Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Extra Strategist's Royal Road
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I arrived at the royal palace banquet hall and slipped in quietly without drawing any attention, claiming a table in the corner.
Normally, when entering, they announce the family affiliation and title loudly, but that's only for families with real influence.
As a baron's family from the frontier, we had to sign the guestbook and enter through the side door instead of the main gate, then quickly take our seats.
My companion, Purji hyung, glanced at the people at the head table, let out a small sigh, and straightened his collar.
"Als, mind holding the table for a bit? I need to go greet the superiors."
"Should I come with you?"
"That might not be a good idea."
"Got it. Have a safe trip."
I passed the time quietly eating.
In the meantime, nearly all the prominent noble families had entered.
The higher the status, the later they entered, and the very last one was essentially the star of the party.
And that spot went to him.
"The Millias Marquis family! Lord Casper Millias and Lady Flora Millias are entering!"
At that, exclamations of "The Kirin Child is here!" erupted here and there, showing their interest.
Casper, entering with his mother, seemed quite nervous, marching robotically toward the king.
I scanned the king and the figures around him.
Two people stood out.
Representatives from the kingdom's two ducal houses: Salleon and Helian.
For House Salleon, since Altiore had essentially stepped back from the front lines, his successor and current head, Gilbert, was filling the seat.
'Gilbert Salleon and Regnat Helian... Both R-rank characters.'
Gilbert Salleon only appeared due to his story relevance; his actual performance was poor. Even I, who mainly raised R-characters for handy play, had ignored him.
In contrast, Regnat Helian, seated beside him, was different.
Duke Regnat Helian. Also an R-rank in the game, but his extremely low internal affairs cost gave him UR-level utility. In internal affairs, he surpassed tier 1 to become tier 0.
Regnat began praising Casper's achievements to the king in an admiring tone.
Key among them was the routing of Gillas Melbourne and Horn of Strong Strike.
That was the merit of my master and our mercenary unit, but it seemed he'd slyly inserted himself into it somehow.
'Well, he did contribute something.'
I ignored it and resumed eating.
That was when it happened.
"Long time no see, Lord Als. I hope you've been well?"
"..."
A beautiful blonde woman had come all the way to my corner table.
With a flourish, she snapped open her fan!
She smiled.
At her appearance, all the peers around stared in awe, mesmerized.
'Familiar face... Who is she?'
Narrowing my eyes, I recalled she was the daughter of House Salleon.
But her name wouldn't come to mind clearly. It had been nearly a year since then.
In that kidnapping incident, the only one I remembered vividly was Prince Eldric. The rest were fleeting connections.
'Something starting with 'E' and ending with 'na,' I think.'
Unsure, I decided not to gamble.
I flashed a polite smile.
"A pleasure. I hope you've been well, Miss Salleon."
"..."
Her face stiffened. Then, in a voice like she was gritting her teeth:
"Lord Als? There are plenty of Salleon family members here besides me. Could you please use my name if possible?"
"Hmm... You're right, aren't you?"
"Then shall we exchange greetings again? Lord Als Chasing Ilrain."
She even threw in my middle name for pressure. I racked my brain, but the middle syllable wouldn't come.
I couldn't exactly ask her name to her face.
Quickly, I signaled with my eyes to her attendant standing behind her.
In high society, forgetting names is common, so retainers often memorize them for you.
Catching my intent, the attendant mouthed back to me.
[Erina]
Got it.
"Yes, it's been a while. Miss Eina."
Crack! The air seemed to freeze. I'd apparently misread the lips.
"Close in sound, but one letter off. It's Erina. Erina Salleon. I'll let this one slide as a joke, but please don't make the same mistake next time."
"Ah, right, Miss Erina. Sorry about that. Must've mixed it up. If I offended you, I apologize."
"Then, as an apology, how about a dance?"
"That might be tricky."
"...Did I hear that wrong?"
"Should I say it louder? A dance is out of the question."
"...Heh. Playing hard to get, are you?"
Erina bubbled with pressure even through her smiling expression.
I could dance, but I had no desire to draw attention dancing with the daughter of House Salleon at a court party.
For one thing, I belonged to the Helian faction.
"Then how about some refreshments together? You won't refuse that, right?"
Erina sat at my table with a stubborn look. Attention from the peers had already peaked.
At least the adults were busy greeting each other, so the grown-ups' eyes weren't on us. That was a relief.
"I heard you performed well in this war."
"Just rear support, nothing much."
"That's impressive enough. In that case, you probably didn't need to use the spear I gave you. Should I be glad it went unused, or regret it?"
"Oh, that one broke."
"What!? How does a spear break during rear support?"
"I tripped backward, landed on my butt, and it just bent."
"No way... It was made by Gransel's finest craftsman..."
It really was an excellent spear. If it hadn't bent to endure, the halberd would've grazed my helmet—it would've taken my head instead.
"Next time, I'll prepare an even better one."
"No need. My master promised to get me one as an adult ceremony gift. Don't trouble yourself."
"Urgh..."
As I chatted briefly with Erina—
A boy approached with a fierce glare.
"You. How dare you bother Miss Erina."
Judging by his look, he was a cadet from the Salleon faction.
Salleon faction noble cadets had been interning on the northwest front, where battles like ours occurred, so they were invited to the party too.
He'd immediately clocked me as Helian faction.
Me talking to the Salleon ducal daughter? From his perspective, it was infuriating.
"Denian, I..."
"No need to worry, Miss Erina. I'll chase off this scum."
"No, I...!"
Ignoring her, he glared at me.
This was my chance.
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't realize she was a lady of such high status. I'll make sure it never happens again."
"Hmph, at least you know your place. Now get lost."
"Yes, sir. Excuse me."
As I beat a hasty retreat, their voices followed.
"Miss Erina, now you can enjoy the party in peace. If you'd like, perhaps with me..."
"Shut your mouth. You're annoying me."
"Yes...?"
Erina stormed off without a second glance.
The guy called Denian wailed in confusion over what went wrong.
I moved to another table and decided to ignore it, resuming my meal.
"You're just going to let her go like that, Als?"
"...? Ah, Master!"
Master Illya was attending in simple attire that didn't suit the party.
Some nobles shot her dirty looks, but since mercenaries attending royal parties wasn't unprecedented, it was generally accepted.
"Quite the cute one. Despite the class difference, she seemed to fancy you."
"Nah, what are you talking about? We're from different worlds. More importantly, Master, didn't you say you couldn't make it to the party?"
"The Mercenary Association begged me so earnestly. Said it would boost their prestige. Oh, and Wade the mercenary got an invite too. You know him?"
"Huh."
Essentially, I'd received two invitations.
Master, starved for company, joined my table. I passed the time chatting about what I'd seen in the city.
Then it happened.
An explosive incident rocked the banquet hall.
Denian asking Erina for a dance and getting a snappy rejection was trivial by comparison.
The Crossing Republic delegation entered the party with over twenty slaves in tow.
*
*
*
The Crossing Republic was a nation openly called eccentric.
They'd start wars out of nowhere, then send massive aid the next day.
They abolished the nobility and preached equality, yet had a king and thriving slavery. Crossing's principles were hard to grasp.
From Caliper's standpoint, the alliance was unavoidable to check Albad, but it felt unsettling.
The Crossing delegation bringing slaves to a royal court party was a scandal that would rock not just the kingdom but the continent.
"What indecency is this at such a noble gathering!"
"Leave at once!"
The elder nobles immediately bellowed in outrage.
But the Crossing delegation's leader smiled leisurely amid the hostility.
"I'd appreciate not treating guests like intruders. These are all under contract, you see?"
Mid-thirties, perhaps.
I knew this man.
'Juras Pamillion...!'
One of the game's villain characters, appearing only as an enemy. He was among the top of the current Ten Heroes.
He'd demoted contemporary Prince Eldric to eternal runner-up. Despite not being royal blood, Juras had been first in line for Crossing's throne just years ago.
A peerless figure.
If he'd been a gacha character, UR-rank was a given, and his performance would've made him an undisputed tier 0.
His moniker: Seamless as Heavenly Silk.
He was one of the Three Great Generals, alongside Albad's Grand General Strategist Kaien and the West's top general, Evil Brain Jemuto.
"Your Majesty. Hadn't you discussed the slave auction?"
"Uh, erm...! I said I'd arrange a meeting soon, but not that it would be this party!"
"The treaty specifies holding the slave auction at the first event attended by prominent noble families. Are you saying we misinterpreted it?"
A high official whispered to the king.
The king nodded with a resigned expression.
"Very well. Proceed as you wish."
"A wise decision."
The mention of a slave auction sent ripples through the banquet hall.
Slavery was legally banned in Caliper Kingdom. A slave auction was absurd.
Crossing Republic, however, actively promoted it.
They had a solid welfare system: slaves could ascend to citizenship after repaying a certain debt.
Slavery was permitted, but overwork or abuse was strictly penalized.
'The protagonist rebelled against this system and antagonized Crossing.'
Historically, Crossing had no choice but to use slaves.
Their land was so barren that more people left than stayed. To secure labor and forcibly boost population, they encouraged slavery.
"Greetings, noble lords of Caliper. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Crossing's slave auction."
Apparently, the alliance treaty included provisions for the auction.
Juras, experienced, smoothly explained the auction with practiced ease.
Some nobles recoiled at "slaves," but the interested ones leaned in attentively.
"This debut before the beloved nobles of Caliper Kingdom is special to us. Thus, we've brought top-tier slaves worthy of our Republic's founding day."
Juras began detailing each slave.
Seeing their faces, I jolted as if struck by lightning.
"No... way."
I couldn't fathom why he was among the slaves.
"..."
Amid the varied slaves, one man stood out.
His blazing red hair and sharp eyes hammered at my memory.
'No doubt about it. That's Cassius Lloyd.'
Cassius Lloyd.
The protagonist of Athena War Tales stood there in slave shackles.