104. Remnants of Malice (5)
People in the waiting room enter one by one with Pitea Gelgetten’s voice.
Everyone in the waiting room was an escort for the invited young ladies.
Since I was also Flora’s escort, I had to follow them in as she had said.
Before going in there, I checked one more time.
I have everything I need.
I also checked to see how Carsein was looking at me in the waiting room.
I’ve avoided any options that could be problematic.
The real choices would definitely come out inside.
However, a sentence caught my eye.
▶This area is a warning area!◀
A warning sign indicating a dangerous area appears when approaching.
Below it was a sentence containing the power of the system that restricts the player’s actions.
[ Additional choices may appear in case of trouble. Be careful! ]
‘I have to go in there in a situation where additional choices are bound to appear in an area with a warning hazard level.’
There is no way to avoid this place.
▶If you leave the seat forcibly, your reputation with the nobles will drop significantly, and you will be subject to restrictions from Arina.◀
[ Restriction: 3 days of confinement and no entry to the Rusmayer estate ]
If it were a level where Arina and Flora’s favorability would decrease, I would have tried it, but confinement or being unable to enter the estate could lead to a bad ending.
Does that mean I clear the episode?
The conditions for clearing the episode are also quite strict.
▶You must somehow finish the meal at the tea party hosted by Pitea Gelgetten.◀
▶Friction with the aristocrats will result in a significant decrease in your favorability rating.◀
▶Failure to reach a certain favorability rating will result in penalties for the management of the Rusmayer fief.◀
There’s no way to get out of it, so complete that episode to the end.
In a nutshell, that’s what it means…
‘Does that mean there’s no penalty for bailing out of here legally?’
There’s none anywhere.
There is a penalty for failure, but isn’t the condition for clearing the episode just to finish the tea party?
Then it shouldn’t be that difficult.
I thought so and grinned.
***
As time passed, people began to arrive one by one.
The seats were gradually filled, and the voices of the young ladies gradually filled with anticipation.
Enough people had gathered.
All those who had been invited were present, and with other companions tagging along, there would be many more eyes watching.
When it comes to tea parties, it’s not common to invite a lot of people. After all, it’s nothing more than drinking tea and chatting with snacks.
But this time, it’s not a simple tea party.
It will be a very interesting and unique tea party that can only be seen here.
As everyone who was scheduled to attend had arrived, the host, Pieta Gelgeten, stood up from her seat.
“Well then, shall we start inviting the guests?”
““Yes!””
Finally.
At long last.
The young ladies, whose anticipation was beyond words, all affirmed without fail.
Among them,
“Yes!”
Was Flora, who had brought Carsein.
“I think it would be better to introduce them slowly, so let’s invite them one by one.”
Then one of the flirtatious young ladies raised her hand.
“Why do we have to invite them one at a time?”
“At this gathering, it’s hard to get to know each other if we accept all the guests at once, right? Slowly. To foster friendship, I think we need to get to know each other in more detail, not just as someone’s companion.”
That’s why it’s better to have them come out and introduce themselves one by one, rather than having them all come in at once.
The host, Pieta Gelgeten, explained the reason for bringing in one person at a time.
“For those of you who are waiting, we have prepared a lottery with your order written on it, so you will come out in that order. Wouldn’t it be fun to guess who each person is the companion of?”
“Yes, it would. It feels like a light game along with the introduction.”
“Not only guessing, but we will also vote for the most impressive person, and the person with the most votes will receive a gift.”
“Really? That sounds like so much fun!”
“I’m looking forward to it. I wonder who everyone brought?”
The young ladies laughed, chattering excitedly.
However, behind the smiles they wore, there was a sinister smile that seemed to say, ‘We know why.’
Unaware of this, Flora thought it was fun and laughed along.
“Okay, first person. Please come forward?”
“Thank you for inviting me. I am──”
They began introducing themselves one by one.
As expected of those accompanying the nobles, they boasted a splendid lineup.
It was natural for each person to have the name of their family, and there were also the skilled presidents of boutiques they introduced for business, craftsmen, and appraisers.
However, there were no commoners among them.
Even if they were not, they were at the level of nobles without a title, and it would be no exaggeration to say that they were the upper class of the empire, who owned land and had servants.
Like that, each person finished their introduction and sat down in their seats.
Finally, there was one seat left.
The young ladies, their eyes sparkling with anticipation, waited for the last number while glancing at the empty seat.
“Number 30, please come forward?”
Pitea Gelgaten called the last number with a giggle.
However, number 30 did not come out.
“Number 30, number 30?”
For some reason, the last person to come out, that Carstein Vagrant, was not coming out.
In the hall where the commotion began to rise, the first to get up was Flora.
‘Don’t tell me, don’t tell me…!’
She bit her lip, wondering if he had returned in the meantime, and entered the waiting room.
Then, surprisingly.
Carstein, who should have come out when his number was called, was still leaning against a wall, reading a book.
On the one hand, she was relieved that he had not returned to the duke’s family. But soon, irritation flared up.
What on earth was he doing here? She had to ask why he was doing this.
“What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing? Reading a book.”
Flora frowned as she watched Carstein brazenly turn the page of his book.
“That’s why I’m asking why you’re doing this! You’re number 30. Here, here’s the ticket you received! Why aren’t you coming in when you can just come in!”
Considering the people who had come in whenever their number was called, there was no way Carstein could not have heard it. In addition, they had told him in advance that he could just come in through that door.
For the time being, she could not understand why he had not come in.
Thud.
The book he was reading was slammed shut by Flora’s hand.
Then, she grabbed Carstein’s hand. She intended to get him up from his seat and take him away.
“Get up. Get up!”
“Why?”
“You have to get up and go over there!”
“Well. I think it would be right for me to just go back to the duke’s family.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Hey!”
In the end, Flora, whose patience had reached its limit, raised her voice.
“If you just go back from here, I’ll tell your sister. I’ll tell her that I didn’t take good care of you!”
After all, you came here at your sister Arina’s request.
“If word gets out that I haven’t been taking good care of you, I’ll lose my right to attend the Eastern Nobles’ Conference.
So you have to make me look good. You have to listen to what I say.”
Before she knew it, Flora’s mind had been replaced with such thoughts.
Without realizing that it was almost a threat.
Whether Flora’s threat worked or not, Carsein uncrossed his arms and got up from his seat.
“Okay, fine. I’ll do as you ask for now.”
Flora’s furrowed brow immediately relaxed.
“Really? You won’t go back to the Duchy?”
“Yeah.”
It was strange that Carsein’s attitude had changed so suddenly, as if he had suddenly become very obedient, but what did it matter? The way Carsein was looked at there would soon change dramatically.
Perhaps Carsein would be surprised too.
As she could see such a future, she began to anticipate how he would react.
“Let’s go quickly! I have to introduce you properly.”
Flora, who had regained her cheerful smile, entered the banquet hall first.
And.
Watching her, Carsein chuckled.
“You really think my place is over there. You.”
Carsein muttered softly.
His expression was smiling, but it was far from a smile.
“Yeah. This is good too. To show you reality.”
The two people with contrasting smiles walked into the banquet hall.
***
As they approached the banquet hall, they seemed to have stopped caring much about how I would react, and were quite noisy.
It felt more natural than being conscious of the fact that I hadn’t entered even after my number, 30, had been called a long time ago.
Of course, I’m going to ruin that natural atmosphere from now on.
-Click.
“So, I’m that son of a b*tch.”
“Hey, hey.”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly… Ah.”
As the door opened, their gazes met.
“Who is that person?”
“Yeong-ae. Listen to me.”
“…Ah!”
As expected, the knights were also a turn late in their reaction.
Regardless of gender, there were not many who recognized Carsein properly.
That meant that there weren’t many people who had seen Carsein, who had been extremely reluctant to go out since that tea party.
‘Flora, whom I saw at the Memorial, was quite young too. Considering that, it’s not strange that she didn’t recognize me right away.’
I guess it’s been more than a year since I last set foot in this place.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“I guess so.”
“Why would he wear such a plain outfit?”
But word of Carsein’s presence among them spread like wildfire. In this fleeting moment, word of who I was had already spread like wildfire.
-Ting!
At the same time, the choices appeared.
‘You can’t say that.’
The time constraint of the curfew was deadly to me.
I had to give them a reason that was as reasonable as possible, so I had to avoid fighting with them at all costs.
But of course, that wasn’t going to happen.
▶This area is a warning zone!◀
[If you get into trouble, additional choices may appear immediately. Be careful!]
This was when the system’s power was at its greatest.
“Guest number 30 has finally arrived. Please introduce yourself briefly. Oh, and please be careful not to reveal who you came with.”
The host of the tea party, Pitea Gelgeten, said lightly, gesturing.
Honestly, who here wouldn’t know who I was, but it was the right thing to do.
At the same time, the choices appeared.
▶Pitea Gelgeten asks you to introduce yourself. How will you respond?
[1. (Sarcastically) Do you want to pretend you don’t know, even though you know?]
[2. It’s really stupid that there’s still someone who doesn’t know about the Vagrant Duke.]
[3. (Ignoring Pitea Gelgeten) Carsein Vagrant. That’s all.]
…
…
‘The choices are obvious, but they’re also very blatant.’
I had a hunch that this was the way to go.
The expectant looks in their eyes were like those of predators savoring the moment.
In this place, filled with high-ranking nobles and the upper echelons of the empire, Carsein, the only commoner, would be tackled from all sides.
Should I crush them with the power of the Vagrant Duke?
That was impossible. This was a special place called a tea party, so I would be buried in their public opinion.
In this situation, fourteen choices popped up. It was hard to guess which one was the right answer. It was a really sh*tty situation.
But I knew.
The best thing to do in this situation was to do something completely unexpected.
‘It’s a good excuse. This should be enough.’
I didn’t know which one of them was the right answer.
But I could twist the choices and make the right answer.
With sharp eyes fixed on me, I moved to one of the walls.
[10. (Annoyed) Arina told me to come and escort Flora.]☑
“I came here only as an escort for Flora Vagrant.”
Then the expressions on the nobles’ faces changed subtly.
“…”
Flora glared at me, looking most uncomfortable in this situation.