Chapter 31 The Social Gathering (2)
I didn’t even take a sip before tossing the contents of my cup over the balcony rail into an empty spot out of sight.
Inside, my mind was conjuring up various pretexts.
Various self-justifications that I wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing or I’m better off being alone.
I lied about having a upset stomach from drinking poorly and left the young noble ladies behind in the banquet hall.
I had to admit it to myself; I was running away.
I glanced over the tailcoat draped on my body. It’s supposed to have been tailored to fit me, but it didn’t feel right at all; it felt suffocating.
Those people lived in a completely different world from mine.
I grew up eating barley porridge that one might feed to livestock, while they nourished themselves on lamb and honey wine.
I doubted whether there could be any intersection of interests between us, whether genuine conversation and empathy could ever be established.
“Why are you out here all by yourself? It’s rare to get such an opportunity.”
Turning around, I saw Silveryn walking towards me, silhouetted against the unlit balcony.
“Master.”
“Looks like you won’t face the disgrace of not finding a partner at the ball, will you?”
Was that a sarcastic way of teasing me?
“Given that I’m out here by myself?”
“No. Seeing the faces of those girls you left behind; they were heartbroken. Seems like you’re stabbing hearts everywhere you go.”
“……”
For some reason, Silveryn seemed to be in a good mood.
“What’s the matter, my apprentice? Do you have too high standards, or is there another woman you’ve got your eye on?”
Being with Silveryn has raised my standards unduly, but that wasn’t the issue.
“Those women think I’m some kind of prince.”
I showed her the palm of my right hand.
“These calluses, they imagine I got them from training under a noble house, wielding a mighty enchanted sword, while the truth is they’re from toiling with hammer and steel in the workshop.”
Silveryn approached me, tossing the contents of her cup over the balcony rail as well.
“They’re living in a fantasy, just looking at my shell. I’d rather not play along with that beat. That’s not really me.”
“Human relationships are like a masquerade ball, especially among nobles. If they view you as a prince, play along a little. There’s no harm in it.”
“I’m not sure if there’s any meaning to it.”
Silveryn replied soothingly,
“You don’t need to find meaning right from the start. And do you really think there’s no point if you’re wearing a mask?”
“…”
I found myself at a loss for words with Silveryn’s sudden question.
“Girls like that are used to getting attention and courted all the time. How do you think they feel when they’ve been rejected outright like that?”
“Will they end up hating me?”
“If not now, they will if they feel there’s no reciprocation for the attention and affection they’ve poured out.”
“…”
“Affection from women is a double-edged sword. Deal with it moderately, without tipping the scale too far one way. At least then, they’ll be on your side.”
Whether those young ladies fancy me or not has little bearing on me. I’m leaving soon anyway, and even if we part on good terms, it’ll be hard to keep in touch once I’m at the academy.
To me, Silveryn is the one who matters.
Suddenly, a question crosses my mind.
When Silveryn mentioned ‘women’, was she including herself?
“And the Knightly Order wants to sponsor you.”
“Out of the blue?”
“Yes. They’ll provide support every semester. It might be money or perhaps the herbs you need. They’ll give you whatever you need.”
It won’t be just a freebie.
“What’s the catch?”
“They want you to attend this social gathering every year.”
The reward seems quite generous for just showing up once a year.
“What do you think, Master?”
“If you’re confident you can keep the promise, then take it. It’s not that difficult to come down here during the vacation to attend. Having noble connections can benefit you in many ways.”
It doesn’t seem like a bad deal.
If Silveryn also says so, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to refuse.
***
Silveryn, tired of the crowd’s attention, retreated to her assigned VIP room.
Nobody could say anything about her leaving; that’s her privilege.
I, on the other hand, still had to mind the nobles and found myself driven back into the hall.
Nancy and Bologna brightened up when I returned.
I decided to follow Silveryn’s advice to the letter.
They seemed to realize I detest dancing and didn’t press the issue.
They seemed to be catering to my tastes.
As we strolled slowly across the training ground’s grass, they bombarded me with various questions.
“How did you meet Miss Silveryn?”
“When did you start learning swordsmanship?”
“Please, tell us the story of the ghoul hunt.”
I spiced up my responses with some tall tales.
They politely reacted and listened attentively to my stories.
The conversation naturally drifted towards swordsmanship, and I sweated over keeping up with their questions.
I knew next to nothing about the subject myself.
Bologna pointed to a corner of the training ground where a crowd had gathered, something of interest apparently unfolding as people encircled an area.
There were occasional gasps and bursts of applause.
“Do you want to go see?”
***
Off to one side of the training ground, a small tournament was underway.
As the Knightly Order organized the social gathering, dueling served as the best amusement and spectacle for them.
In the center, surrounded by onlookers, two men stripped of their outerwear down to rolled-up white shirts and trousers, swinging wooden swords, engaging in fierce combat.
Each time the swords crossed, there erupted exclaims from the audience.
The dueling knights wore smiles, the crowd enjoying the light entertainment.
After several exchanges, the wooden sword of one knight flew away from the impact of a strong hit.
The audience roared with applause.
“Julian, three victories in a row!”
Felix stood among the crowd, glaring at a boy across from him who remained unaware of Felix’s presence. Next to the boy was a familiar face.
Nancy had shown interest in Felix until Damian appeared at the social gathering, after which she immediately clung to Damian.
She no longer spared Felix even a glance.
To him, Damian was an unwanted guest. This gathering was for the Knightly Order and its members, yet here was a non-member basking in his master’s glory pretending to be the man of the hour.
‘You don’t belong here.’
Felix had been telling Nancy how much of a fraud Damian was.
Research into the remains of their ghoul hunt in the cellar revealed his lackluster swordsmanship; he was masquerading as a fighting genius thanks to an enchanted sword he had received from his master.
Nancy had appeared to believe Felix when he told the tale, but seemingly she had been harboring other thoughts.
Now she stood flush with excitement, chatting merrily and shoulder to shoulder with Damian.
Felix gritted his teeth.
He could validate his claims right here, right now.
The Knightly way.
“Next challenger!”
The man in charge of the event shouted, and Felix stepped forward to pick up a wooden sword lying on the ground.
Felix stood before Julian, continuing his streak of three wins.
It was a wooden sword duel, different from real sword fighting. Being hit by a wooden sword would at most leave a bruise, no serious injury involved.
For Felix, with his larger build and physical strength, it was a contest easily conquered by force.
The duel began.
After a brief period of gauging his opponent, Felix lunged.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Felix relentlessly hammered down on Julian’s wooden sword.
Though Julian struck Felix’s body, it didn’t phase him.
The sheer dominance prompted cheers from some in the audience and sighs from others.
“Take it easy, for God’s sake.”
Eventually, Julian conceded defeat and lowered his sword.
“Victory for Felix!”
Luke-warm applause spread through the audience.
“Any next challengers?”
No one stepped forward as Felix had displayed such an overwhelming force based on size and strength alone.
The training ground quieted down until the crowd’s attention suddenly focused on one spot.
Soon, a path was made for a boy at the center around whom everyone was parting ways.
There stood Damian with Nancy and Bologna, the crowd implicitly marking him as the next challenger, almost as if arranged for a duel.
Immediately whispers spread over the training ground.
All eyes were filled with anticipation, looking at Damian.
Damian looked troubled, hesitating until the overwhelming gaze of the audience made him reluctantly enter the dueling ring.
Felix inwardly smiled. Things were going exactly as he wanted.
He was a head taller than Damian.
He had a clear advantage in weight class, and in a wooden sword duel, Damian couldn’t rely on his enchanted sword.
It was just a matter of time before Damian’s subpar swordsmanship was exposed.
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.
“Just a moment!”
“Let’s have a look!”
News of Damian, Silveryn’s apprentice, participating in the duel spread like wildfire, drawing people from the banquet, who left their enjoyment to crowd around the dueling area.
In no time, the audience had nearly tripled in size.
Everyone was gleaming with anticipation over Damian’s next move.
The man in charge, seeing the sudden influx, decided to change the duel rules slightly.
“Alright, the duel will be a best-of-five series!”
He seemed reluctant to let the match end in a single round.
Damian picked up the fallen wooden sword and briefly checked its condition.
Seeing this, Felix snickered.
‘What good will that do?’
Handing over his tailcoat to Nancy after stripping it off, Damian finally faced Felix, readying his stance.
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