Chapter: 209
Duke Partran was not pleased with Benedict’s presence, who was puffing up his chest right in front of him.
How could he feel cheerful when Benedict had put his daughter in a tight spot right before his very eyes?
“Well then, let’s hear your excuse.”
An excuse, huh? Even so, I’m the Duke of the Partran family; that’s quite harsh.
Despite thinking that, Partran didn’t voice it out loud. The person standing in front of him was not someone he could crush with power.
Even if crushing him with power were an option, the Duke would have just grumbled silently.
“First, know this: I never intended for things to escalate this much.”
“Are you saying that while calling that guy Tabol here?”
“She saved our daughter’s life twice. Do I look like the shameless human who would throw her into a pit?”
Ever since Lucy Alrn saved Joy’s life during the academy entrance exam, Duke Partran had a very favorable view of her.
His harsh words aside, if you looked at his actions, one could hardly find any fault with him.
She had the kind of talent that could easily snag the top spot in the competitive Soul Academy.
But most importantly, she was someone his daughter liked.
“Then why did you plan something like this?”
“Because Joy took a liking to your daughter.”
If it were just about making friends, he wouldn’t have minded. Lucy was someone who wouldn’t bring any disadvantages in getting close.
However, it had gone too far. Joy regarded Lucy Alrn, the noble daughter of Count Alrn, as a benefactor or lifelong friend.
If anything were to happen to Lucy, she would throw away her noble duties and rush to help.
“Since she saved her life, how could I say to cast her aside? It’s something that cannot be ordered or commanded.”
That’s why Duke Partran intentionally created a crisis at this party, wanting to assess how Lucy would handle it.
But…
“Too many unexpected events have occurred.”
The unexpected appearance of the first prince, who rarely showed up in the capital.
The tension between Lucy and the first prince.
And suddenly, the festival had turned into a showdown where Lucy triumphed over the first prince.
As a result, the hostility towards Lucy from others had intensified.
Up until this point, things had been manageable. A level of deviation he could control.
Amidst the various factors, Partran successfully set the stage.
It was obvious that Joy would intervene in the crisis, so he subtly made arrangements to bind her with magic.
He asked the first and third princes for their understanding, requesting them not to interfere.
Benedict himself would bind her.
All of this was solely to create a stage where Lucy Alrn would solve the crisis alone.
“Do you understand? I intended to present a suitable amount of crisis at first.”
Back in the days when Benedict was charging ahead, Tabol had developed a profound sense of inferiority and animosity towards him after losing every match.
The only consolation he had was that his son was better than Benedict’s daughter.
Naturally, Tabol did not take kindly to Lucy’s rising evaluation.
So, Partran expected that, upon meeting Lucy, Tabol would try to belittle her in some way, hoping to bring her into a predicament and watch how she would deal with it.
He wanted to see how a kid who once only knew how to cut others down had grown.
His expectations were accurate, but the outcome was wrong.
Tabol’s animosity towards the Alrn family was beyond imagination.
“How could I have anticipated that a man who serves as the commander of the royal knight order and is accustomed to politics would do something so insane!”
Striking at Lucy’s reputation was certainly the most assured way to bring her down.
However, it couldn’t be considered a good method.
That meant blaming the Duke, who had decided on Lucy’s award.
It meant provoking the Alrn family.
And it also meant reopening the wound of the first prince, who had been defeated by Lucy Alrn.
Tabol had completely lost his mind and made choices he wouldn’t have otherwise.
“That was the turning point. After that, countless unforeseen variables popped up.”
The saintess’s intervention. The first prince’s action. Joy unraveling the Duke’s magic. Before he knew it, the stage had slipped from the Duke’s grasp.
“Fortunately, the initial objective was achieved.”
The light of the holy being named Lucy Alrn was real.
Amidst the countless accusations directed at her, she displayed unwavering confidence.
Even when a great crisis approached, she laughed as if it was all just fun and games.
With overwhelming talent proven through many witnesses, including the third prince.
“Especially impressive was the conversation between the mercenary commander and Lady Alrn.”
A discussion initiated to prove Lucy’s extensive knowledge about countless dungeons.
Though Partran might have stored a considerable amount of dungeon knowledge in his head as the leader of a noble house, he found none of the names mentioned familiar in that discussion.
There were even names he had never even heard of.
Yet Lucy was aware of all those dungeons.
Not just aware; she had memorized the structure of each one, the monsters appearing within, the traps present, and the strategies to conquer them.
Details even the mercenary commander, who stood on the front lines of dungeon exploration, could only barely remember!
“Was there even a moment when the mercenary commander sought her advice?”
“Yes, that happened.”
The shock on the mercenary commander’s face as he marveled at the possibility of such strategies became imprinted in the eyes of everyone at the party.
“She proved everything she possessed in the midst of the crisis—her abilities and her worth.”
Previously, the star had hidden its radiance behind the curtain of the night sky.
But not anymore.
The star that revealed itself lifted its brightness to the extent of overshadowing all others nearby.
Many who witnessed that brightness must have wished to claim that star for themselves.
“Your love for your daughter has bore fruit. Congratulations, Benedict.”
“Thank you for the compliments regarding my daughter, Duke Partran. However, that’s one thing, and this situation is another.”
“Hm? Did I not explain my circumstances?”
“Well, it’s true that you intentionally put my daughter in a crisis.”
Duke Partran quickly quelled his anger by discussing the various gifts he had prepared for Lucy.
However, the offer to introduce Jeff was cut off cleanly.
*
I, somehow managing to dodge the speech, had initially intended to stick to the corner.
According to plan, I wanted to quietly pass this time without being noticed by anyone.
Unfortunately, my plan fell apart from the very beginning.
Numerous people deliberately sought me out in the corner and showed an interest.
“It was a great favor from Sir Benedict in the past. I sought to repay him in some way, yet I ended up receiving information instead.”
It was the head of the Claw Mercenaries who broke the ice.
He began by mentioning how during a moment of dire crisis for his mercenary band, Benedict had helped him, and he left saying to contact him if he ever needed mercenaries.
Whatever Benedict did, it seemed he had made quite the impact. The fact that he didn’t raise his voice when referred to as a small fry spoke volumes.
With the head of the Claw Mercenaries having a pleasant conversation, it triggered a surge of others coming up to talk to me.
At first, it was fine. The ones showing interest in me could be eccentric or indifferent to politics.
Among them, the latter would flee, unable to withstand my mesugaki tone, while the former would blurt out whatever they had to say.
A prime example of this was the apostle of the deity of beauty and art.
“Oh! Your beauty is a treasure, Lady Alrn! May I humbly ask for your permission to speak?!”
This guy, who rambled as soon as he faced me, belonged to a similar category as the clumsy fox.
“Could you shut it?♡ Just being in the same space is making me feel sick!♡”
“Oh! Even your voice is so beautiful!”
Nah, this guy was worse than the clumsy fox.
Even after being openly mocked, I was honestly stunned by the praise for my voice.
He was a guy with significant weight in the game, so I knew he was far from normal, but seeing him in real life was quite different from seeing him through a monitor.
At least one bit of good fortune: his aim wasn’t to lay hands on me like the clumsy fox.
Unlike the clumsy fox, the apostle merely inquired if it was acceptable for him to roam around praising my beauty.
Not wanting to engage in lengthy conversation with a mentally unstable pervert, I gave him some vague permission and sent him on his way.
After that harmless crowd passed, the next person to approach was someone laden with political intent.
He introduced himself as being from the Serlan Duke’s family and praised my prowess during the festival and the boldness I showed in front of Tabol earlier, mentioning some rumors about rewriting the history of the academy.
But his intent was unanimous.
To draw me into his faction.
This guy was much stickier than the previous crowd.
Bearing the brunt of my mesugaki skill’s jabs, he whispered sweetly to me.
‘Why are you going so far?!’
I couldn’t comprehend it. Him trying to coerce me even with my face flushed and furious.
But as a grandpa, this must’ve all seemed quite reasonable.
The grandpa advised me to look at how everyone was looking at this guy.
Ridicule. Contempt. Mockery. They were similar to the ones aimed at me.
[Judging from how they look at him, he seems to lean toward the third option.]
‘What should I do?’
[Just let it go in one ear and out the other. There’s really nothing worth considering here.]
‘Is there no way to get rid of him?!’
[You could just tell him to buzz off. I doubt it would pose any problem.]
Well, it would’ve been nice to know that in advance! I wasted my time for nothing!
Just when I was getting ready with a jab for the pedo perv showing interest in a little girl, a voice came from behind me.
“Lord Serlan, what business do you have with my friend?”
Joy displayed obvious displeasure through her fan as she hid her face behind it.
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