Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 167
>Chapter Title: Even Brushing Cloak Hems
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One corner of the banquet hall.
Aster crouched in the most comfortable position, blankly taking in the sight of the floor.
They say "all things must return to order." An old saying that everything eventually flows the right way.
So, if he applied that to this situation, what would it mean?
‘That heading to Amera is the natural outcome after all?’
Yeah, probably.
“Whew, damn it.”
Was it because of the quiet curse? Nearby gazes seemed to focus on him for a moment, but soon everyone turned away as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t.
Amid that, Aster’s thoughts continued.
‘Honestly, it wasn’t exactly an unforeseeable situation.’
The Amera region's fairy dance was a magical phenomenon that occurred once every few decades at the shortest, or centuries at the longest.
Even without pens like Parun, it was an event any mage would hate to miss.
In that sense, Damian heading to Amera was only natural.
So, it wasn’t some particularly coincidental situation...
It was right then that Aster suddenly felt a gaze.
‘What’s that?’
In the middle of the banquet hall, off in the distance, some middle-aged man was staring at him.
Judging by the people gathering around him, he seemed like someone of note, but that look in his eyes was somehow unsettling.
Like the gaze of someone eyeing a grotesque beast?
‘They say if eyes lock for three seconds or more, it’s a challenge.’
Like that, he was counting down inside his head—three, two...—when footsteps approached.
“B-Brother.”
“Oh, hey. You’re here.”
Paijin flinched for a moment at the sight of Aster grinning brightly, then glanced around slyly.
“What’s up, bro? Am I embarrassing you?”
“N-No, it’s not that.”
Not that it wasn’t—it totally was.
The moment he approached, all the eyes that had been subtly on Aster focused on him in an instant.
“Maybe we should sit somewhere and talk? Ah... not that we’re at the tea-drinking stage or anything.”
It was a suggestion to move because the stares were burdensome, but Paijin was still on edge even after saying it.
But for some reason.
“Sure. Let’s sit.”
Contrary to expectations, the crisp reply made Paijin brighten up. But only for a moment.
“Here, sit.”
“......?”
“I said sit, right?”
Paijin watched as Aster scooted over sideways in a squat.
“Not sitting?”
“Uh, yeah... I’ll sit.”
With no choice, Paijin crouched down beside Aster.
The surrounding attention intensified even more, making his face burn, but Paijin gritted his teeth and plastered on a straight face.
That was when Aster spoke.
“Did things go well with Grandmother?”
“Yeah, they did.”
“What’d you tell her?”
“Just that I’d thought it over and realized I was wrong... and asked her not to punish you. Oh, she said she’d contact you separately, though.”
“Hmm, okay.”
Silence flowed between them after that.
Paijin watched Aster deep in thought, then raised a hand to a passing servant carrying drinks.
He took two glasses from the servant, set one down on the floor for Aster, and took a sip to wet his lips.
Might as well commit to the thick skin. It was his first time pulling off such an eccentric act, but it somehow suited him.
How long did the silence last?
“Bro, listen. I’ve got a dilemma.”
“......A dilemma?”
Paijin tilted his head, eyeing Aster. The words ‘Aren’t we past the sharing-dilemmas stage?’ nearly rose to his lips, but the serious look in his eyes made him listen first.
The dilemma was this.
“I have to decide where to go. But if I do, something’s bound to go wrong. So, what would you do?”
“Then... maybe don’t go? Do you absolutely have to?”
“Do I have to?”
“Well, if you’re forced to, no choice, but otherwise, why bother?”
“Hmm.”
Aster wet his lips with the drink on the floor. As the tangy pomegranate scent filled his mouth, a thought suddenly struck him.
‘Yeah, just don’t go.’
Sound advice.
The Blandoga family hadn’t exactly held a knife to his throat and demanded he join the Amera trip.
The problem, though, was this.
“It’s a rare opportunity, and they’ve kindly arranged a spot for me out of goodwill. But if I turn it down, won’t they take offense?”
“Well...”
“What do you think?”
Paijin rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as if pondering, then spoke.
“If they’re above me in rank, no helping it.”
“And if below?”
“They won’t look kindly on it.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. Is the other side nobility by chance? Nobles are sensitive about that stuff. Good-natured ones might let it slide, but it’s best to have a decent excuse.”
“A decent excuse?”
“Yeah, like being unwell or whatever. Plenty of options. The most common is faking illness, though...”
And so began Paijin’s lecture.
- How to bail gracefully without upsetting superiors.
Aster listened quietly, and sure enough, from a guy who’d diligently dodged unwanted events, every word carried soul-deep conviction.
“First off, when faking illness, it’s good to have witnesses around. Easiest examples: get ‘injured’ in a spar, or ‘fall’ off a horse while riding.”
“That works?”
“Usually, yeah. Oh, but it’s tough in Blandoga. They’ve got solid recovery magic even without Light of Healing.”
“You’ve tried it?”
“Once, to avoid going home to the family.”
“Hmm.”
External injuries were out, then.
“What about internal injuries?”
“Internal... I haven’t tried that far, but it wouldn’t be bad if feasible. Why, gonna try it in Blandoga?”
“N-No, not that.”
“Right? Anyway, the simplest is...”
A stream of other tips followed.
Like, your beloved horse dies and you’re bedridden from grief; lovesick and laid up; or in seclusion after a sparring loss, and so on.
Some tempting examples cropped up, but Aster shelved his interest at Paijin’s follow-up advice.
“The key is the details. When an appointment’s made, plan with at least two to three weeks’ prep time.”
Tch, details really matter that much?
Oh, and one minor question here.
“Bro, you didn’t actually kill an innocent horse, did you?”
At the contemptuous glare, Paijin waved his hands frantically.
“No, are you crazy? That one was real. The horse I’d raised since I was five really died, and I was genuinely sick.”
“Right? It wasn’t you who killed it?”
“O-Of course not.”
Paijin felt truly wronged. He’d only given it as an example, yet suddenly he was the scum who’d committed murder just to ditch a promise.
Anyway, Paijin’s lecture wrapped up with a few details and a parting pearl of wisdom.
“The most important thing is this.”
“......?”
“Before fooling others, fool yourself first. You know the saying? ‘It’s all in the mind.’ The moment you believe it’s real, it becomes real.”
“Hmm.”
The chest-thumping wisdom lit a spark in Aster’s eyes.
“You’ve got your convictions, bro.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Cool. I mean that.”
“H-Haha.”
Paijin laughed awkwardly, unsure if it was sarcasm or sincere.
But regrettably, Aster was purely admiring him without a shred of mockery.
Rare was the person who lived with such conviction in any field, even if it was something this trivial.
“Anyway, did it help?”
“It... kinda did.”
Aster nodded readily, reviewing the lecture.
He set aside the nitty-gritty for now and cherry-picked the immediately useful bits.
The most appealing:
‘Internal injury.’
That could be fudged just right.
‘Not making a real one, of course—just cough up some blood and mess with the mana flow. Piece of cake.’
But details were key...
“Uh, hey. Father’s about to enter, so I gotta go.”
Aster snapped out of it and stared hard at Paijin.
Under the burdensome gaze, Paijin sweated bullets and backed away awkwardly when Aster spoke.
“Bro, wanna shove me?”
“......Huh?”
“Give me a shove. Just the shove, and I’ll call it good faith.”
“......”
Paijin blankly took in Aster.
“You’re really... trash, aren’t you?”
For the first time, contempt flickered in Paijin’s eyes. At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.
......Maybe this is how others saw me.
If so, his past life felt deeply shameful. Far worse than crouching here in the banquet hall.
* * *
In the end, Aster accepted the gesture of goodwill and sent Paijin off.
“Live right, bro.”
“......Trying to.”
“Oh, if you’ve got time, write a book. That stuff you said was solid. I’ll check next time, so do it.”
“......Sure.”
After Paijin left.
Aster wandered aimlessly around the banquet hall.
But for some reason.
Contrary to Ransi’s dire warning, not a single noble approached him.
No, more than that?
They even slinked away if he got too close.
‘I’ve got the confidence to vomit blood even if just our cloak hems brush...’
Why wouldn’t anyone close the gap?
Was this noble exclusivity?
In the end, after prowling the hall, Aster returned to his spot, crouched down, and smacked his lips.
‘Tch, best before Damian arrives.’
Once the banquet really kicked off, it’d feel like ruining someone’s birthday party, which would be awkward.
Petty scuffles could get lost in the noise, but he was fated to roll around vomiting blood from some outrageous noble’s tyranny.
‘Maybe because I don’t have a drink?’
As his head grew cluttered with thoughts, he felt another gaze soon after.
“......”
What?
It was that same middle-aged man from earlier.
But this time, he wasn’t alone.
Beside him stood a woman about Paijin’s age, and from the resemblance, likely father and daughter.
They stared blatantly, and right then, Aster’s eyes met the woman’s.
She had an aura that could draw every eye in the room in an instant, and at that gaze, a thought hit Aster.
‘What’re you staring at?’
Her look rubbed him wrong.
Three, two, one... the final countdown ended.
Finishing her talk with the middle-aged man, the woman approached Aster with a soft smile and greeting.
“Pleased to meet you. You’re Aster, right? I’m Lana von Zilloxa, eldest daughter of the Zilloxa family.”
Lana took in Aster, crouched on the floor, with a fresh smile.
But for some reason.
Aster didn’t respond.
Looking somewhat dazed, she tilted her head and asked.
“......Not Aster?”
That’s when Aster reacted.
“One sec.”
Excusing himself to Lana, Aster went to a servant, grabbed a drink, and returned.
Lana naturally extended her hand, but...
“Mine.”
“......Ah, yes.”
Her awkward hand withdrew at a single word.
As Lana smiled embarrassedly to hide her fluster, Aster spoke up around then.
“I’m ready.”
“......Pardon?”
“Do whatever you came to do.”
“......”
Lana didn’t reply.
She didn’t get it.
She just blankly stared at Aster, racking her brain for the meaning.
......Meanwhile, the drink was a deep crimson, like blood.