Rosemary said there was no need to act like an aristocrat from an ancient era, but…
The scenery inside the banquet hall was more luxurious than anything seen in this Pangrave.
Instead of ordinary lights, the high ceiling was adorned with all sorts of magic lights resembling the sun.
The floor was covered with soft earth, and trees grew all around, making the walls invisible.
Somehow, there was a small river flowing indoors, and small animals wandered between the trees, each making their own sounds.
It was like a forest. It evoked the image of the Great Forest on the first floor of a labyrinth, where a banquet was in full swing.
What can I say? It felt like an elven festival straight out of an ancient tale, right?
Needless to say, all of this was maintained by various kinds of magic and some unknown technology.
In other words, it meant a staggering amount of gold was being spent in real-time.
Despite their obsession with money, these elves sure knew how to spend lavishly, I mused internally.
Just then, the gazes of those attending the banquet turned in unison towards us, who had just walked in through the door.
Half of them were dressed in formal attire like mine, while the other half wore traditional elven clothing.
They looked aghast as they turned to stare at me and those behind me.
“Hu…human?”
“What a tragic sight…!”
“This gathering is surely for the celebration of Miss Rosemary… huh? Why is Miss Rosemary over there??”
With all eyes suddenly focused on me and a hint of hostility, my face felt prickly.
I understood why. When people saw two perverted, flat-chested elves with bits in their mouths, two high-ranking adventurers guarding this side as if they were bodyguards, and the protagonist of the feast trailing behind looking submissive, anyone would react the same way.
Hmm, just perfect.
I couldn’t help but smile as I leisurely glanced around.
It’s heartbreaking to feel hostility and wariness, but I couldn’t mind the gazes directed at me.
After all, it saved me the trouble of having to ask each person one by one.
“Ahem. What a lovely day it is, and how wonderful it would be to meet good people on such a fine occasion. But, in fact, today is neither a good day nor a good occasion. Instead, I suppose we can decide whether I’ll be a good person to you, and you’ll be a good person to me from now on.”
“Ha! I don’t know what nonsense you’re babbling about after barging in like this. This place is reserved for those who have received an invitation. Uninvited guests should promptly leave!”
As soon as I opened my mouth, a reply came back. Turning my gaze towards the source of the voice, I saw a tall, androgynous elf standing there.
The voice was certainly masculine, but their appearance made it hard to determine their gender.
Even in a world where gender roles were reversed, it doesn’t mean all men dressed as women and acted gay.
It’s just that they might care a bit more about their looks, wear a little heavier makeup, and occasionally act a bit petulantly with women, while their speech might turn more feminine?
Of course, to me, that alone looked bizarre… but I never vocalized it since I was known to wield other women in the same manner.
However, had I not heard their voice, it would have been difficult to tell if the person in front of me was a man or a woman.
Certainly, elven genetics make for some beautiful faces, but both the difficulty in muscle gain and the prevalence of flat-chested women among elves added to the confusion.
The memory of being startled when I found out a character I liked turned out to be a guy after thinking they were a girl flashed through my mind.
In an instant, all the hair on my body stood on end, and I clicked my tongue, feeling genuine contempt.
“Tsk.”
“How rude…!”
The fellow’s face flushed red as they got angry. Meanwhile, Rosemary, who had been sighing from behind, whispered softly.
“He’s the youngest son of the Kaelro family. They’re deeply involved in potion distribution, so it might be wise to be a little cautious.”
“I appreciate the advice, but I decide who I should be cautious of. …I might have messed up a bit just now.”
I hadn’t intended to feel this upset. My PTSD flared up without me realizing it, causing my reaction.
So, I decided to extend a hand of reconciliation first. After all, I didn’t come here to fight.
“I apologize for what just happened. As I mentioned earlier, I hope all of you will be good people, and I would like to remain a good person to you.”
“How can you be so shameless! This is a gathering that the elves alone are allowed to attend, and you, a human, came in here with dirty feet, and yet you say such things?”
Now that I mention it, elves did face a swift downfall after the World Tree’s demise, merely hanging on by a thread.
Isn’t it common sense to pick up their pieces when a race known for beauty is strewn on the floor?
There’s a setting that before Eve revived the elves, countless of them were trafficked as slaves in the underworld.
Initially, I had planned to write a story about an elven heroine with a hatred for humans undergoing therapy with Yass because of such a past.
But after making Eve a mid-boss, including an elven heroine got awkward, leaving only the historical setup.
Anyway, I decided to make a quick correction before any unnecessary misunderstandings were born.
“Oh, that part is a misunderstanding. Lemon and Apple like this situation; they chose it willingly. The perverts volunteered for this slave play, and I didn’t force anything. Right, Lemon? Apple?”
“Mmm! Mmm-mmm!”
“Ugh-mmm!”
Ah, right. They’re gagged and can’t talk.
For a moment I pondered whether I should untie their gags or keep them from blabbering nonsense.
Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, the agitated male elf yelled out.
“Miss Rosemary! Why aren’t you chasing out such a scoundrel?! Did you invite this person?!”
“…That’s right. They are my guests.”
Rosemary nodded with a solemn look, as if she were drinking poison.
The other elves who had been quietly observing turned their gazes in surprise.
Judging by appearance, the nameless male elf seemed to belong to the younger tier of elves.
There was none of the refinement usually associated with more mature elves that made it difficult to guess ages from looks.
Thus, this commotion stemming from his excitement was to be expected. The older elves were probably gauging me through him.
Transferring the risk to someone else to read an opponent’s hands is a decidedly underhanded tactic, and if it came to a real confrontation, I’d get caught in no time.
…So, let’s flip the board entirely.
With a smile, I unleashed my repressed power.
Avatar of Love. One of the top-tier blessings possibly delivered by the Goddess of Love, a five-star ability.
The pure divine energy engraved deep in my soul began to stir, amplifying my presence.
“Huh?!”
“Oh, it’s beautiful…”
“Who is that boy?”
The elves, known as a beautiful race, were overwhelmed by my beauty.
The once dull gazes became heated, their expressions shifting into varied forms.
Excitement, affection, admiration, jealousy, and overwhelm, and more.
The rigidity of the banquet hall instantly softened.
This wasn’t mental manipulation. I merely amplified the inherent emotions everyone carries within them.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t use that…?!”
With her face flushed and a slight difficulty in breathing, a trembling Rosemary spoke, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
Whether I got angry at that guy or let things be, or even subdued him by force, would have been within the calculations of that situation.
However, unexpectedly charming everyone in attendance wasn’t in anyone’s predictions…!
Seizing the momentum, I had to take full advantage of it without wasting this golden opportunity.
I imagined the dignified fallen image I often applied with Lydia.
Straightening my waist as if I had lost everything yet retained my grace and pride.
Puffing out my chest, tilting my chin slightly upward, and injecting a hint of arrogance into my eyes.
As the atmosphere of the Avatar of Love permeated the space, even Benny, Lemon, and Apple, who had never seen anything like it, became visibly stiff.
But taking a step forward,
My movement caused the elves in front of me to step back, creating a natural path.
Eventually, I arrived at a significantly elevated area in the banquet hall.
Specifically, at a beautiful chair atop the elevation.
It was a seat that anyone could tell belonged to the top spot. Yet, no one dared to sit there.
It symbolized Eve, the eternal queen of the elves, now retired.
By convention, every event reserved an empty seat for her, and no one, except Eve, could sit there.
Everyone swallowed hard, closely watching my next action. No one would stop me even if I chose to sit on the chair.
However, I wasn’t going to do that.
I didn’t come to be an impudent usurper; I came to assert my rightful claim.
As I stared at the chair, I opened yet another power.
Ka-ching—!
Once again, a crown made of thorns appeared upon my head. At the same time, my perception expanded widely, and staggering power began to fill me.
The force that once symbolized elven royal authority was revealing itself again.
“Basilieus?”
“The power of the World Tree still remains?”
“Wait! That boy is… the one speaking of the queen in whispers…”
Disregarding the ensuing murmur behind me, I lightly stepped onto the elevation, while I pulled on Basilieus’s power.
Boom—
In response to the deep rumble, the trees that had been planted to decorate the banquet hall trembled.
The roots and branches of the surrounding trees began to intertwine, forming a massive shape centered around the high seat.
Though it became somewhat smaller, it resembled the World Tree closely.
I sank into the elevated throne, half-buried within the shape of the World Tree.
Then, crossing one leg over the other, I propped my chin up, surveying the entire banquet hall.
Half the elves looked bewildered, and the other half were so shocked they could hardly breathe.
In the midst of this suffocating silence of shock, I opened my mouth once more.
“I’ll say it again. I wish for both us and you to be good to one another.”
Unlike before, not a single one dared to smirk. I continued, raising one corner of my mouth slightly.
“So, say it quickly while the conversation is still amiable. Where is Miss Eve?”
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