# 418
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418
The banquet hall was crowded with guests from all over.
This is the first official appearance of the next Grand Duke of Rinosa.
What happened in the martial arts competition finals had already created an uproar in other countries.
Unfortunately, those who missed the scene waited amidst a lot of rumors for the day when Helmut would appear again at an official event.
And the time has finally come.
Those who had the status to attend Grand Duke Rinosa’s banquet came running even if they had the time to spare.
Among them were many high-ranking nobles of the empire.
Normally, it would be the job of Grand Duchess Rinosa, a former prominent marquis of the empire, to welcome them.
However, she did not attend this banquet.
Although he made an excuse that he was not in good health, people secretly guessed the reason.
It is already widely known that the Grand Duchess of Linosa supported Michael.
In such a situation, the eldest son appeared out of nowhere and took the position of successor. It must have been an undesirable situation for her.
Of course, there were those who said that it wouldn’t matter if Helmut and Michael were the archduchess’ biological sons.
However, not all children are close to their mothers.
Moreover, if Helmut is an abandoned child.
I was just keeping quiet because I couldn’t openly mention Archduke Rinosa’s trust, but rumors were also spreading that Helmut was not the archduchess’s biological son.
The Grand Duchess’ absence added fuel to the rumor.
The banquet hall was overflowing with whispers about these events.
Although they spoke carefully, there were some who guessed the circumstances of the Grand Duchy of Rinosa to a fairly deep level.
“It looks like Michael has completely lost his authority. “I heard that you were leaving the house because your health was bad.”
“You are the one who brightens up the banquet. “It’s a shame.”
“Since Rinosa also sided with the imperial family against the temple, wouldn’t it be natural for Michael, who was close to the temple, to be excluded?”
“Some mistakes were made, and a new successor appeared. In most cases, the second son cannot surpass the eldest son.”
“Furthermore, I heard that this martial arts competition was of a higher level than the famous Basor martial arts competition. Didn’t you win there?”
“The Grand Duchy of Rinosa also holds swordsmen in high esteem. If you are the best as a prosecutor, your qualifications are proven. “Anything else is a secondary issue.”
The ability to govern a country is different from swordsmanship skills, but in some countries the latter was highly valued as a quality for a successor.
Linosa was also such a country.
Among many qualities, Rinosa placed great importance on swordsmanship skills, even to the point where it was thought that swordsmanship skills influenced other qualifications.
Michael, who stood out despite the absence of the most important one, had other outstanding qualities and could be said to have made a truly ceaseless effort.
Even now that it has completely collapsed, it is enough to not be ridiculed by those who enjoy other people’s misfortune.
No matter what his real temperament was, Michael had a charm that easily won people’s favor and attracted their hearts.
Not killing him was revenge, but it was also an appropriate choice for Helmut.
If he had been killed, Helmut would have been disliked like a vicious and cruel tyrant, and Michael would have been portrayed as the protagonist of a tragedy.
And that was Michael’s intention to willingly face death.
The topic quickly changed. A person who knew more about Rinosa’s situation spoke up.
“The Black Wing Knights also receive orders from Helmut, right?”
“Doesn’t dividing military authority mean that the Archduke has already made a decision?”
“The Forest of Pahe… Are there really people abandoned there? “I thought it was just a legend or something.”
“It is said that this is the case when a noble lady gives birth but does not hold a birth celebration and the newborn baby dies.”
“Well, in any decent noble family, high-level healers and priests are assigned to childbirth.”
However, there were also concerns for those who heard the phrase ‘born with sprouts of darkness and sent to the forest of Pahe’ as unfamiliar as a folktale.
“So is there really no problem? Those sprouts of darkness…”
Those with sprouts of darkness running wild have only happened in Rinosa in the past hundred years. Even so, there were almost no rumors about it.
This was an issue that the temple had been strictly controlling from birth. Because of that, there was less awareness.
“The Grand Duke said there was no problem.”
“There’s no response from the temple yet, right?”
“I heard that they are protesting to release the Holy Knight who caused a commotion at the general martial arts club. Wouldn’t that come forward only when that problem is resolved? That paladin seems to be an important figure in the temple.”
Both those who spoke and those who heard nodded their heads slowly.
There was no person here who was friendly to the temple.
Because those people have been hiding since the Crown Prince assassination incident.
Although it is not yet known, the Holy Knight had been released a day ago and returned to the temple.
It was a few days after the general martial arts club was disbanded and the Prince of Rinosa and his party returned to Rinosa.
The crown prince took the appropriate amount of time and then released the paladin.
In the meantime, there were fierce protests from the temple, but he was detained in the name of investigation.
Although he committed an indecent act, it was a crime too small to punish a paladin, so it also meant that he should have a hard time in a narrow and uncomfortable place.
It was entirely an ordeal from the crown prince’s perspective, rolling around in a spacious room on a soft bed, but it also had the meaning of a warning.
A warning that in the future, the temple’s immunity will not be fully effective and those who belong to the temple may also be punished.
Being imprisoned must have been the first humiliation he had ever experienced as a noble paladin of the temple.
However, the Paladin resisted with the holy sword and did not escape. Because he wanted to walk out proudly in front of everyone rather than breaking the prison like an escaping prisoner.
It did go as planned. As a swordsman who must have gone through rigorous training, after enduring a few days of pain.
Since then, there has been no real movement from the temple yet.
As a temple, it was expected that since the Empire and Rinosa had solidified their union, the choice to strike a sword against both would not be easy.
Those who attended the banquet soon forgot their worries amid the music and enjoyed socializing while eating and drinking.
In the midst of all this, the Grand Duke Rinosa’s family appeared.
They were the Grand Duke of Linosa, Helmut, and Charlotte.
“Thank you to all the distinguished guests who attended Latona’s banquet. Let me introduce you. Helmut, my son and successor to Linosa.”
As soon as the Archduke appeared, he looked down at the audience like the monarch of Rinosa and introduced Helmut in a straightforward manner.
Helmut came forward and slightly bowed his head.
Rather than being polite, he seemed arrogant by just nodding his head, but that was more befitting of a successor to Mr. Rinosa.
Next to him, Charlotte, who seemed to be fully feeling the tension that the person involved must have had, sighed in relief.
“It is him. oh my god.”
“You really… take after His Highness the Archduke.”
In admiration and surprise, everyone’s eyes turned away from the Archduke and focused on Helmut, the main character of the banquet.
Helmut stood calmly, not caring about the numerous gazes on me.
Words that had already been exchanged were brought up again, but he did not pay any attention to them, even though he listened to them with his excellent hearing.
‘I guess the story that the Grand Duchess betrayed me is not known.’
No one in the banquet hall seems to know that he was abandoned by her twice.
It is only natural that there are people who remember him from his stay at the royal castle of Latona four years ago.
Latona’s royal castle seemed to be completely blocking information from the outside.
Helmut didn’t care what dishonorable rumors the Grand Duchy of Rinosa was caught up in.
The Archduke didn’t seem to mind too much.
A new wind is always bound to blow the lips.
Even if there is a bit of a fuss now, the rumors will be dispelled once Helmut solidifies his position.
“And I have another news to announce.”
The Archduke opened his mouth at some interval.
The once bustling hall fell silent again due to the powerful voice.
“This is my heir’s fiancée and wizard Area.”
The moment the silver-haired woman appeared, everyone held their breath.
Area.
It was an appearance that would immediately imprint itself in people’s memories wherever they went.
Although that fact was inconvenient, Area herself did not mind it.
Rather, she feels proud of herself for being perfect from head to toe.
Wearing a white dress, she brightly lit up the banquet hall as if she were wearing a halo.
As she stood next to Helmut, she even had a glimpse of his darkness and her light melting into one.
There was neither darkness nor light, neither too much nor too little. It was harmonious, as if each piece was in its right place.
They were the pair who would later become the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Linosa.
Area, who had been hiding in Heike’s shadow ever since she lost her parents, smiled under the bright lights.
Her magical power, which was clearly radiated, spread through the air. The ladies’ eyes became hazy.
Admiration for beauty or liking for those in power. Anything was fine.
If there is even the slightest spark of goodwill, Area’s magic that attracts the same sex turns it into a flame.
The feeling of revealing the power I had hidden my whole life was new to me.
“Area? Are you a commoner?”
“If it’s Wizard Area… I think I’ve heard of it somewhere.”
The banquet hall was soon engulfed in commotion.
Even if no one in the banquet hall knows her name right now, it is impossible to not know her if you are from Greta Academy.
There are probably quite a few people in Linosa and the Empire who know that name.
Wasn’t Alea a man? Why did you go around disguised as a man?
Rumors and suspicions will naturally follow.
‘There’s really no turning back now. ‘There is no choice but to move forward.’
The tension that slowly arose is transformed into will.
Helmut held out his hand toward her. Area held his hand.
This, Latona’s capital, is the place where she will take root. He was by Helmut’s side.
The look in her eyes sent ripples through Helmut’s calm heart.
This moment started from the distant past.
Helmut’s lips were moved by an indescribable feeling.
Although he was not gifted with words, he felt like he had to say something.
But then the door to the banquet hall opened and a knight in black armor came inside.
He walked through the gaps of people and quickly reached the Archduke.
It was Alonso, the commander of the Black Wing Knights.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. “An urgent message has arrived.”
