Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Central Gala
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A beautiful melody was resounding throughout the hall.
Gorgeous lighting and walls filled with gold, a floor of marble.
“Hahaha!”
The laughter showed no signs of stopping, and every bit of food going into their mouths was luxurious enough to be called a delicacy.
That was precisely it.
“Is that so?”
“That’s right!”
The central gala.
The cost of the food these people devoured in a single day could feed all of District 10 for a full day with full bellies.
Extravagance and indulgence.
“Your complexion looks even better.”
“I applied some diluted elixir—does it show?”
“You’re beautiful, madam.”
They, who knew nothing beyond their own world, were reveling in the gala with faces full of delight.
“Speaking of which, I don’t see her.”
“Who do you mean? If Count Por is looking for her, she must be someone important.”
“Haha, no way. It’s just…”
A smirk crept across his face.
It was a monstrous grin that might make one shudder for a moment.
“That monkey girl isn’t around.”
“Monkey girl?”
“You know, the one.”
Only a select few nobles could advance to the center.
Even across the entire continent, it was land only the chosen could tread.
“The crazy bitch who locked up Demorus’s candidate in prison!”
Yet occasionally, for amusement, they would invite newcomers.
“Oh, you mean that lady Remy or whatever.”
“Lady? Don’t make me laugh. Anyway, looks like even she couldn’t hold out.”
After all.
Smirk.
“Probably hanged herself by now?”
They could never endure the center.
Utter disregard.
Their own world.
Breaking into it was no small feat, no matter one’s abilities.
Even a country bumpkin lord was still a lord.
They had reigned like kings among their knights and subjects, only to face nothing but humiliation upon arriving at the center.
Some nobles, unable to bear the indignities, tried to flee.
But they couldn’t even escape to Porishe.
The city’s gleaming gold and immense wealth.
They couldn’t accept that they were.
“Still, she held out pretty long, didn’t she?”
Just ordinary villagers.
In the end, those who stayed in the center, enduring and enduring, went mad.
It was one of the central nobles’ amusements.
“How long did she last?”
“About a month, I think…”
Suddenly, a man raised his hand.
“Anyone bet on a month? Looks like the monkey’s finally collapsed! Victory is ours.”
“Oooo!”
“Damn it!”
They even bet on how long such nobles would last.
That was when it happened.
Creak.
The doors to the banquet hall swung open, and knights in golden armor entered, announcing loudly.
“Countess Remy Borfeo has arrived.”
Silence blanketed the banquet hall for a moment.
“Damn! I thought I’d won.”
“Hahaha! Two months! She needed to last two months!”
But soon the hall was consumed by madness.
Gazes filled with dissatisfaction and curiosity turned toward the entrance.
And then.
“Sei…”
The knight’s voice, which should have ended there, rang out once more.
“Sein Demorus has entered!”
“……!”
Sein—that name meant little.
What mattered was what followed.
—Demorus.
And.
“……!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
Remy had attended many galas, but true to her lower-district origins, her dresses and etiquette had always been abysmal.
Yet here was Remy entering with such elegance, displaying a stunning figure.
“Was Countess Remy always that beautiful?”
Dissatisfaction turned to greed, curiosity to favor.
Appearance was that important.
“…Gasp.”
“Oooo…”
“My goodness.”
““““……!!?””””
Exclamations followed one after another.
What was amusing was that most of the gasps came from ladies and madams.
Only a tiny fraction escaped the men’s lips.
It was as if light itself was walking in.
“That girl…”
Her gait exuded elegance.
Each step seemed imbued with charisma.
There was nothing to critique in her looks, her attire—nothing at all.
The man holding Remy’s hand as they entered.
“Sein… Demorus?”
All attention focused on Sein Demorus.
*
*
*
—Learn how to walk first.
Remy was worried about Sein.
She knew of Sein’s greatness and his bloodline, but noble society was a different beast from the underworld he inhabited.
Especially since Sein hailed from Chichiron in District 10.
Even with his brilliant mind and exceptional martial talent.
—How to speak.
The nobles would look down on him.
—Etiquette and dancing too. But you move your body well, right? You’ll pick it up fast.
The underworld tended to scorn noble society.
To those for whom power was everything, what did pointless etiquette or speech matter?
However.
—Just as the underworld has its own laws, noble society has its own.
It was no different from the power of the underworld.
They judged one’s path in life by their gait.
Their parentage by their words.
Their very existence by their dance.
All of it was power, was themselves.
‘At the very least, I can’t let him be embarrassed.’
She had endured endless embarrassments herself.
But Sein facing embarrassment was another matter.
—You shine just by existing. So just match them a little.
The higher Sein’s value was appraised, the higher hers would rise too.
After all, it was Remy who had invited him to the gala.
But soon, Remy realized.
—Your walk needs fixing too.
—What? Unnecessary pride…
Sein.
—…I underestimated him.
He was an utterly inscrutable being.
Sein embodied everything Remy had described.
It was a shock in itself.
He seemed more noble than any noble at the gala.
No—more than that. Elegance, refinement, charisma.
—Follow me. You’re stiff, so it’ll take time. I’ll keep at it until you get it.
And now.
“It’s rare to see underworld blood at a central gala, so why invite the Demorus heir?”
Remy had become the star of the show.
“There’s no rule saying old grudges must remain grudges. A true noble knows how to embrace even enmity.”
“Splendid!”
Even as she spoke, Remy’s gaze was fixed on one spot.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am…”
Sein.
He was enjoying the gala with perfect poise, etiquette, demeanor—the epitome of nobility.
More noble than anyone else present.
‘Is he really not some fallen ancient imperial royal?’
The thought crossed her mind.
And…
“Heeheehee. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Sein. I am the third daughter of Marquis Alrok…”
Why did jealousy burn so fiercely?
*
*
*
Sein’s countless lifetimes.
He had been royalty, nobility.
Even crown prince in his last one.
‘Back then, I thought I’d die of boredom.’
The Sanctuary quests during those lives were brutally harsh.
Steal someone’s heart.
Master perfect dance steps in sequence.
They were fun because it was a game; otherwise, they’d have been nightmares.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Oh, come back to me soon.”
But those experiences helped greatly now.
The New Empire had inherited the old empire.
Their etiquette and customs were nearly identical.
The nobles were twisted to varying degrees, but it was similar enough then and now—child’s play for Sein to charm them.
“Fuck, this is suffocating.”
Still, the feeling of wearing ill-fitting clothes persisted.
Sein stepped out onto the terrace for some air.
“…….”
Accepting Remy’s commission wasn’t solely to help her.
‘New Empire.’
The white mask.
And perhaps learn something new he didn’t yet know.
But there were no real prizes here.
‘Expectations are for fools.’
A gala Remy could be invited to.
No proper players would be at a gathering with someone at the bottom of the center’s food chain.
But then.
Swish.
Sein quietly turned.
“So you were here.”
A gentle face, perhaps even called effeminate.
But that wasn’t why Sein was surprised.
‘When did he get here?’
He had scanned everyone at the gala, memorizing their auras.
Several strong ones, but none stood out.
Yet.
“I wished to speak with Sein Demorus and interrupted your rest. Will you forgive me?”
This man was absent from Sein’s senses and memory.
“Of course. What’s a little rest when I can mingle with nobles who serve the continent?”
Sein replied behind the mask of pretense.
“You don’t seem like an underworld figure, Lord Sein.”
“Is that so?”
“Underworld blood tends to scorn central nobles.”
“Different paths in life, I suppose.”
Sein merely nodded along.
“Indeed. Why would they look kindly on those lost in luxury and pleasure, chasing mere amusements?”
But his next words made Sein’s eye twitch.
This wasn’t noble speech.
“I find them repulsive too.”
The man spread his arms wide.
Behind him, the laughing, chattering gala seemed to rise like a circle.
“But what can one do?”
“…If I may.”
Sein spoke.
“May I have your name?”
Finally.
“Ah, my manners. I’ve been remiss in introducing myself.”
He had found him.
“I am Kanima Beriat.”
The real one amid the fakes.
“My title is duke.”
Duke.
A rank held by only three among the hundreds, thousands of central nobles.
A title that existed solely in the center.
“Shall we continue our talk?”
“With pleasure.”