Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Banquet Debut
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This happened before I entered the banquet hall.
I was forcibly seated on the bed, grabbed by Haniel and Dalpi.
They stood there with their arms crossed, scrutinizing my appearance.
The reason was a deep discussion on "What hairstyle and outfit would suit Ester best at the banquet." My opinion of "Just do something halfway decent since it's a hassle" wasn't being considered at all.
"Pomade or an all-back style seems best, right? It's the cleanest and most unassuming. It'd make your youthful face look quite mature too."
"Miss, the young master's face can pull off various hairstyles, even vibrant colored outfits, so something a bit more distinctive should be fine."
Excuse me. What about my opinion?
"How about parting it like this? Leaving the protruding bangs naturally is the key point."
"Oh, that looks good for sure. Dalpi, you have a talent for this."
"It's basic maid training."
It felt like I was the main character in one of those dress-up games little girls played as kids.
"Just do it roughly..."
"No."
"Absolutely not."
The two insisted that as the protagonists of the banquet—and the kingdom at that—I needed to be dressed to the nines today.
"What a shame to waste such a handsome face."
"Yeah. Sorry, but today we're doing it my way."
They were adamant.
I sighed and entrusted my hair to their hands.
After a full hour, they settled on parting it to the right, applied oil to fix the hair in place, and finally dressed me in a black suit, ending the long, drawn-out styling session.
"Whew, that was tough."
Dalpi pretended to wipe her forehead and handed me a mirror. It definitely made a difference dressed up versus not.
I'd looked like a movie protagonist boarding a sinking ship split in half, so compared to my usual self, this was dazzling indeed.
"How's it look? Did I do a good job styling you?"
"......"
Saying "I could've just worn the suit and gone in" probably wouldn't fly, right?
I nodded appropriately and headed to the banquet hall with my sister and Dalpi.
"You dolled up a lot too, Sis. You're even more beautiful than usual."
It had been ages since I'd seen Haniel in a dress.
While bedridden, I couldn't even join family meals, let alone banquets.
Seeing her like this stirred deep emotions.
She was still slim, but since taking the mana suppressant, she'd gained some weight back, and her snow-white hair felt soft and luxurious like fine silk.
She no longer looked like a frail patient but like a mysterious beauty. Even I, her blood relative, found her stunning.
"It's been so long since I dressed up like this; I was a bit nervous. Does it suit me?"
"Yes."
Dalpi had prepared and helped with the dress, accessories, and makeup my sister was wearing now.
"Perfect."
I gave her a thumbs up.
How was Dalpi so talented at everything? She truly was the greatest maid in history—no exaggeration.
I doubted I'd ever meet a better one.
I'd already planned to give her a big raise this time.
Several times the salary of palace servants.
I had plenty of money and was willing to increase it more if she asked.
You should treat grateful people even better when they're by your side.
That said, Dalpi insisted her current pay was enough.
She stubbornly refused, telling me to buy snacks with it instead.
Hmm.
Still, it sat wrong with me not to give anything to someone I'd been indebted to since way back.
If I had to pick the person I was most grateful to in this world, it'd be Dalpi, so I told her to speak up anytime for whatever she wanted later.
"I'll remember those words."
She gave a meaningful smile.
We paused at the entrance.
"It'll take a while, so don't stand around hurting your feet. Rest in your room."
"Then I'll take a casual stroll."
Only Haniel and I were invited, so we parted ways with Dalpi here for now.
As Haniel and I entered the banquet hall, the noisy interior suddenly fell silent.
The gentlemen in suits and ladies in dresses stopped their conversations and stared in one direction.
Countless gazes focused on us.
It felt like we'd stumbled into a room we weren't supposed to enter.
"Umm..."
In the hushed atmosphere, Haniel and I both felt awkward when someone poked in a familiar face.
"Hahaha! The banquet protagonists have finally arrived!"
It was Red Tower Lord Erphs.
At the tower, he flaunted his muscular torso shirtless, but today he wore a formal uniform like everyone else.
Though the flashy red seemed overkill for his age.
I let it slide.
I inwardly sighed in relief and shook his hand.
"How have you been?"
"Very well, packed and busy. Thanks to the hell tank Haniel Tristy designed, even at my age, I'm pulling all-nighters diving into development. Haha! Oh, I had some questions about the hell tank for you anyway..."
I felt Haniel flinch beside me.
She forced a smile, but the vibe was extremely uncomfortable.
I'd told Erphs the hell tank was my sister's invention to funnel merits for the family head exam, but I hadn't expected it to backfire like this...
As my sister looked troubled, I was about to smooth things over when—
"Ah, right. From now on, hell tank talks go to Ester, not Miss Haniel. Haha, getting old means I keep forgetting. Sorry about that. You must still be recovering, and here I am messing up."
The old man was deliberately speaking louder than usual, clearly trying to shield Haniel from hell tank hassles.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"We should be the ones thanking you, the saviors of the kingdom."
Erphs winked as if he knew everything already.
With the hearty old man's icebreaker, guests began approaching me one by one.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Ester. Miss Haniel. To see the Tristy geniuses in person like this—who knows if it's a dream or reality. I'm Count Richter."
"I'm Edward Henry. I've heard about your family. Such a tragedy. You deserve only good fortunes for saving so many lives..."
When they came one or two at a time, it was manageable.
I could respond appropriately.
"I'm Golden, owner of the Golden Carriage Merchant Group handling this medicine's distribution. What an honor to meet the kingdom's savior doctor in person!"
"Sir Ester, any thoughts on selling the hell tank blueprints not just to the Red Tower but to our family too? Our Benestia territory has independent research facilities like Tristy's..."
"Thanks to this medicine, my father pulled through safely..."
Once conversations started, everyone crowded in, turning the banquet hall into some mega-mart clearance sale.
It was chaos.
And behind me were more eyeing chances to talk.
"Ugh..."
My sister was already dazed, her eyes spinning.
"I've heard you're recovering well. Such good news."
"Your snow-white hair reminds me of the moon up there. Care for a dance later?"
"It's rare for both siblings to manifest magical talent. Haha, if only my kids took after even a tenth of you..."
People started requesting handshakes from my sister too, not just me.
No choice.
I'd planned to use Nob AI's strict crowd control mode to calm the frenzy somehow.
But—
"Is everyone enjoying the banquet?"
No need.
The kingdom's boss had shown up to personally direct traffic.
***
The banquet hall briefly buzzed thanks to Ester, but Bimark's appearance wrapped it up as a mere hiccup.
No history had ever seen a boy this young invent something that saved countless lives, so the earlier frenzy was hardly surprising.
Curiosity always drives people mad, after all.
The banquet's mood ripened, and Bimark called out names to award heroes of the Polar Anomaly and plague.
Those on stage received rewards, thanked the king, while others applauded generously.
Even in the warm atmosphere, all eyes stayed on Ester. Many shone in the anomaly, but only one ended the horrific eastern plague.
"Ester Tristy."
No one fit the genius title better.
Bimark granted him the promised Marquisate of Sephirond and 100 million credits.
'Hm?'
A flicker of puzzlement crossed minds.
Marquis was honorary with no fief, but still immense honor.
In kingdom history—early days aside—merit-based titles from king to subject were stingy; few non-royals held marquisate.
Even accounting for Tristy's governance barring lands or taxes, why no office? Big feats usually came bundled.
Youth? Deep magic aspirations leading to refusal? Or some other reason?
But.
Bimark's follow-up praise made it clear: "This genius is mine." No one eyed Ester for recruitment.
Even Noctias and Erphs washed their hands of it.
With the king's grants done, the banquet resumed.
"......."
Etilla watched Ester from afar with a complicated expression.
During her academy research, she'd heard of the antibiotics and mana suppressants via Yustina Monthly.
His talent wasn't just magic.
Unbound by fields, his genius wielded far greater power than she'd imagined.
Now worthy of respect.
Was he even human?
She admitted it.
He was a superior genius.
Still, she wouldn't yield in magic, if nowhere else.
That was her lifelong goal now.
Steel-ing herself anew, she stood to approach Ester—but.
"Marquis, got a moment? Things to discuss..."
"Mind if I join?"
People surrounded Ester, forming an impenetrable wall, no gap for Etilla.
Was this what a beloved celebrity looked like? Nobles, commanders, mages—all flocked indiscriminately.
'He's so popular...'
Etilla waited in the corner.
Dazedly watching Ester chat.
Her dad was outside in secretive talks with some noble for work.
She had to be lonely alone.
Normally someone would chat her up, but all attention was on Ester.
What was it—like coming to the banquet just to stare at him, and even now, that's all she did.
He didn't even seem to notice her, which irked her—a little, no, a lot.
Did Ester even know she was here?
'This feels so stupid...'
Just her obsessing, seeing him as rival—like shoveling frozen soil.
And.
"Princess."
"You look so princely dolled up, even more than my brother. Hehe. Oh, Tia the author is releasing a new work soon..."
Seeing him chat amiably with a princess made her chest tighten.
She didn't know why.
Watching him flirt with a pretty girl when she meant nothing to him hurt.
"...."
She wasn't some dog waiting for its owner, pining for Ester. It felt pathetic.
She'd put extra effort into her look today, but it meant nothing.
Should've just skipped.
'I'll tell Dad to head home once he's back.'
Etilla tore her gaze from him.
Propped her chin, stared out the window.
How free those drifting clouds were—her thoughts turned sentimental today.
How much time passed?
Someone kept calling Etilla from afar.
She didn't react.
"...."
Helpless, he shook her lost-in-thought shoulder.
"Huh?"
At first she thought it was Dad, but recognizing him, her eyes went wide.
It was Ester.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Etilla froze like their first academy meeting.
Why was he suddenly here? As that thought hit—
Out of nowhere, Ester extended his hand.
"Mind keeping me company for a bit?"
Etilla blinked.
Her slowly nodding face flushed red.
It must have shone brighter than the world's happiest person's.