Chapter 15
Chapter 15
I Might Blow Their Heads Off Out of Annoyance, Haha
“—Lady of the Obury Duchy!”
A man approached us.
More precisely—
he was looking straight at Lien beside me.
“….”
Lien maintained her smile as she faced him.
“Lady Obury. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Lord Rau. You were looking for me?”
“Yes. From the moment I arrived.”
The man called Rau stepped uncomfortably close to her.
Even from my perspective, it was excessive.
His voice was oily—
his presence suffocating.
His head was so large that, for a brief moment, I caught myself thinking how easy it would be to land a headshot.
“…And this person is?”
He finally turned to me.
Seeing him up close—
his nostrils were enormous.
“This is Ian Haiger of the Haiger barony. Ian, this is Rau Perupe of the Perupe marquisate.”
“Haiger? Ah…”
He let out a short scoff.
Then frowned slightly—
as if recalling something unpleasant.
“Lady Obury, if you don’t mind—”
From that point on, he ignored me entirely.
As if I didn’t exist.
Not wanting to cause a scene, I simply focused on finishing the food on my plate.
From what I overheard—
he was clearly interested in her.
Persistent.
Almost desperate.
“Apologies, Lord Rau. I have a dance appointment soon, so I must take my leave.”
Lien stood gracefully.
Rau tried to press further—
but she deflected effortlessly.
“Then I’ll see you both another time.”
She left with a smile.
And suddenly—
it was just me and him.
“…Right. I’ll go get more food.”
I stood up to leave.
But—
“Hey.”
“…Yes?”
“Haiger, was it?”
His tone was irritating.
“Didn’t you just call me ‘hey’?”
“…Yes.”
“What did you talk about with Lady Obury?”
“Just a brief conversation while resting.”
Short.
Simple.
I had no intention of dragging this out.
But he didn’t like that.
His nostrils flared wider as he stepped closer.
“You’d better not misunderstand.”
“…What?”
“She was just being kind. Don’t get any ideas about getting close to her.”
“…I’m not misunderstanding anything.”
I turned to leave.
But he kept going.
“So you’re from that Haiger family, right? The one from the Euroho Federation? I remember seeing your father begging the Empire in the papers.”
…That crossed the line.
For a moment—
my hand almost moved.
“…I don’t see why you’d bring that up.”
“It means you should know your place. You survived thanks to His Majesty’s mercy.”
Another noble joined him—
laughing.
They continued mocking me.
My family.
My background.
Even my climbing.
“Normal difficulty, was it?”
“You won’t make it past Floor 20 like that.”
“…Pathetic.”
I didn’t respond.
There was no point.
I simply left.
But—
“…I should’ve just shot him.”
The thought lingered.
I returned to my room.
[Title: Did everyone enjoy the festival?]
Author: KimHunter
Did everyone enjoy the founding festival eve?
It was amazing, as expected of the 700th anniversary!
I’m too tired today, so I’ll skip climbing
Hope everyone continues to enjoy it^^
“…Better.”
I had almost posted something worse.
Letting emotions show—
was dangerous.
Especially now.
The response—
as always—
exploded.
“Wait, you were actually there?”
“So you’re really in the Empire?”
“Why skip climbing?”
“QueenOfSociety: Rest well, KimHunter ^^ I hope we can dance tomorrow”
“Still persistent…”
“But I didn’t see anyone suspicious at the party”
“Is he even telling the truth?”
…
“…Same chaos.”
I lay back on the bed.
Soft.
Comfortable.
The room provided by the palace—
luxurious.
“…Should I climb anyway?”
Tempting.
But—
“No.”
There could be surveillance.
If the Empire truly wanted to find me—
they wouldn’t overlook the rooms.
“…And I’m tired.”
Not physically—
mentally.
Social gatherings were exhausting.
I closed my eyes.
The next day—
the real festival began.
Brunch.
Tea.
More socializing.
And at night—
another grand banquet.
“…Do these people never get tired?”
I wandered the capital during the day—
then returned for the evening party.
And once again—
Rau appeared.
“Still here?”
Mocking.
Drunk.
Annoying.
I ignored him.
Again.
But later—
a commotion.
“Hey! Rau! Get a grip!”
He had assaulted another noble.
Drunk.
Violent.
Predictable.
“…Trash.”
I moved on.
Focused on conversations.
This time—
better results.
Some lower-ranking nobles were willing to talk.
Connections—
slowly forming.
“…Good enough.”
No suspicion.
No attention.
Even Lien—
though she spoke to me—
never mentioned KimHunter.
“…Time to leave.”
I exited early.
But then—
voices.
A secluded area.
A man and a woman.
“…Lien?”
And Rau.
“…Of course.”
I tried to leave quietly.
“Ian!”
Too late.
She saw me.
“Please—help me.”
Her lips moved silently.
“…No.”
I pulled away.
Not my problem.
But—
“YOU BASTARD!”
Rau saw me.
And snapped.
“So it’s you?!”
“No—”
“I said it’s not—”
Too late.
He drew his sword.
“Die, you trash!”
“…Idiot.”
No time to think.
No reason to hesitate.
I drew my revolver.
Aimed.
Fired.
Bang.
Fireworks exploded in the distance—
masking the sound.
A hole opened in his abdomen.
He froze.
Confused.
“…What…?”
Another shot.
Perfect timing.
His body collapsed.
“…Shouldn’t have pushed it.”