Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Nighttime Suspicions
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After mingling just enough with the nobles, Sion slipped out of the palace before the night grew too late.
Staying longer would probably mean getting swarmed by the noble ladies and ending up in some shady situation that wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
The constant weird stares from Estia and Ludwig's death glares—aimed at him like he was the guy he wanted to kill—were exhausting enough, but that wasn't the main reason.
“...”
The princess had been staring his way nonstop since earlier.
Like a kid spotting something utterly fascinating amid a boring church prayer service, ignoring everyone else and fixing her eyes solely on him.
'No, if you've got a problem, just say it! If you've got something to say, spit it out, damn it!
At this rate, laser beams are gonna shoot out of her eyes!
Zzzap!'
Fed up with all the attention, Sion finally announced he was heading out.
Several noble ladies tried to hold him back, not hiding their disappointment, but he smoothly replied that they'd all be here tomorrow anyway.
Tomorrow was another party, and the day after that too—the royal banquet lasted a full five days.
Though in the novel, it got cut short on the third day when shit hit the fan.
“You're back, Master.
No, Young Lord.”
Rishida was still waffling between “Master” and “Young Lord.”
He wanted to tell her to just pick whatever, but since he wasn't officially the count of Klauzen Margrave Territory—or its publicly announced heir—he figured “Young Lord” was safer for now.
“How was the party?”
As he entered the mansion-style annex in the palace grounds, Lily sidled up to him.
She hooked her arm through his, and the soft, warm, squishy sensation pressed against his forearm.
Lucia watched the display with clear displeasure and spoke up instead.
“The other nobles were clinging to you, and you forced your way out.
You said you didn't want to stick around places like this.”
“Hmm?
Why?
Weren't you secretly looking forward to this party?”
“I was.
But I was waiting for something else.”
To nobles, royal banquets weren't just about eating and drinking—they were chances to solidify alliances, make new friends, and gather intel on the political landscape.
Sion had bailed because those predatory, gleaming eyes hunting for prey were giving him a headache.
Lucia had spent the party wondering what he'd been up to in the palace, but apparently he'd gotten cornered by mages curious about Raido and ended up chatting about all sorts of things.
They'd hounded him so much he'd even spat out “You crazy bastards!”
Looking wiped out, Lucia headed upstairs first to rest, and Kim Yu-hyun glanced at Sion for a moment before following her to his own room.
Once they were both gone, Sion was about to casually speak up when—
“Sniff sniff.
Ughhh, yep, your scent's all mixed up with other women's smells, Sion.”
“...I didn't do anything.”
“I know, I know.
I just mean you're reeking of women who want you.”
“Lily, what are you talking about?”
“Come on, Rishi.
You think I'd say that for no reason as a succubus?
When someone looks at you with sexual desire, it leaves a trace.
Like... they've slathered on some saliva, you know?”
“...Just from looking?”
“Not exactly, it's more like emotions lingering.
And I can sense that way better than anyone else.
Sniff sniff sniff!”
Lily kept shoving her nose in like some drug-sniffing dog.
Worried things might get weird again, Sion quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, any progress on what I asked you to do?”
Lily shook her head at his question.
Rishida just mumbled “Sorry” and bowed her head.
Looked like today was a bust.
“Just searching around won't cut it.
If I used my power, maybe.”
“You know that's off-limits.
Magic detection's super sensitive right in the heart of the palace.”
“Of course I know.
That's why I've been poking around on the floor like a regular human.”
Lily let out a sigh.
“Should I go now?
Maybe at night they'll sneak around...”
“No need.
They're the type to pull all-nighters voluntarily, so just leave 'em.”
“Huh?
Then why'd you have us looking until now?”
“Showing up out of nowhere would be suspicious.”
Two days from now: the unprecedented incident.
An assault on the palace and an attempt on nobles' lives.
Right in the middle of the royal banquet, a massive explosion rocked the place, and one of the sturdy palace walls collapsed completely.
It was the first palace attack in Hispanya Kingdom history—and the first on the royal castle in nearly two centuries.
Knights were deployed immediately, but the intruders exploited the gaps, slipped inside, and went after the nobles monitoring the situation.
By some miracle, no nobles died.
No one from the royals got hurt either.
Some attackers fled, others took their own lives.
That's where the real trouble started.
At first, everyone breathed sighs of relief that they were alive.
But as time passed, they began asking, “Who the hell tried to kill me?”
Suddenly, the guy you'd clawed your way back from hell with yesterday might be plotting your death.
The simmering rivalries and suspicions among nobles boiled over.
The distrustful eyes on the royal family's nobles, the families wary of the crown.
It all intertwined, plunging Hispanya into a cold war overnight.
'I just tossed in one little stone, and now they're fighting over whose fault it is.'
Wasn't there a Greek myth like that?
Someone throws a rock among soldiers, they start blaming each other, and they all end up dead.
That's exactly what was coming.
Someone might ask: Come on, they're not idiots—they'd suspect outside forces, right?
Who'd attack a party they're at themselves?
'Real shows demand staking your own life.'
An assassination attempt boosts slumping approval.
A divided nation unites.
Cliché plot, predictable development—but reality twists it.
When it's not just personal, but tangled in politics, 1+1 doesn't equal 2; it turns into a clusterfuck.
'Later it came out that the palace bombing was by guys brainwashed by the fairy race.
And the fairies pulling the strings were the radical faction's shock troops.'
Fairies were the race that followed the heavenly host most devoutly on the continent.
Self-proclaimed seeds of angels, they were the first to pledge aid when the heavenly host launched their continental purge.
Of course, the heavenly host just muttered “Yeah, you're getting purged too” and burned them all.
'I wanted Rishida and Lily to find the supporters of those radical fairy... IS... no, fairy race factions as much as possible... but if not, guess I have to step in?'
Sion already knew who was backing them.
But barging in day one yelling “I know everything, so confess nicely” would just make him look like a lunatic.
So he'd been fishing for a decent pretext.
“Anyway, one more time tomorrow, please.
Lily, and Rishi.”
“Got it.
Watching how humans live wasn't bad anyway.”
“Whatever you command, Young Lord—no, Young Lord—we obey.”
If tomorrow yielded nothing, Sion planned to visit them before the incident two days out.
Not to persuade sincerely, though.
He was mulling letting them pull off the deed, then turning it against them.
'The hit list's about done...'
He'd roughly compiled a roster of threats to Hispanya's survival.
Now he was pondering who to bury cleanest.
'Hm?'
Heading upstairs to his room, he spotted someone standing in front of it.
At first he thought Lucia, but she was too tall.
And those eyes glinting in the dark were downright chilling.
Who else went upstairs besides Lucia and him?
As that thought hit, Sion froze solid remembering one man.
'Damn it!'
Kim Yu-hyun, no doubt about it.
Why the hell was this scary bastard suddenly parked outside his room?
Sion's mind raced with possibilities.
'Did he decide he doesn't like me and come to take me out in the dead of night?
Like, “Lucia's mine—if you touch her, I'll make sure you never see your little buddy again,” or some shit?
Or did he figure out I'm not from this world?'
Kim definitely hadn't been at the party earlier.
That's why he'd tweaked “A Firefighter's Prayer” into a soldier's letter and recited it all sad and wistful in front of the nobles.
'But nobles blab, and no law says Kim didn't hear.'
His heart chilled at the thought.
If the guy asked, “Where you from, punk?” what then?
“Beats me, I'm just Sion Klauzen”?
Or confess, “Actually, I'm a regular guy from South Korea”?
“Young Lord Sion.”
Hearing that low,沉 voice sent a chill down his spine.
Not because it was scary or laced with killing intent.
Kim was speaking with zero negativity—just flat, neutral tone.
So stuff like “Stop wagging your tail at Lucia, punk” or “Where's home?” seemed unlikely.
Yet Sion tensed up more.
'Fuck!
This neutral shit scares me worse!'
Ruling out those two left “what if” feeling real.
No wonder Kim had been stone-faced around all the women characters, breaking hearts left and right while chilling himself.
Sion thought the author just hated munchkin protags collecting girls.
Who knew he was hiding this secret!
'You... you bastard.
Not a eunuch—you're just not into women!'
Instinct kicked in; he backpedaled slightly.
Kim tilted his head.
'Back off, psycho!
I like women.
Men aren't my thing, fuck!'
He'd always figured that pretty-boy face had its perks.
But if it shone even here, Sion wanted to kick him away.
“Got something to ask.”
“...What.”
Kim eyed Sion's blatant wariness and continued.
“Overheard the party buzz about what you said there.”
Sion's chest twinged again.
Did the guy know “A Firefighter's Prayer”?
No setting had Kim knowing random trivia like him.
Oblivious to Sion's dread, Kim fixed him with steady eyes.
“You said even winning a war isn't joyful.
Not fun.
That seeing war up close makes everything seem pointless. Those words.”
“...So?”
“Were you serious?”
With that face asking “Were you serious?” who'd say no?
Sion wanted to snap that anyone would yell “Yes! Dead serious!”
Hating guys who crushed spirits without a hint of intimidation, Sion replied like it was obvious.
“You think I was lying?”
“...”
“I was there too.
Fought with them, survived near-death with them.”
“...”
“Guys who think war's awesome and cool? Throw 'em in the thick of it.
Then they'll get it.
The world's most awesome, coolest thing? Stuffing yourself at home, chatting with family, then crashing cozy under the blankets.”
Kim fell silent a good while after Sion's sharp retort.
Nothing more to say? With that, Sion strode past—bold steps erasing his earlier jitters.
Inside, though: “Don't move, don't speak, just let me go, fuck.”
“One thing from me too.”
Before entering his room, Sion turned to Kim.
Kim turned, meeting his eyes.
Heavy topic incoming? He looked a bit tense.
“How's the princess?”
“...?”
Kim blinked, like he'd misheard.
Why this question now?
“I know she visited Lucia before the party.
Everyone's curious about Raido's daughter, wanted another look.
You must've seen Princess Vanessa too.”
“I did see her.”
“So.
What'd you think?
First impressions, whatever.”
Kim blinked some more, no clue on the intent, so he answered straight.
“No idea.”
“Oh.”
But Sion took that “no idea” a different way.
“Gotcha.” He grinned and slipped inside.
Kim gave the Klauzen Margrave Territory heir a weird look for a beat, then shrugged.
And so the second day of the royal banquet dawned.