CH 121

Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Adeline, Margravine of Vanderwall, Percival’s mother

Dylan, 4th year student, Percival’s paternal cousin and childhood friend

Sophia, a lady saved by Sapphiras from Flavia’s rampage

Juluth, Evelyn’s 1st daughter, Percival’s maternal cousin

Flavia, Evelyn’s 2nd daughter, Percival’s maternal cousin

When I returned to the venue after having my hair fixed, the guests spoke to me one after another as if they had been waiting for me. Apparently, everyone was interested in my transfer. To begin with, there are only a small number of magicians who can transfer. Therefore, since a child like me performed an accurate transfer, it must have been unusual. Especially in that split second, there were a lot of questions about what happened to the incantation. When I answered honestly that I don’t chant, everyone was surprised. Some people were quite sharp, saying that I was the second coming of Fortis. I don’t think anyone would think it’s not a second coming, but that it’s him inside. Some of them paid attention to the wand I carried at my waist, and I took the opportunity to talk about the wand’s charms. After all, some magicians think that those who use wands are half a man. But that’s a big misconception. The wand is a wonderful tool that opens up magical possibilities. There may be times where one is not compatible with a wand, but if it has the effect of extending your abilities, it would be a shame not to use it! Above all, it’s really cool to see a magician wielding a wand, isn’t it?

……And after a while of passionate arguments.

“Sapphiras, aren’t you thirsty by now?”

I was called back to myself by Percival. Before I knew it, the people around me were a little taken aback by my passionate wand talk. I left the place, reflecting that I had indeed talked a little too much.

After moving to the corner of the venue, I was treated to a rich fruity drink called nectar. The drink is apparently made by crushing and straining fruit, but it is very rich yet refreshing and delicious. It’s surprising to find a drink that uses fruit so extravagantly in this cold season.

“……I’m really sorry that you got hurt earlier.”

“Eh?”

Drinking the nectar all at once felt like a waste so I was enjoying it bit by bit, but Percival’s sudden apology made me stop tilting my glass and look up at his face. There was Percival with a strange expression on his face, and I was confused.

I’ve never seen such a face from the usually dignified Percival. What is wrong?

“By injuries, do you mean that scratch? It’s not that big of an injury! I’ve had Sandrion-san heal me, and there’s no trace of it left anymore. Besides, once I become an adventurer, it’s not uncommon for wounds to be worse than that, right?”

“Yes, but if I had been able to stop Flavia earlier, I wouldn’t have let Sapphiras get hurt …….

The other party is also a cousin, and the serious Percival may be feeling embarrassed because he couldn’t stop Flavia before she went on a rampage.

“No, no, no one could stop that. I don’t mean to be rude, but I thought it was a wild monkey.”

“Wild monkey……No, indeed, that’s…….”

Percival’s dejected face changed into a troubled and complicated expression that stifled his laughter. Apparently the wild monkey made him laugh. It’s not bad to have a face that seems to arouse the maternal instincts of the lady earlier, but it would be a waste to make such a precious expression just because of something as trivial as a scratch on my face. You have to save that kind of thing for when the time comes.

“Usually no one would think that a young lady would jump at you. Don’t worry about it!”

I slap Percival on the back, Kingsleigh-san-style. Even if I hit him, Percival won’t budge.

……I’ve gotten used to it now, so I don’t regret it.

“Sapphiras-san”

“Madam Adeline,”

Madam Adeline came up to us aline. Her eyebrows are slightly lowered and spirit is weaker than before the party started. After all, that happened.

“Thank you for stopping Flavia earlier. The Belisario family was saved by Sapphiras-san again.”

Madam Adeline quickly bowed. I almost accidentally dropped my glass, so I hurriedly to picked it back up. Percival was weird, but what happened to Madam Adeline? I just stopped the wild monkey for a minute.　

“No, no, it’s an exaggeration to say that you were saved……”

“No. Sophia-sama is one of our most important guests. If we had hurt her, we would have been in big trouble. We should have kept a close watch on her, but after what happened……I made her promise firmly when she came to greet me, so I thought she would think a little bit more about what she does……I guess I was too soft on her after all.”

Madam Adeline didn’t cover her face with a fan, and let out a sorrowful sigh.

She made Madam Adeline, who was resolute even at the time of the monster outbreak, make such an expression.

“Madam, the master wants to see you.”

Susanna-san approached and called out to madam.

“I’m coming. I’m sorry to interrupt you, Sapphiras-san. After all that has happened, I hope you at least enjoyed the food.”

Of course I’m going to do my best to enjoy the food. Because the Belisario family prepared the best dishes for today. I’m going to enjoy every bit of it.

“Yes, without reservation!”

In response to my all-out reply, Madam Adeline, who had changed her expression of melancholy into a gorgeous smile, went off at a graceful but quick pace. After all the commotion, she must be busy following up with the guests. I glanced around the hall and saw that both Theodore-san and Curtis-san were working alongside their fiancées, interacting with the guests. In the midst of all this, Dylan-san, who was talking to people who usually wield swords, came over when his eyes met mine.

“Sapphiras, thank you for your hard work. As expected, Percy is depressed. But it can’t be helped if the other party is Flavia. Cheer up.”

Saying that, Dylan-san pats Percival on the back. Dylan-san’s back slapping must surely have been trained by Kingsleigh-san. However, unlike me, Percival’s body shook a little when Dylan-san did it.

……Ku, I don’t regret it.

“Even so, Sapphiras did a good job. He stopped the situation when Oba-ue’s was in danger of losing her position because of the selfish princess.”

“Madam Adeline said something like that, but what does it mean?”

“Aah, you don’t know, Sapphiras. The Duchess of Delvigne, Sophia’s grandmother1祖母 (sobo): paternal grandmother., is someone whom the Queen admires like a mother. Despite her advanced age, she is still very influential in central society, and Oba-ue has earned her trust. Her granddaughter, whom the Duchess of Delvigne loves so much that it wouldn’t hurt to put her in the eye, is Sophia-jou. The duchess currently has no heir and is planning to adopt her as a daughter in the near future and find her a groom, but the reason why the duchess allowed her granddaughter, whom she loves so much, to attend a party in such a frontier territory is because she trusts Oba-ue. What do you think would happen if she found out that her beloved granddaughter was beaten in front of so many people at a party she sent her off to with the peace of mind that she would be with Oba-ue?”

“That’s……a pretty bad situation.”

Even I, a naive man, know what that means. Madam Adeline is also the wife of a Margrave in a territory that is a key part of the country. She probably won’t do anything outright to make enemies of this place, but Madam Adeline’s position in her social circle will be rather delicate. Moreover, Madam, who can’t easily go out to the center, has overwhelmingly few opportunities to recover.

The foundations of trust that she had worked so hard to build up had almost been shaken.

“That’s where Sapphiras comes in.”

“Eh? Me?”

“Sophia-jou was completely taken with the beautiful magician who had appeared out of nowhere and saved her than with Flavia’s rudeness.”

“The Beautiful magician……”

“Yeah, right. Yes, a beautiful knight or magician who appears in her hour of need will always steal the heart of a young lady, won’t he?”

It’s just another way of saying it. If Dylan-san is right, it was worth it to have more than a dozen strands of my hair cut off.

“Originally, Flavia is in a position where she should know about such things…….”

Percival grumbled unfortunately.

Well, if there’s such a wonderful knight nearby, and her father told her that he might become her husband in the future, she can’t help but feel that way. Nice men have a hard time, Percival.

But Flavia should have looked at reality properly. I wonder if the nobility has a way of dealing with nobility. If she had at least acted with common sense, she would have just been a dreamy girl.

“Well, because of this, the Earl Miller family won’t be receiving any invitations from the Belisario family for the time being.”

It probably won’t just be the Belisario family. Invitations from other houses may also disappear. In that light, Juluth-san has been caught up in it. I’m sure Madam Adeline is aware of that, so I’m sure she’ll provide some help for her.

“……Oh, by the way, Flavia took my hair ornament, what should I do with it?”

I totally left it behind, but that hair ornament was quite well crafted, so it must definitely be expensive. I might as well ask Cu Sith to go and find it for me.

“Aah, I’m sure Countess Miller will deliver the hair ornament later. She’ll probably find it at any cost.”

“That’s good then. But why was Flavia so obsessed with that hair ornament? The whole time, she said that the hair ornament is hers, and I wonder if she was promised it when she was little?”

“Aah, yeah……I guess so.”

Dylan-san gives a wry smile and pats Percival on the shoulder for some reason.

I’m sure Percival had a lot of hardships that I don’t know about in relation to Flavia.

melon: so many good people had to bow their heads in apology for that spoilt brat. ️