Luxurious Palace Quarters and a Teasing Imitation
I entered the guest quarters in the palace with Nadia, unpacked my things, and looked around.
"Whoa."
It felt like stepping into a luxury hotel. Spacious beyond what I'd imagined from novels—three whole rooms, no less. And this wasn't even the VIP lodging; they'd assigned rooms based on the maximum attendees listed on the invitation. The building itself was massive, with multiple suites per floor, and the palace grounds were so vast you could spot places like this everywhere.
The Carbon Kingdom really is the heart of the eastern continent. No wonder they're loaded.
A nation worthy of the epithet Golden King's Realm.
Anyway.
Nadia, having unpacked, was scampering all over the suite like she'd been waiting her whole life for this, showing no signs of fatigue. She oohed and aahed over the plush beds, silk bedding, wall hangings, and crystal glassware in the kitchenette.
I grinned at her and muttered it once more.
"Anything for you."
"Kyak!"
"Wait, was it this vibe? Anythiiing for you."
"Hans!"
Nadia jumped, her face flushing red as she whipped around to glare at me. It was the line she'd dropped earlier while staring dreamily at Knight Captain Fabian. I'd mimicked it a few times on the way in, and now repeating it had her raising both hands, muttering something under her breath.
"Undine! Sylphia! Sal—"
"Okay, okay! I won't tease anymore! Sorry!"
Was she seriously about to summon spirits? All three at once?
"It's not like I fell for him at first sight!"
"Got it, got it."
"I was just swept up in the moment! It's all new to me—everything here's so fascinating!"
"I know, I know. Ha, haha."
As I tried to edge away from her fierce, narrowed glare, I suddenly turned back to her.
"But, Nadia."
"Hmph."
"Didn't you say you'd show me your bucket list earlier?"
"Not showing it."
"Why—"
"What?"
"Uh."
Nothing to say to that. I scratched my forehead, then slipped toward the door.
"Where you going?"
"Feeling cooped up, just stepping out—"
"Me too."
"Huh?"
"You're sightseeing the palace, right?"
"Tch."
Too sharp for her own good.
Yeah. I was planning to wander the famously expansive palace grounds of the Carbon Kingdom. Why? To scout a way to sneak close to the princess, who was supposedly gathering intel on Ascension.
It wasn't forbidden, either. Out the window, I could see groups of guests strolling the gardens beyond our lodging. From today until the ball ended, invitees could roam freely everywhere except a few restricted areas.
The official schedule for today—most people unpacking—was just a casual dinner. Even that was optional. The rest was for acclimating to palace life and prepping for tomorrow's dances in these comfy surroundings.
"I've always wanted to see the palace!"
No wonder Nadia's eyes sparkled. How often do you get to tour a massive kingdom like this? Royal residences, military barracks, armories—those were off-limits for security, but the invitation had said the rest was fair game.
"Palace library! Stables! Grand ballroom! Observatory! Cloud garden! Golden lake! Amphitheater! Main kitchens! Brewery! Patisserie!"
She flipped through her bucket list notebook, rattling them off excitedly. She looked thrilled.
And those weren't even all the spots. Monster exhibit hall, central tower, memorial hall lined with statues... All places that showcased the Carbon Kingdom's prestige. Exhibits of taxidermied rare or dangerous monsters you wouldn't see elsewhere on the continent, and memorials to heroes of the Continental Wars.
The monster exhibit hall appealed to me even aside from scouting princess routes. Like how devouring the thunderbird had given me lightning affinity, learning about other attribute-bearing monsters could prove useful someday. Sure, everything there was dead and stuffed, so nothing to eat... but still.
...Whatever.
We still had time before dinner.
"Hans! Let's go!"
Nadia was already geared up, bag in hand and shoes on, waiting for me. My real moves would come at dawn anyway. Fewest eyes around then—perfect for pinpointing the princess's location and her Ascension intel.
"Alright, let's head out."
"Hehehe!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was bigger than I'd thought.
Buildings boasting grandeur everywhere in spaces that dwarfed amusement parks.
"Whoa! Hans! Look at this!"
"Mm."
"See those flapping wings over there?! The horse is huge!"
The spot Nadia tried to approach housed creatures for VIPs and royalty. Not quite stables—more like a beast pen? Beyond wide iron bars, wyverns flapped bored wings, unicorns scraped the ground restlessly.
"This seems iffy for tourists."
"Why?"
"These aren't palace-owned. They're the mounts invitees like us brought, right?"
"Oh."
Right. Glancing aside, I spotted black warhorses armored in steel plating—far larger than normal steeds, a herd of ironclad chargers snorting hot breaths and whinnying.
I knew them instantly.
Cron.
The name popped into my head. Cron, leader of the Black Horse Knights. Rival to the Golden Knights' Captain Fabian I'd seen earlier—the top mercenary boss on the eastern continent.
Yeah, these two clashed here too.
Ha. Thinking about it already tired me out. With Nadia tangled up with Fabian already, I had zero interest in dealing with another hassle.
"Nadia. Let's go somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Not curious about the patisserie?"
"Oh!"
Her eyes lit up instantly. Honest girl.
We shifted venues. The royal patisserie, staffed by the kingdom's top artisans. Even before arriving, the air hummed with delightful bakery scents.
Prepped for today, an outdoor area visible through windows showed dough-kneading in action, colorful tents and chairs set up. Early birds savored petite desserts from platters.
"Whoa! This melts right on your tongue?"
"This is dessert?"
"Too pretty to eat..."
"Sis, isn't this adorable?"
"The decoration is insane."
"Check that fluffy cake texture."
"How am I supposed to eat dinner later?"
"It's not a full banquet on day one anyway."
"Still—"
People exclaimed in delight. Even noble ladies wiped cream from their lips with fingers, unconcerned with decorum. Nadia joined in with her own gasp.
"Wooow. Um, can I have one too?!"
She dashed off eagerly. I hung back, hands clasped behind me, mentally mapping the palace facilities I'd seen en route.
Plenty of guards, but good cover on the way here—not bad. Princess probably in the royal quarters? That puts the distance at roughly—
Squish.
Something aggressively jabbed my back—an ass-ault from behind.
"Hm?!"
"Oops."
Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes met a woman turning her head too.
"Oh my, my mistake. Sorry?"
"No harm done."
"Oh dear."
She tucked hair behind her ear, a bewitching smile on her lips. Her cheeks faintly pink, she gazed at me with seductive allure.
"But wow, what a build you've got."
My face hardened as she came on strong.
Why? That wasn't an accident.
With senses sharper than anyone's, I knew. This woman with her striking heavy perfume had deliberately sidled up and bumped her hip into me.
Well, duh—with all the characters showing up at this ball...
Her distinctive earrings made her unmistakable.
"Bumping into each other like this must be fate. Shall we introduce ourselves?"
"..."
"I'm Simona. Simona Kuhn. You might've heard of us—the Kuhn count family."
As someone who'd read Young Noble Poison, how could I not know?
Simona Kuhn.
The man-hunter obsessed with buff guys, sole heir to a family famed for summoning exotic monsters.
"And you are?"
***
"Don't know his name."
At the same time, in the top floor of the VIP quarters, Ivan Hellenger—having just found the late-arriving Karina—pulled out a sketch.
Flip!
"But he looks exactly like this."
"You sure?"
"Think I'd bullshit you? Cross-verified with telescope sightings from back then."
Ivan Hellenger jabbed the drawing irritably.
"Not Drakan, at least."
"My master said the same. No way it's him."
"Here."
"This?"
"I got extras. Take it."
Karina took the paper Ivan handed her and studied the figure.
Staring led to a natural question.
"But... is this really a person?"
If the sketch was accurate, it depicted a giant wreathed in white steam from bulging muscles everywhere, lightning crackling around him.
"Hell if I know."
"Never seen anyone like that."
"Person or monster—does it matter?"
The drawing was Hansu—no, Hans—in Berserk Mode, radiating intense lightning aura from his entire body.
Not something you'd see in everyday human form. Even his normal state wasn't this, and he didn't flaunt it casually.
"Person or monster—doesn't matter."
Ivan muttered through gritted teeth.
"Whoever screwed me over pays the price. You know that, right?"
"...Yeah, yeah. I know."
Karina's face showed faint exhaustion toward him. After all, she'd likely be the one delivering that "price."
Then.
Huh?!
Did her ring just glow faintly?
Twinkle.
Her master's detection spell on the ring meant one thing: the being she'd infused with energy from the Dead Sea skies—matching the sketch based on witnesses from Ivan's fleet—
...was nearby?!
It had entered the detection radius.