CHAPTER 6 - A HAUGHTY CRIMSON
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“The banquet attendees have been seated,” the guard announced. “You’re up now.”
Subaru and the others in the waiting room stood. The rising, suffocating tension reached its peak as the impending performance loomed closer and closer.
Everything had gone smoothly so far, but that was no guarantee it would continue that way. People aren’t simple enough to think like that. Subaru had confidence in his cross-dressing, but even so…
They picked up their various instruments and underwent a brief inspection before passing into the banquet hall. Their sheer outfits left little to the imagination, and as they endured the curious and lustful gazes, they were led inside.
“…Ngh!”
“Talitta?” Subaru furrowed his brow.
Midway, Talitta’s steps suddenly grew heavy.
Her face was pale, and sweat glistened on her skin. She was obviously tense. Far from her familiar village, without her reliable chief and older sister, unarmed in the middle of the enemy’s camp—maybe it was all too much stress.
Subaru searched for the right words, worried she might collapse at any moment, but—
“Talitta. There is nothing to fear. Look at me.”
The voice was haughty, arrogant, and brimming with confidence.
It was no more grounded in reality than the words Subaru had been about to say, but that cheap consolation pulled Talitta back from the brink.
There was power in those words—the ability to move hearts with just a few syllables. Words from one who had power easily swept aside the hard work and effort of those without it.
Subaru had felt that difference painfully many times before, and here it was again, illustrated so vividly.
“I won’t let it get to me, though.”
He whispered the words to himself, as if convincing himself to accept it. But when he realized his own tension had eased as well, his lips curled.
I won’t say it out loud, though—that bastard would just get smug.
“—Thank you for coming. I have heard you will perform a magnificent song and dance.”
They were greeted by about thirty muscular imperial soldiers seated around the banquet hall.
Supposedly, no enlisted men had been invited, so everyone present must have been an officer of some kind. And the one who had spoken—the man sitting in the chair farthest back—
“…That’s General Second-Class Zikr Osman?” Subaru murmured softly.
Abel, standing beside him with his face hidden behind a veil, nodded ever so slightly. That confirmation told Subaru he had identified their target correctly. He looked closer.
Zikr Osman—the commander of all the soldiers quartered in Guaral.
With a rank as high as general second-class, Subaru had expected him to be a towering, powerful man. Instead, he was short and plump, with a distinctive hairstyle.
He stood half a head shorter than Subaru, but his hair made up for the height difference—it was worn in an Afro.
I heard he was a crafty tactician, Subaru thought. He definitely doesn’t look like someone who won awards for his sword skills.
“We are currently grappling with a serious issue,” Zikr continued. “Gathering in the city and waiting day after day is difficult for morale. Thus we have arranged this banquet. You know your role, I trust.”
“…Yes. It was the highest honor to receive your summons.”
Subaru knelt as Zikr propped up his chin self-importantly.
Flop, Talitta, and Kuna followed his lead.
But Abel, standing at the back of their line, did not kneel.
For a moment, Zikr’s eyes narrowed, and tension spread among the officers.
As expected, one of the men set down his drink and stood.
“Why do you not kneel?” he glowered. “You stand before a general second-class and—”
“Wait. Do not lose your temper.”
It was Zikr himself who intervened.
“This is a banquet. What is expected of those who devote themselves to performance is not etiquette, but the ability to provide a diversion from boredom.”
“Mrgh… If the general says so…”
Begrudgingly, the man sat back down.
Throughout, Abel stood unmoving, his face still hidden behind his veil.
“Unyielding even before a warrior’s spirit, hmm?” Zikr mused. “You appear quite confident in your dance. However, let me tell you now, the first impression is not favorable. I shall hope you prove it wrong.”
“…I am grateful for your magnanimity,” Subaru replied, still kneeling. “However, you need not worry.”
Zikr regarded Abel’s haughty demeanor with interest.
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
I feel a bit bad for what’s about to come, Subaru thought. But this is the perfect chance. I’ll make sure he experiences a complete defeat.
For the sake of that—
“…You will soon witness the beautiful queen of dance, who comes to you from beyond the Great Waterfalls. Lustrous black hair that has absorbed the light of the sun, beautiful pale skin blessed by the spirits—a supreme beauty descended from the heavens. She shall dance for you tonight.”
With that extravagant introduction as a signal, the queen of dance stepped forward and lifted the veil covering her face.
As her visage was unveiled, the gathering—already dumbfounded by her haughtiness—gasped.
“…”
The shock was especially great for Zikr, who found himself pierced by Abel’s gaze.
As for how great it was—well…
“…It’s your loss, Zikr Osman.”
Zikr was unable to move, powerless before the sword that he had offered with his own two hands.
Even hearing what was unmistakably a man’s voice from the mouth of the queen of dance, the skirt chaser Zikr Osman could not escape the ultimate intoxication that filled his eyes.
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