Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 180 - Banquet, Request, Love [Incomplete Version]

The banquet hall held two rows of nobles whose exact rank I couldn't tell. One thing was obvious: they were all young.

Ariel had been busy. A full reshuffle of the nobility, the young faces alone said everything.

When we walked in, the hall went silent.

Ariel smiled at me.

"Lord Rudeus, where would you like to sit?"

"I actually get to choose?"

"Of course. If you wished, you could even take the highest seat."

"I have no interest in that."

I led Sylphie and the girls to the first seat at the lower left of the head position, and we sat down. Ariel walked to her throne with that same smile and settled into it.

Hoh.

Now she had a proper queen's bearing.

Aisha used to complain that Ariel was a little useless. Doesn't look that way to me. Then again, from Aisha's perspective, most people probably are useless.

Ariel opened with a voice that was elegant and authoritative at once.

"Today, I am deeply grateful to all of you for accepting the invitation to attend the third birthday banquet of my child, Edward Anemoi Asura, and I am deeply honored to welcome Lord Rudeus to the Asura Kingdom."

She patted Edward, who stood beside her. He took a breath, stepped forward, turned to face me, and bowed.

"Thank you, Lord Rudeus. Thank you, Lady Sylphie. Thank you, elder sisters, for making time in your busy schedules to attend my birthday banquet."

Hoh. Not bad at all.

Holding your composure in a room full of nobles at three years old.

But this kid — elder sisters? Pretty familiar phrasing.

Ariel must be signaling that our two families are close. Laying groundwork for Edward. That makes sense.

If it weren't for Orsted, I'd have already stood up and left.

But it's just a child's greeting. Being petty about that would be beneath me.

I nodded.

"Happy birthday, Edward."

The smile on Ariel's face deepened. She started clapping first. Then the nobles followed.

-------

Throughout the banquet, quite a few nobles tried to strike up a conversation with me. Ariel didn't step in to turn them away. I didn't pay them any attention.

The nobles, seeing I wasn't engaging, were smart enough to send their female companions to talk to Sylphie instead.

Sylphie responded to all of them with a warm smile.

Her words for it: Outside, a wife maintains her dignity and doesn't embarrass her husband.

Personally, I don't care either way.

What was actually bothering me was that damn brat.

He really took Windsor to go look at some dog.

"Dad, your face looks awful."

"Lara."

"Sis Windsor definitely won't like that Edward! Don't worry, Dad!"

Lucy nodded along.

"Mm. Sis Windsor likes... strong people. Or fluffy people."

Fluffy people?

She probably meant fluffy animals. Right.

One dog and my eldest daughter is gone. Is one Great White at home not enough? Maybe we should get a few more.

My sleeve was tugged.

"Dad."

"Mm?"

"That queen is coming."

I looked up. Ariel was already in front of me. She glanced at the noble ladies nearby. They took the hint and excused themselves. Ariel sat down beside Sylphie like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Lord Rudeus, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Go ahead."

"Have you heard of Shagall Island?"

Oh. That island Orsted mentioned.

I nodded. "What about it?"

"It's the highest-yield fruit island in the Asura Kingdom, so it's always been famous. Before I took the throne, I knew nothing about it beyond the name."

Ariel refilled Sylphie's empty glass with red wine. Sylphie smiled and took a small sip.

"After I took the throne, I found out the island has a serious problem."

"How so?"

"Noble young ladies from the mainland would visit for vacations because of the island's reputation. Once or twice is fine. But visit more than a few times and disappearances start showing up."

"Oh?"

"It isn't just noble ladies from outside who vanish after going there. Children on the island itself also disappear."

"Children on the island?"

"Mm. The island is somewhat primitive, so successive kings granted it autonomy."

"What does that have to do with children disappearing from within it?"

Ariel poured herself a glass and moved to hand it to me. Sylphie, cheeks flushed pink, intercepted it with a smile. My wife took a sip, held it in her mouth, and looked at me.

I kissed her.

She passed the wine into my mouth.

Sylphie really is, even cuter when she's drunk.

Ariel didn't react to us. She just smiled and continued.

"The island submits annual reports on population changes. They write about the children's disappearances without any hesitation. No attempt to conceal it at all."

I straightened my tone after the kiss. "They don't give a reason?"

"No reason given."

"Hoh."

"Put it all together: noble ladies from outside seem to be selected somehow. If one is chosen, she vanishes on one of her trips to the island. Inside the island, the pattern is irregular — every few years, a handful of children simply disappear."

"You sent someone to investigate?"

"Of course. I sent a search officer named Aisha. You might not believe this, but she looks very much like Lady Aisha."

"Looks like Aisha?"

"Very much so. She was a slave once. After she was freed, she came to serve under me because she admired you. Her talent is exceptional. Ruijerd trained her for several years. According to Ruijerd, she already had a foundation in swordsmanship before they even started, and after these years of training, she's reached Advanced rank in all three sword styles."

"That is impressive."

"Mm. She also has Advanced-level magic. A genuinely rare talent. So — after she went to the island, she went dark."

"No word at all?"

"Nothing. She has solid combat experience and she's careful. Under those conditions, going completely silent is..." Ariel paused. "Unsettling."

"Can't you send a knight order to investigate?"

"The island's autonomy goes back generations. Barging in with force is more trouble than it's worth."

"If I go and find that everyone on that island is a cultist, I'll kill every last one of them. Can you handle the fallout?"

Something shifted in Ariel's expression. Like she'd been waiting for exactly those words.

"Of course," she said, and there was a note of excitement in her voice she didn't bother hiding. "Lord Rudeus, please act as you see fit."

"Good. Then it's settled."

Orsted wanted me to handle this on the way anyway.

-------

Late at night.

I'd originally planned to take the teleportation circle home. But the girls wanted to sleep in the Asura royal palace, so here we were. Broadening their horizons, fair enough.

The 3 daughters shared one room. Sylphie and I were in the room next to Ariel's.

Ariel's reasoning: honored guests must rest in the chamber beside the queen's.

Sure.

The atmosphere, at least, was warm. Drunk Sylphie leaned against me in bed, murmuring softly about nothing in particular. The two of us talked about things that didn't matter at all.

It was nice, honestly.

Then, at some point, sounds started coming through the wall.

Intense sounds.

I'll take Ariel at her word now, with that level of noise, I genuinely could not tell how many people were involved.

Her voice really is quite pleasant.

But I'd heard enough. Male instinct only gets you so far.

I raised my hand and cast Silence Magic.

The quiet barely lasted a moment before Sylphie stirred restlessly in my arms.

[The second half didn't pass review. Full version is in the group. If you're not in the group, check the comment at the start of Chapter 158.]

➤ Next: The Island — Heartbreak