117. Sneaking Around, What A Privilege, Isn’t It?

The night we arrived at Golden Dawn, the key members gathered at Kyle’s mansion.

The density made the large conference room feel cramped.

Perhaps to ease the mood, Kyle began with words of gratitude.

“Craft-niisama, let me thank you once again. I truly appreciate you protecting Myrna.”

“…Yeah.”

Myrna, already seated on my lap, nodded slightly in response to Kyle’s words.

“I put everyone in danger. I don’t know how to take responsibility for that.”

Kyle looked grim. It seemed this meeting was to discuss his responsibility, but that was misplaced.

In this case, it was undoubtedly my fault.

“No. It’s I who should be blamed for putting both of you in danger.”

When I bowed my head to the two, Raidoc shook his head.

Raidoc and Solar from his party were also present at the meeting.

“No, Craft. From my perspective, it’s not just Kyle and Myrna. You were also a target of our protection. It’s us who were inadequate.”

Solar, sitting next to Raidoc, also lowered his head regretfully.

Eva, the eldest of the Casper sisters sitting opposite Solar, hung her head too.

“No. Raidoc was the commander. It’s us, who were closest to protect you, who bear the responsibility.”

This time, Alphard, standing behind Kyle, sighed deeply.

“Don’t be foolish. I must protect Kyle. No matter what anyone says, all the responsibility lies with me.”

A voice then came from another direction, Jurara, the representative of the Lizardmen.

“No, in this matter, the responsibility lies with us Lizardmen. We should have risked our lives to repay Kyle’s great favor.”

Most of the key members present were filled with a heavy sense of guilt,

but that dark atmosphere was shattered by laughter.

“Bwahahaha! You guys!”

“…We’re having a serious discussion here, Van.”

I shot him a glare, but he just returned a defiant smile.

“Hmph. By that logic, it should be me, the adventurer hired to protect Kyle and Myrna, who bears the responsibility.”

Van waved his wrist dismissively.

“This whole incident is quite simple. We encountered a disaster while going to war. It’s no one’s fault.”

“But, Your Majesty…”

“Responsibility, you say? For what? There were zero deaths, all injuries treated, and we defeated the master of the swamp. There’s no responsibility to take.”

“Ah.”

I let out a foolish sound.

Indeed, looking at the results, it was a great success!

Van continued to the dumbfounded Kyle.

“Hmph, Kyle. You are the responsible leader of a great success. You must take pride in your victory as the representative of the victors.”

Kyle, initially wide-eyed, straightened his posture as Van’s words sank in.

“…Yes!”

“Hmm.”

As expected of the king.

Thanks to Van, the thorn in our hearts was completely removed.

Freed from our worries, we spent the short time before heading to the Margrave’s place busily.

Then, the day arrived.

◆

“A festival!”

Van’s shout echoed around, as it had become customary.

While Kyle was busy catching up on work that had piled up during his absence, preparing for the victory celebration, and getting ready to head to Zaid Village, Van was out sightseeing almost every day!

But, I couldn’t leave him alone, so I, Raidoc, Solar, the Casper sisters, and for some reason, Jitaro, accompanied him.

“A festival, Van!”

“Wow! This is amazing, Jitaro!”

“Golden Dawn’s festivals are incredible!”

The sight of them embracing each other, swinging bottles of sake, looked too fitting.

“Why’s he fitting in so well?”

Raidoc muttered in disbelief.

“No idea. It’s just typical Jitaro, I guess.”

Van and Jitaro were chatting up nearby women, “Hey, girls! Let’s talk about your address, name, age, hobbies, and favorite foods!” and getting rejected.

…Seriously, what’s wrong with them?

“Sigh… Kyle’s probably doing his best at the ceremony now. I wanted to see his cool side, not babysit these guys.”

“Agreed.”

Raidoc and I chuckled wryly.

In the central square, the heads of three Hydras were decorated grandly.

Their ghastly appearance was oddly endearing with so many decorations.

“Ah! Craft, well done!”

“Such a huge Hydra was there, huh!”

“Damn! If I’d known, I would’ve joined too!”

Near where they were distributing free sake, adventurers had gathered.

The ones who participated this time and those who stayed at Golden Dawn were drinking together.

“Developing the swamp! It’s humanity’s dream! Abundant rice will fill humanity’s stomachs!”

“It’s a great feat, following in the footsteps of King Vaindeck Midwright von Maugari!”

Vaindeck… what?

Oh, Van’s full name. Such a tongue-twister.

I whispered to Van.

“What’s this feat they’re talking about?”

“In short, the greatest achievement that got me crowned over my siblings. I developed a large swamp, not as big as this time, but significant enough to produce a lot of rice.”

“…That’s amazing.”

“It is. Respect me?”

“A bit.”

“Then buy me those meat skewers over there!”

“Alright, alright.”

Shrugging, I pulled out some coins.

◆

“Hey, Craft!”

“What’s up, Van?”

I replied lifelessly with added sarcasm.

“It’s almost time for the concert, isn’t it?”

Before I could answer, Jitaro jumped in.

“No, no! Van, it’s not a concert; it’s a stage live!”

Van furrowed his brows, crossing his arms.

“What’s the difference? It’s a concert if they’re providing songs and music, right?”

“No! You’ll get it once you see it. Anyway, we need to go now since moving there is a hassle even though there’s no need to save seats!”

At Golden Dawn, it had become customary to hold stage lives during large festivals.

It started as a small event in the developing village, with Leafan performing songs and dances due to a lack of attractions.

Jitaro had organized it back then, and it was so well-received that a fan club for Leafan was even formed.

Since then, stage lives, distinct from ordinary concerts, have been held several times, all produced by Jitaro.

“This time, I’m not the producer, so it might be a bit dull.”

“Nonsense, just having that stoic female knight Persia and Leafan from the production guild perform together makes it a must-see.”

“True!”

Due to strong resident demands, Leafan and Persia were set to perform this time too. Jitaro and I were too busy (Jitaro unnecessarily tagged along with us), and Akindo heard about it and offered to produce the event.

“Well, let’s see how it goes!”

Jitaro sat back confidently in the VIP room, but as it started, his confidence vanished.

The stage live utilized all of Jitaro’s methods perfectly, creating a spectacular show.

Persia in a masculine outfit and Leafan in a frilly costume took the stage to thunderous applause.

Leafan grabbed the magical amplifier.

[The first song is ‘Welcome to Frontier Stardust! Duo Version!’]

The stage was lit with colorful lights, and their custom glittery outfits shone brilliantly.

Yeah.

The duo of Leafan and Persia was overwhelmingly powerful.

The excitement was so intense that audience members fainted and had to be carried out.

“Bwahahaha! What is this? This is nothing like the concerts I know!”

“Cool, right?”

“Indeed! Stage live! I like it! …Hmm. Maybe we should have one in the capital.”

Van mumbled something unsettling, but the cheers drowned out the latter half.

Thus, the stage live ended in great success.

Jitaro, who had been enjoying it, suddenly snapped back to reality and bent backward like a shrimp.

“Oooh! Next time! I’ll plan an even bigger event!”

I had a bad feeling about this.

Van kept pointing at Persia, laughing his head off.

No, that’s too much laughter.