Chapter 181. Secret Social Hall (3)
'Sharp eyes, indeed.'
Never thought I'd be suspected the moment we met.
Robert, head of the investment division in Vintert.
He didn't seem to be a strong enough figure to threaten Verden, but at least his intuition was exceptional.
But that was all.
The Face of Deception was functioning flawlessly, and Robert had no means of seeing through that disguise.
There was no reason to waver.
His suspicion would not lead to certainty.
Verden shook his head firmly without showing any sign.
Robert narrowed his eyes.
He knew it was their first meeting as well, yet the ominous déjà vu was too awkward to ignore. The one who broke the silence was Gail.
"Let's go in."
Only then did Robert withdraw his suspicious gaze.
"Seems I was mistaken. My apologies, black merchant."
"Think nothing of it."
"Then, I shall see you inside."
"I will personally guide you."
Butler Senuel took the lead, guiding Vintert.
As Robert's party disappeared from view, Cland let out a breath.
"Robert of the Black Hand. As expected, not an easy one to deal with. Isn't that so?"
Verden shrugged his shoulders.
He reacted not at all to Robert's suspicion, and even when no one was watching, he kept up the act of mute Maltead with unshakable calm.
Cland chuckled.
"...Seems you're no easier to deal with either."
Cland pressed his fedora low.
"Let us go as well."
***
Marquis Ruben de Esperanza stood by the window.
It had long been his habit to quietly gaze upon the vast and peaceful land. But his blood-red eyes were not chasing the scenery, but something else.
"By now, they should have arrived at the social hall."
"If all went as planned, yes. But... you seem lost in thought, my lord."
"Do I now? Amazing you can tell that from behind."
"Hahaha, has it not been decades since I first served you?"
Edmon laughed as he asked.
"Is it about Asher? Certainly, he did help Lady Calia greatly, but entrusting him with this commission is perhaps too early. Should he betray..."
"What do you think of him?"
"...He does not seem the type to betray. Because his magic told me so."
Edmon had witnessed Verden's power.
Talent overflowing from his whole body. Yet not only that, he possessed effort and indomitable spirit to match.
"He is a Mage who would break rather than bend. Even if given money, magic items, or artifacts, if it does not suit his will, he will refuse. Even if the commission came from you, my lord."
The Marquis recalled Verden's blue eyes.
"...Indeed, that is how he looked. Well, I never thought he'd side with the First Prince. And truthfully, had it not been Asher, this commission could not even have been attempted. Even if he fails, he will not reveal secrets. And if his skill is truly as rumored, he won't be caught either."
"Then what is the problem?"
"It is not Asher himself, but the secret Asher will uncover that troubles me."
The Marquis furrowed his brows.
"As you know, the First Prince is not a major issue. He is not yet king, and all he does is flaunt hollow power among criminals, propped up by Vintert."
But—
"The King of Estiria is different."
The First Prince was nothing but arrogance,
the Second Prince was consumed by lust,
and the Third Prince's greed knew no bounds.
Children of different queens.
What of their common father, the King of Estiria?
"The King of Estiria was arrogant yet humble, lustful yet pure, greedy yet restrained. In short, an ordinary man. Neither particularly talented, nor special, just another human."
To speak kindly, he was an average king.
To speak harshly, a weak king swayed by nobles.
"But he changed."
Twenty-seven years ago, when the nation faltered during war with the Republic of Beldirn, a 'new chancellor' appeared.
From that time, when he turned the tables and invaded the Republic's land, grasping at the chance to become a great king remembered in history.
"But the new chancellor died, did he not?"
"Of course, the new chancellor died. The Mages he brought either went missing or died too. But the King of Estiria still clings to the obsession of not seizing glory back then. Even now, as age weakens his body."
The Marquis was certain.
That the King of Estiria had not forgotten that fleeting moment when he had overwhelmed the Republic.
"Perhaps it is needless worry. Yet... it is true I cannot set my mind at ease."
Edmon knew very well what this unease meant.
With the laughter gone from his face, Edmon asked.
"If the King of Estiria sought to start war again, what would you do?"
"You mean, should we discover certain evidence from dealings with the First Prince?"
"Yes."
"It matters not. The outcome will not change regardless. Only..."
The Marquis's eyes gleamed sharply.
"We will have to move the plan forward."
***
The secret social hall was unlike other noble gatherings.
There was no false laughter for the sake of connections, no hollow flattery, nor days-long noisy parties.
A rawer atmosphere.
The criminals who had come to Ariente had no intention of forming bonds with one another.
They had come not for connections, but solely to covet the interests granted by the First Prince.
"..."
Verden quietly surveyed the hall.
The invited leaders and their aides sat each at their own tables, eating. A bleak silence filled the place, wholly unfitting of something called a social hall.
'Everyone keeps to themselves.'
The sudden laughter of a madman.
The bald mercenary shoveling food roughly into his mouth.
The orange-haired woman nibbling delicately at cake.
The massive merchant elegantly handling several portions.
Each bore striking individuality.
To be chosen by the First Prince meant they were as capable as they looked.
'Still, Robert is nowhere in sight.'
On Vintert's side, only three men besides his could be seen.
Perhaps he was in private audience with the First Prince.
That was likely.
Vintert was already afforded special treatment, and Robert, one of its three power-holders, had come in person.
It was only natural the reception would be different.
The silence broke then.
Tolav, the madman guzzling whiskey straight from the bottle.
He jeered loudly for all to hear.
"Keek, keek, you sure can stuff it down. Even an Orc couldn't pack that much into its belly. Won't you just explode later, I wonder."
A sudden provocation.
And it was obvious who the target was.
Merchant prince Dario halted, then sighed.
"Haa, that crazy bastard. Still hasn't fixed that habit of picking fights with men who mind their own business."
Ignoring a madman is always the answer.
Dario shook his head and continued eating. Tolav sneered a few more times, but he ignored it all the same, feigning deafness.
Tolav clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, I was only trying to liven things up, but how dull. Typical merchant, still narrow-minded as ever. Isn't that right, Robat?"
"Don't talk to me. You're noisy."
The twin mages of Vintert.
The elder brother, Robat, wiped his mouth with a napkin. Tolav snickered, shaking his bottle of liquor.
"Keek, keek, the noisy one is you. I've heard all kinds of rumors about you... or rather, about you and your brother."
"What?"
"That you got completely screwed at the underworld auction. Said you were preparing a birthday gift for your younger brother, scraped together every penny you had, only to lose to the same guy in bidding three times in a row, then made a scene. Lucky you, though. After nearly ruining the whole auction house, the fact you walked out alive and intact is quite... keek!"
The mocking laughter tickled his ears.
Rocky, the younger twin, glanced sideways, and saw the veins throbbing on Robat's temple.
'He's angry!'
"You lunatic bastard, who the hell are you calling...!"
"Keek, who the hell? Save that talk for your lackeys. You sit as a Vintert officer and act all high and mighty. Hey, why not just do it like the old days? Fry anyone who pisses you off."
Ah, Tolav's face lit up.
"But what happens if I kill you? Will I get to join Vintert and play officer too?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Kwaang!
Robat slammed the table.
At the same time, his mana circuits flared to life. A small crackle of current sparked at his fingertips.
"Oh, looks like Robat's really pissed now."
"Indeed. This might turn into an entertaining spectacle."
Mercenary captain Geul, and schemer Nelita, watched with interest.
Dario kept his eyes forward, still eating, and Gail calmly sipped his wine with an expressionless face.
Cland was no different.
Chaos was brewing.
But for Verden, it was a good situation.
With no one paying him any mind, there was no need to force the act of Maltead.
Besides, it might even be a chance to see just how skilled that lunatic and the Vintert officer really were... though, perhaps not.
'Seems I won't get to see it after all.'
Verden turned his head to the side.
At that moment, the doors of the hall opened, and the sound of many footsteps came in.
Robert.
Beside him was the master of this castle.
"Instead of eating as you were told, what are you all doing?"
The First Prince of the Royal Family of Estiria, Valrgna Bain di Estiria, finally revealed himself.
***
Not a single strand of hair out of place, his light-brown hair was arranged to near perfection.
On his chest gleamed the emblem of the Royal Family of Estiria. The lavish embroidery and glittering jewels beside it were enough to make one's eyes ache.
'How much did he pour into a mere outfit, not even a magical item.'
The appearance itself was a problem, but there was no practicality at all.
Heard he was arrogant and full of vanity, but never thought it would be this bad.
Without a doubt, he was the most extravagant figure Verden had ever laid eyes on.
And the design was atrocious. So utterly opposed to Verden's sense of aesthetics that it was hard to even keep a straight face.
But there was no intent to reveal emotion.
Now, he was not Verden, but Maltead. He rose along with the others.
"Greetings to Prince Valrgna."
Cland knelt on one knee, and Verden followed suit. Tolav bit the inside of his cheek, suppressing the laughter that bubbled up.
But not all bent their knees.
The people of Vintert only bowed their heads, even before the First Prince.
Gail, Robat, Rocky.
Those who served the ruler of Vintert.
To them, perhaps only the King of Estiria, equal to the King of the Underworld, deserved full respect, not a mere heir to the throne.
The First Prince's eye twitched.
A strike to his pride... but he quickly calmed himself.
"Rise."
All who had shown respect stood back up.
"I heard quite the ruckus outside. In my castle, what in the world is going on?"
"There was a small clash."
When Gail replied, the First Prince's face twisted.
"A clash? In the social hall that I host? Who dares!"
Tolav and Robat.
All eyes shifted to the two. Confirming that one of them was from Vintert, the First Prince turned his head straight toward Robert.
"Ha, Robert, I respect Vintert, yes, but this is too much, is it not? To shed blood in my castle without my permission? Are you trying to insult me?"
"Do not be angered. I doubt he truly meant to shed blood. Isn't that so?"
"Of course."
"Naturally... keek."
Robat and Tolav both nodded.
"Please, graciously take it as mere amusement."
"Amusement..."
The First Prince chewed on the word.
Normally, he would never have let it pass. He despised any blemish to his authority, no matter how small.
But Vintert was not someone to brandish authority against.
Because it was Vintert who had given him that authority. Even as First Prince, provoking them brought nothing but loss.
'Still, backing down like this would make me look weak.'
The invited guests and their guards.
Many eyes were upon him.
He, destined to stand at the pinnacle of Estiria, could not show himself cowed before not even the King of the Underworld, but merely his subordinates.
What to do.
As he pondered, his eyes caught sight of an unfamiliar man. Cland seemed to have brought a new aide...
'Yes, that will do.'
A fine idea came to him.
With this, he could seize control of the hall's atmosphere.
Smiling, the First Prince sat in an empty chair.
"Amusement, you say. Now that I think about it, Robert, your words do have merit. Even if this is the secret social hall, until now it has been too bleak, too dull. Don't you agree?"
"Your Highness, what do you mean...?"
"So then, why not enjoy a little amusement."
Robert tilted his head, as though questioning what he meant.
Without waiting for her answer, the First Prince raised a finger.
"There are new faces among us. This could prove a most entertaining diversion."
A finger adorned with a diamond ring.
It pointed squarely at Maltead... Verden in disguise.
The gathered gazes followed.
At their center, Verden blinked.
'This wasn't part of the plan.'
A new variable had emerged.