162. Imperial Ball (3)
“I was born an orphan in a slum.”
In an instant, silence came.
Those who understood Cain’s words soon began to murmur.
“You’re from a slum? So you’re saying you were born outside the wall.”
“The rumors were true.”
The atmosphere was very noisy, and various emotions were revealed on the faces of the people.
shock and astonishment.
The tension and excitement of a rapidly changing situation.
And the feeling of betrayal of someone you trusted.
Those who did not like Cain were unable to hide their trembling smiles.
“Then have we been deceived so far?”
“Strictly speaking, I am not cheating, as I have never officially revealed where I am from.”
“Anyway, the bloodline… .”
The buzzing didn’t seem to stop.
Regardless of the existing attitude, the gaze that was poured on Cain had a common attribute.
“Some kind of low bloodline.”
It was deep contempt and contempt.
They must have felt great anger and shame at the way they looked at each other in order to build friendships with people from the slums.
Cain smirked inwardly.
‘The bloodline.’
A pedigree supremacy that one’s origin determines a person’s ability to do something.
far away
not to mention dog shit.
All humans are the same
Somebody’s blood was special and gave it a more noble color?
It’s just a matter of whether you have the opportunity to blossom your abilities or not, depending on your circumstances.
Because two children born into aristocratic and slum families would never be able to say that they had an equal starting point.
So it was.
Cain didn’t have to lie.
The origin does not determine the existence value.
Even for a brief moment, he had no intention of breaking that belief.
“It’s a slum.”
The emperor repeated the word slum several times.
Then he burst into laughter as if he had heard a very funny joke.
hahahahaha-
People looked into each other’s eyes.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or keep still.
“Ah, ha ha ha.”
Some participants looked at the emperor and laughed along.
Perhaps they gained confidence in the growing laughter of the emperor, so they increased their laughter.
“What is so funny?”
The emperor stopped laughing and said.
Those who laughed along stopped laughing.
For a moment, the atmosphere of the ballroom cooled as cold as a piece of ice.
“Van Hale, tell me. What’s so funny?”
The man who received the emperor’s gaze hurriedly bowed his head.
“Well, that’s because Your Majesty is laughing… .”
“You laugh at me because I laugh, aren’t you?”
Van Hale was very upset.
I was in a situation where I just fell out of the eyes of the emperor while trying to grab a chance.
‘Wow, what should I answer… .’
I couldn’t read the Emperor’s intentions.
Desperately he shook his head, but no sharp numbers came to mind, and in the end he answered honestly.
“Sure, I laughed because I was born in a slum. Because he came from a background that did not live up to Johann Kirif’s reputation… .”
The emperor looked at Van Hale and said.
“I’m not comfortable. I’ve heard that pedigreeism and other things are circulating among young people these days.”
The emperor’s gaze turned to the left.
Each time, the participants bowed their heads.
“I do a big job, but the blood of that person doesn’t matter at all. If you were born into a good family, there is a greater risk of getting wet by inertia due to a wealthy environment.”
The emperor continued speaking calmly.
“There is nothing more foolish than judging someone based on their bloodline alone.”
The faces of those who laughed after the emperor, including Van Hale, turned pale.
Everyone in the room could sense that they would be excluded from the next prom.
The emperor looked at Cain again and said.
“I’m not going to talk about it. I am a person who thinks that talent itself and effort are much more important than where I am from.”
“… … .”
Cain thought.
If you raise your head to meet the Emperor’s eyes and activate the ‘Eye of Truth’ trait, his words will be revealed as lies.
‘Emperor also values class and lineage. They just don’t show it.’
It was just a bad taste
What drove those who laughed after him into a corner.
“It’s a story that we can develop a cure for petrosis of the ear canal born in a slum. Can you prove it right here?”
This, too, had a strong intention to talk about his own reaction.
“I always carry a spare treatment, so I can prove it if there is only a patient here.”
“I like how confident you are.”
The escort, who received the emperor’s whisper, nodded and disappeared from the ballroom.
Before long, two prisoners entered the ballroom with their arms held by the guards.
The two of them were limping as if they were uncomfortable.
“Oh my gosh… .”
Bare bones exposed.
Oily hair from not washing properly.
Even the beard that grew arbitrarily.
People frowned and let out low moans.
“Isn’t that guy Dare Haley? He was the chief researcher of Latium.”
“I heard that he was caught stealing research data, so he must have been imprisoned in the imperial dungeon.”
The guards pressed the shoulders of the two prisoners down and knelt before Cain.
The king’s words continued.
“These are those who intend to cause great harm to the future of the Empire. Perhaps because God was angry, petrification developed while in prison. Show me the miracle you did for President Vulcan.”
“All right.”
Cain put his hands in his arms.
I took out the vial and syringe from the subspace, and pulled my hand out again.
“Can I check your condition for a moment?”
“Do that.”
Cain looked into the prisoners’ eyes.
There was no will or desire for life in the empty eyes.
His legs were hard as stone.
There was a light gray color, and no unconditional reflex was achieved even when a specific area was stimulated.
It was a complete petrification symptom.
At least from what it looks like.
However, doubts about the precise nature of the emperor made Cain question the prisoners.
“Are you sure you have petrosis?”
“… exactly.”
“That’s right.”
The eyes of Cain, who faced the two prisoners, turned around. It was because a lie was detected in the ‘eye of truth’ characteristic.
one is false.
Even though he is not a petrified patient, he is showing the same symptoms as petrified.
He looked at his legs again.
As I concentrated my mind, traces of very weak mana were detected.
‘It’s magic.’
A magic that had the same effect as petrification was hung on the prisoner’s legs.
Since it does not exist within the existing worldview, it should be regarded as a magic created independently by the emperor.
This too was a test.
A test to see if you can see through magic.
‘I’m guessing you want to see both your abilities as a cure developer and a wizard.’
It was a welcome situation.
Anyway, in order to become the second princess Julia’s magic teacher, she needed to show off her magic skills as well.
Cain straightened his bent knee and stood up for the treatment.
“You cannot cure both.”
A small murmur broke out among the people.
The emperor said in an interesting tone.
“Are you saying there isn’t enough cure?”
“no. The cure is enough. What is lacking is the patient.”
“There are not enough patients.”
“One petrified patient cannot make two healers.”
Some quick-witted people noticed the situation and cried out.
“There are two patients. It’s right in front of you.”
“It is one.”
“Are you sure? If the diagnosis is wrong, I may punish you.”
At that moment, colorless mana erupted from the emperor’s whole body.
In an instant, the concentration of mana in the atmosphere reached an extreme, and everyone within the range broke into a cold sweat.
In severe cases, they lost consciousness and collapsed.
“If I’m wrong, you can slap me in the neck. One is petrified, the other is enchanted.”
The eyes of the emperor were young.
It was because Cain, who was in the closest position, was not responding.
“Let’s go on.”
“It is a magic that produces petrification-like symptoms. The traces of mana are close to nothing, and its sophistication is unpredictable, so I think it might be the magic that His Majesty himself used to punish sinners.”
Cain later added several reasons for his decision.
The emperor nodded while listening to the explanation, and at the end gave a satisfied smile.
“Great.”
The mana concentration decreased again, and the sound of breathing as if a drowsy throat was loosened could be heard from everywhere.
The emperor beckoned the guards to take the prisoners back to prison.
“Why don’t we test the cure?”
“I don’t think we need to test any more. I didn’t see it in person, but I called President Vulcan to hear the detailed story. Above all, there is no need to waste precious remedies on useless prisoners, right?”
Cain put the vial and syringe back into his arms.
The emperor’s next words were heard in front of him.
“Raise your head and look at me. I’ll let you go for a while.”
This time, the sound of breathing was heard all over the place.
No matter how brief it was, allowing the emperor to make eye contact had many implications.
Basically, it means that you have been recognized by the emperor.
Cain shook his head.
Then, he met his gaze with white eyes emitting a dazzling light.
“Can we develop a drug that can treat insomnia?”
“I think it would be helpful to have a sample. It is a rarer disease than petrification.”
“The 4th Prince is suffering from insomnia. I’ll give you regular access to the imperial court for a visit. The number of times and the date and time should be delivered separately by a person.”
“I will obey His Majesty’s orders.”
The conversation ended with that.
It was as if both of them knew that they would have a conversation like this and spit out the lines they had prepared.
“Let’s have dinner together later.”
The Emperor, who turned around and headed for the stairs to the second floor, turned his head halfway and said, Cain politely answered.
“All right.”
Passing through those who had not yet escaped from the chaos, the emperor disappeared.
***
“John! Talk to me for a while… !”
“Can you dance with me on the second song?”
As soon as the emperor disappeared, people, men and women alike, flocked to Cain.
Being from a slum didn’t matter anymore.
The important thing was that the other party made a deep impression on the emperor, and that they will continue their relationship in the future.
Just then, the band started playing.
“A moonlit November night.”
It was the first song that marked the start of a full-fledged dance, characterized by a fast rhythm and sustained high notes.
“The performance starts and the conversation seems to have to be postponed.”
Everyone participates in the first song of the ball, and it is customary to dance with a partner.
Cain went through the crowd and reached out to Zervia.
“… … .”
Zervia hesitated, took Cain’s hand, and followed him.
People split on both sides, paving the way, and naturally headed towards the center of the ballroom.
Zervia was unconscious.
I received a special dance lecture from the lieutenants, but it was difficult to learn all the movements within a short period of time.
Dance and combat are completely separate areas, and the physical strength and flexibility that I have been training with a sword did not help as much as I thought.
There, my thoughts continued endlessly with the turmoil that the emperor and Cain had caused a while ago.
What is the purpose of entering the Imperial Palace?
Is it true that I was born in a slum again?
reasoning and dancing.
Multitasking did not work, and in the end, I stepped on Cain’s foot and was greatly embarrassed.
“Mi, I’m sorry.”
“… … .”
Cain completely adapted the steps to Zervia.
Then all the movements continued smoothly.
Zervia, who had been concentrating on dancing for a while, opened her lips.
“To say you are from a slum… .”
“I don’t always tell lies.”
Cain pulled back his clasped hands and Zervia’s body was pulled back.
They were close together and breathing was close.
she said in a low voice.
“I thought that the theory that he came from a fallen aristocracy was credible. All of the culture and speaking skills you have shown are things you have been learning since you were very young. The data we’ve been investigating so far backed up that fact.”
As she stepped on the steps, Zervia’s body moved back for a moment.
‘Data.’
It would mean false documents that had been sown in the past to confuse the investigation.
“From the age of seven to ten. I worked in a bar. I listened to the conversations of the nobles who came out of the wall for nightlife, so it would not be wrong to say that it was a study.”
“… … .”
“I was not born with If I had to look for it, it would have to have a slightly better understanding than others.”
Zervia thought.
comprehension is a bit good.
No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like much.
“It was desperate to survive. I tried to learn, learn, and absorb anything. Because he was a child who had no means of protecting himself, and he had to have something special to be used.”
It is not that Cain never thought that he was from a slum, but when he heard the truth in person, the feeling was different.
The hard life he must have been through seemed to be pictured in his mind.
“Cain, you… .”
“I stepped on my foot.”
“oh. sorry.”
In line with the next movement, Cain turned Zervia’s body wide.
She turned half-forced, unable to say what she was going to say.
I could see people staring at me in my round and round vision.
‘… … ?’
And I captured a scene that stood out from the landscape.
A man was approaching the buffet table.
Cain’s voice was heard.
“Did you notice too?”