Chapter 89
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Mirror (4)
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I snapped out of my reverie. The music drifting from the palace was growing louder by the second.
The carriage passed slowly through the grand gates of Elgrace Palace.
The palace, decked out for the lavish banquet, was dazzlingly ornate and beautiful.
Most of the buildings were made of white stone, making the colorful flowers adorning the walls and columns stand out even more.
The Elgrace Palace banquet hall was a three-story circular building situated in the middle of a flower-filled garden.
Everywhere the eye could see was beautifully decorated with flowers and glasswork, and orchestras on all three floors played music without pause.
The vast banquet hall was already packed with nobles and knights.
There couldn't be this many Prius knights, so most were Elgrace nobles. It felt like nearly every noble in Elgrace had gathered here.
We stepped out of the carriage and immediately followed the guide up to the third floor.
In the VIP room on the third floor of the banquet hall, King Karon Lesis and the White Guard Knight had already finished dining, joined by Secretary Wilton and my father.
Fortunately, by the time we arrived, the meal and conversation were wrapping up.
We paid our respects to King Karon Lesis before heading down to the second floor with the others.
"It'll be tough to eat inside the hall. Just tell a passing servant, and they'll prepare a meal in one of the side rooms off the banquet hall."
My father said this as we descended the stairs.
He was wearing a new banquet outfit as well.
The color and trim seemed modeled after the Prius knight uniform, making it look quite similar. Even the frilled cape suited him perfectly.
"Yes, I'll do that."
"Blue Guard Knight, there are some people I'd like to introduce you to."
Sir Jennerd spotted my father at the bottom of the second-floor stairs and called out to him.
My father smiled and said he'd be right there, then turned back to me and smoothed out my rumpled collar.
"I've got to go. Make sure you grab something to eat. You'll need your strength to deal with the nobles."
My father turned and left with Sir Jennerd.
I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but soon enough... I learned the hard way.
It was hard to say what happened first.
Was it the unfamiliar girl about our age who approached Clemence with a cheerful greeting? Or the young woman in a blue dress who smiled flirtatiously as she drew near Shuren?
At that moment, a group of nobles came up to Wedin and me as well.
"I heard the Prius delegation includes a young mage of remarkable skill. You two must be him."
This happened before I could even flag down a servant or head to the laden buffet tables.
The group of nobles arbitrarily guessed which of us—Wedin or me—was the mage, chuckling among themselves until we introduced ourselves. Only then did they stop laughing.
"To think someone so young is skilled enough to join the delegation! They say Prius raises excellent talent, and it looks like it's true."
"Th-thank you..."
"Their knights are famous for their prowess too. If they're from Prius, you can trust their skills right off the bat."
"It's amazing they've managed to dress so many mixed races in the same uniform. Must've been no small feat keeping them in line."
"Baron, really, comparing them to animals and reins?"
They unleashed a barrage of unfunny remarks amid laughter.
Before I could respond, they rattled on with whatever stories they'd heard about Prius, and all I could do was stand there politely with a smile.
"If it were us, we couldn't stand such a chaotic mess. Arbat hurling fireballs everywhere, Loran thieves swarming the streets. Turning rabble like that into knights..."
"Well, they do have a pureblood Luar mage."
I couldn't just sit there listening; my blood boiled, and I finally spoke up.
Wedin, who had been grimacing and holding back his irritation beside me, turned to me in surprise.
"Oh my..."
A noblewoman hiding her mouth behind a fan stared at me with clear dismay.
She must have realized at a glance who that pureblood Luar mage was.
"Oh, dear. You're right. I-I need to step away to the lounge for a moment."
"Ahem, me too. I just remembered an appointment."
Yeah, go wash up or change your clothes back in your room. If you're scared of the plague, that is.
The nobles scurried off as if they'd touched something filthy.
"...Effective, huh."
Wedin muttered quietly. I let out a small sigh.
"Not the most pleasant method. But I didn't want to hear more nonsense."
Yet nobles like that kept coming, one group after another.
Most of the nobles gathered here wanted to forge some connection with our Prius delegation, and we young ones made easy targets.
Before I could take a few steps, noblewomen perfumed to high heaven approached with loud laughter, and no sooner had I escaped them than a horde of flashy young men swarmed us.
Their stories were much the same. Few were pleasant.
Tired of repelling them with self-deprecating jabs, we took to wandering among the crowd, listening just long enough before slipping away, repeating the cycle.
One noble rushed up excitedly, babbling about fighting Gatra and dragons in the annex or dramatically saving the king.
I had no idea how the rumors had gotten so twisted.
The dragon hadn't even fought—it fled—and the king had been trembling under the table, but they wouldn't hear it from me.
"Eat this."
After barely escaping the nobles' pit, as I caught my breath, Wedin shoved a piece of bread into my mouth.
I chewed and barely managed to swallow. The sweet cream inside spread through my mouth, and my mind cleared a bit.
"Ah, I'm starting to feel alive..."
"Hey, you're the 'Red Jewel Mage,' right?"
I choked to keep from spitting out the bread, clamping my hand over my mouth.
I forced down the crumbly piece and turned around.
A group of unfamiliar noble youths had crowded in and started chattering away beside us.
"A friend of mine works as a knight for the Lesis ducal house, so I heard about what happened in Cornik. Said crimson jewel pillars sprouted up everywhere and wiped out the Gatra! Must've been an incredible sight."
"Do they teach that stuff in Prius? If I'd known, I'd have gone to knight school there too."
"Hey, magic's innate, you know. But crimson red? Kinda creepy, right? That guy said it was horrifying up close."
"Really? I thought it sounded cool. Oh, yeah. Could you show us a bit?"
"Sh-show you...?"
I blinked in confusion. What were these people even saying?
"Let's go, Lib."
Wedin, glaring murderously at the babbling youths, yanked hard on my clothes.
I stammered as he dragged me away.
The noble youths laughed playfully, calling out to show them something and reaching for me, but they were soon lost in the crowd.
Wedin bulldozed through the people without stopping.
On the outskirts of the second-floor banquet hall was a terrace area partitioned by heavy curtains.
Unlike the hall teeming with people shoulder-to-shoulder, this side was sparsely populated.
The orchestra's music and chatter had dulled, and the encroaching night made it dimly lit.
"Gonna get a noble phobia."
Wedin spat irritably as he released me. I gave a wry smile.
"I thought you'd gotten over that."
"Prion was fine. Most nobles there are Prius affiliates—sensible, respectable folk."
That included our families—Clemence's and mine.
Prion was a city-state without a monarchy, so noble titles were honorary, their authority based on Prius activities and status.
"We just had to tolerate the occasional visiting hotshot from out of town. But here? They're crawling with 'em. And all Denan too."
True enough. Elgrace nobles were all Denan. Pureblood Denan, at that...
The delegation's higher-ups had to attend this banquet, but some had skipped it entirely or left midway.
Grain, the water Arbat, hadn't shown up at all. The snake Loran Silver Guard Knight who usually shadowed the White Guard Knight was absent too.
I hadn't seen a single Loran knight whose tail or ears stood out.
Wedin strode to the curtained terrace and pulled it aside without hesitation.
A woman's short shriek came from within. A noble couple had been enjoying some private time on the terrace.
"Ah, sorry..."
I apologized in surprise, but they glanced at Wedin and whispered about going elsewhere before hurrying off.
Wedin's face was fiercer than usual.
"...We chased 'em off."
"Who cares. Ugh, that perfume."
Wedin irritably shoved the curtain aside.
Even on the outdoor terrace, the spot where the noblewoman had stood reeked of heavy perfume.
"I'm gonna grab some food. What about you? Stay here? Or head back into that madhouse?"
Wedin asked, holding the curtain and looking back at me.
"Go back into that? Hard pass."
I shuddered as I spoke, and Wedin, who'd been scowling the whole time, finally cracked a smirk.
"Then wait here."
After he left, I plopped down on the long bench at the terrace's edge.
The terrace was semicircular, the bench positioned to overlook the outside.
Soft lights glowed over the lattice railing. Beyond it stretched a midnight flower garden dyed in multicolored hues.
I drew a deep breath, gazing at the serene garden.
The thick perfume scent faded on the wind, and the cool night air gradually cleared my head.
As my mind sharpened, a ravenous hunger hit me hard. Father's warning about needing fuel to endure suddenly rang true.
He'd anticipated this perfectly.
Surely among these banquet nobles were some responsible for that day's incident, yet they all chattered as if it had nothing to do with them...
That day, most of the Elgrace private soldiers' attack on the kingdom knights was ruled self-defense, absolving the nobles of blame.
The order to arrest the traitors was rescinded.
The king claimed he hadn't agreed to Prince Raymond's order, which had been coerced by Kaela Hermes.
Sir Logiwood, who had faithfully executed the erroneous command, faced noble backlash and demotion, but Sir Jennerd's plea—highlighting his courage in rushing to the annex to save the king—barely saved him.
I attended the trial as a witness alongside the White Guard Knight and struggled not to laugh at the proceedings.
The king, looking a decade older in mere days, was busy excusing everything as Kaela Hermes's blackmail.
Prince Raymond parroted the same excuse. But as Kaela revealed their plotted wicked schemes one by one, he froze solid.
Under the nobles' outrage, the prince's face turned ashen, his future looking bleak.
From one side of the courtroom, Duke Lesis watched it all in silence, lips pressed tight.