[ Episode 226. Banquet]
“You can use this annex.”
Baron Frigen, who guided us, bowed his head and retreated.
There were many rooms in the annex, so we each picked a room we wanted and put down our luggage.
“thank you.”
“If you need help with anything, please ring this bell anytime. For the banquet to be held in the evening, we will visit you one hour before the banquet starts and let you know.”
The attendant smiled and stepped away, and I looked around the room for a moment.
All those who worked in the imperial palace were small but titled nobles.
Handmaidens were mostly the daughters of aristocratic families, and attendants were barons and barons.
When it came to the head of the chamberlain and the head of the butler, there were many people with the title of count like me, so it was a passage that showed how large and spacious the imperial palace was.
“It’s okay.”
After looking around, there was no evidence of anything being installed or spying on.
I’ll have to check the other rooms, but they seemed to be all right.
smart.
“……who are you.”
Someone knocked on the door.
Of course, I knew how to tell who it was and waited, but when there was no talk, I finally asked first and felt the movement of Mana.
That flow of mana was something he had felt once before.
“Hegel?”
“Long time no see Adrias Cromwell.”
Hegel, who had transformed into a black butterfly and entered the door casually, greeted me as he was.
“You are crazy.”
“what? What am I here for?”
“That’s what came to me.”
“don’t worry. Because no one will know.”
I frowned as I watched him calmly sit on the sofa, but I managed to manage my expression and sat across from him.
“You were in the imperial palace. I thought you couldn’t even come close to this place because of the war.”
“Why can’t I come?”
“It’s because the rally hit the back of the emperor’s head.”
“It wasn’t me, it was an act of their own accord. Wouldn’t that be what you would say?”
He stared at my face with a strange smile.
The tattoo on his face wriggled and crawled across his face.
“Why is that?”
“What do you mean?”
“The emperor still doesn’t know who did it, but I do. Don’t even think about pretending.”
“If you’re talking about anger, I have nothing to say.”
I shrugged my shoulders and leaned comfortably on the sofa.
Even if he threatened to tell the emperor about this, there was no way my answer would change.
It’s something I can’t change that my anger has already returned, and even if I go back, my choice will be the same.
“I don’t understand. I’d rather be convinced if you took over your anger. What on earth did you do that for?”
“It is as you said. That was an advantage for me.”
At my words, Hegel became expressionless and just stared at me in silence.
In the meantime, I got up and took out the tea set in the room.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“You are really strange.”
“Is that so?”
I magically heated the water and started brewing the tea.
He wasn’t interested in brewing tea, but it was an act to show his composure.
“As I said, the emperor doesn’t know about this yet. I may find out some day, but at least I won’t tell you.”
“Thank you.”
“thanks? No, that’s not something to be thankful for. did you say that too? That the action was done for your benefit after all. So do i. I’m not saying that not telling the emperor is just a little more in my interests.”
“Thank you anyway.”
As I handed over the brewed tea to Heigel, I said steadfastly.
The words were strange, so even if it wasn’t the other person, I could force myself into a debt of heart.
Hegel could have ignored it, but the difference between trying and not trying is big, so I’ll just spit it out and see.
“I don’t know why, but it feels like Hegel always looks out for me.”
“It’s not a feeling, it’s a fact. I didn’t give you the ring for nothing.”
He took a sip of the tea I brewed, narrowed his brows, and put the cup down.
“I thought you were good at anything, but brewing tea is a bad thing.”
“I will practice.”
“no. I will do it next time.”
Hegel got up from his seat.
Are you done with your business already? I don’t think you said anything?
“I don’t know if there will be an opportunity for that in the future.”
“Are you going to leave already after coming here?”
“I’m already going because I came here because it was dangerous. I haven’t arrived yet, but if Bahat comes, he might notice my presence.”
His tattoos started to move strangely again, making his face look like he was smiling.
“I don’t have much time. If possible, it would be better to crack down on factions.”
“I will take care of that.”
“Are you worried about what I’m thinking of doing these things?”
It was a sudden question, but I shook my head.
“It may sound cheeky, but I am not afraid of you.”
“is it. Well, the only thing you should be afraid of, even the emperor, is the safety of the people around you.”
Is it intimidation?
He was silent without answering his words.
Seeing me like that, Hegel shook his hand and stepped back.
“There is no need to be so vigilant. So far, your existence matches the direction I want to go
.
”
Seeing Hegel, who had turned into a swarm of black butterflies and dispersed, made me think to straighten my mind.
In the first place, even trying to save the world was to protect precious people, and it had no other meaning.
‘There is no time to rest.’
I thought knowing the future could be such a painful thing.
**
Evening came and the beginning of the banquet was announced.
Since the nongong haengsang was two days later, the mid-day of the banquet, today was a place to taste and to exchange shouts with the aristocrats who arrived first.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems that none of the high-ranking nobles with the title of Marquis or higher have arrived yet.”
Amy said quietly on the way to the banquet hall.
Maybe tomorrow at the earliest, two days later at the latest.
“Is Viscount Lucia Hollington coming tomorrow?”
“You must have arrived first. Socializing is one of the main tasks in the management of the guild, so they don’t neglect it.”
“Why did you come with us?”
“Didn’t you consider that my company with Cromwell was also a social act?”
“That too.”
After all, it was like the cunning Everlast top team.
Did you pre-order us?
I don’t know how much our family’s status has risen because of this war, but it seemed like a good choice as I’m close to Lucia.
As expected, the operator of one of the 5 largest merchant guilds in the empire has already put in work.
“This is the position of Cromwell, who symbolizes the imperial family of counts and white wings!”
As we entered the entrance of the banquet hall, the trumpeter blew his trumpet to inform us of our position.
The symbol of our family he was talking about was something I hadn’t heard in a long time, so I wondered if there was such a thing, but should I call it the imperial palace?
People have already gathered quite a bit.
As we entered, our eyes were focused for a moment. Most of them were wary, but soon the three women who came with me relaxed their eyes.
“Who are those women who came with Cromwell?”
“One is the daughter of Viscount Hollington. As I heard, great beauty! Others are new to this.”
It seemed that they were talking to each other, but all of them were caught in my extremely developed senses.
The reaction of the nobles was divided into half, half admiring the appearance of the companions with me, and the other half looking for me.
“That person is Adrias Cromwell…….”
“I thought he was a technician who only made his name in the academy, but he made a ridiculous major in this war. He’s already prepared. Look at that strong body.”
“Is that all? Rumor has it that you rejected the marriage proposal from the duchy of Moheim.”
“The funny thing is that Morhaime helped Cromwell. What does this mean?”
It’s hot.
Certainly, it seemed that a more enthusiastic reaction was coming because he was involved with Morhaime.
However, most of the people gathered now were lower nobles.
At most, only the pyramids were filled to the point where the self-made level was high.
‘No. There was a big one.’
As soon as we sat down on one side of the banquet hall, we immediately saw someone approaching us.
He was surrounded by so many people, and he reached out to me asking for their understanding.
“haha. This is how you see your precious person. Is that Prince Adrias Cromwell?”
“you’re right. I didn’t expect to meet Lord Tayson like this.”
Earl Jared Tyson.
A big hand in the financial world with the top five fingers across non-imperial continents.
Originally, it was a company with a different name, and he monopolized the huge company, which was operated in a form of sharing shares, and even changed the name of the company to his own.
And above all…
“It is an honor to recognize me. I wanted to invite you whenever the opportunity came, but I was cautious because Prince Cromwell was in the position of conducting his studies. Next time, I want to invite you to my mansion.”
“If Lord Taison invites me, I will give up and go, even if there is a lecture.”
“haha! I have no intention of embarrassing Lord Cromwell, but I am glad to hear it.”
The other person’s eyes drew an arc and became a friendly face.
However, those small eyes shining between the eyelids made it impossible to be vigilant at all.
‘The highest-ranking official of the Zefar Church.’
He probably knew when the Zefar Church attacked me as a high-ranking official.
In a word, he is my enemy.
You probably can’t imagine that I know who you are.
‘Come to think of it…’
Honen of Millennium Academy, who had not been able to deal with it during the war, was also invited here.
Although he hasn’t been seen yet, knowing that he will become Zefar’s incarnation, I couldn’t help but doubt.
Could it be that Jared Tyson was the reason he joined the Zefar Order?
‘It was never before in the game that academy students were invited to this banquet. But I’d better pay attention.’
Maybe Honen was already a Zefar fanatic.
If that’s the case, it’s possible to send and receive some kind of signal with Jared.
There are still a lot of things to care about, but since I know a lot, my work doesn’t decrease, it just increases.
“Earl Cromwell and His Excellency Tyson are having a conversation.”
“Hmm, to the extent that His Excellency Tayson would visit him himself…….
“As expected, the trend is the trend? Still, I don’t think it’s enough to be bothered by something that caught my eye just this once.”
After talking with Jared, more attention was poured out than when he entered.
Jared also smiled bitterly thanks to those who were now staring at this place openly.
“This is what being a socialite is like. After all, they are all those who move to take care of their own interests…….”
“I see. But neither do I. It is no different from them.”
“Hoo. Is that so? Being honest makes me feel more comfortable dealing with Lord Cromwell. Can we set up a private dinner next time and talk about business?”
“I would rather ask. Thank you, Lord Tayson.”
After a short conversation in a friendly atmosphere, Jared went back.
The banquet was still in its infancy, and since it was held for five days, there was plenty of time.
In the meantime, the sons of noble families were approaching and flirting with the party that came with me.
No one was responding, and rather, Amy was taking one more drink and going around all over the place promoting the guild without knowing it.
“This isn’t the first time, but I’m tired after all.”
After a while, as the atmosphere in the banquet hall matured, Lucia, who was dealing with the ladies and children of noble families, approached me while I was resting after greeting the nobles.
“Because you are pretty.”
“……yes?”
“And these days, the Everlast top ranks are also doing well……”
“What did you say before that?”
Lucia, who looked sleepy, opened her eyes wide and looked at me brightly, which was a little strange.
I said it again, biting into a cocktail snack.
“It’s because you’re pretty. Don’t you objectively know your beauty too?”
“I know, of course, but I didn’t expect to hear it so bluntly. That too by the mouth of a senior.”
I took a sip of the cocktail and said what a big deal it was.
Then, Vivian, who had been clinging to me throughout the banquet, touched me from the side.
“I am?”
“……Vivian is also beautiful.”
“huh.”
As I stared blankly at her smiling happily, Lucia suddenly stood up.
“I will go see my father.”
“Oh, I should go and say hello too.”
“no. I will go alone.”
Watching her suddenly disappear in a cold wind, I wondered if I had done something wrong.
Since I’m not used to dealing with people, I couldn’t think of anything.
“what?”
“Adrias.”
“Yes Vivian.”
“That…no.”
I tilted my head at Vivian, who was about to say something but closed her mouth again.
Looking at her reaction, I guess I did something wrong, but I can’t figure out anything.
“Adrias did nothing wrong. It’s my fault.”
“yes?”
As I was about to ask Vivian, who was talking incomprehensibly, to tell me what she was talking about, the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly became noisy.
I turned my head to see what was going on, and the bugler introduced the family of the nobleman who was entering.
“This is the position of Alven, one of the four pillars of the great Laudelen Empire and symbolizing the blue hawk!”
Alven already came?
On the first day of the banquet, not even the marquis came?
But that was not the end of the trumpeter’s words.
“…This is the position of Minus, one of the four pillars of the Great Laudelen Empire and symbolizing the green leaf!”
“What is that bastard’s green leaf? We need to change the symbol quickly.”
A familiar voice was heard and familiar-looking people entered the banquet hall.
“Behave like a duke.”
“Yeah yeah.”
Bahat Alven and Minus Morhaim.
They appeared leading the family.
[ Episode 226. Banquet ] End
