A Suspicious Banquet, Part 1
"I have been waiting for you."
The next day, just as the Atryge branch manager had told us, we made contact with the lord's vassal at the designated location.
"You are a bit late. According to the message we received, we expected you to arrive yesterday..."
"We had some unexpected circumstances. More importantly, are we to discuss the details here?"
"No. Let us head to the castle. The Lord is waiting for you."
We entered the castle through a secret passage connected to our meeting point.
After navigating a dark, narrow, and damp corridor, we emerged through a wooden trapdoor in the ceiling and found ourselves inside an elegant, antique building.
"Are these the ones?"
A man with an undeniably imposing physique greeted us.
He appeared to be a traditional knight in the truest sense.
Unlike the Imperial Knights who awakened superhuman abilities through mana, he was a knight of the old era, focusing solely on physical conditioning.
They were once the very foundation of the nobility's power.
While their bodies remained remarkably strong, they undoubtedly fell short when compared to Imperial Knights.
And they loathed and despised Imperial Knights just as much as they did the nobility.
However, this man did not seem to harbor any particular ill will.
"I am Jamal. Please, follow me. The Lord has been waiting for you for a long time."
"Understood, Sir Jamal."
Guided by Sir Jamal, we made our way deeper into the lord's castle.
The castle was far too cold and quiet for a place where a lord conducted his official business.
It felt as though all life had been drained from it.
The drawing room was even worse.
Devoid of any real decoration, it contained nothing but a solitary table, across from which sat Count Timong.
"Hmm... Sir Jamal. Are they the Imperial Knights?"
"They are, my Lord."
Count Timong looked somewhat different from the portraits of his children that the branch manager had shown us.
He bore no resemblance to his arrogant-looking son or his vibrant daughter.
Furthermore, his eyes looked as though they had lost their spark a long time ago.
"Welcome, Sirs. I am Count Timong, the master of this territory. I assume you have already heard a brief summary of the situation from the branch manager."
"Yes. We were told that your children have gone missing..."
"Sigh..."
Count Timong leaned back in his chair, looking utterly exhausted as he let out a heavy sigh.
"Sir Jamal. Leave us. I wish to speak with them in private."
"...Understood, my Lord."
A brief silence fell over the drawing room as Jamal withdrew.
"Now... since Sir Jamal has left, let us speak frankly. My son and daughter disappeared after attending a banquet hosted by the neighboring nobility."
"Yes, we have already heard that much from the branch manager."
"Yes, of course. Furthermore, before they set out, they sent word back to the estate. They likely intended to visit other cities or meet other nobles along the way. To forewarn me of their delayed return, they sent their servant back to the territory ahead of them."
And then, they vanished.
Whether they had vanished into thin air or been swallowed by the earth, no one knew.
The nobles who attended the banquet all claimed that my children had already departed.
"Before requesting your aid, we exhausted every resource at our disposal. We questioned those close to my children and searched the routes they would have taken. Yet, we found no trace of their carriage—not even a single wheel track."
"If that is the case..."
"I believe my children never actually left that banquet. Something... something must have happened there."
"Count Timong."
Lucrecia, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke up.
"Do you suspect this is an attack by the Noble Faction?"
"Hmm... A sharp observation. Yes, I believe so to some extent. Our house pledged absolute loyalty to His Imperial Majesty, pouring everything we had into the Empire's wars of conquest. Paradoxically, however, this left us utterly powerless to defend our own estate. That is why we had no choice but to remain silent when the southwestern nobles rebelled. Our silence only drew suspicion from both sides."
To the Emperor, it looked as though Count Timong, despite his claims of loyalty, had merely stood by and watched the rebellion. To the rebel nobles, it appeared that a fellow aristocrat had chosen to act as the Emperor's watchdog, refusing to join their cause.
"Consequently, His Imperial Majesty... did not offer much support for the reconstruction of our house. And the surviving nobles who were suppressed in the rebellion, while not openly hostile, treated us with utter contempt. We had to find a way to survive, and rather than relying on the distant Emperor in the capital..."
They chose the nobles close at hand.
"Thus, my children attended banquets almost daily to build connections with them. The banquet they attended this time was a gathering for heirs of similar ages, so they went frequently. I had no reason to worry. Fortunately, thanks to their efforts, our relations with the other houses were gradually improving. But... sigh... it all feels like a bad dream."
Count Timong took a sip of water from the glass on the table and continued.
"What I ask of you is to attend that very banquet and search for any trace of my son and daughter."
"The banquet..."
"Yes. Because attendance is strictly limited to the children of nobility, we could only ask the attendees about my children's whereabouts. We have no idea what kind of banquet it actually is, or how it is conducted."
"Will we be able to pull this off?"
I asked, looking directly at him.
But he merely offered a faint, knowing smile and nodded.
"The branch manager mentioned that you are of ruined noble descent. He did not disclose your exact identities, but... if he recommended you, surely you have experience with such banquets?"
"...That is correct."
Eleonoa was the one who answered.
It seemed the branch manager had kept our exact identities—and the fact that I was a commoner—to himself.
"Good. In that case, may I entrust this task to you?"
He phrased it as a request, but in truth, we had no choice.
Or rather, the girls didn't.
The branch manager had promised to provide the support necessary to rebuild their houses.
Whether Count Timong knew of this arrangement or not, I couldn't say...
But either way, our answer was already decided.
"Understood. How should we go about attending this banquet?"
"Hmm. I shall arrange that. I have already laid some groundwork while waiting for your arrival. Rather than you, one of the other two should attend as a noble under an identity I have prepared. You will act as her escort knight... and the remaining one will assist at the banquet as her maid."
"Is there a specific reason for dividing our roles this way?"
"Indeed, there is."
What could it be?
I would have thought it made more sense for both of them to pose as nobles, or for all three of us to pretend to be aristocrats.
"First of all, with my children missing, it is far too risky for my own servants or knights to investigate openly. And this banquet has a peculiar rule. Attendance is strictly permitted only in the exact configuration I just described."
"What do you mean by..."
"One maid, one knight, and one noble lady. That is the rule of attendance for this banquet. When I first heard of it, I dismissed it as some eccentric rule the youth had made up among themselves... but now, I cannot help but wonder if it is connected to their disappearance."
One knight.
One maid.
One noble lady.
And then, disappearance.
What could the connection be?
No matter how much I pondered it now, nothing came to mind.
More importantly...
"Count Timong, I apologize, but we left all of our equipment and clothing back in Atryge out of concern that the kidnappers might be watching this place. Furthermore, we do not possess any attire suitable for a banquet to begin with..."
"Do not worry about that. I shall have everything prepared... though, hrm..."
Count Timong let out a low groan as his gaze drifted toward Lucrecia's and Eleonoa's chests.
"I am not sure if my daughter's clothes will fit. I had intended to prepare her garments, but it seems I must bring out my late wife's wardrobe instead."
"When is the banquet?"
"It will be held in one week. Until then, please rest comfortably in the castle."
With that, our conversation with Count Timong came to an end.
Once again, Sir Jamal guided us, leading us to a small room tucked deep within the castle.
"I apologize for the humble accommodations. However, as your visit must remain strictly confidential, it is difficult to offer you a room exposed to the public."
"No, this is perfectly fine."
"Then, please rest well."
Thud.
Once Sir Jamal closed the door and departed, we sat down on the bed in the room.
"What do you think?"
"There is a major problem, Kael."
"What is it?"
"No one knows what the kidnappers actually want. Even though a significant amount of time has passed since Count Timong's children were taken, the abductors haven't made any contact whatsoever."
If they were mere kidnappers, they would have demanded a ransom. If it were a political abduction by other nobles, they would have presented certain conditions.
Yet, the culprits had done neither.
"This might not be a simple kidnapping, or even a political struggle between nobles as we suspect. Do you have any other theories?"
"It's a rather grim hypothesis, but..."
Eleonoa said, tapping her lips thoughtfully.
"What is it, Eleonoa?"
"What if everything Count Timong told us is a lie?"
For a brief moment, I felt a sudden chill run through the room.
"A lie?"
"Yes, Kael. What if this entire setup is merely a trap to lure us out? What if his son and daughter are perfectly safe?"
"Would he have a reason to do that?"
"Reasons... we could come up with plenty if we tried."
Eleonoa sprang up from the bed and began pacing around the room.
"First, it could be a plot to wear down the Imperial Knights. A scheme to eliminate all the Imperial Knights operating in the southwestern region of the Empire, and we just happened to be the unlucky first targets."
"But isn't Count Timong part of the Emperor's Faction?"
"Didn't he just say so himself? The Emperor didn't help rebuild House Timong after the war. He has plenty of reason to harbor resentment. Moreover, he admitted that his relations with the other nobles have improved. There's a very real possibility he has completely defected to the Noble Faction."
It was a worst-case scenario.
"Second, they might be targeting Lucrecia and me."
Lucrecia and Eleonoa.
To the Noble Faction, the two of them possessed immense value as potential figureheads.
Eleonoa, a princess of the Waltern royal family, who could shake the southeastern region of the Empire—the former territory of Waltern.
And Lucrecia of House Roenheim, once great lords of the north.
"Of course, this is just the absolute worst-case scenario... It's not highly realistic. Besides, judging by Count Timong's reaction, he truly seemed to be suffering from the pain of losing his children..."
"In the end, we have no choice but to go to that banquet."
Eleonoa flopped back onto the bed.
"Yep. So until then, let's just relax and rest up. The room might be small, but this bed is wonderful. I feel like I could sleep here all day!"
Watching Eleonoa roll around while hugging the fluffy blankets and pillows, we couldn't help but chuckle. Letting our guard down for a moment, we decided to enjoy the luxury of a high-quality bed for the first time in a while.
We spent the next few days inside Count Timong's castle.
We occasionally conversed with the Count, trying to gather more information while quietly assessing the atmosphere within the castle.
As the day of the banquet drew near, the Count sent Sir Jamal to deliver the equipment we would be using.
"The swords seem decent enough."
We inspected the weapons we would be wielding first.
Unfortunately, there was no wand for Eleonoa. However, a wand was merely a supportive tool for her; she was more than capable of channeling her mana without one, so it wasn't a major issue.
The swords provided for Lucrecia and me were average—neither exceptionally good nor bad.
"It's a bit lighter than I'm used to, which is a shame."
Lucrecia's usual weapon was Silverfang, the heirloom greatsword of the Roenheim family.
Even without considering its magical properties that enhanced her abilities, it was an outstanding masterpiece of a blade.
Since she was accustomed to a greatsword, wielding a lighter blade felt awkward to her.
Thanks to the Count's consideration, we were permitted to use the castle's training grounds when no one was around, allowing us time to familiarize ourselves with the weapons.
Afterward, the attire we would wear to the banquet was delivered.
I received a neat, plain set of knight's formal wear with no distinctive features.
Fortunately, it fit my build well and wasn't uncomfortable.
"Umm... Kael? Can I come in?"
"Yeah. Come in, Eleonoa."
The outfit Eleonoa had received was a banquet dress that had belonged to Count Timong's late wife.
In addition, he had provided a few accessories that might suit her.
Fortunately, accessories weren't restricted by body shape, and Eleonoa was quietly pleased that she had managed to avoid wearing any outdated, oversized pearls.
She had gone to change, wanting to try everything on once before the actual banquet.
"I'm coming in, then."
"Oh..."
My jaw dropped the moment I saw her in the dress.
Though I knew of her status as a princess of the Waltern royal family, she had never once displayed that side of herself to me.
We had never had any reason to attend a banquet, nor had there been any occasion to wear such luxurious clothing.
As a result, her appearance now was incredibly fresh and strikingly intense.
The crimson dress, adorned with white frills, made her green eyes shine with even greater intensity. The Illusion Ruby Necklace hung low around her neck, its chain draping down to let the gem sparkle right between her breasts.
The corset tightly cinched her slender waist, emphasizing her curves and causing her already ample breasts to swell prominently over the top.
And the plunging neckline was cut incredibly low, leaving half of her voluptuous chest completely exposed.
"Isn't that... a bit too low-cut?"
"Hoho. My dear Kael, this level of exposure is standard etiquette for the nobility. Ohohoho."
Eleonoa let out a melodious, aristocratic laugh.
With every chuckle, her exposed cleavage jiggled, creating a mesmerizing sway.
"But you're right, it is cut rather deep. The Count's late wife must have had a large chest, but it was clearly smaller than mine. Though, to be fair, not many people can match my size. Isn't that right, Kaeeel~?"
She pressed herself close to me, wearing a sly grin.
If I looked down, I saw her pale, soft cleavage; if I looked up, I met her beautiful, emerald-green eyes...
Unsure of where to look, I chose to avert my gaze entirely.
"Hmph...! Sir Kael. Ah, I feel so dizzy~"
Eleonoa suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead, closed her eyes, and collapsed into my arms.
Unsure of how to react, I took a swift step to the side, causing her to fall face-first onto the bed.
"Kael!"
Leaving Eleonoa groaning on the bed, I waited for Lucrecia, who was supposed to be changing into her maid outfit.
"Kael..."
Just then, Lucrecia's voice drifted from behind the door.
For some reason, her voice sounded tremulous.
"I'm coming in."
"Yeah. Come in, Lucrecia."
Soon, the door opened, and she stepped inside.
"What in the..."
"My goodness... This isn't a maid, it's..."
Eleonoa swallowed the rest of her sentence.
Lucrecia wore an outfit that was a far cry from what anyone would call a maid uniform.
Her shoulders were completely bare, and a choker with a metal ring was fastened around her neck.
The sleeves were so short they barely covered her upper arms—hardly deserving of the name—and the top barely managed to cover her breasts, leaving the entire upper half of her chest exposed.
Her deep cleavage was on full display, with corset laces crisscrossing tightly over the center to hold everything in place.
While the skirt was undoubtedly that of a standard maid uniform...
The top made me wonder if this was actually a maid uniform, or if it was designed to look like...
I couldn't bring myself to finish the thought, fearing it would be too rude to her.
"Could they... have given us the wrong outfit?"
I went to ask the Count, but he explained that this was a spare uniform worn by the maid his daughter always took with her to the banquets.
"I shall provide you with a spare uniform from one of the other maids for now. However, I suspect my daughter had a specific reason for making her maid wear such attire..."
He added, trailing off.
Fortunately, the alternative maid uniform he provided was perfectly normal.
A few days later, we boarded the carriage prepared by the Count and set off toward the venue where the banquet was to be held.