Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: A Beautiful Proposition
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I was so focused on controlling my Demonic Soul that I didn't even notice someone approaching.
But I didn't feel the slightest bit of displeasure.
The person who spoke to me was none other than Adel Richter.
'Seriously? Where was she when that Vizolt guy was assaulting my eyes?'
Still, it was nice to see her after so long.
Of course, Adel had no idea that the man she met at Salon Mascal was me.
"You're a beginner, so that's to be expected. Ah, I didn't mean that in a derogatory way."
"It's fine. It's the truth."
At Venderford, I was playing the part of a talented student admitted through a donation.
It wouldn't make sense for a rookie to be too skilled, so I made sure to express a reasonable amount of difficulty.
Adel Richter nodded and smiled gently.
"It's hard to be good at everything from the start. But isn't it enjoyable to achieve something?"
"I agree."
"I'm not very skilled with the Velgart Energy Arts myself, so I can't offer you any advice."
"That's alright. I'll figure it out as I go."
She didn't catch the double meaning in my words.
'This is a bit unexpected. I thought the Third Prince would make the first move.'
As I admired Adel's dazzling beauty, I was lost in thought for a brief moment.
Until now, it had been the Second Prince, Franz's side that had been actively expanding its influence.
Ellington, on the other hand, had been very cautious about recruiting talent.
It seemed he intended to observe carefully and separate the wheat from the chaff.
But to send the rising star of a ducal house to someone like me, whom he barely knew?
Unable to decipher the Third Prince's intentions, I posed a question to Adel Richter.
"But what brings you here so suddenly? Haven't we just met?"
She seemed surprised by my rather stiff response, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.
However, Adel maintained her composure and skillfully continued the conversation.
"We can get to know each other starting now. I'm just trying to befriend the people I'll be seeing for a long time. There's no special intention."
"I see."
I nodded as if I understood but didn't let down my poker face.
'How about that? Never met a guy like me, have you?'
Until now, Adel Richter had likely only been surrounded by men trying to win her favor.
Being the smart woman she was, she must have seen right through their ulterior motives.
So, I decided to take a completely different route.
I couldn't let this opportunity, with Adel approaching me first, go to waste.
"You're quite different from the others."
"How so?"
"You're not authoritarian, and you seem down-to-earth. In a good way, it's like your looks don't define you. Nobles don't usually engage in casual conversation with commoners like me."
My tone was somewhat business-like, but it didn't make the atmosphere awkward.
Though the words were blunt, they were morally uplifting the other person.
She replied with a gentle smile.
"You have a unique way of complimenting people."
"Let's just say it's part of my charm."
That last remark sounded less like Ray Carter, the sponsored student, and more like Ray Rantzverger.
I cringed inwardly but brazenly averted my gaze, trusting my thick skin.
For some reason, I felt like if I kept making eye contact, my true identity would be exposed.
Fortunately, Adel just tilted her head slightly, not seeming particularly suspicious.
"Oh, by the way. Did you hear? Liberal arts classes are starting next week."
"Really? I hadn't heard anything about that..."
"I happened to see the notice from the administration office before it was posted on the bulletin board in front of the dining hall."
"That's some valuable information. Thank you."
"It's going to be public knowledge soon anyway. According to the notice, the dance class will be the first to open."
Dancing was a fundamental skill for nobles.
It was considered so important that there was a saying that you could even be rejected by your fiancée if you couldn't dance.
Even families of modest means would hire dance instructors for early education.
With such a culture, it was only natural for Venderford to teach dance.
Having been quite the dancer in my younger days, I felt my heart pound with a little excitement.
"Well, that's a relief. It's more familiar than swordsmanship or aura."
"You've learned to dance?"
"Yes, I'm pretty good."
"That's great. I saw on the notice that we have to choose partners."
"Really? But with this gender ratio..."
The student gender ratio at Venderford was 7 to 3, with an overwhelming majority of men.
Many families, aiming for the imperial swordsmanship and aura techniques, sent the talent they deemed more suitable for learning them.
"That's why I came to see you."
"Pardon?"
"To ask you to be my partner in advance."
"..."
Whoa, hold on a minute.
What's with this sudden, direct approach?
I hadn't expected her to be so straightforward, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.
Of course, from the moment I heard about the dance class, I had planned on asking Adel to be my partner.
We'd likely be paired up for the lessons, after all.
And if I had to choose, I'd prefer a beauty.
I was about to instinctively nod when I casually glanced away.
My eyes met Ellington's, who had been watching us intently.
The Third Prince hastily pretended to focus on his aura rotation.
'Hey, this is a honey trap, isn't it?'
He might act innocent, but Ellington was a man who had survived for twenty years in the imperial court, a place rife with schemes and conspiracies.
He must have experienced all sorts of bizarre things, from poisonings to false accusations.
In the midst of such deadly struggles, a honey trap would barely even register as a dirty trick.
'To use such a low-class tactic! I see right through you, Adel Richter!'
I glared at her with flashing eyes and said.
"Let's do it. It's always wise to secure good talent early."
Naturally, everything I'd just thought was complete nonsense.
Schemes and conspiracies? Who cared.
'Yeah, whatever. I'll fall for the honey trap.'
I'm overwhelmingly grateful you sent Adel and not some random nobody.
My deepest respects, Lord Ellington.
***
In an office in the Imperial Palace.
A middle-aged man with neatly cut black hair sat at a desk.
His sharp eyes and rather sturdy build suggested he was a dedicated practitioner of swordsmanship.
This was Reynold, the Emperor of the Vertos Empire.
The Emperor was in the middle of his afternoon duties.
It was an important time for reviewing and approving documents submitted by various departments.
Suddenly, a report he had never seen before caught his eye.
Judging by the seal and document format, it seemed to have been submitted by the Imperial Secret Intelligence Service.
"Dance class..."
Just then, the quill pen Reynold was holding snapped.
*Crack!*
He had gripped it too tightly.
Pushing the inkwell and broken pen aside, Reynold rang a bell on his desk to summon an attendant.
A knock sounded, and someone entered the office.
It was Viscount Bellamy, the head chamberlain, impeccably dressed in a white vest.
"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"
"Is the Director of Intelligence nearby? Have him come here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The chamberlain bowed respectfully and backed out of the room before hurrying off somewhere.
He must have surveyed the office in that brief moment, as a maid soon entered to clear away the broken quill.
Before long, a middle-aged man with brown hair and an ordinary appearance cautiously entered the office.
It was Count Stephen Turner, the head of the Imperial Secret Intelligence Service.
"Your Majesty."
"It's about the report you submitted."
"Do you mean the Venderford observation log?"
"Yes. Could you tell me again who the Dean of the Liberal Arts faculty is?"
"Lisa Sorvino has been appointed to the position."
"Why?"
"Well... it seems the chancellor deemed her a suitable candidate."
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Count Turner answered with slight hesitation.
Emperor Reynold, who had been frowning for a moment, let out a smirk.
"It's all in the past now. Anyway, the princes are in for a rough time. What do you think?"
"I believe that is likely, Your Majesty. Her teaching methods are notoriously strict."
"I only had it that easy because I was the Crown Prince. The students are probably going to die."
"I've heard their skills improve dramatically, however."
"Anyone's skills would improve if they were worked to death. Of course, getting to that point is the hard part."
"..."
Count Turner simply bowed his head in silence.
He had a feeling the Emperor wasn't talking to him.
The Emperor took a sip of the tea on his desk and gazed at the window, where the warm sunlight streamed in.
It was almost as if he were lost in a memory of the past...
"No, the more I think about it, the more it pisses me off. Dancing isn't swordsmanship, so why would you train a child so harshly?"
It seemed the memory Reynold had recalled was not a beautiful one.
"..."
Count Turner squeezed his eyes shut, pretending not to hear the fury pouring from the empire's supreme ruler.
For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.
***
Meanwhile, at Venderford, the dance class was about to begin.
After four weeks of practicing nothing but swordsmanship and aura day and night, the students were thirsty for something new.
The dance class that appeared in the midst of it all was like rain in a drought.
With slightly excited expressions, the students waited for the professor to arrive.
Some couples were already practicing their dance moves.
'What a scene.'
The sound of cheerful laughter filled the dance hall.
*Creeak!*
Just as the clock struck the hour, a group of people opened the door and entered the classroom.
The chattering students immediately fell silent.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
The atmosphere of the people who filed in and stood in a line was anything but ordinary.
One could tell how well-trained they were just by the way they marched in step.
"It's like watching an Imperial Army parade."
I heard Adel's admiring voice from beside me.
"Their formation drills are impeccable. It can't be easy to be that synchronized."
I nodded in agreement with her.
The individuals who entered the classroom were all young women.
Like dolls, they wore no expressions and stared straight ahead.
Then, someone's foot appeared in the open doorway at the front.
*Thud!*
Her attire was strikingly glamorous, a stark contrast to the group that had just poured in.
The students instinctively realized that this woman was the dance professor.
'S-Stunningly beautiful!'
Emerald hair that seemed almost inhuman, a perfect figure, and flawless skin.
Everything about her, down to her long, slender fingers, was beautiful.
To think that this young woman, whose beauty shone as brightly as Adel's, was a professor.
It was as if a ray of light had finally pierced through the dark and gloomy faculty of Venderford.
All the male students wore dazed expressions.
Franz and Ellington, on the other hand, were pale as sheets.
After glancing at the princes with a puzzled look, I turned my attention back to the platform in the center.
The person who appeared to be the dance professor was about to say something to the students.
But at that very moment, something caught my eye.
'Ears...?'
The person standing on the platform was an elf, a race believed to have gone extinct 500 years ago.