The Social Gathering (4)
Iris’s eyes widened. A scene she thought she might witness only once in her lifetime was unfolding right before her.
The Lady of Lichtenburg had always been the one receiving greetings—either because the other party approached first or because a servant or lesser noble made the introduction. She had never been the one to initiate. Yet here was that same haughty, iron-willed woman, clutching her skirt and offering a perfect curtsy.
To a commoner. To Schluss Heinkel.
In all the countless futures Iris had glimpsed, she had never once seen anything like it.
Afterward, with a rare flush on her cheeks, the Lady of Lichtenburg strode briskly from the hall.
Interesting.
Iris had felt a faint ripple of mana earlier. It seemed they had raised a barrier and spoken in private. But what could they possibly have discussed to make even the Lady of Lichtenburg tuck her tail like that?
Resting her chin on her hand, Iris stared straight at Schluss. At that exact moment he turned her way and began walking toward her with long, purposeful strides.
“Schluss. I hope you’re enjoying the party?”
“Thanks to you, I am. I wanted to thank you for the invitation.”
Iris smiled with deep satisfaction and offered the back of her hand. Schluss took it without the slightest hesitation.
If Schluss greeted her with the same respect he had shown the lady, the contrast would humiliate the Lichtenburg name even further. The mere thought filled her with pleasure—
“Oh my?”
Iris was suddenly yanked forward and found herself on her feet.
“You wish to dance?”
“No, that’s not—”
“Good. The music is perfect for it.”
“……”
So this was how he chose to dodge the opportunity. It had been the perfect chance to plant the idea among the nobles that Schluss was hostile to the Lichtenburgs and loyal to the Flechettes. Still, openly displaying their closeness through a dance wasn’t a bad alternative.
Hiding her faint dissatisfaction, Iris took Schluss’s hand and stepped onto the floor.
“I wonder if you even know how to dance.”
“I don’t.”
“Then how—”
“But my body remembers.”
“……?”
Murmuring something cryptic, Schluss began to move in time with the music. His steps were surprisingly natural—so much so that his claim about his body remembering made perfect sense. Perhaps he had learned it as a child back in Iceburg.
When the music ended and Iris returned to her seat, she felt a surge of superiority. She was the only one who had danced with the man who had received the Black Eagle Medal directly from the Emperor—and the only one who had made the Lady of Lichtenburg lower her head.
“That was a wonderful dance! Might I have the next one?”
“Me too!”
Beg all you like. Schluss wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Certainly.”
“……What?”
Iris’s fantasy shattered. Schluss danced with every single woman at the party.
Except for the Lady of Lichtenburg.
“Haa……”
His whole body was drenched in sweat. Just how many dances had that been? Doing something so far outside his comfort zone had drained his stamina at an alarming rate.
He wasn’t the type to enjoy dancing, but this time he had wanted to. Iris’s smug little expression had been getting on his nerves. She kept acting like she was special, and he had felt the need to shatter that illusion.
Come to think of it, when he had first entered the hall everyone had looked at him like he was an insect. Now their gazes had softened considerably. Quite a few nobles even approached him with conversation. Of course, none of them were important enough to warrant real effort, so he exchanged only empty pleasantries.
A wonderful dance… huh.
Thankfully, he had avoided embarrassing himself with clumsy footwork. The Memory of the True Body had activated, letting him copy the original Schluss’s dance steps perfectly.
Every time he peeked into those memories, he had to grit his teeth. The person who had taught Schluss to dance was none other than Yulia.
“Ah.”
The memory finally surfaced. Back at the entrance, Yulia had sent him a hand signal—the secret one only he and Han A-rum knew. The one that meant “meet me alone in three hours.”
Had the signal been carried over because he had used her as the model for the original Schluss? Or was it mere coincidence? Or perhaps…… No, that was impossible.
That feels a little better.
Thinking back on the Lady of Lichtenburg’s expression earlier brought another smile to his face. She had tried to kill him and then had the audacity to act indignant, so he had only meant to knock her down a peg. Mentioning her daughter—her reverse scale—should have been enough to make the entire Lichtenburg house declare war. Yet the lady had yielded surprisingly easily.
In front of everyone, she had acknowledged defeat by bowing to a commoner like him.
The decisive factor must have been his defeat of Henderson. She had overestimated his combat ability and made that judgment. In reality, two or three mediocre assassins sent at different times would have been enough to kill him. Still, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about the Lady of Lichtenburg sending assassins or Crows for the time being.
If she intended to keep fighting, she would never have made such a humiliating public surrender. Later, he might test just how far her pride had fallen by making a few requests. With that thought, he stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air.
“……”
“……”
There was already someone there. A woman with pointed ears. An elf, apparently. They exchanged a brief nod and turned their heads away from each other.
He hadn’t seen her inside the hall earlier. Had she been lingering out here the whole time? An elf invited to a gathering reserved for human nobility must hold considerable status, yet he couldn’t place her face.
Ataturk? No, that one was male. Serika? She should be in the desert by now. Then who?
He glanced at her carefully and activated Inquiry.
Real Name: Jane Watson
Gender: Female
A member of the Crows. Highly skilled in disguise. Currently considering retirement.
Unexpectedly, she was the very reason he had attended this gathering. The Crow known as Jean. He had wondered why he couldn’t find her anywhere and thought she simply hadn’t come. To think she had been hiding in plain sight with a disguise.
After confirming no one else was nearby, he spoke.
“You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself much.”
“……”
The elf—no, Jean—glared at him.
“I do not speak the Imperial tongue.”
It was clearly a language with different pronunciation and intonation from Imperial. But thanks to the Translation ability providing real-time interpretation, he understood her without difficulty.
So that was why. No matter how beautiful she was, the men kept their distance because she was pretending not to understand Imperial.
“Then we should be able to converse if I speak Elvish.”
“……!”
He had spoken while thinking in Korean, yet Translation activated and fluent Elvish flowed from his mouth—the same tongue Jean had used earlier. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Where did you learn Elvish?”
“That’s not important.”
“Then what is?”
“The fact that you’re pretending not to understand Imperial is what matters.”
“……”
When he subtly reminded her that he held the information advantage, Jean’s expression twisted. It should be fine to speak Imperial now.
“I have a request for you, Jean.”
“How do you know my—”
“I’d appreciate it if you refrained from such cheap questions. Just decide whether you’ll accept or not.”
“……Let me hear it first.”
Jean folded her arms, openly displaying her irritation. Having her disguise seen through immediately must have been extremely unpleasant. Even now she was probably spinning her mind at full speed, trying to figure out how he had identified her and reviewing her past actions for any mistakes.
It was pointless. He had simply seen through her with the cheat-like ability called Inquiry. If he revealed her real name as well…… he would probably get a knife in the gut.
“I want you to find me a Crow.”
“A Crow……? There is no Crow more capable than me. You’d be better off hiring me directly.”
Looking slightly offended, Jean placed a hand over her chest. She probably meant it. With Henderson dead, if one were to name the strongest Crow, Jean would undoubtedly top the list. She had a critical weakness—her close combat ability was worse than an ordinary soldier’s—but her magical prowess surpassed even Henderson’s, so clients seeking her were everywhere.
Just look at the disguise she was maintaining right now. The mansion was full of excellent mages, including Iris, yet none of them had noticed her.
“I don’t wish to give him a request. I simply want to meet him.”
“Hmph…… I see. Who is it?”
“Kingheart. Arrange a meeting with him and I’ll give you one million Tirions.”
Kingheart. That was Hurtlocker’s name as a Crow. At least, it had been in the original story. There was no guarantee he used the same alias here, or that he had even become a Crow at all. However, considering that his next priority after enrolling at the Imperial Academy had been infiltrating the Crows, there was a high chance Hurtlocker was already operating as one. And unless something unusual had occurred, he was likely using the name Kingheart just as in the original.
There was no solid evidence, but the possibility was high. After all, no other name had occurred to him.
“W-wait, how do you know that name—”
“You ask too many questions. Shall I take that as a refusal?”
“No. I accept.”
He had expected her to haggle more given how offended she was, but Jean accepted immediately. For someone famous for driving hard bargains, this was unexpected. Fine by him.
“Then may I ask why you’re looking for that Crow?”
“Do you really think I’d answer that?”
“……Never mind. Forget it.”
The reason he was looking for Hurtlocker? It was a little ridiculous, but he simply had no other way to meet him. He could storm the Intelligence Bureau’s base and cause a scene, but that would reveal that he knew about the Bureau. Then Emilia would realize her identity had been exposed and flee. That was unacceptable.
Therefore, he had no choice but to meet Hurtlocker not as an Intelligence Bureau agent, but as the Crow named Kingheart. This was the only method available.
He had already let Hurtlocker live twice when he could have killed him. Each time, the man had asked for his reason. If he kept acting like a tsundere, Hurtlocker might get the wrong idea. It was time for an actual conversation.
No matter how much he disliked the man, he would eventually have to bring him into the fold. Sooner or later.
“I’d like it completed as soon as possible.”
“Is that all?”
He was about to leave the balcony now that business was finished when Jean called out to him. Why did she have so many questions? Couldn’t she be a little more professional?
“What? Do you want to dance or something?”
“……No.”
He cut the conversation short and turned away. Jean was certainly competent and strong. But if asked whether it was possible to bring her into the fold as an ally…… the answer was no. In the original story she had been a bat that flitted back and forth between sides. Even if he somehow managed to recruit her, he would have to stay constantly wary of when she might betray him. It was better not to get involved at all.
At the very least, he wanted to avoid earning her hostility by pestering her.
The persistent gaze he felt on his back was uncomfortable, but he deliberately ignored it and returned to the hall.