Chapter 27
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Victory Banquet (1)
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After the triumphal procession ended.
A grand banquet was held in the royal palace of Shioten, the capital of the Talua Kingdom.
The banquet was scheduled to last about three days, and rooms were provided in the palace for nobles from the provinces to ensure their comfort.
I wanted to rest as much as possible, but the main hero of the war couldn't exactly skip out.
"Wow, the palace really is magnificent. It's completely different from the mansion..."
Mone was originally supposed to stay in the servants' quarters, but at my request, she ended up sharing a room with me.
The room was spacious anyway, and there were two extra beds, so it wasn't an issue.
"But is it really okay for me to be here? It doesn't seem like there's anything special for me to do..."
Mone looked uncomfortable as she glanced around and spoke.
She was right—there wasn't much for Mone to do. The palace maids were handling my personal needs instead.
'I never imagined I'd end up with maids attending to me.'
They were treating me like a war hero, so the maids' attitudes were impeccably polite.
I was surprised by the sheer size of the lavish room, but honestly, their deference shocked me even more. Palace maids often came from noble families and were notoriously haughty.
"This is why connections are everything."
"Y-Young Master, you can't just say things like that."
"Who's around to hear besides you?"
I sprawled out on the plush bed and spoke indifferently, feeling the ring flicker in response.
[Those connections seem to think they can use you, too.]
'That's how it works—we help each other out. I'm planning to use them right back, so it actually puts my mind at ease.'
[So you're really going to the Imperial Martial Tournament after all?]
'Of course.'
Since it had been publicly announced in front of everyone, dodging it now wouldn't do me any favors.
When I thought about it, it was plenty honorable, and a chance to raise my family's name, so it wasn't all bad.
Besides...
'I was planning to head to the Empire at some point anyway.'
[Because of that lizard princess?]
'Since when did dragons become lizards?'
[Hmph. They're the same—both die if they take a punch from me.]
I clicked my tongue at the snide remarks from the ticking voice.
What kind of saintess talks like this, anyway?
But I was curious, too.
'Just how strong is she, exactly?'
There wasn't much known about the legends of saintesses.
Whether the Altair Church suppressed the info or not, the famous tales boiled down to them inheriting God's blood and being natural counters to demons.
From what she said, though, it sounded like she believed anything alive would drop dead if she hit it. She seemed dyed in some simplistic philosophy that all life was equal.
[What do you even think I am? That's not it at all.]
'Whatever. And going to the Empire isn't about the princess.'
I ran my palm over the black dragon emblem hidden beneath my glove.
I was curious about the princess, sure, but that was secondary.
'Who do you think would've gone to the Imperial Martial Tournament this time if things had gone as originally planned?'
[Ah...!]
The reason I could represent the Talua Kingdom at this Imperial Martial Tournament wasn't anything else.
It was simply because I'd beaten Byan Deolic—the kingdom's top young knight.
So what would've happened in the original story?
The answer was obvious.
Naturally, whoever beat Byan that year would've been picked as the representative, just like now.
'Fabian must've been the one to go. If I want to keep using Synopsis effectively, I need to follow his footsteps as much as possible.'
Synopsis was the most powerful weapon I had—unrivaled by anything else. Knowing the future meant I could handle any situation.
Thanks to it, I'd resolved several incidents and earned massive rewards.
But Synopsis had a fatal flaw.
Namely, no guarantee that the future would unfold exactly as described.
With the protagonist Fabian gone, the events tied to him were unlikely to happen in this reality.
Not until someone else stepped into that role, anyway.
'Above all, what about the world's destruction my father mentioned?'
My father said this world—now missing its protagonist Fabian—was headed for ruin.
If the world ended, everything I'd worked for would turn to ash in an instant.
I absolutely couldn't allow that.
It might be a bit of a hassle and risky, but if the payoff was claiming everything the protagonist Fabian was meant to enjoy, it wouldn't be so bad.
'I'll definitely unlock the next part of Synopsis once I get to the Empire.'
I mentally organized what lay ahead, then called out to Mone, who was wandering around inspecting the room.
"Mone, any word from Dorian?"
"No, nothing special."
Dorian was the head butler managing the Banheart estate right now—and Mone's father.
He was incredibly capable; I could stand in for my father as acting lord largely thanks to him.
In fact, he was handling all the family affairs in my stead at the moment.
"Tell him to hang in there a little longer. Help's coming soon."
"Help? But... aren't you heading to the Empire, Young Master?"
"That's why I'm asking Duke Gail for it."
"Oh, right!"
Mone beamed with an innocent smile.
Lately, I'd noticed during our chats that she seemed to view Duke Gail like some neighborhood uncle.
The duke had probably pried various bits of info out of her naivety.
'But they underestimated Mone.'
She was innocent, but not the type to spill info carelessly.
Among what Duke Gail heard, some details were subtly twisted, and a few truly vital ones were omitted entirely.
'Nothing's as dangerous as half-baked information.'
A duke like Gail would've already known the publicly available details about our family anyway.
No need to hand over everything on a silver platter, though.
[If the duke protects the territory, at least you won't get dragged into disputes with other domains while you're gone.]
'That's not enough. Might as well milk the situation for all it's worth.'
Using my spot as the Imperial Martial Tournament representative, I planned to squeeze as much as possible out of Duke Gail.
They probably couldn't replace me—the guy who beat Byan—with anyone else, so he'd have a hard time refusing.
* * *
"Clay Banheart?"
Nior Bellun.
Heir to the Bellun Count family and a mid-level Sword Expert knight, he scowled deeply as he mulled over that morning's events.
"That guy’s representing us at the Imperial Martial Tournament? Something's off, right?"
The Bellun territory was fairly close to the Banheart lands.
They'd crossed paths a few times because of it.
Nior's impression of Clay back then? Just a prideful brat from a fallen count family—nothing more.
"That guy's barely a sword user. And he took down a mid-level demon?"
"Not only that—he led a detachment and captured Prince Wolfran of the Kainzel Kingdom."
Several nobles who could be called Nior's followers gossiped and tattled.
"Led the detachment? Captured Prince Wolfran?"
On paper alone, it painted him as the hero who single-handedly ended the war.
"You don't reach that level of swordsmanship overnight. Duke Gail must've pulled strings."
"But what does the duke gain from helping a fallen house like Banheart?"
"How should I know? It just doesn't make sense. Hey, Philip."
"Y-Yes?"
Philip Polsen.
He'd joined Clay's detachment and earned major credit for it.
Originally part of Nior's faction, he looked awkward squeezed in among them.
"You were on that detachment, right? Are the rumors about Clay Banheart really true?"
Philip was in a tough spot at Nior's sharp question.
'What an annoying guy. He just wants me to say no.'
Part of him wanted to nod along and give the jerk what he wanted, but he couldn't bring himself to.
After all, Philip was one of the knights who'd witnessed Clay decapitate the demon up close.
'That red blade he swung—it was no ordinary realm.'
At first, after losing to him in one strike, he'd been bitter and suspected tricks, like Nior did.
But not anymore.
Why would a knight who one-shots demons bother with tricks against a nobody like him?
After hesitating, Philip slowly spoke up.
"...Mostly true."
"What?"
"He cut off the demon's head, captured the enemy commander. And quietly... he beat Byan Deolic, too."
The mood chilled instantly at Philip's words.
The other nobles shot him looks like he had no tact, while Nior glared icily.
"Then one more thing. If you had to say, who’d win between me and Clay Banheart?"
"Huh?"
The question was so absurd that Philip jolted in shock.
Nior's face soured further at his reaction.
"W-Wait, are you thinking of challenging him to a duel or something?"
"Why? Think I can't? You heard—the authority His Majesty granted him."
"The right to participate in the Imperial Martial Tournament...?"
"What else?"
Only then did Philip realize why Nior kept probing Clay's skills.
'He wants to steal his spot in the Imperial Martial Tournament.'
The Imperial Martial Tournament drew the most attention across the continent.
For knights, representing their nation there was the ultimate honor. Any skilled one would crave it.
'...No way others are thinking the same, right?'
He hurriedly scanned the banquet hall. Sure enough, a few nobles eyed Clay with shady intent, just like Nior.
'Idiots.'
Philip fought back a twitch at his lip corners while watching them. It was like looking at his past self.
"...I see. Maybe seeing it firsthand would be best. Though I doubt Count Banheart would entertain such a ridiculous demand."
"Philip Polsen, you eat something bad?"
"N-No, I'm fine. ...I'll take my leave."
"What? You...!"
He felt Nior yelling behind him, but Philip slipped away from the group.
'No need to stick around someone about to get crushed.'
Leaning on others' influence for clique status was exhausting anyway.
'...Maybe head to Sir Ribina.'
They weren't close, but they'd both served under Clay, so a chat should be fine.
Polsen wove through the noisy banquet hall toward Gelvin.
* * *
"Y-Young Master, is it really okay for me to be here?"
"It was Duke Gail's request, so no issues."
As we entered the banquet hall, light from ornate chandeliers scattered everywhere.
Mone's eyes sparkled like she'd stepped into a fairy tale, but she shrank back at the passing nobles.
"...You've never been to a banquet like this either, Young Master, but you're so calm."
"Don't lump us together. I'm a count now—count, I say."
"You just inherited the title today, but you talk like it's always been that way."
"Does the timing matter?"
Honestly, I had zero interest in banquets.
Having lived in poverty so long, all I could think seeing this was how much it all cost.
'But Mone seems to have really won Duke Gail over.'
I hadn't expected him to send a dress for her to wear beforehand.
With the maids' help, Mone was dressed like a noble lady and looked utterly flustered by the honor.
[Watch out—other nobles might try something sneaky.]
'I know.'
Dressed up by the maids, Mone was shockingly beautiful. No one would guess she was a maid just from looks.
I'd only just learned her skin was smoother than most noble ladies'.
'At least the banquet won't be boring.'
[Oh? Yeah.]
Mone might not notice, but Gransesia seemed to.
I could feel eyes boring into me.