Chapter 461: Dark Demon’s Birthday Feast (4k)
The banquet hall was exquisitely decorated, with luxurious chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
A piano in the corner played automatically, its elegant melody slowly filling the air.
The maids placed silver utensils on the dining table, while the dessert stand along the wall was piled high with various pastries and beverages.
On the trays filled with frozen treats, neatly arranged were square ice blocks and ice cream balls.
With summer approaching, these cold treats were especially enticing to the children.
“Mo!”
But the first to arrive at the banquet hall were not the group of young boys and girls, but rather Dark’s mana golems!
Guided by the maidens, the well-dressed mana golems entered first. The ball-shaped sea lion, Piplup, immediately jumped onto the dessert stand and started licking the ice treats enthusiastically.
One of the maids quickly wrapped a scarf around its neck to prevent the ice cream from getting on its vest.
The other mana golems, although tempted, did not lose their composure.
Among these mana golems, the most striking were the mighty Lion Beast and the tall Baby Blue-Eye Dragon.
Lion Beast was dressed in a suit, with its fluffy mane combed smoothly, almost indistinguishable from a highly transformed beastman, yet without the innate ferocity.
It gave off a very kind and trustworthy aura, making people want to approach it.
The Baby Blue-Eye Dragon, like Piplup, wore only a bow tie and a vest, which was also quite adorable.
Due to size constraints, not all mana golems could wear complete formal attire; some, like the Trash Slime, had to hide inside a Ditto’s clothes.
The Ditto itself had transformed into a small version of Dark, and was quite lively.
Those mana golems that could walk upright, such as Deoxys, Meow, Wrestler Eagle, and Big Milk Jar, wore full suits, even shoes.
Those that couldn’t walk upright, like Ibut and Eevee, didn’t have shoes but wore small skirts.
Others like Huhu, Solo Sword Sheath, Mana Spirit, and Mana Book only wore bow ties.
However, the vampire noble and the phoenix girl, who resembled humans, and the Ditto disguised as a small Dark, were undoubtedly the best dressed.
The vampire noble and the phoenix girl held hands, looking like a pair of sisters.
Both wore luxurious Lolita-style dresses, one as pink as dawn and the other as red as fire, incredibly cute.
The Ditto was wearing Dark’s old clothes but seemed even happier than if it were wearing new ones.
Dark had expanded “Paradise” into the banquet hall, ensuring that the ten mana golems recorded there didn’t have to worry about mana consumption.
For the remaining seven mana golems, except for Solo Sword Sheath, he provided the necessary mana.
The mana consumption already exceeded Dark’s own recovery rate, but to ensure the mana golems enjoyed themselves, he bore the burden.
There was no shortage of magic potions in the duke’s mansion, so drinking one occasionally wasn’t a problem.
…
Not long after the mana golems entered, Dark brought his family members to the banquet hall.
Moving from the cramped indoor space to this spacious open hall, the family members quietly breathed a sigh of relief, planning to find an excuse to disperse.
But before anyone could act, the young boys and girls suddenly noticed the lively mana golems, causing them to freeze in place.
“Whose mana golem?” Thomas of the Griffin Knight Corps asked abruptly.
“These… are mana golems?”
Kyle from the Secret Rite Academy of the Saints couldn’t help but be puzzled.
Thomas couldn’t help but doubt, “Come on, you’ve studied for a year, can’t you recognize a mana golem?”
“But mana golems don’t look like this,” Kyle’s eyebrows twitched.
Dark listened to their conversation and smiled, asking, “What’s wrong? Are my mana golems strange?”
Hearing his voice, Kyle trembled involuntarily, his chubby cheeks shaking. He exclaimed, “No, no, nothing strange at all!”
“You don’t have to do that,” Dark said gently. “If there’s anything strange, you can say it. We can discuss it.”
Kyle shook his head more vigorously, “Absolutely nothing strange!”
“You can’t do that,” Dark lamented. “If there’s a problem, you should point it out bravely. Kyle, I’m disappointed in you.”
After saying that, he turned away from the blushing Kyle and walked towards his mana golems.
The passive teenagers and children watched as the mana golems immediately surrounded Dark upon seeing him, completely lacking the usual stiffness.
“The intelligence levels of these mana golems must be at least 3.0,” several people familiar with mana golems couldn’t help but feel a chill.
Their gazes toward Dark were like looking at a living monster.
“Hold on!” Jon and Joie suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
They followed behind, secretly watching the lively mana golems. Joie wondered if she could have such cute companions in the future, while Jon stared intently at the Baby Blue-Eye Dragon, filled with envy.
Suddenly, one of the mana golems turned around, startling them.
The siblings pointed at Ditto simultaneously, “Isn’t that Dark?!”
Ditto tilted its head and called out cutely, “Bibibibibibibi?”
Silence filled the room.
…
Children and adults often have different joys and sorrows.
As evening approached, the adults entered the banquet hall, chatting and laughing.
Since it was a “family feast,” there weren’t many special rules.
They had already heard about Dark’s changes at Saint Maryann Academy, so they weren’t too surprised by the presence of the mana golems. After taking their seats, they began chatting among themselves.
The children formed two tables.
Even the mana golems gathered into two groups.
Dark himself was summoned to the main table by Alvaraite, which relieved the children of much pressure.
There weren’t many people at the main table.
Besides Alvaraite and Claire, there were only two uncles of Alvaraite.
The remaining seats were naturally reserved for the three princesses.
After greeting the two elders, Dark sat next to Alvaraite.
He didn’t join the elders’ conversation, just listening quietly.
Alvaraite looked unusually serious as she discussed the kingdom’s situation with the two counts.
In fact, the kingdom’s situation was showing clear signs of turmoil, with frequent indications.
The actions of the Church of the Saints were also quite suspicious.
Without revealing the “Demon King Rebirth” matter, the two counts were full of doubts about the Church’s actions, believing something must have happened within.
Their discussion gradually expanded from this center to other topics.
Only when the eldest princess, Eliza, arrived did their conversation come to a halt.
Eliza was as beautiful as ever.
Her presence seemed to add a touch of brilliance to the entire banquet hall.
Some rude individuals subconsciously became more restrained.
After exchanging greetings with the nobles, Eliza confidently took her seat at the main table.
She frequently visited the duke’s mansion in recent years and was very familiar with its facilities.
The two younger princesses, Anna and Angie, sat on either side of Dark with smiles.
“Happy birthday,” the two younger princesses whispered to Dark after settling down.
Dark politely responded, “Thank you.”
Their interactions during Halloween made them more familiar again.
“Rumor has it you got the top grade in the entire year!” Anna held her heart with both hands, looking admiringly at Dark.
She then continued, “Next year at this time, you’ll definitely get the top grade again!”
Does she want to put me on the spot right away?
Dark immediately realized she wanted to trap him. He laughed, “Be bold, I always get the top grade every year.”
“Pfft.” Anna suddenly lost interest and focused on the food.
Angie, however, pinched Dark’s waist from behind and quickly withdrew her hand, trying to blame Anna.
Dark ignored her.
Angie reached out again, but Dark slapped her hand down instantly with a “slap.”
She pouted, holding her reddened hand, pretending to be angry.
Dark still ignored her.
…
The two younger princesses kept playing little tricks, but none of them affected Dark’s mood.
He responded half-heartedly, but his mind was on when Diana and Rose would arrive.
Compared to the mischievous duo, Diana and Rose really made things easier for him.
Indeed, everything is about comparison.
This comparison highlighted the advantages of Diana and Rose.
Speak of the devil, and he appears.
The Gretbail family of three appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall, led by a maid.
Viscount Gretebail had a strong presence, drawing everyone’s attention as soon as he entered.
Many people only now learned that Alvaraite had invited Viscount Gretebail!
They couldn’t help but whisper, speculating about why Viscount Gretebail was attending.
So much so that they overlooked Camilla and Diana, who were by Viscount Gretebail’s side.
Diana, held tightly by Lady Camilla, looked like a caged bird, dejected.
Only when she spotted Dark did she brighten up and regain her vitality.
She hurriedly pulled Lady Camilla toward the main table.
Coincidentally, the Gretebail family needed to greet the host, so they followed her.
“Hey, Dark, long time no see!”
When Viscount Gretebail and his wife greeted Alvaraite and the princesses, Diana peeked out from behind her father and whispered to Dark.
Dark wanted to say they had been together yesterday, but he just nodded.
Diana tried to say more, but she was pulled away by her parents, sitting at an empty table, appearing unusually low-key.
Soon after, the Floretty family of four made their grand entrance.
People in the banquet hall glanced at them, wondering why Alvaraite had invited them too.
The Floretty family also greeted at the main table before attempting to sit at an empty table.
Seeing Rose, Diana immediately invited her, forming a table for the two families.
After sitting beside Diana, Rose finally felt a bit less nervous.
…
All the guests had arrived.
Alvaraite whispered to the person next to her, then led Dark to the stage.
She smiled, “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Dark’s birthday feast. We’ve received all the birthday gifts you prepared, and I’m sure Dark will be delighted to open them tonight. Without further ado, please enjoy the delicious food and wine!”
Thus, the feast began.
…
Before tonight, Viscount Gretebail and Viscount Floretty hadn’t interacted much.
Though both were viscounts, one was a military power broker while the other was a layabout with no real responsibilities, making their statuses vastly different.
Yet, a birthday invitation connected these two seemingly unrelated individuals.
After brief introductions, the two viscounts understood each other’s reasons for being invited.
The familiarity and closeness between Diana and Rose hinted at the relationships among the children of these families.
This was not good news for the parents who intended to arrange marriages between their daughters and the duke’s son.
It meant a potential competitor might appear out of nowhere!
Thus, hidden tensions arose.
…
Some topics are hard for men to bring up easily, but women have fewer reservations.
Lady Floretty was cautious, while Lady Gretebail appeared composed but had hidden motives.
The two viscountesses engaged in polite banter, though no blood was shed, the competition was fierce.
Ultimately, Lady Floretty, lacking confidence, was outmaneuvered.
Lady Gretebail, however, was perceptive and didn’t expose her immediately.
Lady Floretty’s face flushed, losing all her composure.
Diana and Rose remained unaware of the subtle probing between their parents.
The two girls whispered closely, planning how to invite Dark to dance without being interrupted by the princesses.
Especially Diana, who was particularly mindful of Princess Angie’s presence.
Last Halloween, Angie had disrupted her plans.
This time, she was determined to take the initiative and turn the tide.
Before coming, Lady Gretebail had given her a quick lesson, telling her to seize what she wanted without hesitation.
Gather your courage, make the first move, and don’t fear failure.
Even if she failed, her mother would support her.
So, she was encouraged to go all out!
The Gretbail family had the confidence to back her up.
…
Rose, on the other hand, envied Diana’s lack of reservations.
