Chapter 26

"Tower Master, a letter has arrived from the Istar Duke."

Franz took the letter Arian handed him. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A few days earlier, he'd sent a letter to the Istar Duke announcing his attendance at the ball, and this was the reply.

Franz's eyes slowly scanned down the letter.

At least the ball attendance was sorted. But what the hell kind of letter was this long? The important stuff was crammed into the last two lines, while the previous forty were filled with pointless drivel.

Noble letters were always like this, but he still couldn't wrap his head around their mindset. From a 21st-century modern guy's perspective, "get to the point" was the norm.

Franz set the letter down on his desk and turned to Arian.

"Arian, what about you?"

"Mine's sorted too."

Good, she must have gotten permission as well. Well, same ducal rank and all. No reason to refuse, and they couldn't anyway. Still, it felt a bit bad treating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the heretic bastards the same as the Frigia Duke's family.

Eh, it'll be fine. The Istar Ducal house wouldn't exist after the ball anyway.

In any case, with Arian having picked out his outfit already, all he had to do was wait for the day.

"Tower Master, shall I arrange a carriage?"

"A carriage? Why?"

Franz tilted his head in confusion, and Arian blinked blankly for a moment. It wasn't the response she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expected. She snapped out of it and voiced her own question.

"Aren't you attending the ball?"

"Yeah?"

"You planning to walk?"

"Why the hell would I walk?"

They couldn't understand each other at all. Their perspectives were just too different from the start.

To Arian, a carriage was the obvious way to cover long distances quickly. To Franz, it was just a leisurely ride for enjoying the trip—pure entertainment. For getting to a destination? Teleportation was way faster.

Of course, most people thought like Arian. Realizing this belatedly, Franz said,

"I'll teleport on the day of the ball."

"...Yes, sir."

Arian's voice was thick with disappointment. It was a two-day carriage ride from the Magic Tower to the Istar Ducal estate. Her plans for two days of cozy flirting in the carriage crumbled to dust.

Sorry, Ludwin. She apologized to the imaginary child in her mind. His due date had just been pushed back a bit.

Franz, oblivious as ever, was only thinking how his back would ache from a long carriage ride.

The day of the ball.

Franz changed out of his usual clothes into the outfit Arian had selected. It resembled a tuxedo, the kind nobles typically wore. It had been ages since he'd worn something like this, so the discomfort lingered. Still, it was just for a day at most, and Arian had made it far more comfortable, so he had no complaints.

Soon, Arian arrived.

"S-sorry. It took a bit longer to get ready..."

She trailed off. Even though she'd seen it once before, the sight hit her again like a thunderbolt.

Franz was handsome even without effort; dressed up, he was on another level.

Oblivious to her feelings, Franz acted as usual.

"It's fine. The ball won't wrap up in a flash anyway."

"Glad to hear that... Um..."

Arian hesitated, mumbling. Franz cocked his head slightly.

Um? What is it?

"...You look handsome today."

Arian forced the words out, following Elin's advice to compliment him.

And then, something amazing happened.

"Oh, yeah? Thanks. You look pretty today too."

Franz found her praise a tad awkward but returned it clearly.

She really does look pretty today.

Objectively speaking, Arian was stunning. Her lightly waved hair exuded elegance, her natural makeup highlighted her softly flushed cheeks, and it all made the ornate dress feel perfectly balanced. Like a fish in water.

"Your collar's folded here."

Arian approached and straightened his collar. Franz caught a familiar scent wafting from her—subtle, pleasant, just right.

"Wearing perfume?"

"Ah, yes. I turned that tea leaf you liked from the shop into perfume."

"No wonder it smells so good."

"Thank you."

Ah, that explained the familiarity. Franz shrugged it off.

She must really like the scent.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yes."

A complex magic circle etched itself beneath Franz's feet. Light flickered, and their figures vanished from the Tower Master's office.

They reappeared in front of a massive mansion—five times larger than that bald pig Gidric's place. This was more castle than mansion.

"Wh-who goes there?!"

The knight guarding the entrance gaped. No surprise—people popping out of thin air would do that. Smart of him to use polite speech upon seeing their attire.

"Tower Master Franz Gilbert."

"Arian Frigia."

"Ah, s-sorry for not recognizing you."

The knight bowed deeply in apology. Technically, the sudden appearance was their fault, but that was noble versus commoner reality.

Franz and Arian passed the knight and headed inside, Franz offering a silent prayer for the guy. Once Istar Duke was exposed as a heretic, the knight would burn at the stake regardless of guilt.

"See? I told you to take the carriage."

"Didn't expect this."

"Next time, carriage."

"Sure, let's do that."

Franz fell smoothly into Arian's trap without noticing. His mind was already full of the Istar Duke and Yuna.

They arrived at the ballroom. The event was underway, nobles chatting in clusters.

Where's the Istar Duke...

Franz scanned the room. Greetings to the host came first. He wanted to hunt for proof right away, but drawing suspicion could complicate things.

"Over there."

Franz followed Arian's gaze. There stood the tall, slender Istar Duke. Looked perfectly fine—why the hell dabble in heresy? Not that any reason would make sense.

Franz and Arian approached.

"Duke Istar, a pleasure. Tower Master Franz Gilbert."

The duke beamed back.

"Wow, what an honor to meet the Tower Master in person."

"The honor is mine."

"Haha, you're too kind. I'd love a long chat, but I'm swamped today. Next time for sure."

"Can't be helped if you're busy."

Though there'd be no next time.

As the duke departed, Franz and Arian were alone again.

"Tower Master, what now?"

Arian whispered. Franz glanced around, pondering.

Better to observe a bit more. Vanishing right after arriving would be suspicious. Act normal to avoid doubt.

"Let's just pretend to enjoy the ball for now."

He grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing servant and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offered one to Arian—

Something's off.

An unpleasant sensation from the wine. Sticky, viscous, like facing a mana beast.

Franz extended his mana to probe closer.

And realized.

This is bad. Real bad.

Every glass of wine in the ballroom gave off the same vibe. The Istar Duke was about to kick off something big.