Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 866: A Gathering Of Disparates – Part 2

The banquet had just begun, and Mono’s arrival put a major pause in everyone’s carefree actions. As the matriarch of the kingdom of Elenaris, she was welcomed with quite a stir. Being showered with rose petals and walking on a red carpet wasn’t an exact fit for the queen of iron; regardless, she went through the ceremony. However, once seated, she glared away at all other showy processions.

Tan wasn’t too fond of the Iron Woman; she seemed distant, unlike his masters and mistress. What he failed to realize, however, was the fact that Mono was old enough to glance past such wasteful things. Accompanied by her trusty maid, Grace, along with the fine folks of Inktaus, including the vampiress, her friend Garcia, and the other two who’d freed just enough time to show their faces, she hoped for genuine interactions and, well, a few compliments over her fashionable dress.

The reflective, white leather of her cape was underlined by deep red, which accentuated her attire and brought as much attention to her clothes as possible. Just as white as the cape, her military-style clothing with golden buttons and badges over her shoulders, alongside a long slit along her jeans, tied with reddish strings, gave her the appeal of a profound woman of war and tactics. Although her captain’s hat kept slipping from her head and broke the immersion often.

“Tsk…” With the click of her tongue, she set the cap on the table. Looking around at her entourage for the events, she wore her usual smile. “I love capes and the look of power donning my skin. Though I have to admit something floral would’ve been a better fit for this event, unfortunately, I had to lend it to Grace.”

As all eyes turned to Grace, the maid who now appeared the same as the late automaton Avarice, bowed her head. The rose clip in her hair bobbed a little, but as she sat upright again, it sat perfectly back in place. Being eyed up and down, Grace felt a tinge of embarrassment; however, wearing a fine dress that bloomed like a lily’s petals, she had little to be embarrassed about.

“That is a fine dress,” a fleeting smile tugged at Ditsy’s lips. “Who designed it?”

Turning her head towards her master, Grace passed the credit.

“As clumsy as my master can be. Her taste in fashion and her skills with a needle are adroit.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult, Grace?” Narrowing her eyes, Mono crossed her legs. However, her strained expression eased in a flit. “Your dry humor never fails to amuse me.”

“Oh, how I wish it were mere humor.” While the two conversed amongst each other, Garcia, Ironheart, Eren, and even Disty watched in pure horror at how a servant was making fun of her master.

To them, such an ordeal would’ve been tantamount to treason, but not here–not with the iron queen. Which led them to question.

“Your majesty, if you wouldn’t mind me asking you a question,” speaking up with his hand extended outward, Eren Crian– the chosen of Mesmerazia presented the question that had swirled in their minds. “Why is it that you’re called the Iron Queen? We’ve heard stories about you, and it would be a shame to leave this event without knowing more.”

“I have to insist on an answer as well, your majesty.” Gently planting his hand on the table, Ironheart cleared his throat and continued. “We must return to Inktaus soon. The situation there is still turbulent, but to know the origin of your titles and extend a helpful hand between our nations would make this brief visit worth all the trouble.”

Tapping her finger on her side, Mono wondered what to do next. On one hand, she didn’t mind, but on the other, today didn’t feel like the right time to be talking about such things. Thus, to challenge the audience, she asked.

“I’ve heard of an underground lab in your city. How about you tell me more about it, and I’ll tell you everything that you wanna know about me, or the kingdom of Elenaris, for that matter.” Having heard about the lab and how the kingdom of Inktaus was founded by the warriors from the last holy war. Some of which–many of which, were obviously otherworlders–a topic interesting to Mono as her parents were the same.

“Well then, I suppose I should start talking,” adjusting herself in her wheelchair, Ditsy sat upright with a smile on her face. Soon, she revealed all that her group had already told Raven. The origin of the city of Inktaus at the hands of the retreating warriors from the last holy war. Many of them, much like Nightsilver, were of otherworldly origin, and with them they brought methods that to this day the kingdom was Inktaus upkeeping but couldn’t improve upon by themselves.

“As for the clones underground, they are the only ones who can keep the invisibility barrier up and running. They have the ability to make more of each other, but we haven’t seen it happen ourselves. Those guys are far too effective to die easily or make any mistakes.”

“Sounds like they might be automatons as well,” as she spoke up, everyone’s eyes narrowed. While Garcia and Ditsy were aware that Mono had a body of iron, they didn’t expect her to conclude the same for the clones under their own city. “Or they could be biological clones, in which case. That would fall under Ditsy’s expertise.”

“They do have biological function, so you’re probably right,” the vampiress replied.

Breaking into the conversation after overhearing it for a while, however, Linkle turned everyone’s attention to her and derailed the conversation altogether.

“What if they are both? Like your Twin, a cyborg, she said.” The thought was amusing to say the least, but unfortunately for Eren and Ironheart, it shifted the conversation to something else entirely. In the end, they wouldn’t learn the meaning behind Mono’s titles, but given her proclivity to make others anxious with her past actions, it was probably for the best. For now.

In the meantime, the handful of other major guests mingled all about. From the people of Athenia to those of far-off kingdoms. Everyone had their place amongst the crowd tonight, for tonight might be the last time they could all gather and mingle without a care in the world. After all, who knows if some of them will remain in this world once the journey of the heroes begins once more.