Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Social Gathering (2)
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"...Does that guy really have that much utility value, Sir Bogart?"
The face of Marquis Bogart, who always wore a lively smile, whipped around.
The inside of the banquet hall was bustling with distinguished guests gathered from all over, so they could exchange such hushed words openly without much discomfort.
"What do you mean by that, Count Nicholas!"
"...I'm talking about Dawood Campbell."
Count Nicholas barely managed to keep his expression from twisting at the cheerfully flung words.
'The head of the Elder Council is this kind of guy.'
He didn't particularly like this frivolous young marquis.
He knew the man had earned the grand title of Lionheart thanks to his tremendous military achievements, but didn't this make him look more like a clown than an undefeated knight of rising star?
To Count Nicholas, raised with rigid etiquette and formality in a deep-rooted noble house, this wasn't the type of person he preferred.
And the viscount's man this fellow was paying attention to was even less so.
"There are plenty of promising young talents across the Empire. For the Elder Council, recruiting them shouldn't be all that difficult either."
Count Nicholas opened his mouth, carefully modulating his own voice.
In any case, Marquis Bogart enjoyed rock-solid support from the other Elder Council executives. There was no point in needlessly offending him.
But even so.
This matter called for raising his voice openly.
"Do we really need to pay attention to someone of such lowly birth?"
Marquis Bogart tilted his head at those words.
"Count Nicholas, did you not receive the documents by any chance?"
"What documents are you referring to?"
"The ones where the Elder Council investigated Dawood Campbell's personal history! Anyone who sees his track record there knows it's not something to dismiss as just a viscount or whatever!"
Marquis Bogart grinned as he continued.
"Anyone who's not an idiot knows it!"
"..."
Count Nicholas's cheek twitched slightly, as if he'd been smacked for calling someone an idiot to his face.
He was aware of this man's tendency to go beyond innocent cheerfulness into having no sense of decorum at all, but even so, such bluntly piercing conversation was still unfamiliar to him.
"...Of course, it's an impressive resume."
Of course, he already knew that what was written there was astonishing in itself.
Suppressing mine beasts. The massive disturbance inside Elpante. Subduing an ancient god from another dimension.
Because Imperial Academy Elpante's chancellor, Atalante, was desperately suppressing the information, it was impossible to obtain detailed activity logs, but the fact that he was deeply involved in all those infernal chaos and came out alive spoke volumes.
Just looking at his utterly different level of performance in the Hero Selection Trials showed plainly that this man was a gem among geniuses.
But.
Even so.
"I hear it's a tool used to put 'leashes' on demons."
A voice laced with near-contempt followed.
Of course, he had no intention of denying its effectiveness. The mere possibility of controlling demons gave it more than enough 'utility value.'
The fact was clear just from how not only the Empire's leadership but even the Holy Kingdom's Pontiff had their eyes on it.
But pulling someone inevitably entangled with humanity's arch-enemy deep into the fold as an 'ally' was an entirely different matter.
"What good does it do us to draw someone like that into our circle? The risks are too great."
"His Majesty the Emperor and Prime Minister Sullivan both have their eyes on him! I think there's reason for it!"
"There's a world of difference between merely keeping an eye on someone and directly inviting them to a social gathering like this. You know that, don't you?"
Nicholas sighed as he continued.
"...It gives them an excuse to attack us. They'll definitely bite. The Emperor, the Prime Minister, even the smaller factions will lead the charge in condemning us. For keeping close to someone tied to demons."
Moreover, 'directly' inviting such a person to the social gathering carried greater significance than one might think.
It was practically proclaiming to everyone around, 'This one's mine.'
"What's the problem with that, Count Nicholas?"
"...?"
Nicholas looked at Bogart with strange eyes.
What in the world here wasn't a problem?
This was an agenda that could turn not just the Empire but the entire continent against them.
They were scholars pursuing technological advancement, and the mad wizards of the Magic Tower who had publicly declared non-interference in continental power shifts—the only thing they stepped up for was demon extermination.
Yet this attitude of 'as long as we can pull that man in as an ally, nothing else matters' was like—
"..."
Suddenly, a chilling sensation ran down Nicholas's spine as realization dawned.
"...Sir Bogart."
No way.
It couldn't be, but.
Count Nicholas's cheek twitched as he opened his mouth.
"How highly have you valued that man?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Count Nicholas!"
"..."
He understood perfectly well but was deliberately dodging the answer. This damn sly fox.
Nicholas bit his lip slightly and glared at Bogart.
'...This guy right now...'
Demons this, humanity's enemy that—none of it mattered.
As long as he could pull that man in as an 'ally,' he didn't care.
He placed the value of that one man above the risk of becoming the continent's public enemy.
'...What the hell is that guy...?'
While Count Nicholas pondered that question, another flew in.
"Why don't you think about it, Count Nicholas?"
"...Pardon?"
"The Campbell family was only elevated to viscountcy recently. Before that, the barony was something a somewhat wealthy commoner could buy with money."
"...?"
That much was in the documents.
But why bring it up now?
"People don't seem all that curious about it!"
"Pardon?"
"How could a nobody without any standout background get into the Empire's top academy, Elpante?"
"..."
Well, he must have managed somehow.
Judging by his accomplishments in the documents alone, getting into the academy would have been a breeze for him.
Elpante provided educational opportunities fairly. Even those not from noble houses, if they had talent or proved their worth—
"..."
No.
Wait.
Count Nicholas furrowed his brow and reviewed the documents he'd read.
In any case, this was a man who'd risen to Elder Council executive. He could spot something off right away.
This man had only started standing out 'after' entering the academy.
Before enrollment.
'...The guy had nothing.'
No talent in martial arts, no standout academic achievements, no prominence in spell formulation or divine power operation. Even in the aptitude test before enrollment, all his scores crawled at the bottom.
Bogart had just confirmed he wasn't from a noble house.
No ability, no visible growth potential, not even family backing.
At this point, the obvious question arose.
How the hell did this guy get into Elpante in the first place?
"People are born from women, Count Nicholas!"
"..."
What?
Nicholas stared blankly at Sir Bogart with that thought, and soon another sentence followed.
"That man has his father listed in his personal history, but no information on his mother anywhere! Right?"
"..."
Come to think of it, yes.
There was excessively detailed information on his father, Viscount Armin Campbell. It was the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency's investigation, which could dig up even the target's most embarrassing childhood memories if they wanted, so nothing special there.
"...Are you saying his enrollment in the academy is related to her?"
"Half guess, half conviction!"
"..."
What does that even mean?
As he stared silently at Bogart, the words continued.
"Well, not certain. But if the person I'm thinking of really is his mother, then Dawood Campbell showing this level of performance is only natural!"
"..."
"More than that, you're the strange one, Count Nicholas! The Central Intelligence Agency scrapes up every bit of info, useful or not, so how can you not question the total lack of information on her!"
Well... true.
Truth was, he hadn't paid much attention from the start.
Count Nicholas stroked his chin and replied.
"...I thought she died young or was too insignificant to mention."
"Or."
The tone was as cheerfully irrepressible as ever.
But somehow.
"Or someone so shrouded in mystery that even the Empire's top intelligence agency, throwing their full might at it, couldn't find a single clue."
It carried a dangerous 'edge' as well.
The chandelier light cast shadows on Bogart's face at just the right angle, making Count Nicholas, who'd posed the question, flinch involuntarily.
Bogart's shadowed, smiling face had eyes burning with fierce intensity, like smoldering embers.
"A person those paranoid maniacs, who can unearth even the Emperor's secrets, can't approach."
Not a speck of his usual lighthearted air remained.
It exuded an overwhelming presence that made one feel crushed.
"So, how about a little bet!"
As Nicholas swallowed dryly, those words dropped right in front of him.
"...A bet, you say?"
"Yes!"
Marquis Bogart, now back in the light, nodded cheerfully.
"Right here at this social gathering, if that guy pulls off something amazing enough to convince even you, I win. If not, you win. How about it?"
"..."
Instead of agreeing to a bet he could never win, Count Nicholas let out a deep sigh.
'...How amazing can a guy like that be?'
As that thought crossed his mind.
The orchestra at the edge of the banquet hall suddenly stopped playing.
As puzzled expressions bloomed on people's faces.
"His Majesty the Emperor enters!"
"Everyone, stand!"
At that resounding cry, the banquet hall began to stir in an instant.
"...His Majesty?"
"His Majesty is coming personally?"
The Emperor was known for rarely going out due to his constitution. For him to appear at such a gathering was nearly unprecedented.
"The passionate, brilliant, and charismatic eternal ruler of the Empire! Cecilia XI—"
"No, no, skip that."
"..."
The herald's mouth, raised to proclaim the Emperor's entrance grandly, clamped shut.
For at some point, the Emperor's languid voice had drifted into the banquet hall.
"Today's guest of honor isn't me, after all. Focus on the other side a bit."
"...?"
The ruler of the Empire.
A man near the pinnacle of power any one person could hold on the continent.
What was he saying?
As everyone stared blankly in that direction with such thoughts.
Following the Emperor.
Someone entered.
"..."
"..."
Silence fell over everyone.
Because.
A single young man.
With the Prime Minister on one arm.
And the Emperor on the other.
Clinging amiably close.
The three of them walking in together.
"..."
"..."
A horrific silence filled the banquet hall.
"See that!"
Bogart's cheerful voice dropped in.
"Isn't it beyond expectations!"
Nicholas couldn't utter a single word.
That was the only reaction he could muster.
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