Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: A Calculated Disgrace
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“Do as you wish.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke nodded and said in an indifferent tone.
“On a separate note, I will give you a warning. If the Cult's assassins are truly determined, not even the main family can guarantee your complete safety. Of course, anyone who harms you will never leave here alive, but they likely have no intention of preserving their own lives to begin with.”
“That's a risk one must take to achieve such results, wouldn't you say?”
“……”
Of course, despite my words, I didn't have the slightest intention of dying.
I planned to have an insurance policy or two to protect my life, even if those assassins were to attack.
Then, the Iron-Blooded Duke spoke.
“You.”
“Yes.”
“You’re a bit mad.”
“……”
What did he mean by that?
As I blinked blankly, his voice continued.
“Do you have any plans after the Blessing Ceremony?”
“…Not particularly.”
“Then let’s have a meal together afterward.”
I couldn't follow the flow of the conversation, but my mouth answered faithfully.
“S-shall we?”
“Mm. I’ll send someone to inform you of the time and place.”
I saw the Iron-Blooded Duke rise from his seat.
Flustered, I tried to stop him.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
“Ah. If you wish to sell the map, let me know. I'll offer you a better price than anywhere else.”
“Ah, yes.”
And before I could say more, he vanished.
Suddenly, I was left alone in the room.
“…This went well, right?”
I had no idea.
But I felt a little lighter than before.
For now, I decided to be satisfied with that.
* * *
At last, the morning of the Blessing Ceremony dawned.
For me, it was also the first refreshing morning I’d had in a long time.
“Nothing beats a real bed.”
I got out of the soft bed and opened the window.
The weather is incredible.
The winter wind was a bit chilly, but the sunlight was warm, and above all, the air was clean.
Since the mansion was built in the middle of a forest, it was naturally filled with the energy of nature.
Cultivating one's energy in a place like this would yield great results.
Thus, just being able to stay here was a huge reward for any martial artist.
After a quick wash, I left the room and headed straight for the dining hall.
I hadn't eaten sparingly last night, but now I felt like my stomach was glued to my spine.
‘The food at the main family estate is beyond question.’
My mouth watered at the thought of having a splendid breakfast for the first time in a while.
As soon as I stepped into the dining hall, the delicious aroma of an early morning meal filled the air.
During the Blessing Ceremony period, you could get food from the dining hall at any time.
Though, it was best to come during mealtimes if you wanted a hot meal.
In any case, the food was diverse, from meat, vegetables, and seafood to fruit. I piled my tray high with meat and looked for a suitable spot.
‘There are quite a lot of people.’
A quick glance around revealed they were mostly my age, likely the ones participating in today’s Blessing Ceremony.
I chose a table with the fewest people and sat down.
“If you only eat meat like that, you'll become a pig in no time.”
A gruff voice came from nearby.
It was the person sitting at the end of the rectangular table.
“I guess the young master of the Bednicker family has never heard of nutrition.”
The same person I saw in the auditorium yesterday… with hair that was ambiguously silver or white.
Now that my fatigue was gone, it looked closer to silver.
“I know what it is.”
“And you still eat like that?”
“I've only eaten greens for the past week. Think of it as making up for it.”
“Whatever.”
She turned her head away with an annoyed huff.
She acts like she doesn't even want to talk to me, so why did she start the conversation?
I took a bite of a sausage I’d speared with my fork and came to a conclusion.
She didn’t start a conversation, she started a fight.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“Why are you wearing gloves even while you eat?”
“What business is it of yours whether I eat with gloves or a hat on?”
True, but that’s not something you should say after picking a fight with me.
“Hey, you.”
“What now.”
“Sadly, you already have quite a few white hairs for your age.”
“It’s silver, you idiot.”
“It looks white to my eyes, so from now on, I'll call you Whitey.”
“You lunatic.”
“Whitey.”
She glared at me with an exasperated expression, then shot up from her seat.
I thought she was leaving, but she suddenly plopped down in front of me and thrust the top of her head forward.
“Look closely! See if this is really white hair!”
I immediately scowled.
“Get it away. You'll get hair in my food.”
“What? Are you saying I’m going bald?”
“Even if you're not going bald, people lose about a hundred strands of hair a day.”
“R-really?”
To be honest, I have no idea.
Anyway, I gently pushed away her head, which was covered in a thick mane of hair.
“So, Whitey, why have you been picking a fight with me since yesterday?”
“I have a condition that makes me pick fights with people who have detestable faces.”
“Really? I thought it was because you're the daughter of the Goodspring family.”
“……!”
Whitey flinched at my casual reply.
Then, her expression changed as she spoke.
“You… you knew who I was?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t tell me you were pretending not to know from the start……”
“Of course not. I overheard it on my way here.”
It would have been hard to figure it out just from her appearance, anyway.
Generally, the children of the Goodsprings had hair the color of warm spring sunlight, but this one had the cold impression of a raging blizzard.
“Anyway, I'm going to eat now, so don't talk to me.”
I waved my hand dismissively, and Whitey pouted with a dissatisfied look on her face.
Honestly, I thought she wouldn't listen to me at all… but for some reason, she actually kept her mouth shut after that and didn't say another word.
But she didn't leave either.
It seemed she had finished her meal, but she remained seated in front of me with a disgruntled expression.
Did she have something else to say?
In any case, I continued to eat.
The girl, who had been indifferent after my second plate, became flustered by the third, amazed by the fourth, and was looking at me with a fed-up expression by the fifth.
I ate one more plate after that before finishing my meal.
“Do you have a beggar living in your stomach?”
“A beggar wouldn't even get to see food like this.”
The food at the Bednicker main estate was excellent.
Even I, with my picky palate, ended up overeating.
I took a long drink of cool water before looking at Whitey.
“So, what did you want to say, Whitey?”
“…I am Seren Goodspring.”
Whitey suddenly introduced herself.
I didn't bother to introduce myself in return and fell into thought.
It was a name I remembered.
“Seren?”
“Do you finally realize who I am? My dear former fiancé.”
So it's possible to say the word 'fiancé' with a face like that.
Not that I wanted a look filled with love and affection from her either.
Seren stared at me for a while before letting out a deep sigh.
“Anyway. There's one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Are you really participating in the Blessing Ceremony today?”
Why are so many people interested in my Blessing Ceremony?
Feeling puzzled, I nodded.
“Haaah……”
“What's with the sigh? It has nothing to do with you.”
“It does have something to do with me, that's why I'm like this. If you receive a Blessing this time, the worst-case scenario could happen.”
“The worst-case scenario? Ah.”
I easily understood what Seren was talking about.
“That the marriage talks between us might be revived?”
“I guess your head isn't completely made of rock.”
“Hmm.”
As I recalled, our engagement talks were definitively called off after my incompetence was revealed.
Which meant if I received a Blessing today, there was a possibility the talks could be revived.
“Dammit……”
Seren sighed with a gloomy face, as if she had just witnessed the end of the world, and even let out a curse.
Somehow, the sight was both awkward and fitting.
The Goodsprings were the empire's most prestigious family, said to value dignity and culture more than life itself…….
Seren didn't exactly give off that vibe.
“You don't want to be engaged to me?”
“Is that even a… no.”
Seren, who was about to snap back, looked at me and said.
“It's not that I hate you specifically. I just hate the engagement itself.”
“Why?”
“Do I really have to tell you that too?”
This girl was so unpredictable.
I shrugged it off and stood up from my seat.
“Don't worry. Even if I do get a Blessing, there’s no way I’d get engaged to you again.”
“Why?”
“Because……”
Just then, someone strode into the dining hall.
It was a familiar face—none other than Hector, the second son of our Bednicker family.
Hector looked around as if searching for someone.
‘Is he looking for me?’
The moment I thought that, our eyes met. A smirk twisted Hector's lips as he walked toward me.
“So you were here, Ruan Bednicker.”
“What is it?”
“What is it? I have business. Do you think I'd come looking for a piece of trash like you for no reason?”
The surroundings began to stir.
Hector already drew attention as the second son of the Bednicker family, and his words were just as harsh.
Yesterday, he had at least waited until no one was around, but now Hector was insulting me in a crowded dining hall.
‘Yesterday's events must have been quite a shock for him.’
But I had a feeling it wasn't just because of that…….
- Father, please spread a small rumor for me.
- That Ruan Bednicker killed a Cult assassin in the mountains and subjugated a Jewel Beast.
Not even a full day had passed.
It seemed the Iron-Blooded Duke had fulfilled my request a little too well.
“……”
Seren, suddenly caught in the middle, wore a troubled expression, not knowing what to do.
This was actually better.
I kept my eyes fixed on Hector while checking our surroundings.
A crowded dining hall.
If there was a Cult lackey here, wouldn't they be watching this situation from somewhere?
“Your words are harsh for so early in the morning.”
“You're the one who's gone too far. And yet, I still thought of you as my brother. I thought that while you were living a pathetic life, there were some parts of it that deserved pity.”
I made a dumbfounded expression.
He thought of me as his brother?
I could believe other things, but this was absolute bullshit.
If he genuinely thought that, this guy must have lost his mind.
“But you have gone too far, far too far.”
Hector reached out and grabbed me by the collar.
“Ah,” Seren let out a surprised gasp.
“You subjugated a Jewel Beast? The likes of you? There's a limit to how much you can tarnish our father's reputation…!”
Hector seemed several times more furious than when he was slapped yesterday.
This was a clear indication of how he viewed his father.
“I really did subjugate it.”
“Hah. Do you have proof? Something recovered from the Jewel Beast's corpse.”
“I didn't have the time for that, so I just came back.”
“…Are you joking with me right now?”
In that instant, Hector pushed me away, releasing my collar, then kicked out hard.
The rather large dining table flipped over, sending the plates and cups on it flying.
It looked like it would hurt a bit if it hit me.
*CRASH!*
But the table, flying through the air, suddenly dropped vertically and returned to its original position in an instant.
Of course, I wasn't the one who did it.
A delicate, gloved hand was resting on the tabletop.
“I'd rather not get involved in a family squabble, but you're going a bit too far.”
Seren looked at Hector with an annoyed expression.
Hector glanced at Seren, then ignored her and glared back at me.
“Yesterday it was the butler, today it's your fiancée? Pathetic. Who's next? Are you going to ask your mother to protect you?”
Just as Hector sneered with a cold face.
“The Blessing Ceremony is about to begin! All young heroes, please gather at the rose garden!”
“……”
Hector seemed to compose himself, steadying his breath, then whispered in a low voice.
“After the Blessing Ceremony, I will formally challenge you to a duel. It would be wise not to refuse. Having all your limbs shattered is better than dying.”
“……”
With a detestable look on his face, Hector said his piece and quickly left the dining hall.
“I'd heard the Bednicker brothers' fights were insane.”
Seren looked back and forth between me and where Hector had been, then shook her head.
“Seeing it in person is beyond imagination. The brotherly love is so deep.”
“Are your eyes broken?”
“It's sarcasm, you idiot!”
Seren shouted, her face turning bright red, then clamped her mouth shut.
“…Anyway, you're truly pathetic. Even if he's your brother, to be insulted like that to your face and not say a word.”
“……”
“I can understand it as a survival tactic for the weak, but you don't seem like the son of the Iron-Blooded Duke at all.”
Seren gave me a disappointed glance before leaving.
I watched their retreating backs, then brushed the water off my clothes.
It must have splashed on me when the table flipped.
‘Insult.’
Seren was right.
What Hector gave me was an insult.
But if you were to ask if I was angry, not particularly.
Of course, I was annoyed when that bastard brought up my mother so carelessly…….
‘…….’
I looked around.
An open space, a dining hall.
In front of numerous children of prestigious families… I was openly insulted by my brother, then hid behind my former fiancée for protection.
It was the very picture of a fool, an idiot, a half-wit.
So what I was curious about right now was…….
What would the family's little rat think if they saw this display?
“Ah.”
I snapped out of my thoughts.
The crowd in the dining hall was starting to thin out, so I blended in with them and moved along.
First, the Blessing Ceremony.