The Tea Party’s Unraveling Truths

Violets and incense swirled together, blurring the surrounding scenery.

As smoke ascended, Ophelia found herself once more above the starry expanse.

This time, she offered no grand exclamations for the boundless, magnificent cosmos, instead making her way to her customary seat with practiced ease.

Someone was already there.

“Yo, Queen, aren’t you a bit early today?” The person greeted her.

‘Could you possibly not greet me? I’m the type who’d cross the street to avoid an acquaintance, and what’s with this flippant tone? Wait, who are you, anyway?’

“I’m Mr. Fanatic, remember? You didn’t say a word last time, Queen. Beautiful, it’s just the two of us now; how about we exchange contact information?”

Huh?

What?

‘Mr. Fanatic, as described in the book:’

[The man of steel utters words of flame.]

[He is a man of few words, until he uncovers your weakness; then, he is bound to strike with merciless ferocity.]

‘Brother, your character has completely fallen apart.’

“Oh, come on, why are you so aloof, girl? Ah, never mind.”

‘Has something good happened to Mr. Fanatic?’

“You two are already here? Quite early indeed.” The God of Stars and Wisdom arrived belatedly, taking a seat above them.

Mr. Fanatic let out a whistle.

Ophelia stared, aghast; he was whistling at a god? He behaved like a common ruffian.

However, when the next arrivals came, Mr. Fanatic reverted to his usual persona, greeting them coldly and uttering not a single word.

‘Why is he only so flippant with me and the Starry Loli?’

‘Never mind.’

“Alright, it’s the same segment as always. Let’s proceed with our customary tea party. You may seek knowledge from me, or engage in trade.”

For a moment, no one spoke.

“You start.” The Sailor whispered to Luca.

Yet, owing to the profound silence, their hushed whispers were audible to everyone present.

“Why don’t *you* start?” Luca retorted.

“I’m exhausted. Didn’t I have you take down Edward before? After that, I climbed a position, and now I have my own ship and a crew of pirates. I’m utterly knackered.” The Sailor complained.

“Me too,” Luca replied. “I took down Edward, earned the Empress’s appreciation, and now I’m working under her. I’m also dead tired.”

“Oh, right. The Empress values military prowess, and the empire’s aristocratic families have been wiped out by her. It’s all talent from humble backgrounds (TL Note: Refers to people from common, non-noble families), with very few literate individuals, so you must indeed be very tired.” The Sailor nodded in strong agreement.

“Speaking of which, Sailor, there’s business coming up. You should seize the opportunity to make a fortune.” Luca straightened up, his voice growing louder.

“What business?” Hearing this, the Sailor also raised his voice.

“The Empire and the Kingdom will go to war.”

Luca looked at everyone, declaring it loudly.

He silently observed each person’s reaction.

The Swordsman flinched? Miss Fruit Candy’s reaction was significant too, and the Queen… well, she seemed a bit puzzled.

‘It appears the Swordsman, the Queen, and Miss Fruit Candy are all individuals connected to nations with vested interests in the Kingdom.’

He glanced at the Sailor, who was also silently observing the three. He couldn’t see the Sailor’s eyes, nor could the Sailor see his, but he knew the Sailor was watching.

“The Empire plans to attack alongside the Elven Forest, the Vampire Fortress, the Goblin Domain, and the United Human Nations. Currently, the Elven Forest, the Vampire Fortress, and the Goblin Domain have all agreed, while the United Human Nations remain on the fence.”

“So, haven’t you usually plundered a lot of unused, old equipment? You can go to those goblins and trade it for ores and spices, then sell the ores and spices for money.”

The Sailor nodded.

“That’s a massive business opportunity… Thank you, thank you. I’ll give you a tenth of the profits afterward.”

“Commission between us? How could I possibly covet your money? Am I that kind of person?”

Luca deliberately infused his tone with feigned anger.

‘Yes, you absolutely are that kind of person. If you don’t take it now, it only means you’ll want me to do something else later, won’t you?’ The Sailor silently slandered him in his heart.

“Oh, Mr. Clown, listen to yourself. May our friendship last forever! So, what can I offer for our unbreakable bond?” The Sailor replied with a hearty laugh.

“Hmm, I want maps of the waters near the Kingdom, and you must have some familiar officials at the Kingdom’s customs, right? I want that list.”

“No problem.” The Sailor was quite straightforward, as this news alone was enough to make him a huge fortune; he felt providing these things was perfectly acceptable.

A tempest raged within Ophelia’s heart.

‘The Empire is going to invade the Kingdom!? In the book, the Empire and the Kingdom even signed a friendship treaty. Why is the Empire invading the Kingdom now?’

‘The hidden danger of the evil god in the royal capital hasn’t even been dealt with yet!’

“Mr. Clown, may I ask when the Empire plans to begin its assault on the Kingdom?” The Swordsman spoke up.

“That, I don’t know. The Empress makes the final decision.” Luca responded with a shrug.

‘Judging by your reactions, I refuse to believe that none of you three are from the Kingdom. While it’s unlikely to be Vina herself or Ophelia herself present, you can at least carry information out.’

‘The information I’m giving is about an attack by sea.’

‘But I’m sorry, if it’s Vina, for some reason she understands me very well, so she’ll definitely think what I’m saying is false, a misleading piece of information.’

‘However, I genuinely will prepare a cavalry unit and a fleet of large ships to attack by sea.’

‘Vina, the game has begun. Let’s contend with each other.’

‘History writes the victors and buries the bloodshed alongside them.’

Ophelia felt a strong urge to inquire further about the matter, but Luca skillfully changed the subject.

He looked towards the Novelist:

“Miss Novelist, I know and understand that you’re unwilling to reveal your true name, but could you at least provide a pen name?”

The Sailor also looked over.

“What do you want my pen name for?” The Novelist asked, highly vigilant.

“Well… you see, didn’t you say you were going to write about a yandere princess imprisoning the Queen? That… that subject really interests me.”

“I want to read it.”

‘If you dare tell me, I’ll dare to use dozens of fake addresses, pretending to be your readers, to harass you with letters demanding updates. For no other reason, this bit of mischief must be committed, or else my persona as Luca will collapse.’

Luca calculated silently in his heart.

“Yes, yes, I’m very interested too. I hope Miss Novelist can reveal your pen name.”

“Or, you could just let us know once you start serializing it.”

The Sailor said with a smile.

‘As long as I know your pen name, I’ll use dozens of virtual addresses, pretending to be your readers, to send letters demanding updates. For no other reason, this bit of mischief must be committed, or else I’ll feel incredibly uncomfortable.’

The Sailor thought silently to himself.

“This… this… I’ll start serializing it within a week. At that time, I’ll show everyone the newspaper it’s published in. How does that sound?” The Novelist, evidently, could not resist their earnest pleas.

“Hooray!” Luca cheered.

“Hooray!” The Sailor cheered.

Ophelia sighed.

‘In that world, there are fujoshi (TL Note: A Japanese term for female fans of male homosexual relationships in fiction) who love to ship (TL Note: To support or desire a romantic relationship between two fictional characters) Mr. Clown and the Sailor, calling them the “Scam Duo.” Now that I see their reactions are so consistent, there must be a reason for it.’

She turned her gaze to the God of Stars, preparing to embark on her journey of nurturing a deity.