After-Story Chapter 27: The Eighth Consort (Part 4)

And now, back to the present.

“Speaking of which, it seems Febral is getting married soon. An invitation arrived,” Juno said casually as we were taking in the laundry together.

“Heeeh~. Him, really?”

“Yeah. It’s a surprise, right?”

I muttered deeply, and Juno nodded, chuckling. Febral should be around the same age as me. After switching to become a monsterology scholar at the Royal Academy’s ‘Graduate Institute’ (if the ‘Academy’ Tomoe and the others attended was high school/university level, the ‘Institute’ would be graduate school), I had heard he was immersed in research, utilizing the fieldwork experience he gained as an adventurer.

Most monsterology researchers have no combat ability and only know monsters through reports or dead specimens. However, Febral, who had actually fought monsters as an adventurer and even battled new species in the Northern world, possessed ‘living knowledge’ that was invaluable to monsterology researchers. Many researchers wanted to hear his explanations, so despite entering the ‘Institute’ as a student, Febral was quickly moved to the teaching side.

Because he was blooming in a new place and absorbed in research, I thought he wouldn’t be interested in marriage.

Juno grinned. “Wait till you hear this. His partner is a noble young lady. Meaning he’s marrying into her family.”

“A young lady… does that mean she’s younger?”

“Yeah. And apparently, she was a student at the Institute.”

“Febral, you laid hands on a student?!”

In the adventurer party, he was seen as the lubricant among the members, a person of character. I can’t believe he would lay a hand on a student. As I stood dumbfounded, Juno waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, no, no. Rather, it seems she laid hands on him. Apparently, she was quite the aggressive young lady.”

“An unexpectedly predatory young lady?!”

“It seems she was aggressively approaching him while she was still a student, inviting him to her parents’ home to introduce him, steadily filling in the outer moat. He apparently complained to the married Dis over drinks, saying, ‘I’m happy about the affection itself, but she’s a student, and I don’t know what to do.'”

“That is… well, I can only offer my condolences.”

The women of this country are really good at laying the groundwork beforehand, filling in the outer moat, and steering things toward their ideal outcome. Several of my wives are like that, and I feel like I’ve seen similar situations with my retainers’ marriages here and there. Is it a national trait?

“But wait, her family is a noble family, right? Introducing a commoner… or rather, a teacher as a potential groom, didn’t her parents complain?”

“Apparently, it’s a family that’s tolerant of such things. I think the name was the [Redacted] family.”

“…Ah, that family. Then there’s no way they’d complain.”

I knew the family Juno mentioned well. The president of the Monster Research Society, which Ichika belonged to while at the Academy, also married into that family. Um, the name was… Sarah… I think. It seems the young lady of that family set her sights on the president while still at the Academy and aggressively pursued him. It’s the same as Febral’s case.

That family has many ambitious members by blood. However, their ambition isn’t about plotting rebellion, but about maintaining their family in a better form and, if possible, developing it further, so they pose no harm to the country, and I rate them highly. That family doesn’t hesitate to bring talented or rare individuals into their clan, so Febral was likely spotted and welcomed in.

“Still, to think that Febral would join the ranks of the nobility.” Juno laughed merrily.

“You could become royalty if you wanted to, Juno.”

“Like I said, that’s not my style. My current position is just right for me.”

“…Well, thanks to that, I can get away from my home-slash-workplace.”

At the Royal Castle, there are always the eyes of retainers and castle staff, blurring the line between work and private life. Even now, there should be guards watching from a distance, so I’m not completely free, but a place like this that feels like a normal home is an oasis for my heart. While we were talking about this, we finished taking in the laundry, so I heaved up the laundry basket.

As we walked toward the house, Juno started, “By the way…”

“Speaking of marriage, it was hilarious when we told everyone we were getting married.”

“…Ah, that day. It was quite a commotion, wasn’t it?”

At Juno’s words, I recalled that day.

Some time after the long-awaited late-night tea party. Juno called Dis, Julia, Augus, and Febral to the tavern attached to the Adventurers Guild, where Dis had revealed his marriage to Julia. They probably assumed Juno had decided what to do after the party disbanded. The companions gathered with that thought in mind, but they felt something was off when they arrived at the tavern.

Usually crowded with people, some drinking from midday, this lively tavern was strangely quiet. Wondering why, Dis and the others entered and saw Juno sitting at a large table. And next to her was a squat, plump mass.

“Hm? Isn’t that Musashi Boy’s Master?”

“Was Lord Musashi Boy called by Juno-san as well?”

When Augus and Febral called out, Musashi Boy-kun pulled out a flip-board from the wicker basket on his back that read ‘Hello.’ His method of conversation was completely like the panda from Ranma 1/2. He was a strange character as always, but Dis and the others were used to it, so they ignored it. Juno then addressed the four of them.

“Everyone’s here. Um… well, please take a seat.”

Dis and the others sat at the same table as Juno instructed.

“So, what’s the story?”

“Juno, have you decided what to do after the party disbands~?”

When Dis and Julia asked, Juno cleared her throat. “Yeah. Well, something like that.”

“I see… And? What did you decide?”

“Before that, there’s something I want you to hear.”

Juno didn’t answer Dis’s question immediately but stood up. She placed her hand on Musashi Boy-kun’s head, who was sitting next to her. “Err… Ahem. Thank you for gathering today. Actually…”

“W-What is it? Why so formal all of a sudden?”

“Shut up, Augus. Listen quietly.”

Scolding Augus for interrupting, Juno continued. “Err, I, Juno Minazuki, have decided to marry this gentleman here. I wanted to report that to you today.”

‘…’ (Bow)

Musashi Boy-kun also stood up and bowed along with Juno. Seeing this, the four of them…

“…” “…” “…” “…”

They were speechless. Juno’s sudden marriage announcement. And the partner was a mascot costume. Dis, Augus, and Febral were left with their mouths hanging open. Incidentally, Julia, who recovered the fastest and marched to the beat of her own drum, let out a voice mixed with surprise and excitement, “Oh my, oh my.”

All four of them had seen Juno struggling with her life path after the party disbandment. So they had discussed giving her their utmost blessing regardless of what choice she made. However, suddenly bringing a marriage partner, and a costumed mascot at that (even if known to them), was understandably shocking.

“Wait, wait. Did you say gentleman? Is the person inside the mascot a man?!” Dis asked.

Juno tilted her head, “Hm?”

“Of course, right? If I’m getting married, I’d prefer a man.”

“No, no, no! Eh, so Juno knows who’s inside the costume?!”

“Huh? …Ah, right. Dis and the others don’t know the Master’s true identity, do you?”

“We don’t!” “We don’t know!” “Don’t know~” “We do not know…”

Being told so emphatically by the four, Juno recoiled slightly. Come to think of it, while requests were issued from the Royal Castle to Dis’s party many times, Musashi Boy-kun, who brought the requests, was just a messenger, and Dis and the others didn’t recognize him as the client. The only one in the party who knew that fact was Juno, who even had tea parties with him.

As Juno scratched her cheek awkwardly, saying, “I-Is that so?”, Musashi Boy-kun patted Juno’s back and shook his head as if to say, Good grief. And then…

“I never thought even my gender hadn’t been conveyed.”

“?!“

A male voice suddenly rang out. It clearly came from Musashi Boy-kun. Musashi Boy-kun straightened his back, and the dome-shaped head part opened up like a rice cooker lid. From inside emerged a man in his late twenties. A black-haired man with no particularly distinguishing features. Yet, Dis and the others recognized that face.

Juno pouted slightly and nudged the man lightly with her elbow. “I never had the chance to say it. Requests related to the Royal Castle have too many confidentiality obligations.”

“…Well, I understand that. But have some sympathy for me showing my face in this atmosphere.”

“Hmph.”

Juno looked away. The man smiled wryly at her behavior, then extended his right hand toward Dis.

“Sorry to reveal my identity like this. Nice to meet you… well, it’s not the first time, is it? At the party held at the Royal Castle after the war with Amidonia… no, I was inside the costume then. Ah, when the refugee camp was attacked by thugs. You must have seen my face directly then. But well, this is the first time we’re talking directly like this.”

“Eh, ah… eh?”

Dis was still confused, but he extended his right hand to grasp the offered hand. As they shook hands, the man introduced himself.

“I am the person inside Musashi Boy-kun, Souma E. Friedonia. My profession is King.”

“Huh… Huh?! His Majesty Souma?!”

Finally understanding why the face was familiar, Dis let out a wild voice again. Beside Souma, who scratched his cheek a little shyly, Juno was grinning like a child whose prank had succeeded.