Victory Celebration Banquet (4)
After dancing a waltz with Alonne for about ten minutes while sharing a deep conversation, Ardena extended an invitation to Leticia, who had been gazing at her with eyes full of admiration.
She held out her hand.
Leticia’s eyes widened in shock at Ardena’s gesture. “M-Me…?”
“If the lady desires it.”
Ardena’s poise as she offered the waltz was so commanding that even a woman might fall for her. Her noble features shone brilliantly. She would have looked just as fitting in a tailored men’s suit as in her dress.
Caught off guard in front of the watching crowd, Leticia floundered in embarrassment. She had envied Alonne for dancing with Ardena, but it had never crossed her mind that she would be next.
“Hoo… haa…!!”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. But her wildly racing pulse showed no signs of slowing. Every glance at Ardena only made it beat harder.
What if my heart bursts and I die right here? Leticia fretted, but she couldn’t reject this stroke of heaven-sent luck out of mere fear. She swiftly took Ardena’s outstretched hand.
Even if her heart exploded mid-dance, she wanted to waltz with the object of her admiration.
“Ah!”
As Ardena gripped her hand firmly, an excited moan escaped Leticia’s lips. Their eyes met at the same level. They clasped hands and waists, moving to the music.
Is this a dream? Leticia couldn’t believe she was actually dancing with her idol. The chandelier scattering dazzling light, the crowd murmuring in awe, and Ardena’s majestic presence before her—it all felt like a fantasy.
“Your waltz is more skilled than mine. A performance worthy of the Santander family’s famed all-around genius lady.”
“Y-You flatter me too much…”
“I hope you’ll get along well with our Alonne. She acts tough on the outside, but she’s quite prone to loneliness.”
“Of course! Leave it to me!”
At Ardena’s earnest request, Leticia vowed to protect Alonne even at the cost of her life. Not for Alonne’s sake, but to fulfill the wish of her admired idol.
Leticia was endlessly grateful to Ardena for inviting her to dance. From her perspective, Leticia was just her little sister’s friend, yet she showed such kindness—it was an honor beyond words.
“I hear you’re learning swordsmanship from Yushin.”
“Yes.”
“You must have been quite shocked to learn his true identity. Even I didn’t know he was the Demon King Slayer of the Holy Empire. We brought him here as a war prisoner without realizing he was the hero who subjugated the Tyranny Demon King.”
“What an incredible coincidence…”
“A coincidence, yes. A truly astonishing one. I hear humans call such coincidences ‘fate.’”
“Fate?”
Leticia echoed Ardena’s words, laced with a hint of amusement. Fate. A weighty word. It seemed Ardena viewed her encounter with Yushin Gilliard not as coincidence, but as destiny. Unlike others, who dismissed it as chance, Ardena alone defined it as fate.
“Even you and I dancing this waltz together—it must be fate as well.”
Ardena said it while dipping Leticia back, gripping her waist firmly. The chandelier’s reflected backlight illuminated Ardena’s face in radiant glory. Leticia’s cheeks flushed crimson once more as she surrendered her body to the dip.
“I’ve said something rather profound all of a sudden. Forgive my rudeness.”
“N-No… It was a most intriguing statement.”
The music raced toward its finale, signaling the end of the waltz. Leticia let out a reluctant groan. Determined to end on a perfect note with no regrets, she focused despite the cold sweat of tension and executed a flawless finish.
As the music and waltz concluded, the watching nobles applauded in response.
“A splendid waltz, Lady Leticia.”
Ardena raised Leticia’s hand and pressed a brief kiss to the back of it—a knight’s salute to a princess. The sensation sent shivers racing through Leticia’s body.
“The honor was mine.”
“Now it’s time for the star of this celebration to make his entrance.”
No sooner had she spoken than the protagonist arrived in the central hall hosting the victory banquet. The crowd, still lingering on the afterglow of Ardena and Leticia’s waltz, erupted in murmurs at the sight of the High Priestess, the Demon King Slayer, and the kingdom’s knightess.
The stars had finally arrived.
Yushin Gilliard entered the hall flanked by the silver-haired elven beauty and the blue-haired knightess, scanning the gazes fixed upon him.
‘H-He’s finally here… Time to try that magic spell Bariteon mentioned… If it’s a lie, Bariteon, you and I are settling things right then and there.’
Ardena, watching Yushin from afar, swallowed dryly, tension etched on her face.
The magic spell. Bariteon’s so-called “method to advance a man-woman relationship in one shot.” Ardena found the shameless Bariteon utterly untrustworthy, but unlike her, who was clueless about romance, he was a pro. She decided to trust him just this once.
It wasn’t easy for Ardena to approach Yushin. The moment the Demon King Slayer appeared in the central hall, a swarm of people rushed him at once.
High elf nobles and foreign diplomats pressed forward desperately, eager to make his acquaintance. Even Ileina Tres Liberia, High Priestess of the Liberia Elf Kingdom, was pushed to the back of the line amid the overwhelming interest.
‘Should I wait a bit?’
Seeing the impenetrable wall of people blocking her path, Ardena decided to bide her time. An elf maid offered champagne. Thirsty, Ardena accepted and quenched her throat.
Alonne and Leticia, parched as well, sipped champagne while waiting for Yushin. Like Ardena, they had business with him.
Bored of the endless wait, the three gathered to chat.
“Teacher’s super popular, huh.”
“Of course. He accomplished an unprecedented feat. They’re all trying to build connections with him. Social networking is the most important subject in noble society, after all.”
Yushin occupied a highly ambiguous position. He was a human slave belonging to the Valencia family. But by severing his own obedience seal, he had placed their relationship in limbo.
His ownership still technically lay with the Valencia family. Yet rumors swirled that, having subjugated Sabnack—the one who had plunged the Liberia Elf Kingdom into peril—he would be freed from slavery and elevated to the first rank, equivalent to a high elf.
The moment his emancipation was declared, the Demon King Slayer would no longer belong to the Valencia family. The High Priestess and Yetzirah Council would surely compensate them and grant him free status.
Thus, high elf nobles showered him with overt goodwill, hoping to curry favor or snag him for themselves.
“What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
Leticia asked, and Alonne clarified.
“Teacher’s about to go from slave to free citizen. He defeated an evil Demon King and saved the Liberia Elf Kingdom, after all. No way they’d keep a hero who matched El Sid’s feats as a slave. Not with the eyes of foreign nations on us.”
The Liberia Elf Kingdom would propagandize Yushin as a war hero who vanquished the Raging Flames Demon King, Sabnack. Every nation would want the elf kingdom’s unprecedented Demon King Slayer as an ally.
Neighboring countries, with no prior ties to the elf kingdom, had suddenly sent delegations to the victory ceremony—proof of their intent to recruit him by any means.
“Looks like the crowd’s thinning out.”
Alonne noted how the blue-haired knightess guarding Yushin snarled fiercely, startling the high elf nobles and diplomats into retreating. Like a rabid dog lunging for its master.
She growled low, truly beastly now. Though unarmed, her ferocity rivaled any sword threat. Her tight formal gown couldn’t contain her savage wildness as she fended off the encroaching masses.
“Once the crowd clears, that’s when I’ll meet Yushin. It’s not a conversation for a noisy atmosphere.”
“Sis, you’re just gonna go?”
“I’ll get some air on the terrace for a bit.”
The cramped space grew stifling with bodies. Ardena excused herself from Alonne and Leticia, heading to the terrace to clear her head. She found one unoccupied—perfect for some solitude.
Unlike the bustling indoor crowd, the outdoor terrace felt desolate and chilly.
“Hoo…”
She exhaled a heavy sigh laced with frustration, leaning against the terrace railing overlooking Maherith’s city lights.
‘People who like Yushin… It’s not just Alonne. Liana Linehold seemed to fancy him too. Allen Rocksfield… that brazen woman claiming to be his fiancée must adore him as well. No way a wooden block like me appeals to him. We’ve been through so much together, after all.’
How does Yushin really see me?
Dark doubts flooded in. Anxiety and impatience bred suspicion that clouded the noble high elf warrior captain’s heart. Negative thoughts gathered like storm clouds, born of self-doubt.
Ardena felt hopelessly outmatched by the other women openly showing their affection for Yushin.
“But I was the first to fall for Yushin!”
Unable to contain herself, she cried out. At that moment, the door connecting the hall to the terrace swung open. Someone entered the terrace where Ardena stood alone.
The indoor light revealed the newcomer’s face clearly.
“What’re you doing out here? Looking all mopey.”
It was Yushin. The man she’d longed for appeared suddenly on the terrace. Dressed in impeccably fitting black formalwear, he approached with natural strides, seemingly unaware of her presence.
He’d come to the terrace to escape the suffocating crowd. Those following him were blocked by Bariteon Trident, standing sentinel like a prime minister, forcing them back.
“Where’s Allen Rocksfield?”
Ardena asked immediately. She was the biggest variable. Upon reuniting with Yushin on the terrace, Ardena’s first question was about Allen’s whereabouts.
“One sip of champagne and she passed out cold. Alonne and Leticia are checking on her. Guess she thought it was fruit juice.”
“…I see.”
Good. The biggest obstacle is gone. With Bariteon blocking the door, no one would disturb them.
‘Then… that magic spell Bariteon taught me… No, first I should say what I’ve been wanting to tell Yushin.’
Alone at last with the man she desired on the terrace. It felt like a perfectly orchestrated setup.