Contributions

"People of the Royal Capital. Thank you all for gathering here today. My name is Anatia Deiancle. Though still young and inexperienced, I hold the position of chancellor."

Her voice carried clearly even to where we stood, some distance away.

The magical amplification of her voice was working.

It should be reaching the entire central plaza and main streets as well.

The crowd stirred again.

That was to be expected. To commoners, a noble, and the chancellor at that, was an existence almost beyond the clouds.

Most of them were surely learning for the first time just now that the chancellor was a young woman like Anatia.

The fact that someone of such standing was addressing them so politely must have come as a surprise.

Anatia continued her speech.

"Among you, there are surely those who were affected by the recent magical attack. Her Majesty the Queen and the parliament are working toward recovery as quickly as possible, but we are also aware that some of you are still being forced to endure difficult living conditions."

The crowd listened without heckling, perhaps because this was a rare opportunity to hear directly from those in power.

Some of them were undoubtedly in dire straits.

"Even if the same thing happens again, we will not allow such devastation to occur a second time. The barrier protecting the Royal Capital has been made stronger. I pledge here and now that we will restore every part of the Royal Capital in the near future and make it a city more prosperous and developed than before the attack. So that no one is left behind, and everyone can face tomorrow."

The venue fell completely silent.

After a brief delay, voices began flying back and forth. "Is that true?" "What a relief."

It was the truth that Anatia and Queen Tianis had worked themselves to the bone for the Royal Capital's recovery up to this point.

After the king fell and the parliament had all but lost its function, these two women had suddenly been forced to bear that weight.

The crown placed upon her head at the coronation must have been unbearably heavy.

But the results of their efforts were plain to see.

Applause began to rise.

It spread throughout the crowd as if to honor Anatia's contributions thus far, enveloping the entire venue.

"Not bad at all. Honestly, I always thought governing people was a thankless job, but…"

"Everyone sees it. They can tell whether someone genuinely cares about them or not. There are plenty of people who've been helped by the policies you and Anatia-sama have put in place."

"You're right. People aren't just numbers. They're alive."

When I quietly offered a handkerchief, Queen Tianis accepted it without a word.

Once the applause died down, Anatia bowed her head once more.

"I know these have been difficult days. So today, to help you forget those hardships even if just for a little while, we've reserved the central plaza to hold a concert. It was raining right up until just before, but fortunately the weather has cleared up."

She couldn't exactly say an elf had manipulated the weather.

It would be hard to explain, and it was more convenient to chalk it up to good luck.

It also made for a better image.

Evalin didn't seem to mind at all.

"We're just a group of amateurs, but we'd be happy if you could enjoy yourselves today. There are food stalls set up as well, so please feel free to eat and drink. Now, allow me to introduce our members."

Anatia gestured toward Azu and the others.

All eyes turned their way.

"On piano, Alexia."

Alexia stood up and waved.

"On flute, Finn."

Finn responded with an awkward smile.

"On xylophone, Orleans."

Orleans played a quick note. Pon.

"On trumpet, Elza."

Elza played a short blast and waved with a smile.

"On harp, Azu."

Azu was bowing her head repeatedly.

"Azu! Do your best!"

A voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd.

That was Kazusa.

She'd come after all.

"And I will be playing violin."

Having finished introducing the members, Anatia took her seat and picked up her violin.

Had Princess Yupe not joined them yet?

They'd confirmed with her multiple times beforehand, so it was hard to imagine she'd fail to appear at such a grand stage.

"And I, Yupe Deiancle, will be your vocalist. Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Her voice rang out.

But Princess Yupe was nowhere to be seen on stage.

Everyone looked around trying to find where it had come from, but no one could spot her.

"There she is!"

Someone pointed at the sky.

In the direction they indicated, blue sky stretched out with a single black dot visible.

The dot gradually grew larger and descended onto the stage.

The sound of her landing was graceful.

Princess Yupe's athletic ability was decent enough, but there was no way she'd survive a fall from that height unscathed.

The fact that she'd managed it while wearing high heels meant she had to be receiving some kind of magical assistance.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief, unable to process what they'd just seen.

Azu and the others looked equally shocked, so they must not have been told about this either.

She wore a jet-black dress, with sheer fabric at the sleeves and the lower part of the skirt that showed glimpses of skin. A rather bold outfit.

"She always exceeds expectations… even though she's my own sister."

"She must have been thinking about the most attention-grabbing entrance possible…"

"She was up in the sky the whole time? Humans really do amusing things."

No one else in the world would go to such lengths just to stand out.

She held a small wand in her hand. Some kind of magical tool, apparently.

"Yupe-samaaaa!!"

Here and there, people were screaming Princess Yupe's name.

Her fans, it seemed.

Unlike Anatia, Princess Yupe had been more publicly visible as a member of the royal family, so her face and name were already well known.

Princess Yupe's flashy entrance sent the venue into an uproar.

Seeming pleased by the reaction, she spread her arms wide and began to sing.

In time with her, Azu and the others began playing their instruments.

They'd never once rehearsed together, yet somehow the concert got off to a successful start.