Chapter 116
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Rude Noble's Folly
Kirilen Abselle.
She was the second of two sons and a daughter in the Abselle family, which had served in the Empire's Ministry of Finance for generations. Among her siblings, she was one of the few who traveled the most to other regions.
'If only I could always stay in the Imperial Capital!'
Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to remain in the Imperial Capital forever. But her father already worked in the Ministry of Finance, her eldest brother served there as well, and even her younger sibling had earned recognition for their skills and joined the Imperial Palace Guard as a knight.
In the end, aside from her mother who stayed to protect the family, she was the only one left to handle various errands across other regions.
'...I hate this.'
It was all because she lacked the skills, forcing her into these menial tasks. But rather than reflecting on her own shortcomings, she chose to vent her frustration on those around her.
And one of her habits for expressing that anger was to throw a tantrum every time she visited somewhere outside the Imperial Capital.
Even on this visit to Linkroft, she had spent a long time pondering how to cause a scene.
She had worried that her busy schedule might prevent her from upholding her little ritual right up to the last minute.
'Of all things, my reservation was late, so I got stuck with crappy seats?'
Her business had wrapped up much later than expected, so she had to book in a rush. As a result, the only seats available on the train to the Imperial Capital were in general class.
For someone who always rode premium or business class, this was an utterly infuriating situation.
'If there are no good seats, then I'll just make some!'
To turn the situation around, Kirilen devised a plan.
She would head to the business class section, pick some random people, throw a fit, and claim their seats.
Unlike premium class, which was reserved for true nobles and tycoons, business class often had a mix of ambiguous passengers.
So she deliberately entered the business car, bumped into someone to spill their belongings, and then targeted the people in her favorite spot—the center window seat in business class—claiming her item had gone missing.
'Perfect, they're total outsiders.'
There were only three of them, and two had fox ears, marking them as beastkin.
They looked like rich hicks from the provinces at first glance, so she decided they would be perfect scapegoats to accuse of theft.
"Found it. See? Just like I said, this one had it."
But now, that choice was leading to the worst possible outcome.
"What? Why is everyone so quiet? You there—Kirilen, was it?"
"...M-me?"
"Yeah, you. Aren't you their representative? Then you must have something to say about this situation."
The necklace Kirilen claimed to have lost was found inside Hartens's sleeve.
It was a situation where anyone could instantly picture exactly what Kirilen had been trying to pull.
"This... is that rumor actually true?"
"Heh, to think she'd set up such an obvious scheme in broad daylight."
"A noble doing something so shameless? Unbelievable."
The other passengers in the car began murmuring one after another.
'Damn it all!'
Kirilen bit her lip at the sight.
It was just a hobby, a way to relieve stress.
She had simply picked the wrong targets, but the situation was escalating badly.
'My reputation...!'
Especially since, apart from her antics outside the capital, Kirilen cared more about her reputation and rumors within the Imperial Capital than anyone.
And this was the train to the Imperial Capital, filled with people heading there.
If even a few of them spread word upon arrival...
'I'm done for!'
Her position in the family was already precarious.
For someone striving to bolster it through the Empire's social circles, such rumors would be fatal.
"...It seems Hartens was trying to pull something shady."
Her solution was to pin the blame entirely on Hartens.
"Hah."
Jeon's face twisted into an involuntary scoff at Kirilen's brazen display.
"...!"
And her words shocked even Hartens.
Though still frozen by Jeon's purple mystery, the bewilderment in his eyes was plain to see.
"But since it was my subordinate who did it, I'll apologize. I'll make sure to discipline him so it doesn't happen again."
The words were an apology.
But her demeanor was anything but.
She held her head high, her expression radiating condescension, as if she were granting mercy.
"The audacity."
Jeon snorted in disbelief.
When a sincere apology was the least she owed, she was sacrificing her own knight's honor just to protect her pride.
"There, I apologized, so let's end this."
Far from heeding Jeon's reaction, Kirilen focused only on the onlookers, eager to defuse the situation.
"No thanks?"
But Jeon had no intention of letting it go.
"What did you say?"
"We were the ones wronged here, and you expect us to just swallow a half-assed apology?"
"I already apologized..."
"How is throwing your underling under the bus for a face-saving apology any kind of real apology?"
"W-what?!"
She wanted it over quickly.
But Jeon's unwillingness to back down made her voice sharpen again.
"Know when to quit. Do you even know who I am?"
"Do I need to?"
An Imperial Capital noble?
That meant nothing to Jeon.
'I've had private audiences with princes and princesses. What's a mere noble?'
And that was just the start.
He had fought archmages and clashed life-or-death with apostles of the Ruin Church.
His experiences were too extraordinary to cower before some capital noble.
"Hold on! Passengers! Everyone, please calm down!"
As tensions rose between Jeon and Kirilen, train crew members finally arrived after hearing the commotion and intervened.
"Causing a disturbance inside the train is dangerous! We're about to depart, so please return to your seats!"
"Failure to comply may result in charges of obstructing official duties and forced removal. We ask everyone to follow our instructions."
The crew on the Imperial Capital train were essentially imperial officials.
Seeing them step in, Kirilen and her knights reluctantly sheathed their swords one by one.
"I can't just let this slide...!"
But Risar refused to back down, unwilling to end it here.
The crew might not know the details, but letting it drop would leave Lena thoroughly insulted.
However, Jeon stepped in to stop him.
"...This is as far as it goes. We can't risk being kicked off."
"Lord Jeon, even so...!"
"It's fine. This won't end with us just taking the hit."
Jeon flashed Risar a reassuring smile, telling him not to worry despite his lingering anger, then stepped forward holding the necklace.
"Please, sir, take your seat..."
"Just let me hand this over. This is what caused all the fuss."
The crewman trying to prevent re-escalation hesitated at Jeon's friendly smile and the necklace in his hand, stepping back reluctantly.
Passing the crewman, Jeon approached Kirilen and held out the necklace.
"Your lost item. Glad you found it."
"...Hmph."
Anyone could tell it was sarcasm.
But with imperial crew involved, even Kirilen couldn't press further. She scoffed in exasperation and snatched the necklace from Jeon.
"Try not to lose it next time and cause another scene."
"Mind your own business."
Kirilen growled the retort as Jeon continued his mocking tone even while handing it over, then turned on her heel.
Jeon watched her go with a smile playing on his lips.
"Well, she probably won't get the chance next time."
A faint purple glow lingered in Jeon's eyes as he muttered.
Despite the commotion, the train to the Imperial Capital departed right on schedule.
"Ah, this is so comfortable."
Jeon couldn't feel the slightest vibration from the train, even as the scenery rushed past the window.
It was as if the train stood still while the world outside slid by on its own.
"Incredible technology."
Lena expressed her admiration for the smooth ride as well.
But Risar, the only one among them with a sour expression, was another story.
"Is it still bothering you?"
"It's not just bothering me... I'm sorry to Lady Lena for failing to properly avenge the insult, and personally, I feel so wronged."
Risar was a loyal knight.
For such a knight to leave his lady insulted without extracting proper retribution...
His anger at Kirilen's rudeness was one thing, but the self-directed fury for failing his duty refused to subside.
"I understand. But we couldn't delay the train for it, so no choice."
"True, but..."
"And like I said earlier, we didn't just take it lying down."
"You said that, but... what exactly did you mean?"
Jeon held up three fingers, counting them off, in response to Risar's curious look.
"Let's see... The trip to the Imperial Capital takes about three days, right?"
"Yes."
"Then the effect will last at least three days."
"Effect?"
"That woman? Starting the moment she took the necklace, she won't get a wink of sleep. Every time she closes her eyes, she'll have horrific nightmares."
"Nightmares?"
Nightmares out of nowhere?
Jeon shrugged at Risar's puzzled echo.
"Yeah. If she ditches the necklace, the nightmares fade in two or three days. But if she keeps it... she'll be dreaming them all the way to the capital."
Jeon's purple mystery, which influenced the mind.
The moment he handed over the necklace, he infused it with the power to induce terrible nightmares.
Not magic, so even a skilled mage couldn't detect or dispel it easily.
'It'll last up to a month at most... If she doesn't notice and keeps it, she'll suffer.'
Growing accustomed to wielding mystery allowed for such feats.
Jeon marveled inwardly at its potential once more, sinking deep into his seat and closing his eyes.
"Huh? Already?"
"Yeah, I feel like I could sleep right now."
"Isn't it a bit early?"
"Nah, it's fine. Think of it as me catching up for someone else who won't sleep."
Lena questioned if it was too soon, but Jeon waved it off with a satisfied smile.
And so, the train carrying Jeon and his group sped toward the Imperial Capital without pause.
They enjoyed true comfort in their seats—eating, sleeping, and resting peacefully.
"Kyaaah!"
"K-Kirilen! Are you alright?!"
"Hah... hah... hah... Another one! Another nightmare!"
Whenever Kirilen closed her eyes, visions of limbs hacked off, falling into pits of fire, teeth and eyeballs ripped out plagued her. She and her exhausted subordinates, who couldn't sleep properly guarding her, spent three sleepless days and nights.
And after those polar opposite journeys, the train finally pulled into the Imperial Capital, Eldrasil.