“So there was a labyrinth there.”
“Yeah. We went in as far as the third floor, but since the layer structure seemed to repeat every two layers, we were talking about how it might be deeper.”
We, having concluded our investigations of Olden Island and Twin Islands in the evening, immediately transferred to Alka and are now reporting the situation to everyone during dinner.
As I mentioned earlier, after confirming a bit of the third floor of the Twin Islands labyrinth, we used Escaping to get outside. Prim, Lydia, Ludia, and Athena have agreed to investigate it when they have time.
Of course, if I have time, I, Mana, Flam, and Mako also plan to go investigate, but I don’t know how that will turn out.
While conquering the Twin Islands labyrinth is important for the development of Olden Island, infrastructure development is even more crucial.
The construction of ports and bridges, in particular, can be called the most important.
I don’t have that kind of knowledge, so I can leave commanding and overseeing to the civilian officials who will likely be dispatched, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have to inspect.
Furthermore, development will bring about vested interests, so meetings with me, as the lord, will also increase. There’s also a non-zero chance that civilian officials might be bribed, so I’ve been told to inspect every few days and check development-related documents at least once a week, or even daily if there’s a lot.
I still consider myself a Hunter, so I hardly know any civilian officials, which is precisely why this is such a headache.
“That’s important too, but tomorrow is also important.”
“Yes. Yamato, you’re ready, aren’t you?”
“I’m ready.”
But before that, an important day awaits tomorrow, so that takes priority.
After all, tomorrow is the wedding reception for Dragon King Folias and Athena’s younger sister, Iris.
Dragon King Folias and Iris were scheduled to marry after the situation in Valentia stabilized, but Iris became pregnant, so they moved up the wedding date, and the reception tomorrow has been somewhat forcibly squeezed in.
Even so, the guests include not only influential nobles of Valentia but also kings from various countries, so coordinating schedules took several months. Apparently, Iris is already seven months pregnant because of this.
Iris is Athena’s twin sister and will become the Second Dragon Queen of Valentia. However, the First Dragon Queen and Empress Heldinna has not yet conceived. Therefore, if Iris’s child is a Dragonewt, they will be granted succession rights.
Well, the offspring of a Dragonian can be of the other parent’s race, a Dragonian, or a Dragonewt. About 70% are said to be Dragonian, and in that case, they would not be granted succession rights and would be raised at Crystal Palace in Mount Wilness.
With her marriage to Iris, Dragon King Folias has become my brother-in-law.
To make things even more complicated, I am also married to Mana and Hilde, which means Dragon King Folias is also brothers-in-law with Emperor Reinhardt and Brynhild of Torencia.
The blood relations are becoming complicated, but this is probably how it is with royal marriages. I honestly don’t know how to feel about being thrown into the mix like this.
“What did we prepare as wedding gifts?”
“Royal Silk Cloth and materials from a Catastrophe Species, a Dragoon. I thought about Leviathan materials too, but that wouldn’t be good, would it?”
“Yes. Leviathan materials are presented to Torencia, but that’s largely because it was a guardian of the Krater Labyrinth. So, even as a wedding gift, presenting it to Valentia would raise the issue of what to do about Alegria.”
As wedding gifts, we prepared 10 bolts of Royal Silk Cloth and materials from the O-C rank monsters Fafnir, Ql’ebl, and Vritra, which we hunted in the Krater Labyrinth.
I had thought of using Leviathan materials as a wedding present, but due to the reason Mana mentioned, we decided against it this time.
While Grissina Beast King might not make a fuss, it’s a different story with the nobles of Alegria, and the possibility of Valentia’s nobles getting too arrogant cannot be denied. The latter, in particular, is still a concern for Dragon King Folias, and there are even rumors that some are planning something disruptive at tomorrow’s reception.
“Come to think of it, weren’t there rumors that tomorrow’s reception was being targeted?”
“It’s not a rumor, it’s confirmed information. Some of the eastern nobles of Valentia have joined forces with dragon knights and Hunters who couldn’t get Dragoon registration and are planning to assassinate Princess Iris during tomorrow’s reception.”
“Really!?”
Athena didn’t know? The reason Iris is being targeted is that for the eastern nobles of Valentia, who want to secure the next Dragon King by sending their daughters and sisters as Dragon Queens, Iris’s existence, since she is pregnant, is a hindrance.
Empress Heldinna is also present, but she was poisoned shortly after her marriage and is unable to conceive. Therefore, she is a hindrance to those nobles, but she seems to be a lower priority. The perpetrator who poisoned Empress Heldinna was caught, and the family that ordered it was reportedly dismantled, but it feels like that family was merely a scapegoat.
That poison was also administered to Iris, but Iris had registered as a Hunter and went hunting with Athena and the Hydragonians of Mount Wilness, evolving into a Hydragonian. Therefore, the poison didn’t work, and the child in her womb was unaffected, as confirmed directly by Mako, Sayuri, and the Grand Healers Master.
“Huh? Why is everyone so calm?”
“We’ve already figured out their movements, and the noble families involved have been identified. They’re probably raiding their base and capturing everyone right about now.”
Given how detailed the information is, the assassination plan is practically doomed to fail. The Scout Dragoons in charge of intelligence are excellent, and I heard that the Scout Order also lent a hand. Besides, former dragon knights and arrogant Hunters wouldn’t be able to act stealthily, so if they moved as a group, it would be easy to track them.
Furthermore, it seems the nobles who hired them became flustered when the poison didn’t affect Iris, leading to cracks in their plan. Doubts about their involvement have also been confirmed, so Dragon King Folias intends to use this reception to purge the rot within Valentia.
“Oh, I see.”
“Yeah. I thought Athena knew, so I didn’t tell you, but I should have confirmed it properly. My bad.”
“No, Iris didn’t say anything either, so I just assumed everything was fine.”
She didn’t hear from Iris either? She probably wanted to spare her twin sister any anxiety, but since Iris is also my sister-in-law after marrying Athena, she should have felt free to ask for help.
“Ah, speaking of tomorrow, there’s someone else getting married besides Iris, right?”
“Yes, there is. Although Princess Iris is pregnant, the child she will give birth to is likely to be a Dragonian. It’s difficult for a Dragonian to inherit the Dragon King’s throne, and moreover, a Dragonian can only conceive once in their lifetime, so the issue of succession remains.”
“Therefore, in addition to Princess Iris, two more women will marry into the Valentian royal family.”
Oh, is that so? I had heard that someone other than Iris was getting married, but I never imagined it would be two people. However, for the reason Mana mentioned, Dragon King Folias must take in more Dragon Queens besides Iris. But if unsuitable individuals are made Dragon Queens, there’s a high chance of succession disputes arising within the Dragon King family. Therefore, the other two, besides Iris, were chosen by Empress Heldinna as candidates, and Dragon King Folias made the final decision. According to Yuri, one is Countess Lavine Melusine, a noble daughter from western Valentia and a Frost Dragon Dragonewt. The other, to my surprise, is Remy, a friend of Lydia and Ludia, who works as a receptionist at the Valentian headquarters of the Hunter’s Guild and is a Ground Dragon Dragonewt.
“Including Iris, there will be three new Dragon Queens all at once? Hmm? But the Dragon King family, you can’t be king unless you’re a Dragonewt, right?”
“He’s the Dragon King, and Dragonewts have always ascended to the throne since the founding of the country. It’s the same as Torencia, where only Vampires can rule, and Alegria and the Beast Dukedom only allow Beastmen to ascend the throne.”
The Valentian Dragon Kingdom, as its name suggests, is a country ruled by a Dragon King, and only those of dragon race can ascend to the throne. Dragons are a race consisting of Dragonewts and Dragonians. However, Dragonians are a race that only gives birth to females, and their growth rate and lifespan differ from other races. Therefore, in reality, only Dragonewts have ever been crowned Dragon Kings. This is also the case in other countries, so I’ve heard it’s never been a problem.
“Somehow, royalty is troublesome.”
“Isn’t that stating the obvious?”
“When Mana says it, it carries a lot of weight. I understand how you feel, though.”
When Mana, who is first in line for Celestial Emperor succession, and Prim, who is first in line for Vald Beast Duke, say it, their words truly carry weight. I’m not uninvolved either, so I really understand how they feel.
“By the way, Mina, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, but it’s tough not being able to move much.”
“You’re pregnant, so it’s understandable.”
“I really understand how you feel, but…”
Mina is over eight months pregnant, so she will be absent from tomorrow’s reception. Her belly has grown quite large, which is natural. Fortunately, Lyra is also eight months pregnant, and as fellow Order members, they get along well. Lately, she’s been spending most of her time relaxing in Alka with her contracted familiar War Horses.
“Is your due date in October?”
“It’s towards the end of October, so it might even be November. We won’t know until it happens.”
“That’s true. Ah, Mako. How is Elder Sister Neige?”
“Elder Sister Neige is also doing well. Her due date is at the beginning of November, so she might give birth before Mina and Lyra.”
Neige-san of the Vald Beast Dukedom is seven months pregnant. As she is carrying the heir that the Vald Beast Dukedom has been waiting for, even her duties have been minimized. Because of this, she will be absent from tomorrow’s reception for Dragon King Folias, and Prim will attend as a daughter. There was talk of me attending as the Beast Duke’s consort, but since Mana and Yuri are also attending as representatives of the Three Houses, it would be strange for me to attend as the Beast Duke’s consort. Besides, Neige and I are not married, so I’m not technically the Beast Duke’s consort anyway. Therefore, Prim, who holds the position of daughter, has no choice but to attend. Prim is my first wife, but since tomorrow is the reception for the daughter of the Dragon King and the Holy Mother Dragon, it would be better for Athena, her twin sister and also a daughter of a Holy Mother Dragon, to serve as my proxy wife.
“I hope Elder Sister Neige gives birth to a healthy baby boy.”
“That’s a strong desire. I understand how you feel, though.”
Although not yet officially recognized as the Crown Prince, Prim is currently in line to become the next Vald Beast Duke. Her daughter, Tsubaki, is also scheduled to be granted succession rights to the Beast Dukedom upon her graduation from the General Academy. However, if Neige-san gives birth to a boy, and that child successfully graduates from the General Academy, he can be declared Crown Prince. He will also likely marry multiple wives, which should resolve the issue of succession. Currently, the Vald Beast Dukedom has no heir other than Prim. Therefore, not only Tsubaki but also the child in Neige-san’s womb are held with great expectations, which is why Neige-san is being treated with such excessive care. However, the problem of succession is not unique to the Vald Beast Dukedom; it is also an issue for other Beast Dukedoms and Bridge Dukedoms.
In fact, the Dragon King family faces the same situation. Currently, Duke Blitz Ouroboros is first in line for succession, followed by other dukes. Duke Blitz has one son and one daughter, and they are slated to be granted succession rights in a higher order than the Duke upon their graduation from the General Academy. If Iris’s child is a Dragonewt, they will become first in line for succession. However, if they are a Dragonian, the order will not change. Furthermore, since Dragonians can only conceive once in their lifetime, Countess Lavine and Remy will have to bear children, and Remy, in particular, is said to be under considerable pressure. I don’t want to meddle in the affairs of other families, especially the Dragon King family, but given the circumstances, all I can say to Remy is to do her best. Moreover, the Dragon King family follows the practice of inheriting the throne by the youngest child, so if Remy bears a child later, and then cannot have any more children, that child will inherit the Dragon King’s throne. This is something that will unfold as it will.
