--Second floor, Great Hall, King's Castle.

　Gorgeous is just what it says.
　The hanging chandeliers spread out like old-fashioned dresses, illuminating the bustling night with their whole body.

　A dazzling light that is neither as gentle as daylight nor as guiding as the first star.

　Underneath it, there was food as opulent as the glittering radiance, and costumes and decorations that shimmered and reflected the light.

　The hustle and bustle.

　This was also different from the clamor of the main street, where people were trying to make a living, or the cheers of the arena, where words spread like ripples.

　In the near bustle of the cafeteria, however, I could feel the spirit of people trying to be elegant and noble, different from the drinking and noise of the masses.

　As far as the eye could see, everyone was doing their best to present themselves as best they could.
　If there was a "manager" here with a twisted personality, he would have left a comment on each self-production.

　There was one man who was about to be snickered at and branded a zero by her.

I don't fit in. ......

　The clothes he wears on a regular basis are also of the high quality prepared by the royal castle. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　It's also a good idea to wear a dress that is appropriate for the occasion, but it's so ill-fitting that it's almost laughable.

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the marketplace.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's okay, Futa. As long as you are dressed correctly, there is no need to try to accommodate her. Just like in the arena, you should behave with dignity.
All right, sir.

　But...
　The young man, Futa, is completely away from home.
　It's not that he's an enemy, but being alone among people who live in a world far removed from his own is a situation that wears on the soul even more than when he was being scolded by the guests at the Colosseum.

　Especially when you consider that the girl next door's name will be damaged if you make a bad move.

　The girl pinched him by the hem and stopped him from taking a step forward, as if he had misunderstood the word "dignified".

What's with the way you walk, like someone who's eaten too much?
I'm just trying to be as dignified as I can.
"You are .......

　Lilac shakes her head, "Good grief.
　If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask for help from a professional.
　The princess's visit, which had been unannounced.
　There was no warning of her arrival, and those who happened to be there rushed to meet her.

"Well, well, Your Highness, how do you do?
"You look as beautiful as ever. Good day.
I have something for you over there, if you'd like to join us.

　They're everywhere.
　Where was the elegant atmosphere before? Lilac smiled at the crowd of people who had gathered in a hurry, and told them.

Thank you, sir. But I'm with my guest.

　Then she finally noticed the shadowy man standing next to her.
　This time, he lured Futa into a flurry of advances.
　It was obvious that he was trying to fill in the princess's outer moat, and even Futa understood that.

　The first thing you should do is to look at your eyes.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
　It's a good thing that it's a familiar sight to you, because the way they responded to Lilac was just like the fans who latched onto a fighter.

　No matter how the place changes, no matter how the people change.
　Surprisingly, the essence of the world does not change.

　If there is someone who excels in something, people will gather around him.

　That's all there is to it, after all.

　But.

　I would later learn that Futa was no exception to this rule.

"Well, well, well, champion!　Congratulations.
"Sorry I didn't notice. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you.
How about a little chat afterwards?

　Hooter wondered what he should do now that he was involved in the same way.
　If Lilac is right and all you have to do is stand your ground.
　If you're fine with the same approach as in the arena, just say no.

　If Lilac says it's okay, there's no reason to pander to her.

　Just when I was about to say sorry, she said.

I was about to say no, when I heard a voice say, "Oh, no. It's not very gentlemanly of you to stand and talk with His Highness at the entrance to the hall. ......

　Futa looked up at the unfamiliar voice.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　At the end of the space, there was a beautiful woman of about thirty. There was a handsome man of about thirty standing there, still young and beautiful.

"Oh, Mister Hura.
"I beg your pardon. I'm sorry.

　He smiled at them and indicated the center of the hall with his hand as if to invite Huta and Lilac in.

　Lilac smiled gently at the bespectacled man, who seemed to be in a relaxed mood.

'Thank you, Hura.
"No, of course not. Of course. Please come this way. ...... Huta-dono too.
"...... Oh.



　I nodded and followed him.
　He had well-groomed brown hair and the finest clothes of all the nobles.
　I'm sure you'll be able to understand what I mean.

"Oh, I see.

　At that moment.
　It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal life.

"...... what?
No, nothing. No, nothing. I just wish ...... you wouldn't stare at me with those eyes so much.

　This is a great way to get the most out of your business.

I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　The man who called Hura also shook his head, as if he had forgotten.

"Well, I'm sorry. I was watching your game. It's not like we've ever exchanged ...... words, but the more times I've seen you, the more I've felt like I knew you.
No problem.
Thanks.

　I tried to remain calm and composed.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm going to try.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

　I'm sure Lilac is better at mimicry than I am, but apparently she's not one to fight on that field either.

"This is Hura Wolcott. He is Hura Wolcott, the first of the court mages, and the one I asked to help me build the arena.
Thank you for your time.

　I'm not sure if it's the same as Huta's hand, but it's a lot better.
　It's not as good as Fouta's hand, but it's still a firm hand that shows some study.
　There was no reason to refuse, and it was in front of Lilac.
　When I shook his hand, Hura raised the corner of her mouth in happiness.

I'm going to shake Huta's hand--my men will envy me.
So ...... is it?
"Oh. I wish you had more confidence in yourself. You should be more confident. You're the first champion to be born in King's Landing.
"...... Oh.

　Chief Court Mage.
　I'm not sure what the job is exactly, but I'm not sure what it is.
　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

　The fact that Lilac was smiling without saying a word indicated that she had no problem going ahead with the conversation.

　Looking straight at him, Futa says, "It's Futa.

"This is Futa.

　Now that I've shaken his hand, I'll introduce myself.
　But for a moment, I'm not sure what to say.
　With just a few words, he can tell that you are not confident.
　Deciding that it was not a good idea to talk too much about himself, Futa suddenly remembered.

　When I built the arena, I enlisted the help of a court mage.
　The staging was also done by the court mage.
　They also created the sound-diffusing grimoire.


　If they were working with Lilac on that project, they are not our enemies.
　He opened his mouth to give his honest opinion.

"...... was a good arena," he said.

　He said.

　And then.

"Oh!

　His handshake tightened.

"Which part, exactly?

　The man in front of me, the one the ladies had been eyeing from afar.
　The man in front of him, who looked both mature and young, approached Futa.

　Specifically.

　Futa was not flattered by this.
　However, if you ask him to be specific, he can't tell you what he said in a flowing sentence.

"The direction was good.
"Hmm.
"The grimoire was useful.
"Hmm. ......

　Futa's narrative is simple and straightforward.
　However, Hura's spirits were somewhat diminished with every line of praise.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in the future.
　But the moment he said his next words.

"And the view was nice.
"Of course it was!
What?

　You can feel the power coming from his hands.
　It's not the kind of heat that makes you want to crush someone or show off.

I know, I know!　How did you like the angle ...... from which the audience looked down on the field?
"Oh, it was very easy to see. Yeah, it's easy to see, but what can I say?
What do you mean?
The fencer was the star of the show.


That's right!

　I'm in a visibly good mood.

"The arena is a place to show people off. "The arena is a place to show people off, so it should be sculpted with care, but not get in the way of the main actors. That's the way a stage should be, isn't it?
"Oh, yeah. But there it is.
Yeah?
It was nice not to have too much sunlight in the audience.
You're right, you're right!

　More power to him.
　It was so strong that if it hadn't been for Futa, he might have been grabbed.

It was the result of calculating the angle at which the sunlight would enter and adjusting the shelter!　I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who don't realize how cool that is. ......!　How dare you!
How dare you!" "Because the ...... Colosseum had a hard time with it.
So the Spectacle has surpassed the Colosseum!
Oh, yeah. ...... Yeah, maybe.

　It's not that I'm attached to the Colosseum.
　It's not that I don't have feelings for Colosseum. Even Futa prefers Spectacula in his heart. That's true.
　But somehow, the transformation of the man in front of me is not so welcoming.

Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?　The praise is endless.
Oh, that voice magic.
I don't care about magic.
You're a court mage, aren't you, ......?
The power of witchcraft is only power. The power of magic is the power of man. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
I'm sure you'll agree.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web and also the internet.

　--Apparently, dealing with Hura wasn't a bad thing in itself...

　But the arena. The arena.
　It's not that I don't want to please him.
　I'm grateful for the arena spectacle.
　Futa suddenly recalled a memory and realized.

"Speaking of which...
"What do you mean?
After the game, in the empty arena, ...... the setting sun was shining, it was beautiful.

　Pasta, twice.
　"It was beautiful to see the sunset in the empty arena after the match.
　There was an indescribable feeling of loneliness and a strange sense of accomplishment after the festival.
　That atmosphere, with a hint of the heat of the audience, was something that the Colosseum had never had.

　His hand slipped out of Futa's hand as he muttered to himself.

　Just as he tilted his head to see if he liked it.

　The moment he tilted his head to see if he liked it, his shoulders were grabbed.

"Hyu-ra-san?

　In front of Futa - a big man, a brilliant man who is admired by all around as the first court mage and seems to hold a part of the power in this place - wept and shook his head loosely. "You're amazing.

"You're ...... amazing.
"Ha, ha.
"I wonder how many people noticed that.
I wonder how many people noticed it because they were sent home?
No, that's not true!

　Hura's passionate speech never stopped.

"I, Mister Futa. When I heard of the arena, I dreamed of its heat, its excitement. I looked at the spectacle that was being designed and thought. The heat of battle in this place will be great.
"Oh, yeah.
Do you like the opera?
Suddenly?　No, not really.
Oh, no. I used to love to sit alone in the audience, soaking up the afterglow of a play, watching it go by.
...... Oh, I see. And that's what led to this.
This is what it's all about, Futa-dono!　I'm not sure how to express the lingering heat inside ......, but I've arrived at Shayo. Sunset is good. It's a great way to let everyone know that the day is over. That's why!　I've been working on the design of the arena since the beginning, and I've been trying to make it look like the sunset was the end of the day, the last vestige of the arena.
"You went that far?

　But, Hura shook her head.

　The surrounding nobles may or may not have heard the conversation between Huta and Hura. I'm not sure if the nobles around them heard the conversation between Huta and Hura or not, but they just glanced at us, and no one seemed to want to talk to them.

No one wanted to stay after the game. No one noticed the spectacle. ...... It's really ...... sad.


Yeah.
But then you realized... You understood the beauty of the arena spectacle. I couldn't be happier. ...... Oh.

　A hand slips from Futa's shoulder.

　He shakes his head loosely and brushes back his bangs.
　He says briskly.

"It's good to see you. --I can't even talk to you anymore. Let's just go home for the day.
"Yeah, ......?
"I hope we can talk again soon.

　He turned his back to me, his mouth turned up at the corners.
　He really left the room.

What was ...... really going on?
That's who Hura is.
"Master Lilac, ...... you could have explained a little more ......
"Hmm, sorry.

　But," she continued.

I'm sorry," she continued, "but the fact that he was able to redesign the arena all by himself, and use his magical powers to create such an impressive structure, shows that he is a real talent. There are many mages who are fascinated by him.
"...... I see. That's true.

　That's true, if you ask me.
　You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this.
　The idea came from the opera, so it seems that you are not that interested in the Colosseum either.

　That's why he made that thing.

"...... Mr. Lilac. Is he on our side?

　So I asked.
　Remembering Lilac's words about social circles being full of enemies.

　Lilac shook her head quietly and Futa patted her on the chest.
　Whatever his personality, he was a very skilled man. It is troublesome to be an enemy, including the leadership of the court mage.

　But the relief was short-lived.
　Lilac narrowed her eyes and looked towards the exit of the hall.

"Right now, this is probably the person we should be most worried about.

　Lilac muttered to herself, despite the fact that they were working hand in hand.