After I finished my greetings to Lilliwood, I went looking for the three monarchs of the Human Realm—Ryze, Chris, and Laguna—to pay them my respects. As luck would have it, I spotted all three of them gathered together.
This was perfect. They were likely discussing matters of state as fellow monarchs, making it an ideal time to approach. However, as I drew closer, their voices became clear.
"Goodness, one must expect nothing less from Miyama-kun. It is truly a sight to behold, seeing such an illustrious gathering come together so naturally."
"Indeed. One wouldn’t see a spectacle like this even at the Hero Festival. It truly makes one realize the staggering scale of Miyama-sama's personal network."
"I truly wonder how that lad does it... It’s not like he’s hunting for connections or asking for introductions; he just stumbles into them as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It’s downright uncanny."
It felt a bit awkward to interrupt since they were clearly talking about me. But immediately after that thought crossed my mind, the atmosphere shifted following Ryze’s next words.
"It is truly remarkable. As a king, it makes me feel quite proud to know that Miyama-kun and the Kingdom of Sinfonia maintain such an excellent relationship. After all, among the guests from the Human Realm, Sinfonia has the largest presence here today, and our nobles make up the majority of those invited."
"Oh my, and what are you implying? The Kingdom of Sinfonia just happens to be the land adjacent to the territory where Miyama-sama built his mansion; it’s only natural he’d have more acquaintances there. Boasting about a stroke of luck as if it were a national achievement shows a distinct lack of class. The only thing that matters here is the depth of one's personal intimacy with Miyama-sama."
"Quite true. Besides, if one were to boast about the environment, would that not be the achievement of Lady Lilia? She was the one who accepted Kaito when he first arrived in this world, let him stay in her mansion, and treated him with such hospitality. If Ryze-bo is to call himself a king, he should take pride in his own accomplishments rather than riding on his sister's coattails... Well, if we are speaking of who among us monarchs is personally closest to Kaito, that would likely be me."
I could practically see the sparks flying between the three of them. As an aside, although my house is located within the Sinfonia Kingdom Capital, it’s not technically considered part of the Kingdom of Sinfonia. It’s handled as a sort of independent state, which makes the Kingdom of Sinfonia more like a neighbor... According to Alice, "It's just a diplomatic formality, so you don't need to worry about it, Kaito-san." Because of that, I usually just think of myself as a resident of the capital anyway.
Regardless, the current situation was clearly the monarchs testing one another—or rather, a "mounting battle" for status had begun.
I suppose prestige and appearances are everything to them, and all three naturally want to claim psychological superiority in a setting like this. I understood that, but I really wished they wouldn't use me as their benchmark. It made it even harder to speak to them.
"See here, I visit Kaito's home basically once a month to share a cup of tea with him."
"Was the original purpose of those visits not a mock battle with Duchess Lilia? Intruding upon him when you haven't even been invited by Miyama-sama strikes me as being quite pushy."
"I agree. Miyama-kun is a kind soul, so he wouldn't treat a visitor coldly. One could argue you are simply taking advantage of his gentle nature."
"Hmph. What is this? Both of you look as though you’re dying to claim you are the one most intimate with Kaito."
"Well, I wonder. At the very least, I take pride in the fact that I exchange more letters with Miyama-sama than anyone else here."
"It is a bit troubling to hear you boast so proudly of mere correspondence. If we are going that far, Miyama-kun is essentially going to marry Lilianne in the future, so could he not be considered family to me?"
What was I supposed to do? All three of them were now desperately trying to prove who was my "best friend," making it seriously difficult to jump in. If I spoke to them now and they asked me, "So, who are you actually closest to?" I’d be at a total loss for an answer.
To be honest, I wanted to save them for later, but I couldn't really skip them and move on to others. Just as I was agonizing over my next move, the atmosphere shifted once again.
"No, I am the one..."
"I believe it is I..."
"As I thought, it is surely I..."
"..."
"""Ah..."""
She was suddenly there. Clad in a divine smile, standing with a Ring with Twenty Wings floating behind her, she looked every bit the God. I watched the color instantly drain from the faces of the three monarchs.
"...We really shouldn't be having a conversation where we presume to decide Miyama-kun's intentions for him!"
"Th-That is right! Who he is close to is not for us to impose; it’s something Kaito should decide for himself. To speculate on such things is a grave insult to Kaito!!"
"Yes, exactly! We cannot afford to trouble Miyama-sama. We should be grateful for the fact that we are allowed to interact with him at all and refrain from saying anything unnecessary!"
The three of them flipped their tune with a speed that was almost refreshing. Looking at them speak with voices thick with desperation, Eden remained silent for a moment before nodding once and vanishing. Apparently, they had passed her judgment; the three monarchs breathed sighs of profound relief, clutching their chests.
I felt a bit sorry for them—it was like they'd been hit by a freak act of God—but given that the weird, competitive flow of the conversation had been broken, I felt a little bit of gratitude toward Eden.
Machina: "Goodness, while it's only natural for them to be blinded by My Beloved Child's majesty, moderation is important. I'd really like them to properly observe moderation."
Serious-senpai: "Eh? You're the one talking about moderation...?"