Chapter 8 - The Banquet (2)
The Philhart Great House.
As the hosts of this event, they were enjoying the banquet in their own ways from the highest 5th floor.
Among them, the eldest son, Argon Philhart, who boasted the most splendid blond hair, was leaning on the railing and watching the people below.
"What's so amusing?"
Just then, the eldest son of the Buttner family, Veron Buttner, approached him and asked.
Veron was known to be Argon's closest friend.
Like this, even those not of the Philhart family could come up to the 5th floor if they received permission from a direct descendant.
"Do you remember that woman?"
Argon asked Veron, sipping his wine.
Following his gaze, Veron answered.
"Are you talking about Ariel, no, Elia Peron?"
"Yes. For some reason, she came with her son today."
"Have you still not forgotten that woman? She is no longer the monster you once knew."
At Veron's words, Argon turned his head.
Feeling the gaze, Veron also looked at Argon, but upon meeting those chilling eyes, he hastily turned his head away.
The moment he met that cold gaze, it felt as if his breath was being choked.
"I know that, too."
Argon said softly, averting his gaze from him.
"But how could I forget? She was the first person to pull me out of the well."
In his childhood, Argon believed that there was no one with greater magical talent than himself.
That, of course, was the same even when considering the Emperor, the Saintess, or the Transcendent.
He thought that since they had lived for hundreds of years, it was only natural for them to gain such power.
Such thoughts were by no means born of arrogance or conceit.
In reality, he had grown at an overwhelmingly faster rate than others.
The title of the youngest mage was not something that could be earned easily without such talent.
But in the year he turned fifteen, that conviction was miserably shattered by a single person.
"If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have reached my current level yet."
To him, Elia's existence was beyond simple admiration.
She was once the person he had set as his life's goal, and she was the very person who made him strive harder instead of resting on his talents.
"Come to think of it, wasn't it that woman's younger brother who recently filled the vacant spot in the Seven Demons?"
Veron suddenly remembered that the new member of the Seven Demons was from the Siruan family.
Though she was a Peron now by marriage, Elia was originally a child of the Siruan house.
It was something one could figure out with a little thought that the two were family.
"That's right."
Watching Argon's reaction, Veron became more certain.
Well, honestly, it didn't matter to him either way.
"…How long are you going to keep watching?"
Veron asked as he moved away from the railing.
Every year on the day of the Family Convocation, Argon would watch Elia like this.
But that was only for a moment.
This was the first time he had stared for so long.
"It's because I see someone rather interesting."
At Argon's subsequent reply, Veron showed a slightly surprised expression.
It was a rare occurrence, one you could count on one hand, for him to feel interested in someone other than Elia.
"For you to say that."
As if finding it fascinating, Veron approached the railing again and followed Argon's gaze.
"Hmm?"
But it was strange.
Argon's gaze was still fixed on Elia.
Even considering the distance, his eyes were moving along with Elia's movements, so there was no way he was mistaken.
"Who on earth are you talking about?"
In the end, unable to watch any longer, Veron asked.
"The one next to her."
At Argon's short answer, Veron shifted his gaze slightly to the side.
There, Elia's son was walking with her.
"Don't tell me, are you talking about Lael Peron?"
"So his name is Lael."
"That kid is not someone you should be interested in."
Veron already knew about Lael.
His own younger brother used to bully Lael and then boastfully tell him about it.
Therefore, he also knew for a fact that he had no mana.
"Anyway, I would have thought you'd already know about that son… where are you going?"
Argon suddenly put down his wine and began to walk somewhere.
Veron tried to follow him hastily but had to stop at Argon's next words.
"There's no need to follow. I'm just going to check something for a moment."
***
Bellona left after giving me some useless advice about how showing off is not good.
However, there was still someone next to me who was even more flustered than she was.
It was my mother.
"Lael! What were you thinking saying such a thing…"
"What I just said, it wasn't a lie. I'm not the same person I used to be."
My mother looked like she had a lot she wanted to say, but she eventually swallowed it all and asked carefully.
"…Will you really be okay?"
"Of course."
I answered confidently.
At that, my mother smiled and lightly stroked my head.
"Alright. Do as you wish."
"Thank you."
"Right, let's go register for the match right away."
I immediately headed to the 2nd floor with my mother.
The registration place for the sparring match was there.
The registration was not very complicated.
It was over after a few basic verification steps.
"You said it starts at 10 o'clock, right?"
"That's right."
The current time was 8 o'clock.
There was still about 2 hours of leeway until the start of the match at 10.
"Do you want to look around for a while?"
My mother, sensing my intention, asked first.
I immediately nodded.
Now that the key figures of each family were gathered, it was the optimal situation to build connections and obtain information.
"Well then, I'll see you in a bit."
And so, alone, I first took a light look around my surroundings.
"Hmm…"
As expected, there was not a single person I knew.
To be precise, no memories came to mind no matter whose face I looked at.
Well, the past me hadn't attended these kinds of events at all for nearly 5 years.
It was only natural that there were no familiar faces.
"Oh! Lael?"
But just then.
A girl with sky-blue hair called my name and ran over.
"You're…"
As she gradually got closer to me, a faint memory of her brushed past my mind.
"Roen?"
Roen Ceylon.
I had spoken with her a few times.
But nothing more came to mind.
What our relationship was, what conversations we had.
She probably wasn't a very important person.
"I knew you'd remember!"
Roen stood next to me with a wide, happy smile.
She then extended her arm to snatch my hand, but I reflexively dodged her touch.
It was because my senses had become sharp thanks to blooming my Aura.
"Uh…"
Perhaps she was trying to shake my hand; Roen looked flustered and scratched her head.
"I didn't think you'd dodge…"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
I offered a light apology and extended my hand.
She didn't seem to have any ill intentions.
"L-long time no see!"
Because the flow was broken, Roen shook my hand with an awkward tone.
At her appearance, a small laugh escaped me as well.
"Yeah. Long time no see."
"Anyway, why have you changed so much?"
"Huh? Ah…"
Roen's eyes scanned my entire body.
In fact, it would be stranger if I hadn't changed.
It must have been at least 5 years since she and I had met.
In the first place, it was stranger that she recognized me immediately even after 5 years had passed during a prime growing age.
I had only recognized her because the memory of a woman named Roen had just come to mind; there was quite a difference between the her in my memory and the her now.
"Because it's been that long since we last saw each other?"
I gave an answer that was obvious if you thought about it.
Nevertheless, she tilted her head as if she couldn't accept it.
"Still, how should I put it, you feel so much more mature."
Roen's gaze turned to my arm, specifically to my upper arm where the bicep is.
In fact, my muscles had grown so much over the past 6 months that my body was tight in my clothes even though I was wearing quite large ones.
Thanks to that, the traces of my effort were clearly visible through my clothes.
"I've been exercising as a hobby lately."
"You…?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"Ah, no. It's not that."
She quickly scanned my whole body once more, then smiled and continued.
"It's just, your body too, but it feels like your spirit is better than before, too."
"Is that so."
"Mhm! Anyway! You're alone, right?"
Roen quickly changed the mood that was about to get awkward again.
I gave a light nod at her question.
"For now, yes."
In the first place, besides my parents, there was no one I knew.
I was wondering how to approach people I had never met before, so it was a relief to have met Roen, at least.
"Really? Then let's hang out together!"
Roen said, holding out a plate with a slice of cake on it to me.
It wasn't something she had been holding until now, but something she had just grabbed from the table right next to us.
"I'd love to."
Of course, I had no intention of refusing her offer.
At the very least, wouldn't it be easier to approach others with someone I know rather than wandering around alone?
"But why this?"
However, I couldn't understand her intention of suddenly holding out a cake to me.
"Why else, let's eat something while we walk around. You like strawberry cake, don't you?"
I couldn't refute it.
Just as she said, I liked strawberry cake.
It seems my taste in food is exactly the same in my past life and now.
"How do you even remember something like that? It's been years since we last met."
"Fufu. I have a pretty good memory."
I took the plate and immediately put the cake in my mouth with a fork.
A clean, sweet taste enveloped my tongue.
Thanks to my senses being enhanced by Aura, it felt even more delicious than usual.
"It's good."
But in that moment.
The noisy surroundings became quiet in an instant.
As if someone had erased the sound.
A heavy, sunken atmosphere pressed down on the entire 2nd floor.
"…What the."
I lightly looked around.
And what came into view was a truly bizarre sight.
Everyone had stopped what they were doing and was looking at the same place.
It was the same for Roen, who had been talking to me just a moment ago.
Just as I also looked at the same place as them.
"Pay me no mind and continue what you were doing."
Blond hair and red eyes.
Argon Philhart.
He opened his mouth, and soon the venue was once again filled with sound.
"Lael? What did you just say?"
Roen asked me with a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened.
It was strange.
No, more than that, it was bizarre.
It felt as if I alone had been thrown into a different world.
"Lael?"
I couldn't hear Roen's words well right now.
My gaze was fixed solely on one person, Argon.
He was approaching me, precisely.