#1298 Junior’s Adventure – Your Face Alone Won’t Get You a Free Pass 

“So, this is the party venue, huh? As always, it’s got that heavy, serious atmosphere.” 

I arrive at the royal castle of the Human Kingdom together with Veil. 

The Human Kingdom may be a republic now, but it used to be a monarchy, an era ruled absolutely by bloodline. 
Then history turned a few corners. 
The monarchy collapsed and all those symbols of old power vanished into the past. Still, the royal castle remains. 

Even now, the castle continues to serve as the government’s main building under the new republic. 
The reason is simple: they didn’t have the budget to tear it down and build a new one. 

The newborn republic had to rebuild every part of the nation. 
There was no money to waste on unnecessary projects. 

So, the logic went: “If the old building’s still standing, might as well use it!” Thus, the castle kept its job as the political center of the country. 
Now, more than ten years after the founding of the republic, things have stabilized, and they could finally afford a new government building if they wanted one. 
But most people say, “No need to fix what’s not broken,” so this relic of the monarchy still serves as the seat of power today... 

...Or so we learned in history class. 
All of that happened before I was even born or old enough to care. 

“At this point, it’s got historical value, too. They can’t just tear it down that easily. Human society really is a complicated mess.” 

For Veil, that’s quite the insightful comment. 

Then again, she spent years studying humans under Dad’s guidance. She’s probably the most human-savvy dragon in the world. 

“And now! This old pile of stone will witness a new chapter in history! The legendary debut of Junior into high society! Another glorious page in the chronicles of the otherworld is written today!” 

She’s getting way too hyped. 

Even though she’s a dragon who could literally wipe out a nation if she felt like it. 
I’m not sure I could stop her if she snapped. 

I’m nowhere near as good at handling her as Dad is. 

All I can do is pray the party ends peacefully. 

“Well, either way, we should get this over with quickly. First things first, let’s get inside.” 

There’s no point standing out here if we’re supposed to attend. 

“But Junior, how exactly are you planning to get inside the castle?” 
“Eh? Well, um...” 

Her blunt question catches me off guard. 

“I guess I’ll just say, ‘Excuse me, we’re coming in, thank you very much!’ or something?” 
“That’s ridiculously careless. This is the heart of the Human Kingdom, remember? If anyone could walk in, it’d be a terrorist’s paradise.” 

Terrorists?! 
That escalated fast, but she’s not wrong. The whole point of security is to prevent exactly that. 
Back in the Farm Kingdom, anyone could stroll into government offices, though... 

“Even your country’s government halls have magic sensors that detect malicious intent. Anyone with shady thoughts gets blasted by an emergency alarm and instantly teleported to jail.” 

Huh. Our security’s more advanced than I thought. 
That’s so like us. 

“This castle might not have tech as fancy as ours, but I bet it’s still tight on security. Especially during a party, more guests mean stricter checks. There’s no way a random stranger could just walk in.” 

...Did Veil just make a completely reasonable point?! 

“B-But I’m the guest of honor! I was invited...!” 
“And how exactly are you going to prove that?” 

... 
Good question. How do I prove that? 

Face recognition? 

“You might have the best face in the world, Junior, but it’s not enough to solve everything. Hardly anyone here knows you’re the prince of the Farm Kingdom, and your appearance isn’t well-known, either. Trying to get in with just that is wishful thinking.” 

She’s right...! 
In fact, I’ve benefited from being unknown, posing as a nameless adventurer in the Human Kingdom! 

“In cases like this, you usually show an invitation letter as proof. Don’t tell me you didn’t get one?” 

In- 
vi- 
ta- 
tion?! 

Wait, wait, wait! I don’t remember getting one! Didn’t they just tell me to come as I am or something?! 

“Hah! So, it’s their screw-up, huh? They invite my dear Junior and can’t even manage the paperwork? The nerve!” 

Wait, Veil, calm down! 
If she gets angry for real, this historical landmark will turn to rubble! 

But hang on! This is Big Bro Ritheseus we’re talking about! The Human Kingdom’s president, already in his third term! 
He’s hosted more state banquets than I can count. There’s no way he’d mess up something as basic as an event arrangement! 

There has to be some kind of misunderstanding here. 
Come on, brain, remember! There’s got to be something important I’m forgetting! 

“...Ah.” 
“What is it, Junior?” 

I... remembered! 
Before I left, Big Bro Ritheseus said: 

—“I’ll send someone to pick you up, so take it easy until then.” 

“Ah, so you were supposed to arrive with an escort. That would’ve gotten you in no problem. So why are we here instead?” 

Because I completely forgot and decided to show up on my own! 
And I thought I was doing the polite thing by visiting in person!!! 

Oh no. I’ve singlehandedly wrecked Big Bro’s carefully planned schedule! 

“Junior, you’ve still got a lot to learn about human social customs. But realizing that is already progress! Travel really is educational.” 

That’s... not helping right now! 

What’s urgent isn’t some distant future thing, it’s right in front of me. 
If I can’t get in here, I’ll ruin Big Bro Ritheseus’ reputation after he went out of his way to invite me! 

What do I do?! 
Do I sprint back to the Adventurers’ Guild and wait for whoever’s supposed to escort me?! But at this timing we’d probably just pass each other...! 

“Fine, leave it to me. The great Grinzel Dragon Veil will personally summon Ritheseus himself.” 

Veil! 
You can do that?! You really are the ultimate dragon! 

“Of course. First, I’ll revert to my true form. That’ll make a nice, flashy entrance, so he’ll have to come out. Then I’ll explain everything.” 

NOOOOOO! 

That’s way too much escalation for a simple misunderstanding!!! 
If a dragon suddenly appears at the royal castle, it’ll make tomorrow’s front page for sure! Even if dragons are a bit more common these days, they’re still terrifying beings! 

If people start saying that the young lord of the Farm Kingdom brought a dragon just to handle a minor mix-up, it’d drag down Dad’s reputation and the whole kingdom’s along with it! 
We absolutely have to avoid that! 

“To think you’re considerate enough to worry about that...! Junior, you’ve grown so muchhhhhhhh!” 

Veil bursts into tears out of nowhere. 
Honestly, I wish she’d stop with these wild emotional swings. 

But the truth is, we’re completely stuck, no clear way out of this situation, nowhere to turn. 
While I’m busy racking my brain for a solution... 

“Ah! There you are!” 

A voice I don’t recognize suddenly calls out. 
I turn around to see a petite young woman walking briskly toward us. 

“You’re late! I told you to come on time, now everything’s behind schedule!” 
“...Huh?” 
“Our head chef hates being kept waiting! Anyway, come with me! I’ll explain on the way!” 

Before I can react, she grabs my hand and starts tugging me forward. 
W-Wait, hey! 

It looks like she’s determined to take me somewhere. 
Of course, I could pull back and stay put, but she’s so small and delicate. If I hurt her, that’d be a whole new mess. For now, I just let her drag me along. 

And just like that, we pass through the castle gates! Success! 
We actually made it inside! Mission complete! 

“But that was the back gate just now, wasn’t it? Not exactly the entrance for official guests.” 

It’s as Veil quietly points out from behind me. 

The woman’s clothes don’t suggest she’s a noble lady or even a proper maid. 
She’s dressed more casually, like the kind of outfit a working servant would wear. 

This welcome party’s been one mishap after another...what kind of trouble is waiting for us next?