I Don’t Want To Be the Main Character

111. Virtual Coronation (1)

1.

Arwen’s words may seem irresponsible at first, but they are not in fact meaningless.

It’s like jumping on the tiger’s back and spitting milk.

Symbol tax.

Whether Ludrick wanted it or not, the name Ludrick Weiss had already been widely used in the capital’s political circles for a long time.

Perhaps the lover of the second princess, Elena.

A new court wizard.

The first human to defeat a dragon since the mythical age.

If you had just one of the three modifiers attached to you, you would have garnered a lot of attention from the world, but if you had all three modifiers hanging around like accessories, it would have been strange if you hadn’t attracted attention. Even if, in fact, there was only one of them, the new court magician.

The public originally did not distinguish between truth and falsehood in gossip. Just as gossip that relieves momentary boredom is stimulating, the truth or falsehood is not important as long as it is true.

But that was exactly Ludrick’s situation right now.

“……What kind of rumors started like that without me knowing? Why are you spreading such ridiculous rumors in the first place?”

Ludrick frowned as he couldn’t bring himself to say something to Eileen directly, but instead expressed his dissatisfaction indirectly.

I was already flustered by the unexpected scale of the appointment ceremony that was befitting the Esgelant Empire, but I couldn’t quite understand why so many nobles had gathered to watch what I had thought was just a ceremonial ceremony.

But, as Arwen said, complaining like this here wouldn’t change anything.

“Phew…….”

Ludrick took a deep breath, slightly opened the curtain at the back of the hall, and looked outside.

“Ugh.”

And then I hurriedly closed the curtains that I had slightly opened.

As befitting a large-scale empire, the Hall of the Sun could easily accommodate over a thousand people, but at first glance, the large hall was filled with people.

“The protagonist is here. What do you think? I asked you to make the procedure as simple and straightforward as possible, so I prepared it that way. Do you like it?”

“……This was a simple event.”

“It’s all thanks to you that we were able to prepare so quickly. Looking through the few remaining documents, I found that the previous royal court magician’s inauguration ceremony had over fifty ceremonial items. This time, we compromised by cutting out unnecessary side items and reducing it to fifteen.”

“Fifteen compromises……”

Ludrick looked tired at the words of Count Palatine Voltaire, who had come to express his gratitude.

My memory is starting to fade, but I think school graduations and entrance ceremonies used to end around ten people. If they were reduced to fifteen, I would naturally feel a sense of rejection. Just thinking about standing in front of that large crowd for a long time makes me feel a little embarrassed.

“Still, I’m glad you wanted a simple ceremony. Thanks to that, we were able to prepare quickly. If we had done it like the previous inauguration ceremony, it would have taken half a year just to prepare.”

“If it takes half a year to prepare for the coronation of His Majesty the Emperor, and not just the inauguration ceremony of a single magician, isn’t that a problem in its own right…?”

“I understand why you say that, since wizards are usually free-spirited, but I guess there are rules of etiquette and tradition.”

Voltaire, Count of the Palace, smiled with a good-natured laugh.

“Anyway, the meal will start soon, so get ready. Since you like it, it seems like all the hard work was worth it.”

And with those words, the Count of the Palace disappeared again.

Ludrick muttered as he watched the back of the departing Count.

“……I don’t think I ever said I liked it.”

“What can I do? It’s because you didn’t order in detail.”

“Arwen, do you really want to get in trouble?”

After glaring at Arwen, who kept making noise next to him, Ludrick adjusted his clothes for no reason.

And, how long has it been since the Count of the Palace disappeared? This time, a new face that should have been in the VIP seat has appeared.

“That’s fortunate.”

“What a relief. People are flocking here now because of a rumor that someone spread.”

The first words Eileen spoke immediately caused Ludrick to grumble.

In fact, the culprit of this incident was Eileen. Strictly speaking, it should have ended with only internal reports and documents. However, because of the rumors spread by Eileen, who was directly involved in the incident, interest in Ludrick increased several times over.

“How can casting a spell on a dragon turn into winning a fight with the dragon? Eileen wasn’t even there.”

“Isn’t it good that it’s good?”

Despite Ludrick’s nagging, Eileen approached with a faint smile and continued talking while adjusting the tie Ludrick was wearing.

“Anyway, Ludrick, you’ve got so much attention. At least no one will be jealous of your sudden rise to fame.”

“……I don’t really care about that kind of thing, but is it really not there?”

“As you know, the position of court magician is not hereditary. There are some negative views among the world toward you for taking up that position simply because you are their disciple… But that’s enough.”

Eileen, who had tied her tie neatly, seemed to realize only then that the distance between them was too close, and spoke with a blush.

“At least from what I’ve heard, all those fools have disappeared. The feat of fighting and defeating a dragon. Isn’t it a feat comparable to that of a warrior defeating a demon king in the distant mythical era?”

“…If you just listen to me, you’ll think I’m a dragon slayer.”

“Any wizard who can successfully cast a spell while breaking through the ridiculous magic resistance unique to the dragon species is already no different from a dragon slayer.”

“Well, I’m not going to ask you to fight a real dragon, so it’s okay if you get that wrong… But anyway, Eileen’s nose is bleeding.”

Gulp.

“……You made a disgrace.”

At this point, Eileen’s identity felt like it had been solidified by coffee. I thought I had somehow built up some tolerance, but it seems like the fact that we were too close while I was adjusting my tie had taken a toll on me.

Eileen took out a handkerchief and wiped the flowing blood as if it was nothing, and muttered in a puzzled tone.

“…It doesn’t make sense that I’m losing control of my body.”

Eileen herself seemed to know that it was embarrassing, as her voice gradually became smaller and smaller towards the end.

“You know that doesn’t make sense. It’s a good thing you know that. At least you can still feel shame as a human being.”

“You talk a lot when you were just lucky.”

“…What did you say?”

“If only I knew how to use transformation magic…….”

The problem was that the tension between the two became tense as Eileen reacted sensitively to Arwen’s casual remark, as if she was being treated unfairly.

“Then why weren’t you born a vampire instead of a human? If you kneel down and beg, I can at least consider taking you as my servant.”

“Those well-to-do followers will hit the ground if they see that. They’re just acting cute and imitating a cat, so they’re saying that he’s the real king.”

“…Have you just finished talking?”

“No, it’s not over yet.”

As the argument between the two began to escalate, Ludrick eventually had no choice but to intervene.

“Both of you stop.”

“Tch.”

“Tch.”

The way they turned their heads and clicked their tongues was exactly the same. Whether Ludrick chose all five of them or not, it seemed that the deep emotional rift between the rivals would not be easily bridged. Ludrick, who realized that they had a long way to go after seeing that, clicked his tongue along with them.

“How can we fight when we meet? You should say hello when you meet. What can we do if we fight?”

“……Didn’t you see that just now? I was the one who started the fight.”

“How could I be happy to meet you?”

It was a little uncomfortable to see them, even though they were only four or five years old, telling each other everything in detail, but there was nothing I could do. Since they had made that choice, it was a process that Ludrick would have to endure.

Ludrick sighed and prescribed a strong remedy.

“If you fight in front of me again, Arwen, I will make you sleep outside for a month.”

“That, that kind of…!”

“And Eileen too. She’s banned from contact for a month.”

“……!”

As soon as Ludrick finished speaking, Arwen and Eileen became as quiet as mice. Now that the environment was conducive to conversation, Ludrick glared at the two who had to be threatened like this to listen and asked.

“But shouldn’t Eileen be in the VIP seat?”

“I took a look outside before coming. It looks like everyone who’s coming has already arrived. I think they’ll probably start once they finish cleaning up inside.”

“……Anyway, people gathered because of the rumors Eileen spread.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“What is it?”

Eileen glanced around to see if there was anyone listening, then opened her mouth.

“It’s practically your coronation, so the more people the better.”

“You know that if someone else hears what you just said and reports you for treason, it could be a problem, right?”

“Don’t worry. There are so many ears listening, I’m not stupid enough to say something like that without thinking.”

Eileen answered with a strange expression on her face, as if trying to hold back her laughter.

I was deeply moved.

Although the numerous problems that have piled up here and there have not been completely resolved, it was worth experiencing the miracle of return, a gift from God.

For her, this episode was going smoothly, at least so far. She had never dreamed that, less than a year after her regression, she would be seeing Rudrick undergo a virtual coronation.

Although Ludrick in front of him still doesn’t seem to be fully aware of it, the significance of this appointment ceremony was much greater than Ludrick had thought.

Just thinking about it, Ludrick was the only human with this much magical ability. An ordinary human magician, even if he used all his power to attack with magic, wouldn’t be able to leave a single scratch on the dragon’s scales. Even if he were a great magician, it wouldn’t be much different.

It is absolutely not true that the numerous nobles from outside gathered here simply out of curiosity.

So, until Ludrick realizes its meaning, until this coronation begins.

Eileen blushed again, deciding to leave it as a small pleasure while watching.

“You will know soon enough.”