"Wahahaha! That was a good fight, Lady Aster!! You really got me panicking at the last part there!" King Yasukazu laughed heartily.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Really? Because it feels like you weren’t really trying the entire time... I don’t even think I managed to do anything remotely close to getting you."

He tilted his head, "Ah? Did it really look like that? I must admit that I was really trying though."

"Uh-huh... And comparing this to King Justinia’s spar with you?"

He waved his hand in front of him, "Ah, yeah. There’s no comparison. King Justinia’s sword skills pushed me way harder than you did, sorry."

I figured...

I wasn’t even close to fighting him to a draw so there was no way I was on Justinia’s level...

King Yasukazu sheathed his nodachi before crossing his arms at me, "Still... I can’t help but feel that you weren’t using your full strength though. I understand the first part you were just trying to hide the fact you had a sword in your other hand but even after that, it still feels like you weren’t going all out. Was I wrong?"

I scratched my cheek, "Well... To begin with, I’m not exactly a swordswoman, you know? My primary role in my party is a support mage. So I’m more proficient in magic than I am with swords."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Are you telling me... You got me to fight seriously... Despite being a support mage?"

"Err... I really don’t think I even made you fight that seriously?"

"Hmmm... Lady Aster, you really are quite humble, aren’t you? If no one has told you this before, then let me be the first one to say that you have all the rights to be more confident of yourself and your skills. These skills of yours are not something that was granted to you, are they? From what I can tell, you trained yourself to be this good."

I wasn’t sure if he was asking if I got these skills because of the fact that I was an Off-Worlder or something else.

Does he even know that I’m an Off-Worlder? Heck, does he even know about the existence of Off-Worlders?

I mean... Justinia did and I believe she did say something about important people being aware of this or something along those lines... But I guess I shouldn’t assume such things about him just in case.

It would be terribly awkward if I just revealed this and then learned that he had no idea about the existence of Off-Worlders...

"Erm... That is correct... I did train in sword skills and I still am, actually, your Majesty."

"Then you should be more confident! Just look at me! I’m totally helpless when it comes to magic! My Queen is the total opposite though! She’s gifted in magic but swords are completely not her thing! Wahaha! So for you who is able to do both, that’s something to be proud of!"

"Well... I know that there’s still people who are better than me despite being proficient in both magic and sword so I don’t think what I’ve achieved is anything that big though."

I’m looking at you, Mary... You absolute monster of a maid...

He gave me a wry smile, "Be that as it may, Lady Aster, it is still impressive nevertheless. I can see that you have the desire to grow stronger not out of personal desire for power at the very least, so I believe you will get far, perhaps even further than I ever will. I know talent when I see one!"

"Err... Thanks, I guess?"

"Wahahaha! I suppose now that I think about it, it should have been obvious from the start since you did mention you were going to Aerialla Academy! So you should be a mage rather than a swordswoman!"

I tilted my head, "I thought the Academy also has sword classes? Shouldn’t aspiring swordsmen also aim for the Academy too?"

"If you are aiming to be a magic swordsman? Sure. But there are better sword academies out there that will teach you how to wield a sword better than the Academy."

"Eh? Wait... Then what about close combat skills?"

"Hmm? Well the general idea is that if you intend to use any magic at all, then Aerialla Academy is the undisputed best choice for learning it. If you do not intend to use any magic at all, then there are better places."

Oh, ok then. That got me worried for a second...

Odeta definitely intends to use magic in her fighting style so the Academy would still be a good place for her. I would have felt horrible if I found out there were better places for her to improve her skills...

The King then let out another laugh, "Hahaha! Don’t worry, Lady Aster! Even if Aerialla might not be the best place to learn sword skills, the sword instructors there are still worth their Creas! Even if there are better instructors for that specific skill, you will still be able to build a strong enough foundation to improve yourself later if you want to!"

Ah... He thinks that I was thinking about myself... Well, no need to correct him I guess.

He continued, "Besides! You can come back anytime to spar with me! I won’t mind! The usual people I spar with are either not skilled enough or keep hesitating to attack me so I don’t get to get good fights very often."

Err... Honestly, if I had to... I would rather spar with Sister Rolia instead... No offense...

Obviously I wasn’t going to say that to him though.

"I’ll think about it," I told him.

He must have realised my reluctance because he added, "Come on! I’ll even make it worth your while! Are you interested in any of my children? If you are interested in any of them, I can arrange a meeting! Even the crown prince if you want!"

"Err... Weren’t the other nobles completely against that idea though?" I pointed out.

"Bah! If I really wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it! You don’t need to worry about them, Lady Aster! So how about it? I can call the prince here right now and the both of you can get acquainted! Even if I may be a little biased since I’m their father, I think they would be a good fit for you!"

Before I could answer, the Queen then came up beside him, "Dear... I think that’s enough, don’t you think? You are troubling Lady Aster right now."

"Oh come on dear! I just need to push a little more and I’m sure she will agree to at least meet them!"

"Dear, that’s enough," The Queen repeated, making it clear that there was no room for debate.

Surprisingly, the King merely shrugged his shoulders and stepped back, allowing the Queen to approach me instead.

Looking at her now, she’s about Katsuki’s size which meant that she was also shorter than I was and it felt a little weird that I had to direct my gaze downwards to look her in the eyes.

She smiled, "Do forgive my husband, Lady Aster. Sometimes he can be a little too overbearing, especially when it comes to things that he is interested in."

"Oh... Err... I don’t really mind that much," I admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Mmm... Lady Aster really is benevolent it seems. But it would not sit right with me if I don’t at least apologise somehow. Ah! I know! Lady Aster? I would like to invite you to a tea party I am having two days from now as an apology for my husband stepping out of line~ Please let me show you my sincerity~"

...

These two... They’re really working together huh...

So first the King does something to ’offend’ me so the Queen invites me to meet with them again as an ’apology’ so I can’t just turn down her invitation without being rude... Effectively cutting off any escape I might have to turn this invitation down...

This must have been all part of their plan to keep me around and I have a feeling the Queen also wants the same thing as the King...

I’m even willing to bet that during this ’tea party’, I’ll probably see the prince there or at least a few of their children and I would be encouraged to get to know them...

I managed to hold back my sigh before asking, "I suppose I have no choice but to accept... But one question... Am I allowed to bring a companion with me?"

"Fufufu~ Of course~ But do limit it to just two, Lady Aster. I’m afraid that there is a maximum number of people that can be accommodated during the tea party. I hope you understand."

"Of course, I could not ask for more."

Being allowed to bring someone was already good enough for me!

Now... How am I supposed to tell my girls what happened here?