Satan's Standing Ovation
“What the hell happened here!!”
A fierce aura erupted endlessly from Count Dick Kai’s body as he listened to the report. Fueled by rage, the energy pouring from him grew stronger by the moment. The Knight Commander who had come to deliver the news groaned under the crushing pressure.
‘As expected of the head of the family. That presence hasn’t dulled at all. Who would ever guess he’s in his fifties?’
“Valtor. So you’re saying my son… lost a duel to the eldest son of the Legrian family?”
“……I am deeply ashamed to say that is correct.”
“Does that even make sense!?”
His voice rose sharply. “Baek is the son I raised! And you’re telling me he lost to some brat from a ruined family who only returned after ten years!?”
“……But it is the truth.”
“Impossible!”
Dick refused to accept that Baek had lost. The Legrian family was already in decline. They might have been known for their swordsmanship in the past, but that was ancient history. Four years ago, Baek had dueled Elena and crushed every one of her techniques with his fists. What’s more—
“They say the bastard didn’t even draw his sword! Does that sound reasonable to you!? The Legrian family’s main weapon is the sword! Are you trying to tell me that our family, which fights with fists, lost!?”
“That is……”
Valtor couldn’t bring himself to continue. The moment he acknowledged it, he knew exactly what kind of furious rebuke would follow. This was a matter of pride. If Albert had used a sword and defeated Baek with the Legrian family’s techniques, there might have been room for excuses. But Albert had beaten Baek down with his bare fists. Every witness present had confirmed it, making it an undeniable fact.
‘If this gets out, the family’s prestige will plummet. And silencing everyone won’t be easy either.’
How could they possibly shut the mouths of nobles? Even if they issued a gag order, no secret lasted forever. Eventually, the truth would leak out in some form.
‘Could it be……’
Valtor felt a chill run down his spine.
‘Was this his intention all along……?’
Albert’s goal was obvious. He was avenging what Elena Legrian had suffered here four years ago—returning the disgrace and restoring his family’s honor. That was why, despite the risk, he had discarded his sword and chosen to fight Baek with his fists. If he had lost, things might have been different, but since he won, he would gain many things going forward.
‘Since his family had fallen, he must have needed connections.’
First, he had gained immense recognition. Everyone present had witnessed Albert’s overwhelming strength with their own eyes. For nobles, martial prowess was just as powerful a form of authority as wealth or connections. Albert had proven his own worth through his strength.
‘From now on, many nobles will keep an eye on the Legrian family. Strength is power, and even as a baron’s house, after displaying that kind of power……’
He would be able to fill the gaps in his network. The Legrian family’s disgrace would be washed away and their honor restored, but on the other hand—
The Kai family’s honor would definitely plummet.
And that wasn’t all.
‘From what I heard, the moment he arrived at the social gathering, he caused an incident. The fact that he did something like that at the most attention-grabbing moment……’
“Was he planning to make a big scene from the very beginning……? To drag our family’s status down?”
Of course, that wasn’t the case. Albert had caused trouble the moment he arrived at the social gathering simply because his patience was nonexistent. He had tried to hold back, but the moment he saw Baek’s face, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out. And there was no deeper reason for fighting with his fists either. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—that was Albert’s specialty.
‘If the opponent uses fists, you smash them with fists. If they use a spear, you smash them with a spear. That’s what makes it truly satisfying.’
There was no grand scheme. He had simply acted according to his temper. It was an incident born from instinct rather than reason. The only thing driving him was revenge for what Elena had endured—nothing more.
But Valtor, who had no way of knowing that, believed it was all part of Albert’s meticulously crafted strategy.
‘……Albert Legrian…… What a terrifying man.’
It wasn’t just his handsome face. He possessed the martial prowess to beat Baek down with his fists, and the cunning intellect to plan everything from start to finish. If the System had heard his thoughts, it would have said:
Intelligence!? Reason!? There’s no way Albert has any of that!
Regardless, Valtor couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of dread toward him.
‘He must never be made an enemy.’
“Tsk.”
Dick was clearly displeased. He anxiously bit at his nails.
‘If the Pomeranian family finds out about this, our family’s standing will fall beyond measure.’
He had to do something, anything.
“For now, issue a gag order on this matter to the fullest extent possible.”
“But the nobles……”
“Suppress it as much as you can. Make sure to silence anyone beneath us.”
Dick simply wanted to buy time—time to deal with the situation. Thinking of Albert, who was probably enjoying himself at the social gathering right now, Dick ground his teeth.
“Albert Legrian…… If you think I’ll let this go quietly, you’re sorely mistaken. I’ll make sure you pay the price for this incident. I swear it on my family’s honor!”
Until now, Dick had known nothing. Even if he swore on his grandfather’s honor, his family’s honor, and his parents’ honor, he would never be able to make Albert pay the price. Instead of protecting his honor, he would only end up shackled by it.
Contrary to their concerns, the social gathering proceeded smoothly. Even without Baek, people laughed and chatted under the sweet music of the bards. Naturally, the center of attention was Elena and Albert. Everyone recalled the overwhelming display of power Albert had shown in the training grounds just moments ago.
“Isn’t Lord Albert amazing? How can he beat Baek like that with his fists without even drawing a sword?”
“Baek isn’t weak either……”
Everyone knew Baek wasn’t weak. He was among the strongest of his generation. Yet Albert had subdued him without a single scratch. His unfathomable strength was enough to inspire awe.
“I heard the Legrian family had fallen and wasn’t worth much, but maybe that wasn’t true after all.”
“You’re right.”
“And he’s strong…… really strong……”
The noble ladies cautiously turned their heads to look at Albert, who was leisurely sipping wine.
“He’s beautiful.”
The words came naturally. Even just standing there, Albert’s appearance shone brilliantly. His lustrous black hair, those deep black eyes that seemed to pull you in, his sharp features, piercing gaze, and well-defined lips—nothing was lacking. Even the fingers holding the wine glass looked beautiful.
“He’s so handsome……”
“Lord Albert……”
Without realizing it, they had begun addressing him with honorifics. After witnessing his strength and his face, it was only natural. At first, they had thought him violent and rude for suddenly challenging someone to a duel, but—
“Looking at that face, I feel like I could forgive anything.”
“What does it matter if he’s a bit violent……? I’m ready to forgive even my family’s mortal enemy.”
His face was that of a scoundrel. And yet his violence had justification. Four years ago, Baek had wronged Elena in many ways right here. The duel, which should have ended quickly, had been deliberately dragged out to humiliate her further. It had been a moment that made everyone frown, yet no one could step in to stop it.
“Honestly, it felt refreshing.”
“Right? Getting revenge for his sister…… He’s so cool.”
“It really does feel satisfying.”
Baek’s violence had no “reason,” but Albert’s violence did. Violence could never be justified, no matter the reason. But in this case, there was no helping it. People tended to be somewhat lenient toward violence that had justification.
“I want to see him every single day……”
“This is what eye candy feels like.”
He was simply standing there drinking wine, yet he looked like a painting. An artwork. A mysterious presence that felt untouchable.
“Look at those melancholic eyes!”
“What could he be thinking about?”
“He’s probably thinking thoughts on a completely different level that we could never understand.”
“Look at those black eyes. They’re filled with longing and wistfulness…… It’s too much…… haah……”
The noble ladies smiled in delight. But Albert himself was thinking—
‘Wine doesn’t really suit my taste. It just feels like drinking juice. At this point, I’d rather have chicken with soju and beer mixed together.’
‘Ah, I’m craving beer.’
‘I wonder if they have soju here.’
‘A 3:7 soju-to-beer ratio is pure art. And with chicken…… Ugh…… perfection.’
He was indeed thinking thoughts the noble ladies could never understand—though they were far lower-dimensional than they imagined. Oblivious to his inner thoughts, the noble ladies continued their cheerful chatter, lost in their fantasies.
“I’m really glad I came to this social gathering.”
“Me too. I didn’t really want to come, but…… attending this gathering might be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
“Instead of just talking about it, we should form our own group……”
“Oh my, that’s a great idea!”
“I’m in!”
“I’m good at painting portraits, so……”
The noble ladies gathered together. And thus, the fan club that would later be known as “Alsa-mo” (Albert’s Face Lovers’ Club) was founded in that moment. Until now, Albert had no idea that he would one day receive great help from this Alsa-mo.
“Lady Elena, I heard the news. In your territory……”
“There are no merchants coming? I could speak to the merchants’ guild……”
“Ah, ahaha, thank you, everyone.”
Elena was surrounded by people. Now that the troublemaker was gone, those who had always wanted to speak with her had gathered around.
“By the way, where did you get that dress?”
One noble lady’s eyes sparkled as she gazed in awe at Elena’s dress.
“I’ve never seen a dress like this before! Where did you buy it!? Is it expensive!?”
“That’s right! I wanted to ask about this dress too!”
“Ah, this dress is……”
Attention focused on the dress. It was only natural. Elena’s dress was unlike anything found anywhere else. A pure white gown that allowed not even a speck of dust. Its overwhelming presence drew people’s eyes the moment they saw it. Paired with Elena wearing it, the combination was nothing short of fantastical. It was impossible not to stare. Even knowing it was rude, instinct refused to let their gazes drift away.
“It’s truly beautiful……”
“Who made this dress? What kind of fabric is it? Silk? It’s so soft……”
“Now that you mention it, the wine stain disappeared earlier…… How?”
Questions poured down like raindrops from the sky. Elena couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
‘I thought everyone would avoid us……’
She had assumed that after causing such a major incident right after arriving at the social gathering, people would steer clear. But contrary to her worries, they approached her with considerable goodwill. Unlike four years ago.
‘This is…… all thanks to my brother……’
Elena turned her head to look at Albert, who was leisurely tilting his wine glass. Seeing the small smile on his face, it seemed he was enjoying the social gathering as well.
‘But……’
Why did she feel a strange sense of unease from his smile?
‘That smile……’
She had seen it somewhere before. Why wouldn’t this anxiety go away?
Using Telekinesis skill.
Using Stealth skill.
Albert, I’ve sprinkled laxative herbs into the food of the 35 people who mocked Lady Elena.
Also, I’ve cast a curse on the 40 people who called her ugly or unpleasant. They’ll probably suffer nightmares.
‘Good work.’
Albert smiled at the System’s report. He had remembered every single person who had mocked and insulted Elena while watching her suffer back then. Originally, he had planned to challenge them to duels on the spot and give them a proper lesson, but the situation hadn’t allowed it. So there was no choice.
‘I’ll just have to educate them differently.’
The medicine he had prepared beforehand had been quite helpful. And the curse skill too. It was a low-grade skill he rarely used, but it was more than enough for these people. The strange unease Elena had felt while looking at him was because of this. The smile on Albert’s face that she had seen was the one he wore when he was plotting something wicked and putting it into action.
“Ugh…… M-my stomach suddenly……”
“Hic! W-what!? Why is my hair……!?”
“Kugh! B-bathroom!”
As if on cue, people began moving about in a flurry.
‘System.’
I’ve removed all the toilet paper from the bathrooms.
Don’t worry.
(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
Albert curled his lips in a satisfied, wicked grin.
‘You really are the best partner.’
It’s nothing.
I still have much to improve.
‘Hahahaha!’
Hohohoho.
It was an act of such wickedness that even Satan would have stood up and applauded in reverence. It was more than worthy of receiving Satan’s standing ovation.