༺ Invitation (3) ༻
Faenol expressionlessly gulped down the wine served as an aperitif.
She couldn’t remember how many glasses she had emptied, but judging by the concerned look of the waiter who had been diligently serving her, she deduced that she must have consumed quite the number.
This clearly wasn’t her normal behavior.
In the first place, she wasn’t one to enjoy alcohol, and gulping down this much aperitif already drove her on the line between rudeness and eccentricity. If she were behaving like normal, she would have never done this.
‘…How fascinating.’
But, she couldn’t care less about that in her current state.
She smiled faintly to herself as she smelled the faint scent of grapes that tickled her nostrils.
Her sense of taste had definitely come back, all thanks to that man.
“Did you find something uncomfortable?”
Such words flowed from the seat next to her.
When she turned her head to find out the owner of that voice, her eyes met Lady Tristan’s. As always, the lady was wearing her usual expressionless face.
It seemed like she found Faenol’s current state odd, that was why she made such a remark.
“…My clothes do feel uncomfortable.”
Hearing Faenol saying such words with a smile, Eleanor tilted her head before replying to her.
“Indeed, the area around your chest does look rather tight. But, why would someone with such a voluptuous bosom like you wear such tight attire?”
“…”
“Right, having such a large bosom does give one various inconveniences. I do have a few useful tips to share, if you mind listening to me.”
“…Thank you for your words, Lady Tristan, but it is not necessary.”
‘What is she even on about? Hers are way bigger…’
Faenol chuckled, continuing the conversation.
“It was just an expression to say that I am not used to these sorts of places.”
Instead of telling the truth of how she managed to regain her lost senses, she chose to steer the conversation in a different direction instead.
Though, the statement she made was undoubtedly the truth.
“After all, I am a commoner. Normally, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend such a grand occasion.”
While this might have been a dinner, nothing more, nothing less, the host was someone whose position was almost equal to the Empress.
An entire entourage was bustling around to accommodate such an individual.
“Wouldn’t you have had many opportunities to enter social circles? Are you not an apprentice of the Magic Tower?”
Faenol’s eyes widened as she looked towards Eleanor.
‘How does this woman know about my past?’
“The Student Council manages all the personal details of every student in the academy.”
Eleanor continued in her blunt voice.
“I heard you had ties with Dean Percy of the Magic School. Is that not so?”
“…”
Faenol wore a bitter smile as she put down her glass.
It was a painful past. So painful, in fact, that she’d rather not recall it at all.
Because the name Percy Siston Levantin still left a deep scar in her heart.
“…Yes, I do have some kind of connection with him.”
For now, she brushed the topic off.
Hearing her words, Eleanor didn’t pry any further. Perhaps she realized the complex emotions buried in Faenol’s voice.
“You said you’re a commoner? Which region did you come from?”
“There is a small village in the North. You probably would not know it even if you heard its name.”
“Is that so?”
“…It was a beautiful place.”
With that, Faenol turned her gaze at the swishing wine in her glass, her eyes lowered.
The wine was as red as blood.
“At least until a certain…incident occurred.”
Just like the scenery of the night when she went berserk and burnt down the entire village.
Eleanor gave her an intense stare, but Faenol avoided her stare and took another sip of her wine.
It seemed like the alcohol was affecting her quite a bit since she had been rambling about unnecessary things for a while now.
‘…What are you doing right now, Faenol?’
She chided herself internally.
Has she started to long for the ordinary life she once had?
Someone like her? A monster who had destroyed her own hometown, and even hurt the person who took her in when she had nowhere else to go? How could she be so shameless to wish such a thing?
The Crimson Night Incident, recorded as one of the worst disasters in the Empire, was caused by her. By the Red Devil slumbering within her.
“…Do you know anything about Her Excellency the Chancellor?”
Though it was rather forceful, she tried to shift the topic.
Luckily, the new topic she chose fitted to the occasion.
After all, the reason why she and Lady Tristan was here in the first place was because of the Chancellor herself,
Eleanor paused for a moment, indicating she understood the shift in her atmosphere.
“…I encountered her a few times when I was younger.”
Since their ages weren’t that far apart from each other, Eleanor remembered the other woman well.
“How was she?”
“Besides the impression of being intolerably remarkable, I do not have much to say.”
Faenol chuckled.
Indeed.
To be able to push Eleanor, praised as an unprecedented prodigy of swordsmanship from a major household to second place, she must have been quite the remarkable person. Not to mention that the major household Eleanor in was the most prestigious one in the entirety of the Empire, as long as the one who possessed the most powerful of swordsmanship.
It was no wonder that she managed to climb from the lowest rank of nobility to the highest.
“…It’s an unbelievable story.”
To think that a young woman, not even halfway through her life, had become the Supreme Commander of the Empire. A few years ago, not even novels would tell such a story.
And it remained so until Sullivan had first begun to display her excellence.
Nowadays, no one dared to scoff at that reality.
After all, those who did were all dead.
“…”
Faenol let out a bitter smile.
Eleanor’s words were all correct.
Except for just one thing.
“It’s not really unbelievable of a story.”
“Mm?”
Inside her heart slept the Red Devil, one of the most violent ones among the Devils. Although they didn’t converse often…
There were some things that she naturally knew as someone who was harboring a Devil inside herself.
For instance…
“How could it be impossible when a person, already destined to rise to the position of Chancellor, also knew the future?”
Chancellor Sullivan was…
Undoubtedly the same ‘kind’ as her.
“…What?”
Eleanor tilted her head in response, but instead of elaborating, Faenol just let out a sigh.
Not that there was any time for further explanation anyway.
“Her Excellency makes her entrance. All rise!”
With those words, the bustling servants scattered neatly in the surroundings.
Their faces clearly showed their nervousness.
‘…I can understand their tension.’
After all, they were about to face the Lady of Steel, someone who had never left her opposition survived her blades. It was natural for them to worry about the possibility of them falling out of her favor.
Thus…
When the Lady of Steel, affectionately linked arm in arm with a man, entered the hall…
A palpable expression of shock and bewilderment rose among everyone’s faces.
After all…
It almost seemed like the couple were flaunting a romantic relationship for all to see?
“Oh my. Is something the matter?”
While the Chancellor uttered such words nonchalantly…
Faenol inwardly burst into laughter. Because the sight of Dowd being dragged along with a sullen face entered her sight.
Sure, most of that man’s troubles were self-inflicted, but this time, he seemed undoubtedly the victim.
After all, he hadn’t directly done a single thing ‘at this current moment’.
‘…Oh dear.’
But to those unaware of that truth, none of that mattered at all.
Eleanor’s expression crumpled rapidly at the sight of Dowd, who was cozily locking his arm with another woman.
System Message
[ Corruption Value of target ‘Eleanor’ is rapidly increasing! ]
“…”
‘Sorry, Eleanor.’
‘I can’t do anything about this…’
Thinking this, the Chancellor dragged me to a seat next to her.
I tried to escape several times, but every time I did so, the Chancellor’s dead-eyed glare made it impossible.
It felt like doing so would actually provoke something horrific.
[But you said she didn’t have a Devil’s Fragment. That means she won’t go berserk no matter what you do, no?]
‘Yeah, but I’m not crazy enough to pick a fight with the Chancellor.’
[You got a point.]
Caliban chuckled in agreement.
‘…And even setting that aside, it’s dangerous.’
Even if she currently didn’t have a Fragment, I had a strong feeling that she was able to wield a Devil’s ‘Authority’.
The problem was, I didn’t know what kind of ability she could use.
There were only six Devils that I knew of. I had never heard of any others.
‘…Is it even possible for there to be more?’
Even I, who was deeply immersed in the settings of Savior Rising, had not heard of such a thing.
Yet, this person was…
A Devil.
At the very least, she used to hold a Fragment once.
Because of the Fallen’s Seal, I could pass off as a bootleg Devil, but she gave off an entirely different feeling than me.
In the meantime, the servants, having finished serving the food, bowed deeply and exited the hall. Sullivan had probably arranged this with them prior to this dinner.
“…”
And as soon as I saw that…
My stomach started to churn.
To go out of her way to dismiss the servants meant that she was about to say something that ‘others should never hear’.
“First of all, thank you for accepting the invitation, Lady Tristan. And…”
Sullivan began, her gaze slightly shifting to Faenol’s face.
“…An unexpected face. But…”
With her trademark gentle smile, she continued.
“Well, it is fine. Either way, this is something that you need to hear as well.”
“…What is it that you want to speak about, Your Excellency?”
Eleanor responded with an expressionless face. There was an ominous glint on her red eyes.
Though she was a Lady of a Ducal House, the way she addressed the Chancellor was incredibly disrespectful, but Sullivan didn’t blink an eye to this.
Almost as if the reason why she had dismissed everyone was for this.
And immediately after…
“I hope this message reaches all the other women in this man’s vicinity as well.”
The Chancellor dropped a bombshell.
“Do not even think of approaching my Dear Husband.”
“…”
“…”
Eleanor and Faenol blinked in unison.
Her words came out so abruptly, without any warning, that it seemed to evaporate any sense of reason before anyone’s anger could even take hold.
The Chancellor, still wearing a serene smile, helped herself to the food ever so naturally.
Almost as if the declaration she just made wasn’t even that notable.
As if asserting an obvious thing in the most matter-of-fact way.
“…”
And I was in no better condition than the other two.
Huh, the brain freeze is kinda severe. Huh. Huh?
Dear Husband?
The fuck…?
“…Are you suggesting that you plan to marry him?”
Faenol asked in a slightly dazed voice.
It seemed even someone devoid of emotion found it exceedingly difficult to calmly accept such a statement.
In the first place, there was this person’s standing. Her position. Such a declaration was bound to create ripples across the entire continent.
However…
“Yes.”
Her answer came all too naturally.
There was a hint of incredulity in her answer even, as if questioning why such an obvious question needed to be asked.
“…Your Excellency.”
Eleanor opened her mouth with a chilly voice.
If words could kill, Sullivan would have been sliced into itty bitty pieces by the palpable killing intent emanating from her.
“That man is engaged to me. Do you not aware of—”
“I am aware, Lady Tristan. That is precisely why I invited you here in the first place.”
Even when facing Eleanor who was leaking such a crazy killing intent to the point that her words seemed to be able to kill, the gentle smile didn’t leave Sullivan’s face. It was admirable, borderline awe-inspiring that she was able to keep her composure like this.
“An unworthy woman like you shall never be suitable for this man.”
“…What is it that you mean by unworthy?”
At those words, the smile on Sullivan’s face deepend even further…
“Lady Tristan.”
As if she was waiting for that exact question.
“Because of you, one wrong move might mean the start of a war in the near future.”
“…”
As soon as I heard that…
I felt my blood turn ice-cold.
After all, this was a fixed line of dialogue from the game.
A line that triggered a ‘Specific Event’.
‘Caliban.’
[Yeah?]
‘Go to sleep for a moment.’
[What? No, what in the—]
Ignoring Caliban’s baffled response, I removed Soul Linker from my arm and put the entire amulet inside my pocket.
After all, the story Sullivan was about to tell…
Was something this person must never hear.
“…A war? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Lady Tristan.”
Then…
“Have you ever heard of the ‘Hero Selection’?””
Along with Sullivan’s words, a system window popped up before my eyes.
System Message
[ Due to the change in state of target ‘Sullivan’, the main scenario is altered. ]
[ The starting point of 〖 Chapter 4 – Crimson Night 〗 has changed! ]
“…”
Yeah. I knew what this was.
After all, this…
Was the line that marked the beginning of Chapter 4.
A chapter that marked one of the biggest turning points in the entire scenario.
“…”
I subconsciously stroked Soul Linker, hidden in my pocket.
The reason why Chapter 4 was deemed as the scenario’s most significant branching point was simple.
Though it was a chapter where Faenol, one of the Devil’s Vessels, emerged as its Final Boss…
‘…Iliya.’
It was also the chapter that the ‘original protagonist’ of this world …
Was the most involved with.
You can rate/review this series here.
