Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 26: Reunion — ?
The mansions arranged inside the Main Castle all show the same style and structure.
Since they were prepared directly by the Wintel family to treat visiting distinguished guests or invited people, they were tailored to practicality rather than variety.
One of those series of mansions.
Soft sunlight seeped through the thick curtains, and the scent of black tea with steam rising subtly spread on the small table placed by the window.
Vivienne was sitting in front of it catching her breath for a moment.
Reddish hair tied in twin tails came down in front of her shoulders to her chest.
Neat but unadorned appearance.
Since she had to tie these twin tails back into one to organize when entering alchemy research, the current hairstyle was like a signal that she was 'resting'.
Clear blue pupils were looking beyond the teacup, but somewhere had a color laden with fatigue.
Vivienne slowly lifted the teacup and took a sip.
And naturally, last night's dream came to mind.
Academy hallway.
A scenery too familiar.
Footsteps heard from behind, the man always standing in that spot when she turned her gaze.
Edom Rivan, who disappeared, appeared in her dream after about 3 years.
He in the dream was no different from the past.
Skinny face, hollow complexion and gloomy lips following persistently, fixing his gaze without a word, giving not even a gap to escape.
No matter how much she increased speed, the distance didn't decrease, and even if she raised her voice, sound didn't leak out.
Vivienne unconsciously put strength into the hand holding the teacup.
"...Ha."
She shook her head with a short breath.
She didn't know why she dreamed a vain dream at a point 3 years passed, but it's something ended long ago and he is just a person who disappeared as if evaporated.
Admonishing herself like that, she put down the teacup.
Today she had leisure after a long time.
Research schedule was empty, and the weather was good.
'Should I go to the city.'
She rose from her seat and called a maid.
Decoration not excessive, choosing a dress and coat comfortable for activity, and organizing hair a little more neatly for going out, not for research.
The maid helped Vivienne with familiar hand movements, examining the appearance in the mirror once.
It was then.
"My Lady, did you hear?"
The maid suddenly raised her voice.
"About the Summoner of the Dark Night. They say he returned upon the Grand Duke's call after 1 year? And that was 3 months ago."
Vivienne's breath stopped for a moment, then leaked out again.
"Summoner... of the Dark Night?"
"Yes! These days everyone talks only about that. Handsome face and sturdy physique, and even the title of being the first man as a commoner to catch Grand Duke Your Highness's eye. Kya— isn't it so cool?"
The maid continued speaking unable to hide excitement.
Vivienne looked at her own eyes in the mirror with a calm gaze.
In the blue pupils, momentarily, an indescribable shaking passed.
Summoner of the Dark Night.
That name and the vain dream she was recalling until just now overlapped strangely.
Her head knew he was a completely different person.
But unexplainable discomfort seeped into one side of her heart.
"I see."
Vivienne answered shortly.
She neither asked more nor showed interest.
Unnecessary emotions like discomfort were easily picked out.
Rest after a long time, and city outing after a long time.
Just for today, she wanted to enjoy and shop without any thought.
"Then shall we go?"
Decoration ended and she draped the coat.
Vivienne, transformed from an alchemy scholar soaked in research to a fresh noble young lady, left the mansion.
Leaving vague emotions behind.
**
From the moment she stepped on the street, Vivienne had no choice but to realize.
Because wherever she went, that name was heard.
"Did you hear? About the Summoner of the Dark Night."
"They say he revived Hamelon."
"Truly amazing, how such a noble person appeared."
Excited voices overlapped building a tower, and the story was spreading adding flesh to flesh.
Hearing it, now there wasn't even just one alias.
Savior of Hamelon.
Grand Duke's Man.
Noble Person of the North.
Someone called him that, someone nodded and chimed in, and someone was heated to make a cooler alias.
From marketplace women to customers choosing goods in shops, the topic continued to flow towards that name.
"Did you hear? Now he is Baronet Iden Summonfield."
"Kya— Summonfield? How did he even name the family name so coolly."
Vivienne walked the street trying to keep her expression stiff.
She tried not to care.
She considered it a story irrelevant to herself.
But the more that name and alias repeated, strangely stuffy heterogeneity was felt.
"Oh my, this suits My Lady so well~!"
Vivienne spent time going around the streets choosing dresses, looking around accessories, and simply snacking on food and drinks.
She responded to reception with a smile, and bought plenty of things she liked.
Refreshment as if peeling off grime soaked in alchemy research.
Feeling like returning to one woman, not an alchemy scholar.
Vivienne was feeling a sense of liberation after a long time walking the endless straight central road of the Capital Castle.
Around the time the sun tilted like that, Vivienne headed to the mansion again.
Then by chance, truly by chance.
She happened to pass in front of an unfamiliar mansion.
It was just one of countless mansions lined up in the direction she was going.
A neatly organized mansion with nothing special in appearance alone.
The maid holding luggage full in both hands stuck close to Vivienne's side and whispered in a small voice.
"This is that person's mansion."
"...."
Really?
With indifferent eyes, Vivienne scanned the mansion beyond the wall.
Simple house compared to circulating rumors.
Vivienne evaluated shortly like that and moved her steps...
Creak—
It was that moment.
The mansion gate opened and a man and a woman revealed themselves.
Blue-grey hair and deep blue pupils.
The man was Iden Summonfield whom she heard until her ears bled, and the woman was an unknown person appearing to be an attendant.
Flinch.
Vivienne's gaze fixed on Iden instinctively.
1 year ago, when she saw him in Helon, it was a long distance where features were barely confirmed.
She saw him walking the central road amidst the packed crowd briefly from afar.
But now it was different.
It was a distance of only a few steps, less than 3 meters.
Leaving the gate, he turned his body in the opposite direction to her.
They came to face each other.
Her heart beat fast for no reason.
Breathing became shallow, and gaze naturally headed to his face.
The man in neat attire had a sturdy physique like the rumors.
Wide shoulders overflowed with masculinity, and the chest put forward was dependable like that of a bird.
A face noble-like yet not noble-like had a mystery where nobility and wild beauty coexisted.
Blue-grey hair appearing shaggy yet neat.
Deep blue pupils resembling hers exactly.
Every time she took a step, she got closer to him.
Then just before crossing each other, eyes met.
"......."
Iden, he gave a very light formal bow.
Neither more, nor less.
It just feels like a noble young lady and a noble young master who didn't know each other encountered on the street.
He passed by her side just like that, as is.
Vivienne returned an awkward bow a beat late.
Let alone words, neither questions nor greetings were exchanged.
Vivienne stopped standing.
Turning her head, she looked at his receding back for a moment.
Without looking back even once, he walks to the opposite side with the following woman and disappears mixing into people.
"Kya— My Lady, did you see?"
The maid whispered with a fully flushed face and excited voice.
"Isn't he more handsome seeing up close?"
"...."
Vivienne tilted her head instead of answering.
She didn't know when seeing from afar, but a face seeming familiar yet not.
Features were similar, but the atmosphere possessed was too different.
Even though eyes met clearly, there was no sign of surprise at all, and there was no hesitation in the attitude treating her like a complete stranger and the steps passing by as if there was no connection from the beginning.
Edom Rivan.
Reaction that would have been absolutely different if it were him.
Reaching the conclusion 'As expected it was a mistake', Vivienne turns her head again and moves her steps.
Although the feeling that it's a hasty conclusion seems to cling to her ankles, Vivienne walked without looking back.
She also swallowed the unexplained stuffiness remaining in her esophagus.
Soon, arriving at the Main Castle gate, Vivienne entered inside leaving all innocent thoughts behind.
**
Iden, moving a few steps leaving the mansion, bowed his head naturally.
The woman approaching from the front looked like a noble young lady.
Material of clothes, workmanship of accessories, even accompaniment of someone looking like a maid.
Since becoming a Baronet, he judged it better to show courtesy first.
That was why.
That he bowed reflexively without any thought.
The fact that the woman was Vivienne.
The fact that she was the original heroine.
It was a greeting Iden didn't recognize at all.
The memory of Edom Rivan remaining in him wasn't a complete 'memory' from the start.
It wasn't something engraved by direct experience and trial, but something close to an afterimage overlaying another's life.
Afterimages are forgotten quickly.
It was also natural that the face of the original heroine engraved in the afterimage was erased together.
Moreover, to him, the original work was nothing more than a 'tool' for success, and he ran away right after possession.
From the moment he left Rivan Count territory, Iden's life converged solely to one goal.
Success.
Survival.
And a higher place.
In that process, memories like afterimages were quickly deleted.
It was unnecessary information, and there was no reason to hold onto it.
So Iden just passed by doing his courtesy.
"The person just now, someone you know?"
At Erwin's question, Iden shook his head.
3 months accompanying together.
Now the stiffness between the two had melted down like a snowy mountain in summer.
"No? Just greeted thinking she must be a noble young lady higher than me."
"She was pretty, very."
"Is that so?"
That was the end.
Iden moved his steps without any lingering regret, and the two entered the street of nobles side by side.
The place arrived was a noble clothing store counted even in Helon.
From the exterior it was ostentatious, and displayed clothes had blatantly expensive decorations attached.
Iden hesitated for a moment.
He had never tailored clothes 'like a noble' even once. Mercenary clothes, uniform, Engineering Unit uniform. To him who only wore clothes focused on practicality and function, the ostentation and vanity of this place were hard to adapt to.
'1 gold 50 silver for one suit?'
Crazy.
Iden clicked his tongue inwardly.
Fortunately, capable(?) attendant Erwin's touch shone here.
"Leave it to me."
She examined the fabric as if used to it, and nodded listening to the tailor's explanation.
It was an attitude as if she had been waiting for this role for a long time.
Iden handed over full authority to her as is.
Erwin contemplated long when choosing colors, and when choosing patterns too.
The problem was that the gaze viewing objectively at first began to change subjectively before she knew it.
Like choosing a husband's clothes, or at least like a person choosing imagining standing together, Erwin repeated matching this and that to Iden's body with strength fully given to her glabella.
"Good. This will do."
At the end of it, Iden stood in front of the mirror wearing one suit and touched the clothes awkwardly.
He couldn't erase the feeling somewhat uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
"...To this extent?"
"Of course."
Erwin answered casually.
"It's stepping out to the 'first' social gathering as a Baronet, my husb, no!! The, the Summonfield Family Head shouldn't be ignored."
At those words, Iden smirked.
A title still not feeling real.
Summonfield Family Head.
It cannot be a title not ticklish as much as these clothes.
The reason for tailoring clothes was simple.
Soon a social gathering was scheduled to be held in Wintel Main Castle.
He was specially invited to a seat hosted by the Northern Grand Duke's eldest son.
It was a noble social gathering that would be an extension of politics, and nobles of the capital Helon would gather in large numbers.
Iden planned to march there.
Opposing forces inside the North.
To find clues to that existence mentioned to have shaken Helon in the original work, whose name didn't even appear clearly.
"Hmm— as expected the clothes fit is extraordinary."
New Summoning Arts polished for 3 months.
Ahead of the battlefield full of blood smell and shouts, he decided to start the first ignition in the banquet hall full of secret maneuvers and interactions.