Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“S-sorry, Duke Ricardo…!!”
At Ricardo’s words, Count Heven bowed repeatedly, his head lowered in panic.
But Ricardo, his anger reaching its peak, shouted at him.
“If that’s not the case—then are you a pawn of the Demon King’s army?”
“To dare call the heroes protecting this empire parasites… that would be impossible unless you were one of them.”
Ricardo slowly looked around the hall.
“Don’t you all agree?”
As mana flickered in his hand, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
“N-no, of course not, Your Grace! You already know that!”
At the count’s desperate cry, Ricardo’s expression hardened. He stomped the ground with his right foot.
“You think I already know?”
KWA-A-A-ANG!
Blue light burst from the floor where his foot struck, mana surging outward.
Standing alone at the center, Ricardo declared loudly,
“Then let me make it clear from this day forward.”
“If anyone in this world dares to tarnish the honor of the great hero’s party—who do not fear death in their sacrifice for this world—”
“And especially if anyone looks down upon these two, Bell and Claire, commoners though they may be, yet the greatest contributors among us—”
“They will not escape my judgment.”
He turned his gaze sharply toward the crumpled count.
“Do you understand?”
“…I understand.”
Ricardo smiled faintly at Bell and Claire, then spoke coldly to the count.
“Then get out of my sight.”
“…My deepest apologies, Duke Ricardo Neptunsia.”
“Apologies for the disturbance. Now then—everyone, continue enjoying the banquet.”
With a wave of mana, Ricardo restored the shattered floor to its original state.
A moment later, after the commotion had settled, the first place he went was to Bell and Claire.
“My apologies, Guide.”
Instead, Claire bowed slightly.
“No, Ricardo. Thank you for resolving such a difficult situation.”
Hearing her speak so formally—so unlike her usual self—Ricardo let out an awkward chuckle.
“What’s this? Since when did you start talking like that?”
“…This is exactly why I hate coming to places full of nobles.”
Claire felt frustrated with herself.
She had lived her whole life without pretense, yet here she was—shrinking under the atmosphere, speaking politely without even realizing it.
Ricardo, watching her, felt a quiet relief.
The Claire he knew was not someone who bent to power or status.
Then, his gaze shifted to Bell, who still hadn’t fully recovered.
“…Hyung… s-sorry…”
Bell, his face flushed red, kept mumbling apologies.
Ricardo immediately used mana to dispel the alcohol from Bell’s body.
Vwoong.
“…Huh.”
Bell blinked as clarity returned. He looked around.
“…Hyung?”
Memories flowed back to him.
He had drunkenly stepped on the count’s foot… and kept apologizing over and over…
And then—
Ricardo had appeared and saved him.
As that realization settled, Bell smiled brightly.
“Thanks, hyung.”
Seeing that pure smile, Ricardo felt something ease inside him.
Now he understood why the Mercenary King had been so protective of this boy.
A child this pure… forced to walk the battlefield.
If it were him, he would feel like the world was collapsing too.
The world of nobles was far too cold, cruel, and filthy for someone like Bell.
Ricardo wanted to protect that purity until the very end.
“Bell.”
“Yeah?”
“Want to go out to the balcony and talk? Just the two of us?”
Bell nodded.
“Guide, I’ll take Bell for a bit. Why don’t you go find Irina? I saw her alone in the first-floor corridor.”
“Oh, okay.”
At the mention of Irina, Claire’s face brightened as she left.
Together, Ricardo and Bell stepped onto the balcony.
The moment the door closed behind them, the noise of the banquet faded as if sealed behind a veil.
The balcony stretched outward in a long semicircle from the palace wall. The waist-high railing was carved from pristine white marble, adorned with intricate vines and star patterns, with small gold inlays that shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
The floor, polished to a smooth gray-white sheen, bore delicate golden lines forming a circular pattern—like a massive magic circle layered toward its center.
Brass braziers stood at intervals, each holding a steady blue flame that flickered without wavering in the wind.
Beyond the railing, the imperial gardens spread out below. Though swallowed by night, magical lanterns lined the paths, casting soft golden light that danced across leaves and shadows.
Farther still, the capital city stretched into the distance—countless windows glowing like stars, carriage lights drifting slowly across bridges like streams of fire.
Above them, the sky was clear beyond measure. Countless stars filled the heavens, and a large moon hung over the palace spires, spilling silver light across the marble.
A gentle night breeze passed through, carrying faint scents of grass and flowers, along with the distant murmur of a fountain.
The laughter and music of the banquet were now nothing more than a faint echo beyond the door.
Only the night, the moonlight, and silence remained.
Bell looked around with quiet fascination.
After spending every day on the battlefield, places shaped by human hands—beautiful and orderly—always made his heart pound.
Ricardo watched him silently.
“Bell.”
“Yeah?”
Looking out at the scenery, Ricardo spoke softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“…?”
Bell turned to him, confused.
“For what?”
“….”
For what, indeed.
Ricardo couldn’t answer.
He glanced at the moon and recalled the past.
Years ago, at an orphanage he personally supported.
From the waiting room, he had overheard the children speaking beyond the wall.
About how they would be forced out into the world in a year.
About having no money, no skills, no future.
Too young to find proper work.
Too uneducated to build a path.
Working all day for wages that couldn’t even buy a meal.
The suffocating pressure of survival.
The despair of knowing they could never escape it.
Those words had stirred something in him.
That day, Ricardo went to his father and proposed additional support—helping such children transition into society.
But—
“I understand what you’re saying, but I reject it. That’s excessive investment.”
His father had dismissed him.
“There are countless talents that never get the chance to bloom,” Ricardo had argued. “If we find and support them, they could benefit our territory.”
“…That’s nothing but probability. A businessman chooses certainty. Why invest in unknown orphans when we can recruit proven academy students?”
“But my point isn’t efficiency—it’s responsibility. Helping those who struggle daily yet can never succeed. Isn’t it our duty, as those born with privilege?”
“…You may be right. But it’s not beneficial for our house.”
Then came the words that stayed with him:
“A flower blooming in mud is beautiful precisely because it is rare.”
Yes.
This world wished for the useless to disappear.
For those who contributed nothing—to simply die sooner.
…
Ricardo couldn’t answer Bell.
As a noble of the highest rank.
As someone with unparalleled talent.
He was ashamed.
Ashamed that he couldn’t change this world.
When Ricardo looked at him with distant eyes, Bell finally understood.
Why his brother figure was apologizing.
Why he had been so furious back in the hall.
Bell looked up at the moon and spoke quietly.
“Hyung. I thought about something.”
He continued.
“What is glory? What is honor?”
“When I first entered, I thought… being celebrated, being welcomed—that was glory.”
He glanced at Ricardo and smiled faintly.
“But I don’t think that’s it. If that was real glory… honestly, it’d be kind of boring.”
He was right.
Glory wasn’t something as shallow as applause.
“It’s holding onto your beliefs without becoming pathetic.”
“Like Claire noona—doing what you think is right, no matter what others say.”
“Being applauded by people wearing masks… that’s not glory. At least, I don’t think so.”
Ricardo looked at him with quiet pride.
“Though… now that I’ve seen what nobles are really like… it feels kind of empty.”
“I read once—after enlightenment comes emptiness.”
“I thought all nobles were like you. Open-minded, dignified, admirable.”
Ricardo’s lips curled upward at the praise.
“But this? Yeah… I don’t want to be a noble anymore.”
At Bell’s complaint, Ricardo chuckled.
“I told you—it’s nothing special.”
“…Yeah. You were right.”
“…Still.”
“To someone who thought nobles were like stars in the sky… it’s a bit disappointing.”
At those final words, Ricardo could only smile bitterly.