Chapter 241

Jingai Musume 241

The Ball — Part 1

Editor(s): Speedphoenix, Joker

“What are our chances of success?” One man spoke to another in a hushed tone under the cover of darkness .

“High, my lord . Very high . All of our preparations are in order . ”

“Good,” The first man nodded once, but then curved his lips into a frown . “Still, we have two major obstacles . The hero is certainly a threat, one eclipsed only by the meister . ”

“That is something my men and I have already been made painfully aware of . My subordinates are not capable of causing either of them physical harm . ” Despite an ill-sounding claim, the second man carried himself only with confidence . “That is precisely why we have chosen to instead create a situation in which they will be rendered incapable of action . ”

“Excellent . And I take it that you will not fail?”

“Naturally . Please, do not worry . All will soon be exactly as you will it . ”

“Good . But I wish for results, not words . Prove to me that you are truly as capable as you claim . ”

***

“Wonderful . How truly, truly wonderful . ”

I got down on a knee and raised my hands into the air as I clasped them together . A wholehearted prayer worked its way through my mind as I carried out the action .

“I’d always suspected that gods did exist . But never did I think I would get a chance to see the goddess of beauty first hand…”

“K-knock it off! Y-you’re embarrassing me!” Nell squeaked, half panicked, as her eyes shot to the maid who’d helped her get dressed . The maid’s expression had twisted half in surprise, and half in distaste, as would one after drinking a cup of coffee only to find that it was 90% sugar . “A-and why are you acting like this anyway!? Didn’t I let you look all you wanted just the other day!?”

“You really don’t get it, do you, Nell? Seeing you in a dress is a treat I’d never grow sick of . ”

Her face turned even redder, no doubt in part because my pose remained unchanging, even as I spoke . Nell was right . She certainly had already put on her dress and given me the opportunity to worship her picture perfect form once before . But that meant nothing . Things didn’t just stop being beautiful because you got used to them .

I continued to exalt her beauty without any regard for time or place . Both she and the maid soon began cringing and writhing in agony, but I didn’t stop, not until another pair emerged from the curtains that separated the waiting room from the dressing room .

Like Nell, Iryll and Enne were dressed to the nines . They’d been decked out in some of the most elaborate dresses I’d ever seen .

“What do you think, Mr . Demon Lord?”

“How do I look, Master?”

The pair voiced their questions as they lifted the hems of their dresses and spun around . The frills that decorated their outermost layers fluttered about and glimmered under the light of the chandelier above .

“You both look absolutely stunning,” I said . “Hell, I’d even mistake you girls for princesses . Though I guess that wouldn’t really be much of a mistake, considering one of you kind of is one . ”

I caught myself realizing that Iryll was, in fact, a genuine, bonafide princess immediately after complimenting her . As one would expect of a member of the royal family, she was wearing one of the dresses from her own private collection . I would have loved to give Enne the same liberty, but we weren’t able to secure her one in time for the ball . Unlike dresses for adults, like the one Nell had purchased, children’s dresses were never in stock . They were rarely sought, so creating one simply wasn’t worth a tailor’s time unless he knew for sure that it was going to end up being sold . And as the ball had been so close to the date of our arrival, there was no time to have one custom made . Fortunately, Enne was still able to attend the party because Iryll had offered to let the sword girl borrow one of her many spares .

While some may have been less satisfied with letting their daughter wear second hand goods, I saw no problem with it . Enne was an angel, no matter what she was dressed in .

“Thanks for letting Enne borrow one of your dresses, Iryll . Right, Enne?”

“Mhm . Thank you . ”

“No problem! We’re friends, so I don’t mind! Not even the slightest bit!”

Iryll cracked a pure, happy smile . What a cute kid . She’s adorable enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the kids we’ve got back home .

“Oh man, elementary school students are just the best!”

“Elementary school students?”

“What are those, Mr . Demon Lord?”

“Nothing, don’t mind me . ”

I ignored the kids’ questions as I plopped my hands on their head and gave them a rub, albeit one that was much less vigorous than usual, as to not mess up their hairdos .

“Just double checking, you got the game plan memorized?” I directed a question at Nell as I stood back up .

“Mhm . I’ve got it all in my head . ”

“You sure you’ll be alright? I won’t be there right off the bat, so they’re pretty much guaranteed to take the opportunity to point fingers . ”

“I’ll be fine . ” She reassured me with a confident nod . “I wouldn’t really be much of a hero if I always needed someone to look out for me now, would I?”

My investigations had culminated in the conclusion that there were three major factions at work . The first was the loyalist faction . It was composed of the king and his men, whose goal was to shelter Nell and keep her from being dismissed . Several of the faction’s members, including the king and the governor, were currently in the midst of a meeting to discuss their plans for the ball .

The second faction was one associated with the church . It was composed of Nell’s former allies, men who had turned on her after coming to the conclusion that marrying her off for power was to their benefit . As far as they were concerned, using her to join hands with one of the country’s most powerful men was a just way to make up for her recent “fai