Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Scene 080: Flirty Flirty
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There was a very brief silence until Laura opened her mouth again.
Hero? Did you just say hero?
Yes.
The hero whos supposed to slay the Demon King?
Yes. Thats the hero Im talking about.
Pfft!
In the end, Laura burst into laughter.
Puhaha! I never pegged you for the type, but youve got a sense of humor? A hero? Youre telling me the count still believes in fairy tales like that!
So this was the reaction I expected.
It wasnt that she didnt believe me because I was Tristan. She wouldve reacted the same way no matter who said it.
According to the original novel, there have only been two heroes in total.
The first hero, Grace, and the protagonist, Peter Wingfield, who is Wendys older brother.
At this point in time, no hero has appeared in this world since Grace.
It had been an unimaginably long time since Grace defeated the Demon King.
So in reality, stories about heroes were treated more like fairy tales or myths than history.
Leon, the head of the Fairygres family, stroked his chin in agreement with Lauras words.
Hmm! Honestly, its hard to believe what the count is saying! Were not naive enough to buy into that kind of story! Besides, weve never heard of the Demon King appearing, and theres been no oracle from the gods either! Its not even worth considering!
Its too early to jump to conclusions, Leon.
Odel, who had been silently observing the situation until now, finally spoke up.
According to legend, a hero is someone who can wield all attributes of magic.
There was a strange resonance in Odels voice.
It was the compelling force of the prime minister who had supported the Meikahel Empire, making listeners unable to do anything but pay close attention.
The elderly prime minister looked at me.
In other words, if someone can wield that kind of magic, wed have no choice but to believe a hero has appeared.
I didnt avoid Odels gaze.
Odel Ryumin, the emperors closest confidant among the pro-imperial nobles. In the original story, he had been a tough opponent for Tristan.
Hmm! All attributes magic, you say? If theres someone who can use that, Id love to see it!
I feel the same. The count doesnt seem like the type to joke around like this. So youve found someone who wields all-attribute magic, right? Am I correct?
Yes.
Then show us the proof.
All eyes in the room turned to me.
Right. In the end, I needed proof to convince them.
If I showed them Wendy, the heros bloodline, using magic, theyd believe she was the hero without a doubt.
Just like in the original story, people only believed Peter was the hero after seeing him wield all-attribute magic. However
I cant show you that.
Hmm?
You cant?
Laura and Leon frowned.
Odel tilted his head.
Why not?
If the heros identity were revealed at this point, not only the empire but the entire continent would fall into chaos. Other countries would pull every trick in the book to claim the hero for themselves.
The news of a heros appearance was a harbinger that the Demon King, the threat to this world, would soon emerge.
Moreover, the nation where the hero first appeared could become the main force in subjugating the Demon King.
From other countries perspectives, that was an unwelcome development.
Everyone wanted to be the protagonist of history, after all.
I cant reveal the hero for that reason. All I can tell you is that the hero has appeared and that I am protecting her.
Hmm
Seeming to understand my point to some extent, the heads of the Seven Stars fell into thought.
Among them, the one with the most serious expression was Mondri Cremont.
He was the only one here who knew the true identity of the hero I was talking about.
He was watching my cues, not daring to speak out of turn.
Stay out of it and keep it that way, Mondri.
As expected, Laura was the first to break the silence.
I still cant believe it.
She said in a prickly tone.
Count, youre just lying because you dont have any proof, arent you? You think were some kind of pushovers? You actually thought you could feed us that bullshit, huh?
Believe it or not, thats up to you.
Yeah! And Im not gonna believe it!
However.
I advised them in an arrogant manner.
Think carefully if I have any reason to lie to you like this.
The prestigious nobles were left speechless.
At that moment, the servers appeared, pushing trays.
Over the heavy silence, they began placing dishes one by one.
The harmony meeting was just beginning.
The meal proceeded in a quiet atmosphere.
The only sounds were the occasional clinks of plates with food.
I examined the dishes on the round table.
As expected, they were all dishes that could come from a Chinese restaurant.
Fried or stir-fried foods, every one of them.
Considering my diet, I couldnt eat freely, but itd be fine to taste them.
Even though they were nobles, I was a bit surprised to see them casually using chopsticks.
Was it because of the fantasy setting?
I, too, tried to elegantly pick up food with chopsticks like them.
Count.
A soft voice whispered in my ear.
It was Bella.
Is the food going down okay?
She asked with a smile.
Going down okay?
It reminded me of the time Bella had been angry at Duke Fred.
She was smiling, but her eyes were as cold as my Wrath.
She seemed thoroughly pissed that I was hiding the fact that I had the hero.
Arguing with Bella here would just be tiring.
I picked up some food right in front of me with my chopsticks and asked.
Want to try one?
What? Cant you see Im mad right now?
I stuffed a piping hot kung pao chicken into her mouth as she started to get loud.
For a moment, Bella glared at me with resentful eyes, but she began chewing the kung pao chicken in her mouth.
However, that didnt last long.
!
Bellas eyes flew wide open.
She hurriedly gulped down the water next to her.
Puha What is this?! Its spicy!
Dont you like spicy food?
When did I ever say that!
I thought so because you ate tteokbokki so well last time.
Huh?! No? Well, that was true, but
Bella trailed off, looking flustered as she tried to say something to me.
Our conversation couldnt continue.
After all, we werent alone here.
This is insane. Totally insane
Laura was staring at us in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Colin was yawning and eating as if he didnt care.
In between, when drowsiness hit him, his attendant was sweating bullets waking him up and helping him eat.
And Leon, devouring the food with gusto, kept nodding his head.
Mmm! Mmm! I heard the lady broke off her engagement, but I guess I was wrong!
Leon, we did break off the engagement. We did, but
Hmm?
Bella cleared her throat.
Ahem I think I was a bit hasty, so Im thinking about it some more.
I see. But what part of the count caught your eye, my lady?
Yes?
Patrick Wolfbert, who had been quietly eating beside us, spoke up.
Im just curious. The count you hated so much what wind blew that made you want to meet him again? What charm did you find in him? Or
Patrick asked Bella with a sly grin.
Perhaps he has some dirt on you?
No sooner had he said that than I had to reach back and restrain the guy behind me.
Stay put.
Helga, who had tried to restrain Patrick, reluctantly stepped back behind me.
What a mad dog
I was seriously considering putting a leash on him.
And thanks to Patricks rude question, Bella didnt need to answer.
A deep, resonant voice interjected.
Lets set aside such trivial matters for now. Lets get to the main point.
It was Odel Ryumin.
Count, may I ask one thing?
Speak.
Why did you tell us about the heros appearance first, instead of His Majesty?
It was a sharp question befitting the empires prime minister, Odel.
In the original story, he had been Tristans biggest obstacle, but ironically, he was the most reasonable man present.
I opened my mouth as if Id been waiting for his words.
As you all know, His Majesty does not trust me.
The current emperor, Lucy Meikahel, who sought to reclaim the imperial authority and power, was wary of the growing strength of the Ruelverta family.
Naturally, he wouldnt believe anything the head of Ruelverta said. So
However, you Seven Stars have always stepped up whenever this nation faced a crisis since its founding. His Majesty would believe you.
I took a sip of tea.
As I said earlier, I came to warn you. This world will soon be engulfed in great chaos. From now on, I will prepare for it.
Prepare?
Yes. I will strengthen my forces.
Hmm!
At my words, Leon stood up with a clank of his armor.
Are you declaring that you will expand the forces of your private army, Aslan, beyond what they are now?
Thats right.
Thats not something we can just let slide! If the count expands Aslans forces further, it becomes a threat to this nation!
Do you think Im going to start a rebellion?
Hmm! Its not about that! Aslan isnt just some private armyit has military power comparable to the imperial army! If that belongs to one family, its a huge problem!
If thats your grievance, then expand the imperial army as well.
Hmm?!
Leon froze in place.
Now, time to push aggressively.
You seem to be under a serious misunderstanding. I didnt come here to ask for your cooperation.
I commanded them, infusing my words with utmost Pride.
You will cooperate with me. Recognize me as the leader of the Seven Stars and petition His Majesty to prepare for the coming crisis. If you do, then as your leader, I will lend you my power.
By now, they should realize my words are far from empty bluster.
I didnt even expect them to cooperate with me willingly.
My goal was already achieved.
For them to develop a sense of crisis and report the heros appearance to the emperor.
And for them to strengthen this nations forces in their own ways.
If I strengthen Aslans forces, the imperial army wont sit idly by either.
I sipped my tea, inwardly satisfied.
I understand what youre saying.
Then Odel Ryumin said, stroking his chin.
As expected, he was quick on the uptake. Good.
However, the words from his mouth were different from what I anticipated.
Theres only one way to verify if the count is qualified to be the leader of the Seven Stars. My lady.
Yes?
An unexpected proposal came from Odels mouth.
How about we vote on it now? Whether to accept the count as one of our members.