Yanagi took a bottle of juice from the wine cabinet, poured the entire bottle of Super Sensory Weakening Potion she had bought today into it, and was about to drink it all in one go.
"Why are you trying to seize the throne?!"
But just then, Iris's voice came from the living room, instantly drawing Yanagi's attention.
Iris, now facing Makoto, tilted her little face up, her chin raised high, like a kitten whose fur was standing on end.
Everyone, including Yanagi, was drawn over to watch the excitement.
Makoto leaned back on the sofa, looking at this little princess whose height only reached his waist. He picked up a freshly baked cookie and asked back with a smile, "Want a snack?"
Iris paused, completely confused about what Makoto was trying to do by asking her this question in this situation.
"Just tell me, yes or no?" Makoto said again.
Iris pressed her lips together, turned her face away, and said in a much smaller voice.
"...Yes."
Although the timing wasn't quite right, it was indeed hard for a twelve-year-old child to resist sweet things.
"That's right." Makoto's smile grew even brighter. "I just want to sit in that seat for a while. It's the same as you wanting to eat something."
Even Shiho, the most calm of the players present, had her mouth hanging open in an 'O'.
'So, in your eyes, the position of a ruler is on the same level as a cookie?'
Iris felt that her worldview had been shaken.
She opened her mouth several times, but just couldn't figure out how to retort.
After humming and hawing for a long time, she finally squeezed out another sentence: "War will kill many people."
"Didn't I give them a chance to run away?"
Makoto spread his hands. "There are still three days... oh no, now only two and a half days left."
Iris was stumped. She was a twelve-year-old princess who had never left her home. How could she possibly win a verbal argument against an old hand like him?
Her face flushed red. Her chest, with barely any rise and fall, heaved.
Iris reached her right hand into the air, spreading her five fingers.
A golden light surged from her palm, transforming into a magnificent, precise longsword in the air.
"I challenge you!"
Iris held the sword with both hands, its tip pointing at Makoto. "If you lose, you are not allowed to attack Belzerg!"
Darkness rushed into the living room from the hallway. Her face changed the moment she saw that sword.
Of course, she recognized that thing... the holy sword passed down through the Belzerg royal family for generations.
That holy sword had excellent compatibility with Iris. With the empowerment of the holy sword, she could even kill dragons in seconds.
In the entire Belzerg Kingdom, no one was her match.
"That girl isn't ordinary, is she?"
Yu had already stood up from the sofa, but he wasn't particularly worried.
Everyone looked at Darkness.
Darkness knew she couldn't hide it anymore. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. "The first princess of the Belzerg Kingdom, Belzerg Stylish-Sword Iris. Also the strongest warrior of the Belzerg Kingdom."
The living room was quiet for a moment.
Makoto leaned back on the sofa, looking at this fierce little golden-haired girl in front of him, and suddenly felt that this scene was a bit familiar.
Suddenly, Makoto remembered the original Naruto, when Tsunade first met Naruto. Naruto had also charged up to challenge her, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.
A Genin challenging the Sannin, a princess challenging... He smiled.
"How about this, little princess."
Makoto raised his right index finger. "As long as you can force me to use a second finger, I won't lay a hand on your father."
Iris's brow furrowed into a knot. Flames ignited in her light blue eyes.
The next instant, Iris raised the sword high above her head. A blinding golden light exploded from the blade.
"Your arrogance will cost you—!"
Iris brought the sword down.
Golden light exploded from the holy sword's blade, transforming into a crescent-shaped sword energy that slashed toward Makoto.
Wherever the sword energy passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a sharp screeching sound.
The floor was torn up. Debris and dust flew everywhere.
Makoto sat motionless on the sofa.
At the final instant when the sword energy reached him, Makoto suddenly raised his right hand and used the back of his index finger joint to block the blade's edge.
That sword energy, capable of splitting a dragon in half, seemed to hit a wall when it touched his finger.
The golden light split around his finger and shot toward the wall behind him.
With a 'boom', the wall exploded open, creating a huge hole. Rock fragments scattered into the yard, crushing a flower bed.
The living room was a mess.
The chandelier swayed violently in the shockwave. The crystal pendants collided with each other, making a 'ding ding dang dang' sound.
Everyone's mouths were wide open.
Hana looked particularly incredulous. That little girl who had played the King Game with her all afternoon, jumping and screaming with excitement, was this strong?
Yanagi's gaze shifted to the dining room next door, thinking about that glass of juice she hadn't drunk yet. Then she looked at Iris, standing in the middle of the living room, frantically swinging her sword, and finally at Makoto.
Yanagi sighed inwardly. She wondered if the big battle tonight could still smoothly proceed.
…
At a corner of Axel City, in a general store.
Wiz was organizing the shelves.
The hem of her purple magic robe dragged on the floor. The fabric on her chest was stretched tight.
She stood on tiptoe, placed a newly prepared potion on the highest shelf, then lowered her head to count the quantities sold and received today.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on the shelf in the corner.
The labels for two types of potions had been stuck on the wrong bottles.
"Oh no!"
Wiz quickly picked up the labels and swapped the labels for the [Super Sensory Weakening Potion] and the [Super Sensory Enhancing Potion].
Wiz put her hands on her hips, satisfied, and nodded.
"Mm, that's fixed it."
This stupid owner, whose business only got more unprofitable the more she ran it, had completely forgotten that she had sold the wrong potion to a customer today.