Do you mind talking about each of them in detail?"
"Understood. But it'll be a little long. Is that okay?"
"That's fine, as there's not a single person who isn't important."
With that said, somehow the mood became more relaxed.
Ariel smiles, while Luke looks somewhat surprised.
Sylphy glows with a sense of pride.
Only Nanahoshi looks somewhat peeved.
"Well then.."
Ariel, slowly but surely, talks about those thirteen.
Their origins, where they grew up, the circumstances of how Ariel met them.
Their personalities, their likes, their dislikes.
What they took pride in.
The way they talk, what made them smile, what made them angry, what made them cry.
Who got along with who, who liked who, who hated who.
And how they met their ends.
Each of their lives worthy of a drama.
Ariel's narration alone was more than sufficient to convey their persons.
Luke and Sylphy chip in here and there.
Certainly, those thirteen live on within these three.
Of course, if the other two came, Ariel's other followers, they would know as well...
Sylphy in my future diary, because of my incompetence, left with Ariel.
But maybe she would follow Ariel regardless?
Thinking that, I realized how strong their bond is.
But now is not the time to be jealous.
They died for her sake.
They died to protect her.
That burden I can sympathize with.
Sylphy knows the weight she carries.
"That's about it."
"I see..."
But, unfortunately, I wasn't able to discern the most important factor of a king from those thirteen's stories.
Maybe their bond in and of itself is proof of a king?
Say, The Round Table in King Arthur has thirteen seats.
Well, if you include those who survived, the numbers don't fit.
"Rudeus-sama, did you figure out something?"
"Well... Sorry."
"Is that so..."
Ariel sighs in response.
Right away Sylvaril pours her another cup of tea.
I too drank a cup during the conversation. It had a deep aroma and a bitter-sweet taste, resembling coffee.
By the way, Nanahoshi excused herself for the toilet and ran away.
Maybe talking about the dead was too much for her.
"What should we talk about next?"
"Well..."
I want to hear about Derrick Redbat.
Very much.
But that name never popped up, so I couldn't.
Maybe I should just drop the name and pretend that Sylphy mentioned him before?
I can just suck it up.
During my hesitation, Ariel suddenly put a hand on her chin.
"Ah, it's unrelated, but, I just remembered something."
"... Oh?"
"Luke, do you remember? Back when I was 10, in the palace gardens, I'd always have tea on days like this."
Sylphy looks doubtful, but Luke narrows his eyes from nostalgia.
"Ah, that's right. Not every day, but once every three days or so?"
"That's right, back then, I was always rushed to this lesson or that. So during lunch breaks, I liked to have tea by the garden under the sun. It became a habit. Just me, Luke, and Derrick..."
I can't let that keyword pass.
"Derrick? Who is that?"
"Ah yes, my guardian magician before Sylphy, from the Redbat house. An excellent magician, but he died protecting me during the Metastasis Event."
"Ah... Can you tell me about him in detail?"
Finally, this Derrick person appears.
So he died during the Metastasis Event.
Was he involved with the Fedoa Region?
Maybe I can find the clue through his story.
"..."
But Ariel remains silent, looking shocked.
"Something wrong?"
"... No, now I think about it, it was Derrick's death that caused me to want to be king."
Ariel seems to realize something, placing a hand by her mouth.
"Then, can you discuss that in details?"
"Details, but it was almost 10 years ago. I might have forgotten a lot about Derrick..."
"Please try."
Ariel chugs down her tea, holds down her chin, closes her eyes.
Searching her memories.
Staying like that for some time, suddenly Ariel reopened her eyes.
"Derrick Redbat was my Guardian Magician. He would always lecture me on the path to kingship."
"Yes."
"Back then, I didn't care about fighting against my brothers for the throne, and to be honest, I hated Derrick's lectures."
"So you didn't want to be king then."
"Yes. Back then, I would rather have tea like right now, and scheming with Luke on how to bed the palace girls. That was enough."
"Huh?"
10 years ago, wasn't Ariel-sama only 10 then?
Luke too?
Are all Asura Kingdom nobles this... advanced?
Well, that's fine. To each their own.
"Right. There were others that offered plans to make me king, but they were all pushing me for their own interests."
Yeah, I had friends like that too.