Chapter 448: The Saint’s Ceremony

The commotion over the disappearance of the “Saint” quickly calmed down with the explanation that she had been inside the royal palace all along.

The following day, a ”character appraisal” was carried out at the royal palace by the Prime Minister, who was well-known even in neighboring countries, and Matilda was successfully certified as a “Saint.”

“Now that we have the endorsement of His Excellency Prime Minister Bariella, we must invite her to our country and have her ‘bless’ His Majesty in front of our citizens.”

“Your country has been stable for the past few years, so can’t you put this off? It has only been two years since His Majesty was crowned in our country. We need the ‘Saint’ to ‘bless’ us and enhance our standing to ensure domestic stability, so you’ll need to yield on that point.”

“You all are still  in a better position than us. My country has suffered poor harvests for the past few years, and our people are suffering. We need the ‘Saint’ to come to our nation as soon as possible, to visit various places and ‘bless’ the land!”

Each ambassador had their own interests regarding the “Saint.”

They were eager to negotiate with the ambassador from the Kingdom of Luwan, which holds the “Saint,” to prioritize their own nations.

Meanwhile, this country, the Kingdom of Sart, has secured an agreement for the Saint to travel around the country to perform “blessings,” conditioned on Prime Minister Bariella’s “assessment.”

The young elite from the Kingdom of Sart, who would accompany the “Saint” on her journey, were a group comprising talented individuals around the same age as her. However, since Tauro and the others were only to be in the capital during this time, they should not have too much relevance.

The day after the Prime Minister’s “Character Appraisal,” a ceremony was held to introduce the young elite who would accompany the “Saint” as she toured various regions.

Of course, in attendance were also Tauro, Haku, Aeris, and Zion, as recommended by Prince Fleue.

Among them were not only the sons of great nobles within the country, but also those of commoner origin who had recently been adopted into the nobility whose skills warranted noble status, and brilliant second sons of nobility who had achieved top grades at the country’s best school and was guaranteed futures as high-level bureaucrats upon graduating from the country’s top academy.

This is truly a gathering of elites who would carry the future of the nation.

Indeed, as Prince Fleue said, this is the perfect opportunity for networking.

　Tauro agreed.

Tauro was pleased to see Haku, the heir of the Graundewald family, included in the mix.

“So, I just need to support Haku-kun, Tauro’s younger brother, right?”

Having received a brief explanation from Tauro, Aeris understood the situation.

“Nice to meet you! I-it’s nice to meet you!”

Haku nervously greeted Airis, who looked beautiful in her lovely dress.

“Brother, is this really your girlfriend…?”

Haku whispered to Tauro in a small voice.

“Ha ha ha…I don’t know about that? Aeris is a dear companion, though.” 

Tauro was surprised but answered and gave a wry smile, it was the first time someone asked him that.

“Tauro-sama, am I out of place here?” 

Zion asked  me with an anxious look on her face.

　Zion has a rare appearance, being part beast, part human.

　Since it was a ceremony, she wasn’t wearing her usual hoodie, but a dress prepared for her by the Graundewald family, but her cat ears and tail certainly stood out on her human form.

“zion, you’re adorable, so have some confidence. It’s true that your appearance is rare, and you might draw odd looks, but it’s also what makes you captivating!” 

Aeris encouraged Zion as she held her hand.

“Aeris-san… Yes! I will try not to be embarrassed!” 

Zion declared, holding onto Aeris’s hand with determination.

“You two are so cute. Won’t you come with us? We’re just about to go greet the ‘Saint.’” 

A boy who appeared to be a high-ranking noble, adorned with expensive rings and necklaces, approached them. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and he was flanked by several peers of the same age.

　Judging from his age, he seems to be around 15 years old, a little taller than Tauro, who is still growing.

“And who might you be?” 

Tauro stepped forward to reply, positioning himself between the boy and Aeris.

“Hey, no one was talking to you. This gentleman is Lord Suguro, grandson of Marquis Haragura! He has business with those two ladies, so step aside!” 

　A boy wearing glasses who was following closely behind the boy called Suguro stepped forward and lightly jab Tauro on the shoulder.

　Even though he tried to jab him, Tauro quickly dodged his hand, so the boy with glasses’ hand cut straight through the air.

“It’s fine, Tauro. I wonder what business this young master Suguro has with me, the daughter of Marquis Vandyne?”

“Marquis Van Dyne’s daughter!? So that means you’re Miss Aeris…?” 

“Yes, that’s me. I see you know my name. —(to the bespectacled boy) The person whose shoulder you tried to nudge is the eldest son of Count Graundewald. If I remember correctly, your parents are from the viscount household, right? You should refrain from such rude behavior.” 

Without flinching at the name of Marquis Haragura, Aeris confronted the bespectacled boy and issued a warning.

After all, the Vandyne family was the largest neutral faction among the domestic political groups.

Marquis Haragura was afraid that he would make an enemy out of him and that he would become friendly with the Prime Minister’s faction, so he tried many times to approach him and win him over to his side.

“Oh, this my companion was being disrespectful. I apologise as a member of the Marquis Haragoura household. So you are the daughter of Marquis Vandyne? I had heard rumors that you were beautiful, but seeing you in person you are even more beautiful than they say. How about we have dinner together sometime?”

Suguro, clearly smitten with Aeris’s beauty, humbly apologized and then invited her on a date.

“lord Suguro. —Today’s ceremony is for the ‘Saint.’ You ought to invite her instead.” 

Aeris gently declined Suguro’s invitation.

“Y-yeah, that makes sense. I was just about to go greet the ‘Saint,’ I won’t impose any longer…” 

Suguro, overwhelmed by Aeris’s demeanor, left with his entourage.

“That one definitely slipped in through connections, not talent.” 

Aeris offered a harsh evaluation.

“Ha ha… But some of the followers behind him seemed to have a certain presence, they just chose the wrong person to align with.” 

Tauro regretfully watched Suguro and his group leave.

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