Chapter: 198
The day after enjoying the territory with Joy, I found myself meeting the Ducal Lord and his Lady.
The couple, who had arrived at the breakfast table before me, looked fatigued, as if they had just finished a hard day’s work.
It must be something urgent for people of their standing, huh?
I was curious, but I couldn’t ask.
“Hello.”
“Greetings. Sloppy Duke. Shoddy Lady.”
But I had a more pressing issue to deal with.
The Partlan Duke, who could knock someone out just by furrowing his brows, and his wife, who seemed like she’d nail the villain role in a morning drama, stiffened slightly at my greeting.
Regardless of which side, they were both the faces that formed the Partlan family’s bad reputation.
Having gotten used to intimidating looks thanks to the Allen family, these two were on a different level.
Even without saying a word, I was already sweating bullets.
You know, just because someone looks scary on screen doesn’t mean they actually are. I thought the descriptions in text were overly exaggerated.
Nope.
The in-game descriptions held no exaggeration at all.
When these two whispered to each other, it was like a scene straight out of a movie.
What genre, you ask? Crime thriller or horror. Whatever that type is.
“Bwahahaha.”
The brief silence felt eternal until the Duke’s booming laughter shattered it.
Coming after such words, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly turned serious and said, “Kill that girl.” But he wasn’t the type to say such things.
“How long has it been since we spoke to a child who talks so confidently?”
“Indeed, you’re quite the bold one, as Joy described.”
They may look like that, but they were genuinely nice people.
They loved each other, cared for their family, and worked towards bettering their territory. They were the embodiment of the phrase ‘noblesse oblige’.
So, naturally, I thought they’d brush off my rudeness.
But why was I so scared?
It’s like when you watch a horror movie. You know a ghost is going to pop out, but when it does, you still jump. It’s kind of like that.
Knowing that doesn’t help when you’re standing in front of them; the fear comes naturally.
I also worried about whether they might differ from the game.
“Well, have fun.”
Having survived the biggest crisis since arriving at the Partlan territory, I stepped out onto the street with Joy.
“I’m so excited! This time I’ll definitely become the Festival Massacre!”
Judging by her using the term “Festival Massacre,” this is no ordinary quest.
Rather, it’s a tradition that comes down from the Partlan territory.
The title of Festival Massacre is awarded to the one who wins at the most street vendors during the Partlan family festival.
All participants compete for the title without regard to status, gender, or age. Only those who achieve the best results during the festival can be called the Festival Massacre.
It’s clear from Joy’s serious tone that this title isn’t something trivial.
Among those participating in this festival, there are a good number of people who genuinely aim for that title.
Thus, the vendors are serious too.
They’re preparing seriously to crush the challengers, no matter who they are.
“Why is the trajectory twisted? It must be…”
“How unfortunate. Ducal Young Lady.”
“…Could I not try once more?”
“You know it’s not possible.”
At the vendor’s firm tone, Joy slumped her shoulders.
Each vendor only gives one chance.
This rule applies even to the Ducal family’s young lady.
As Joy stepped aside, it was my turn.
The vendor looked slightly stiff upon seeing my face, but didn’t say anything further.
Instead, he handed me a staff with stored magic.
This staff was designed for play.
It contained a very weak magic missile.
I must hit a sign far off with this.
Sounds easy, right? But there’s one aspect I haven’t explained yet.
The target I need to hit moves in a bizarre trajectory that is impossible to predict.
As mentioned earlier, the vendor is serious about this match.
What does that mean?
These people dedicate their time outside of meals to devise and practice difficult trajectories.
“The sign has twenty targets. There’s also twenty spells contained within the staff. Hit them all, and you win.”
Gripping the staff, I instinctively realized I wouldn’t win this match with my own hands.
I can barely use magic. So instead of putting on a show, I decided to use the Bracelet of Recreation.
Suddenly, my body moved on its own and executed the best possible actions.
“Truly, the Lady Allen! You have a deep understanding of magic!”
“Impressive! To break our meticulously crafted trajectory so easily!”
The Bracelet of Recreation is essentially an entertainment item.
It can guarantee a win in a mini-game up to four times a day.
No preconditions whatsoever. As long as it’s a mini-game, you must win four times a day.
That might sound like a cheat item, but there’s a significant catch.
To prevent abuse, it restricts which mini-games you can use it on, so it can only be used during quests.
While its usage is highly limited, it’s considered a must-have item among veteran gamers.
Mini-games can be fun and fresh at first, but eventually, they become tedious chores.
The Bracelet of Recreation proved effective not just in the game but also in reality.
After confirming all the targets were shattered and strewn across the floor, I handed the empty staff back to the vendor.
Then, after a beat, I heard applause.
Starting from Joy.
“Really amazing, Lady Allen. Even I, a wizard, couldn’t win at the vendor!”
Her sincere admiration prompted others nearby to start clapping one by one.
No matter my reputation, with the Ducal Young Lady next to me applauding, how could the others not notice?
Thus, I received not only simple praise but also a somewhat enthusiastic cheer, and I forced a vague smile.
Oh.
Um.
So…
It feels nice to be praised, but…
I didn’t expect this, so I felt more confused than happy.
It’s like being on stage, feeling overwhelmed.
Unable to handle their applause, I hurriedly took Joy and fled the scene.
Afterwards, Joy and I wandered from vendor to vendor, competing.
I didn’t always win.
Due to still recovering, I made silly mistakes like Joy.
Even though it was a simple game of luck, I lost because Dice God momentarily looked away.
However, in most cases, Dice God favored me, and by lunchtime, I managed to secure five victories.
Now I just needed to win twice more.
If I did, the remaining three victories would automatically be handled by the Bracelet of Recreation.
Hehe. Did you see that, Shoddy God?!
No matter how hard you try to increase the count with your unfairness, it’s useless before this veteran!
Think of how you’re going to boost my reputation; you better start now!
And just in case you’re wondering, don’t think you’ll only give quest rewards and move on.
If you tried to screw me over, you owe me more rewards, right? Huh?
With my victory already secured in my mind, I turned my head at the sound of a commotion and the parting crowd in the distance.
What’s that? Could there be someone else who knows how to part the crowd besides me?
As I turned to the source of the ruckus, I spotted a familiar face and a face I vowed never to encounter. And flanking them were stern soldiers.
“Brother. Wait! Just wait a moment!”
One of them was Arthur Soladin.
The Third Prince of the Kingdom, and one of the few who had a good opinion of me at Soul Academy.
“There you are, little brother.”
The other was Rena Soladin.
The First Prince of the Kingdom. The final boss of the Soul Academy Kingdom story.
Simultaneously, he was the one who was once called the gloomy no-good loner prince by Lucy and definitely would not have a good opinion of me.
Why on earth is he appearing here?!
Wasn’t he supposed to be holed up in the capital per the game story?!
What kind of variable is this?
What caused the game and the story to diverge?!
Benedict?!
Did Benedict give courage to that recluse?!
While I panicked, the two kept moving toward me.
It was only natural for the crowd to part.
With two people holding the rights to the throne of the current kingdom approaching, who would dare to disrespect them?
Unless they’d lost their minds, they were sure to bow their heads.
In that sense, my reaction is fair to say that I’ve lost my mind.
More like I was forced to lose my mind?
“Lady Allen?! What are you doing?!”
Joy, who was greeting the two princes, was horrified at the sight of my stiffened head.
I know. I must look like a madman.
But what can I do?! The Mesugaki Skill doesn’t allow me to bow my head!
I want to express my respects so badly!
I want to kneel down and apologize for my past mistakes and plead!
But what can I do! The Mesugaki Skill won’t listen to me!
Desperately trying to fight against it, my will was dwarfed by the will of the Mesugaki Skill.
By the time the First Prince and Arthur arrived in front of me, I kept my head held high.
“I greet the First Prince and the Third Prince.”
“Ah, it’s been a while. Ducal Young Lady. I’m truly glad to see you growing into someone worthy of the Ducal House name. With talents like you around, the Partlan family will thrive in the future.”
Having finished his formal words directed at Joy, the First Prince turned his gaze to me.
His eyes were.
Blackened to the point of absorbing even the surrounding light.
Those eyes were fixated directly on me.
At that instant, I was certain.
It wasn’t Benedict.
The one who called the reclusive First Prince here wasn’t his influence.
The reason the First Prince came here was solely to meet me.
I don’t know why. I can’t read minds like Karia.
But one thing is for sure.
It’s not for a bright intention.
There’s no way someone who’s called a no-good loner would come to meet someone like me.
“Are you looking down on me?”
Thinking it was best to stay silent, I remained quiet, but the First Prince wouldn’t allow my silence.
What do I do?!
What should I do?!
Is there a way to break out of this situation?!
I desperately wracked my brain and even asked Grandpa, but no answer came.
As long as the First Prince stood in front of me, escaping from this situation was impossible.
This was clearly a dead end.
“Greetings to the First Prince and the Third Prince!”
“Ah, it’s you, the gloomy no-good loner prince and the pitiful prince.”
Wow. I dropped “no good” from no-good loner prince.
What progress!
At this point, isn’t it possible for people to let it slide?
When I thought this, I looked around, but the reactions of the people were uniformly cold.
Ugh. I knew it would be a stretch.
I should have expected that.
Sigh.
Damn it.
I’m in deep trouble.
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