15
Upon arriving at the royal banquet hall, I entered quietly without attracting much attention, taking a table in a corner.
Usually, when entering, one would loudly announce their family affiliation and title, but that was usually reserved for families of some influence.
As a viscount of Varian, we had to sign the guestbook and enter through the side gate, not the main one, to quickly take our seats.
My companion, Fergie, took a deep breath as he looked at the noble figures present and straightened his collar.
“Alf, would you mind holding the fort? I feel like I should greet the dignitaries.”
“Should I come with you?”
“That might not be a good idea.”
“Alright, then go ahead.”
I quietly enjoyed my meal and passed the time.
By now, most prominent noble families had arrived.
As the higher-ranking nobles entered towards the back, the last person to make an entrance was truly the star of the party.
And he took center stage.
“Viscount Milias! Casper Milias, Flora Milias, have arrived!”
At that, girlish giggles and whispers could be heard all around.
Accompanied by his mother, Casper, looking quite nervous, made his way towards the king with mechanical steps.
I scanned the king and those around him.
Two figures caught my eye.
Members of the two ducal families in the country, the Salion and Helian ducal families.
In the case of the Salion family, Altior had practically retired from the frontline, so his successor and current head, Gilbert, was filling his place.
“Gilbert Salion and Regnant Helian… Both were R-grade characters.”
Gilbert Salion was merely a character who appeared for the story’s sake and didn’t have great performance. Even for a handy play, I tended to overlook R-grade characters like him.
On the other hand, sitting next to him was Regnant Helian, who was different.
Regnant Helian, a ducal figure like him, was also an R-grade character in the game, but in terms of internal affairs, due to the extremely low cost advantage, he showed the usability of UR-grade characters, surpassing Tier 1 to be used as a Tier 0 character.
That Regnant began to praise Casper’s major to the king, including his achievements in defeating Giliath Melburn and the fierce Horn.
This included a major in which my master and I had served as mercenaries, somehow slipped in discreetly.
“Well, he did make a contribution.”
I refocused and resumed my meal.
That’s when it happened.
“Long time no see, Alfs. How have you been?”
…?
A charming blonde woman had come to my table in the corner.
She opened the fan with a rustle and smiled.
As she appeared, everyone around stared in awe, seemingly enchanted.
“Her face seems familiar… Who was she?”
I squinted, trying to remember, and then it hit me that she was Lady Saléon’s daughter.
However, her name didn’t quite come to mind. It had been almost a year since then.
The only thing vivid in my memory from the abduction incident was Prince Eldrick. The rest were just fleeting encounters.
“Her name probably started with an ‘E’ and ended with an ‘a’.”
Not entirely sure, I decided not to gamble on it.
With a polite smile, I said, “Nice to see you. How have you been, Miss Saléon?”
“…”
Her face stiffened. Soon, in a voice akin to gritted teeth, she spoke, “Lord Als? Besides me, there are many others from the Saléon family here. Could you please address me by my name?”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s more appropriate.”
“Shall we exchange greetings again then? Miss Als Chasing Ilene.”
She pressured me by adding my middle name. I tried hard to recall it, but the middle letter just wouldn’t come to mind.
Yet, I couldn’t risk the impoliteness of asking for her name directly.
I quickly gestured to the servant standing behind her.
In social circles, forgetting names was common, so the attendants often memorized them.
Seemingly understanding my gaze, the servant signaled back with their lips.
[Erina]
I see.
“Yes, it’s been a while. Miss Aina.”
Snap! The air seemed to freeze momentarily. It seems I misread her lip movement.
“The pronunciation is similar, but one letter is wrong. It’s Erina. Erina Saléon. I’ll consider this one a joke, but please don’t make the same mistake next time.”
“Oh, Erina, right. I apologize if I caused any discomfort.”
“In that case, as a gesture of apology, would you care to dance?”
“That’s a bit tricky.”
“Did I mishear?”
“Do I need to say it louder? I said dancing is awkward.”
“I see… Is that how it is?”
Erina sent a subtle pressure, even with a smiling face.
I can dance, but I didn’t want to draw attention by dancing at a Saléon noble’s court party.
Besides, I belonged to the Helian faction.
“Then, how about having some refreshments together? That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
With a stubborn expression, Erina sat at my table. The attention among peers was at its peak.
Fortunately, the adults were engrossed in their conversations, so their gazes weren’t on us.
“I heard you played a role in the recent war.”
“Just providing support from the rear, nothing special.”
“That’s impressive in itself. Still, if that’s the case, you probably didn’t get to use the spear I gifted you. Should I be glad you didn’t get to use it, or should I feel sorry?”
“Ah, it’s broken.”
“What!? Can a jail cell bar break while providing backup?”
“When I stumbled and fell backward, I landed on my butt and it just bent.”
“No way… That spear was crafted by Granthel’s finest artisan…”
Certainly, that spear was excellent. If it hadn’t held up even when bent, instead of just grazing the helmet, the halberd would have slashed the neck.
“I’ll prepare a better spear next time.”
“No, my master said he would procure a spear as a coming-of-age gift. You don’t need to bother.”
“Ugh…”
That was when I was chatting with Erina.
A boy approached with a piercing gaze.
“You there. How dare you bother Erina?”
Judging by appearances, he seemed to be a cadet from the Saleon faction.
As the noble cadets of the Saleon faction were also training at the frontlines in the northwest, similar to us, they were invited to the party as well.
He seemed to have noticed my Helyan faction affiliation right away.
For him, seeing me conversing with the beloved of the Saleon Duke must have been unsettling.
“Dennian, I…”
“No need to worry, Lady Erina. I’ll handle this guy.”
“No, I…”
Ignoring Erina’s words, he glared at me.
It was time.
“I’m truly sorry. I didn’t realize you were of such high status. I’ll be more cautious to avoid such incidents in the future.”
“Hmph, seems you know your place. If you had known, you would have left immediately.”
“Yes, then I shall take my leave.”
As I swiftly departed, their voices echoed behind me.
“Lady Erina, now you can enjoy the party in peace. If you need anything, just…”
“Shut your mouth. It’s unpleasant.”
“Yes…?”
Erina left without hesitation.
The boy called Dennian lamented what went wrong.
I switched tables and decided to focus on my meal, tuning out distractions.
“Is it alright to just let him go, Als?”
“…? Oh, Master!”
Elya, the Master, was dressed simply, not quite fitting in with the party’s attire.
While some nobles sent disapproving glances, the fact that a mercenary was attending a royal party wasn’t entirely unprecedented and was generally understood.
“He was quite a cute kid. Just an observation, but you seemed to get along well with him.”
“Oh, come on. We’re from different worlds. But, Master, didn’t you say you wouldn’t attend the party?”
“I was urged by the Mercenaries’ Guild. It’s a matter of building the guild’s reputation. By the way, the mercenary Wade was also invited. Did you know?”
“Yikes.”
In essence, I had received two invitations.
The Master, sensing a difficult conversation partner, joined my table. We spent time discussing things I had seen in the city.
In the midst of it all, a major incident shook the party venue.
What happened was so absurd that it could be considered a trivial matter when Denny’s dance request to Erina was met with a nervous rejection.
A delegation from the allied kingdom of Crossing appeared at the party with around 20 slaves in tow.
From Noble mtl dot com
◈ ◈ ◈
The Republic of Crossing was a country openly referred to as eccentric.
They would start wars without any context, and at times, they would send humanitarian aid indiscriminately.
Advocating for the abolition of the nobility system and equality, yet a country where a king existed and slavery thrived. Crossing was a nation whose actions were hard to comprehend.
From Calipher’s perspective, forming an alliance was inevitable to restrain Albad, but it was still unsettling.
The appearance of Crossing’s delegation with slaves at the palace party was a significant event that would stir up the continent beyond the kingdom.
“What disgrace is this at such a noble gathering!”
“Leave at once!”
The nobles immediately reacted with outrage.
However, the representative of the Crossing delegation seemed unfazed, even in this hostile atmosphere.
“Please refrain from treating us like unwelcome guests. Everything is part of a contract, you see?”
He must have been in his thirties now.
I knew this man.
‘Juulass Pamelion…!’
In the game, he was one of the antagonist characters that belonged to the top tier of villains, having relegated the contemporary figure, Prince Eldrick, to the second in line, despite not being of royal blood, he had been the prime contender for the Crossing throne years ago.
He was a figure of unyielding presence.
If he appeared as a gacha character in the game, he would undoubtedly be of UR grade, and his performance would make him an undisputed top-tier character.
His nickname was “Flawless in Attire.”
He was also one of the three grand generals, alongside Kaien, the strategist of Albad, and Akneu Jemuto, the chief general of the West.
“Your Majesty, did you not discuss the slave auction beforehand?”
“Uh, well…! I did mention arranging it soon, but I did not say it would be at this party!”
“In the treaty, it was explicitly stated that a slave auction would be held at the first event where prominent noble families gather. Are you saying we misunderstood?”
At this, a man who appeared to be a senior official whispered something to the king.
The king nodded in resignation.
“Understood. Proceed as planned.”
“A wise decision, Your Majesty.”
The mention of a slave auction caused a commotion in the banquet hall.
In the Kingdom of Calipher, slavery was legally prohibited. A slave auction was inconceivable.
On the other hand, the Republic of Crossing actively promoted the institution of slavery.
However, with a well-established welfare system, slaves who repaid a certain level of debt were given the opportunity to be promoted to citizens.
Although slavery was allowed, severe sanctions were imposed on those who mistreated or abused slaves.
‘The protagonist opposed this slave system and harbored enmity towards Crossing.’
From a historical perspective, it was somewhat inevitable for Crossing to utilize slaves.
The land was so barren that there were more people leaving than settling. To secure labor and forcibly increase the population, they encouraged the institution of slavery.
“Greetings, esteemed individuals of Calipher. Today, I would like to introduce you to Crossing’s slave auction.”
It seemed that the terms of the alliance this time included provisions regarding participation in the slave auction.
Jurass, with a skill that seemed more than just a couple of times, began to explain the slave auction with great skill.
While some nobles expressed discomfort at the idea of slaves, those who were interested began to listen as if they were captivated.
“Dear nobles of the Calipha Kingdom, this occasion where we present the auction for the first time is special for us as well. Therefore, this time, we have brought slaves of superior quality that could be fitting for the founding day of our Crossing Republic.”
Jurass started to describe each slave one by one.
Upon confirming his features, I was shocked as if struck by lightning, trembling involuntarily.
“No way…”
I found it hard to understand why he was among the slaves.
“…”
A man who stood out among the various slaves.
His fiery red hair and sharp eyes were vividly etched in my memory.
“No mistake. That’s Cassius Lloyd.”
Cassius Lloyd.
The protagonist of Athena War Tales stood there with slave shackles on.