ALL NOVEL
Chapter 47
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 47: Banquet(2)
***
“It was truly an entertaining story.”
Earl Copperhead said with a very satisfied expression as Damien’s story came to an end.
“Sorry, but I need to step out for a moment.”
The Earl added, looking somewhat embarrassed. It seemed like he had consumed a lot of alcohol, judging by the signals.
Earl Copperhead briskly walked out of the tent, giving Damien a chance to catch his breath for a moment.
‘I’m tired.’
Damien thought to himself, not accustomed to entertaining others in this manner.
If it weren’t for Abel, he might have left abruptly, even if the individual in question had been a king instead of an Earl.
“But is this guy doing well?”
Damien glanced toward where Abel was.
“I really want to see Viscount Haksen’s wheat fields.”
“Oh, um, really? Well, then, in the autumn, would it be alright if I extend an invitation…”
“I’d be delighted.”
Olivia responded, her face adorned with a blush.
It seemed that Damien’s efforts were not in vain; the relationship was progressing quite well.
‘Yeah, he’s doing well,’ Damien thought.
The bond between Abel and Olivia swiftly grew strong, and even the major obstacle, Earl Copperhead’s favor, was gained.
So far, everything was unfolding smoothly.
“When I visit the Viscount and Viscountess Haksen, I shall be sure to pay my respects to them, and what kind of gifts do they like?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Your visit alone will make them happy,” Abel assured with a pleased expression, and Damien watched the two with a contented face.
***
Sofia couldn’t take her eyes off Damien, who was seated next to Earl Copperhead.
‘A bow made by Auguste? He didn’t give me anything, yet he casually presents something so valuable?’ she thought, irritated. The bow crafted by Auguste was an impressive item, evident from Earl Copperhead promptly seating it beside him.
But that was not the real reason for her irritation.
‘I thought you had a small grudge against me?’ Sofia doubted Damien’s feelings toward her.
Her conviction was now wavering.
‘That’s why it looks like you’ve come to …… to woo Olivia.,’ she thought, filled with jealousy.
Sofia shot a jealous gaze towards Olivia Copperhead.
‘What’s so beautiful about her… well, she is pretty…’ Despite her jealousy, Sofia couldn’t deny that Olivia Copperhead was indeed beautiful, not just in appearance but also with the powerful background of being the daughter of Earl Copperhead.
‘But my body is better,’ Sofia thought, looking down at herself. In contrast to Olivia’s blandness, Sofia exuded a sensual presence.
[PR note- WTF, ‘my body is better’. Whore + Delusional]
Sofia’s jealousy became palpable as Earl Copperhead excused himself, leaving Damien alone. Damien silently observed Abel Haksen and Olivia Copperhead.
‘Why doesn’t he talk to Olivia Copperhead?’ Sofia wondered, sensing a distance that made proposing to Olivia seem unlikely.
As Damien remained silent, Abel Haksen was growing closer to Olivia.
‘Could it be… he’s trying to match Olivia with his brother instead?’ Sofia pondered, finding her speculation plausible.
‘Phew… was that it? I worried for nothing,’ Sofia sighed with relief. Then, she remembered, ‘No, don’t think useless thoughts. I have Jackson.’
Sofia shook her head in dismissal, but at that moment, her gaze locked with Damien’s.
Damien was precisely staring at Sofia, and in his gaze, Sofia felt her heart unexpectedly racing.
‘Among all these people, he found me…?’ she wondered.
Damien’s clear lingering feelings became evident, and as Sofia acknowledged it, a blush quickly spread across her face.
Ignoring his gaze, Sofia fanned herself, attempting to divert her attention.
***
Damien was observing Abel and Olivia’s conversation when he felt an uncomfortable gaze directed at him from the crowd.
If Damien were an ordinary low-class knight, he might not have noticed it.
However, Damien’s senses had long transcended the realm of low-class.
‘Who on earth is it?’ Damien turned his head to find the owner of the gaze.
Among the nobles, he could spot Sofia glaring at him.
‘What is she up to again?’ Damien wondered as he observed her face, gradually feeling uneasy.
Damien no longer harbored any emotions for Sofia. While there might have been attachment in the past, now there was neither affection nor hatred.
However, anger surged when he thought about the humiliation his family had endured.
‘We’ll see about that later,’ Damien resolved, prioritizing Abel’s romantic venture for now.
Damien decided to wait for the future, putting aside any thoughts of Sofia.
***
Jackson watched with a blank expression as Damien Haksen took a seat beside Earl Copperhead, the memory of the gift he had presented long forgotten.
Both Earl Copperhead and the attendees were praising Damien exclusively.
‘Damien… Damien Haksen!’
If it weren’t for Damien, that position would have been his. He would have had the Earl’s and the people’s attention.
‘Some nobody just stole my spotlight… dared to humiliate me like this? I swear, this disgrace will be avenged, without a shadow of a doubt!’
At that moment, Jackson made a solemn promise. He would make Damien feel more despair than he had ever felt.
***
Like his student, Jacques Noiré, too, was observing Damien Haksen.
‘He brought the bow made by Auguste,’ Jacques Noiré noted with a mixture of surprise and envy.
At first, Jacques had no plans to offer the Elixir of Vitality. Considering the challenges he faced in fulfilling his dream, he required every possible elixir at his disposal.
Nevertheless, he offered the elixir, hoping to win Earl’s favor.
Unfortunately, Damien’s gift had stolen all the attention.
‘This is troublesome. Very troublesome,’ Jacques thought, feeling the situation slipping away.
Jacques Noiré’s participation in the jousting tournament was primarily to establish a stepping stone to fulfill his wish.
The goal of Jacques Noiré was to reach the level of a master, a true superhuman.
Once you reach it, your name will be written in the history books.
To reach that level, extensive knowledge of the master class and a significant amount of elixir was essential. Acquiring these required a substantial amount of money.
To cover these costs, Jacques Noiré engaged in various illegal activities, eventually leading to his expulsion from the Mandarin Kingdom.
Coming to the Apple Kingdom was a strategic move unrelated to his past actions in the Mandarin Kingdom.
Jacques Noiré settled in the Apple Kingdom and aimed to acquire funds through legitimate means, avoiding the troubles he faced in the Mandarin Kingdom.
However, earning a meager salary through normal jobs wouldn’t fulfill his desires. Thus, Jacques decided to target wealthy families by using his skills.
Taking Jackson Cutter as his student was part of this plan. Jackson’s balanced appearance and moderate talents made him an attractive target for noble families.
Encouraging Jackson Cutter to woo Sofia Russell was also part of Jacques Noiré’s calculated move.
Through this, Jacques secured substantial support from the Russell family.
Despite the wealth of the Russell family, it was still a small family compared to others, and Jacques Noiré needed more significant resources for his dream.
That’s why he chose Earl Copperhead as his next target.
Participating in the jousting tournament with Jackson was a strategy to establish connections.
However, with Damien in the picture, things became challenging.
‘Damien making things difficult,’ Jacques Noiré admitted. In terms of skills, reputation, appearance, and even wealth, Damien surpassed Jackson Cutter.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can simply let go of Earl Copperhead,’ Jacques thought.
From his perspective, Earl Copperhead was a highly attractive target.
If he could devour the Copperhead family, it would bring him one step closer to fulfilling his ambitions.
‘I need to be more proactive,’ Jacques Noiré decided.
It was a nuisance, but far better than losing the Earl.
‘At least it won’t be a total loss.’
‘If I can manage to suck up the Earl of Copperhead as planned, and have Damien Haksen’s treasure as well…….’
It would be a win-win situation.
‘Damien, you better be prepared,’ Jacques Noiré’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
***
The banquet continued until late at night.
“Well, let’s call it a night for today. Everyone, go back and prepare for tomorrow’s jousting tournament.”
The nobles left the banquet hall and headed to their quarters.
Damien and Abel also made their way to their accommodation. As they reached the tent, Abel immediately flopped onto the bed.
“Whew…”
Abel let out a deep sigh, finally feeling relieved.
“Were you that nervous?”
“Of course. I was in front of Lady Olivia, after all.”
Abel replied, lifting his head.
“So, how was it when you met her?”
“She’s truly beautiful… lively… and a delightful person.”
Abel blushed as he spoke. It was evident that he had become even more infatuated with Olivia during their conversation.
“Think about what you’ll talk about tomorrow in advance.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you planning to avoid meeting Olivia tomorrow?”
“I want to meet her, but… tomorrow is the day of the jousting tournament… and there will be a lot of people gathering around her… I don’t think I’ll have a chance to strike up a conversation…”
“Hey, you boring guy. If there’s no opportunity, you have to create one.”
Damien said mockingly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to create one no matter what.”
At Damien’s confident words, Abel gave a puzzled look.
“You’ll understand when you see it tomorrow.”
In response, Abel sat quietly, observing Damien. Damien smirked.
“You’re telling me you’re not going to tell me? I’m not going to pry that out of you again…….But Thank you, brother.”
Out of the blue, Damien fell silent at Abel’s unexpected words.
“I appreciate you getting a gift for me… and arranging this opportunity… I don’t know how to repay you.”
“Why are you suddenly being so formal? It’s embarrassing… You don’t have to thank me for that. I just did what I had to.”
Abel’s least favorite person in the family was Damien.
Even after seeing the changes in him after the regression, whenever something happened, Abel blamed Damien.
It wasn’t Abel’s fault; it was all because of Damien.
His own foolishness, his sheer pathetic nature—constantly letting his brother down at every turn.
The frustration gnawed at him relentlessly, reaching a point where he simply couldn’t bear it any longer, and led to verbal expressions of discontent.
On the grand scale of bad things, what Damien had done was far worse.
In a previous life, Damien had killed Abel with his own hands.
He could still feel the sensation of slitting Abel’s throat.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural for an older brother to think about his younger brother. So, just focus on proposing to Olivia.”
“Yes, I will do that!”
Abel replied loudly. Damien gave a faint smile.
Looking at Abel’s happy face, Damien felt a sense of forgiveness for his past mistakes, even if just a little.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]