We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Buying snacks is prohibited.
“Hey, everyone. Look, look!”
Saying so, I held up a vertically long sheepskin scroll high.
“What is that?”
“Elnea-kun, could that be…”
“Lady Ruiseine, do you know what that is?”
“My, how lovely.”
“My, where did you get that?”
“Um, what?”
Priscilla-chan understandably didn’t get it. It was also forgivable that Mistral and Laira, who were ignorant of human society, didn’t understand. However, Ruiseine and the Twin Princesses seemed to immediately know what the sheepskin scroll I was holding up was.
“This is a ticket to the Kyōgeki. I received it from the new Chancellor. Therefore, tomorrow we are all going out!”
The former Chancellor died at the hands of Bariatel during the recent commotion. Therefore, it was only the other day that the Vice-Chancellor, who was Grandfather, was promoted to Chancellor. While the formal appointment is set for the ceremony, the Yorttenitos Kingdom is already moving under Grandfather Chancellor.
And Grandfather Chancellor gave me the theater ticket, saying, “Until the day of the ceremony, children should play like children.”
Unlike the previous Chancellor, whose only impression was his fierce temper, the new Chancellor is a gentle old man who looks more suited to drinking tea on the veranda than wielding power on the front lines of the country.
“Kyōgeki?”
“A play?”
Mistral tilted his head, and Priscilla-chan followed suit, tilting her head.
“Yes. It’s a stage where actors perform a play by dancing to music. It’s very grand and wonderful.”
“Could it be the theater troupe that Elnea-kun and Listea-kun went to see last year?”
“Yes. That’s right!”
When I received the ticket, I was so moved that I almost jumped for joy. Even though I came to the Yorttenitos Kingdom, I never thought I’d be able to see that troupe’s performance again.
The troupe, said to be the best in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, performs in the capital every three days, except for touring performances.
I heard that they are currently at the height of their popularity, and even residents of the capital can hardly get tickets. Apparently, Grandfather Chancellor managed to get one for us.
Not only in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, but also in the Armēdo Kingdom, there are many Kyōgeki troupes. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the most popular troupe among them. To be able to go see it with everyone is truly moving!
Responding to my passionate explanation, Mistral also showed interest, saying, “It sounds interesting.”
“A play, a play!”
Priscilla-chan, unfortunately, didn’t quite understand and was dancing around the room with Ares-chan, who had manifested.
Well, it might be a bit difficult for Priscilla-chan.
In any case, the next day, we all decided to take a break for the first time in a while.
And then, the next day came in the blink of an eye.
I was so excited that my memory of receiving the ticket the day before was gone.
“Elnea, calm down a little.”
“It’s unusual for Elnea-kun to get so excited.”
Mistral and Ruiseine tried to calm me down with wry smiles and pats, but it didn’t help.
It’s really amazing!
I want everyone to experience this excitement soon.
We decided to travel to the capital from the detached palace by riding on the Tyrant’s back, something we hadn’t done in a while.
“I am not a delivery service, you know.”
“Lady Revalia, please.”
“Hmph. Don’t think that just because you possess the Dragon Heart, I’ve become docile.”
“Hey! What are you saying to Laira? Be nice.”
“Lady Revalia, please be nice to me.”
Laira looked up at the Tyrant with teary eyes.
“Fufufu. Today is special.”
“Thank you!”
“I’m envious of Laira. I wish I had a Dragon Heart too.”
“It’s unfair that Laira got one first.”
“Laira beat me to it.”
Seeing Ruiseine and the Twin Princesses look envious, I glanced at Mistral and gave a wry smile.
Mistral feigned ignorance.
It seems he intends to continue pretending not to know anything about the Dragon Heart for a while longer. He secretly told me one night after recovering from his fatigue that he would eventually confess to everyone. Until then, I decided to keep quiet.
“Now, hurry up and get on. I’m busy!”
It seems the Tyrant is busy every day taking care of Fiorina and Rim. The Tyrant, who is often overwhelmed by the young dragons’ curiosity, is such a rare sight that we would always grin watching them fly around the sky from the ground. That’s our little secret.
Sent off by the people stationed at the detached palace, we mounted the Tyrant’s back and headed straight for the capital. Our landing spot was the Royal Castle Ruins.
Even now, soldiers were busy working at the ruins.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place after the labyrinth exploration is completed, and the official date has not yet been decided. However, since we can’t just stay here forever, it’s been decided that it will be held in the near future. And the people stationed at the detached palace are busy preparing for the ceremony.
I wonder if it’s okay for us to be out playing while they’re so busy, but we’re being treated as guests, and even if we offered to help, we wouldn’t know what to do and would only get in the way. So, we’re spending our days trying not to be a nuisance.
However, thanks to those days, we were able to get the Kyōgeki tickets from Grandfather Chancellor, telling us to go out and play. It was a fortunate turn of events.
“Alright, let’s go!”
After thanking the Tyrant who sent us off, we left the Royal Castle Ruins, with me leading the way.
The capital is still in full bloom with flowers, and we proceeded along the colorful streets, heading for the Kyōgeki venue.
When we first exited the gate of the castle walls surrounding the royal castle grounds, we were met with curious stares from passersby, who seemed to wonder, “Who are they?”
It’s natural, I suppose. The royal castle disappeared, and its grounds are now completely sealed off by the military. It’s only natural that boys and girls emerging from there would be looked upon with oddity.
However, no one approached us, and after walking for a while, we blended in with the people of the capital and became inconspicuous.
We, or at least I, didn’t have to worry about my identity being revealed.
If I had been spotted dancing on Asher-san’s back, they would likely have seen my face and build as well… I thought as we walked along the main street of the capital, chatting happily.
It was adorable to see Priscilla-chan being drawn to the sweet and meaty scents from the food stalls and waddling along, and we couldn’t stop smiling.
“Look, look. They’re selling prints of famous people.”
“Look, look. They’re selling a portrait print of Elnea-kun.”
As we approached a certain shop, the Twin Princesses exclaimed with excitement, pointing at a pile of items in front of the store.
Prints are a common form of personal adornment. They feature portraits of fictional or historical figures, or landscapes, printed using colored inks and sold. They say that prints by popular artists sell like hotcakes, and the first editions are traded at exorbitant prices.
To think there’s a print of me among them! I’m really interested!
We all peered into the print shop that the Twin Princesses were admiring.
It seemed to be a specialty print shop, with everything from large, expensive-looking prints in frames to cute children’s story prints on rough, cheap paper, all displayed and for sale. Among them, piled up at the front of the store as bestsellers, were prints.
“Oh, it’s a print of Listea!”
The first thing I noticed was a print of Listea. There were various types, such as a fierce depiction of him holding the Flame Holy Sword, and a story-like scene of him confronting an evil monster with his companions.
“So, this is the hero Listea that Elnea always talked about,” Mistral said, gazing intently at the portraits of Listea.
For a moment, a flicker of jealousy rose in my heart, wondering what would happen if Mistral became attracted to Listea. I was shaken by myself, thinking I never expected such feelings to sprout here. However, Mistral only let out a soft “Hmm” and, showing no particular interest, turned his gaze to other prints.
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun, it’s alright.”
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun, there’s no need to worry.”
“Indeed. Elnea-sama, please have more confidence.”
“Nngh…”
It seemed my jealousy had been seen through by the women. The Twin Princesses and Laira took turns patting my head. And not only Ruiseine, but even Mistral looked at me and smiled, thinking, “What a troubled person you are.”
I averted my gaze from everyone as a way to hide my embarrassment and fixed my eyes on the prints lined up in front of the store, trying not to let my agitation show.
“Ah, this is the Dancer!”
In the direction I was looking, there was a print of a dancer, depicted in as many compositions as Listea’s popularity. She is the lead dancer of the troupe we are about to see. She is a beautiful woman, now renowned as the top dancer in both the Yorttenitos and Armēdo Kingdoms. The person who captivated me last year. In a way, it was thanks to her that I caught Sleigsta’s (Old Man) interest and my life was completely changed.
“Hmm, so this is Elnea’s first love,”
“She’s a beautiful woman.”
“Y-Yes!?”
I dug my own grave. To exclaim with joy at a portrait of another woman, and in front of the ladies no less…
“N-No, it’s not like that. This is…”
Mistral gazed at me with a cold look as I hurriedly tried to make excuses.
Oh no. Just when Mistral was pretending not to be interested in Listea. How foolish I am.
As I hung my head and reflected, laughter erupted from around me.
“I’m sorry. It was a joke. Don’t be so down.”
“We teased you a bit too much. I’m sorry.”
“Rest assured. I, at least, am on Elnea-sama’s side!”
“Hold on, Laira. Could you explain exactly what you meant by that statement?”
“Yes, Laira. Let us have a proper explanation.”
“Hahahaha! Elnea-sama, please help me!”
It seems Laira is just as prone to digging her own graves. Mistral and Ruiseine cornered Laira, who flailed. It was the Twin Princesses, members of the Stomach Alliance, who extended a helping hand.
“Everyone, if you keep doing that, Elnea-kun’s print will sell out.”
“Everyone, if you keep doing that, we won’t be able to see Elnea-kun’s print anymore.”
“That’s right!”
I almost forgot. Speaking of which, we stopped by the print shop because there was said to be a print of me. Even as we were fussing, customers kept coming in one after another, and the prints in front of the store were selling like hotcakes. Among them, not only the prints of Listea and the Dancer, which were produced in many variations, but also a print that was selling like hotcakes.
“So, this is the person in question.”
“The prints of the Hero and the Dancer are nice, but this is what’s popular right now.”
“Let’s buy it quickly and show it off to everyone at work.”
It seems that my print, which was created only recently, is more popular than the eternally popular Dancer or the super-famous hero Listea. Men and women alike sought it out, and the piled-up prints disappeared in an instant.
Oh, I’m so happy that it’s this popular. Let me see. What kind of portrait is it? I peered curiously at a print pointed out by the Twin Princesses.
“…!”
And then I was speechless, while everyone else laughed. Yes, it was foolish of me to expect anything. Come to think of it, the King said something similar to me when we went for a walk… In the print we all looked at, a celestial maiden was depicted dancing against the backdrop of a divine Asher.
At least, I wish they’d recognize me as a man! Unlike me, who slumped in disappointment, the ladies excitedly exclaimed, “Let’s definitely buy one as a souvenir!”
I will protest resolutely. After returning from the Kyōgeki, I will protest to Grandfather Chancellor and make an official announcement that I am a man, not a celestial maiden! I don’t necessarily want to flaunt my achievements, but I can’t forgive being mistaken about my gender.
Feeling mentally exhausted even before watching the Kyōgeki, I led the ladies, who cheerfully purchased about ten prints as souvenirs, to the theater venue.
