#Side Story 12. Even if a loyalist has no partner (2)
* * *
Squeak.
quietly.
Open the closed door.
The moment you enter the room.
What I feel is sticky air.
Like a spring flower field full of pollen.
Or even like a container of honey diluted with air.
Even though she was wearing layers of thin but dense outerwear, she moved calmly in the thick air that moistened her skin like perfume.
Spray special disinfectant and deodorant.
Change the disheveled bed sheets.
Sweeping and wiping every corner of the room.
Put away the used towels.
Replacing snacks, etc.
All of his movements were skillful and extremely accurate.
Even the first-class maids at Liberiathan were impressed.
Well, it was natural.
No matter how excellent the Black Dragon Clan maid was, she was nothing compared to the girl who had been thoroughly trained from a young age to serve the princess.
Just like always.
While cleaning the room.
She suddenly stopped her hand.
This is because I found a thin piece of cloth crumpled mercilessly under the sofa.
‘Anyway, that beast…’
From pieces of fabric that were so messed up that it was acceptable to not tear them, to sofas that were in need of replacement.
I frowned for a moment as I looked at the evidence showing what happened to my beloved princess here last night.
She put the piece of cloth away with a sigh.
Sreuk.
‘…ah.’
No, I tried to clean it up.
The moment I picked up the piece of cloth.
It was as if a flower bud had opened.
Until the scent that exploded along with the surrounding air, which became even stickier, passed the tip of my nose.
The scent penetrates even through cotton thread, which boasts a more perfect blocking performance than a gas mask after being processed with special processes and chemicals.
It’s subtle though.
So sweet and intoxicating.
It’s so fascinating that it’s fatal.
She looked blankly at the piece of cloth covered in that scent…
“…What are you doing, Arbella?”
“Kwaaaah!?”
Get angry.
Startled, she looked back.
And before he knew it, he saw a green-haired beauty with the same face as him appear behind him and got angry.
“What are you doing by showing up without even knowing me? “You were surprised!”
“How many times have I called outside and not heard you?”
“…I mean, I should have sung it a little louder. “You know how well soundproof this room is, right?”
“Anyway, it’s your fault for not hearing.”
After a short snort.
Barbara asked again.
“So what were you busy doing?”
“…Of course you were cleaning?”
“You didn’t even know I came in because you were just cleaning?”
“That’s just it! “How important and dangerous it is to clean up the princess’s room!”
Was it because I couldn’t deny those words?
Barbara clicked her tongue as she glanced around the room still filled with sticky air and got to the point.
“Okay, once the cleaning is done, get ready. “It’s time for the Blue Dragon Clan’s guide to arrive soon.”
“Already?”
“There is a lot to prepare to go there.”
“…I understand.”
Arbella, despite making an awkward expression, eventually finished cleaning with Barbara and left the room.
And…
after a while.
After all preparations are completed.
Lastly, check yourself.
Arbella spoke with a heavy sigh as if she were lamenting.
“―This is the worst meeting I have to attend with you.”
“―I agree.”
* * *
The result of fighting for humanity.
The Seven Dragons Association suffered a lot of damage.
The reason why the seven princesses and their close associates were immediately overburdened with work was because most of the highest ranking people, including the elders and the head of the family, had died in battle.
And unfortunately, those who died like that were not only servant-level experts.
A great master who leads the armed forces.
An elder who helped the family in big and small matters.
An executive of the Seven Dragon Group.
President of a subsidiary, etc.
From individual employees to masters.
This is because more severe damage occurred among the middle-class and lower-tier clans.
So from top to bottom.
The Seven Dragons Association suffered from a manpower shortage.
This is even more so because the majority of humanity has already been wiped out and it is a hectic process just to restore the collapsed civilization.
The most critical problem was that the Seven Dragons Association was an organization based on blood relatives.
There are people who acquired psionics and were incorporated, but no matter how many they are, they are still a minority.
Those who were born with psionics and mastered the Seventy-Two Types of Martial Arts were the mainstream of the Seven Dragons.
The reason why the prestigious clan was created was basically to preserve the purity of the bloodline by uniting those who inherited the blood of the dragon.
However, in the fight to survive the apocalypse, the Seven Dragons lost quite a bit of their excellent bloodline.
Even some prestigious clans were completely cut off.
Therefore, the older elders and elders of the clan could not help but be concerned.
Will everything be okay like this?
Even if the princesses of the Seven Dragons have gained hegemony over the world, they need a clan that is absolutely loyal to them to maintain it.
If things continue like this, most of the core prestigious clan will be ruined.
So they thought.
We need to quickly find partners for young people.
It was an old-timer’s idea that once you start a family, everything will be resolved…
but it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Now that humanity has been cut into pieces.
There was no more stable and sure way than holy marriage and childbirth to inherit the power and knowledge of the clan and regain strength.
But right after that.
They were in trouble.
This is because so many young people have died that it has become difficult to find a mate within the clan.
In particular, this tendency was more severe for families with long-standing, prestigious clans and promising later generations.
Even though arranged marriages are common in the Seven Dragon Club, it is all the more important to choose a partner who is suitable for each other.
There’s already a lot of work to do.
In the meantime, we have to arrange a meeting with young people.
The adults of the clan had to worry seriously about death from overwork as they suffered from headaches.
‘huh? Having trouble finding a partner? Then you can just gather all the good men and women and force them to get married, right?’
That was why.
A dictator and a madman who happened to find out about the situation…
No, they were slapping their knees and applauding the genius idea of the best brain of the Seven Dragons.
‘Jekatrice, don’t say nonsense. ‘No matter how arranged, marriage should not be forced.’
Of course, thanks to the conscience of a certain Seven Dragons Association who strongly insisted on its immorality, they became depressed again…
‘Then I would like to know if we can just make a place and not force it.’
The Seven Dragons, as well as the world’s greatest prophet, gave them light and hope.
‘Still, there won’t be enough numbers.’
‘If one clan alone is not enough in number, why not just mix all seven clans together?’
They realized their incompetence when the strongest princess pointed out the problem pointed out by the Seven Dragons’ greatest pharaoh.
‘If it’s not a pureblood, it’s likely that someone from a prestigious clan who bites the foam will participate in such an event.’
‘What if there was a bait that forced you to participate?’
Based on the opinion of the strongest princess of the Seven Dragons, I ended up shedding tears of joy and following the plan planned by the best strategist.
That was why.
Right now at this moment.
The reason why this spacious party hall is filled with young men and women is meaningless despite the saying that there is a manpower shortage.
‘Not bad.’
Elemental Resort.
A golden age in the distant past.
The oldest resort in history built in Hawaii.
It is a particularly special place in that not even the princesses of the Seven Dragons Association can use it as they please, and only those recognized by the Fairy Queen can enter.
Dane A. Morgan was impressed.
The Golden Dragon Clan, the wealthiest member of the Seven Dragons Association.
Even to him, who came from the Morgan family, one of the most prestigious families and enjoyed all kinds of wealth and fame, the splendor of this elemental resort was incredible.
‘Yes, it is an old-fashioned technology.’
But on the other hand.
He assessed calmly.
It is a thing of the past that Elemental Resort was the best resort.
Now that human technology has advanced enough, it is possible to create a resort of similar quality.
The fact that this place remained safe in the first place was thanks to ignoring the monsters as they passed by, as it was an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Of course, there were many people who participated here just for that reason.
Currently, civilization has completely collapsed.
Even if you have money and power, it is difficult to enjoy luxury, and there were only a very few people in the Seven Dragon Club who could enjoy a party like this.
Still, if only that were it.
Dane wouldn’t have come.
He is a descendant of the great Morgan family.
Excluding the direct descendants of the seven princesses, she was a member of a family that prided itself on being the most prestigious among all the clans of the Seven Dragons.
Even more so in the fact that he has already reached the extreme level of a great master at a young age and is aiming to reach the level of a master.
To be honest, he was confident that he could take a girl from any prestigious family as his bride if he wanted to.
Nevertheless, the reason he attended this event was not just because the party itself was arranged by the seven princesses.
It was because of a rumor.
―A close associate is participating in this party.
I wonder if the rumor is true.
Also, how many people are participating?
He didn’t know that either.
In the Seven Dragons’ Association, a confidant is someone who can do anything without worrying about anyone except the princess.
Even for an elder or head of a prestigious family, it was difficult to get the schedule confirmed, let alone force something on them.
But just the existence of such rumors was enough reason to attend this event.
Most other attendees were likely to feel the same way.
Currently, the princess’s close associates are all people who have achieved positions of power at a young age.
Even if it was a late-life figure from a prestigious family…
or rather, the more outstanding the later-day figure, the more it was a flower on a cliff that one could not help but admire.
It was worth wasting time just to have the possibility of meeting them and meeting them all at once.
It’s a shame because participation is limited to single men and women.
Otherwise, this party venue would have been crowded with all kinds of people.
‘If they are the princess’s close associates, even other clans are qualified to be my companions.’
…Of course, there were people like Dane who were targeting his associates quite seriously.
If it was natural, it was natural.
In the first place, all attendees of this party were reviewers. Because they were young, full of passion, and confident enough to be reckless.
Especially the Golden Dragon clan, who are naturally arrogant.
That was the reason why the atmosphere of this group meeting disguised as a party was strangely somber.
The young men as well as the female participants had their hearts set on the soybean fields and were spending their time only politely greeting each other.
Sigh.
It was that moment.
The closed door opens.
Everyone at the party stopped what they were doing and focused their attention towards the entrance.
It was not a habitual action that had been repeated over and over again.
The explosively strong psionic energy felt as soon as the door opened was the result of stimulating their instincts as warriors.
With that feeling of shivering down my back.
The moment I saw this person entering the party.
‘…ah.’
Everyone at the party, including Dane, regardless of gender, was mesmerized.