ALL NOVEL chapter 54
54 – Breaking Engagement Carefully (4)
Thinking about it, it seemed like this was the first time we held hands like this.
We held hands for various reasons, but isn’t this the first time we’ve actually worn each other?
When I remembered that thought, my cheeks tickled with strange heat.
I did it because she wanted to make fun of Irene, but if I were more shy, I would always be teased by her.
On the other hand, Irene seemed to have no intention of hiding that she was ashamed.
Seeing that the tips of her ears are as red as strawberries, she probably thinks this situation is pretty embarrassing.
What do you do when other people see your face?
Irene looked at me and frowned at her as I gently pulled her hand away from her.
“…Why, why?”
“What if you are so shy? Others will misunderstand.”
Actually, it didn’t matter if I misunderstood. Who would want to spread strange rumors about that Julis?
Even if they knew, there was no need to worry that the rumors would spread all over the place, just quietly whispering among themselves.
Of course, Irene must have known that, but she hesitated and bowed her head as she looked exceptionally flustered.
Her fidgeting fingers also became quiet, and I smiled and glanced at Irene.
As if she had a lot to say, her bottom lip protruded without her knowledge.
I didn’t show this kind of side before, but at what point should the hurdles definitely be lowered?
In other words, unlike before, there was a taste for teasing.
I wouldn’t have imagined teasing you in the past, but how did it happen?
However, remembering the purpose of this prom, he erased the smile she was wearing and moved her gaze.
Of course, you can enjoy the prom with Irene a little more, but
It won’t be too late to do that after you’ve accomplished your purpose here.
Irene must have thought of that as well, so she carefully touched her reddened face and immediately started looking in front of her.
Why did you come to this prom, and why did you attract so many people’s attention?
Isn’t that to draw the interest of Count Kasim?
To uncover the connection between Roman and the Warlock, he needed his technical skills.
Items with magical engineering technology added, aka ‘artifacts’, would be the only way to break through the current situation.
Jerbug-
And when I heard someone’s footsteps, I raised the corners of my mouth and looked in that direction.
Quite a dull sound for normal humans to make,
The sound of heavy footsteps, like a knight wearing armor and stomping, was a sound only a different race could make.
Unlike humans, they are short in stature, but have a much larger size and a solid body.
A race that is loved by the land and has superior dexterity than any other race.
“Welcome, precious people are moving their steps. I think you can call it an honor.”
When his dark eyes emanated, and soon realized that what was mixed in the glitter was goodwill.
We smiled as if we had promised each other.
#
The image of a dwarf I thought of was a little more reticent,
It was more like a pretty sweaty race interested in creating things.
In the first place, since it was the first time I had talked to a different race since Zangir, it was only natural that I had stereotypes.
Of course, Count Kasim was an aristocrat unlike the Dwarves, but…
Still, I thought this was a bit too much.
“So, what happened next?”
“It looks like the troll was decapitated in mid-air. I cut him neatly down to his neck.”
“Damn it, all warlocks must die. How dare you play with a troll like that!”
Unlike the aristocrats who always try to maintain their dignity, who hate having that dignity broken in front of others more than dying.
He growled as he set the glass of beer he was drinking down on the table.
Wow, Irene’s eyes went cold as the beer foam in the beer glass splashed on the table.
After all, it’s not like we’re fighting before we even talk about it in earnest.
One thing is for sure, it was absolutely true that Count Kassim hated warlocks.
Because the dartboards stuck everywhere, the one in the center of the dartboard was a piece of paper with symbols of warlocks drawn on it.
I wonder if I throw darts there when I’m bored.
He was very kind to us.
I thought it might be an opportunity to cooperate with the 5 families, but
What Count Kassim was actually interested in was me, not Irene.
Her eyes twinkled at the decoration on her chest.
If you let him touch the sword that cut the warlock, he might have passed out.
“…By the way, Count. Is the reason you wanted to meet me to hear my story?”
When I asked that question, Count Kasim, who had been laughing while listening to my story, looked at Irene and opened her mouth.
“No, it’s not like that. Isn’t there another reason why the Soga Lord of Julis wanted to meet me?”
“…Yes, I was quiet because you were so absorbed in the story.”
“hahahaha, sorry about that.”
When Irene replied, Count Kassim laughed and bowed her head.
Eventually, when Count Kasim raised his head and opened his mouth, my eyes narrowed at the sudden change of atmosphere.
“Are you going to talk about warlocks?”
“…Why did you think that?”
I asked a question because I thought I had hit the right spot for a moment.
“You, who are most closely related to warlocks in the empire, have come to visit me. Originally, Juris’ Sogaju, who usually doesn’t show up at the ball, came all the way here. It’s not that hard to guess what it means. Isn’t it already famous in the Empire that I hate warlocks?”
Gulp-
After swallowing a beer, he tapped his fingers on the table and continued his speech.
“Perhaps he came to seek help in creating something related to warlocks. But what drew so much attention was that I wanted to come in person, and that was because I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“… Ha.”
“That someone, that is, what the Soga of Juris wants to find out the truth. Isn’t it the Roman of the sword?”
Since I woke up with Evan Fried, I’ve seen so many things, so it wasn’t easy to be surprised by something,
I couldn’t help but be surprised at the insight he showed.
Most of the conversations we had after meeting him were about my own heroism, where on earth did I realize all of that?
Earl Kassim laughed at my expression, then slowly opened his mouth after seeing Irene’s distraught face.
“You don’t have to be too vigilant. If you said this frankly, didn’t you mean that we would eventually cooperate?”
“…I wasn’t glaring at you. I apologize if I have offended you.”
Seeing her Irene apologize, I looked at her and smiled at her lightly.
In the past, I would have said something instead of an apology.
Wouldn’t I be able to call Irene a villain any more? Reminds me of the hard work I put in for the past 3 years, and somehow my heart was touched.
-Lady, sometimes it’s better to apologize than to stare at people.
-It’s okay to try to do it yourself, but how about having someone help you? Because I can’t always be by your side.
Although Irene reacted sharply to those words, she could still say that the current change was wonderful.
As if Count Kasim was surprised by Irene’s apology, I smiled heartily at the sight of her eyes wide open.
“…This seems to be quite different from the rumors I’ve heard. You seem like a much better person.”
“He is a great man.”
‘It’s also beautiful.’
When I added that with the shape of her mouth, Irene, who saw that, flinched and shot at me.
I did it because I wanted to loosen up a little because my expression was stiff, but somehow the reaction seemed to be a little bigger than I expected.
Irene, who carefully wiped her red face, let out a sigh and looked at Count Kassim.
“So, are you saying you intend to cooperate with Julis?”
“I want to hear from you first. Why are you trying to tell me that, and why do you doubt Roman?”
“If that’s the case.”
Soon after, Irene beckoned, and one of her maids who had followed her handed over her book to Count Kasim.
The first edition of the founding story I saw, and an old document I hadn’t seen.
Countess Kasim, who had been reading them carefully, raised her head and looked at Irene.
“The color of Roman’s eyes in the illustration…Is different from now.”
“It was red back then. As you can see from the literature on the other side, Roman was originally related to Allar.”
“…Huh, if this is true…”
“Not if, everything written in it is true. It is the result of an investigation that began from the moment the black magician appeared in Julis.”
At that, I also nodded to her.
If what Sir Chris told me is true, it must have been three years since I began to suspect Roman.
However, the evidence obtained during that time was quite poor, and in the end, I had no choice but to get help from someone else like this.
As Count Kassim handled the book with his thick hands, he stared into the sky and sighed lightly.
What was reflected in his dark eyes were regret, remorse, and… Anger.
It blazed. In that abyss, like thick ink,
What burned in his empty eyes was clearly anger.
Perhaps it was because I lost my family to the black magician,
He breathed out the uncontrollable anger and finally opened his mouth slowly.
“Good. If it’s an artifact that reveals a warlock… I think I can make it. It will take a little while, but probably less than a month. Could you wait that long?”
“As much as you like, I can cover all the funds from Euris.”
“In that case…I guess I have no choice but to accept the offer.”
As Count Kassim grinned at that, Irene’s eyes narrowed as she watched him.
However, unlike before, the lack of bleak energy must have been a relief in her own way.
One month, I couldn’t say it was a short period of time, but it was definitely a much shorter time than expected.
Now, wouldn’t the only thing left to do is to keep Roman’s eyes from turning to Julis?
Lest they suspect Julis, lest they find out about our intentions and go into hiding.
The most important thing for the next month was that part.
#
Even when she entered the ballroom, Irene’s expression was full of dissatisfaction,
When she came out of Count Kassim’s office, her expression looked much more comfortable.
Maybe she liked the fact that the part she was worried about worked out quite well.
By the way, if Roman was really related to the warlock,
One problem was how to deal with Roman.
For 300 years, I wonder how much power they have after continuing to contact the warlock.
Can we really measure it now? I didn’t know if it was Adele Roman, I might be able to defeat it easily.
The skills he possesses…It was obvious that no matter how much dark magic was mixed in, they would be terrible.
But with Duke Roman, the story was different.
The one who is said to be closest to the master in the current empire,
I didn’t reveal it to the public, but there were rumors that I had already reached Master.
Since it was Duke Roman and black magic, he probably couldn’t dare compare it to when he fought Zanzir.
The crown prince’s cooperation was absolutely necessary.
As long as the Imperial Knights possessed the power of Sir Theo Rad, I didn’t want to imagine fighting without their power.
Of course, if I reach the master… It won’t be a problem around that time.
But now I had to worry. Wouldn’t it be possible to reach Master in a month?
What was needed right away was enlightenment. Facing the wall in front of me,
I was convinced that I would be able to move on to the next stage only when I broke it.
After thinking about it for a while, I turned my head to the stare staring at me, and Irene was there.
“What do you think?”
As soon as she heard her words, many thoughts came to her mind that would embarrass Irene, but she erased them and quietly opened her mouth.
“Now that I have finished talking with Count Kassim, I was wondering what to do now.”
Time was ambiguous to return straight away.
The horses that ran nonstop for two days also needed time to rest and eat fodder.
If the coachman wants to come back, maybe he will come back tomorrow noon.
The ball was in full swing as the conversation with Count Kassim did not last long.
When I was thinking about whether I should go back to the ballroom, the reason my thoughts were scattered was because of a voice in my ear.
“I’m sure you’re not thinking about going back to the ballroom or anything like that.”
“…Was that a bad idea?”
But other than that, nothing else comes to mind.
I looked at Irene and tilted her head. Seeing her face, Irene frowned and let out a sigh.
As if frustrated, she touched her forehead and looked at me intently. Then she slowly began to approach me.
“If you go to a ball, the ladies will see you and squeal. Imagining that piano performance you saw when I wasn’t there… It’s good for her to picture in her head how she’s with you like that.”
Cook.
Perhaps it’s become a habit now, Irene approached and poked my chest with her finger.
Somehow, unlike before, my fingers were loaded with strength,
There was a bit of chill in her eyes as she looked at me. I looked at her with her faint smile on her face.
“Do you hate that?”
“I don’t like it.”
My eyes widen at that unexpectedly firm answer.
She never thought that Irene, who always evaded her answers, would answer so firmly.
However, the thoughts did not last long. Suddenly, what had been poking his chest with his fingers soon became his palm,
Her chest was pushed against her, and she unconsciously pushed her backwards.
One step, two steps.
It did not last long to increase the distance in the interval that was getting closer.
When my back touched the wall and Irene’s breath came close enough to reach me.
Her alluring smile moved her crimson lips.
“I hate it.”
“Too close. That, a little-“
“Evan.”
Because it was the first time that Irene had such an active attitude, she couldn’t catch her trembling spirit at all.
The dizzying scent of roses that filled this hallway and the sweet voice that tickled one’s ears were enough to break people’s self-control.
However, I persevered. Just like this, she held down her heart that wanted to grab her by the nape of her neck.
So she began to slowly stare into her eyes.
“…Lady, people might pass by.”
“Then answer me.”
Took,
Her Irene’s hand slowly went up to the brooch she had received from her one day.
Her body twitched at the cold touch of her that brushed her chest like that,
All I could do was stare blankly at the wavering blue eyes.
Then, those small lips parted.
And I couldn’t help but laugh at the sweet voice that was spit out.
“Today you will be with me. Say so.”
I could see Irene’s face with a slight blush.
As if she mustered up her own courage, I could see her holding her tiny hand tightly.
How could I refuse to see such an appearance?
If you refuse to hear this,
She’s either a very girly person or… She’s probably a person with personality problems.
Of course, the reply I sent her was her consent.