As the Margrave and the Viscount were escorted out, the room remained in a stir. Ryze-san took the opportunity to officially announce the commencement of the party.
Chronoa-san announced that while she wouldn't be participating in the festivities herself, she would remain at the palace until they concluded. This brought the crowd to a fever pitch.
For a Supreme God like Chronoa-san to visit the Human Realm outside of the Hero Festival was supposed to be a rare occurrence... extremely rare.
I think my sense of perspective had been skewed because I saw her so often, but to everyone else, having such a monumental figure show up at a state-sponsored gala was a sign of divine favor. It made them feel that the kingdom's future was secure.
Once the party officially started, a beautiful melody began to play. In that instant, Lilia-san looked flustered and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.
"Kaito-san! Please, dance with me!"
"Wait, what? Lilia-san? I don't know the first thing about dancing..."
"It’s fine. I’ll lead."
For some reason, she seemed desperate. Swept up in her momentum, I found myself on the floor, beginning to dance.
Naturally, I had never done ballroom dancing before, and I didn't think for a second that I could actually do it. However, Lilia-san was incredibly skilled. She moved slowly to accommodate my lack of experience, so I managed to follow along, however ungracefully.
Following her lead, I placed my hand on her waist. I could feel her slender, smooth frame, and because we were pressed so close together, every detail of her was vividly clear to me.
Her shimmering golden hair, eyes as beautiful as sapphires... she looked exactly like the blonde-haired, blue-eyed princess of a fairy tale. Well, technically she was a former princess... but regardless, there was no way I wouldn't be nervous being this close to such a beauty.
Still, why the sudden urge to dance? I knew ballroom dancing was a staple of noble parties, but...
She kept us to the same basic steps, and after a while, I found enough composure to speak.
"Um, Lilia-san?"
"...That was close. I'm glad you were nearby, Kaito-san."
"Huh?"
"I was moments away from being swarmed by every noble in the room."
"Ah..."
Her murmur cleared up my confusion.
Lilia-san had just received a True Blessing from Chronoa-sama, a Supreme God. It was a feat arguably unprecedented in human history. She was truly the woman of the hour.
Naturally, every aristocrat would be clamoring for her attention. To establish a connection with Lilia-san was to have a direct line to a Supreme God...
I see. That's why she had been in such a hurry to start dancing. No other noble would dare interrupt a couple mid-dance, and it allowed her to control her position in the room.
"...Kaito-san, I'm sorry. Let's dance for a few more songs while we make our way toward the exit. I want to tell Luna and Sieg about everything as soon as possible, so I'll be slipping out early."
"I understand."
"I'll be back in about thirty minutes. Once I return, we'll go see Amalie together. It would be a huge help if you could wait near the entrance."
"Understood."
I couldn't exactly leave Amalie-san's birthday party without saying a single word of congratulation.
Leaving the hall together with Lilia-san was an option, but it probably wasn't the best idea. She could deftly navigate the crowd or slip away if she had to, but I didn't have those kinds of social skills.
I was a bit uneasy about being left alone, but if worst came to worst, I could just ask the Emperor for help. She'd been waving at me from the corner of my eye for some time now...
We danced for a few more songs until we reached the exit. Just then, the current song began its finale.
Lilia-san turned to me with a gentle smile.
"...Kaito-san, thank you. Truly."
"Eh?"
"Because you came to this world... because you introduced me to Chronoa-sama... I was finally able to put the past to rest."
"No, I didn't really..."
I hadn't done much of anything, but if her burden was even a little lighter now, then I was genuinely happy for her.
As the music swelled for its final note, the other guests and I reflexively turned our gaze toward the orchestra. In that split second, a soft, gentle sensation touched my cheek.
"...Eh?"
The realization that those were Lilia-san's lips hit me. Stunned, I turned back to her. In my moment of shock, she had already let go and was heading for the door. Just before stepping through, she looked back and gave me a smile.
"I'm truly happy I met you. Let's dance again when we get the chance."
"...Huh? What?"
Lilia-san left the hall, leaving me behind with my thoughts in a complete state of paralysis. I touched my cheek, trying to confirm the lingering sensation, and stared blankly at the door she had vanished through.
Dear Mother, Father—My first-ever ballroom dance was a fresh experience, and because my partner was Lilia-san, my heart was hammering against my ribs. But then, a shocking development occurred right at the end. My brain hasn't quite caught up yet, but I'm pretty sure—did Lilia-san just kiss me?
Outside the hall, a short distance from the entrance, Lilia approached Lunamaria and Sieglinde with her head hung low.
"Lili, welcome back. Good work."
"We saw those nobles being hauled away. You finally did it, Milady!"
Seeing Lilia, the two of them rushed over, celebrating her long-awaited victory. However, Lilia remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"...Lili?"
"...Milady?"
As the two tilted their heads in confusion, Lilia walked past them without a word. A moment later, she slammed her head against the nearby wall.
"M-Milady?!"
"...(A-Aahhh... W-What in the world have I done?! Why... why would I do something like that...?)"
She didn't answer Lunamaria's worried voice. Instead, she leaned her hand against the wall she had just headbutted.
"...(Everything that had been eating at me was finally over, and it was all thanks to Kaito-san. Dancing with him made me so happy... I felt so blessed... and I just... Aaaahhh!? What do I do?!)"
"Um, Lili? Are you okay?"
Sieglinde voiced her concern as well, but Lilia didn't seem to hear her. She clutched her head in both hands.
"...(He must think I'm a weird woman now... I mean, after doing that... how am I supposed to look him in the eye?)"
"Wait, Milady?!"
"Lili?!"
Lilia began to repeatedly bash her head against the wall. Lunamaria and Sieglinde watched with a mix of alarm and terror.
"...(I can't face him! I can't even look at Kaito-san's face anymore! Aaaahhh, I'm such a fool!)"
"...M-Milady... please, that's enough... It's going to break... and by that, I mean 'the wall'..."
Lunamaria spoke up timidly, clearly more worried about the structural integrity of the stone than her mistress’s mental state. Finally, Lilia turned to them, her face flushed a deep crimson and her eyes brimming with tears.
"Luna... Sieg... I'm so embarrassed... I feel like I'm going to die. What am I supposed to do?!"
"I'm terribly sorry, but we have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm in the same boat..."
Faced with the completely frantic Lilia, Lunamaria and Sieglinde exchanged a glance and shrugged. They then focused their efforts on trying to get her to calm down.
The Margrave and the Viscount, their past crimes now laid bare, had been immediately detained on King Ryze's orders. Led away by knights, they were expected to be thrown into a dungeon to await trial.
However, for some reason, the knights did not lead them to the cells. Instead, they were taken to the Royal Castle Courtyard.
"...W-Why are we here?"
"What is the meaning of this?!"
The courtyard was deserted. The moon hanging in the night sky cast an eerie, silent light over the scene. The two men questioned the knights in a panic, but the answer came from elsewhere.
"I'm the one who had you brought here. That's the script, after all."
The two men stiffened.
In the darkness of the night, a high-pitched voice echoed. A figure draped in a jet-black robe stepped out before them.
"...The Phantasm King..."
"...No Face-sama?"
At the sight of Phantasm King No Face, the faces of the Margrave and the Viscount turned ashen with despair.
The reason was simple: the Phantasm King did not tolerate obstacles. She erased them without mercy. Her presence there made their future terrifyingly certain.
"Kaito-san and Duchess Lilia are both kind, you see. They expose the crime and leave the rest to the justice of the state. If you ask me, that's naive. I happen to love that soft-hearted side of Kaito-san, so I wrote the script to match his wishes... but I did add a little postscript of my own."
"A-Ah... ah..."
"It would be such a bother if you held a grudge and decided to try for revenge against Kaito-san later. It's much more efficient to just kill you now, don't you think?"
Her voice was chillingly cold. Under the moonlight, No Face drew a dagger.
A single flick of the wrist would have ended their lives then and there. However, the blade was never swung.
A second shadow had already intervened between the Phantasm King and her prey.
"What are you planning, Kuro-san?"
"You can't. Kaito-kun wouldn't want this."
"I know that. But if there is even a one percent chance of harm coming to Kaito-san, I have no intention of letting it slide. It doesn't matter to me whether the threat is real or imagined."
"I'm not saying you should let them off. But you can't kill them. If you do, Kaito-kun will only end up feeling responsible for it."
"..."
The Phantasm King and the Underworld King stood there, locked in a silent glare. The Margrave and the Viscount were so overwhelmed by the sheer power radiating from the two that they couldn't even manage a sound.
After a long silence, No Face slowly lowered her dagger.
"Fine. But I'll show them a hell so deep they'll never dream of resisting again. Is that acceptable?"
"..."
No Face held out her hand, and a sphere of purple, glowing magic appeared above it. She drifted it over toward the two nobles.
"Nightmare Fortune."
The sphere pulsed with several blinding flashes of light, instantly severing the two men from consciousness.
It was a spell that forced its victims to see nightmares. From now on, every time these two closed their eyes, they would fall into a bottomless pit of darkness.
As the Margrave and the Viscount collapsed, the knights waiting in the shadows stepped forward to carry them to the dungeon. No Face watched them go, her voice a cold whisper.
"You can take your time in your dreams learning what happens to those who hold a grudge against Kaito-san or Duchess Lilia. I've prepared a thousand different patterns for you. Enjoy your thousand ruins."
"You really have no mercy. Won't their minds just break if they become too afraid to sleep?"
"Maybe. If they do, then they do. Besides, I've told you before, Kuro-san—you're just too soft. I like that about you, but I have no intention of following your example."
No Face turned her back on Kuromueina and began to walk toward the exit.
"I won't tolerate any threat to what is precious to me. Waiting for something to happen is too late. You act before it does. If necessary, you kill. You don't ignore a single thorn. It's as simple as that."
"...Shaltier. You're slipping into your old way of speaking."
"...Oh? My bad. I guess I got a little too heated there."
The Phantasm King gave a playful reply as she melted into the shadows. Just before she vanished, she whispered something that reached no one's ears.
"...I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the people I love dying and leaving me alone. I will never lose Kaito-san. If I have to... I'll destroy the world itself to keep him."
Serious-senpai: "Alice-chan is such a mysterious beauty. Her popularity is definitely going to skyrocket! I can't wait for the Alice-chan Arc! By the way, Kaito-san, what happened to our date and the fancy dinner? You didn't forget, did you?"