263
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 263
As soon as Gloria arrived at the funeral home, the first place she sought out was the bathroom.
"...Finally, I can catch my breath."
Upon returning to her hometown, Gloria had been confined to her house all day. While Gloria was deeply grateful for her family's attention and love, she simultaneously grew anxious. She hadn't had any time to see Caesar or conduct her personal training because she was busy chatting with family members.
Moreover, when Gloria mentioned her near-death experiences in the demon realm, her father's and brothers' expressions hardened, and they even suggested she quit being a knight... This made her inexplicably angry and frustrated. So if asked where she felt most comfortable after returning to the demon realm, only two places came to mind: the bathroom and bedroom, where she could spend time alone.
Gloria examined her attire in the bathroom mirror. She wore a black blouse, black dress shirt, and black skirt. If daughters from other noble families saw Gloria's appearance, they might mock her for wearing such stiff clothing, but to Gloria, even these formal clothes felt extremely light.
'I should have just worn pants.'
In formal settings, it was a noble tradition for women to wear corsets and skirts.
Of course, as a knight, Gloria should have worn armor or her formal uniform, but wearing Primachos would have been too conspicuous, and she had no formal uniform prepared. While she had adamantly refused to wear a corset, wearing a skirt was unavoidable. If one receives the benefits of being noble, one must follow corresponding responsibilities and rules.
So Gloria wore the most modest and neat clothes possible... But the skirt kept catching on her legs, making it uncomfortable. Above all else, what she couldn't get used to was how light her waist felt. On the battlefield, she always carried a sword at her side, but now having nothing there made her feel empty.
No, beyond empty, it made her anxious.
How should she respond if suddenly attacked?
How should she react if the warning drums of an ambush struck her ears?
Should she hide?
Gloria felt her breathing becoming labored.
'I miss my master.'
If it were Caesar, he would be able to clearly tell Gloria how to handle this anxiety. Gloria hadn't even worn a corset, yet she felt as suffocated as if she were wearing one.
Click!
As the bathroom door opened, a wave of perfume rushed in. Gloria reflexively pressed against the wall and reached for her waist.
However, there was nothing there to grab. The women who entered the bathroom in small groups looked Gloria up and down.
"Why is a servant using this bathroom? This should be for guests only, shouldn't it?"
Gloria was taken aback by this completely unexpected question.
"The Arch family must be past their prime. They can't even properly train their servants."
"You can see the big picture by looking at the small details. Having such an incompetent servant shows..."
Gloria could immediately tell these women were nobles but not from Sapientia. If they were from Sapientia, they would have recognized Gloria's face and known her personality.
'Just let it go.'
Gloria didn't want to cause a scene at Arch Duke funeral of all places. But when does life ever go as planned?
The women blocked Gloria's path.
"What are you doing? If a servant uses a guest-only space, shouldn't you apologize?"
The women's eyes weren't sharp, but rather round. Just amusement. Or perhaps curiosity. Like children watching to see how ants react when their path is blocked by a leaf, they were watching to see how Gloria would respond. To their mundane daily lives, Gloria's existence amounted to just that much. Gloria's right hand trembled. Not from shame or anger, but because the Primachos attached to her right wrist was shaking.
Rather than anger, Gloria just felt annoyed with these people. She didn't want to waste energy on such trivial matters. So she decided to show consideration one last time.
"I am not a servant of the Arch Duke. My name is Gloria Bellum. I am the youngest daughter of Viscount Bellum."
The expressions of the women, who had been laughing behind their fans, hardened. These empty-headed women who loved to gossip about who was better than whom couldn't possibly not know about Gloria.
She was the youngest daughter of Viscount Bellum, which was the Arch duke's source of wealth, a knight who ranked first in the knight qualification exam, and Caesar El Lindger’s direct disciple. She was even an honorable knight who had recently fought on the demon realm's battlefield. Their minds went blank, realizing they had not only called a noble of nobles and honorable knight a servant but had openly criticized the Arch Duke in front of her… Or so one might have thought.
"If you're a noble, you should maintain noble dignity. Dressing like that, of course we would misunderstand."
Gloria was speechless at the nonsensical response.
"...What did you say?"
"Clothes aren't simply about layering when cold and wearing light when hot. You must dress appropriately for the situation and status. Don't you know it's inconsiderate to dress like that and tell us not to misunderstand?"
The women beside her covered their mouths with fans and sneered.
"That's right. I thought the Viscount Bellum family was quite an established family, but did not even maintain basic standards..."
"You seem to have much to learn as a noble. Shall I introduce you to a tutor I know?"
Gloria felt like she was watching a ridiculous comedy. Gloria was a mafia member. She had lived a life closer to violence where a misplaced tongue would get cut off, and a wrong move of the hand would result in losing it, rather than following the law. That's why she could adapt fairly well to a knight's life. Though wrapped in dignity and honor, one could assert their correctness through personal strength by requesting a duel if things went wrong.
Furthermore, Gloria was a soldier. Rolling through battlefields where a moment's carelessness meant losing one's head, she physically experienced how hollow the nobility's honor, dignity, and grace were. In contrast, these women lived lives considering it virtuous to wear soft clothes, spray fragrant perfume, and chat while sitting in comfortable chairs. When people with completely different lives and values meet, conflict always arises. Gloria contemplated which approach she should use to resolve this conflict.
The noble's way?
Or the knight's way?
Or the mafia's way?
The approach Gloria chose was 'Caesar's way.'
"Empty-headed women with noisy mouths."
The women were taken aback by this curse they had never heard before.
"Wh-what did you say? Em-empty-headed?"
"Yes. Seeing how you act this way even though you know who I am, I can tell just how flowery your heads are."
Her fist vibrated strongly. It seemed to tell her to strike those empty-headed women's skulls right now.
"I'd like to cut out those tongues, but wouldn't it be unsightly to see blood at a funeral? I don't want to stoop to your low level, so I'll leave it at this."
Gloria pushed aside the woman blocking her path.
The woman couldn't handle Gloria's strength and fell to the floor.
"Ah!"
"Oh my, Olivia!"
Olivia? What an excessively refined name. Gloria opened the bathroom door. At that moment, the fallen woman screamed!
"You'll regret this!"
Gloria looked down at Olivia with cold eyes and said:
"Are you sure you won't regret it?"
Gloria slammed the door shut and left. And Gloria was slightly surprised. Earlier she couldn't breathe as if her corset was too tight, but now breathing came so easily. Gloria left the funeral hall, pushing through the crowd with somewhat lightened steps. She might get scolded by her father, but she wasn't in the mood to pay respects to the deceased. Right now, she wanted to swing a sword.
***
"So to summarize, this duel challenge came because of what happened yesterday?"
Gloria nodded slightly while watching Caesar's reaction.
"...Yes."
Caesar looked at the seal on the duel challenge. A single sword stuck among scattered flower petals, quite elegant.
Yes.
This seal belongs to the Count of Vex, one of the first Emperor's 12 knights and the ruler of Vex province. And Olivia is the empty-headed youngest daughter of Count Vex.
"Looking at it, you don't seem to get along well with nobles."
"Since I caused this, I'll resolve it. Master, you don't need to worry about it at all."
Gloria's eldest brother adjusted his glasses and spoke.
"That's right. We of the Viscount Bellum family will resolve this matter."
Gloria's eldest brother was someone with extremely sharp eyes. Should I say he had a typical strategist's appearance? His tongue seemed as sharp as a pen's tip.
"How?"
"In the current situation, having a duel wouldn't look good. We should negotiate and send them back."
Is that really so? The situation was different from when Gloria had clashed with the 'Sylvatil family' in the past.
"It would be nice if we could resolve this without any conflict."
"What does that mean?"
"Isn't that reaction too hasty? Even for a daughter from a knight's family, who would send a duel challenge the very next morning?"
Count Vex couldn't attend yesterday's funeral. No matter if Arch Duke had died, Count Vex certainly wasn't someone leisurely enough to immediately fly to the Wizard Province. Moreover, it takes almost a month by carriage from Vex Province to Sapientia, and even by train, it takes about two weeks.
There's no way he could have arrived at such a distant location in less than 24 hours after Arch Duke's death.
"What was Lady Olivia's reason for coming to Sapientia?"
"It seems she came to attend the victory ceremony that was held the day before yesterday."
"When was the victory ceremony announced?"
"Around September 15th, Duke Laar Arch contacted us to prepare for the victory ceremony. So we asked the nobles throughout the country to please attend the ceremony."
September 15th was when Caesar had just left Luxhope.
'That fellow saw the future.'
There is only one time when Arch Duke can see the distant future. It's when 'the singular point' Caesar is on a ship and cannot have a significant influence on the world. Caesar officially arrived in Sapientia on October 8th.
Since they announced it to the whole country almost 3-4 weeks in advance, Count Vex would have had to send at least one person for appearance's sake, so he probably sent Olivia, who had relatively free time and no assigned duties.
"Then do you think she intentionally challenged Gloria to a duel?"
Caesar used psychometry on the duel challenge letter.
-How dare you say that to me? Empty-headed woman...?!
-I'll teach that Gloria a lesson.
-Since father told me to challenge her to a duel, I should send it right away.
-But what if Caesar steps in as the opponent?
-Oh, whatever. That's not my concern.
Olivia directly called Count Vex to report the situation, and Count Vex, as if he had been waiting for this, had Olivia personally challenge Gloria to a duel. In other words, this letter wasn't born from Olivia's immature feelings but was Count Vex's intention.
"Rather than saying it was intentional, it would be more accurate to say he seized an opportunity he had been waiting for."
We cannot know exactly what Count Vex is aiming for. However, we know what kind of person Count Vex is. He is a typical anti-Emperor nobleman who disapproves of the Redfield family and the Goldmile Imperial family. And when the emperor openly showed his defiance, Count Vex was the most vocal critic after Elijah.
This makes sense because Vex Province is located right above the wilderness, in a place where the Emperor's influence doesn't reach well. Instead, they maintain quite a close relationship with the Royder Order, and they even declared independence simultaneously with the Holy Nation of Royder.
"What benefit would Count Vex gain from fighting with the Viscount Bellum Family?"
"That's what we need to find out now."
Vex Province is located at the bottom left of the empire, while the Wizard Province is at the top right. If there's a reason for picking a fight with a noble who is geographically almost in a different country, it must be part of a bigger picture, and since such a big picture couldn't have been drawn overnight, it must mean it's been planned for quite some time. Gloria lowered her head deeply.
"...I'm sorry."
"No, I told you. This was something Count Vex had been aiming for. Whether he's targeting the Viscount Bellum family, or me, or the Arch Duke isn't clear though."
The information is insufficient. However, it would also be meaningless to go directly to Olivia and read her thoughts with psychometry. As Gloria said, since Olivia is a thoughtless immature person, Count Vex wouldn't have told her any detailed information.
Then there's only one way.
"Gideon."
Gideon, who had been waiting behind, opened his mouth.
"Yes. Please speak."
"I think it's time I send some greetings to my brothers after a long while."
Isn't the Sylvatil family a subordinate house to Count Vex, and don't they run a quite famous magazine company that spreads reporters to gather information? They should know at least something about why Count Vex suddenly ordered a duel challenge against Gloria.
Gideon hesitated slightly, unlike his usual self. It must be burdensome for him to contact the Sylvatil Viscount directly. At the same time, he must feel somewhat unsettled about having to communicate with his son after such a long time.
However, a lord's command is absolute. Gideon bowed his head.
"Yes. I understand."