Being permitted by Magnawell, the Dragon King, to introduce herself including her house name naturally placed an immense amount of pressure on Elis. However, as the heir of the Hamilton Marquis House, Elis was someone who had weathered rigorous lady's education, training as a successor, and the scheming whirlpools of the social circle. She immediately corrected her posture, ensuring that no trace of her tension or intimidation showed in her expression or movements, and offered her self-introduction with a formal bow.
"I offer my greetings to the Great King of all Dragon Species. I am Elis Dia Hamilton, heir of the Hamilton Marquis House and a noble of the Arclesia Empire."
"Hmm... I am Baskus Lard Kartzbald. Since you are a friend of Miyama Kaito, I shall permit you to address me by my name. But I see, so you are the daughter of Marquis Hamilton... Rumors that you are a quite talented noble have reached even my ears."
"It is the pinnacle of honor."
Until Magnawell obtained his current special split body, he had always sent his subordinates as proxies to invitations for events like the Founding Anniversary Festival. Consequently, it could not be said that he was well-acquainted with the faces of the nobility.
However, he had heard enough from the subordinates who attended in his stead to keep the names and reputations of the major noble houses etched into his mind.
(…Her magic power is fluctuating. She seems to be tense and intimidated, but it is impressive how she does not let it show in her expression or attitude. I am suppressing my magic power since I am in the city, but to be able to weave words so clearly before me signifies quite the fortitude. Naturally, she does not reach the level of Miyama Kaito, who can swallow and suppress everything in a single breath even when exposed to my magic power at nearly full tilt, but he is a poor point of comparison. She is a noble with plenty of promise…)
Elis’s greeting appeared to have left a favorable impression on Magnawell. After nodding contentedly, he turned toward Kaito and asked a question.
"I remember her attending the birthday party before, but are you and Elis Dia Hamilton close, Miyama Kaito?"
"Yes. Part of it is simply that I don’t have many noble acquaintances, but excluding Chris-san, she’s the person among the Arclesia Empire nobility I’ve spoken with the most, and I trust her as well. Hmm, how should I put it... My impression is that she’s an existence like Lilia-san."
"……Hooh."
Asked by Magnawell, Kaito conveyed his honest thoughts. That is to say, if he were to describe her as a fellow noble, he meant that she was an approachable and easy person to talk to like Lilia—that she was an existence like Lilia in that sense.
There was pure trust in Elis behind his words, and it was, naturally, a high evaluation with absolutely no ill intent.
However, lamentably... the intention a person tries to convey is not always the one the recipient hears. Misunderstandings are born from such things.
(…To think he would say she rivals Lilia Albert… From what I can see, her body and magic power are far inferior to Lilia Albert’s, but in that case, does he mean her intellect, her character, or perhaps her luck?)
Indeed, Magnawell took Kaito’s words—"an existence like Lilia"—to mean that she was a possessor of talent on par with Lilia Albert, the rare genius who was held in high esteem even by the Six Kings.
(At the very least, they are close enough to visit Needsveld’s new facility together like this, and while they may not be... lovers, there is no doubt they are in a quite intimate and trusting relationship. Miyama Kaito’s eye for people is certain... I should keep a close watch on her.)
It never even crossed his mind that they had happened to meet in the city and Kaito had invited her on a whim; in a place Kaito never intended, Magnawell’s evaluation of Elis skyrocketed.
"I see... Elis Dia Hamilton... I shall be sure to remember that name."
"！？！？"
Elis was able to clearly understand the implication of those words. It wasn’t just that Magnawell had evaluated her; it contained the hidden meaning that "he would consider future interactions with her," and she was confused, not knowing why she had received such high praise for a mere greeting.
(Eh? W-Why? I only gave a standard greeting, and Kaito-sama didn’t particularly sing my praises excessively either. W-Why such a high evaluation?)
From Elis’s perspective, she found nothing strange about Kaito’s words. This was because, as a matter of fact, from her own standpoint, she was undoubtedly an existence close to Lilia in the sense that they were both nobles from Kaito's perspective.
It was a perfect storm: Lilia being highly evaluated by the Six Kings, Magnawell taking Kaito’s words in a different sense, and the fact that Magnawell was unaware that the two had met by chance before coming here. Only by gathering all these pieces of information could one realize Magnawell’s misunderstanding—and as it stood, there was no way for her to realize it.
And the only being currently present who correctly understood the cross-purposes and misunderstandings in the exchange between Kaito, Magnawell, and Elis—the only one who could have cleared up the misconception—was Alice... who was currently sitting on a gym bench, elegantly sipping wine.
Kaito: "Existence like Lilia-san (in the sense of being easy to talk to)"
Elis: "Certainly a position like Duchess Lilia (in a noble sense)"
Magnawell: "An existence like Lilia Albert... (in the sense of talent)"
Alice-chan (Amused): "Well, it's not wrong to say she's an existence like Lilia-san (in the sense of stomach pain)"