In the evening, several carrriages entered the Welton mansion.
It was the carriages of the nobles residing near Haiss.
They entered the mansion under the guidance of an attendant.
The faces of the nobles weren’t at all bright. All determined faces were anxious about a certain thing.
“Please enter.”
A servant opened the door.
What unfolded inside was a splendidly decorated banquet hall.
Today was the day of the banquet, but the faces of the nobles weren’t like that of people who came to enjoy it.
“Please come over.”
Count Welton, who had been standing on the podium with his back to the entrance, turned around.
He smiled at the guests and said,
“You must have been through a lot coming here.”
The day of the banquet.
However, it wasn’t for pure enjoyment.
“Everyone seems to be concerned.”
The Count nodded his head as he looked at their faces.
“Right, ah. The enemy we have to deal with is pretty strong.”
Today’s banquet is a small meeting for the well-being of the peace within the Eastern nobility and the kingdom.
It was a gathering of those who made Zenith into their enemy.
The banquet began.
There were mouth watering foods, fragrant drinks but no one paid attention to them.
Count Welton was quite pleased with that.
He smiled, as he placed his hand on the shoulder of Viscount Balle, who was next to him.
“Today is a banquet for the sake of Viscount Balle who came from far away.”
Formally.
“As a member of the Eastern nobles, you must know that he is my closest friend, and is a brother without a single drop of blood to share.”
“You flatter me, brother.”
Although the Viscount was embarrassed, the Count spoke with joy and lifted his glass.
And then he spoke with a serious expression.
“Viscount Balle is here for a reason.”
Everyone who gathered knew about it.
Nevertheless, the Count spoke.
“The present times aren’t very bright. As we all know, Zenith attacked Apton, my wife’s hometown.”
The nobles of the kingdoms heard of it and were outraged.
In particular, the Eastern nobility were greatly outraged by the evil deeds of the Zenith church.
“Not just that, but my father in law, Marquis Bell and my son, Jamie had suffered.”
The expressions of the nobles were distorted. It had been over a month, but they were all still angry.
“But they were the same and now we are in a situation where we put pressure on the Zenith church.”
The Seldam Kingdom and the various allies and the forces which didn’t have good relations with Zenith.
They were all working together.
But everyone knew that Zenith would never admit to what they did.
“There will be war.”
In a few years, or days.
Zenith is one of the main pillars of the 12 Gods which rule over parts of the continent.
There will be a huge war involving the entire continent.
“That is why we have gathered today.”
He couldn’t summon all the eastern nobility.
There is neither time nor place for it.
Instead, he called for a secure banquet with the consent of Count Simon, another head of Eastern nobles.
“Count Simon agrees with me and has sworn to be with me. And so I am with him. We have a great enemy ahead.”
The Count looked at the nobles.
“So, the Balle family, the people gathered here and even the Eastern nobility will be together and today will be a small party for the reconciliation and our future!”
The Count raised the glass in his hand.
“Let’s make a toast to the mace of justice upon the wicked ones!”
“Bless Count Welton!”
“Glory to the Seldom Kingdom!”
The nobles too lifted their glasses and clinked it with other glasses.
And drank it all without leaving a drop.
The banquet began.
Jamie was chewing jerky in the corner.
Because of the high-quality jerky enjoyed by nobles, the texture was soft and not tough.
‘It’s different from the jerky I have eaten in my previous life.’
The jerky he ate in the past was like a piece of stone with only meat and no seasoning. It couldn’t be chewed and smelled bad and made him nauseous several times.
Anyway.
He only heard about this today in this place.
‘My father too, why did he have to tell me this only today?’
The intention was to concentrate on the training, but if he was informed in advance, he could have prepared for it.
The bow tie which was tightened around his neck felt cramped.
Fortunately, it was for an objective so no noble bothered him. Everyone gathered around the Count and would talk in serious expressions.
“Yah!”
It was when he heard the tomboy voice next to him.
Jamie didn’t answer and kept chewing the jerky.
“Yah!”
Ash cried out again.
Jamie sighed with a troubled look on his face and turned to her.
Unlike usual, Ash was now in a cute dress with her hair braided to the side and smiling.
“You are looking at me?”
“What is it?”
“Do I need to have something to say to a friend?”
And Ash took a seat next to him.
It was already a tiring situation, so Jamie wanted to spend some time alone. But it seemed impossible.
Leaning closer, Ash asked.
“The Count decided to teach you the sword?”
“Yes. He did.”
Jamie answered as he tried to keep distance from Ash.
Ash hugged him and congratulated him.
“Congratulations!”
Jamie frowned at the girl who was being too affectionate.
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“What? I am just congratulating my friend.”
Ash seemed like an uncle. Jamie couldn’t believe that she was an 8 year old.
Widening the distance, Jamie asked.
“What about Miss Rebecca?”
Rebecca couldn’t be seen in the hall.
Jamie looked at Ash who was pouting now.
And with a slightly annoyed voice she ashed.
“Why does my sister get called Miss?”
“What?”
“You call sister with a Miss and call me with, Yah! Why?”
Now what was this?
Jamie was speechless.
Ash continued.
“You treat her kindly and me so harshly…”
“You called me by using ‘yah’ too, right?”
“Did you call me that because my sister isn’t with me?”
Was she really asking such things?
But the opponent was a child and children usually make no sense.
Had he not realized that much in his 7 years of life?
“What nonsense are you saying? I never even said anything, and I called you like that?”
“It isn’t just tha…”
“Why? Should I call you that too?”
“Yah, Miss doesn’t go well with me.”
She makes a fuss about it and says that it doesn’t go well with her?
Then why bother bringing it up?
Instead, Jamie decided to just listen to her.
“I heard a lot that I look like a boy… and….”
“And?”
“Sister is elegant, feminine, an…”
“So you are envious of your feminine older sister?”
“E-envious! My sister is super pretty, kind and has a good personality. And you like my sister too!”
At that, Jamie looked at Ash with a blank look.
Ash covered her mouth with both hands as if she made a mistake.
Jamie sighed.
This wasn’t a mistake, this child was definitely imagining stuff. He didn’t even understand why she was making such a mistake, but it was ridiculous to explain something to a kid.
‘Even if Rebecca is Jane’s reincarnation.’
Their personalities were different, they only looked the same.
So there was no emotion.
Before that, Rebecca was still 10 years old. Even though Jamie was seven now, inside he was a dark magician who was over 60,000 years old.
Unless he was a hardcore pedophile he wouldn’t have feelings for a child.
“I don’t like her.”
“Liar.”
Ash seemed extremely adamant.
But Jamie was being honest.
“Why would I lie to you regarding that?”
“T-that is right. Then you don’t like my sister?”
“Yes.”
“Thank God.”
As small as a whisper.
The problem was that she was doing it next to Jamie.
If it was another child, they would have asked what she said, but not Jamie.
‘Something is strange.’
The sisters.
Jamie had a headache. This was the problem with being popular.
‘The real problem is that they are both young.’
Actually, there was a bigger problem than this.
It was Jamie himself.
A castrated dark magician didn’t feel love. Even if the Balle sisters were attractive, that would change nothing.
Jamie pretended not to hear and asked Ash.
“Where is Miss Rebecca?”
“My sister was feeling unwell, so she is resting in her room.”
“She looked alright yesterday?”
“She went out for a while and then she came back with a fever.”
Maybe that red face she had when she was speaking with Jamie was because she wasn’t feeling well?
‘I thought it was because she liked me.’
Was he mistaken?
Disappointment creeped in, but no one knew about it.
But that was just his thought.
Jamie didn’t realize it, but Ash’s body sagged because of him.
The banquet was over.
Despite not doing anything, he was mentally exhausted.
This was a lot harder than the training he had been through.
As Jamie opened the door and untied his bow, he found the pink squirrel lying on the bed.
Venna turned her head and greeted Jamie in a dying voice.
“Master, you are back…?”
So low, that one would think she lost her voice.
While Jamie was training hard, Venna was made to work in Gremia.
Thanks to that, her muscle pain accumulated over the several days making it impossible for her to move.
[Tch, so weak.]
Meanwhile Philion would only show his displeasure towards Venna.
“Rather than that, how did it go?”
“It was decided that father will be teaching me from tomorrow.”
“Oh oh! Congratulations! Ack!”
She raised her voice, but soon her body ached.
Venna sighed and turned her head to feel less pain.
Only when lying down was she able to feel less pain.
Jamie looked at her and shook his head. Normally he would have yelled at her, but knowing that she was training hard, he didn’t nag.
“How are you?”
“Me… haha.”
Venna smiled awkwardly and Philion clicked his tongue again.
[It’s been a while! You need to have a different mindset, and that guy is too weird!]
Of course, Jamie didn’t hear it.
And Venna didn’t bother delivering to him. Instead, asked Jamie who was changing his clothes.
“Going somewhere again?”
“Yes. A visit.”
“What kind?”
“You know nothing, leave it.”
Jamie decided to go out, and before he left he pressed his finger on Venna’s stomach.
“Kuaaak!”
The squirrel screamed in pain.
“Work hard. Don’t take my words so lightly.”
“I know… ugh.”
Jamie smiled and left the room.
He headed to where Rebecca was staying. He didn’t understand why she was suddenly suffering from fever, but he knew that he could treat her.
Jamie clenched his fist and looked at the symbol on his hand.
‘The day to use the holy power is coming.’
But Jamie’s mind changed as soon as he arrived before Rebecca.
“Jamie is here.”
The expression of Viscount Balle in front of his daughter wasn’t that bright.
Jamie looked at Rebecca without greeting the Viscount.
The tired young girl. Who couldn’t even sit still, looked at Jamie and smiled brightly.
“Young lord.”
Only then did he know…
The identity of the disease…
It was nothing but…
‘Love sick!’
It was a mental illness which couldn’t be cured even with medicine.
