The Scent of Nostalgia
Sometimes parents make their children raise their arms overhead to change their clothes. It makes undressing them easier. If one tried to force the clothes off, human anatomy would demand either tearing the garments completely or forcibly manipulating the other person’s body to pull them free. Even with the size difference between an adult and a child, that was an incredibly tedious and difficult task. If everyday clothing was like that, how exhausting would it be to forcibly remove a combat suit designed for the battlefield? It was closer to powered armor than mere attire. How much raw force would be required to dismantle it against its wearer’s will?
It was impossible to calculate the exact figures now that the situation had ended. But I could state one thing with absolute certainty: what that demon bitch had done to me was far closer to assault than undressing.
The dismantling process had been brutally simple and violent. The combat suit that had withstood a barrage of bullets was forcibly ripped away by magic and sheer brute strength. My fragile body had to absorb every ounce of the recoil. The result was that every muscle in my body felt like it had been shredded. It hurt. It genuinely hurt.
“Fucking bitch.”
“……Pardon?”
The secretary driving the car flinched at the muttered curse and glanced back with a startled expression. I waved my hand dismissively and turned my head away. Beyond the car window, towering buildings, shopping districts, pedestrians strolling along the streets, and rows of automobiles blurred past. The cityscape raced by in a swift current.
The sun that had stood high when I went to meet Bathory was already sinking toward the horizon. I had heard the banquet would begin promptly at six in the evening, yet the clock already pointed to six thirty. And we were still quite far from the venue. It was unmistakably tardy.
So much for making a diligent first impression.
It had been years since I needed to concern myself with such trivialities, but the fact that I could have arrived in plenty of time only to be thwarted by some insane woman left a bitter taste in my mouth. That Bathory woman had wasted an obscene amount of my time with her endless bickering. She had promised to send me off early, yet what on earth had possessed her to start a wrestling match instead? If she hadn’t apologized at the end for holding me too long and personally escorted me to the car, I would probably still be grabbing her by the collar for round two right now.
……Every time I meet her, she drains the life out of me.
Still, I couldn’t avoid seeing her forever, so I simply had to endure. The world didn’t allow people to live doing only what they wanted. Even now, I would rather go straight home, yet here I was, pushing through exhaustion for the sake of maintaining connections. If only the Minister of Finance weren’t involved….
“Ah, I just want to go home.”
I could only hope nothing troublesome awaited me there.
The dazzling chandelier. The banquet hall gleaming as if gilded in gold. The extravagant delicacies spread across the tables and the staff busily carrying and polishing them. Tailcoats and gowns. Watches, rings, necklaces, and earrings. Every single item was worth far more than an ordinary citizen’s monthly living expenses. And the gentlemen and ladies wearing them were people whose own value far exceeded even those luxuries. They were nobles.
“Mmm.”
Ellyse Bertman thought to herself once more. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t attended one in so long, but the banquet hall felt strangely unfamiliar. She had been talked into coming by that damn Ashily’s smooth tongue, yet the whole situation still didn’t feel real. The fact that her first party in years was the birthday banquet for the Minister of Finance—the fifth most powerful person in the nation. The reality that every person in the room belonged to Westania’s privileged elite. Even the voluminous dress draped over her body felt entirely foreign.
……How did I ever walk around wearing these frilly things before?
Good heavens. The party had barely begun, and she was already missing her inspector’s uniform. She wanted the perfectly fitted uniform that allowed free movement, not this cumbersome dress that threatened to drag across the floor.
“……Haa.”
It wasn’t that she felt awkward because this was her first time experiencing such an occasion. On the contrary, these had once been things she knew intimately and loved like close friends. She had been wildly fond of banquets, dresses, sparkling jewelry, and the noisy atmosphere. Yes, back then she had worn extravagant dresses even at home, always carrying around oversized teddy bears and various accessories.
The distance had only appeared suddenly after she entered the elite academy. All for the sake of achieving a certain dream. She had thrown herself into studying hard enough to rank second in her entire school, training herself relentlessly so she could fulfill her future duties as an inspector. She had no time left for play. Even when her friends—mostly Ashily Dolores—asked if she really needed to go that far, Ellyse had stubbornly continued her routine. To obtain the strength, wisdom, and qualifications necessary to uphold justice.
And finally, she had become an inspector. She stood at the threshold of her dream. It was, quite literally, only the beginning. Her probationary period had just ended, so she had yet to produce any notable achievements, but she found joy in every single day she went to work at the Metropolitan Police Department. No matter how brutal or cruel the scenes she witnessed, it was fine. The thought that she was contributing to society made even the simple act of breathing feel worthwhile.
……But this place.
Had the atmosphere always been like this? A banquet where one could eat and drink without needing to stay on guard felt… off somehow. It should have been sweet and relaxed, yet she felt as if she had wandered into a place where she didn’t belong. Of course, it had been a long time, and the fact that she was here outside of work definitely contributed to the awkwardness. But more than anything, the fact that everyone else was laughing and chatting with acquaintances while she stood alone like an idiot played a very clear role.
“……Where did that damn woman go?”
Yes. Everything was Ashily Dolores’s fault. If she was going to drag her here, she should at least take responsibility until the end. She should have introduced her around, especially since it was her first time in years. What on earth was this? From the beginning, Ashily had been giggling and chatting with someone, gradually drifting away, and by the time Ellyse came back to her senses, the girl had already vanished somewhere. As a result, Ellyse Bertman had become a lone figure standing in a remote corner of the party hall.
……Why did I ever make a friend like that?
With a sullen expression, Ellyse snatched a donut from the table beside her, chewed it aggressively, and deeply regretted her own past mistakes.
“Excuse me, my lady, would you care to dance—”
“I’m married.”
She mechanically rejected the occasional flirtations that came her way while continuing to crunch away at the donut, waiting with growing irritation for when that idiot would finally return.
If she’s going to slip out midway, she should at least say goodbye first.
Still, she would come back soon, right? With that naïve thought, the wait that had begun so casually had already stretched past an hour when Ashily Dolores finally reappeared.
“Ooh, my bestie! Having fun?”
Ellyse stared with a completely blank face at the grinning idiot that was Ashily. She must have enjoyed herself thoroughly; her face was flushed bright red from the wine. She was even swaying while clutching a wine glass in one hand. Just how much had she drunk? There was no need to count.
……What should she even do with this girl?
Ellyse spent a long moment repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist before letting out a deep sigh and muttering.
“Yeah, it’s not like you did anything wrong. I’m the idiot who fell for your nonsense.”
“Exactly! You’re the dummy! You need to enjoy life a little! Come to parties like this sometimes! Stop clinging to that stupid job all the time! Moron! Sea cucumber! Sea anemone! You’re the only inspector I even know, you idiot Ellyse!”
“……Wait, what did you just call me? What’s wrong with being an inspector all of a sudden—”
“No one’s going to notice if you roll around all day! Just quit and do something else! Yeah! That’s the right choice! Waaaah!”
Ashily threw both hands into the air and shouted. Ellyse blinked rapidly.
……Is this crazy woman serious?
She clenched her fist tightly. She roughly understood what the girl meant, but she could never tolerate anyone insulting the job of an inspector. The moment Ellyse stepped forward, determined to punch the damn woman in front of her regardless of whether she was the host’s daughter or her best friend, it happened.
Creeeak—
The tiny sound of a door opening somehow rang out with perfect clarity. The constant noise that had filled the banquet hall since the party began suddenly died away. Had everyone sensed something? Every person in the room had simultaneously suppressed their footsteps and voices. The silence arrived abruptly.
And the sound of footsteps could only belong to one person.
Click, click, click—
Dress shoes crossed the banquet hall. The crowd parted. Everyone yielded their place as if it were the most natural thing in the world. No one spoke to him. They all held their breath in silence, as though that was simply how it had to be.
Even though Ellyse Bertman hadn’t seen it, she understood the situation from the sound alone. It felt like the only possible outcome. Yet because she herself couldn’t explain why she had come to that conclusion, Ellyse turned her head, daring to confirm the reason.
And then she understood instinctively.
The man was the head of Westania’s largest steel and weapons conglomerate—Cloud. Just as someone had once described, he looked like a man with a pitch-black heart who knew no fear.
Demian Cloud.
A man dressed entirely in black from head to toe, with an expression of boredom layered over his face like a mask. While everyone else had frozen in place, he alone continued walking. Yet his uniquely oppressive aura prevented anyone from daring to complain. No one stopped his straightforward advance for any trivial reason. Ellyse was no exception. Only after Demian had passed right in front of her did she finally open her eyes wide and watch his back gradually move farther away.
She couldn’t understand herself. It was clearly their first meeting, yet she had no idea why she was feeling this way. Ellyse Bertman stared at the retreating figure of the man known as the most successful entrepreneur and the most corrupt businessman in the world.
“…….”
For some reason, she felt a deep sense of nostalgia emanating from that pitch-black back.
It was familiar.