Chapter 9 - Banquet (2)
Chapter 9 - Banquet (2)
Elina was in a significantly good mood.
Of course she would be. How could she not be happy after pouring out all the inner thoughts she had been agonizing over and unable to tell anyone?
It wasn't even as if she had told a third party. She had confessed everything to Agnes, the daughter of Duke Levadein whom she had a crush on, and her best friend.
The moment she said it, she felt a pang of regret, and afterwards, she feared she might grow distant from Agnes, but look at this.
Agnes wasn't pushing her away, was she? She was even smiling along as they held hands, wasn't she?
This was surely a reaction of someone who understood and supported her feelings.
"I'm so glad you've become healthy."
"...Thank you."
"Count Hebron-nim will keep making you healthy, right? Someday, we'll be able to go on outings and flower viewing together. Yes... with the Duke-nim and everyone else."
Elina blushed slightly.
From a third-party perspective, it was a situation where one was sincerely congratulating a friend on their recovery, but....
"...Thank you."
It wasn't that way for Agnes. For some reason, Agnes was hearing that statement as something along the lines of a 'family outing.'
Naturally, a blank expression surfaced. Her thoughts emptied out. She didn't know what to say to a friend who wanted to become her stepmother.
Of course, Elina had no way of knowing Agnes's inner thoughts. Since Elina was so oblivious that she had never once noticed Agnes's true intentions, it would be strange for her to notice them now.
"Your dress is so pretty today. You're going to be the star of the banquet. I'm so proud...."
"...Thank you."
It was then that Deltain intervened.
"Princess, let go."
A deep sense of rejection had risen on Deltain's face as he looked at Elina. It was only natural. More than 90% of the reasons he was teased by Agnes came from this woman.
Deltain still thought about it. If Agnes hadn't met this woman, wouldn't she be less devious than she was now?
"Ah, I'm sorry. Count-nim. I was so happy that I couldn't even offer my thanks properly. For curing our Agnes...."
"'Our' my ass. More importantly, let go first. Her condition isn't that good yet. This isn't a body you can just shake around because you're excited."
Thwack.
Deltain swatted away Elina's hand, which had been shaking Agnes's hand just a moment before.
Only then did Elina let out an 'Ah!' and flush with color.
"My apologies...."
Elina's gaze darted between Agnes and Deltain. As she did, Agnes's fingertips twitched at the smile Elina was wearing.
Agnes didn't want to know what kind of imagination was running through her head right now, so she emptied her thoughts again.
"Then, Agnes. Enjoy the banquet. I have to go greet other people."
"...Bye."
It was sincere.
As Agnes waved her hand, Elina turned away.
"Deltain."
"What. Ah, let me say this in advance, it's not like I was jealous because you were holding hands with someone else, so don't even think about talking nonsense...."
"I heard you can distinguish people possessed by demons."
Deltain tilted his head. Agnes continued to speak while still looking at Elina's back.
"Could you check Elina, too?"
"She didn't look like she was possessed by a demon. In the first place, people possessed by demons don't...."
"Just check."
Deltain's eyes twitched. But he didn't say anything else. Agnes would know more about the Princess than he did, and he judged that if she felt something was off, it wouldn't hurt to check.
<3rd-rank Magic: Activate Chase.>
A blue lens appeared over Deltain's left eye and blinked.
"...She's fine. Perfectly fine."
Agnes didn't respond. Deltain, filled with puzzlement, looked at Agnes, but she was lost in thought, muttering things like, 'That shouldn't be possible....'
What kind of nonsense was this? Deltain felt a sense of fatigue the moment he entered the banquet hall.
*
It had already been 30 minutes since they entered the banquet hall.
Apart from the attention they received upon entering, no one approached the two.
In a way, it was natural.
In her entire life, Agnes had only appeared in high society seven times, and the last time was years ago, so she had few connections. The only person who would talk to her first was the 7th Princess Elina, with whom she had been consistently interacting.
What about Deltain? He didn't enjoy banquets. He didn't enjoy socializing. He tended to push away those who approached him. There was no one bold enough to talk to such a Deltain first.
In other words, in the banquet hall, the two were merely playing the role of art pieces that drew everyone's gaze.
Was the banquet going to end without anyone approaching the two?
Just as that thought was crossing the minds of the nobles.
"This is a rare sight indeed."
There was an old gentleman who approached the two while leaning on a cane.
At his appearance, Agnes smiled brightly and lifted the hem of her dress.
"Hello. Marquis Montvert."
"I greet the young lady."
Marquis Montvert. Deltain's comrade-in-arms and the man who held the position of Imperial Archmage.
He said to Deltain.
"Are you not going to greet me?"
"Are you going through menopause? Why are you nagging me about every little thing?"
"Judging by how you talk, it doesn't seem like your brain has gone bad...."
"What?"
"I mean it's that much of a strange occurrence. That you came to a banquet, and even brought a partner."
Deltain's expression crumpled.
"I came because Ishmark called me, and I brought her because I treated her."
"Ho...."
"It's patient management. There's no meaning beyond that."
Agnes's eyes went round.
"That was it?"
As her face turned sorrowful as if she had been shocked, a sigh rose from somewhere in the banquet hall. Such nauseating affectation. Deltain ground his teeth and whispered to Agnes.
"Cut the act."
"Cut the act? I don't know what you're talking about."
Agnes made a pitiful face and bowed her head. A vein popped out on Deltain's forehead at that.
Marquis Montvert watched the scene as if he were watching a rare spectacle, then spoke.
It was a remark to change the atmosphere.
"...More than that. Does coming here mean I should judge that you are involved in this matter as well?"
"This matter?"
"Something you don't need to know. Don't worry about it."
Deltain said to Agnes while sipping his drink.
Agnes tilted her head.
"There's nothing of yours that I don't need to know."
"I said it the other way around. There's nothing you should know."
"To say that, I think we know each other too well, and for starters, your body...."
<1st-rank Magic: Activate Silent.>
Agnes's mouth shut.
Deltain praised himself for his quick wits in that moment.
Even while doing so, his eyes were glaring at Marquis Montvert with a fierce look.
"...Watch your tongue."
"I didn't know you knew how to hide things."
Marquis Montvert said, shrugging his shoulders.
"I suppose you don't want to talk about it in front of the young lady."
"It's not that I don't want to, it's that there's no need to."
"Understood. Ah, about the request...."
"Tell me that. Did you find anything?"
"No. 3. I did find a clue. There is a legend among the barbarians of the snowy mountains."
A glint appeared in Deltain's eyes.
It was a reaction to the progress made in the information gathering that had been sluggish until now.
'No.3 Token of Endless Winter.'
Impatience welled up on Deltain's face.
At that moment, Agnes poked Deltain's cheek.
Deltain narrowed his brows as if it were annoying, then sighed and said.
"...Don't talk nonsense."
Agnes nodded.
Immediately after, with the sound of fingers snapping 'Snap!', Agnes's mouth was released.
"What's No. 3?"
What came out immediately after was that question. Deltain answered indifferently.
"Research material."
"You do a lot of research."
"Did you think Archmages were made easily?"
"Amazing. Want a kiss?"
A young noble at the table right next to them gasped. Deltain's gaze turned that way. He was looking at Agnes with a face like someone who had been betrayed by their first love.
'Simp.'
He must have fallen for Agnes in that short time.
Deltain clicked his tongue at the sight of the spineless young noble.
Agnes giggled.
"Are you jealous, Deltain?"
"Don't talk bullshit."
The atmosphere that had changed in an instant was like that.
An atmosphere where they couldn't have a more serious conversation. Deltain spat out his annoyance and said to Marquis Montvert.
"...Just send the details about No. 3 in writing later."
"I shall do that. Then I will take my leave."
"Do whatever."
Marquis Montvert left.
Agnes asked Deltain while resting her chin on her hand.
"So, you're not going to tell me about the work?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"If it's the Marquis's business, my dad is involved too. I know at least that much."
It was a remark pointing out that both Duke Levadein and Marquis Montvert were close aides to Emperor Ishmark.
Deltain was dumbfounded by Agnes's viciousness in even bringing up her family.
"Did you ever actually worry about the Duke?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have acted like a good daughter."
"So you admit it's an act."
"It's a white lie."
Agnes laughed.
"So what is it?"
At the quite persistent question, Deltain thought for a moment.
'...Does it matter if I tell her?'
Factually speaking, it was so.
Deltain had kept his mouth shut because he didn't intend to be deeply involved in this matter himself, but if Agnes wanted to know, it didn't matter if he passed the information on to her.
Deltain asked.
"...Do you like politics?"
"I don't like it, nor do I hate it. But it's already getting boring."
"Yeah, to explain it briefly, the Aristocratic Faction is acting up, so the Emperor is sharpening his knife. That's the end of it."
"Why does that involve you?"
"Because I'm the one who made Ishmark the Emperor."
"Do the Aristocratic Faction hate you?"
"No, they're actually obsessed with me. But aside from that, I'm here at Ishmark's request, so they must be annoyed. In a word, that's it. From the Aristocratic Faction's perspective, they're pissed because their crush is hanging out with someone they hate."
"That makes perfect sense."
Agnes giggled, then added this question.
"Then His Majesty is a jerk."
"What are you talking about?"
"In terms of dating, he stole the Aristocratic Faction's crush and is showing it off, saying 'I stole it!'. Elina told me. In that situation, the loser usually cries and...."
"Stop saying crazy things. I'm no one's. And wash your brain."
Deltain said that and shut his mouth.
It was a behavior he occasionally showed when he had no intention of continuing the conversation.
The wine glass had already been replaced with a new one.
It was while Deltain was lifting the glass to take a sip.
"Deltain, someone is coming."
At Agnes's words, Deltain's pupils rolled.
Just as she said, there was a middle-aged man walking toward them from the center of the banquet hall.
He was a middle-aged man with a short stature, yellowish-blonde hair, a hooked nose that caught the eye, and drooping corners of his eyes.
Agnes asked.
"Who is it?"
"...The leader of the people you just called losers."
"Ah. Marquis Grobin."
"To me, he's a Golden Goblin."
As Deltain said that while crossing his legs, Agnes looked at Marquis Grobin and thought.
'He does look like one.'
That he looked like a goblin.