Here’s the translation:

Side: Yuri

After finishing my duties as lord in Feel, I used the Gate Stone installed in my private room at the Esmeralda Tenchaku Residence to transfer to Archa.

Today, we’re scheduled to hold a social gathering, inviting royalty who will be entering Memoria General Academy in the spring, so I couldn’t afford to be late.

However, even though I was working, everyone else has already arrived, so I’m certainly keeping them waiting.

Gate stones, not just at the Esmeralda Tenchaku Residence, but also at the Fraydlancia Tenchaku Secondary Residence, the Amatista Marquis Residence, the Torencia Phantom Kingdom’s Yukiyomiya, the Vald Beast Duke’s Castle, and even at my brother and Grandma Sayuri’s mansion on Ou Renten Street in Amagi Castle, all transfer you to the front of the main hall on the first floor.

Transfer stones and gate crystals, on the other hand, transfer you to the torii gate outside the Hinomoto Mansion. This is something that I, Hilde, Rika, and even Emperor Neige appreciate.

“Welcome back, Sir Yuri.”

“I’m back. Where is everyone?”

“Dinner will be soon, so they are conversing in the living room on the second floor of the main hall.”

According to Lumina, everyone has been enjoying themselves as they pleased, such as by strolling through Archa or relaxing in the hot springs.

Now that the sun has set and dinner time is approaching, the butler has guided them to the living room to enjoy conversation until dinner.

The dining hall is on the first floor, so it’s a bit of a walk, but it’s a very calming space, so I understand the decision to gather in the living room.

“I understand. I will go and clean myself up and then I will offer my respects. Could you please convey that to them?”

“Understood.”

I’ve been buried in paperwork at the Esmeralda Tenchaku Residence all day, so I haven’t really broken a sweat.

However, having been sitting in a chair the whole time, my dress, especially the skirt, is quite wrinkled, so I need to change. Also, since my guests today are His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess, even if I haven’t sweated, I still need to clean myself up.

They are currently conversing in the living room, and there’s still a little time before dinner, so there’s a possibility I might encounter them in the hot springs.

Therefore, I’ll go and clean myself up in the open-air bath exclusive to us on the fifth floor of the main hall, and then change into a dress for guests.

Not only I, but all the women of Wing Crest have had several dresses tailored using silk cloth and royal silk cloth.

Hilde, Rika, and I, as the heads of our families, and Prim, as the first wife, have each had over ten dresses tailored.

It cost a considerable amount of money, but it’s not a large sum compared to what I’ve earned so far.

Lately, I’ve been spending more on the mansion, beast carriages, and ships, so I’ve been able to indulge in some extravagance. However, there’s a high probability that the amount will only accumulate from next year onwards, which is a problem.

There’s no point in worrying about it now, so I’ll think about it when the time comes.

There was no one in the open-air bath, so I enjoyed it alone and cleaned myself up. Then, I put on a royal silk cloth dress tailored for guests and headed to the living room.

Once I’ve worn it once, I can instantly put it on with the Supplication Magic Ee-quipping, which is incredibly convenient.

“Excuse me. My apologies for keeping you all waiting.”

Although Yamato is the owner of Archa, not the Hinomoto Mansion, I, as the head of the Esmeralda Tenchaku family, have kept them waiting due to my duties. Therefore, I offer my apology first.

“No, you were attending to your duties as lord, so please don’t worry about it.”

“We enjoyed ourselves exploring Archa during that time. Her Highness Yuriana, you must be tired.”

Among the prospective students, I hold the highest rank as the head of the Tenchaku family. However, since they are in a position to inherit the throne, I must show them consideration.

They are all aware of this, and Princess Lucia, who is second in line for the Phantom King succession, and Prince David, who is first in line for the Beast King succession and the Beast Crown Prince, accepted my apology on their behalf.

It’s quite troublesome and annoying, but since the person of highest rank accepted my apology, no one else could complain, and nothing further could be said about the apology.

This is how royalty and nobility interact, and it’s something we will learn about after we enroll, but it’s hardly used by commoners.

“I am honored. And thank you for accepting my invitation today. I am Yuriana Esmeralda, the head of the Esmeralda Tenchaku family. I will do my utmost to entertain you, so please enjoy yourselves.”

“I am David Alegria, the Beast Crown Prince of the Alegria Beast Kingdom. Thank you for the invitation. I heard that we will be staying in Archa today and that you will be showing us around Memoria General Academy tomorrow, so I was looking forward to it.”

As Prince David mentioned, we are scheduled to tour Memoria General Academy tomorrow.

I have cleared my schedule for this very purpose, and Rika, who will be our guide, has also done so.

However, since Rika is pregnant, she may not be able to accompany us depending on her condition.

“I am Lucia Minato Torencia, the second princess of the Torencia Phantom Kingdom. This is my cousin, the third princess, Diana.”

“It is an honor to be introduced. I am Diana Minato Torencia, the third princess of Torencia. Please treat me well.”

Following Prince David, Princess Lucia, and Princess Diana, I introduced myself with a brief greeting. The members of the Duchy followed suit.

Prince David is the youngest, but his upbringing in the Beast Royal Family is evident in his composed responses, assuring me that the future of Alegria is secure.

“My name is Raus Woodlandlight. I have been assigned as your guard within the academy, but please forgive me as academics will take priority.”

After our introductions, it was the turn of Raus and the others.

Only Seras had introduced herself earlier. As a member of the Wing Crest and also a Grand Duchess, it was inevitable that she would greet me before Raus, her fiancé.

“We have heard what you said. My father and mother were also relieved to hear that an Ancient Ulfy and an Ancient Undine would be guarding the academy.”

“We also heard that Carol is at a similar level, so we feel that we will be safe even in the unlikely event of something happening. We can attend without any worries.”

Since we have already visited various countries to pay our respects, everyone is aware that Raus and Rebecca are Ancient Class, and Carol is on the verge of evolving.

It has also been communicated that this is not classified information but rather something that will not be actively spread. Therefore, I doubt anyone present would carelessly publicize it.

“Now that we’ve finished our introductions, let’s dispense with the formal greetings.”

“Indeed. We will be classmates and friends from now on, so it would be better to adopt a more relaxed demeanor.”

“Most of you will be inheriting the throne, so it’s not a major issue if you’re too relaxed. However, we are not even students yet, and I understand we will be learning about how to handle such situations.”

Princess Lucia and Princess Aurora readily agreed with my opinion. While it might be acceptable in this setting, maintaining such formality at all times once enrolled would be difficult.

Moreover, the academy has a large population of commoners, and the guilds tolerate minor breaches of etiquette. Therefore, everyone needs to get accustomed to this.

Making a fuss over such a minor matter would hinder guild activities, and in the worst-case scenario, could lead to severe punishment, such as the revocation of succession rights and lifelong confinement.”

“We appreciate that.”

“Originally, the Kingdom of Bridges had no throne, and we don’t believe ourselves to be worthy of royalty. On the contrary, we consider ourselves no different from commoners.”

Come to think of it, the predecessor to the Kingdom of Bridges was the Libertarian Federation, a union of bridgehead cities.

City representatives were elected, and many prominent families produced representatives generation after generation. The current Bridge Duke family comprises almost all of these prominent families.

However, the representatives were not necessarily nobles. The Denebulate Bridge Duke family originally came from a family of Crafters. The founder who built the bridgehead city of Denebulate became the representative, and that position has been almost monopolized by them ever since.

Since they were never formally ennobled, the Denebulate family are not nobles, and I hear they have extensive interactions with commoners.

Therefore, for Prince Raio and Princess Illumina, the title of Bridge Duke is akin to a sudden windfall, and they do not consider themselves worthy of it.

Perhaps the reason they are reluctant to inherit the position of Bridge Duke is that they will be unable to continue their work as registered Crafters in the Crafter’s Guild.

“I… I am also… not good at talking to people, so… I would be grateful if you could speak to me normally…”

Even within the same Kingdom of Bridges, Princess Nebrina, who holds the position of Crown Prince of the Acquario Bridge Duke family, comes from a noble family.

The bridgehead city of Acquario is also the largest port in the Liberta region, and its reputation remains unchanged.

Consequently, traders are very active. However, due to the stance of the Grand Trader’s Master, who deemed it problematic for a trader to hold a representative position, several noble families ran for election and vied for the seat of representative.

However, under attack from Steam Battleships, most of the nobles lost their lives, and only two or so families, besides the current Acquario Bridge Duke family, survived.

Furthermore, one of those families had lost their heir, forcing them to decline the position of Bridge Duke. The other family was found to be in league with Solemne, leaving the Acquario Bridge Duke family as the only option by elimination.

Princess Nebrina, who was never good at socializing to begin with, had her future plans of registering with the Trader’s Guild and becoming a researcher disrupted.

“I agree with what the Princes have said. Therefore, everyone, not only after enrolling but starting today, I ask for your sincere friendship.”

Princess Aurora was formerly a daughter of the Valentia Duke family and admired Prim.

It’s understandable that she would feel a sense of kinship, being a duchess from the same country and also a Foxy with white fur.

Although she speaks politely now, perhaps because she admires Prim, her natural way of speaking is rougher, to the point where she’s comparable to a Hunter.

“I agree as well. So, everyone, let’s try to spend our time in a natural way, rather than with a stiff attitude. We will be staying at the Amatista Marquis Residence after enrolling, so there’s no need to pretend.”

As Prince David said at the end, most of us, except for us, will be staying at the main residence of the Amatista Marquis family for one to two years.

While the academy dormitories have butlers, it’s essentially a solitary life. Moreover, even though it’s within the academy grounds, the security measures cannot be said to be fully in place.

Of course, Memoria General Academy is an important facility for all countries. Therefore, it is beneficial to foster closer ties with the Amatista Marquis family, who are also lords of the land. Furthermore, Rika, the current head of the family, is married to Yamato, making these connections even more significant.

Nevertheless, living in a dormitory is an experience, so it has been decided that we will eventually move from the Amatista Marquis Residence to the student dormitories.

“We are grateful for your kindness, Your Highnesses. We are Hunters, so we are unversed in etiquette and have been worried that we might cause displeasure.”

“What are you saying? Raus and the others are members of the Wing Crest, they are Ancient Class, and most importantly, they are our friends. Since we are friends, there is no need to worry about etiquette.”

“That’s right. We’re almost the same age. Rather, we are of too high a status, so even if we attend the academy, we might not make friends easily. If we go through Raus and the others, we can broaden our connections.”

As Princess Lucia and Prince Raio say, it is very difficult for royalty to make friends, and even if they do, they cannot be treated as equals due to differences in status.

However, Raus and the others are Hunters, and our policy is not to publicly disclose their evolution. This means that it is entirely possible to make acquaintances through them.

After all, connections can be an invaluable asset.

“Mhmm, I see. Oh, I apologize. I believe it will be revealed eventually, so I will revert to my usual way of speaking. It’s easier this way, and I don’t want to cause any surprise.”

“I was, indeed, surprised… You really sound like Primrose.”

“To me, she is an admired older sister. My father tells me to be more ladylike or like a duchess, but I think it’s okay to have a duchess like this.”

Princess Aurora has reverted to her natural way of speaking.

I had heard about it, but she really does sound exactly like Prim.

Although I’ve heard they are not related by blood, if she had wings, she would be almost identical to Prim.

“It’s easier for us to talk to you that way too.”

“Ah, do you mean that Elder Sister is also Rebecca’s Master?”

“That’s right. It was really tough…”

Rebecca, who is already a childhood friend, answers Aurora’s question with a faraway look in her eyes.

I’ve seen it myself, and it looked incredibly tough.

No, it was probably Raus who had it tougher.

After all, despite having evolved into an Ancient Ulfy, Yamato has evolved even further into an Element Human.

Even now, we occasionally engage in personal combat, but with both of us having evolved, even I, who am High Class, can barely follow their movements with my eyes.

Princess Aurora has relaxed her speech and is engaged in a lively conversation with Rebecca. Following her lead, everyone else has also begun conversing freely.

We organized this social gathering to foster camaraderie before enrollment, and it seems to be a success.

I will also be classmates with them, and since this is a valuable opportunity, I will participate.