A while passed after I submitted my letter of introduction from Lord Sylvia of Seadoor and my guild card showing I was an S-rank adventurer.
We were guided by the man at the reception desk, who had returned looking pale, to a reception room at the back of the building.
"My goodness, I can't believe that the guild card and letter are real... But the aura I'm getting from you all certainly suggests that you're no ordinary people."
The person sitting opposite us said this, a muscular male cow beastman who was in charge of reception. His name was Corpse-san, and he seemed to be a powerful man who also served as a member of the royal castle's guard forces.
It seemed that Corpse had seen through our abilities and respected us regardless of the letter, perhaps due to his abilities. I was about to bring up the main subject of the matter, but before I could get through to him, Corpse spoke up, looking apologetic.
"I'm sorry to have asked you to come here through Olivia's introduction, but… the truth is, the Queen is not here right now."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Yes. You may have heard on the way to this castle, but today and tomorrow is our country's founding festival. As an old custom, the king must pay his respects at the chapel in the old royal capital on the other side of the mountain. That's why the queen is currently away from the castle, accompanied by the strongest warriors in the federation."
So that's how it is...
Since he hadn't gathered any information about the customs and practices of the Fang King Federation, it seems that they ended up missing each other.
Although Olivia's letter had allowed me to be granted a priority audience, it looked like there would be a gap of a few days before that.
We were disappointed, and Sister Claire started drinking the alcohol she had hidden away, saying, "So that's what I've been holding off on!"
"However, it might have been a good thing if the audience with the Queen had been delayed for a few days."
Corpse said this with a slightly mischievous smile.
"The truth is, our queen is famous for being stubborn and difficult to please. There is an anecdote that she has broken off many marriage proposals and negotiations between nations, and once she has refused, she will never agree to anything, no matter how much tribute is offered. I do not know what your purpose in meeting her is, but while you have time, I think it would be best to make as many preparations as possible and focus all your efforts on the first negotiations."
"...!"
Corpse's story made me feel humbled.
As Olivia said, the current queen of the Fang King Federation is famous for being difficult to please.
It was unclear whether the negotiations to join forces against the threat of the church would go well, so it seemed best to use these few days to come up with a countermeasure, as Corpse had said.
There's no way I could enter into a Master-Servant Contract with the Queen of a country...
Thinking about this, we got up from our seats.
"Thank you for your valuable insight. I will come again when Her Majesty the Queen returns, so I look forward to speaking with you again then."
"Of course. Oh, and in place of the Queen's absence... that's not the right word to use."
Corpse-san said with a hint of pride,
"During the National Foundation Festival, Her Highness the Princess will be participating in the parade in the royal capital. The grand parade itself is one of the pride of our country, and Her Highness the Princess's beauty is also a source of pride for us. It must be fate that she has come to this city today. Things have been pretty violent lately, but... I hope you enjoy yourselves."
With that said, he sent us off.
*
The next day.
Today was the second day of the National Foundation Day, and we followed Corpse's advice and came to the main street where the parade was going to pass by. The town was bustling, much more than it had been yesterday, and there were a lot of people there.
"Wahahahaha! If the audience is postponed, you can drink as much alcohol as you like!"
"Lady Claire..."
Sister Claire displays a disgraceful behavior unbecoming of a clergyman in broad daylight.
On the other hand,
"How should I put it, it's quite strange..."
Sophia muttered as she munched on some meat from the food stall Werewolf
"So they really are going to have a parade… According to my research at Guildrum, the current situation in the capital of the Fang King Federation is not one in which it would be possible to enjoy a festival like this…"
"Yeah, that's true."
I nodded solemnly to Sophia-san's words.
In fact, it seemed that something very dangerous was happening in the Fang King Federation's capital, Lacent, and the areas further north, so Sophia was quite right in pointing out that it was no time to carefreely enjoy the founding festival or the royal parade.
But.
" Given the nature of the challenges the country is currently facing , it would be far worse for the Royal Family to be perceived as weak or intimidated by refraining from holding such an important event . "
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah"
This is especially true for beast nations, which, for better or worse, have a strong warrior mentality.
Of course, the Fang King Federation was no fool, and had deployed thorough security in accordance with the scale of the event. There were heavily armed national knights standing everywhere, and there were also some powerful figures here and there. A security net of wind mages had been spread across the sky, leaving no opportunity for even a single mouse to cause trouble.
This way it would be difficult to cause a commotion, and even if something did happen it would be able to be quelled quickly.
"...Ah, it looks like the head of the parade has arrived."
Alicia, who seemed to be using
Her face is nearly expressionless as usual, but I can tell right away that she is excited.
However, the location was bad and it seemed like the parade was hard to see because of the crowds around us.
It's nice to see Alicia trying to act grown up, but it would be a shame if she continued like this.
(Um, well, it's a bit embarrassing though...)
So I extend my hardened penis like a tail from the gap in my trousers toward the ground.
Crunch.
I stretched my penis, which was firmly stuck in the ground, further and used my third leg to secure myself some height.
"Alicia, Sophia. Give me a hand."
"...Yeah"
"...Wow."
" I carried the two of them, who were yelling with joy, and emerged from the crowd, where I could get a good view of the parade.
"Wow, that's amazing."
Just as Corpse said, it was a grand parade that even surpassed the one in the Imperial Capital.
And at the top of it all was-
"That's Her Highness the Wang Sister..."
Waving cheerfully at the people was a beautiful girl with distinctive white skin.
To be honest, the reason I came to watch the parade today was because I thought it might provide a conversation starter in my negotiations with Her Majesty the Queen...but that thought also disappeared in an instant.
I was entranced by the beauty of the princess, who was probably an elephant beastman - and at that moment,
DOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling echoed throughout the city.
"--!?"
As the people around us stopped moving, we immediately took out our swords.
But as we looked around, the next moment we were left speechless by the unbelievable sight. Because--
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
This is because dozens of giant dragons had suddenly appeared all over the city .
"teeth...!?"
That can't be! Where on earth could that have come from?! My thoughts were filled with shock.
"Whaaaaaaaaaa?! This is a terrorist attack by the !"
The screams and roars of the terrified populace filled the air, echoing forth the name of the threat threatening to corrode the Fang King Federation.