The landscape of the third day of the Six Kings Festival had undergone a drastic transformation compared to the first and second.
The forest-draped vistas of yesterday had vanished, replaced by a city teeming with stalls in every direction. It looked exactly like a massive summer festival.
"Wow, it’s really lively today."
"…Mm… Today… anyone… can… open a stall… if they apply."
As Isis-san and I set out from the Central Tower, our fingers interlaced in a lover’s knot, the first thing that caught my eye was a massive stage erected in the central plaza.
This stage was apparently the venue for the high-end auction—arguably the main event of the third day. It wasn't scheduled to start until ten o’clock, so we still had about an hour. However, neither Isis-san nor I were particularly interested in the auction, so we figured we would just take a quick look later to see how it was going.
Instead, we decided to start by leisurely browsing the various stalls. Isis-san usually floated slightly above the ground, but she was walking today as a special concession for our date.
She looked happy from start to finish. Every so often, she would give the hand I held a firm squeeze as if to emphasize her joy. She was a complete angel.
I was genuinely happy to be exploring the festival with her, and I expected it to be a wonderful time. However, I wasn't without my concerns.
I was particularly worried about Isis-san’s Magic Power of Death. While my Sympathy Magic shielded me from the effects, she was normally an object of primal terror for anyone else.
Individual willpower had almost nothing to do with it. Isis-san was a kind-hearted person, but anyone who didn't possess enough magic power to withstand her aura simply couldn't get near her. Every living thing feared her as a matter of pure instinct. That was why the main streets usually emptied out whenever she visited places like the Royal Capital. It was the primary reason she had felt so lonely for so long, and it remained her deepest trauma.
That was why I was a bit anxious. Most of the stall workers were the Six Kings’ subordinates, and it seemed they had prioritized choosing Peerage-class individuals or those with significant power. However, that didn't apply to the general participants or the shops opened by applicants. I just hoped no one would run away and hurt her feelings.
With those worries heavy in my heart, I walked with Isis-san until I heard the voices of some other participants nearby.
"Hey, look. It’s the Death King-sama…"
"Whoa… Th-That’s some incredible intimidation. As expected of one of the Six Kings-sama."
Isis-san and I involuntarily looked at each other. Their reaction was completely different from what we had anticipated.
From what I could tell, the pair talking didn't seem to have particularly high magic power, yet they didn't flee upon seeing her. They were keeping their distance, but they were still there.
"I heard that just looking at the Death King-sama would make you lose consciousness, but it’s not really like that, is it?"
"Idiot. That’s just an exaggeration spread by cowards. There’s definitely an atmosphere that makes it impossible to get any closer, but she’s one of the Six Kings-sama, right? This much is to be expected."
"True… Still, I’m lucky to be able to see one of the Six Kings-sama like this."
"Yeah. At the Hero Festival, general participants like us can barely see them from a distance."
Wait, what? A truly positive reaction? What was going on?
"…Eh? …No one… is running away?"
It seemed Isis-san was also caught off guard, as she stared at her surroundings with a bewildered expression.
Just as the pair had said, everyone was keeping their distance from her. However, they were only about three meters away, which was roughly the same buffer people gave Lilliwood-san when we walked together the other day.
"…Come to think of it, Isis-san, doesn't your Magic Power of Death thin out when you're happy?"
"…Y-Yes… It doesn't disappear, but…"
"Then, could it be…?"
"…Ah."
We realized it at almost the same time.
Her death aura weakened significantly when she was in a good mood. Unless I was being incredibly conceited, Isis-san—who had been looking forward to this day for so long—must have been feeling immense happiness right now. In other words, her Magic Power of Death was currently thinner than it had ever been.
It was thin enough that people perceived her aura not as "lethal terror," but as "the incredible intimidation worthy of one of the Six Kings."
They probably couldn't get any closer than three meters, but even so, it was a dramatic shift.
To Isis-san, this sight—the sight of so many people present without fleeing—was something fresh and profoundly moving. Her shoulders trembled with emotion, and she clung tightly to my arm.
"…Kaito… I’m so happy."
"I’m glad, Isis-san."
"…Mm… It’s all… thanks to Kaito… Thank you… I love you."
This change—the sight of the weak not fleeing from her—was something Isis-san had craved for centuries. Of course, it wasn't as if people had stopped fearing her entirely. If she were to get any closer, they would surely run.
Even so, this was a massive step forward. I felt like I could see a faint possibility that, someday, Isis-san would be able to walk through a city without being feared by a single person.
"…The one standing next to the Death King-sama… could he be that rumored Otherworlder?"
"Yeah, probably. Don't make eye contact carelessly… or you’ll be 'killed'."
…Hmm? Wait, what?
"…Word is, he 'fought the War King-sama and won'… He must have power that’s unimaginable from that appearance."
"…The story I heard was that he defeated Bacchus-sama of the Five War Generals in a single blow."
W-Wait a minute, what is this conversation? This is wrong. Something is very wrong here…
"I heard he has an 'ogre-like Winged Race' subordinate, and if you slight him, you’ll be obliterated…"
"Oh, yeah, I heard that too. Apparently, she’s going around preaching about that Otherworlder’s greatness…"
"D-Do you know… On the first day, a Count from Alcreasia was squeezed by that Winged Race member and forced to swear loyalty to that Otherworlder…"
"A-Ah, yeah, but I heard the Underworld King-sama took her away after that…"
Hey, wait a minute! I just heard some impossible nonsense!
That "Winged Race member"… that’s Eden-san, isn't it? What is she doing?! She said she was going to go sightseeing alone, but what has she actually been up to?!
My reputation has gone completely haywire. I mean, what’s this about a Count swearing loyalty? I haven't heard a single word about that!
And Kuro, please, do your best! Only you can stop that person who lacks all common sense!
Dear Mother, Father—Seeing Isis-san’s Magic Power of Death thin out and seeing her so truly, deeply happy made me as joyful as if it were happening to me. Well, putting that aside… for some reason—my reputation is all wrong!
~Rumors about Kaito-kun Among Commoners~
- He is an Otherworlder who reportedly possesses "power rivaling the Six Kings."
- He is an existence that not only the Six Kings, but even the Supreme Gods and the Creator God hold in high regard.
- He has apparently made the Phantasm King his subordinate and holds all the information in the world in his hands.
- The King of Sinfonia was supposedly so terrified upon meeting him that he performed a dogeza.
- If you insult him, a "Winged Race subordinate" will reportedly appear out of nowhere.
- He allegedly "won in battle" against the War King.
- Rumors are spreading that he might become the Seventh King.