Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Demon Subduing Hall (4)
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The next day dawned, and Claudia's annex palace bustled with servants and maids.
To prepare for the banquet celebrating Claudia Alteira's birthday.
She was the head of a faction, after all.
Even to display her power, the banquet had no choice but to be extravagant. And as if to prove it, powerhouses from across the empire gathered at the annex one after another.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say every noble of count rank or higher attended, regardless of faction.
Except for the heads of the Klaus and Ferdinand families, members of the Three Great Noble Houses.
However, their absence held little significance.
Because there was someone else capturing the nobles' attention.
Martin Adalbert.
The man who had revived the Adalbert family—which was even rumored to be on the verge of collapse—in a mere half year.
“The heir of the Adalbert family, Martin Adalbert, enters!”
The servant's voice echoed through the banquet hall.
In response, the gazes of those already gathered all turned to the entrance.
Step by step.
Martin, dressed in formal attire styled like a tuxedo, walked in slowly.
In his right hand, he held the hand of Sien, who was clad in a beautiful dress.
Martin whispered with a quiet smile.
“You know your face is flushed, right, Sien?”
“Sh-shut up.”
Sien shot back as quietly as she could.
She found the dress, which she almost never wore, incredibly uncomfortable.
And with everyone's attention focused on her amid that, it made her self-conscious in every way.
*Cute.*
This was sincere, but he kept it to himself.
If he said it out loud, Sien might lose it, and he wouldn't be able to handle the fallout.
To spare her shyness some consideration, Martin turned his gaze straight ahead.
The vast hall held a total of fifteen tables, neatly divided into three groups of five.
The center belonged to the First Princess's faction, while the left and right sides were occupied by the First Prince's and Second Prince's factions, respectively.
“The Second Prince's side has some seriously vicious stares. Pretty much as expected, though.”
“No need to worry about what the losers are snarling.”
“If they heard that, they really would've come charging at us, Martin.”
“That actually sounds entertaining.”
Martin quietly chatted with Sien as he made his way forward.
Straight to the center, where the First Princess's faction was gathered.
Murmurs rippled through the hall in an instant.
Rumors had spread that Claudia had formed an alliance with Martin, but nothing was confirmed.
His actions now made the rumor fact.
“This wipes out Her Highness the Princess's weakness entirely...”
“Not a bad deal for the heir, either. He gets to borrow the strength of Irina von Minert, the vice-captain and a ninth-circle powerhouse.”
“He's bought time until her full potential blooms.”
Both the First Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction revealed their wariness.
Up until now, the balance of power among the three factions had been roughly 5:3:2. But with the Adalbert family joining, the situation had flipped completely.
It would depend on how much influence Martin wielded, but the overall landscape now had a real chance of turning upside down.
“......”
Martin headed to the head seat among the center tables.
The nobles aligned with the First Princess's faction could only watch him warily, none daring to approach.
They hadn't received a formal introduction from Claudia, and the subtle pressure emanating from Martin made it hard to draw near.
“You're really awful, you know that, Martin.”
“The riffraff can wait till later, can't they? I don't want to waste my energy on pointless crap.”
Martin answered nonchalantly as he glanced toward the banquet hall's entrance.
There were four people he needed to keep an eye on at this banquet, but none had arrived yet.
First Prince Rihart Alteira.
Second Prince Theodore Alteira.
Jurgen Ferdinand, heir of the Ferdinand family.
Nicholas von Royce, head of the Royce marquisate.
*Who'll show up first, I wonder.*
Martin was watching the entrance with interest when the servant raised his voice.
“His Highness Second Prince Theodore Alteira and Marquis Nicholas von Royce of the Royce marquisate enter!”
“Of all people, those two first.”
Martin gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly.
He had a premonition that things were about to get troublesome.
* * *
At last, Second Prince Theodore Alteira made his appearance.
At his side was Nicholas von Royce, his body and face shrouded in a robe that clashed with the banquet hall.
As the two entered, the crowd fell silent, all eyes fixed on them.
Step by step.
The pair walked together up to the midpoint before splitting off at the tables.
Nicholas von Royce headed to the right side, where Theodore's faction was gathered.
Theodore, meanwhile, strode purposefully toward the center tables and came to a stop right in front of Martin.
“We finally meet. I am Theodore Alteira.”
“Martin Adalbert.”
As if by prior agreement, they didn't shake hands.
They simply smiled and stared at each other's faces.
Then Martin spoke first.
“Unexpected. I figured Marquis Royce would definitely come straight for me.”
“No need for the marquis to handle someone of your caliber.”
“Must be nice having royal blood. I can see just how devoted that grandfather is to his grandson.”
“Nothing in the world is more precious than family. Ah, but you wouldn't know that anymore, would you? Should I apologize?”
Sien's eyes twitched sharply at Theodore's barbed words.
But Martin's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
“It's fine. Better not to hear apologies that aren't sincere. And while I may lack family, I do have cherished retainers and territory folk I must protect... that's right.”
Martin's smile deepened.
At the same time, his gaze turned fierce.
“I'm not sure if you've heard about some incompetent lord out west. During the last monster wave, he failed to muster his forces in time, tried to hire adventurers on the cheap and botched the recruitment entirely, leading to massive casualties. Thanks to that, he's catching hell from his own people. Lucky me, I haven't had to deal with that mess.”
“......Big endeavors inevitably come with unavoidable sacrifices at times. But the compensation for them must be ironclad.”
Theodore's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
That was him exercising maximum restraint—if not, a torrent of curses would have spilled out.
And understandably so, since the point Martin had jabbed at was his greatest failure.
“Not wrong, but it's not my style. Far easier on the mind to prepare ahead than to regret later.”
“I'll keep your advice in mind, heir.”
Theodore stared at Martin as he replied, then extended his hand toward the right.
Whirr.
The wine bottle from the table and two glasses floated into the air.
It was the Alteira Empire's imperial unique ability—'Gravity Dominion'—one that manifested only in the direct imperial line, now on full display before everyone.
“Since I've learned a lesson, I'd like to pay the fee. You're of age to drink, I take it?”
“Of course. I've not imbibed much yet, so won't Your Highness teach me?”
“I'm not exactly ancient myself, but as the elder, it's the least I can do.”
Theodore handed over a glass, and Martin accepted it.
He then tilted the bottle, beginning to pour.
Glug, glug.
Red wine flowed smoothly into the glass.
All well and good up to that point—but then came the problem.
“That's...”
“......Shouldn't someone stop them?”
“Who? Only one person here could pull that off.”
Most of those gathered couldn't hide their bewilderment.
The wine didn't just fill the glass—it overflowed, spilling ceaselessly onto the floor.
Theodore was openly picking a fight.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Rooooar!
Immense mana surged out, centered on the two men.
Not a single drop touched Martin's body, nor did any hit the floor.
The wine was caught and held by the power of Martin and Theodore, who turned it into a contest of strength.
“You sure about this? The level gap is clear.”
“Our unique ability levels are the same, aren't they?”
“True. But my mana reserves overwhelm yours.”
“My physical prowess outclasses yours by far.”
Vast quantities of mana churned, whipping the wine into a vortex.
Yet Martin and Theodore continued their conversation with utterly composed expressions.
As if this were nothing at all.
“By the way, I heard something interesting.”
“If you're so confident, it must be worth a listen. Out with it.”
Martin spoke in a low tone.
Theodore nodded, his face showing keen interest.
*No matter the content, he's clearly trying to provoke me.*
The mana flow was so intense that Martin was the only one who could hear him.
But with everyone's eyes locked on him and Martin, he couldn't afford to look foolish.
The problem was the content of Martin's words.
It was more than enough to shatter Theodore's composure.
“They say there's a debauched noble out west. Apparently, he's been buying up daughters from orphanages and poor commoner families to turn into slaves. As someone who just abolished the slave markets, I hope this stays mere rumor. If it's real, it's too horrific.”
“......You're right.”
“But that's not all. This scoundrel forces abortion drugs on any woman who gets pregnant. The stuff's so potent that plenty die in the process or suffer severe aftereffects—and those who survive get 'disposed of' right away.”
Tremble, tremble.
The more Martin spoke, the more violently Theodore's right arm shook.
Killing intent had already risen in his eyes.
*Impressive.*
Seeing it, Martin smirked inwardly.
Even with his agitation plain as day, Theodore hadn't lost control of his mana.
It was a feat worthy of direct imperial blood.
*But how long can he hold out?*
Mental fortitude was the most crucial element in a clash like this.
With Theodore already shaken, there was virtually no chance his focus would hold to the end.
What Martin had just revealed was, after all, the man's greatest weakness.
In his previous life, Claudia had publicly exposed this very fact, using it to corner Theodore politically in a big way.
Theodore knew full well how crippling a weakness it was, so collapse was inevitable before long.
But then—
“Didn't expect to see such a hostile display at my dear little sister's birthday celebration.”
A gentle voice rang out.
At the same time, a new pressure intruded.
“This is...”
“Tch!”
Martin wore an intrigued expression.
Theodore, by contrast, scowled.
Jumping into a clash between a seventh-circle and sixth-circle powerhouse was reckless at best.
And yet the voice's owner dared to do so, sending Martin and Theodore's mana wobbling like waves in a storm.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and wine splashed in every direction.
Both men shielded themselves with their unique abilities, so their clothes stayed dry.
Swish.
As if on cue, Martin and Theodore turned their heads.
Standing there was a man who perfectly embodied the term "noble young lord."
His looks didn't pale in comparison to Martin or Theodore, and his mild yet refined demeanor inspired trust on sight.
Even his slight build exuded elegance, proclaiming his noble bearing.
*Rihart Alteira.*
The First Prince of the Alteira Empire.
The man said to be closest to the throne had finally made his entrance.