turned pale and bowed to Laila.
“M-my apologies, Laila-sama! And the attendants, too…! Are you hurt?”
“Y-yes… but I’m glad that [Bloody Tiger] has quieted down.”
“I-it’s all thanks to this.”
The nobleman held up a small whistle.
“This whistle can be used to control monsters and manipulate them if used properly. In the Kingdom of Sahar, ancient relics of this kind are occasionally discovered in ruins…”
“I didn’t know such a whistle existed.”
Lexia put her hands on her hips in admiration.
“But isn’t that child not good with crowds? If you bring it to a strange place and surround it with a lot of people, of course, it will be scared and run away. You can’t force it to come with you.”
“M-my apologies…!”
The attendees at the party were effusive in their praise of what had just happened.
“Hey, did you see what just happened? That boy just floated in the air with the young lady in his arms. He must have been something else… with his quick thinking and light body language.”
“And that blonde young lady. How tactful of her to attract the attention of the beast with the clinking trays. And brave, too. It’s not easy to do.”
“The white cat lady also managed to wrestle [Bloody Tiger] down! She’s so cute and strong; I wish I had a bodyguard like her!”
Luna exhaled as she looked at the levelheaded nobleman and the tiger, who had grown completely docile.
“(It seems unlikely that this is an assassination attempt on Laila-sama. Good grief, what a nuisance. …Now, let’s get back to our original mission.)”
She landed softly and gently lowered the young lady she was holding in her left arm.
“Are you hurt?”
“Ah, n-no…”
The young lady in the yellow dress turned bright red and nodded her head. The other young ladies were also fascinated by Luna behind her.
“Did you see that? That figure that is not afraid of fierce beasts and dashingly helps a maiden in danger…”
“Yes, it was very wonderful… and how cool and graceful he looked…?”
“Look at those beautiful Sahar blue eyes. They look like sapphires.”
Luna tilted her head inwardly at the feverish gaze.
“(? They’re strangely focused on me. If it was revealed that… I was a woman, I would have received more suspicious glances…? But, well, it’s a good time to get the conversation out of them.)”
Luna smiled softly, trying to be as unguarded as possible.
“I apologize for interrupting your pleasant conversation. I would like to ask you a few questions…”
Then, the young ladies gave a high-pitched kyaa.
“Oh, even your voice is beautiful! And those clear blue eyes! They really are like sapphires!”
“What a beautiful face! Your skin is so fine, just like a girl’s…!”
“This overflowing elegance, could it be that you are a prince from some other country who came here on a personal visit?”
“No, the way he just carried himself, he might be a noble knight with a secret mission to save the world…!”
Luna wondered at the young ladies, who were even more excited, and then she cut to the heart of the matter.
“I would like to get acquainted with Prince Zazu for a reason… Do you know anything about Prince Zazu?”
The young ladies looked at each other in astonishment.
The yellow-dressed one opened her mouth timidly.
“Uh… I think it would be best if you did not approach Prince Zazu…”
Bingo.
She reacted inwardly and calmly urged her to continue.
“What do you mean?”
“Prince Zazu is a hard-core magic researcher and has finally dabbled in the forbidden magic.”
“Forbidden magic?”
“Yes. I heard that it is a terrible magic that ordinary people cannot even begin to understand. To invoke this magic, a young and beautiful woman with an abundance of magic power seems to be needed…”
Basically, magic is exercised by learning complex magical theories and relying on one’s own innate magic power. Naturally, it takes years of diligent training and research to become able to use it, but there are also forbidden magic spells that can be performed by sacrificing a medium instead of magic power.
“So, there are rumors that Prince Zazu may have faked an engagement and only invited Laila-sama to use her for magical research.”
“I see, so that’s what happened.”
Luna was satisfied and nodded gently to the young ladies.
“I am very grateful to you for telling me. I am sure your kindness will reach Laila-sama. Thank you for thinking of my master.”
“””Y-yes.”””
The young ladies chorused, holding their hands dreamily.
Luna thanked them again and turned her back away from the young ladies.
“(They told me more easily than I thought they would. …And even so, I’ve been smiling for so long that my facial muscles are twitching. It’s not something I’m used to doing…)”
As she was about to leave, rubbing her cheeks, she was stopped by a voice that seemed to sound a little concerned.
“Um, Sapphire-sama!”
“(Sapphire-sama?)”
When she turned around, she saw a young lady in a yellow dress staring at Luna with moist eyes.
“I-I’m sorry for the rudeness of asking you this question out of the blue! Um… do you have a partner to whom you have pledged your future?”
“???”
She stood there, not understanding the intent of the question.
“(Sapphire-sama… Did she mean it was me? The person to whom I pledged my future? Why does she want to know such a thing?)”
What immediately came to mind was the black-haired, dark-eyed boy──Yuuya’s figure.
“(…I want to be with Yuuya, but I haven’t pledged my future to him and… but it’s true that being with Yuuya warms my heart. If I could, I would stay with…──no, no, what am I thinking!)”
She shook her head to cool her hot cheeks, and perhaps taking this as a denial of the question, the young lady turned bright red and squeezed out her voice.
“Um, if you don’t mind, would you be willing to go out with me on the premise of marriage?”
“…..?”
This time, Luna turned to the young lady in confusion.
“I’m glad you feel that way… but wouldn’t it be better to wait until you know the other person a little bit better before doing something like that…? For example, training together in the Great Devil’s Nest, or something like that…”
“Why?”
“And I have a feeling that…”
The image of Yuuya again comes to mind, and she turns her head down with her cheeks stained.
At the look of shame on her face, a high-pitched voice exploded.
“Look at that innocent face! He must have someone in his life!”
“What kind of a young lady would win the heart of Sapphire-sama?”
“Oh, you have someone in your heart? I’m sorry I didn’t know that! I’m rooting for you; I wish you all the best! U-ugghh!”
“T-thank you…? Have a good night, too.”
While receiving an even more ardent gaze on her back, she returns to Lexia.
“Oh, Luna! How did it go? Did you gather any information about Prince Zazu?”
“Yeah, they told me more easily than I thought. It seems that there are rumors about Prince Zazu.”
“As I thought! That’s my Luna, to get such important information out of them!”
“No, they told me everything so easily and unexpectedly. I didn’t do anything special…”
The young ladies watched excitedly as Lexia and Luna exchanged such pleasantries.
“Look, those two seem to be getting along very well. Could it be that the blonde is the love of Sapphire-sama’s life?”
“That beauty, that aura… it’s frustrating, but they look so good together! Ugh, why does wine taste so good when served with beautiful men and women?”
“But that young lady really has an amazing aura, doesn’t she? Is it possible that she is a princess of some country?”
“No way. …No, but she’s really pretty. Could she be…?”
“(…Why are they looking at me like this? By any chance, did they realize that Lexia is the princess of the kingdom of Arcelia?)”
Luna avoided the heated gaze directed at her from the wall and called Lexia and Tito behind a pillar.
“What’s this about forbidden magic?”
Lexia’s eyes widened after hearing Luna’s explanation.
“Oh. I heard that they needed a young and beautiful woman with a lot of magic power. It’s just a rumor, though.”
“Forbidden magic… young and beautiful woman… come to think of it, Prince Zazu was strangely concerned about Laila-sama’s health…”
Lexia assembled the information Luna had obtained and the scenes she had seen so far in her mind──and then looked up.
“Don’t tell me he’s planning to use Laila-sama’s dead body as a medium for forbidden magic?”
“D-dead body?”
Tito was surprised, but Lexia nodded vigorously.
“I’m sure it must be so! That prince lied about the engagement, and he brought Laila-sama to sacrifice her to the forbidden magic!”
“W-what a horrible thing to do…!”
“Wait, Lexia; it’s too soon to say──”
“I have no doubt that the prince is behind the assassination of Laila-sama! He’s using the assassin to get his hands on Laila-sama’s body without getting his own hands dirty! The reason he was so concerned about her health at the time was so that he could get her corpse while she still had plenty of magic power! And to lie about their engagement to get her here is unforgivable! I’m going to question him directly!”
“Listen to me. It’s just a rumor. It’s not too late to be more careful and get to the bottom of it──”
Just as Luna was about to say this, the door to the hall opened with a bang.
“Laila!
Suddenly, Zazu appeared.
“Prince Zazu?”
“Y-Your Highness! I thought you weren’t going to be at the party tonight…”
The nobles and servants were in a panic.
But Zazu, without looking aside, walked up to Laila and said.
“At last, at last, the time has come! Come to my room tonight, Laila! I need your help! You must come before the moon passes the mid-sky, okay?”
Zazu burst out with a big smile on his face and left without hearing Laila’s reply.
Amidst the stunned audience, Lexia moaned with a serious face.
“It’s bad news; we’re running out of time! So we’re going to visit Prince Zazu tonight!”
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