Chapter 86: Chapter 160 – The Arrangement

Asterios walked slightly behind Tina and Silvia as they headed towards the place where the members of the Royal Division had gathered after the showmatch. They were currently waiting for the princess and tending to their beasts. He could tell that everyone there shared a bond with their animal companion just from how they acted.

The trio soon reached the group and both the tigers and their riders raised themselves from the ground, lining up in front of Silvia. They stood proudly side by side, awaiting further orders from their princess. The white-furred winged lion stepped forward, towering slightly over its smaller kin-relatives.

Silvia placed her palm on its muzzle and gently brushed over it while glancing toward her men.

“We will be now moving to the mansion of the Nobelle family for the post-graduation celebration. You have fulfilled your role and can return to the castle. Thank you for participating in this event.”

A black-haired woman stepped forth from the line and brought her fist to her chest while straightening up her posture.

“It is our wish and duty to assure your safety, Princess. We request permission to remain here until an emergency call arrives from the base of operations. As this squad’s captain, I swear that you won’t even notice our presence during your activities.”

After thinking about the captain’s request for a little while, Silvia glanced at Tina.

“Do you think it would be a problem if they came too? It isn’t exactly their official escort mission and I would feel a little bad having them keep watch outside on their rest day.”

Tina smiled warmly and quickly shook her head. “Of course not, Princess Silvia. I’m sure Mother and Father went overboard with the banquet as they usually do, so there won’t be any issues even if everyone here joins. Although, we might not fit all those magnificent beasts, hahaha.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. They are all summons in the end,” Silvia replied.

“They are?” Tina’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s amazing. I had a feeling everyone was a Summoner after they set up the barrier together but it’s truly incredible that they all have the same familiars.”

Asterios stepped closer to them. “I think it’s pretty much obligatory if they want to maintain a consistent image. I’m sure you could feel it when they showed up. It just looks great when the whole unit has matching uniforms, armor, and beasts.”

Silvia nodded at him. “That’s right. We don't exactly limit our Summoners in what kind of entities they can contract but there are usually a few familiars that are mandatory, depending on the main purpose of the unit. The beasts serving as their mounts are more or less standardized amongst the whole division but I bet you noticed that a long time ago.”

“Yeah. Whenever you would spot the Royal Division, be it during a parade, official mission, or flying somewhere through the skies, they always used white-furred winged tigers. It’s pretty much become their most recognizable feature,” Tina agreed.

“That is true and was naturally our goal. We help our Summoners out in contracting those beasts by providing all the necessary resources and aiding them during the rituals. They rarely fail because our family has a long-running oath with their tribe in a certain realm and they lend their strength to our men in exchange for a certain something which I won’t disclose for obvious reasons,” the princess explained.

“That’s so awesome!” Tina jumped in place excitedly. “As expected of the famous Royal Division!”

Silvia showed a soft smile. “You will get yours soon. Granted that you accept the invitation.”

“Ummmm… About that…” A slightly awkward chuckle escaped Tina’s lips.

“There’s no need to worry, you won’t be split from your beloved if you do so. You have been placed in a special quick-response reserve unit which gathers only during emergencies, and official ceremonies, of course. It will be enough for you to show up now and then for those, and for some training sessions. With Ast’s help, I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.”

Tina blushed heavily after the princess called Asterios her beloved and snuck a glance at him standing by her side. It wasn’t exactly wrong but it felt slightly embarrassing having it pointed out in front of the man himself and all those people from the Royal Division.

“Thank you… I really appreciate it, Princess Silvia…” she whispered shyly.

“Think nothing of it. It’s our pleasure to welcome another talent into our ranks. From both what Asterios told me about you and the earlier bout, I’m certain that you will be a great addition to the team. Don’t you guys think so?”

“Yessir!” All the members responded in unison, heartily agreeing with the princess.

Asterios placed a hand on Tina’s shoulder and looked between the girls. “Now, let’s not waste any more time and get on the way. I think we gave everyone enough of a head start. There’s a big event waiting for us and its main star is right in our hands. Can’t have the most important person show up late, can we?”

An even stronger shade of crimson covered Tina’s adorable cheeks as she nodded in agreement. Watching the troops mount their respective winged tigers, she glanced at Asterios, now wingless since the moment they had ended their duel.

“How are you going to keep up with us? Are you going to borrow those gorgeous white wings from one of your summons? Or are you going to ride with one of the knights?”

He smiled at her and took a step back. A crimson aura leaked out of his body as Asterios closed his hands into fists and took a deep breath. A little more used to it now, he brought out his draconic wings without too much pain and discomfort showing on his face.

Tina gasped and covered her mouth the moment the ominous appendages flapped strongly around his figure and folded behind Ast’s back. He opened his eyes and she could spot a slight glint in them, one she hadn’t yet experienced. It was very enchanting, just like his wings.

“I still need to practice using these so I’ll just fly by your side with their help. Everyone ready?”

A simultaneous roar of over twenty beasts caused Tina to jump a little, with the most powerful one coming from right next to her, and she turned her face towards the source. Silvia sat on her proud lion and extended a hand to her from above with a gentle smile. All the men and women were on their mounts too, prepared to take off.

She accepted the princess’s invitation and let herself be pulled up. Silvia sat her in the front and showed Tina where to hold the masterfully-crafted saddle. Fortunately, it was big enough for two people to easily fit in without any issues and even had additional stirrups she could set her feet in.

Seeing that everyone was ready to depart, Asterios nodded at the two women sitting together on the majestic beast and spread his draconic wings wide. Making a powerful flap, he launched himself into the air, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

“Hold on tight, Old Velkas really hates losing in terms of speed.”

“Wha—ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Tina didn’t even get to glance back at Silvia before the lion lunged forward with three big leaps and took off too. In just a few seconds, they caught up to Asterios, who was still rising, and he noticed their chase. Chuckling to himself, he went all out.

For the next few minutes, they circled the entire Rosewind while trying to pass each other. Silvia hadn’t boasted for nothing. Her valiant steed had almost no issues keeping up with Asterios. He assumed that the winged beast was able to enhance itself with magic. Otherwise, he would have left them in the dust long ago.

The Royal Division didn’t fall too far behind either. They always kept a steady formation and followed the duo that rushed ahead from the same distance. Each person and beast was experienced in aerial pursuits so it was nothing to them. At least as long as it didn’t keep up for countless hours.

Spotting the carriages belonging to the Nobelle and Richtenstein families slowly approaching the former’s residence, they finished their little game and assumed an unhurried pace. Asterios stayed close to Silvia’s lion so they could talk a little.

“These are new, aren’t they?” Tina asked, glancing his way with a faint sparkle in her eyes.

“A little bit, yes. A few things have happened since the Blood Summoning. I’ll fill you in on everything when we get a moment. I didn’t want to disturb you during the last few weeks of school.” He smiled at her.

“You are in for a great story,” Silvia added.

Tina turned around a bit to look behind her. “Are you part of it too, Princess Silvia? What’s your relationship with Asterios?”

As rarely as it happened, Silvia chuckled softly, making Tina aware of how she had worded her question.

“Ah! I meant as in if you are friends, allies, temporarily traveling together, just met, or things like that!” she quickly corrected herself, getting all hot and red. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m pretty sure I would be wondering about the same if my partner showed up with another woman by his side while acting friendly with her. I think we are friends, right?” The princess glanced at Asterios.

“I think so, if only you consider us your friends, Princess,” he replied.

She returned her face to Tina. “Right now, Asterios is my instructor, kind of. He’s much better with fire than me and agreed to Father’s request to let me join his party in the Demon Continent. We haven’t spent much time together but I have already gained a lot from it. I’m really thankful.”

“I see.” Tina giggled, still a little embarrassed. “I think you got the best instructor you could have. When he sets his mind on something, Asterios always gives his all to do it properly. I’m sure it’s the same for helping you out.”

“That he does,” Silvia agreed.

They both chuckled quietly together while Asterios smiled wryly. For the rest of their airborne trip, he didn’t interrupt the two girls chatting with each other. He recalled the king’s words about Silvia not really having any real close and casual friends amongst her peers. As they talked, he felt like she and Tina got along quite nicely. They both were smart and talented noble ladies, in the end.

Moments before the carriages passed the main gate of the estate, they descended from the sky and landed in front of the entrance to the mansion. The Royal Division made a corridor along the path leading to it, turning the arrival of Tina’s family and the others into a more ceremonial procession.

Asterios dismissed his wings and helped Tina down, evoking another faint blush on his girlfriend’s face. Naturally, he helped Silvia down too, trying to be as respectful as possible. At her command, the troops sent their beasts back home and gathered around with everyone else.

Tina led them inside with Asterios by her side. It was a little embarrassing but she was amongst her family so she didn’t want to hide how she felt about Asterios and they gently held hands while walking. Silvia followed shortly after the pair.

“What took you so long, sister? Did you get lost on your way home?”

Shortly after entering a grand banquet hall, already fully set up, with multiple servants waiting for the arrival of the guests, a feminine voice reached their ears somewhere from the side. Tina’s head instantly snapped towards the source and a wide smile snuck onto her lips. 

“Gwen! What are you doing here?” 

She hastily trotted to a girl with slightly similar features to herself and the two entered a light hug. It was the first time Asterios saw the second daughter of the Nobelle family in person and he couldn’t really believe that Tina was the older one there. From what he knew, they were two years apart.

While being the younger one, Gwen was already about a forehead taller than her sister. Additionally, her short hairstyle added some maturity to her appearance. Both she and Tina had the same hair color, with just the length differentiating it.

Gwen wore official-looking clothes in a style close to something between the Adventurer’s Guild receptionist uniform and the Rosewind Summoner Academy’s school outfit for women. Instead of being cream, the blazer covering her shoulders had a navy blue shade while the skirt was all black. A classy shirt with a fitting tie completed the set. To top all of that, slim, square glasses decorated her small nose.

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“What do you mean by what I am doing here?” she asked with a tender chuckle. “I wouldn’t ever miss my big sister’s graduation. I’m sure you wouldn’t miss mine, would you?”

“Never, hahaha. Why didn’t you say anything? I thought you were extremely busy with your own studies in the capital. I’m pretty sure the college for civil guildmasters was much less lenient than my school.”

“I made sure to save all my rest time just for this occasion. Don’t worry, I won’t be behind because of you. You know that I’m quite good myself too, always trying to chase after my genius big sister.”

Tina blushed and giggled timidly. Then, Gwen looked past her and moved her gaze onto Asterios.

“You must be the guy my sister can’t stop talking about in all her letters. I’m happy to finally meet you, A—”

She froze the moment her eyes registered someone else by his side and widened to the brim.

“The princess?” Gwen muttered under her breath.

Tina’s chuckle brought her out of her stupor. “Yes, it’s Princess Silvia. Not exactly a guest we have expected but I hope you don’t mind this sudden little change. And please, try to contain yourself,” she added the last part quietly for only her sister to hear.

Gwen swallowed loudly and nodded. Princess Silvia was her idol to some extent. A beautiful young noble girl with a lot of knowledge and a very kind personality, known and loved by everyone in the kingdom.

She had hoped that one day, after becoming a known guildmaster, she would have a chance to meet her officially at the castle. She would have never thought that day would come even before she graduated.

“Wha-What is she doing here?” she whispered to Tina while trying to smile politely at the princess.

“Asterios brought her in for the graduation ceremony.”

“He did?”

“You should have seen it! The Royal Division is even more majestic from up close! Ah! They are there, just behind Father and Mother! Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

It was Gwen’s turn to chuckle wryly. After making sure that her sister was holding on decently well with the sudden turn of events, Tina returned to Asterios and Silvia.

But, the moment she reached them, another person she hadn’t expected entered her sight on the other side of the entrance.

“Miss Kindra! You too?”

Ast’s mother walked closer while chuckling softly. She nodded respectfully at the princess and smiled at Asterios before stopping in front of the star of the evening.

“But of course, my dear Tina. How could I not show up on your big day after you did so much for me? Thanks to Asti, I can easily come and go whenever I want, ufufufu~”

The two women exchanged a brief hug too.

“Besides, our families are going to get really close pretty soon, aren’t they?” Kindra winked at Tina, making the short girl red again.

Asterios didn’t miss that remark.

With no more surprises hiding behind any corner, Tina finally properly invited everyone inside and personally welcomed all the guests at the entrance. As per her request, Asterios accompanied her during the short event, giving her some more confidence in herself just with his presence.

Besides Princess Silvia’s sudden arrival on the guest list, and Marquess Wilhelm's family too, a few small friendly noble houses had been invited to the banquet. Most of them were distant relatives of the Nobelle family or their close friends. Tina received a few symbolic gifts from each house, smiling warmly each time someone handed her something even though it wasn’t exactly a custom or anything.

All of Ast’s familiars finally entered his realm too, congratulating Tina at the very end of the queue. She was very surprised to see Bryn for the first time, amazed by the valiant and mature beauty. The slightly insecure Valkyrie blushed a little when complimented so much about not just her wings but also her looks.

Shortly after, the party started. Naturally, it didn’t take long before some small cliques formed, with certain guests hanging out around specific other personas more than the others. Nothing felt malicious, though, and people sometimes rotated.

Silvia watched everything mostly from the side, not wanting to steal Tina’s thunder, even though she knew it wasn’t completely possible. Just her presence caused some people to often glance her way and nod respectfully.

But, she hadn’t thought she would be pulled into the evening by a few younger and slightly older noble kids. She was a little hesitant to join them due to her usual experiences during balls like this, but she was pleasantly surprised by the friendly atmosphere amongst them.

Asterios and Tina observed her from afar, smiling at each other, happy that the banquet was turning out fine even with the surprising guest of very high status. They walked around the place almost always together, looking now more like a couple than ever before, and Tina was very aware of that.

After another loud toast, they moved to a balcony to get some fresh air. Standing side by side, they gazed into the night sky, with Tina resting her head on Ast’s shoulder. He tenderly rubbed her side, enjoying the quiet moment with the bustling celebration behind their backs.

The sound of footsteps reached their ears and they glanced behind. A young teenage girl walked toward them. They both recognized Irelia, Marquess Wilhelm’s daughter and Roz’s sister, and turned around to face her.

“I hope I’m not interrupting your moment,” she began politely after stopping in front of them.

“No, it’s fine. We are just taking a little rest here. Do you maybe need something?” Tina asked with a smile.

“I just wanted to thank you. Both. But specifically Mister Asterios. Thanks to you, Roz got what he deserved and it’s now much easier for me to follow my dream without him taking it out on me. I wanted to thank you sooner but I didn’t find you the day I came with my father to Miss Kindra’s home.”

Tina squeezed Ast’s hand a little more as her smile grew.

“I’m glad that everything turned out fine for you,” he replied. “And I accept your gratitude, even though I feel a little bad for it. It wasn’t my intention to help you back then and I kind of used you for my own benefit that day.”

Irelia shook her head. “It doesn’t really matter. I thought about our meeting a lot after it and came to the conclusion that you aren’t a bad person. Just as you said back then, if my mom was attacked, I would be angry too. I don’t blame you. Perhaps I should feel bad too since I’m somewhat happy inside about what happened to my brother. So, ummm, thank you again.”

She bowed towards them and quickly walked away, leaving the two alone. Asterios and Tina smiled at each other and returned their attention to the starry sky.

“So, what’s this about the fiance?” he suddenly asked.

Tina choked on air from the unexpected question and a heavy flush covered her face in an instant, making Asterios chuckle. Meeting his gaze, she giggled adorably.

“Well… Ummm… Soon after the day you met my dad, Miss Kindra came to us to talk a little about everything…” she began. “We discussed some technicalities and finally ended up on our families kind of joining together under a special alliance. The condition and core element of it would be our marriage if no one had anything against it, including you and me.”

She tried her best to look Asterios in the eyes while explaining and he made sure not to make it harder for her by nodding calmly to her words.

“Our families wouldn’t end up fused into one but still operate kind of individually to some extent. Many official matters would require the agreement of both to pass through. It's kind of like our families would be married themselves, with the family heads being the husband and wife. That way, we don’t necessarily force a noble title on the Hestizo family and don’t lose ours through fusion, granted that you and I become the official heirs at some point.”

Asterios chuckled after she finished. “Quite clever. I bet it was my mom who came up with it, right?”

She chuckled too. “Yes, she did. She even brought a lot of documents to show us how that’s possible and actually legal. Miss Kindra also said that, in case there would be any formal issues with this, she holds a card in her hands powerful enough to get rid of them with some negotiation.”

Hearing that, he laughed openly, shaking his head. Tina glanced at Asterios, a little confused.

“Nothing, nothing. I think I know well what that card is. Let’s just say that the Hestizos found a quite influential trade partner recently. One that would be quite willing to help us out just because.”

“I see. Sounds amazing.” She giggled, trying to imagine that person. “So, ummm, what do you think?”

Asterios turned to Tina properly and gently held her shoulders. “Is that what you would want?”

“Well… I think so… I mean… I think it’s only natural that… I would like to marry the person I love, no?”

Seeing her wry smile, he slowly leaned in and placed a tender kiss on Tina’s lips, withdrawing himself shortly after, stopping close to her face.

“I think so too,” he whispered, turning Tina’s expression into a dazzling smile. “Just don’t rush things too much. I won’t run away from you.”

“I promise. It’s not like I wanted us to start the wedding tomorrow or anything, ahahaha. I really can’t wait to spend more time with you and the girls.”

They shared one more kiss and began returning to the party. But, on their way there, Tina pulled Asterios to the side and led him to a chamber slightly further from the banquet. 

Bringing them inside, she locked the door and turned around to face him with a shy but happy smile.

"So, regarding our bet..."

 

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