The Hero Party Couldn’t Kill Me

Chapter 6: Council of Nobles (5)

“aaa!!!”

The next day. Iris screamed in front of the mirror.

She had another nightmare. Thanks to her, she didn’t get a good night’s sleep this time either.

As a result, I woke up today with dark circles.

“Why the hell is this happening… ….”

Iris held back her anger as she slammed the wall.

Of course, on an important day like today, things went wrong from the start. She glared at herself in the mirror, then called her maids to get ready to dress up.

She is the first to appear in front of other nobles. She couldn’t show off such a cute side.

So, today I was thinking of putting on thicker makeup than usual to hide my dark circles.

After finishing her makeup, Iris came out of her room.

“Did you sleep well?”

“No, I had another nightmare.”

“Are you really okay? Especially on a day like today…….”

“Never mind. You guys are worried about the fights that will come later.”

“… Are you talking about sparring? All right.”

Iris spat coldly at Arthur, her escort driver.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sense of incongruity and looked at Arthur again.

Her appearance hasn’t changed. What was different about her was that she wore more flashy clothes.

But it seemed like something had changed. What should I say? Should I say that she feels strangely strange along today?

“Duke? What’s wrong?”

Arthur asked as she continued to stare at herself. Iris looked him in the eye and then she turned away.

‘It’s probably because I’m more sensitive than usual.’

Iris passed lightly.

Today has been too long to pay attention to such trivial things.

***

At 11:00, nobles began to gather at the mansion of the Rossier family.

Iris greeted each of the nobles.

“It seems like I haven’t seen you in a really long time. You became even more beautiful while I couldn’t see you!”

There were also people who praised Iris for her outstanding beauty.

“I am deeply saddened by the sudden death of the late Duke Rossier.”

Some spoke consoling words for her father’s death.

Then, as she looked at the last aristocrat, Iris had a hard time managing her expression.

Duke of Valois.

As can be seen from his title, he is the most powerful person among the nobles who regularly meet with Duke Rossier.

And now that the previous Duke Rossier is dead, he is the person who will keep Iris in check the most.

With his characteristic long black hair and stylish mustache, he stood in front of Iris with a majestic stride.

“Ah, Princess Iris. No, now I should call Rossier Duke.”

As expected, as soon as they met, the Duke of Valois secretly greeted Iris with an expression of disregard for her.

Iris smiled as much as she could and shook hands with the Duke of Valois.

‘A fox-like guy.’

But inside she cursed the Duke of Valois and she was thinking about how to keep him in check.

Perhaps even today, if Iris shows any weakness in her, she will try to tackle her somehow, and in the event of an emergency, she herself will try to lead this group.

So, in order not to be dragged around by him, you shouldn’t make even the smallest mistakes.

But… It doesn’t seem that easy.

“Ah, Count Stuart. How is Henry, who entered the academy, doing these days?”

“It is already showing its prominence. In this midterm evaluation, I got the best grade in my first year. Of course, it’s still too early to discuss these words, but maybe I’ll be able to enter the Magic Tower.”

“hahahaha, didn’t you already show an aptitude for magic from a young age? I’m sure he’ll do well.”

A luncheon dinner is a place to lightly ask each other how they are doing.

From noble mtl dot com

However, Iris, who had been with the warrior party for three years and could not attend the meeting, was not easily included in this story.

And one more. Most of the nobles had a big age gap with Iris.

In fact, some of them already had sons and daughters about the same age as Iris.

‘Damn it. It shouldn’t be like this.’

That’s why Iris was already starting to get nervous. Will she be able to lead this group well?

At least she had something to say about this topic, so she was able to open her mouth.

“Oh, come to think of it, Godfrey. You said you came out of Rogue Magic Tower this time, right? May I ask why?”

But before she could open her mouth, the Duke of Valois opened her mouth first.

“I have been having a hard time lately, so I wanted to take a break.”

“Well, since I lived as a prisoner, it’s possible that my body and mind won’t feel at ease. You made a good choice.”

The Duke of Valois has a slightly sarcastic tone. Iris met Godfrey’s eyes for an instant.

Godfrey is the hidden card of this meeting that the saintess took over. But from the first time she chose him, Iris didn’t feel comfortable with her.

Because the mere fact of coming out of the Rogue Magic Tower is already a target for attack by other nobles.

Still, he looked resolute, as if he had expected this kind of reaction, but Iris couldn’t hide her anxiety.

***

After lunch, the meeting began in earnest.

“As you all know, the Empire is divided right now. How do you guys view this situation where Her Highness raised a fight against the Etoile Church and the Etoile Church openly criticized Her Highness?”

Still, Iris was the first to speak. In response, the Duke of Valois opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“A ‘fight’? Didn’t everyone already know that indulgences were just an Etoile way of making money? Her Highness, the princess, just corrected the wrong.”

“But has the imperial family ever invaded the authority of the Etoiles in this way? Taking a tough line while knowing how the Etoiles will react seems like nothing but fighting them.”

“Of course it is rare. But didn’t Etoile cross the line first?”

Iris struggled to keep her composure, but it felt misplaced from the start.

What is particularly absurd is that even three years ago, the Duke of Valois was a person who admired Etoileism more than any other aristocrat here.

“I am embarrassed that someone who supported Etoileism more than anyone else would say this.”

“Oh, of course I still support the Etoiles. However, to be honest, the recent performance is disappointing. Doesn’t he draw a line with the Noir Magic Tower, which he usually criticizes, and doesn’t he sell indulgences for the reconstruction of the Great Sanctuary?”

“… ….”

“Didn’t the previous Duke Rosier criticize them harshly? But now the Duke of Rossier seems to be supporting the Bonnie Etoiles of the previous duke, so what is this?”

In the end, the Duke of Valois touched Iris’ first weakness. Something different from his father’s thoughts.

“Your Highness, the princess, is too slow to deal with Edmund, who will be a great threat to the empire. Rather, he is only showing a lukewarm response to the point where he wonders if he is helping him.”

“Ah, you mean that alien. Yes, he’s definitely scary. But he told Her Highness what exactly did he do wrong? Even though he was defeated, didn’t he send soldiers to Speth, including the imperial guard?”

“It may seem that way on the surface. But the reality was different. Godfrey. Can he tell you what you saw?”

But Iris also had a countermeasure against this.

And she passed the baton to Godfrey, as she had said before.

“… Even though Her Highness knew very well that she was treating and hiding Edmund in Speth, she sent her envoy to bring Edmund back. She even ordered him to be brought alive, rather than killed immediately. That human weapon. It was practically suicidal.”

“Then why did you volunteer for such a ridiculous job?”

“… It was an order.”

Godfrey said forcefully. And he went on with his words.

Generally, what he criticized was that the entire operation itself was orchestrated by Calia and Etoile. And the princess intervened in her plans by allowing only a much smaller number of troops than they requested.

“Wait a minute. Were you not already held captive at this point?”

“This is the story I heard from my colleagues after I was released later.”

Once the Duke of Valois tried to argue, but Godfrey passed without incident.

Continuing, Godfrey criticized the princess’s actions after her crushing defeat.

“Now that this has happened, it is a self-evident fact that Edmund’s next target is the Etoiles. Surely he will try to destroy the Etoiles. But how is Her Highness the Princess responding to this? Even if we do our best to protect such Etoire religion, we are opposed to them by cutting support funds and even banning indulgences to give them. This is actually an act of helping Edmund.”

Godfrey said, raising the blood in his neck. Other nobles began to sympathize with his appearance.

“Well… Even so, if the saintess suffers a catastrophe, the problem will grow.”

“Certainly, Her Highness’ response cannot be considered appropriate.”

Seeing this, the Duke of Valois also shut his mouth for a while and looked around.

Meanwhile, Iris let out a sigh of relief.

More than she thought, Godfrey was good at his words. Now it was time for her to take over her baton again.

“In fact, Her Highness the Princess has shown a negative reaction ever since our warrior party tried to eliminate Edmund in advance. Even when he returned after defeating the demon king, he was busy criticizing him for trying to kill Edmund rather than praising him. So I’m starting to get suspicious. Was Her Highness the Princess secretly helping Edmund? Isn’t it a well-known fact that you actually actively courted Edmund?”

“… ….”

“Of course, my father has always been critical of the Etoile Church. I also don’t see their current move as positively. However, at least in the Etoile Church, they are actively trying to prevent Edmund. So, in order to prevent a great disaster called Edmund, he thinks the best thing to do is to give strength to Etwaryo.”

There was a crisis, but we succeeded in turning the atmosphere around. In fact, many nobles seemed to agree with her opinion.

Just when he thought he had been relieved, the Duke of Valois opened his mouth.

“Duke Rossier seems to be looking at this situation too shortsightedly.”

“Shortsighted? What do you mean now?”

Iris frowned at the unexpected criticism.

And the Duke of Valois pointed out the greatest weakness of Etoileism.

“First of all, I understand that Her Highness’s ability to cope is lacking. But, if not Her Highness the Princess, who will be the next emperor?”