"Hmm, fine. Just don''t drag me down with you."

    "...I’ll do my best."

    After successfully receiving permission from Olina-san, I glanced at my mother.

    This was probably the first time I would be facing her with such seriousness.

    My wind magic faintly captured her breathing pattern. It was a series of unhurried, and shallow breathing. Her feet were rooted to the ground so firmly, it was as if she and the floor were one.

    I was sure that she was paying attention to me in a corner of her mind, but her eyes were focused on Olina-san.

    I was pretty far from either of their levels, so I didn''t understand everything, but maybe it was a tactic to gauge each other''s caliber by not rushing to take action.

    "What''s the matter? If you''re not making the first move—"

    After a momentary silent stare-off, Olina-san spoke while slightly moving forward when— my elder sister chuckled as she jumped backward.

    The earlier leeway vanished from Oliana-san''s expression when she saw that, replaced by an astounded look.

    "————I knew you would do that, Elder Sister!!!"

    I promptly jumped to the left from my sister''s viewpoint— in short, I was directly between her and His Majesty.

    I knew that was coming. I thought to myself, what would I do to create an opening in Olina-san''s form? A frontal clash in a 2-vs-1 scenario would be a fool''s errand.

    In that case, it would be best to use something in the surrounding as a distraction. By reaching that conclusion, the only way to force a reaction from Olina-san was to use something — in this case, it was His Majesty — that she would and must protect even if it cost her life.

    But of course, a person with common sense, like me, might think of it but would know that it was a move that was close to insanity.

    However, my elder sister was someone who would do it, that I had no doubt.

    That said, she wouldn''t be thinking of actually targeting His Majesty at all. Plus, there were two knights stationed by his side, and they should be trained enough to hold their ground against her, not to mention the fact that her weapon had a dull edge.

    However, Olina-san wouldn''t be able to stay calm, especially after noticing my sister''s momentary burst of power... Wait, could it be—

    Such doubt would certainly be able to create the opening they needed. A possible victory gained through such an act might make our family face some harsh criticism. I stepped up precisely to make sure no such incident happened. After all, Olina-san may be formidable, but 2-vs-1 wasn''t a pretty situation to handle.

    "I knew you would do that, Allen-kun! But... I can''t have you get in the way, so stay there!"

    My sister said that, and sharply turned toward Olina-san while throwing her sword at me.

    I managed to divert her charge, though as an attendee of this event, I couldn''t let the sword reach His Majesty.

    I parried the hurled sword and glanced at my sister. I noticed that my mother followed up with an upward slash from the right-hand side, taking advantage of the gap in Olina-san''s focus due to my sister''s action.

    *Clang!!!!*

    Seeing that I managed to deal with the incident without issues, Olina-san also hastily adjusted her stance and responded to the incoming slash. In the worst way possible, they were now locked in a stalemate.

    Meanwhile, my sister, having created some distance between us, hurled a fist at Olina-san''s face.

    "Rrrrrghhh!"

    Oliana-san hastily pushed back my mother’s sword as she channeled her mana into overdrive mode, and accepted the incoming fist with her forehead.

    *THUMMMP!*

    My mother sighed and rebuked her.

    "How could you target His Majesty, Rose? It was supposed to be a mere spar. Learn to consider time and place, alright?"

    A pout crept on my sister''s face.

    "But why? You didn''t miss the chance to exploit the gap though. And that''s what you taught me— ''You must resolutely hold your weapon no matter who you''re facing. This is what it means to be a defender.'' You’ve been telling me that since I was three, I think?"

    She retorted. Nonetheless, my mother''s stare continued to bore down on her. In the end, my sister flinched slightly and raised her hands in defeat.

    "I went overboard. I''m sorry."

    As the two wrapped up their carefree exchange, one of the guests, having finally broken out of their trance, I think his name was Andrew-san, suddenly raised his voice in anger.

    "Y-you think ''sorry'' is enough?! How are you going to make amends for this travesty, Viscount Bellwood Von Rovenne?!"

    My father, who had been staring at a potted plant, finally looked up and turned around with a genuinely surprised expression.

    "Huh, ah, my bad. I was so entranced by the beautiful branches of the flowering quince tree that I didn''t see the details. What about you, Schord?"

    He pretended to be oblivious to the situation, and even pushed the problem to Schord.

    "Now I see, so this has been your doing, Unceasing Prudence? Was your so-called lofty philosophical views about fortitude and spirit merely a stunt?! Answer me!"

    Andrew-san next turned his attention to Schord despite the latter having no relation to the situation.

    Schord, who had been standing at the corner of the venue, shook his head when people looked his way.

    "That''s rather a weird question to ask me, a commoner devoid of any martial arts talent. Moreover, the concept of fortitude and spirit had been conceived by Young Master Allen, which he''s gradually fostering."

    With an innocuous smile, Schord said this, and then turned to Olina-san.

    "—''Fret not, I know when to take control of the situation if something goes wrong. You can''t be a knight unless you''re capable of that much, after all. So show me your strength.'' I believe Olina-sama had said this herself. May I ask, have you found the answer?"

    Everyone was taken aback by Schord''s carefree words— except for one person.

    His Majesty crackled in laughter.

    "Kuku. Hahahaha! That was fun! This has to be the first performance I have ever had so much fun in!"

    "You count this blasphemy as a p-performance, Your Majesty? This lass just pointed her sword at you!"

    "She had no intention to harm me, I just happened to be in the way. Above all, knight Allen had promptly taken action to thwart the danger. This is still well within the realm of entertainment."

    "However, Allen Rovenne himself had verbally said that ''I knew you would do that,'' this isn''t—"

    "But don''t you agree that it''s only fun this way? Olina-san''s expression was priceless, I must say. Hahaha... Alright, I won’t be receiving any more complaints about it. There''s no need to make a mountain out of a molehill. And Olina, have you measured Cecilia''s strength enough as a guardian? You wouldn’t suggest canceling the soire?e now, would you?"

    As His Majesty asked with a grin, Olina-san sighed.

    "...Yes, Your Majesty. Of course, there is no problem.

    Caprine! Add six more knights to the security detail! Focus on protecting His Majesty and Yua-sama! His Majesty is due for a foreign trip starting tomorrow. Ensure the same level of vigilance as if protecting him during diplomatic negotiations with a foreign country! In case any mischievous person appears, buy us some time. I’ll take care of them.

    Roselia, you stay 10 meters away while Cecilia, you stay at least 15 meters away from His Majesty and Yua-sama."

    After giving these instructions, Olina-san turned to His Majesty and declared with a serious face, "Everything is settled now."