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The FiancĂ©es’ Guarding Techniques
From the end of 1,546th year to the start of the 1,547th year, Continental Calendar
Around this time, the provisional King of Friedonia, Souma Kazuya, was receiving invitations from the kingdom’s nobles to attend banquets and other social functions on an almost nightly basis.
It had been decided that Souma’s coronation and his wedding to Liscia and the others would happen towards the end of the 1,547th year, so the nobles were desperate to slip in women from their houses and have them become Souma’s fiancĂ©es, too.
He could turn down the requests from minor houses, but with major houses, he couldn’t ignore them because it risked having an effect on the kingdom’s politics. Souma had to at least attend those events, while gently letting down the nobles who were trying sell him on their daughters.
While doing so, it was important that he have a partner. If one of his fiancées was always at his side, it made it harder for the nobles to recommend their own daughters to him. His three official fiancées, Liscia, Aisha, and Roroa, as well as his as-yet-unannounced fiancée, Juna, each took turns at his side.
“Souma is the king, so we just have to accept that he’s going to need to take other wives for political reasons, both domestic and foreign,” Liscia advised his other three fiancĂ©es. “Still, we can’t let a woman with ulterior motives become a queen. We need to guard Souma properly and keep those with a lust for power from gaining a marital connection to the royal house.”
Aisha, Juna, and Roroa nodded.
On this day, Liscia was attending a social function as Souma’s partner.
While there were many women in showy dresses, for some reason Liscia was alone in wearing her uniform.
“...Why are you in uniform, Liscia?” Souma asked.
“It’ll be easier to move around in if anything happens, don’t you think? Besides, my uniform was designed just for me. I can wear it to any party without feeling embarrassed about it.”
“Hm... It’s like a convenient student uniform that you can wear to weddings and funerals, huh?”
“Well, yes, but... don’t you have anything else to say about it?” Liscia puffed up her cheeks a little, which made Souma smile wryly.
“You’re always telling me to act more like a king, but you don’t act much like a princess yourself, you know. I don’t remember ever seeing you in a dress.”
“Urgh, well, that’s because I don’t really like them...”
“I’d like to see you all dressed up, though.”
“...I’ll think about it.”
The two of them were chatting pleasantly. Meanwhile, the women who had come to this social function hoping to marry into wealth watched from a distance, biting their handkerchiefs in frustration.
What’s with that vibe?! It makes me hesitant to talk to him! they all thought.
Liscia’s Guarding Technique: Unconsciously creating an atmosphere that no one else could intrude upon.
On this day, Roroa was attending an influential noble’s birthday party as Souma’s partner.
Even though it was a birthday party, almost all of the nobility held these in banquet format, so about the only difference was that the participants needed to give presents to the house celebrating a birthday.
Incidentally, in Souma’s case, his attending the event already counted as a present, and so he did not have to offer any further gift. In exchange, he had to talk with the noble the party was for. It was an opportunity for the nobles who wanted to send their daughters to be his queens.
However, the little tanuki of Amidonia was having none of that.
Roroa stood in the middle of the hall, spread her arms wide, and raised her voice. “Now then, ladies and gentlemen, I was feelin’ bad about comin’ to this here party without any gift to bring. That bein’ the case, here’s a little surprise darlin’ prepared for all of ya.”
“Hahh!” A person suddenly dropped from the ceiling. He was a muscular man wearing a silver mask and a red scarf. It was the hero who was the talk of the kingdom, Overman Silvan. “Charge! Silvan!”
“There ya have it,” Roroa said with satisfaction. “We brought the super popular Overman Silvan with us.”
The nobles cheered. Silvan was popular with adults, too, and they all tripped over themselves rushing over for the chance to shake his hand. Even the host of the party himself forgot what he was doing and joined them.
As he watched them, standing arm in arm with Roroa, Souma’s shoulders slumped. “Is this country... going to be okay?”
“Mwahaha, this’s great fun,” she cackled.
Roroa’s Guarding Technique: Her frightening ability to set things up in advance.
On this day, Juna was attending a masquerade ball as Souma’s partner.
It was a noble banquet, but the host for this one had had something very specific in mind. He’d had the participants all wear masks and participate in a dance party. The plan was to encourage people to get to know one another better without worrying about the size of their houses or the existence of a spouse or betrothed, but most of the women were here targeting Souma.
Even with a mask on, Souma’s appearance was well known, so he was quickly identified. Now the women would make their move towards Souma... only they couldn’t.
“““...”””
That was because an image of otherworldly beauty was standing by his side.
Between the beauty of her face, which they could discern even through her mask, her beautiful, glossy blue hair, her amazing figure, and her graceful movements, she was like a concentrated mass of feminine appeal, and it made the other women in attendance feel so vastly inferior that they couldn’t even approach.
Meanwhile, Souma was talking to the woman beside him in a slightly worried tone. “Do you think this is okay? We haven’t announced our engagement yet.”
Juna chuckled. “Right now, you and I are just another man and woman wearing masks, sire.”
Juna’s Guarding Technique: Crush the competition with her overflowing grace.
On this day, Aisha was attending a banquet as Souma’s partner.
Here, too, the nobles were watching closely for their chance to build ties with Souma.
“Oh, Your Majesty, it’s a pleasure to—Eek?!” a noble screamed.
“Why, Your Majesty, how good to see you. What do you say, would you care to join me for—Whoa?!”
Every time a noble tried to approach Souma, the woman at his side would project her warrior aura at them to intimidate them. Though she was a beautiful dark elf girl in a silver dress, she made the nobles feel like they were being glared at by a sword tiger, and they couldn’t approach Souma.
Aisha wasn’t even aware of what she was doing; she was just on guard against anyone who approached Souma because it was her duty as his bodyguard. So...
“Hello, Your Majesty,” a woman said. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Your Majesty, please, tell me about the war in Amidonia,” another woman begged.
“Oh. No, um...” Souma stuttered.
Because of that, Aisha didn’t use her oppressive aura against young women who clearly meant Souma no harm, and so the women had a surprisingly easy time approaching him.
The women closed in on Souma, convinced this was their chance to make him like them. “Your Majesty, after this, why don’t we go find some place where we can be alone together...”
“...Sire,” Aisha said, tugging on his sleeve.
When she gave him a look with eyes almost like an abandoned puppy’s, Souma couldn’t leave her alone, and he excused himself from the women so that they could go somewhere with less people.
“Are you okay, Aisha? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
“...No, I’m fine now. However, let’s remain here a while longer.”
Aisha leaned in close to Souma, begging him to indulge her. She finally had Souma’s attention all to herself, so Aisha was smiling in satisfaction.
Aisha’s Guarding Technique: The ability to switch between presenting herself as a capable warrior and a lost puppy.
This was a battle these women absolutely could not afford to lose.