Chapter 325
Chapter 325
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.69 – The Knight Cheers on the Youths (4)
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The capital was in an uproar.
It was because the celebration for the royal grandchild's first birthday was just about a month away.
However…
"No, there's still a whole month left! So why are the inn prices like this?!"
"These are already good rates. They'll go even higher soon enough."
"Good lord…"
Considering there was still around a month until the banquet, it felt excessively rowdy.
The capital's population density had hit its peak in nearly three years, to the point where some streets didn't even have standing room.
Carriages were pouring in from every province, and even with eye-wateringly high prices, most lodging facilities were fully booked.
Naturally, the influx of people had energized the markets, allowing small merchants and vendors to rake in huge profits.
It was the kind of seasonal boom where they could earn two years' living expenses in one go.
However,
"A fight's broken out between provincial nobles on the southern street!"
"The knights are dueling!"
"And what's this about some guys wanting to do war games!?"
As if to prove that the world couldn't have only positive sides, the sudden population surge was undoubtedly giving the capital's officials a massive headache with its negative effects.
Clashes between rival families from the provinces.
Trivial squabbles escalating into bloody brawls.
With so many powerful figures gathered, such side effects were inevitable.
Still, noble or merchant turf wars were at least manageable.
They happened out in the open, so they could be stopped.
In that sense, the absolute worst side effect was
"Easy, too easy. Almost feels bad."
"You're not sorry at all—you're just smirking."
"Shut up!"
"Hmph, always raising your voice first."
"You little—!"
the fact that blatantly 'suspicious characters' could blend into the crowds without anyone noticing.
Of course, the knights and soldiers claimed they were thoroughly screening everyone entering the capital, but those were standard procedures.
To be more rigorous, they'd have needed to pour every resource into the palace, but they weren't.
It was an oversight born of arrogance—'this should be fine'—and for them, it was nothing short of a blessing.
"More importantly, what about that thing?"
"Hm?"
"The Black Apostles, those guys' request. We gonna honor it?"
"…Oh, that ridiculous request? No need."
"You sure? We owe them one, especially the First Apostle."
The younger man asked with a tone of concern and a faint smile, prompting the middle-aged one—his brow already narrowed like a scar—to furrow it further with a sneer.
"Owe? Neither of us owes the other a damn thing."
The middle-aged man spat it out mockingly, his eyes drifting to a newspaper on the roadside.
The front page blared: [Arthur Pendragon, the Miracle Royal Grandchild Linking Pendragon and Britannia]. Looking at it…
"What freaks, pulling off scams like this."
The man could only snort at the story of the royal grandchild who supposedly inherited blood from both the Pendragon and Britannia royal houses.
No, it was contemptible.
"Inheriting blood from both Pendragon and Britannia? Bullshit."
—It was far more believable that oil and water could mix.
His cynical mutter rang out fairly loudly, but it was swallowed and scattered by the clamor of the endless crowds.
…Leaving behind only a handful of ominous air.
"—Hmm, so you ended up turning them all down?"
"Pretty much."
"Ho…"
"…You look way too pleased all of a sudden."
"N-No! It's not like that!"
The blonde, blue-eyed girl denied it hastily.
She absolutely wasn't happy that he'd refused the other young ladies' requests for a chaperone.
It was just pure relief that he hadn't gotten dragged into something troublesome…
[Liar. You're thrilled deep down. Those vixen types nearly ruined the plan you set up for Arin, and you were about to flip out.]
'Q-Quiet!'
[Truth hurts. And drop the haughty lady act. It doesn't suit you.]
'Eek!'
Irene Windler, the exquisitely fairy-like beautiful girl.
She was sharing a light dinner with the knight from next door, recounting recent events, and now properly experiencing the emotional turmoil they caused.
'Those damn foxes!'
Yes, she had been on the verge of some pretty harsh words.
And for good reason—these fox-like girls had insisted on making her instructor their protector!
And becoming a protector meant
'I couldn't even apply as his partner!'
Anyone over nineteen could participate as a debutante in the royal banquet, and Irene's attendance was mandatory.
Well, honestly, she didn't want to go, but there was no choice.
Irene was Duke Galahad's foster daughter, so she had to fulfill her duties.
Attendance was unavoidable, and if she had to go, partnering with the man she wanted was ideal.
With that in mind, she'd planned to request partnership tonight, using dinner as an excuse.
'…Not so easy.'
[You're just a coward. Sigh, such a waste of a pretty face. Why don't you ever use it properly?]
'But…'
[But what?]
'W-Well, it'd be nice if the instructor asked me to be his partner. While offering a hundred roses, hehe.'
[…….]
'W-Why stare like that?'
[…Nothing. Just, your dreams are big.]
'Yaa!!'
The girl finally cried out, and the ghost girl shook her head as if giving up.
[I'd respond if you said something sensible.]
The ghost girl was utterly dumbfounded.
'What the heck has she been doing since earlier?'
It was a dinner seat she'd proposed herself, yet she wasn't eating—instead, her expression kept changing as she muttered to herself. Watching her, Lee Han blinked.
'Well, she's a spellcaster, so what can you do.'
Lee Han decided to look upon the somewhat unhinged girl with warm eyes.
Even if she was one of the saner spellcasters, she was still a spellcaster—mental issues came with the territory, right?
And indeed,
'Mental problems are par for the course with spellcasters.'
Lee Han's stereotypes about mages were harder than Indestructible Training. He brushed off the girl's odd behavior easily.
Moreover,
"By the way, Master. Why'd you turn down the other young ladies' requests? I figured you'd accept as their instructor."
There weren't any other guests either.
Levi blinked at him as she asked, and Lee Han shrugged lightly in response.
"I've only got one body. Can't do it for everyone. Better not to leave any grudges."
"Hmm, I don't think the young ladies would hold a grudge over that."
"Who knows. They might not show it. Could be feeling slighted—who can say."
"Well…"
"Plus, I've got personal stuff to confirm."
"?"
"It's a thing. Anyway, those other two aren't showing up? I was gonna feed 'em."
"They both seemed pretty busy…"
The dinner had been proposed by the neighbor chick, but Lee Han handled the food prep and invitations.
As a treat for the key helpers from the statue project.
But only two had shown up.
The gray-hair and black-hair were predictably MIA.
"They only come crawling when they need something, those punks."
"Hehe…"
Levi didn't deny it, just smiled shyly.
Even if his words were a bit rough, it was clear he cared about them.
He really was kind.
So her smile lasted only a moment.
"…Um."
Levi fidgeted with her fingers, looking somewhat anxious, but soon…
"U-Um, Instructor."
"Yeah?"
"I-If chaperone's too much, h-how about partner… maybe…?"
"?"
"The banquet lasts five days, right? So, just one day together…?"
"…With me?"
"Y-Yes!"
"……."
The girl mustered her courage, and Lee Han fell silent for a moment at her bold proposal, blinking lightly.
As if he hadn't expected it.
"……."
But then, noticing her hands trembling like aspen leaves…
"Which day works for you?"
"!!"
"Name the day you want."
"Th-Then…!"
"Come to think of it, I didn't do a proper job as partner last year, so I'll make it up this time. Look forward to it. I'll make sure you shine brightest that day."
"……Yes!"
Levi beamed, proud of herself for speaking up.
The girl was happy.
…And,
"……What just happened?"
[Mm, the man got snatched right in front of you.]
"……."
[The brave one wins the prize.]
"……."
The spellcaster girl—cowardly, full of wishes but no action—watched a cat try to leap onto the stove before her today, feeling a thick sense of defeat.
But there was one thing the spellcaster girl didn't know…
'Let's see, last day with the maid. First day, that auntie wants to meet… And others I've promised…'
The girl had already lost not just to Levi, but to several others.
In Pendragon's scheming high society, the inexperienced didn't survive.