Chapter 631
Chapter Title: The Imperial Gala
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631.
After the subjugation of Jorua.
The Rodren Empire was in an uproar.
First was the shock from the news that the Hero Slayer, long believed to have been vanquished, had been resurrected and was active once more. The other was the revelation that the Jerdinger Family’s Council of Elders had been colluding with him.
“Honestly. What a disgrace to the family. A complete disgrace!”
Celia clenched her fists, her face showing that her anger had yet to subside.
Watching her, Chelsea, who stood beside her with arms crossed, let out a small sigh.
“That’s why His Majesty the Emperor is hosting this imperial party after so long.”
The Jerdinger Family was a pillar of the Rodren Empire.
Therefore, if the Jerdingers were shaken, the repercussions would spread throughout the entire empire.
Currently, the Jerdinger Family was busy dealing with the aftermath of ousting the Council of Elders.
However, the internal situation was not as chaotic as one might think.
While the Council of Elders was certainly a formidable power within the family, not all the factions they led had caused trouble in this incident.
Those who were punished were specifically the leaders, the heads of the snake.
“If it had escalated into a civil war… I don't even want to imagine it.”
Celia shuddered.
The entire empire could have been swept up in the flames of war.
In any case, contrary to what outsiders might think, the internal situation of the Jerdinger Family was stable.
The problem was external.
Rumors that traitors had emerged from the Jerdinger Family spread like wildfire throughout the empire.
The Jerdingers had been the empire’s sword and shield since the dawn of Rodren’s history.
For such a dishonorable event to occur within their family, it was only natural for the citizens of the empire to tremble with anxiety.
The world was already in an unstable state.
Rumors bred more rumors, and there was a real possibility that the entire empire could be shaken.
That was why the Emperor of Rodren had hosted this party—to declare the Jerdinger Family’s continued strength before such a situation could arise.
Invitations to the party were sent to the nobles of the Rodren Empire and even to influential commoners who ran large merchant guilds.
“What are you two talking about so intently?”
Just then, Sasha approached them, her face partially hidden by a folding fan.
The appearance of Sasha, the next emperor of the Rodren Empire, drew even more attention than they were already receiving.
“Oh my, the three of them are so beautiful.”
“They’re truly the flowers of the Empire.”
“If they’re this beautiful now, how dazzling will they be when they’re a little older?”
The direct descendants of the Jerdinger and Llewellyn families.
And the future ruler of the empire.
Not only that, but with the three top students of their year at Lumerne gathered in one place, reporters were busy taking pictures with their magic artifacts.
“Come now, smile and wave.”
“Why did you come over here? You should be with Lis and Abad!”
“That’s right, the Crown Princess should be with the future leaders of the empire!”
Celia and Chelsea grumbled quietly, just loud enough for Sasha to hear.
Publicly, their relationship was that of a monarch and her subjects, but privately, they were close friends who had known each other since childhood.
“Aren’t you being a little harsh to your friend, seniors?”
Once the crowd’s attention had somewhat dispersed, Sasha pouted.
“By the way, I heard Lis is making a major announcement. What is it?”
Sasha asked, looking at Celia with a curious expression.
Celia wore a troubled look before whispering.
“Lis is getting married. To Senior Torua.”
“What?!”
Sasha’s face was a picture of shock.
As people’s gazes momentarily shifted toward them, she quickly composed her expression.
“This will certainly help settle the chaos.”
The marriage of the Jerdinger heir was a joyous occasion for the empire.
Especially when his partner was the famous Torua Yan.
Those who loved to spin tales would undoubtedly have a field day with the story of the two classmates who attended Lumerne together.
The incident with the Council of Elders would surely be overshadowed, at least for a while.
“What a happy occasion. Truly.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve suddenly become an aunt, after all.”
“Oh my?”
Sasha’s eyes widened.
“As the future Emperor of Rodren, it’s a welcome development that there are no worries about the Jerdinger succession. Ho ho ho!”
Laughing elegantly, Sasha covered her mouth slightly with her fan, a mischievous look on her face.
“Still, so Lis is a man after all. I thought he was a perfect gentleman, but to think he’d cause trouble like that.”
“He’s a responsible adult.”
Celia swept her hair back and sighed softly.
It was then.
“Oh? It’s Sir Niel and Sir Machel.”
Sasha spotted Niel and Machel meeting in the middle of the party hall.
A silence fell between the two before they abruptly turned and went their separate ways.
Watching them, Sasha clicked her tongue.
“Sir Niel and Sir Machel seem to be on even worse terms than before.”
“I’m a little worried, too. I saw Niel looking at a picture of Machel recently. But whenever she noticed me watching, she’d rip it in half.”
“What’s that about? Is it some kind of curse?”
Sasha wore a serious expression.
Considering how much Niel and Machel despised each other, it was certainly a plausible thought.
Listening to their conversation, Chelsea pouted and muttered under her breath.
“Is causing trouble in fashion these days…?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Chelsea replied coyly to Celia’s question.
Her reaction left Celia and Sasha looking bewildered.
“Anyway.”
Sasha’s eyes sparkled as she scanned the room.
“Why can’t I see Senior Leo?”
“Leo’s busy with one thing or another. He said he wasn’t sure if he could attend the party.”
“Really? That’s a shame. He’s the man of the hour.”
Sasha looked disappointed.
But at the same time, she seemed to understand.
“Inheriting a throne is certainly a complicated matter. I heard you’re even changing the country’s name?”
“Yes. It’s Arhi now.”
“Arhi… ‘The Beginning’…”
Sasha’s eyes lit up.
“Still, the thought of Senior Leo being a king is kind of scary.”
“Why is it scary?”
As Chelsea looked on with curiosity, Sasha giggled.
“You know Senior Leo’s famous nickname.”
“What nickname?”
“Demon King.”
At Sasha’s words, Chelsea’s and Celia’s faces hardened slightly.
It was a name he had earned thanks to the terrifying display he had put on during their second year.
As Chelsea and Celia shuddered at the memory of the then-serious Leo, a commotion started at the entrance to the party hall.
Leo appeared.
Dressed impeccably in a white tuxedo, Leo’s appearance made Sasha clasp her hands together and let out a squeal. “Kyaa—!”
“Senior Leo!”
All eyes were on Leo as he entered the party hall with Dade and Reina.
The youngest student council president in Lumerne’s history and one of the most famous heroes in the world right now.
Furthermore, since becoming a direct descendant of the Jerdinger Family, he had never appeared at an official Rodren Empire event, which only fueled the intense interest in him.
Celia placed her hands firmly on the shoulders of Sasha, who looked ready to jump up and down, and said.
“Maintain your dignity, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
“You see him all the time at school, why are you making such a fuss?”
When Chelsea also chided her, Sasha glared.
“You guys don’t get it because you’re in the same year as Senior Leo! Even the fourth and fifth-year seniors can’t meet him easily! So you can imagine what it’s like for a first-year, right?”
At her words, Chelsea and Celia’s eyes widened as they looked at each other.
“It’s true, Leo doesn't interact much with students from other years.”
During the first semester, he had plenty of interaction with the first-years because of the mentor system.
But starting from the second semester, the first-years had no reason to meet with Leo.
And that wasn’t all.
Even the upperclassmen rarely saw him.
The seniors at Lumerne held a powerful status.
But even that status began to fade after Leo ascended to the rank of Hero.
Among the upperclassmen, the only ones who could interact casually with Leo now were Riel, the fourth-year representative, and Elena, the fifth-year representative.
“Just being able to laugh and talk with Senior Leo is an incredible privilege! A privilege! Ugh! I’m so jealous! If I’d known, I would have enrolled in the same year as you guys!”
Seeing Sasha’s genuine frustration, Celia sighed as if she couldn't be helped.
‘Come to think of it, she’s a member of Leo’s fan club.’
As the three of them were chatting, someone approached.
“So this is where you all were.”
It was Leo.
“Senior Leo~”
Sasha beamed and waved at Leo.
The surrounding nobles were surprised by the Crown Princess’s rare, bright smile.
“Senior Leo! Please dance with me during the dance time!”
“If I feel like it.”
“Ahh. That chic attitude. So cool.”
As Sasha swooned, Celia whispered to Chelsea.
“Do you think Sasha is fit to be emperor?”
“She’s good at feigning innocence, so won't she be fine?”
Sasha’s eyes narrowed as she heard her childhood friends dissing her, and she secretly tried to step on their feet.
Of course, the other two were not about to fall for such a simple trick.
While the three girls bickered out of sight, Leo glanced around.
“Where’s Abad?”
“I’m right here. You’re late.”
“I was escorting my mother.”
“Ah.”
Abad approached with a smile and spoke to Sasha.
“Sasha. His Majesty was looking for you.”
“Ugh! Of all the times.”
Sasha looked vexed.
“Senior Leo! Don’t forget you promised to dance with me!”
With those words, Sasha gathered the hem of her dress and scurried away.
After Sasha left, Leo confirmed no one was listening and spoke.
“It’s not certain yet, but.”
“Yes?”
“Starting from the third year, there might be new subjects and missions at Lumerne related to Tartaros.”
At his words, the faces of the three turned serious.
“How should we prepare?”
“The history of the Legions.”
“The history of the Legions?”
Celia furrowed her brow.
By Legions, he was clearly referring to the Legion Commanders of Tartaros and the armies that followed them.
“Can’t you tell us more?”
“Nothing’s confirmed yet.”
Leo himself still knew very little about the records of the Legions.
‘I’ll have to talk it over with Rian.’
“Use the communication network to inform all the students.”
At his words, Celia nodded.
“From the third year, you’ll be taking on missions in earnest, so your school life will get hectic. Get plenty of rest.”
Hearing Leo’s words, Celia let out a smirk.
“I’m ready for it.”
“I can’t let you and Karl get too far ahead. I’ll try to catch up in our third year.”
Leo smiled at Abad’s words.
“I look forward to it.”
“To think we’d end up chasing after Karl’s back.”
Chelsea clutched her head and shook it from side to side.
As Leo watched her with a faint smile, dance music began to fill the hall.
In time with the music, people began to waltz.
Naturally, the gazes of the Rodren nobles around Leo’s age turned in their direction.
Abad smirked at their stares, took a step forward, and extended his hand.
“Shall we have a dance, my lady?”
Celia looked at Abad’s outstretched hand, then smiled faintly and took it.
“With pleasure.”
The two of them moved to the center of the dance floor.
Gasps of surprise erupted from all around.
Seeing the two famous rivals dancing together was an astonishing sight.
Chelsea clicked her tongue as she watched them.
“This is going to cause another stir. Huh?”
As she grumbled, Chelsea’s eyes widened at the hand extended before her face.
“You looked like you wanted to dance.”
Her eyes wide like a rabbit’s, Chelsea looked up at Leo, then broke into a grin. She took his hand and went out onto the dance floor.
“I’ve thought this for a while, but you’re a good dancer, Leo.”
“I learned it as part of my etiquette training.”
“This is more than just etiquette training.”
“Learning from Luna helped a lot.”
“Ah.”
Chelsea nodded in understanding.
“By the way, why did you decide to change Tungkan’s name? Knowing your personality, I thought you would’ve just left it.”
Chelsea looked curious, and Leo smirked.
“It was the name of our old subjugation team.”
“Huh?”
“The Erebos Subjugation Team was called Arhi. It was a name Lisinas came up with.”
“Ah.”
Chelsea nodded, her expression one of surprise.
‘The Erebos Subjugation Team was called Arhi?’
The name of the Great Heroes’ party had been a secret lost to history until now.
Learning it now, Chelsea couldn't help but be astonished.
Impressed by this new piece of knowledge, Chelsea suddenly asked a question, deciding to satisfy a personal curiosity while she had the chance.
“Was Sir Lisinas a good dancer?”
At the sudden question, Leo chuckled.
“He was terrible.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected.”
“He was surprisingly clumsy, all strength and no grace.”
Hearing Leo’s words, she wore a fascinated expression.
“Talking with you, Leo, I learn so many unexpected things about the Great Heroes.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I was also surprised to hear that Sir Lisinas was unexpectedly good at deceiving others. Oh, speaking of which.”
Chelsea smiled as if she just remembered something.
“That time in Dragonia, when you and the Wisdom students used Nightmare on me.”
“Yes. You said you met Lisinas there.”
It had been Leo’s intention for Lisinas’s illusion to appear.
Nightmare makes one fight the person they least want to fight, but the caster could also specify the illusion.
“When I told that Lisinas he was uglier than his portrait, he seemed pretty annoyed. Is that what he’s really like?”
At her words, Leo asked.
“He got angry?”