Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 113: Attendees
Inside the audience room that had a high ceiling, Rio, wearing a uniform of etiquette on loan from a knight, met Francois Galwark.
Many royalty and nobles from each and every faction were present inside, the atmosphere inside the room was a solemn atmosphere.
Among them were not only Satsuki, Lilyana, Liselotte and her father, Cedric, there was also Flora and Duke Euguno.
Even the other nobles who met with Rio at the night party could be seen all over the place.
The people who were in this place came after hearing about this audience.
In that audience, Rio told the story from the time he met Miharu and the others until he met Satsuki.
「――So, I protect three friends heroes, and will do it until tonight's party」
Rio then lowered his head towards Francois in an incredible manner.
「Haruto's. Your achievements to protect the friends of the heroes who became separated and your efforts to unite them are truly great. That's for big purpose 」
Francois who was sitting on his throne on the stage praised Rio with a haughty tone.
「Your Highness, may I?」
Choosing the right time when the flow of conversation was cut off, a fat noble asked for permission to speak.
He was a famous high ranking noble in the kingdom of Galwark, duke of Clement Gregory.
「Good, you might」
Francois gave his permission to Clement.
Although he heard that Clement was the opposite party to the Duke of Kretia's family, Clement sent a glance to Liselotte and Cedric.
Achievement Haruto-dono's achievement in protecting hero-dono's friend is certainly an extraordinary thing. But I only have one question. Why, he, who had personal information regarding the information of the friend of the hero-dono unknown to the country, did not tell the hero？ 」
Clement asked that question.
「That's true but, if you don't mind, will you tell me your true intentions?」
Francois asked Rio.
「Yes, I am nothing more than a humble commoner. So I was not careless enough to report today's problem to the country and I don't think it will be trusted 」
「Yeah, it makes sense」
Francois approved Rio's words.
For this world which is closely related to social status, social status is closely related to influence and belief.
If Rio, who didn't have both of them suddenly said "I protect the hero's friend", the royalties that really clasped their hands in honesty were a rare case.
「Most importantly, they were really anxious after being separated from their friends and family. To make matters worse, they could not even communicate using the language of the Strahl region 」
Rio explained in a dull tone and his voice echoed slightly within the room.
Section 2
「Wait, Haruto. If they can't communicate with words, why can you talk to them？ 」
That's the expected question.
Which meant that people except the hero could not communicate with words, even if it was very hidden, he had already provided unnatural information.
「Both of my parents who used to live in the Yagumo region have strange magic tools. I use it 」
Rio replied in a eloquent tone as if he had already assumed that question before.
「Hou. What kind of magic tool is that？ 」
「Even I can not understand the theory and how to make it. But, the effect is mutual understanding, it's called communication with the other party 」[TL: Did we suddenly arrive in the universe of Gundam 00 and the name of the tool is" Gundam ", best Gundam series for me btw]
"What……………… . Easy-to-use items 」
Francois unintentionally let out such an admired voice.
Even the nobles and other royalty were half doubtful of his words, but, no one could prove Rio's words seeing that no one in this place had ever gone to the Yagumo region.
「So I used a tool to teach them the language of the Strahl」 region
「Fumu, did you bring that magic tool with you?」
「Sadnya ………………. . Even though it was an item that was a memento of my parents, it seemed to have a limited life span, it broke at a time when they could already remember the words ………. 」
Rio said that while showing a guilty expression.
「Mu, I understand …………. . Since it was a memento, it was probably a valuable item, right？ 」
「Well, it looks like my parents used it when they moved to the Strahl region. Should be satisfied after fulfilling his duty 」
"I saw…………………… . . All right, let's discuss this topic. Our stories stray from the topic. How far we were before. If I remember it correctly, it is the part where the friends of the hero are anxious 」
Saying so, Francois looked at Rio.
"Religion . They were clearly put into a temporary mentality that was unstable. Inevitably I felt a little anxious to send them with their current situation to a third party. Yes, I'm afraid to do it 」
Rio explained the situation completely without a sound in his voice.
「So, I came up with my own humble opinion to tell heroes directly about them. Fortunately I was lucky to be able to get closer to Liselotte-sama. Detailed order as I said before. Here's what I have to say 」
Rio lowered his head again after his story reached that point.
「Although I feel that there is no point of contradiction in the story, is not that your view. Clement？ Or do you notice inconsistencies in the story？
Francois smiled widely and then asked Clement Gregory.
「No」
Section 3
Clement replied with a smile that was hard to describe.
「In this case, we must say a formal thank you in his achievement for protecting the friends of the hero. Doing things like protecting strangers, let alone saying they can't speak our language is not something anyone can do 」
Francois told as he nodded.
「Haruto's. Your problem of protecting the hero's second friend is a big cause. Let me praise it 」
「I'm really grateful for such a compliment that is not worthy of my humble self」
Rio thanked her while kneeling on the floor.
「Liselotte. I'll have to praise your actions as well. Your incredible insight into finding a hero figure like Haruto is as good as ever. As expected of Cedric …………. No, as expected of Liselotte Kretia 」
Fransois praised Liselotte actions with a smile as if she was really happy about it.
It's as clear as day that Rio will have a hard time making contact with Satsuki without her help.
Even though it was just a coincidence that piled up one after another, by discovering Rio's talent, he ended up bringing a huge reason for national interest.
That's a compliment to that.
「My humble self is very happy. His Majesty 」
Liselotte pinched the cuff of her dress and said her thanks in a woman-like manner.
☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
On the other hand, Satsuki looked amazed from the side on the figure of Liselotte and Rio being praised by Francois.
Now, it was his turn to ascertain if there was any difference in Rio's explanation.
（What a great yes. Now I do things like do myself gracefully with the king as my opponent）
He heard from the person himself that Rio was a former Japanese and was half-confident that Liselotte was also a former Japanese. ⁇
Even if a small gesture is ignored when dealing with the king of a country, conversing shamelessly while paying homage on top of that is not something that the Japanese can do.
Satsuki couldn't help but to revise her thoughts, the two of them were already fully inhabitants of this world.
（…………. Eh, even though Liselotte-san is fine, Haruto-kun should not be older than me right？？
So, Satsuki's imagination goes around in circles.
Although she had no idea how old they were in their previous life, no matter how you looked at it, they were much older than Satsuki when adding their current age.
（Because of that, didn't I act too familiar with Haruto-kun?）
Section 4
He recalled his speech and behavior when interacting with Rio until now.
No matter how he looked at it, it was not a tone used for someone older than himself.
“Yup, I'm acting too familiar with him. ”
Satsuki thinks so.
He was careless because his appearance was the same generation as him.
She surprised him since the first time they met with telepathic communication, she greatly affected his heart with the matter of Miharu and the others.
（Uh …………. What should I do . Should I speak to him in a formal language ………. Next time I talk to him?）
Satsuki thought while looking at Rio figure who perfectly responded to Francois words.
Interacting with respect when the other party is the older one is Satsuki's basic attitude.
In that case, it might be better to build a relationship based on the mental age of his previous life from now on, is what he thought.
（I thought he was no ordinary boy because he could let go of such a calm atmosphere but, it turned out that was the truth. I'm seeing..
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Rio was an adult.
Somehow it makes Satsuki sad,
（Yeah！ Why am I worried about such a thing！ Yet Haruto-kun is so silent）
She accidentally glared at Rio during the audience while embracing the feeling of being close to hatred.
So, while Satsuki was thinking about such things,
「Alright, even when expecting your trouble protecting hero friend, our country owes a lot to Haruto Har
The audience advanced smoothly.
「Because Haruto contributed greatly in repelling the bandits last night. It has been our custom since long time ago to pay in return for his contribution 」
Somehow the topic moved towards the matter of the bandits last night.
「How is it, Haruto. Will you work for this country？ I've made an agreement to appoint you as our country knight 」
Satsuki let out a slightly surprised voice with an unexpected turn of events.
（Haruto-kun, working for this country?）
He chewed on the meaning behind those words.
If he worked for this country, he would be able to do something like meet with Rio from now on.
It wasn't too difficult to put him by his side if he used his authority as a hero.
Suddenly realizing such things, Satsuki was staring at Rio.
☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
「I am very happy to be given special help. But, green people like me are very lacking in ability. I'm really grateful to the point of not being able to express it but, I can't take it 」
Section 5
Rio expressed his rejection gently so as not to worsen their relationship.
「Hou？ You have no intention of becoming a knight？ I learned that you deserve to be a knight」
Francois asked as if it was a surprise to him.
He thought that Rio would try to get a fulfilled life by selling help to the country or Satsuki but, this situation was completely beyond his expectations.
「Yes, this humble me lacks such capabilities」
Rio replied in a humble tone.
「Fumu, that's ……………. . In this case, do you have something you expect？ Just say 」
Francois asked as his hand traced his jaw.
「I never thought of doing this to receive a gift. The disgusting problem of the bandits was also due to the efforts of the knights who were in that place at that time. It's my simple opinion to refuse a gift if it's possible 」
The people inside the audience were greatly shaken by Rio who rejected the gift.
「Hou, so you mean you don't need a reward」
A strange light flashed within Francois' eyes.
「Yes, that's my wish」
Rio easily rejected the gift without any hestitation or affection left in his tone of speech.
That's obvious.
Because Rio did not have anything he wanted in the form of property or status granted from a country.
More than anything else, he hates the fact that he takes care of Miharu and the others for money and status.
Because today's reward wasn't given just to repel the bandits and protect Miharu and the others.
Francois was staring in admiration at Rio who seemed to be lacking in terms of greed.
「…………. Yukukuku, so you said that you don't need money or position. It is a good thing that you behave completely unlike ordinary people, really attractive man 」
Francois could not bear it anymore and hence laughed for the first time as if he was really happy about it.
Usually one would want a reward for being a knight belonging to the order of knights.
He had never seen someone in his kingdom refuse a flat reward without taking a long time to think about it without greed in their eyes.
Francois could not read the original nature of the human called Rio.
「Yosh, I've decided. I will give you the title of knight of honor 」
Francois said that moments after regaining his composure.
The inside of the audience room is getting noisy.
「EH？ But, I ...............................」....
Rio was puzzled by the conversation flowing in an unexpected direction.
Even though he didn't even know what honorary knights were, it probably had nothing to do with nobles because the prefix was "knight".
Section 6
「What, it is not a title that makes you have a responsibility towards our country. In the present era is the title given to someone who commits massive military exploitation to our country and is not limited to just these citizens. Unlike the normal knights, it was not like you would receive allowances or you would become a retainer of the country. In other words, it is nothing more than a title. But, you will receive the same treatment as the nobles of our country in this country. You can even go to the castle as long as you follow the necessary procedures 」
Francois carefully continued his explanation as if reading Rio's doubts.
As long as one heard that explanation, it seemed that the title of nobility could be bestowed upon a stranger.
「I am an unknown person. For you to grant a title that allows me to come to the palace with just that ………. . 」
「Pretty good. I've decided that. Because it would humiliate our country if I did not give a gift to someone who showed such great exploitation. You saved the lives of royalty.
The demand to give you a gift not only came from Michael, Charlotte and the family of Duke Kretia, it also came from princess Flora, the representative of the Restoration, and princess Lilyana, the representative of the Saint Stellar kingdom. Just obey and accept your wages 」
Although Rio tried to reject the gift, Francois blatantly forced him to Rio.
Francois took a firm stance.
Seeing that the king had already made his decision, Rio could not bear the act of disapproving of it.
（Although I am grateful for it if it comes to ease how to meet Satsuki-san .......）.
Rio showed a troubled face.
To be honest, he didn't want the gift.
But, uh,
「Thank you profusely for your blessing …………. 」
Rio decided to say thank you while sighing deeply.
By the way, the weight of the honorary knight is much greater than Rio expected.
Although the honorary knight was indeed a title given to someone who increased military exploitation as Francois said, despite having the same title of "Knight", it was completely different from ordinary knights.
More than the fact that it is not bound by the state despite its rank, they will not be military workers, so their actions are not tied to the state.
But, in times of emergency they can give orders to soldiers, similar to normal knights in that place, they can even lead as many as one platoon of personnel.
In short, it was a position of trusted honor bestowed with special privileges.
It was a position where one was granted special privileges despite having no obligations, the investment hurdles were higher and could not even be compared to normal knights. [TL: MESSAGING SYSTEM (YOU OPEN THE SPECIAL TITLE "HONORARY KNIGHT")]
This was a title that would not be granted unless the person himself was directly recognized by the king as someone without problems in both personality and military exploitation, the hurdle becomes higher if the object in this case is a stranger.
Therefore, it was only natural that the nobles in the audience room were stunned with envy and admiration towards someone who was awarded the honorary knight title.
Some of them were even dissatisfied with the fact that Rio received the assignment of honorary knight.
But, it was also the undeniable truth that Rio came first to save Flora, repelling almost half of the number of bandits and protecting the friends of the heroes.
It was already difficult for them to voice their dissatisfaction with the array of exploits.
More than anything else, it was because there was a joint signature coming to appreciate the exploitation of the nobles saved by him.
In the end, even disgruntled nobles had no choice but to watch from the side.
「There is a custom of giving aliases to the person who receives the title of honorary knight. Right………………"
Section 7
Francois is looking at Rio while humming.
There was a pensive expression on his face before turning into a smile like smile as if he was thinking of something a moment later and then,
「Yosh, I gave you the pseudonym 《Knight Black》. Black is a color that will not be stained by any other color. That is a suitable title for an unpredictable child like you are right 」
He said it with a haughty tone.
It was another reason of honorary knight jealousy to receive an alias from the king but,
（Black ……………. . Knights?)
Rio's face involuntarily showed a puzzled expression over the unexpected turn of events.
Rio's train of thought completely stopped for a few seconds.
When he gained a bit of calm afterwards, he recited the name again in his head.
"Black knights–"
"What's with that name?"
“This title is a bit embarrassing. "[TL:" Black Knight "is a chuuni title if you ask why]
“Fuck I want to call myself with an embarrassing title in front of anyone. ”
But, such a feeling did not come out of his head.
「Ya, I will humbly receive the degree」
And thus, Rio received his title in the highest way.
（……………. . Maybe I'm just unlucky today）
How it all got like this.
He might be carrying pesky somewhere, appearing in Rio's mind.
When he looked around while in a position to lower his head, his line of sight met Satsuki who was in the corner of the room.
Satsuki raised her hand to her lips as if putting her will to not laugh at him.
（I'm being made fun of. I didn't even ask for this gift）
Somehow, the other Satsuki guessed her own thoughts as if it was a pleasant thing, so Rio lowered his head even more deeply.
「In addition, from now on I will allow you to have a surname. Since I'm not going to set a time for you to decide, you might take the time to think about it carefully 」
「…………. As you wish"
「Official ceremony will be conducted during the party tonight. That's our plan. That's it"
And thus, the audience ended.
Rio was completely exhausted from the unexpected turn of events while pondering that he might be the center of attention again tonight.