Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Fragment of the Moon
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[President]
“What?”
[How long are we doing this?]
“………”
The quiet clubroom.
A teacup sat on the table, and I was seated with an etiquette notebook filled with densely packed text open in front of me.
And directly across from me… Carnel sat with her arms crossed, nodding as she watched me.
‘…’
It had been at least thirty minutes already.
I was bored out of my mind.
Leaning back in my chair, I wrote out a message for Carnel on the whiteboard, one letter at a time.
[There’s too much.]
“You’re attending the banquet as my partner.”
[I know that.]
“If you make even a single mistake… my reputation goes down with you.”
[Oh.]
As I made a gesture like I’d just realized something…
Carnel flipped open the etiquette notebook in her hand with a sharp snap, as if she’d been waiting for it.
“Eye contact during conversation, how to hold a wine glass, the angle and timing for offering your hand to your partner… and—”
[Let’s stop there.]
“…If you can’t even remember this much, they’ll turn you away at the door.”
[Then I’ll sell sweet potatoes out front.]
“…No.”
Me in my uniform, selling sweet potatoes in front of the banquet hall.
…It was a pretty bizarre combo, but kinda fresh in its own way.
And right then…
“Adel’s selling sweet potatoes…? Then I’ll be your first customer.”
Delphin, who’d been flipping through the pages of a book on magical theory in the corner, looked up and spoke.
At Delphin’s words, I held up the whiteboard toward Carnel once more.
[I’ve got a customer.]
“Haa…”
Carnel let out a very long sigh.
In this situation right now… I wondered what was going through Carnel’s head.
Carnel herself—the lady of the Delbar Ducal House—had prepared this ‘uniform’ for me, and as her ‘partner,’ the plan was…
To get rejected at the banquet entrance and end up selling sweet potatoes right there in front of it.
‘This guy really has no hope.’
That was probably the thought dominating Carnel’s mind at the moment.
“Ugh…”
Carnel let out an incomprehensible groan and plopped down on the sofa next to where I was sitting.
She draped an arm over the backrest, crossed her legs, and tilted her head back.
‘Hm…’
Right now, Carnel looked like…
A typical delinquent big sis, stripped of her majestic ‘student council president’ shell.
“It’s over… We’re done for…”
[What’s wrong?]
“Last year… it was the absolute worst. The worst of the worst. And now it feels like I can’t avoid it again this year…”
[.]
“It’s supposed to be a party… but there’s not a shred of fun in it…”
Tch.
There was nothing I could do for Carnel.
No skill to forcibly turn something boring into fun.
“From having to attend as the family representative… to talk of engagements… it’s all so damn frustrating…!”
[Oof.]
Looks like…
A lot had built up over the past few years.
Being the lady of a ducal house must weigh heavy.
‘Tch…’
Well, the Delbar Duke doesn’t show up at official events.
As far as I knew, the Lust Calamity incident was his first appearance.
In that situation, if the one stepping up as family rep was his daughter Carnel…
It wasn’t hard to understand.
But…
[Engagement?]
“…Yes.”
[???]
“What’s with the question marks…? Among nobles, most engagement talks happen around this time.”
[Really?]
“…Or is it fake?”
[Whoa.]
So nobles usually talk marriage around now.
I quietly accepted the fact and vowed never to become a noble, just in case.
“Engagement talks have gotten even worse lately…”
Whoosh.
Carnel rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled letter.
“They’re all flashy on the outside… rotten on the inside.”
Carnel smoothed out the letter and skimmed the first line…
Rip—
Then tore it clean in half without a word.
“…Why do they all only see the ‘Delbar’ name…? They don’t even glance at ‘Carnelia’…”
[Their eyes must be rotten.]
“…”
Swish.
Carnel turned her head to look at me.
Her eyes were blankly sunken, her lips trembling slightly.
At that moment…
Thud!
“We’ve reached a conclusion.”
Delphin closed his book with a loud bang and grinned, curling the corner of his mouth.
Then… he alternated glances between me and Carnel, flashing a sleazy smile that evoked images of some wicked dragon lurking somewhere.
“Adel. Carnel. The two of you should just get married.”
“…”
“…”
Is he serious…?
Lately, I’d been thinking Delphin was starting to lose it a bit.
It wasn’t this bad before.
Maybe…
All that overtime lately was getting to him?
Day by day, it felt like he was coming unhinged.
“…Huh?”
At Delphin’s words, Carnel rolled her eyes toward me.
Confusion, bewilderment… and for some reason, a hint of anticipation flickered there too.
“…”
Toward that Carnel, I…
Silently raised my whiteboard.
[Sorry?]
Clear rejection.
Sorry, but forcing ‘me’ into a life called ‘Carnelia’…
Was lacking too much.
Hiding too much.
Tangled in too many contradictions.
Above all…
I was an existence that could vanish anytime, like a dream gone by morning.
***
The banquet was tomorrow already…
And in the meantime, I’d set foot in the Gray Zone.
‘Hm…’
I had business at Nakwol anyway.
Planned to swing by the Black Market and grab some artifacts or elixirs.
But…
“Customer 232, sold! Congratulations.”
“Aaah… Customer 232 wins again…! Congratulations!”
“Oh my…! Customer 232 has taken over this auction house…!”
…I couldn’t even glimpse an artifact, let alone an elixir.
‘That fucking bastard.’
I turned and glared at Number 232, who was sweeping up everything in the auction.
Fancy suit… flashy rings and brooches.
The kind of getup that screamed ‘I’m a noble’ all over.
‘Never seen him before.’
I didn’t visit the Black Market often, but…
I made a point to remember anyone noteworthy.
Guys oozing nobility like that stuck in your mind after one look.
‘Tch.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly and started walking.
The auction had plenty left, but…
I was sure that guy would snag it all.
All I could do was flip him the bird behind his back and leave.
And on the way… to Nakwol.
“Hey, don’t you have money?”
“Just… just wait a little…!”
“Oh ho? Half-assed casual talk from someone who’s not even a noble anymore?”
True to its shady nature, noise and conflict bubbled up from alleys everywhere.
I perked up my ears toward the racket.
…Didn’t even need to try.
The voices were so loud, they drilled in whether I wanted or not.
“Anyway… it’s Lord Alpharts’ mercy. Get the money ready by next week?”
“…”
“Refusing? I’d rather not disturb Lord Alpharts while he’s enjoying the auction right now.”
“Y-Yes, understood…”
The man’s retreating back, bowing pathetically… still bore traces of noble attire.
But a man whose house had fallen, stripped of status.
The wreckage of lives shattered by the Lust Calamity…
Was gathering one by one in this Gray Zone.
‘Tch.’
Before I knew it, I’d arrived at Nakwol.
I strolled down the hallway… and stopped in front of a certain door.
- Knock knock.
I knocked on Uncle Beru’s door and carefully opened it.
“Adel?”
[Hi.]
“You actually walked here properly today…”
[What’s that mean?]
“…Nothing.”
[?]
“Ahem… So, what brings you here?”
[Business?]
“…Business?”
Business…
Meaning, prepping to pull Nakwol out of the Gray Zone and into the light.
“Adel…”
But…
Uncle Beru’s expression looked off somehow.
“With the Gray Zone’s current state… business is a pipe dream.”
[What?]
“Well… you wouldn’t know.”
The Gray Zone’s current state.
Something I didn’t know?
[Please explain.]
“Alright… as concise as possible.”
[Yes, super concise.]
“The Gray Zone is currently under one noble’s control.”
The Gray Zone, which suited the term lawless land…
This place with zero order, gripped by a single noble…
…Did that even make sense?
“He’s been expanding his influence at an insane rate lately. Breaking the Gray Zone’s unwritten rules, trying to crown himself ‘king.’”
[Name?]
“…Alpharts von Weisell.”
[First I’ve heard.]
“Of course. He wasn’t even a noble originally.”
[?]
“After the calamity descended, he seized the chance, used every dirty trick in the book, and eventually… forced a noble title onto himself.”
[Can you just become a noble like that?]
“No way. Pure luck, perfect timing, and his ruthless methods all aligned perfectly.”
[Should I kill him?]
“If you can do it clean and quiet, sure…”
Beru glanced at me slyly.
A flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
[Impossible, right?]
“Yeah.”
No kidding.
Taking out a noble without a peep…
Was damn near impossible.
“Oh, right…”
[?]
Uncle Beru suddenly seemed to remember something…
His face lit up like a lightbulb had gone off over his head.
Then he hesitated a bit, looking at me.
“There’s a rumor that Alpharts guy… is after the Delbar lady.”
“…”
[The [Fragment of Wrath] reacts to the player’s rage.]
“Whoa whoa… calm down, Adel… Nothing’s confirmed.”
[Why the sudden fuss?]
“…When you’re radiating killing intent and ask ‘why the fuss,’ how am I supposed to react…?”
Uncle Beru wiped cold sweat and flopped into the chair behind him.
…He looked exhausted in every way.
“Anyway… word is, he’s attending this banquet too.”
[Got it.]
“Seems he’s planning something there.”
[Can I kill him?]
“…Later.”
Ah.
Not just ‘no,’ but ‘not now.’
Kinda reassuring, in a way.
“By the way… it’s not about harming her. It’s about catching her eye somehow, forging a connection with Delbar.”
[Oh, okay?]
Guess I jumped the gun.
I slid the dagger I’d pulled back into my inventory.
***
“Huh? Maskster?”
[Heyo.]
“Uh… heyo?”
The place I reached after traversing the hallway again was Caramel’s workshop.
It sparkled more than last time, with a bit more polish overall.
The attention to even the fine details showed real effort.
“Ah! Come with me for a sec!”
[What?]
I was a little thrown at first…
But I had time to spare, no reason to refuse, so I nodded quietly.
“Here!”
I walked the hallway again.
And…
Down the stairs, deeper into somewhere.
[Basement too?]
“Yup!”
Creak…
Pushing open a creaky wooden door, we arrived at…
“…”
“What do you think?”
[What is this?]
An empty room.
In the center, all alone…
[A rock chunk?]
A mystery stone.
I doubted they’d dragged me all the way here just to show off a pebble.
“It’s a fragment of the moon.”
[Moon?]
“Actually… some guys from the Empire came by last time…”
[What?]
“No, no! Thanks to Uncle Beru, no issues… but…”
[Uh-huh;]
“This one thing, I had to hide…”
[Okay, but what is it?]
“Uh… remnants left by the calamity?”
[???]
Calamity…
The Lust Calamity, obviously.
“The potion I gave you? Made from this too. Worked great, right? It’s the best!”
[That’s not the point.]
“Ah…! Right!”
[?]
“The problem is this! We refined the fragment, but the impurities left? We can’t process them at all!”
[Impurities?]
“Simply put… we extracted all the harmless properties for humans, but the toxic stuff left? Won’t budge no matter what!”
[Why?]
“It’s the calamity’s power! How could mere humans handle that?!”
What am I supposed to do about it…
They couldn’t handle it, so dumping it on me.
‘Wait…’
Something nagged at me.
The [Brand] is the unique ability of the [Mask of Silence].
A ‘Myth’ grade artifact—untouchable.
But…
How could a mere potion distort it?
“Plus, this fragment has ‘dream properties’! Pretty much anything becomes possible, like a dream…!”
…The answer was simple.
The [Mask of Silence] also held calamity power.
And this ‘fragment of the moon’ was calamity residue too.
Same tier of calamity, so…
They could clash or influence each other.
“If there’s something that can contain calamity power, maybe it could handle it!”
“Without special processing, those toxic properties vanish overnight anyway!”
“It’s a calamity alright!”
Lust Calamity.
Only calamity-grade items could handle its distorting power.
…I raised my whiteboard toward Caramel.
[I’ve got that calamity right here.]
“…Pardon?”
I still had an unresolved question.
Bellamir.
How did she remove the [Mask of Silence]?
This mask has a unique [Binding] skill—impossible to steal or separate.
Yet…
Bellamir ignored it and touched the mask.
‘But…’
If it’s the ‘dream properties’ that warp anything…
If it holds the same calamity power…
“W-What?!”
Slide.
I slowly raised my hand, pointing to the [Mask of Silence] on my face.
“Eek…?”
[?]
“A c-cal-cal… calamity next to me…?!”
And then…
Thud!
Caramel frothed at the mouth and collapsed backward.
“…”
…She’d thoroughly misunderstood.