Although Eriri's demand didn't exactly cross the king's bottom line, it was enough to put him in a difficult position.
"T-this… the engagement involves both kingdoms. It's not something we can simply annul on our own…"
The king spoke cautiously, watching Eriri with trepidation, afraid that his words might provoke her.
"You don't need to worry about that either. Just inform the Ailode Kingdom of this decision. If they're unhappy about it, I don't mind erasing their country from existence."
Eriri's tone was firm and absolute, and her words—threatening to annihilate an entire nation over a disagreement—were no less terrifying than anything a Demon King might say.
Cold sweat began to bead on the king's forehead.
Meanwhile, Iris's eyes sparkled brightly as she gazed at Eriri with admiration, utterly captivated by her boldness.
"I understand. I'll personally explain the matter to the King of Ailode Kingdom."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the king realized he no longer had the courage to continue the conversation.
Sensing this, Eriri decided not to press the issue any further.
"Alright then, that's settled. You can go talk to someone else now."
With that, Eriri took Iris's hand and led her away from the king.
The king exhaled deeply in relief before walking toward Megumin, Ilina, and Lilian.
He had missed the chance earlier to speak with the three adventurers who had displayed such overwhelming power, and he wanted to make up for it now.
After all, among the entire hero party, the only one who truly intimidated him was Eriri. When dealing with the others, he could at least maintain his dignity as a king.
...
As time passed, the banquet gradually approached its conclusion.
By now, no one was eating from the buffet tables anymore. Instead, the nobles had cleared a large space in the hall to begin a formal dance.
Eriri and the others sat together, watching the nobles twirl gracefully across the dance floor.
At that moment, the prince of Belzerg Kingdom—Iris's older brother, Belzerg Stalish Sword Jatice—approached them with elegant steps, dressed in a pristine white suit.
"Brother, what brings you here?"
Iris tilted her head curiously, looking up at her brother.
"Iris, I've come to invite the brave hero to dance," Jatice replied with a gentle smile.
After answering his sister's question, Jatice turned his attention to Ilina, who was seated on Eriri's other side.
It was clear that he had come here with the intention of inviting Ilina to dance.
He hadn't set his sights on Eriri—not because he lacked interest, but because he knew better.
In truth, Eriri was the most captivating woman he had ever seen. To say he wasn't attracted to her would be a lie.
However, Jatice was well aware that someone of his standing could never hope to match a being like her.
So instead, he shifted his attention toward Ilina.
Of course, this decision was not entirely his own—it was also influenced by the king's suggestion. And personally, Jatice did hold genuine admiration for Ilina.
He had seen her strength firsthand on the battlefield—the brilliance of her light magic had left an unforgettable impression.
If possible, he wished to form a marital alliance with her, allowing the royal bloodline to evolve by merging with the power of a true hero.
After all, absorbing the blood of powerful heroes had always been part of royal tradition.
As Iris's older brother, Jatice possessed both exceptional looks and noble demeanor. Combined with his intelligence and gentle temperament, he was adored throughout Belzerg Kingdom—especially by its female citizens, many of whom regarded him as the nation's "ideal husband."
However, to Eriri and the others, this so-called perfect prince held absolutely no appeal. In fact, Eriri found him rather annoying, as he stood directly in her line of sight toward the dance floor.
Her smile faded, and her brow furrowed slightly.
Still, she didn't tell him to leave. She simply sat quietly, watching how things would unfold—because she already knew exactly how this would end.
"Miss Ilina," Jatice said with a courteous bow, "may I have the honor of a dance?"
Jatice approached Ilina, his left hand behind his back and his right hand extended politely, a refined smile on his face as he bowed slightly.
He had already exchanged brief pleasantries earlier with others aside from Eriri, so this wasn't their first time speaking.
However, just as Eriri expected, Ilina declined his invitation without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Ilina said apologetically.
Jatice's expression faltered with visible disappointment.
"I see… I understand. My apologies for disturbing you."
Without lingering or insisting, Jatice simply turned and left after offering a polite bow to the group.
His straightforward and graceful retreat actually improved Eriri's mood, and she no longer felt annoyed about him blocking her view of the stage.
However, after that brief interruption, Eriri suddenly found herself in the mood for a little dancing.
She turned to Iris, who was sitting affectionately close beside her, and smiled.
"Iris, would you like to dance with me?"
Iris's eyes immediately sparkled with delight as she eagerly nodded.
"Yes, yes, I'd love to!"
Without waiting another moment, Iris took Eriri's hand and stood up excitedly. Together, the two of them stepped into the dance floor.
As a princess, Iris had received formal training in ballroom etiquette and dancing, so she was quite familiar with it.
However, she had never actually danced with anyone at a banquet before—after all, she was only twelve and hadn't officially entered high society yet.
Thus, this became her very first dance—and the fact that it was with Eriri made her even more thrilled.
As the two began to dance, every eye in the ballroom turned toward them.
Though both dancers were girls, not a single person looked on with disdain or confusion.
Eriri's movements were elegant and mesmerizing—so graceful that words failed to describe the emotions they stirred in the crowd.
Even those who had been dancing stopped in place, completely captivated by her presence.
Before long, the entire dance floor was empty except for Eriri and Iris.
"So beautiful… I wish I could dance with Eriri-nee too," Lilian said wistfully, watching the pair spin across the floor.
Hearing that, Megumin puffed out her chest proudly and said with mock disdain, "Dancing? Hmph, what a boring activity. I'd rather fire off two rounds of Explosion Magic—now that's satisfying!"
Despite her words, her eyes remained fixed on Eriri and Iris, a faint glimmer of envy flickering within them.
"Lilian, if you really want to dance with Eriri, why don't you ask her later when they're done?" Eris suggested with a gentle smile.
Lilian's shoulders slumped. "But I don't know how to dance… If I'd known, I would've learned a bit beforehand."
Although Lilian was technically a princess too, her upbringing in a modern world had been very different—learning formal ballroom dance simply wasn't necessary there.
"Well, in that case, there's nothing to be done~" Eris said with a light shrug, her tone full of playful helplessness.
A few minutes later, Eriri and Iris finished their dance.
As their graceful movements came to a stop, the spectators—who had been lost in awe—suddenly snapped back to reality.
Then, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.
With that, the banquet had finally drawn to an end.
...
"Alert! Demon King's Army attack warning!"
"The Demon King's Army is gathering in large numbers on the plains near the royal capital! Multiple officers suspected to be present!"
"The Royal Knights, prepare for battle! All adventurers within the capital, mobilize immediately!"
"All high-level adventurers, assemble in front of the royal castle at once!"
A booming broadcast echoed throughout the capital at dawn.
At the same time, Eriri and Iris stirred awake in the same bed.
After last night's banquet, Eriri and her companions hadn't left the royal palace. Instead, they stayed overnight as honored guests.
Their rooms were located within Iris's private royal residence.
Because Iris had insisted on sleeping beside Eriri, Darkness didn't sneak into Eriri's room late at night as she usually did.
"Onee-sama, the Demon King's Army has appeared. Should we join the adventurers and fight alongside them?"
Iris looked up at Eriri, her face calm and untroubled.
In the past, she might have panicked upon hearing that several Demon King Army officers had appeared at once. But now, with Eriri and the others around, defeating them was only a matter of time.
Though she didn't yet know exactly how strong Eriri was, she had personally witnessed the overwhelming might of Megumin, Ilina, and Lilian.
Especially Ilina and Lilian—their power was such that even Demon King Army officers couldn't withstand a single strike from them.
"I was planning to attack the Demon King's Castle directly, but I didn't expect the Demon King's Army to regroup so quickly," Eriri said with a faint smile.
After the massacre on the frontlines yesterday, Eriri had assumed it would take the Demon King's Army a long time to recover the courage to advance on the capital again.
But only a single day later, they had already reassembled their forces and even dispatched the remaining officers—clearly preparing for an all-out confrontation.
Although the broadcast had reported that several suspected Demon King Army officers had appeared, Eriri knew that only three of them were actually present this time.
They were Hans, the Deadly Poison Slime; Wolbach, the Dark God of Violence and Sloth (in her human half form); and a masked clone of the Duke of Hell, Vanir.
The rest were deputy officers—less powerful than the true Demon King's lieutenants, but still among the strongest of all demonkind.
"Iris, let's head to the castle gates and join the adventurers. Once we've dealt with the Demon King's Army on the plains, we'll go straight to the Demon King's Castle afterward."
"Mhm!"
As Eriri and Iris got up and began to wash up, the others—Darkness and the rest—were also awakened by the broadcast.
Outside Iris's bedroom, a woman in a white uniform stood silently. A long sword hung at her waist, and her short golden hair framed a face of sharp beauty. A single strand by her left ear was braided into a thin plait about ten centimeters long.
Her name was Claire Symphonia—the eldest daughter of the Symphonia family, one of the great noble houses equal in status to the Dustiness family. She served as both Iris's tutor and her personal knight.
She was the very same retainer Iris had mentioned before—the one who always followed her everywhere.
Yesterday, Claire had not accompanied Iris because the princess was attending the royal banquet alongside the king and crown prince. But last night, when Eriri arrived at the castle, she finally met the knight who doted on Iris to the point of obsession.
When Claire saw how close Iris had become to Eriri, she had been deeply shaken.
Especially when she saw Iris clinging to Eriri's arm, pleading to sleep in the same bed—Claire had felt as if her entire world were collapsing.
Though Eriri was also a woman, Claire could tell at a glance that Iris had been completely stolen away by her.
Why else would the princess have locked her bedroom door from the inside that night?
Iris had never locked her door before—allowing Claire to sneak in nightly just to gaze at her sleeping face before returning to her own room. She was also the one who woke Iris every morning.
But today, for the first time, she had been left standing helplessly outside the locked door all night long.
Even so, Claire couldn't bring herself to feel any resentment toward Eriri, a being so far above her comprehension. Instead, she forced herself to ignore what had happened and pretend nothing was wrong.
Just then, the door that had been tightly shut finally opened. Eriri and Iris, freshly washed and dressed, stepped out together.
Seeing them, Claire immediately straightened her posture and hurried forward.
"Good morning, Lady Eriri, Princess Iris," Claire said respectfully, bowing deeply to both of them.
"Good morning, Claire. Have the others woken up yet?"
"My apologies, Princess Iris. I've been standing here all morning, so I'm not sure about Lady Ilina and the others," Claire replied politely.
Of course, she knew exactly who Iris meant—the companions who had arrived with Eriri.
However, there was something else that drew her attention far more.
"Princess… why are you wearing that outfit?"
—
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