After successfully completing the planned transaction, Akane and Frau were returning the way they had come to the carriage of their traveling trading company.
[Come to think of it, they mentioned they wanted some souvenirs. It can’t be helped, let’s buy something to eat before we return.]
[I suppose. There are a lot of stalls here after all…… Now that I think of it, isn’t that rumored otherworlder living here in the royal capital?]
[Ahh~~ That really famous fellow huh. I’ve heard a few rumors about him myself.]
[I didn’t participate in the last Festival of Heroes, but was he perhaps an incredibly amazing Hero?][No, from what I’ve heard, an accident happened in the previous Hero Summoning, and otherworlders other than the person who plays the role of Hero was summoned, and that famous guy was apparently one of those who got caught up otherworlders.]
Akane was also interested in the topic that Frau had brought up, replying to her with a somewhat excited tone. Even then, the information they had acquired was only limited to gossip at best.
The existence of Kaito in the Symphonia Kingdom is well know, especially among the upper echelons of the countries such as the nobility, and rumors of his achievements in the Sacred Tree Festival have spread to a certain extent to the general public as well…… but only rumors about him were circulating.
In fact, many of the commoners probably don’t even know that an accident occurred in the Hero Summoning. Being the Head of her trading company though, Akane had some information network of her own, but even with that, she doesn’t have much detailed information about him because her trading company doesn’t do much business with the nobility.
[Is that so? That’s the first time I’ve heard that an accident happened in the Hero Summoning.]
[Of course, they won’t go around saying things that would cause them embarrassment. Even I only heard about this from the people I know.]
[Fumu, but if he wasn’t someone playing the role of Hero, he certainly would have the time to spare…… and the rumors about him would be credible huh?][No, I think there are a lot of embellishments in the rumors about him. Close friends with not only the Six Kings and the Supreme Beings, but even the God of Creation herself, Kuromu-sama’s lover, Death King-sama’s lover…… And not only that, he’s apparently specially loved by the God of Creation, won the Sacred Tree Festival and possesses a fortune that ordinary nobles can’t match? All of that in just one year? There’s a limit to how much exaggerated his story they can make.]
[The rumors about him weren’t very clear either. He had apparently subdued Phantasmal King-sama, received God of Fate-sama’s Blessing, rumors about him were all over the place.]
[If all those things were true, what kind of monster would he be? There’s no way someone who’s a human like me could do something like that.]
[That’s true.]
Even though the rumors the two of them heard about him were all true…… but all the rumors about him were too much, and they both thought that all of them were exaggerated.
[……However, I guess not all of the rumors were false. It is said that where there’s smoke, there would be fire, and even though there are parts of the rumors that are exaggerated because someone found it amusing, I’m sure there’s also some truth mixed in.]
[Fumu, in that case, Chairman, which part of the rumors do you think were true?]
[Hmmm, I think that him being lovers with Kuromu-sama is the truth. When I greeted her at the Six Kings Festival, Kuromu-sama seemed to be in a good mood, and she mentioned how she was looking forward to going around the festival with a boy named Kaito-kun on the 6th day. I think this Kaito-kun guy is that rumored otherwolder.]
[I mean, in the first place, didn’t you see that otherworlder at the Six Kings Festival, Chairman?]
[I didn’t see him. I was a Bronze, and I didn’t see him among the audience nor at the stage in the opening ceremony. I also wasn’t able to participate in the party on the last day.]
Akane was somewhat acquainted with Kuromueina, and she also had some business dealings with some of the World King’s subordinates, so she had received an invitation from both Kuromueina and Lillywood.
However, other than them, she’s never talked to any of the other members of the Six Kings properly, and of course, having been unable to attend the party on the last day, she’ve never seen Kaito.
[……That’s why I think that him being lovers with Kuromu-sama is real. With his connection with Kuromu-sama, it wouldn’t be surprising if he met the other members of the Six Kings. Well, even though their closeness is exaggerated, I guess they do know each other. I also think him being lovers with Death King-sama is one big embellishment. Heck, in the first place, isn’t talking to Death King-sama impossible?]
[Well, indeed.. It’s safe to say that it’s impossible……]
[I don’t know anything about the God Realm, but being Kuromu-sama’s lover in itself is quite a big news, so wouldn’t it be possible that the rumors got exaggerated when one person talked about it to another?]
[I see, but something about it feels mysterious though. If he’s Underworld King-sama’s lover, I think it wouldn’t be surprising if this story had spread more widely…… but for this information to just circulate as rumors?]
[Right. If I hadn’t talked to Kuromu-sama directly, I would have just ignored it as bad gossip.]
In fact, putting aside the information circulating among the nobles, the information about Kaito around the general public were only on the level of rumors. Of course, this is the result of Alice’s handiwork, who can be said to be in control of the world’s information, but the two of them have no way of knowing that.
As a result, their perception of Kaito is that he is an otherworlder who’s amazing only in rumors.
[Since we’re here, should we try looking for him?]
[We don’t know his face or full name, so how can we look for him? Stop saying stupid stuff. Let’s just buy those souvenirs and return already.]
As Akane and Frau walked along, a man who passed by them suddenly turned around, and looking at their backs, he muttered to himself.
[……Those leopard-print clothes are so conspicuous. Rather, was that Kansai dialect I heard earlier? Me hearing Kansai dialect after the Auto-translation, what does this mean? Hmmm, is it like an expression of accents?]
He tilted his head in wonder, but he decided not to worry about it anymore…… Thereupon, “Miyama Kaito” walked in the opposite direction of where they had gone.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Putting aside Kaito and Akane, wouldn’t Frau be able to tell that Kaito is an otherworlder with his magic power?]
? ? ? : [She can see it if she wanted to, but the only people who can sense magic power at any given time are those as powerful as Peerage-holders, so it’s not surprising that she didn’t notice it.]
Serious-senpai : [I see.]
