...
{3rd Pov}
Flugel had to admit that Reid Astrea was an absolutely insufferable person.
The man was, without question, a bully, because of his personality, and because of the absurd level of strength he possessed.
The Heavenly Sword lived according to his own rules and expected everyone else to deal with the consequences.
Whether it was stealing possessions he had arbitrarily decided belonged to him, drinking other people's alcohol, provoking fights, or shamelessly pursuing women, Reid rarely showed concern for what others thought about his actions.
At the same time, Flugel could understand a small part of his mindset.
Typically speaking, Reid was less harsh toward women than he was toward men.
That did not make him a gentleman.
Far from it.
But there seemed to be certain lines that even he would not cross.
For example, if a woman directly refused him with genuine conviction, Reid generally would not force himself upon her.
Whether he would continue harassing or pestering her afterward was another matter entirely.
And unfortunately, the answer to that question was often yes.
Still, compared to how he treated most people, it was strangely restrained.
Then there were the people Reid considered his own, his friends or, in Reid's unique vocabulary, his lackeys.
Once someone entered that category, his behavior changed noticeably.
He became strangely protective.
It was as though Reid operated under a very simple principle.
'I can bully you, but nobody else can.'
That was essentially how his mindset worked.
Flugel had already experienced it personally.
Reid constantly called him a lackey, servant, follower, and various other irritating titles.
Yet if someone else tried causing trouble for Flugel, there was a good chance Reid would immediately intervene.
Not because he was kind but because, in his mind, Flugel belonged to his group and nobody messed with Reid's people except Reid himself.
The entire thought process was enough to give Flugel a headache.
Then another thought surfaced.
Reid Astrea was the ancestor of Reina.
Immediately, Flugel felt offended on her behalf.
He glanced at the laughing Sword Saint.
Then imagined Reina.
Then looked back at Reid.
The comparison somehow made the situation worse.
'There is no way this man deserves to be related to my beloved wifey,' he thought with complete seriousness.
The idea continued bothering him.
Reina was dependable, kind, honorable, responsible, adorable, sexy, voluptuous, batshit crazyahem he means very loving wife.
Meanwhile Reid was a trash.
Flugel genuinely wanted to know which miracle had occurred in the Astrea bloodline for the family tree to eventually produce someone like Reina.
“What about you two?” Farsale asked after recovering from his defeat. “Would either of you like to test your sword skills?”
The offer was directed toward Flugel and Echidna.
Technically speaking, accepting such a challenge would delay their audience with the King even further. However, the Crown Prince did not seem particularly concerned about that fact.
If anything, he appeared genuinely interested.
After all, anyone capable of earning Reid Astrea's acknowledgment was bound to be unusual.
Echidna immediately plastered a smile onto her face.
It was the same flawless smile she always wore.
A smile so natural and beautiful that most people would never realize it was an act.
“Apologies,” she said politely, “but I possess no skill in swordsmanship.”
Then she placed a hand against her chest.
“And I am rather frail as well.”
The nearby knights nodded sympathetically, they can practically see a weak and beautiful maiden needed to be saved by a Heroic Knight, and thus knights compared it to their romantic fantasies.
Flugel, meanwhile, knew she was actually telling the truth.
Over the past few weeks, he had observed that Echidna genuinely possessed a rather weak constitution.
She often displayed symptoms similar to low blood pressure.
Her stamina was poor and her physical strength was mediocre, compared to powerful warriors, she truly was frail.
The problem was that she compensated for those shortcomings by being one of the most terrifying magicians in existence.
A detail she had conveniently omitted.
“Well, that is understandable,” Farsale replied before turning his attention toward Flugel.
His crimson eyes held a noticeable amount of curiosity.
“What about you, Sir Flugel?”
Several nearby knights looked interested as well.
A few suspected he was secretly some sort of wandering sword master.
Everyone had their own theories.
“Eh?” Reid suddenly interrupted before Flugel could answer.
“My lackey's specialty is magic, not swordsmanship.”
The statement was delivered with complete confidence.
As though Reid were introducing one of his prized possessions.
Flugel's eyelid twitched.
NOT AGAIN!
At this point, he had almost become immune to being called a lackey.
Stress on "Almost".
“Is that so?” Farsale asked.
The pride in his voice somehow made the situation stranger.
It was almost as though he were bragging about Flugel's achievements.
To Reid, strength was everything.
However, his definition of strength was unusual.
Normally, he valued swordsmen above all else.
Yet even he recognized that Flugel's healing abilities and magical talent were extraordinary.
In Reid's eyes, that made him worthy of respect.
Which, unfortunately, also seemed to make him worthy of becoming one of Reid's self proclaimed followers.
Flugel still had no idea how that logic worked, nor did he particularly want to understand it.
“Magic?” Farsale repeated in surprise.
His reaction was understandable.
Magic was not completely unknown in this era, but it was certainly not something an ordinary person encountered regularly.
Most people associated magic with Spirits.
More specifically, they associated it with Spirit Arts.
The common belief was that supernatural abilities were usually performed through contracts with Spirits rather than through a person's own capabilities.
While there were indeed human magicians scattered throughout the world, they were exceedingly rare.
Most of them spent years, sometimes decades, traveling from region to region in search of magical knowledge.
They hunted for forgotten spells, ancient records and lost theories.
Anything that could further their understanding of magic.
The path of a magician was notoriously difficult.
Especially for humans.
Even within Lugunica, there were very few examples.
The kingdom possessed mercenary groups and demi human communities capable of utilizing magic to varying degrees, but a fully trained human magician was practically unheard of.
At least by the standards of this era.
That was why Farsale's interest immediately increased.
“You can use magic?” he asked.
“Yes,” Flugel replied calmly. “I know a little bit.”
“...”
Meanwhile, Echidna's eyebrows twitched slightly.
A little bit?
A little bit?
The Witch of Greed genuinely wanted to question his definition of those words.
She had spent weeks observing him.
Studying his theories, reading through portions of the spellbook he had given her, listening to explanations that completely overturned many of her previous assumptions regarding magical theory.
And now he was describing all of that as knowing "a little bit."
If Flugel only knew a little bit about magic, then what exactly did that make her?
Someone who knew practically nothing?
The thought was mildly irritating not that she would admit it.
Flugel meanwhile was not trying to be polite.
He genuinely believed what he was saying, from his perspective, the standards by which he judged magic were completely different now.
Unknown to everyone else, Flugel constantly compared magical knowledge across entirely different worlds and systems.
In his mind, unless someone could stand alongside legendary spellcasters from other worlds, there was little reason to become overly proud.
Compared to beings like Ainz Ooal Gown and countless other monstrous magicians that existed beyond this world's framework, Flugel genuinely considered his own mastery incomplete.
Which was why he could casually describe abilities that would leave most magicians speechless as "a little bit of magic."
The problem was that nobody else possessed that context.
As a result, everyone present interpreted his words very differently.
Reid saw his lackey being weird again.
Meanwhile Echidna saw a man whose standards were so absurdly high that they made even the Witch of Greed question her own accomplishments.
And somehow, that only made her more interested in him.
“I see...” Farsale said thoughtfully. “Then would you be willing to demonstrate some magic for us? Or perhaps show us a few spells? I have rarely had the opportunity to see a human magician in person.”
His curiosity was genuine.
The surrounding knights looked interested as well.
For most of them, magic was something they had only heard about through stories, rumors, and secondhand accounts. Even those who had witnessed Spirit Arts before had rarely encountered an actual human magician.
Naturally, the chance to observe one was appealing.
Flugel considered the request for a moment before shaking his head slightly.
“I would prefer to conserve my mana,” he replied.
“However,” he continued, “if you wish, I can demonstrate some swordsmanship instead.”
Several knights blinked and even Farsale looked surprised.
“You practice swordsmanship as well?”
“A little bit,” Flugel answered.
That response immediately caused Echidna's lips to twitch again.
She was beginning to suspect that Flugel's definition of "a little bit" was fundamentally broken.
The truth was that Subaru had his own reasons for avoiding a public display of magic.
According to the historical records he remembered, the existence of Flugel the Great Sage had been largely erased from history.
His legend did survive at the very least fragments of his accomplishments survived.
Yet the details were strangely vague.
Many achievements that should have belonged to Flugel were eventually attributed to others.
Most notably, they were credited to Shaula which suggested something very important.
At some point, Flugel had either intentionally hidden much of his power or had taken active measures to avoid attracting too much attention.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for history to forget so much about him.
Subaru had no intention of disrupting that mystery more than necessary.
Allowing Farsale and a handful of trusted individuals to witness some of his capabilities was one thing.
Publicly displaying impossible magic before dozens of knights was another matter entirely.
That would only create unnecessary complications, swordsmanship, on the other hand, was a safer option.
His physical abilities were already heavily suppressed by the timeline itself.
The world continuously limited his strength, ensuring he could not casually distort history through overwhelming power or change the plot.
Even his swordsmanship was not that OP, at present, he only possessed approximately half of Reina's proficiency from before she had achieved the Heavenly Sword in another timeline.
Though that particular story was far too complicated to explain.
The important part was that while his swordsmanship was certainly impressive, it was not absurdly so.
Not by the standards of these people whose genius was Reid Astrea, the Heavenly Sword himself.
People would consider him talented, perhaps even an exceptional one.
But not a divine swordsman like Reid and more importantly, swordsmanship was common in this era.
Powerful swordsmen appeared throughout history but magicians were rare.
From a historical perspective, there was little risk.
After all, future historians would inevitably focus on Reid Astrea anyway.
The Heavenly Sword was simply too monstrous to ignore.
Compared to the man who could defeat elite warriors with chopsticks, Flugel's swordsmanship would seem relatively ordinary.
At least, that was what he hoped.
“I see... Then how about I duel with you?” Farsale proposed.
He could have easily asked one of the Royal Knights to test Flugel instead.
In fact, that would have been the more normal approach.
However, Farsale felt that doing so would be somewhat disrespectful.
After all, he was the one who had requested a demonstration of Flugel's swordsmanship.
If he wanted to judge the man's skill, then he should do it personally.
“Very well,” Flugel replied without objection.
The two men stepped toward the open training grounds.
The nearby knights immediately moved aside, eager to watch the match.
Even Reid Astrea looked interested enough to stop ogling the maid's ass for a few minutes.
A knight quickly handed Flugel a wooden sword which Flugel accepted calmly.
Meanwhile, a maid approached Farsale with a drenched cloth and carefully wiped away the sweat and dust left from his previous duel against Reid.
Once he had recovered somewhat and received a fresh wooden sword, the Crown Prince stepped onto the field and positioned himself opposite Flugel.
The atmosphere became quiet from anticipation and excitement.
Then Farsale moved.
Unlike his duel against Reid, he did not immediately unleash his full speed.
There was no explosive charge.
Instead, he advanced carefully.
His sword moved in a smooth arc as he delivered a clean and elegant strike.
Flugel immediately responded.
Their wooden swords collided.
Clack!
Rather than meeting the attack directly, Flugel subtly redirected the force of the blow.
The movement was efficient.
Simple.
Yet precise.
Farsale's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Crown Prince's grin slowly appeared.
Then he attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike became faster than the last.
His swordsmanship gradually accelerated as he increased the pressure.
The wooden blade blurred through the air.
Meanwhile, Flugel continued defending.
Block.
Deflect.
Redirect.
Step.
Retreat.
To the spectators, it looked as though he was barely keeping up.
Each attack forced him onto the defensive and each exchange pushed him further back.
Several knights nodded, the outcome seemed obvious, while Flugel was skilled however, Farsale was still the superior swordsman between the two.
At least that was what it looked like.
Farsale's grin widened.
His attacks became sharper, more aggressive and confident.
Then he saw an opening.
Instantly, he thrust forward.
The strike was precise.
The wooden swords collided.
Then Flugel's weapon was knocked from his grip.
The wooden sword spun through the air before landing on the ground several meters away.
A moment later, the tip of Farsale's sword stopped directly in front of Flugel's neck.
Silence fell over the training grounds.
The duel was over.
Several knights nodded approvingly.
A few even looked impressed by Flugel's performance.
After all, lasting that long against the Crown Prince was already noteworthy.
“I surrender,” Flugel said calmly as he raised both hands in the air.
The declaration immediately ended the match.
Farsale lowered his wooden sword and stepped back respectfully.
Around them, the gathered knights began clapping for their prince.
Many of them wore proud smiles.
After all, they had just watched the Crown Prince win another duel.
From their perspective, the outcome had been fairly straightforward.
They certainly did not think Flugel was some extraordinary swordsman.
At best, they considered him skilled.
His movements had been elegant and defense had been refined with his fundamentals were surprisingly solid.
However, none of that had been enough to overcome Farsale.
More importantly, the prince had managed to defeat him without even relying on his Divine Protection.
To the spectators, that was enough to establish the difference between them.
Yet not everyone shared that interpretation.
Neither Farsale, nor Reid Astrea, nor Echidna wore the same smiles as the other knights.
Instead, all three were looking at Flugel thoughtfully.
More specifically, they were looking at his hand.
Flugel was currently blowing air onto his palm while repeatedly shaking it.
The skin had become noticeably red from the repeated impacts.
“Damn, that hurts,” he muttered.
The sight only confirmed the conclusion forming in their minds.
‘His skill is terrifying... but his physical strength is weak.’
That was the conclusion Farsale arrived at almost immediately.
Echidna reached a similar conclusion as well.
The Witch of Greed had spent enough time observing Flugel to know he possessed absurd talents in many fields.
However, watching the duel had revealed an obvious weakness.
His body simply could not keep up with the level of skill he possessed.
The gap was noticeable.
Meanwhile, Reid looked even more confused than the other two.
Unlike Farsale and Echidna, he possessed the insight of the Heavenly Sword.
He could see things that others missed.
From the perspective of ordinary knights, Flugel had merely demonstrated respectable swordsmanship.
From Reid's perspective, however, the situation looked entirely different.
Flugel's swordsmanship was nothing compared to his own.
That much was obvious, and must be stressed.
But it was still exceptionally strong.
Far stronger than what most knights could achieve.
In fact, some aspects of Flugel's technique felt strangely familiar.
The way he redirected force.
The way he controlled spacing.
The way he predicted attacks.
There were moments where it reminded Reid of his own approach to combat.
Not completely identical, but close enough to be unsettling.
The problem was that Flugel lacked the physical abilities needed to support such skill.
Every exchange highlighted the gap between his technique and his physical capabilities.
If not for that weakness, the duel would have looked completely different.
Reid crossed his arms and stared at Flugel.
'If that guy had the strength to support those techniques...'
He paused.
Then mentally corrected himself.
'No, if he had proper physical abilities, he could actually give me a decent fight.'
The thought surprised even Reid.
Very few people earned such an evaluation from him.
At the very least, Flugel possessed enough skill that Reid felt he might actually have to break a sweat.
Not much.
Just a little.
Which, coming from Reid Astrea, was practically the highest praise imaginable.
Flugel meanwhile waited for the lingering pain in his palm to finally subside. As the stinging sensation gradually faded, his thoughts drifted toward his own swordsmanship and the frustrating state of his current abilities.
The duel had reminded him of something he already knew.
His technique was not the problem, his fucking body was which hurted like a bitch.
More specifically, the ridiculous suppression imposed upon him by the timeline.
Every movement felt sluggish as he was fighting while shackled, reminding him that most of his true capabilities remained locked away.
Thinking about it only made him more annoyed.
In hindsight, perhaps he should have attempted to copy Reina's Heavenly Sword when he had the chance.
The thought crossed his mind occasionally.
Back then, however, such an idea had never seemed particularly important.
After all, he had only recently reunited with his wife.
His priorities had been entirely different.
Not to mention, the thought process itself sounded absurd.
At the time, he possessed abilities that could literally deprive people of life itself.
He could interfere with concepts most beings could not even comprehend.
He could resurrect the dead, had absurd authorities and bend world to his will literally.
Compared to powers like those, why would he be concerned about collecting every ability he encountered?
There had never been any real incentive.
He was not some obsessive collector trying to gather every power in existence.
Or at least, he had not been.
Now, however, the situation was different.
With the majority of his abilities suppressed, every missing piece became more noticeable.
Still, it was not as though he was helpless.
Even under these restrictions, he retained his magic.
And his magical abilities alone already stood at the peak of what this world considered possible.
Very few individuals in history could even begin to compare.
Not to mention, he had begun constructing an entirely new magical system from scratch.
That alone gave him options most people could not even imagine.
There was also another important factor.
The persona of Flugel.
Subaru could not simply reveal everything.
He needed to maintain the image he had carefully constructed.
Shaula will be the powerful Sage for the world, and only his teammates will know the truth.
He also needed to be impressive enough to influence history but not so overwhelming that he completely shattered it.
This timeline was already unstable enough.
Every action he took altered events, creating ripples with eery decision pushing history further away from what it originally should have been.
To stabilize things, he needed to establish a new truth.
A version of Great Sage Flugel that history could accept.
Not an omnipotent monster who solved every problem with overwhelming force.
That would only create more contradictions.
“Troublesome,” he muttered quietly.
Nearby, Echidna glanced toward him curiously but did not interrupt.
Flugel simply sighed.
At least there was one thing he could be thankful for.
‘At the very least, I am not as weak as the Flugel from the Envy Timeline,’ he thought.
The comparison immediately improved his mood somewhat.
After all, as annoying as his current situation was, he still possessed far more options than that version of himself ever had.
Which meant there was no point complaining.
Well, there was a point, he would still complain.
Just internally.
SCREAMING INTENSIFIED
After that, they were finally escorted toward the royal meeting hall where the King was waiting for them. The audience had already been delayed enough thanks to Reid's detour toward the training grounds, though fortunately nobody seemed particularly surprised by that fact.
Farsale, meanwhile, had temporarily separated from the group.
After finishing his duel, he had gone to take a bath and change into more appropriate attire before rejoining them later during lunch.
As they entered the meeting hall, Flugel immediately followed proper etiquette.
He lowered himself into a respectful bow.
“We greet Your Majesty, the King,” he said calmly.
Beside him, Echidna also performed a bow and said same words, though in her case, she was mostly copying Flugel.
Royal etiquette was not exactly one of her areas of expertise.
In fact, Flugel was fairly certain she would have introduced herself as a Witch if left unsupervised.
Thankfully, she possessed enough common sense to imitate him.
Meanwhile, Reid did none of that.
Naturally the Heavenly Sword simply stood where he was and casually greeted the ruler of Lugunica.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
No attempt whatsoever to hide his lack of formality.
Several attendants in the room visibly winced.
The King, however, appeared completely unsurprised.
At this point, he had likely given up expecting proper etiquette from Reid Van Astrea.
Seated upon an ornate chair near the center of the meeting hall, the King observed the newcomers calmly.
Like his son, he possessed golden blond hair and crimson red eyes.
The family resemblance was obvious.
Unlike Farsale, however, the King's presence carried the weight of authority built through years of ruling.
His gaze was calm yet sharp.
The gaze of a man accustomed to making decisions that affected an entire kingdom.
'Damn King's aura farming with that killer look alone', Flugel thought impressed.
“Sir Reid,” the King said with a polite nod, “it is good to see you again.”
Then his attention shifted toward Flugel and Echidna.
“And I assume these two are your companions?”
“The man is my lackey,” Reid replied immediately.
Then he pointed toward Echidna.
“And the gal is his lackey.”
“...”
The meeting hall fell silent.
Several attendants stared at the Heavenly Sword.
One knight visibly struggled not to react.
The King himself became speechless for a brief moment.
He was wondering how Reid consistently managed to create the most absurd introductions possible.
Despite being fully aware of the Heavenly Sword's eccentric personality, the answer still managed to catch him off guard.
Eventually, he let out a small sigh.
“Certainly,” the King said diplomatically.
“A very... unique way of introducing your friends.”
Then the King's gaze returned to him and Echidna.
“However,” he continued, “I would prefer if our two guests introduced themselves personally.”
Unlike Reid, the King's tone was polite and welcoming.
There was genuine curiosity in his eyes.
After all, any individuals capable of accompanying the Heavenly Sword were naturally worth paying attention to.
Especially when one of them appeared to be an elegant young woman while the other carried himself with the composure of a learned scholar.
For a brief moment, the King's attention lingered on Flugel.
Something about the man's demeanor stood out.
He could not quite explain why.
Perhaps it was the unusual aura surrounding him or perhaps it was simply the fact that someone capable of earning Reid's respect was unlikely to be ordinary.
Whatever the reason, the King found himself genuinely interested in hearing their answer.
Though if Subaru head him, he will say he indeed possess aura and is master of aura farming. After all being Op had it's perks.
“I am Flugel, a wandering magician,” Flugel introduced himself, keeping his explanation as brief as possible.
He had no intention of providing a lengthy introduction.
The less attention he attracted, the better.
The King listened attentively before shifting his gaze toward the woman standing beside him.
“I am Echidna, a disciple under Sir Flugel,” Echidna introduced herself with a graceful smile.
The declaration caused Flugel's eyelid to twitch ever so slightly.
Technically speaking, it was not entirely incorrect.
Although Echidna had failed in her attempts to permanently attach herself to him as a formal student and had certainly failed in turning him into some lifelong teacher under her control, she had successfully established a different relationship.
Over the past weeks, she had learned mathematics from him.
She had learned magical theories from him and studied his spellbook with almost religious devotion.
At this point, calling herself a disciple was not completely unreasonable.
At the very least, it sounded far better than introducing herself as a Witch.
Not to mention Reid had already spent days referring to them as "Teacher" and "Student" anyway.
The King slowly nodded.
Interest became visible in his eyes.
Human magicians were already rare enough to attract attention anywhere in the world.
Finding two traveling together was even rarer.
More importantly, one of them had been introduced as a disciple.
Which implied the existence of an actual magical lineage.
The King's mind immediately began considering the implications.
The Kingdom of Lugunica certainly possessed individuals capable of using magic.
However, the majority of those people were demi humans, spirit users, or mercenaries from outside regions.
True human magicians remained exceedingly uncommon.
Knowledge regarding human magic was fragmented, scattered throughout the world and difficult to obtain.
And often hoarded by those who possessed it.
Healing arts were even rarer.
The ability to heal injuries through magical means was considered incredibly valuable.
Yet according to the reports he had already received, Flugel possessed healing abilities so advanced that he had cured ailments that ordinary physicians could not even properly diagnose.
The value of such knowledge was difficult to measure.
The King's thoughts naturally began moving toward possibilities.
Could these two teach others?
Could they help establish magical education within Lugunica?
Could some of their knowledge be shared with the kingdom?
As human magicians, they should theoretically be capable of teaching other humans.
If that were true, the benefits to the kingdom could be enormous.
However, despite the temptation, the King did not immediately raise the subject.
He was a ruler first and foremost, rushing into negotiations would be foolish.
For now, he simply stored the idea in the back of his mind.
There would be time to discuss such matters later.
After their introductions concluded, the King invited everyone to join him for lunch.
The King knew Reid Astrea far too well, years of dealing with the Heavenly Sword had taught him a very important lesson.
Trying to hold a serious conversation with Reid was difficult, moreover trying to hold a serious conversation with Reid while he was bored was nearly impossible.
However, there was one situation where the Heavenly Sword became surprisingly cooperative.
When he was eating.
As long as the food was delicious, Reid was usually in an excellent mood.
And a Reid in an excellent mood was significantly easier to converse with than a Reid looking for an excuse to leave.
Thus, lunch had become one of the King's preferred opportunities to discuss important matters with him.
The group soon made their way toward the royal dining hall.
The hall itself was spacious and elegant, befitting the residence of Lugunica's royal family.
Long tables filled the room, decorative banners adorned the walls servants moving quietly between their assigned duties.
Originally, only three individuals had been expected to dine together.
The King.
The Crown Prince.
And Reid.
The usual arrangement also included several knights standing guard throughout the hall, even though their presence was largely symbolic whenever Reid Astrea was nearby.
After all, if an enemy capable of bypassing the Heavenly Sword appeared, a handful of guards would hardly matter.
Several maids were also present to attend to the needs of the guests.
However, after learning that Reid had brought two companions with him, the royal staff had quickly adjusted the arrangements.
Additional seats were prepared with more plates.
By the time they arrived, everything had already been organized.
Soon everyone took their seats.
The moment Reid sat down, he immediately began eating.
The Heavenly Sword simply grabbed food and started eating as though he owned the place.
The King pretended not to notice.
At this point, it was easier that way.
Meanwhile, Flugel and Echidna found themselves in a somewhat awkward position.
The King had not started eating.
Farsale had not arrived yet and proper etiquette generally dictated that guests should wait.
Thus, neither of them touched the food.
The King noticed their hesitation almost immediately.
“Please, do not mind me,” he said with a gentle smile.
“I am merely waiting for my son to arrive.”
His tone remained relaxed.
“You two may begin the meal.”
Flugel glanced at the dishes arranged before him.
Then at the King.
Then at Reid, who was already halfway through a plate.
“Well,” Flugel said calmly, “we are not quite as impudent as a certain red haired individual.”
His gaze shifted directly toward Reid.
The Heavenly Sword looked up from his meal.
“Eh?”
Then he continued eating.
The King chuckled softly.
“See?” Reid said while chewing. “Even my lackey understands that I'm special.”
“That was not the point I was making.”
“Exactly. That's because you're my lackey.”
“...”
The King's chuckle became slightly louder.
Soon afterward, Farsale finally arrived.
Having taken the time to wash up after training, he was now dressed in clothing worthy of a Crown Prince. The training attire from earlier had been replaced by finely tailored royal garments that better reflected his position within the kingdom.
“Greetings, Father. Greetings, honored guests,” he said politely as he entered the dining hall.
The King nodded.
Flugel and Echidna returned the greeting.
Meanwhile, Reid briefly looked up from his food, raised a hand in acknowledgment, and immediately returned to eating.
With Farsale finally present, the meal officially began.
Servants moved throughout the hall, refilling drinks and bringing additional dishes while the atmosphere remained relaxed.
After allowing everyone to settle in, the King finally shifted the conversation toward business.
“While I believe most of you have already been informed of the details,” he began, placing down his utensils, “it would still be prudent to review the situation.”
The room gradually quieted.
“My son, Farsale, will soon be traveling to the Kingdom of Charsis to negotiate a grain agreement.”
The King's expression became more serious.
“As you are all aware, the matter is extremely important to Lugunica.”
Food shortages had become an increasingly troublesome issue.
Although the kingdom remained stable for now, securing reliable grain imports would significantly strengthen its position.
Failure could lead to economic strain while success could improve conditions throughout the nation.
Naturally, the mission concerned the prosperity of the nation.
“Sir Reid,” the King continued, turning his attention toward the Heavenly Sword, “your responsibility will be to ensure his safety during the journey.”
At that exact moment, Reid was in the middle of chewing a large piece of meat.
He swallowed and then answered.
“No worries, Your Majesty.”
His confidence was absolute.
“I won't let anyone harm Farsale.”
The declaration sounded less like a promise and more like a statement of fact.
Having delivered his assurance, Reid immediately grabbed another piece of meat and resumed eating.
The conversation clearly mattered less to him than the meal.
Flugel watched the scene quietly.
Then his eyebrows twitched.
Again.
His gaze had landed on Reid's hands.
More specifically, on the chopsticks Reid was currently using.
The same pair that had just been used as weapons in the training grounds were being used to pick up food.
Flugel suddenly found himself wondering whether Reid had washed them first.
The answer was probably no.
That realization did not improve his mood.
Flugel could almost feel himself becoming a germaphobic.
Across the table, Reid continued eating completely unaware of the concern he was causing.
The King also noticed the unusual cutlery, but didn't bothered with it.
“Then I am relieved,” the King said with a satisfied nod. Having Reid accompany the Crown Prince already made the mission considerably safer, but having two capable companions traveling alongside him only increased his confidence.
After a brief pause, the King's attention shifted toward Flugel and Echidna.
“Sir Flugel, Lady Echidna,” he said politely, “I would also like to make a request from two of you.”
“We will be traveling with Reid,” Flugel replied calmly. “Naturally, we will also assist in protecting His Highness during the journey.”
Beside him, Echidna nodded in agreement.
The King rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Then he finally decided to bring up a matter that had been on his mind since their introduction.
“If neither of you minds,” he began carefully, “would you be willing to share some of your magical knowledge with us?”
The room grew slightly quieter, even Farsale looked interested.
“You are both travelers,” the King continued. “You have likely seen things and learned things beyond what is commonly known within Lugunica. Knowledge regarding magic is particularly scarce within our kingdom.”
His expression remained polite.
“Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Naturally, I would compensate you both generously. Enough to cover your future travels and any expenses you may incur.”
It was a reasonable offer.
Before Flugel could respond, however, Echidna spoke first.
“Then I shall share some of my knowledge later,” she said with a maidenly smile, that could certainly capture any devil's heart.
The smile on her face remained elegant.
Only Flugel understood what had truly motivated that immediate response.
The Witch of Greed had no intention of allowing him to casually hand over magical theories that she had only recently obtained herself.
Especially not the more advanced knowledge.
Some things needed to be thoroughly studied by her first.
Preferably multiple times or dozen of times, as she recited word by word like a religious fanatic worshipping her god.
“And,” she continued, “if Your Majesty wishes, I can also determine which individuals possess the aptitude necessary to learn magic.”
The King's eyes widened slightly.
Then a genuine smile appeared on his face.
Even if the magical knowledge itself proved limited, the ability to identify potential magicians would significantly benefit the kingdom.
“Truly?” he asked.
“Indeed,” Echidna replied.
The King's smile widened further.
Although he did not yet know the exact value of the knowledge possessed by the two magicians, he was already convinced that speaking with them had been worthwhile.
More importantly, whatever they taught would presumably be knowledge developed by humans and knowledge intended for humans.
Human magicians were notoriously secretive.
Most spent years gathering knowledge and rarely shared it with others.
Those who mastered magic often treated their discoveries as personal treasures.
As a result, magical progress remained slow and fragmented.
The Kingdom of Lugunica possessed access to Spirit Arts users and magical mercenaries, particularly among demi human groups.
However, those relationships were not always stable.
Mercenaries came and went, while Spirit Art users were even rare and there was no guarantee Lugunica can maintain the number each generation.
Building a foundation of human magicians within Lugunica itself would be far more reliable in the long term.
For that reason, the King's interest in Flugel and Echidna had deepened.
Meanwhile, Echidna looked completely composed on the surface.
Internally, however, she was already wondering how many promising magicians she could dissect academically if the kingdom actually accepted her offer.
Flugel meanwhile could not help but think that the King was incredibly fortunate when it came to Reid Astrea.
Not because Reid was particularly wise or loyal and certainly not because he possessed a pleasant personality.
If anything, Reid's personality was absolute trash.
The man was arrogant, shameless and a bully and possessed enough confidence to fill an entire kingdom.
Yet despite all of that, there was one thing that made him surprisingly easy for the royal family to work with.
Reid had absolutely no interest in political power.
He did not care about ruling, authority and hated administrative responsibilities.
And most importantly, he had no desire to sit on the throne.
To someone like Reid, becoming King sounded less like an achievement and more like a punishment.
Why would he spend his days attending meetings when he could spend them drinking alcohol?
Why manage nobles when he could challenge strong opponents?
Why concern himself with politics when he could chase women and search for entertainment?
The man genuinely had no ambition beyond satisfying his own desires.
Ironically, that made him far less dangerous than someone with lesser strength but greater political aspirations.
The noble title he already possessed was more than sufficient for him.
It allowed him to continue living however he pleased.
There was simply no reason for him to seek anything higher.
Not to mention, many of the missions assigned to him by the kingdom involved genuine danger.
Yet Reid actively enjoyed such assignments.
The more dangerous a mission sounded, the more interested he became.
To him, life threatening situations were entertainment.
The fact that such a person happened to be overwhelmingly loyal to his own interests rather than political authority was probably the greatest blessing the royal family could have hoped for.
'Still...'
Flugel took another bite of his meal while pondering a different matter entirely.
'I still cannot understand why the Astrea family is already a noble house in this timeline.'
The thought had been bothering him for quite some time.
According to the history he remembered, the situation should have been different.
Or at least, not exactly like this.
At first, he had assumed he was simply misremembering something.
Then he considered the possibility that history had diverged much earlier than expected.
That explanation made sense.
Yet every time he thought about it, a strange feeling remained.
An uncomfortable feeling.
A nagging sensation in the back of his mind.
Almost as though he himself had something to do with it.
The idea sounded ridiculous.
He had only recently arrived in this era.
How could he possibly be responsible for changes that should have occurred long before his arrival?
It made no sense and yet the feeling refused to disappear.
In the end, Flugel simply pushed the thought aside.
There was not enough information to draw any conclusions.
For now, the simplest explanation remained the most reasonable one.
This world was different from the timeline he remembered.
Different from the world of Envy Subaru, that historical events had developed along another path.
Until proven otherwise, he would treat it as nothing more than another consequence of timeline divergence.
With that conclusion reached, Flugel returned his attention to the food in front of him.
After all, if he had learned anything from traveling with Reid, it was that overthinking could wait until after lunch.
Food came first, existential crisis could wait.
To be continued...