Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (29)
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“Oh. She is the Saint of Light, of whom there were many rumors, and the daughter from Teldrat who thrilled the hearts of many young nobles. Thank you for attending and making the party shine. “It is called the Bell Party, which honors and serves His Highness the First Prince.”
“ha ha ha. Ratura. It is natural for those who uphold God’s will to participate in the events of an empire that has played an important role as a pillar of human civilization for a long time. Peace and prosperity. Is there any country that fits these two words better than empire? “I am Professor Ro Haram’s tool.”
“Hot hot hot! I’ve been reading Gwangmyeong’s Battle since morning in order to have a conversation with the saint. It’s very different from what I imagined. I really enjoy the conversation. There are many people who want to meet the saint. If you don’t mind, may I introduce you…?”
Social circles.
A place where upper class people interact.
The language of nobles is made up of the same words as ours, but they speak a different language. One hand gesture. Even a small sigh or glance carries a small meaning.
For example, just now a middle-aged nobleman with a generous look was taking a very negative attitude towards me.
‘Rumors abounded – isn’t this just a bluff full of rumors that have never been proven and have been passed down by word of mouth?’
‘Emphasis on young nobles – no one other than young nobles gives weight to such absurd rumors.’
‘For the sake of conversation, I read Gwangmyeong’s engagement from the morning. – I’ve never read it before. ‘Not interested in light.’
It has a certain meaning. Since they approached me first, I indicated that it was the 1st Prince’s side, meaning that I intended to push through these negative opinions, so the 1st Prince’s forces are expressing dissatisfaction with my response.
‘Perhaps since I kicked that idiot out first, he wants me to show a bit of a low-key attitude on the surface.’
[….Why are you doing this? In the end, they want to bring us into the 1st Prince’s power.]
‘But the Prince can’t bow his head first. I was the child first, and at the time, I was careless and made a mistake. If you bow your head and bow your head, it’s not true on the other side either. It’s because we used the wrong people. We’re sorry too. It’s like a light greeting.’
———
– Jokass: Please…. Just kill them all… Ugh… Gaetona….
– Roru Drug: Why. It’s worth listening to.
– Jokass: That?
– Noru Drug: ㅇㅇ. Why do you do that when you meet a friend you haven’t known in a long time at a class reunion? ‘Oh yeah! It’s been so long! Why on earth have you lost so much weight? I thought it was someone else! What’s the secret? It’s almost impossible to remove it this much with any method I know! Something like ‘It’s so amazing~’.
– Holly: Ah. That’s the context.
– Speed Wagon: There are definitely some similarities.
– takealook: I don’t even know what you’re talking about.
– Noru Drug: No sense. ‘You used to be such a fucking pig that you couldn’t even open your eyes, but you knew I was ashamed of my body, right? If you look at me losing weight like this. Isn’t it unnatural? Isn’t that a way of saying ‘Isn’t that surgery?’ Even the nobles’ conversation is quite listenable if you look at it at an expanded and enhanced level.
– Jokass: I’m afraid. Dark Girls Talk.
– Speed Wagon: I’m not saying that everyone is like that, but as you live… you often inevitably meet people who say things like that. When I was at the hospital, I also saw a lot of nurses talking behind my back.
– DOOMgay: In that respect, we are living in good times. If you have a complaint, instead of talking behind his back, just calculate whether I can draw a gun faster than that guy. How comfortable.
– takealook: Is your brother here? Is work finished today?
– DOOMgay: I’ll be there soon. I don’t see this.
———
In the chat room, a heated argument about the language of nobles continued. Hyde was reading my memory of seeing it and making a sad expression.
[Uh… is it really like that? Are all nobles like that because they are feminine?]
‘The explanation was a bit strange, but to a certain extent. It’s not because it’s feminine. In a situation where the use of violence was extremely limited, this tacit custom grew as multiple groups confirmed their superiority and waged a war of nerves without major conflict. Since direct violence can lead to a duel or territory war before destruction, endless verbal fights and such twisted secret fighting have grown into this dark conversation in social circles. okay?’
[….so. After all, all nobles are feminine?]
‘Hey. Assuming so, then. These are people who describe themselves as noble. That may be true to some extent.’
The story went awry for a moment, but in the end, that’s the point.
The nobles are socializing as usual without any problems and without any signs of curses or brainwashing.
The 1st Prince’s faction is treating Professor Seongja in an extremely noble manner.
There are no traces of the witch anywhere.
The professor came out to the terrace, making the excuse that it was time to pray for a while to the endless stream of nobles. In any case, the first prince, the protagonist of the banquet, would only make his appearance around the middle of the banquet. Until then, it was time to stamp each other’s faces, so it was okay to just do it roughly.
After escaping from the terrifying group drama and going to a place where the cold wind blew, I saw my familiar red hair fluttering in the wind.
She showed off her blooming beauty with her signature red dress, earrings that shined like a small chandelier, and light makeup.
“…Is it difficult?”
“I really hope that the circumstances of this heresy will be revealed somewhere. “The warrior will burn it all down.”
Her expression was close to that of someone suffering from a hangover after a night of drinking.
It goes without saying, but unlike me, who has a reputation but still has no contacts in the social world, Lucilla has already been well-known in the social world for a long time, and there are people who have become familiar with her in advance by going to several dinner parties yesterday.
Unlike the first meeting, the second meeting was an excuse to introduce the nobleman he knew to others through that friendship. This means that if I only dealt with a group of rich and dignified First Prince nobles, Lucilla was dragged from group to group like a pinball, smiling until her face twitched.
“The hero. “Did you find out anything?”
“not really. Ordinary checks, ordinary demands, ordinary greetings. “The fact that it’s surprisingly ordinary means that it’s rather heterogeneous.”
“It’s similar. Ordinary gossip, ordinary flirting, ordinary chatting. “There wasn’t much to it, except that there were a lot of perverts because my name was followed by ‘legendary suitor.’”
Complaints that seemingly nothing happened. However, her words, heard through the water drop message magic in my ear, were a little different.
[It was all just gossip, but there were strangely many questions about the hero.]
[Me? Like what. Why did I come here?]
[It’s not a specifically suspicious question. In cases like this, it’s usually right to ask which noble you have in mind, right? Since my right to choose is quite strong, the ladies are bound to be worried that the person they are interested in will not come out of my mouth. But most of the questions that came in were like this. ‘How did you meet the saint?’ ‘What kind of training do you usually do and what hobbies do you spend your free time on?’ ‘Is that red dress a couple’s dress to match the saint’s nickname, the Blood Saint?’ Same trivial but somewhat…suspicious question.]
[…As expected. Is the witch’s breath at work? It is a question that can be used to infer my path, my journey over time that is not revealed to the outside world, and when and where I learned about and delved into my relationship with you. Rumors about Teldrat’s suitor have been around for quite some time.]
[…So, is the Empress, the mother of the 1st Prince, a witch?]
[Keep the possibility open, just the possibility. I still don’t have enough pieces to fit together to judge the painting based on what I’m holding right now. I wrote down the names of all the young ladies.]
[Yes.]
The group was doing their best in their respective positions. Lucilla and I, who were well-versed in etiquette and social conversation, dealt directly with nobles. Aldrich and Ottman are armed with a social all-purpose shield called ‘Wizard-like Action’ to prevent anyone from approaching, and then monitor the banquet hall in real time to see if there are any traces of curses or magic. Notum and Idrasil are-
[Gwok. There is too. Similar distance to the city below. Similar amount.]
[I can’t say it’s a normal plant, but to me, it appears to have grown longer than the one in Yongin City. The leaves seem to have dried more than on the outskirts. It certainly seems to show this tendency the closer you get to the center of the capital.]
He acted unaccustomed to noble banquets – in the case of Idrasil, elven-like misanthropy, and in the case of Notum, the dull behavior typical of trolls – and was kicked out of the banquet hall, where he remained in the surrounding area. Walk around and search for curses and check for direct traces of curses. Idrasil, who was well versed in plants, and Notum, who was gifted with magic, were the most suitable people for this job.
All operations were proceeding smoothly and we were steadily approaching our goal step by step.
As expected, the nobles were trying to keep me in check while trying to join their group, and while Lucilla was suffering from countless attacks by the young nobles, both the wizard team and the Notum Idrasil team were carrying out their work without any problems.
….so I couldn’t understand.
[It’s strange.]
[….Isn’t it?]
[Yes. I think I understand now what you said yesterday that was a bit strange. I can’t explain it… but this whole place is a bit… strange. What can I say? Does it feel like you’ve entered a play so elaborate that the criminal can’t even imagine? Everyone is an actor, but should we say that it felt like we were the only real civilians involved?]
.
.
.
.
[It’s disparate]
Hyde’s words summed up the current situation.
Yes, it is foreign. It was as if a randomly thrown puzzle had been put together and ten roughly thrown darts had landed in the center without a single error.
Today’s strategy was, of course, a roughly planned temporary measure. The reason I only stated broad goals without an exact detailed plan was because I expected that there would be variables in between.
For example, a newcomer to aristocratic politics who is about to join the 1st Prince’s power, or a noble who approaches a saint with a huge power called a religious order to build a rapport in advance.
The jealous, gossipy looks and petty harassment by servants that usually follow a young lady who is about to get married, or a noblewoman with a high level of choice, is expected to grow up beautifully and be sold at a high price.
In a heterogeneous scene where a troll and an elf are wandering around a noble city, there is a guard who shows a racially discriminatory attitude and blocks the way.
Just thinking about it, more than five variables and problems come to mind for each character. None of these things happened, and the operation was carried out smoothly as it was said, ‘This is how aristocratic society is, so let’s proceed like this.’
‘They say the face of a nobleman is nothing more than a mask, but this goes too far. Beyond the mask, it’s like an illusion reflected in a mirror.’
There was no real ‘nobility’ in either of them. There is no strong presence that is cruel, greedy and lively. I was just being swayed by something secret and being swept away by a huge wave.
It was clear that some great force was moving them. However, in chess, you can at least see the direction the piece is moving and the goal the hand is aiming for.
What on earth does it mean to just stay in place?
I glanced at Aldrich to see if he could find out, but the negative answer came back, saying there were still no signs. It doesn’t mean it’s a curse.
In that strange atmosphere, Lucilla looked like she wanted to escape over the balcony at any moment.
[I’ll be honest. Even if dozens of poisonous wives insult and disparage everything I do, I have the confidence to face it straight. Even if monsters that have never appeared in my dreams come running out, as long as the hero and my group are there… I think everything will work out. But this is, ugh… scary. I can’t figure it out with my common sense. What on earth is happening to the imperial capital? They say it’s not a curse or magic, but how can people be like that-]
[Calm down.]
[What’s even scarier… is that I got caught up in their atmosphere without even knowing it! I thought I was coming to my senses, but… He was talking about ordinary things like the exchanges between the empire and Teldrat and stories about the top of the family. It’s as if I’m melting and disappearing…]
[Shh. are you okay. Nothing has happened yet. You have the holy relics given to you by the church, right?]
[….Yes.]
Seeing Lucilla struggling to hold back her tears, the professor wrapped her trembling shoulders around her and led her out of the banquet hall. Although Lucilla is very resourceful, she is ultimately an ordinary noble girl. I still don’t know what’s floating around here that’s causing this strange feeling, but it’s clear that it’s seeping into Lucilla as well.
“Hero… If you go out like this now, it will give a bad impression to the nobles here.”
“no. In my view, this seems meaningless. “You go this way and join the two people who are investigating outside with Otman Aldrich.”
Lucilla nodded even though she was shaking. Ottman and Aldrich, who were looking this way, got up from their seats at Lucilla’s unusual expression.
“What about you, hero?”
“…There’s something I want to check.”
The professor, who was fiddling with the cursed coins he had in his pocket, sent everyone out and returned to the banquet hall.
And I had no idea it would be so important. I cast a message spell on a noble who looked 100 times more realistic than the nobles in the castle city.
“Ah, Chager! What is this water all of a sudden….”
[Keplag Naidim. I don’t know if you remember this voice.]
“That shadow?”
An arrogant young noble man who visited our inn on the first day. Keflag Naidim.
“Where are you? If it’s a mission, I was just about to-”
[Act naturally. It’s okay to just listen without answering.]
Looking at Naidim, who stiffened extremely unnaturally at those words, the professor lightly licked his dry mouth from nervousness.
Since I couldn’t find out anything like this, I thought I’d try changing the method.
‘If everything in front of your eyes is full of foreign things. ‘We need to expand our horizons to the boundaries that are not heterogeneous.’
Castle city. Strange aristocrats who appear idealistic to a heterogeneous level.
user city. First day. A throwing away card that is close to being checked. A standard and noble method.
However, if you think about it again, it is an unsuitable method in the fierce competition called the battle for the throne. If I approach negatively and the other person approaches me positively, I end up losing it to the other person. In any case, it is an approach that can be taken in everyday life.
Haunuman. Even though news spread that Wuthering Heights was attacked by Mute, the annual event was held as usual. In contrast, the grassland tribes were clearly influenced by Mute.
If you think about it, this castle city was not the same as usual. No matter how much it is a foreign country beyond the mountains, several countries are fighting a life-or-death war with Mute, and right now, like the Margrave’s Territory and Wuthering Heights, the aftermath is spreading to the Empire, but it was so peaceful just by crossing over to the territory right next door.
The professor knew of a force that caused this inexplicable phenomenon.
[Keplag Naidim. Shout ‘Long Live the Emperor’ three times in a loud voice right then and there.]
“Here and now – Heo-eup!”
[okay. Don’t answer. right now. [This is for His Majesty the First Prince.]
While Naidim was looking at the nobles surrounding him with anxious eyes, the professor’s hand, which was holding the cursed coin in his pocket, tightened.
and.
“Long live Your Majesty Emperor Hua! Long live your Majesty the Emperor! “Your Majesty the Emperor… Long live!”
The moment when the faithful fool Naidim shouts three cheers among noble nobles.
Rattling.
As if someone had flipped a switch, the phantom-like atmosphere that had been pretending to be peaceful was instantly overturned. It is not a return to reality from the appearance of a heterogeneous ‘ideal nobility’, but the opposite. With another heterogeneity.
Clap clap clap.
“It’s a face I remember. “I think he was the son of the Keflack family.”
“Ah hahaha… that’s it… I suddenly have respect for His Majesty the Emperor…”
“I understand. This can be happen. “Isn’t His Majesty the Emperor the foundation of this country?”
“It was great, Naidim Yeongsik!”
“Uh… thank you…?”
I thought I would be completely embarrassed by the sudden outcry, but I received a favorable response that even Naidim himself could not understand.
A cursed shoe that quickly loses its vitality in your pocket.
‘A power beyond the boundaries of logic and reason… divinity!’
The withering leaf was speaking. The atmosphere changed in an instant. This is what these intangible, intangible things are against the witch’s ritual.
‘…It wasn’t just chess, it was a checkers game played with chess pieces. The pieces were each playing their own game for the sake of [the well-being of the empire], but the black and white were being mixed up indiscriminately!’
Things that were not visible up close soon began to reveal their outlines as I looked back.
A witch who has already prepared everything. The opposite point is…the empire itself.
It was the emperor’s name.
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