When Doem steps into the special seats room, a person in a gray robe turns around and looks at him.
The physique tells Doem that the person is female, despite her face being hidden under her hood. After looking at Doem, she then turns her head to look at the Orianan king standing beside Doem.
Then a word.
"Smelly."
"Oi woman, that"s disrespectful."
"Sorry."
Doem suppresses his shaken heart by glaring at the woman in the gray robe.
In order to turn the Orianan king into a puppet, Doem had used a plant that causes strong dependency. The effectiveness of the plant is beyond reproach, but it does have the flaw of causing addicts to emit a unique sweet smell.
But he is having the king hide that smell with perfume. No normal person should be able to notice it.
"Doem-dono, this person is G.o.ddess of War Beatrix-sama."
"Well, I"ll be……"
G.o.ddess of War Beatrix. He"s heard the news of her being in the royal capital, but to think that she"s here in the fles.h.!.+
She does not at all look like a master of the sword worthy of the nickname "G.o.ddess of War."
She is wearing a faded gray robe, and is not mannered. After offering a single word of apology, she"s already turned back to watching the fight.
She doesn"t look strong, but…… if her true strength is as the rumors say, then there is the the possibility that it is Doem himself who is unable to see it. In consideration of the fact that Princess Iris herself has acknowledged this person, then he should a.s.sume her to be the real one indeed.
He"s heard that G.o.ddess of War Beatrix"s face bears great resemblance to that of the hero Olivie. If only he can see the face under that hood……
"I beg your pardon, it was I who was disrespectful."
With both Beatrix"s and Doem"s apology, the matter is settled. Beatrix"s comment is treated as if it was directed towards Doem.
Doem also does not want to draw any attention to the smell.
But still, what luck for Beatrix to appear at the Festival of the G.o.d of War.
Today, of all days……
Doem softly clicks his tongue.
"King of Midgar, I delight to find you well today again."
"Umu."
Changing gears, Doem turns to greet the Midgarian king, who is seated on a throne placed in the middle of the room.
After exchanging the standard greetings, the king of Oriana sits next to the king of Midgar. Then Doem sits on the other side of the king of Oriana.
The Orianan king is capable of standard responses, but anything beyond that is doubtful. That"s where Doem comes in, to guide the conversation and follow up where necessary.
Well, everything so far is still according to his plan.
Doem"s top priority at the moment is the capture of Rose.
The last time they met, she had already begun manifesting symptoms. Her blood would be of extremely high value to the Order.
For the sake of that, Doem has baited her with the threat of making the Orianan king a.s.sa.s.sinate the Midgarian king should she fail to show up at the Festival of the G.o.d of War.
Naturally, it was just a threat, but Doem is not averse to actually carrying it out.
If the Midgarian king is killed, war would break out, and Oriana Kingdom would be destroyed. However, preparations are already underway to turn the heir of the Midgarian throne into a puppet. If all goes well, the Order has the greatest benefit to reap. There is indeed the risk of failure, but the possible reward is so valuable as to merit the carrying out of this plot.
If he is to raise an unknown variable, it would be Iris. She has displayed signs of suspicion towards the unresponsive Orianan king. The possibility of her interfering cannot be dismissed.
But by initiating the a.s.sa.s.sination in the middle of her match, he can eliminate her from the equation. As such, all is still well.
However, now Beatrix is also present. To eliminate her would be difficult, and her strength is also above that of Iris". If she moves in obstruction, she would pose an even bigger problem than Iris.
Furthermore, the aim of the mysterious Jimina is also yet undetermined. He is undoubtedly a resident of the Hidden World. For sure he is moving with some aim in mind, but a background check on him revealed nothing whatsoever. This is the work of a pro. He merits the greatest amount of caution.
Doem heaves a huge sigh.
Though everything is going according to plan, there are too many unknown variables all around. The situation is not one where he can relax in at all.
But in spite of all this, as long as Rose show up in the venue, then all would be resolved. Her appearance would null the need for him to take any risks.
And show up she will, without fail. She is not someone who can abandon her father and country. That is how Doem read her.
It"s true that there are many unknown variables, but they do not matter. Everything should go well.
So Doem tells himself while watching the fight.
Then with the pa.s.sage of time, the fight ends with Claire Kagenou"s certain victory.
"Hou……"
Though she is not a partic.i.p.ant who he had been particularly paying attention to, her strength is unexpected. She possesses high magic, but is not being thrown around by the magic.
She is already quite strong, but clearly possesses the talent to become even stronger.
"Claire-san…… so she has gotten stronger once again."
After ascertaining Claire"s victory, Iris stands up.
"My match is coming up, so pardon me."
Everyone showers Iris with words of encouragement, at which point the black-haired teenager sitting next to her also stands up.
"Gonna hit the toilet."
Every single person is thinking "we didn"t need to know that, just go already." With the sole exception of Beatrix, whose eyes are following his exit.
He is called Sid, and is a run-of-the-mill teenage boy. For some reason, he is sitting next to Princess Iris, but otherwise there is absolutely nothing else noteworthy about him. Doem forgets about him almost immediately, then directs his attention towards the coming match.
This match between Iris and Jimina also holds great meaning for Doem.
Firstly, it might give him clues as to the aim of Jimina, a resident of the Hidden World. Furthermore, this is the opportunity when Iris is absent from the room.
The two leave the room, and after a while…… Iris and Jimina step into the fighting arena.