Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 127: Satsuki's Feelings

Rio visited Satsuki's room that night for dinner.

Between the two of them was a large and ornate table, and there was no one else around.

It makes sense if the waiter or waiter is in the room, but Satsuki is the type who doesn't like to be bothered while eating. The staff are used to this.

However, even though some delicious dishes were lined up on the table, there were not many. At least not enough for two.

「I ask them to reduce the amount as you requested, but will this be enough, Haruto-kun?」

「Yes. Or, rather, this might be too much. 『Discharge Release』 」

After Rio recited a short spell with a confident smile, the dish that had just appeared out of thin air in the pot and on the plate.

"No way…"

Satsuki's jaw dropped upon seeing, only for her to catch herself as the smell of food tickled her nose.

「Don't say, it—!」

「Yapc. Japanese Style . 」

「You ... You're kidding. 」

「Newly cooked rice, there is a decoction, and it wasabi yam. 」

His eyes were increasingly glittering with every dish he described.

「IC-Can I eat this? It's a real thing, isn't it? Authentic, authentic, bona fide Japanese food? 」

Satsuki slowly crept her upper body closer to the food as she asked.

「During the evening party, you look like you're craving food from Japan, so go ahead. Consider this my apology earlier. 」

"Thank you! I love you, Haruto-kun! 」

「You're exaggerating, Satsuki-san. 」

Blinded by Satsuki's pleasure, Rio tried to calm her down, wearing a dry grin.

"Wait a minute! W-That's not what I mean! I don't mean "love" like that! The plates! Yes, I love the food! You better not take this the wrong way or anything, okay? 」

「Haha, I know, I know. 」

「Agh, really! You just imagine it! Okay?"

Rio could not help but laugh a little more at her embarrassment, even as he glared at her with a face redder than a tomato. He managed to force himself to go ahead.

「Do not worry, I understand. Anyway, let's eat before the food gets cold. 」

Realizing he was digging his own grave the way he acted, and it was the first familiar meal he had seen in recent months, Satsuki quickly agreed.

Rio serves soup and rice, and after 「Itadakimasu」 they both dig.

"Lezat…"

The taste of the stew permeated through Satsuki's existence, warming her homesick heart, and she lost food.

Before long, they cleaned the dishes, and Satsuki started the conversation again.

「Sorry, I'm a bit confused there. Thank you very much for the food, Haruto-kun. 」

「I feel much better for having made it now. 」

「Haruto-kun, do you always carry dishes like this?」

「Yes, I usually produce too much, and it will be in vain to throw away the rest. 」

「I don't think I should be surprised. You even brought your house. Hey.." -…"

Satsuki paused for a moment.

「Didn't you say that things like soy sauce, miso and rice are not available in the Strahl region?」

"That's right . 」

「.... Then, why do you have this?」

「Do not worry about the details. 」

Rio responded with a deep-looking gaze, but he didn't have it.

「I'm worried about it. You know I can't just drop it like this, so if you have any way to get it, please let me know! 」

Satsuki is the daughter of a rather classy family. The quality of his food was something he could not ignore.

Chef skills are also a factor, but amateurs can only do so much with even the best ingredients.

So if there was a chance he could get all of that, he wanted to take it for the sake of the diet he was used to.

「Look or not, I have to leave the Strahl region to replenish those ingredients. That's why you won't see it here. 」

「Ugh ... How far away is the place that produces them?」

「Yagumo region far to the east. Too far on foot. You can spend less time with physical reinforcement magic, but it is a dangerous path that almost no one comes down. Even a plane will take time. 」

「It sounds .. difficult. 」

「In my case, I can go there because I can fly at high speed, but in Japanese terms it feels like a trip to Europe for any normal person. 」

"I saw . Besides, Haruto-kun has storage of that dimension. You will have an almost unlimited maximum capacity to transport. There must be something wrong with that, right …? 」

Satsuki pouted like a child in all the comforts of Rio.

「Sorry. Including 『Barang』 Box I have many things that are not easy to get. That's why I want to keep it a secret for as long as possible. Showing off will only get me in a troubled world. 」

His voice was apologetic, but it seemed like he had experienced something like that before.

「Seriously, you're too weird. Your utility is off the chart. 」

With its high mobility and outstanding carrying capacity, people would be killed for it.

He really wanted to beg her to give him the materials that she craved so much, but it was easy for her to imagine what kind of trouble was causing him.

Yet he was willing to share such a secret with her, even if it looked like eating.

Satsuki didn't want to betray that.

"Allah . It is regrettable that I cannot enjoy this every day. 」

"My apology . Would you rather not eat it? 」

"No! Not at all, I obviously didn't mean it that way! I just feel like I'm wasting my time here, living without tasting any more wonderful food. But ... Maybe you can bring some secrets once in a while? And your house also has ofuro, right? 」

Satsuki peeked at Rio's face with her eyes turned upside down. Even though he seemed troubled for a moment, he immediately fixed it with a fake smile.

"… You are right . If there is a chance, then. 」

Then, as if he knew what was going on, he started shouting.

"NO!"

「Satsuki-san?」

「I refuse to say goodbye like this. We will meet again, Haruto-kun, right? You promised, didn't you? 」

He asked sadly, but Rio just replied silently, so he stood up, kicked the chair and slammed his hand onto the table.

"What's wrong with you?! Decide all that by myself, without saying anything or considering how I feel about it! Why can't we meet again? Is this supposed to be a farewell dinner?

I hate this! This has nothing to do with the others, I still want to be your friend after this! 」

「Friends?」

"Rubber! I know we just met, but I consider you a friend. And I thought maybe Haruto-kun felt the same way. Or am I wrong? 」

Shaking his head, Rio gave her a light but earnest smile.

"… Not everything . Thank you, Satsuki-san. 」

She felt guilty about it, but she was glad Satsuki thought about it that way.

「If that's the case, then stop acting so far away from now! Things “keep the distance between us” is just a show for the public, right? So, is this supposed to be due to the problem with Miharu-chan? 」

「…」

Might have hit the bullseye.

Rio was at a loss for words, causing Satsuki to puff her cheeks.

「You're serious, aren't you? I will never forgive that kind of selfish decision-making. I'm not letting you say, “Let's not meet again. 」

The woman's resolution surprised him.

He could have cut off his remaining relationship with Miharu, Aki and Masato if he broke his relationship with Satsuki here, but the girl herself made that impossible.

Rio questioned whether he had the privilege of being summoned as his friend, but the answer was already staring at him.

Sorting through the conflicting feelings in his heart, he simply nodded.

「... Understood. 」

☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

In the middle of their dinner, King Francois speaks in his office with his children, Michael and Charlotte.

He wanted a report of their activities during the party.

「Dad, is it really okay to let Haruto do what he wants?」

Michael timidly spoke afterwards, but Francois cut him off without hesitation.

「No problem with that. The man himself had no intention of serving the kingdom. Maybe it's better this way. 」

「This may sound arrogant, but now we have nothing to tie Satsuki to Galwark after we hand her friends over to Saint Stella kingdom, right?」

「I have calculated insurance. Our new honorary knight has had enough. Fortunately for us, the man and Satsuki-dono seem to have a very good relationship with me. Charlotte's? 」

「Yes, dear father. Satsuki-sama has been very cheerful the past few days. It was as if he was a completely different person. 」

Charlotte gave her consent with an understanding smile.

「If so, then ..」

Michael is uneasy about their relationship, but he does it anyway. This was not the time or place to voice his curiosity.

That said, Charlotte was ordered by Francois to try to get close to them. It should be fine to ask about it, at least indirectly.

「The real purpose of the party is as I said before. 」

Suddenly, Francois derailed his thinking.

「To find someone who will attract Satsuki ... right?」

"Indeed . 」

「But don't Satsuki's friends have the highest score?」

「Hmhm, when concluding the discussion of the alliance with Saint Stella kingdom, we included some important details in the contract regarding the treatment of Satsuki-dono's friends. 」

Francois remained blatant with that information.

「That's how friendship is; it's a matter of chance, like the relationship between a man and a woman. One cannot reliably say that one would be friendlier with friends of decades than someone they had just met a few days ago. Don't you also believe that Satsuki-dono is already quite familiar with Haruto? 」

He spoke to his son in a pleasant tone.

「You must prioritize national interests. 」

"… I know . 」

「Then, do you understand? The heroes act as Messengers of the six wise gods. If mistreated, they could become poison as easily as they could a panacea. 」

"Of course . That is why the will of the hero must be respected according to our best abilities. 」

"Religion . 」

The Strahl region believes in the six wise gods. The civilization in that region would not have evolved to its current state if not for them bestowing upon the people various magical technologies.

As a result, most of the rulers in the region treated the goods of the gods as national treasures related to their kingdom, and used them — that is, borrowed the heavenly will of the gods — to justify the authority of their kingdom.

There were no independent priests or organizations, either, or holy heads to represent the will of the gods. Instead, every ruler of the kingdom was the head of faith in their kingdom. The priest also belongs to the kingdom.

Not much different in Galwark.

In short, Francois was not only the head of state, but also the religious leader of the country.

On the other hand, while Satsuki had no noble authority, she was the personification of one of the heavenly wills of the gods. So although he will not rule the kingdom anytime soon, as a hero he holds significant political control through religion.

As long as a hero allied with an empire, they were directly connected to the increase in his strength.

Naturally, it meant that they wanted to keep Satsuki as close to Galwark as possible, but it also meant that they had to be careful with this method.

It goes against the will of the hero and the policies of the kingdom itself, and can be very, very bad for the kingdom, so taking his friends hostage is something they consider an absolute last resort.

It may be worth mentioning as a test for Francois as king. He had to see how much he could align Satsuki with Galwark's goals without relying on something so heavy.

Francois was also very aware that Satsuki was wary of the kingdom until this past week. The evening party was one of his steps to win his heart, and it seemed to work.

Thanks to the event, Satsuki became bright. The big change from his melancholy before meeting Rio and his men.

「As your father, I want to help you, see how you fell in love with Satsuki-dono. However, I must ask you not to stir the pot with your personal feelings. 」

「You ... You know about that, Dad?」

Michael's eyes glared slightly.

「I was the one who told you to approach Satsuki-dono and gain his trust, right? Do you think I'm not gonna see you? Instead of making her fall in love with you, I was surprised to find the opposite had happened. 」

"… My apologies . 」

「No need for that. You understand your position. But you made Charlotte jealous because you wouldn't accompany her anymore. 」

He ended with a warm laugh as Michael looked at his sister.

"Certainly that?"

「So you didn't even notice it. Hmph. 」

While sulking, Charlotte turned around.

「Sorry, Charlotte. 」

「I don't mind too much. After all, Haruto-sama is much softer than Onii-sama. 」

「S-So, even you think he's that good?」

Charlotte only giggled happily as her brother lost his composure.

「Maybe now you understand some of my feelings, having to compete for Onii-sama's affection with a girl who doesn't want it. 」

「... Uhm, yes, I understand. Please don't make me more ashamed of myself than I am. 」

Unable to take on the brocon/siscon comedy routine anymore, Francois called them.

「Let's stop this here; I still have work to do. If you want to continue, you can leave it later. 」