As it is a festival that comes once a year, a fairly large event was held within the Imperial Palace.
Looking around the noisy banquet hall, the emperor murmured in a low voice.
“Everyone seems to be having a good time, but it’s a bit disappointing that a big incident is going to happen soon. Isn’t that right, Sir Leverticia?”
“….”
“Leverticia?”
“ah.”
At the Emperor’s second question, Leverticia raised her head as if in a conscious mind.
She was escorting near the emperor, hiding her appearance by wearing a wig and a mask, just like in the competition to select the leader of the
knights of Baek Eun. Of course, it was a slightly different mask from that time.
Because it was a festival, there were quite a few nobles wearing colorful dresses and masks, so her appearance was not that prominent.
“During this tumultuous festival, what are you thinking about alone?”
“no. It doesn’t matter.”
Leverticia bowed her head.
I was thinking of the girl I had met with Kaius this morning.
For some reason, after meeting the girl, an unpleasant feeling continued as if something came to mind.
‘I’ll have to look for it after the festival is over.’
She barely let go of the thought of the girl and concentrated on the event in front of her.
Just when one song ended, the dancing people returned to their seats. The beginning, as always, looked no different from any other festival day.
If it’s anything special….
‘… He was totally skinny.’
It was a change of Princess Everett, Violetta, who was proud of her beauty until just a few weeks ago.
She participated with a completely emaciated face and lifeless eyes, and had been sticking to the wall of the banquet hall the whole time, staring at her.
Her black hair, which was shiny and gave her special vitality, only felt gloomy today.
“At banquets like this, she was always the main character.”
Perhaps the emperor also noticed her change, and said with a small tongue out.
No matter what the hell happened in between, the followers were no longer attached to it.
But there wasn’t much sympathy.
I heard that during the ten years without Leverticia, she was constantly chasing and harassing Kaius.
‘Although others think that Kaius tormented the princess.’
Just imagining how viciously he must have spread rumors under the water and pretended to be a victim alone made him angry.
She looked away from the emaciated Princess Everett.
It was time for the dance time to end and the emperor’s congratulatory speech to begin.
Leverticia stepped forward to follow the Emperor as he ascended the podium.
That was then.
“Uh-huh. Where do you dare stand closest to Your Majesty? Take two more steps back.”
… what else is this kid
Leverticia stared at the person who had stopped her with bewildered eyes.
little… It was so thin that it was almost unrecognizable, but it was Egan in his red uniform.
He tapped her on the shoulder with a pretentious gesture.
“I heard you were hired specifically for your majesty’s safety at today’s event. Listen to the subject, dare to stand close to His Majesty? The position belongs to Egan Kellus-sama, the commander of the Red Moon Knights, so stick with me and follow me.”
Saying so, he pushed her back, and he followed right behind the emperor. Leverticia was stunned and didn’t say a word.
‘I usually escort and roll…!’
Since it’s a festival, there are a lot of people, so it seems like they want to ‘pretend’. It’s annoying, but it’s better than getting caught and uncovering her identity, so she decided to quietly pay attention.
“-Everyone must have been very tired and exhausted, but I hope you have a good day today. Then come on.”
The emperor came down from the podium after finishing a fairly short congratulatory speech.
Now, the next order was for the emperor and the nobles to go up to the podium to give congratulations or give thanks.
The nobles came up one by one and spat out the congratulatory congratulations they had prepared. It was about time for a boring congratulatory speech followed for a long time.
“Then, next, there will be a congratulatory speech from Count Arpodian.” Count Arpodian.
Leverticia’s eyes, which were about to close, twinkled. He was like the head of the New Nobility faction. Moreover, according to Aaron, he was the one who offered the most zealous opinions on how to tarnish Leverticia’s reputation.
As Leverticia glanced around, Aaron, who had already entered the banquet hall, made eye contact with her and nodded.
“Hmmmm. Hello everyone. and your majesty. This is Ishemar Arpodian.” In the meantime, Count Arpodian started the congratulatory speech.
His congratulatory message was similar to the others at first. However, the level of criticism against the warlock gradually increased to a point where it was dangerous.
“All those vile and heinous men who dared to steal everyone’s peace must be caught and put to death. And even the demons who dared to
communicate with those human minions!”
“you’re right!”
“Right!”
Under the podium, his group, the new nobles, began to catch the wind one by one.
People tend to be swept away by provocative voices, and there was nothing wrong with their tone itself, so the people in the banquet hall began to burn their anger against the warlock one by one.
As the atmosphere gradually escalated, Arpodian burst into action.
“But! From what I’ve heard, some of the high-ranking nobles have colluded with them!”
“I beg your pardon?!”
“Is that true!”
People shouted in confusion.
There were not many nobles who even looked for such low-level newsletters, so most of them were unaware of the rumors.
Count Arpodian raised one lip.
“Yeah, it’s shocking, but investigations have found that the rumors are true! He is a famous person you all know!”
“Uh, tell me your name, Count! Who are you?”
It was when Count Arpodian, who had captured the atmosphere properly, licked his lips to raise Leverticia’s name.
“for a moment.”
Someone interrupted his speech.
All eyes on Count Arpodian turned towards him at once.
“After that, I will tell you.”
“Hey, Count Hereace?”
It was Aaron who stopped him. Count Arpodian blinked in embarrassment. This was not in their plans.
At first, Aaron was nothing more than a puppet of the New Nobility, so he hadn’t even revealed his detailed plans.
However, Aaron hurriedly climbed the stairs and climbed to the top of the podium, regardless of the bewildered atmosphere.
He pushed Arpodian away and started talking on his own.
“The story I just told you is true. I discovered that a nobleman had colluded with a warlock and had been with them for a long time.”
As Aaron, who was more reliable than Arpodian, spoke with a serious face, the crowd’s murmur grew louder.
Count Arpodian and the new nobles, unable to contain their embarrassment, soon began to regain their composure one by one.
“Does that idiot finally understand what we mean?”
“Good. It will increase the credibility of our claims.”
“You are finally working.”
Rather, their main opinion was that it was good.
Count Arpodian, who also agreed, slowly withdrew from the podium. For a more dramatic production.
And waited for Aaron’s mouth to open.
“The true identity of that evil unscrupulous man is….”
People held their breath and waited for him to speak.
Aaron looked around the banquet hall slowly and stopped his gaze at one place.
“It is you!”
***
“Oh, damn it. It’s not terribly fun.”
Above the high bell tower overlooking the festival street.
Kaiers murmured, almost lying on his back, watching the streets. It was the attitude of a guard who was negligent on duty.
All he had to watch was Patrick, who was roaming this street, the surrounding villages, and this festival street, but somehow his nerves kept focusing on the Imperial Palace.
“It’s shameful that I’ll leave only me here, and have fun watching it with them, right?”
The tedious task of watching people having fun all day long left him quite distressed.
“Leave it. As soon as it’s over, I want you to play with me all day-”
He looked down the street muttering to himself, but soon found something and stopped talking.
“That kid….”
What caught his eye was the girl he had met this morning. Leverticia said she felt a bit uncomfortable.
Unknowingly, Kaius followed the girl with his eyes. The girl was running around the streets with a bag bigger than her body in her arms.
Then, in the end, I bumped into someone and what was in my bag spilled out.
What was inside the bag was a piece of paper full of strange characters and black stones of unknown purpose.
“Oh, how about this? I need to pick it up soon….”
The girl panicked and began to pick up the dropped object. However, it was not easy to find all the dropped objects in the middle of a street that many people pass by.
“Ouch!”
In the end, the girl stumbled on her chin while wandering around looking for the missing stone.
“it’s okay?”
Caius came down from the bell tower and reached out to the girl.
“Ah, you are…!”
The girl recognized Kaius. This time, instead of running away, he nodded warmly and grabbed his hand and stood up.
“Thank you for your help. I’m sorry I ran away in the morning.”
“Oh, what. What else are you doing alone on the street? What is this stone?”
“Ah, this is just what I use to make… omg! It’s dangerous! Give it back!”
The girl hurriedly took the stone that was in Kaius’s hand as if it were snatching it away. Kaiers meekly returned the stone to her and shrugged. “What do you make with it?”
“It’s water. Herbal water that is good for the body.”
“Herbal water?”
The girl who had spoken up to that point murmured while wriggling her fingers with a blushing face as if somehow embarrassed.
“There’s Hooxy… If you ever get sick or need help later, please come to us anytime. You can come with my sister during the day. I received help, so I want to reciprocate.”
“… Well, we don’t know anything about you. But how are you going to know?”
“Ah, yes!”
The girl clapped as if she knew it now. And he said with a smile.
“Good brother. Yes, my name is-”
