I am back – Chapter 172

The modern beauty of well-constructed buildings is lovely, but the royal palace, showcasing a bit of classical charm, was incredibly beautiful as well.

It was a place filled with extravagant decorations centered around gold, yet all the embellishments were polished just enough not to be over the top.

The music that floated in the air was splendid.

Of course, with the magic of this world, it would certainly be possible to record music and play it back on a device similar to a speaker, but it seems that it was deemed inappropriate for the grandness of the palace.

Musicians gathered in one corner of the banquet hall played pieces with beautiful tones. The instruments were not much different from the Western instruments I had seen on Earth.

If I delved into the details, there might be subtle differences in the string lengths, number of strings, or shapes, but since I didn’t major in music and wasn’t particularly interested in it, I couldn’t really distinguish them.

In that sense, the music entering this banquet hall might differ from the music of my home, but it just sounded similar in my ears.

“Hello there.”

While I wished to simply sit somewhere and enjoy the music, it was, of course, impossible.

Just by being crowded like this, random folks wouldn’t approach us. If they spoke carelessly and made a mistake, it could end badly for them. First impressions are important. If the impression is ruined at the very first meeting, it can be tough to clear up the misunderstanding later.

This was something I was well aware of, having experienced it myself.

Moreover, there was an unwritten rule that the first person to speak to someone at the banquet should be of higher status or at least of similar rank.

Thus, there were no ‘randoms’ boldly walking up to us.

However, that also meant that if someone wasn’t a ‘random,’ they could confidently start a conversation with us.

And not just any kind of attitude, but one filled with great confidence.

“Good day to you, ladies.”

…And from the very first words, my temper was set ablaze.

Of course, I didn’t intend to grab this person by the collar or anything. Although my mood was quite sour, I wasn’t going to act recklessly.

“Hello.”

I responded lightly.

I had no way of knowing how they interpreted my expression, but it seemed they didn’t take it negatively. The person flashed a smile, showing off their white teeth.

In the back, Dana made a small ‘ugh’ sound, but thankfully, they didn’t seem perceptive enough to catch it.

“I am Count Trouber.”

As the person said this and extended their hand toward me, I was momentarily taken aback.

I had been to a ball a few times before and had mingled with the nobles, but I didn’t remember all of them. In truth, I didn’t think it necessary to remember those nobles. It wasn’t that I believed I was superior to them. I simply judged that I wouldn’t see them again in the future.

I had planned to return home once everything was done, so such political talk wasn’t really important to me.

So, it wasn’t surprising that I couldn’t remember the face of this blonde man in front of me, even if I had previously met him.

“……”

I looked at the man’s hand. The palm was facing up. The gesture for shaking hands, which I had previously imagined, looked quite different.

I pondered what this might mean, and it struck me that it was a form of greeting meant for ‘women.’

When a man extends his right palm up, the woman lightly takes hold of his hand with her palm up. If a man sincerely respects a woman, he may even place a light kiss on the back of her hand. However, doing that with someone you’ve just met wasn’t exactly customary.

This was something I had heard from Kalia before.

So, I thought that just because I took this man’s hand, it wouldn’t guarantee a kiss on the back of my hand or anything. I held this thought.

…But that didn’t mean I was open to accepting this style of greeting.

Whether it was his pride as a man or just my resentment toward a noble speaking to me like this, I didn’t feel good about it at all.

“……I am Hero Cha Si-hyun. Nice to meet you.”

So I reflexively extended my hand, grabbing the Count’s hand and awkwardly twisting it to create a handshake.

After gently shaking it up and down before letting go, the young Count wore a thoroughly flustered expression.

Was it because of the greeting? Or was he surprised that my grip was stronger than his?

When I had taken his hand earlier, it felt incredibly soft.

That meant he probably hadn’t wielded a sword much, if at all. Even if he had, he likely had never done so with his life on the line.

…Not everyone has to go to war.

There must be people needed to hold down the fort as well.

However… for a noble like a Count not to be on the battlefield didn’t quite give off a good image.

It meant that while the common folk were drafted and headed to the frontlines, he was here in the rear.

Well, there could be various reasons for that.

I thought I had been managing my expression well, but it seemed a bit of my feelings slipped through.

“Ah, ahaha…”

The Count awkwardly laughed and then asked, “Are you having a good time?”

Still, with such an awkward demeanor, that’s what he decided to ask.

“Yes, I’m having a pleasant conversation with my companions.”

Not being someone raised among nobles, I wasn’t well-versed in how they wrapped their words and presented themselves during conversations. But I did know how to convey the discomfort I felt in words.

I had just been enjoying myself with my companions, and now, thanks to him, the mood had been shattered.

That was what I wanted to say.

“Oh, I see.”

It seemed the Count was trying to create an opportunity to converse with me, but the longer the conversation continued, the more the attention of those around us solely focused on us.

And that attention was all on my companions and my older sister.

No matter how noble the Count was, he held no higher position than the Duchess Ga-young. The youngest Magic Tower Master, the Saintess, and the representative Elf stood on equal ground as well.

And strictly speaking, so did I.

A servant sent by the Goddess. The hero who saved the world.

…I didn’t have any intention of flaunting such titles, but they were indeed useful in this situation.

“Do you have anything important to say?”

The Count, receiving the gaze of the six of us, went pale.

“Oh, no. I was just worried that I might have interrupted your enjoyable time.”

“…No, you did not.”

Of course, that was a lie.

“Is that so? Then I’m glad to hear that.”

The young Count sighed in relief and then deeply bowed, saying to me, “…Then please enjoy your time with your companions.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As I returned the greeting, the Count turned and hurriedly ran away from me.

“Well, that’s just charming. No wonder he acted so passively in war.”

“Really?”

I asked Kalia, who had remarked this while watching the Count retreat, and she nodded.

“During the war, hardly anyone didn’t cooperate with the kingdom. The atmosphere was like that. It felt like you were siding with the Demon King if you didn’t cooperate.”

“True.”

I nodded. It was certainly true that the atmosphere flowed that way. That’s why even the nobles tended to come out as cooperative with the kingdom.

“But not everyone was perfectly cooperative either. Some were looking over their shoulders at the Demon King’s army.”

“Watching the Demon King’s army?”

When I frowned, Kalia shrugged.

“Yeah. If the war ended in the Demon King’s victory, it could turn into a massacre. So some nobles thought to just stand back a bit and observe the war, and then plead their case to the Demon King’s army later.”

“Is that really the case?”

But the Demon King wouldn’t just leave the world as it was.

If the war ended in the Demon King’s victory, people, elves, and ultimately the Demon Race would become his prey. After all, the Demon King wasn’t merely an entity that aimed to conquer the world.

“Well, that’s mostly a suspicion. Perhaps they wanted to hold some advantage when the war ended. They might have thought that keeping their territories and food a bit longer would be more advantageous even after the war ended.”

“If that’s the case, they made a poor judgment.”

“Indeed.”

Kalia chuckled.