An Unwanted Alliance at the Banquet
The student council arrived last at the banquet hall, but there was no one present who would dare complain about their tardiness. They knew that fact better than anyone, which was precisely why they sauntered in so leisurely, as if they were the main characters of the evening. Leading the pack at the very front with absolute confidence were Sophia and Leopold. As the pair walked forward, the sea of students parted like the Red Sea before Moses. Leopold, clad in a black suit adorned with golden epaulets that gleamed like his own hair color, was escorting my little sister as if he had any right to do so.
I barely suppressed the urge to grab the candlestick from the table and smash it over his head. Yet the students around us paid no mind to my suffering. Instead, praises for Leopold poured from their lips.
"Kyaaak, just look at Lord Leopold!"
"As expected, every single gesture overflows with dignity."
"Haa... Lady Sophia is so lucky."
Kyaaak? If someone overheard that, they'd think a person had actually died.
I turned my head slightly toward the source of those dinosaur-like shrieks. Sure enough, it was the same girls who had been verbally fellating Leopold during the entrance ceremony. If you want to suck him off so badly, go do it directly, you idiots. Why the hell are you causing a scene right next to me?
Then again, with Sophia glued to his side like that, no foolish girl in the entire academy would dare try to steal that position. Sophia wore a sky-blue dress that covered her snow-white, cloud-like skin, radiating a gentle yet profoundly calm aura. Her unapproachable, icy serenity paired perfectly with the blue gem set in her necklace.
Following behind Sophia and Leopold were one man and two women, walking with equal confidence. A red-haired man with a swaggering gait, a serious-faced woman with brown skin, and finally a pink-haired girl smiling brightly. The brown-skinned woman was an acquaintance—Tania, the one who had appeared as Sophia's devoted worshiper. The red-haired man and pink-haired girl were new faces.
So those are the new student council members.
From what I'd investigated, the redhead was Jericho Provence, and the pink-haired girl was Melina Fleming. Melina in particular came from the Fleming family—the very pioneers of magical potions that Emilia had told me about.
While I sat observing these future enemy candidates, a familiar voice reached me from within the academy.
"It seems we're at the same table, Lord Arwen."
The owner of the voice was Josef. Even dressed up, he had that strange face that somehow still didn't look dressed up. He settled into the seat beside me.
"Is it alright if I sit here? If Sophia or Leopold sees..."
"It's the assigned seating, so it can't be helped. I'm sure Vice-President Sophia would understand, wouldn't she?"
"Well, it would be nice if things were that simple."
Josef, who had been watching the direction the student council was walking, suddenly turned toward me as if something had occurred to him.
"Lord Arwen, did you happen to leave the academy this morning?"
"That's right. I had some business to take care of. How did you know, Josef?"
"W-well, I happened to see you leaving the dormitory this morning. I heard many students went out, so I wondered if you were one of them..."
"...Is that so?"
It was suspicious enough that Josef—who had been blatantly avoiding me in Professor Hellana's class since the entrance ceremony—was initiating conversation. But the fact that he was even asking about the reason for my outing made it more so.
"I'm curious what kind of business would take you outside, Lord Arwen."
"Why are you so curious about that, Josef?"
I couldn't exactly answer honestly with I had sex with the magic potion professor right in front of the underworld merchant in Bremen village. Of course Josef wasn't asking because he knew, but my guilty conscience made my voice rise aggressively.
When my eyebrows twitched as I stared at him, Josef answered in a faintly trembling voice.
"N-no, it's nothing special. I was truly just asking out of pure curiosity..."
"I went to buy the clothes I'm wearing now. I wanted to get some fresh air away from the stuffy academy."
I tapped the collar of my expensive ten-gold outfit and recited the lie I'd prepared in advance.
"I see. Both you and your sister have excellent taste in clothing. Haha..."
Josef gave an awkward laugh and turned away again. After that, he wouldn't even make eye contact with me.
Why is this guy suddenly acting so weird?
Whether he was watching for someone's reaction or not, his restless fidgeting—like a little kid who desperately needed the bathroom—seemed extremely suspicious.
While I was distracted by Josef's awkward behavior, the student council took their seats at the table prepared for them. As if the entire hall had been waiting for exactly this moment, the banquet began with the signal of sweet classical music played by invisible instruments.
There were no performers. Strange magic circles floated in the air, supporting instruments that played melodies all by themselves. The violin-shaped devices were performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons—specifically "Spring," the same tired track that played on loop in every rest area bathroom. There was no way Vivaldi existed in this world, but I supposed the developer had simply added it. Best to just accept it and move on.
I considered trying to speak with Josef again, but he was now completely focused on the food, as if our conversation had never happened.
Whatever, fuck it. He was probably just glad to see a familiar face in such a crowded place.
Rather than wracking my brain over normal guy Josef, it was far more beneficial to simply enjoy the banquet for now.
The staff circulating through the hall served us unfamiliar alcohols and dishes, placing them on our table. I had no idea which fork or knife went with what, but who cared? I could just watch others and copy them. Even back when I was Byeon Tae-sung, I'd inherited my father's decent drinking capacity, and surprisingly, this skinny body of Arwen's seemed to have quite the tolerance as well. The sweet-and-sour liquor slid smoothly down my throat without making me feel even slightly tipsy.
While I was mindlessly gulping down alcohol, the girl in the yellow dress sitting beside me spoke up.
"You really can hold your liquor, hehe. Excuse me, my name is Charlotte Beatrix."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Charlotte. I'm Arwen Reinhardt."
"I had already guessed from your hair color. You're Lady Sophia's brother, correct?"
"Well, technically I'm the older one by a year."
"Oh my? How rude of me."
"It's fine. I have an exceptionally talented younger sister, that's all. Don't worry about it."
Starting with my conversation with Charlotte, time flowed meaninglessly as I engaged in trivial chatter with the other students at the table—talk of families, territories, and other insignificant topics.
Maybe this will pass by quietly without any incidents?
I had expected Sophia or Leopold to pick a fight, leading to some dramatic, drama-like verbal battle, but nothing of the sort occurred. The student council seemed completely occupied attending to people who appeared to be important figures within the academy. Being surrounded by old men and forced to smile constantly—I actually felt a little sorry for them.
I've eaten my fill and drunk plenty. If I can't meet Sophia anyway, I might as well just return to my room.
At that moment, someone tapped my shoulder. When I turned, I saw it was the red-haired man from earlier—Jericho, Sophia's colleague on the student council.
"Nice to meet you, Arwen. My name is Jericho Provence. Could I have a moment of your time to speak privately over there?"
"L-Lord Jericho?"
Charlotte, who was sitting beside me, looked startled and quickly straightened her clothes. Jericho gave her a kind smile.
"I'm sorry, but may I borrow Arwen for a short while?"
"Yes? O-of course. And there's nothing between Lord Arwen and me anyway."
Charlotte drew a cold line between us. We'd only exchanged a few words, so it was true there was nothing between us, but it still stung a little.
"Thank you, miss. Shall we go, Arwen?"
Jericho flashed her another smile, then walked off without even waiting for my reply.
What the hell is with this tomato-headed bastard?
I briefly considered ignoring the arrogant prick who thought so highly of himself and simply ordering another lemon-slice cocktail. But—
No. I can't throw away the chance to build connections with a student council member who approached me first.
I lifted my reluctant feet from the floor and followed after Jericho.
Jericho, who had already left the hall and was waiting for me outside, was loosening his tie and grumbling.
"Whew... Fucking hell, I thought I was going to suffocate to death in there. You felt the same, right?"
The way he casually spat informal speech from a mouth that seemed only good for spitting on the street was telling. Once we were away from prying eyes and ears, Jericho's tone and expression had completely changed.
Did this bastard learn his manners through his asshole? Where does he get off using informal speech with me?
His arrogant attitude instantly soured my mood, but since I'd come this far, I decided to hear him out calmly for now.
"I just ate and drank, but it looked like the student council had it rough in all sorts of ways."
Jericho pointed his sharp chin toward the table where his colleagues were seated.
"Yeah. Unlike those model students sitting over there, I'm sick to death of those stale conversations with old geezers."
"So what exactly do you want from me?"
"First, how about dropping that pointless acting? I've already heard everything from the vice-president."
The alcohol ruling my head combined with his consistent rudeness made my voice rise despite my efforts to remain composed.
"You need to tell me what you heard before I can decide whether to keep acting or not."
"Kuhuhu. Your real personality is already showing."
Jericho actually seemed satisfied by my sharpened reaction.
This damn bastard called over someone who was quietly minding his own business just to spout bullshit.
"If you have no actual business with me, I'll be returning to my seat..."
The moment I tried to walk past him, Jericho grabbed my shoulder.
"Wait. You'll regret it if you just leave like this."
"Regret?"
"That's right. I know your true nature."
"True nature? What are you suddenly talking about?"
"That you toy with the women in your mansion. That you have close ties with shady merchants. Things like that."
"What the hell are you—"
"Your reaction tells me it's all true."
When my words trailed off, a satisfied smile bloomed on Jericho's face as if he'd found the correct answer.
How the hell does this bastard know?
When Jericho—who I'd met for the first time today—casually listed how I'd slept with Raibel and Masha along with my secret dealings with Wolfgang, I couldn't help but freeze. Seeing my face go stiff, Jericho grew so excited that his raised lips refused to come back down as he continued chattering.
"I even clapped inwardly when I heard how you forced abortions using poison on the women you impregnated at just fifteen years old."
"W-what did you just—"
Fuck, what abortion?
"Violating a wife and daughter right in front of the husband is a bit cliché, but it's still decent entertainment."
"What the hell is this grass-munching nonsense—"
Wait. He definitely said earlier that he heard it from Sophia, right?
At first I'd been flustered by how accurately Jericho had pinpointed my secrets, but the more I listened, the clearer the situation became. Sophia—this arrogant little sister of mine—had definitely spread ridiculous rumors about me.
Well, I did pit Isabel and Masha against each other, but I never expected Sophia to resort to such petty tactics.
While I was realizing the truth and burning with anger toward Sophia, Jericho was babbling on by himself about how we were the same type, sounding like some middle-school edgelord with chuunibyou syndrome.
"The others were disgusted when they heard the vice-president's story, but not me. Just listening to it made me think you and I were the same kind of person."
Jericho extended his hand.
"How about joining hands with me? If it's me, I can easily find out what plans Sophia is preparing."
When I showed no sign of taking his hand, Jericho began trying to tempt me in his own way.
"I have a feeling you'd make the best partner for me. Later we could even swap our women. I heard the northern girls have an insanely tight grip down there."
Jericho casually suggesting partner swapping. If I took his hand as he suggested, it would indeed give me a powerful tool to keep Sophia in check. But I did not take Jericho's hand.
"I'll refuse. I absolutely despise bastards like you who go around fucking other people's women."
At my firm rejection, Jericho's annoying smirk finally began to fade.
"What did you say? Hah, do you really think you can defeat Sophia without my help? Every member of the student council except me is aiming for your throat."
"Enough, you bastard. Whether it's Provence or whatever the hell, I'm not desperate enough to need help from someone from a family I've never even heard of."
As if he had never expected to be so thoroughly mocked, Jericho's eyes bulged so wide that the blood vessels were clearly visible.
"Y-you northern bumpkin bastard! Not only do you ignore my goodwill, you dare insult our family? Do you even know who my father is?"
Jericho was personally demonstrating the classic "Do you know who my father is?" line I'd only ever heard in dramas. Hearing it in real life was simply hilarious. I repaid the arrogant Jericho with the flashy parental insults I'd honed through years of gaming.
"Didn't you hear from your mother who your father is? Why the hell are you asking me who your own father is?"
"You son of a bitch! How dare you mention my mother!"
My provocation hit the mark perfectly. After tasting Korea's flaming parental roast, Jericho's handsome face turned the color of fire, and his voice rose like a boiling kettle.
I quickly bid farewell to Jericho, who looked ready to charge at me any second.
"Well, it seems our conversation is over, so I'll be heading back first."
"Where do you think you're going? Stop right there!"
Stupid bastard. Who the hell actually stops just because you tell them to?
I ignored Jericho's raging shouts and left the area. I'd thoroughly provoked his anger, but I felt no regret. A bastard like him would stab me in the back the moment I stopped acting exactly as he demanded. Besides, sucking up to an ill-mannered prick wasn't my style.
And thanks to our kindhearted Jericho blabbing about all sorts of things, I'd learned some crucial information. As I'd half expected, the entire student council was working for Sophia.
To think they'd be so cowardly they couldn't compete with actual facts, and instead chose to spread instigation and fabrications under the guise of fairness?
I swore to make Sophia's arrogant little mouth—which had slandered her heavenly older brother—pay for her false accusations by making it wrap around my cock.
When I returned to the hall and sat back down, Charlotte, who had been waiting with an expectant expression, immediately spoke to me.
"What did you talk about with Lord Jericho? Did he, um, perhaps mention me at all..."
"Well, it was a private conversation between us, so it's a bit difficult to say... Hehe. Still, it was rather enjoyable."
I gave Charlotte the same fake, pretense-filled smile Jericho had shown earlier and picked up my thirteenth cocktail glass. With Charlotte looking like she was dying of curiosity and Josef fidgeting restlessly for some reason as he watched me return from leaving with Jericho, the banquet raced toward its conclusion.
While our protagonist and Emilia were enjoying the banquet at the academy, Mr. Wolfgang of Bremen—their collaborator—was busy rolling through the dangerous underbelly of the capital's underworld.
Using his personal secret passage, Wolfgang had traveled from Bremen to the vicinity of the imperial capital in just half a day. Thanks to the noble official he'd bribed with money, successfully bringing the goods into the capital had gone smoothly. However, finding a place to sell them proved to be an unexpected challenge.
In the end, with help from his older brother who operated in the capital, Wolfgang wandered the city until blisters formed on his thick soles. Only then was he able to approach the manager of a secret social club.
Naturally, despite the name, it wasn't actually a social club. It was a den of debauchery that satisfied the nobles' messy desires. A place where one could taste top-tier prostitutes and male escorts unavailable at ordinary brothels, or freely indulge in the adultery rampant throughout noble society.
Wolfgang had pressed Viagrak into the hands of the male and female prostitutes working there, hoping they would promote its effects to the nobles they serviced.
And now, several days after arriving in the capital, Wolfgang was "meeting" with one of the male prostitutes he'd given Viagrak to, accompanied by two burly men who worked for his brother. Of course, it wasn't a simple meeting. The male prostitute in question was hanging upside down in the air, ropes tied around both ankles.
"P-please spare me! It was all my fault!"
Even while hanging upside down, the man was rubbing his palms together like a fly in the middle of summer. Wolfgang slapped the man's cheek in perfect 4/4 time as he spoke.
"You pathetic piece of shit, more worthless than an elf's balls. You dared hit me in the back of the head just to earn five gold?"
"I-I'm sorry! I won't betray you again! I'll return all the goods, so please!"
"Returning the goods is obvious. But you'll also have to pay us compensation for all the trouble we went through to find your sorry ass."
"Hiiik!"
Watching the man let out a scream like a little girl in front of a goblin, Wolfgang felt his head begin to throb.
Fucking hell. If I'd known I'd have to go through this much trouble, I should've charged thirty-five instead of thirty-two.
He regretted it inwardly, but the contract had already been finalized. Begging pathetically for a larger share because he'd suffered so much was something Wolfgang's thirty years of business pride would never allow.
"...Fine. Just buy me a drink later."
Wolfgang ground out his cigarette on the male prostitute's thigh.
"Kyaaaaak! It's hooooot!"
The scream of the male prostitute receiving a thorough beating from Wolfgang echoed through the warehouse on the outskirts of the imperial capital. And just like that scream, even while Wolfgang was rolling through the mud like a dog, the rumors about Viagrak were steadily and surely spreading among the nobles.