31 – Cult (2)

I didn’t put my mouth on the glass and threw it across the balcony where there were no people.

In my mind, I was making up excuses for this or that.

Self-excuses such as saying that this is not suitable for me and that I like being alone.

I lied that I had a bad drink and felt sick to my stomach, and left the noble ladies at the banquet hall.

I finally had to admit it. I was running away

I glanced at the tailcoat draped over my body. They say it was custom made for me, but it doesn’t seem to fit at all, and I’m choking on my breath.

They are people who have lived in a different environment from me in the first place.

They ate lamb and honey wine while I ate the porridge I give to the cattle.

I wondered if there would be an intersection of interests between me and them, and whether a conversation and consensus could be formed.

“Why are you doing this alone here? I was given a chance.”

I looked back and saw Silverine walking towards my unlit balcony.

“Teacher.”

“Looks like you won’t be ashamed of not being able to find a partner at the prom.”

Are you teasing me with irony?

“Did you see me alone like this?”

“No, look at the faces of the girls you abandoned. they were dead You go around sticking a dagger at girls.”

“… … .”

I don’t know why, but Silverine seemed to be in a good mood.

“What’s wrong, disciple? Are you not satisfied with your eyes being too high? Or is there another girl you like?”

Hanging out with Sylverine made my eyes look presumptuous, but that wasn’t the problem.

“Those women know what kind of prince I am.”

I showed the palm of my right hand.

“I thought these calluses were caused by training in a prestigious family and catching a great treasured sword. In reality, it was created by covering it with iron powder and hammering it in the workshop.”

Silverin came to my side. She also spilled the contents of the glass in her hand over the balcony fence.

“I see only my shell and fall into fantasy. I don’t really want to tune in to that rhythm. That’s not really who I am.”

“Originally, human relationships themselves are like masquerades. Even more so for nobles. If I see you as a prince, just act like a prince and get along with me in moderation.”

“I don’t know if that would make any sense.”

Silverin said as if admonishing.

“You don’t have to look for meaning like that from the beginning. And do you think wearing a mask means nothing?”

“… .”

There is no answer to Silverin’s sudden question.

“It must have been a daily routine for them to receive attention and be courted by men. Those kids let go of their pride and came forward, what would you think if that happened?”

“… Will you hate me?”

“Even if it’s not now, if you feel that there’s nothing to return as much as the attention and affection you poured out, you’ll hate it at some point.”

“… .”

“Women’s interest is a double-edged sword. Please deal with it moderately so that it does not tilt too much to one side. Even that much will be on your side.”

No matter what those young ladies think of me, it will have little effect on me. I have to leave anyway, and even if we remain on good terms with each other, it will be difficult to even exchange a single message with the academy.

The important thing for me is silverine.

I suddenly have a question.

Could Sylverine include herself among the ‘women’ she spoke of?

“And the Knights want to support you.”

“Suddenly?”

“yes. I guess they apply every semester. It could be money, or it could be the herbs you need. I’ll give you what you need.”

It won’t just be given for free.

“What is the price?”

“He said he wants you to attend this social gathering every year.”

Compensation is quite generous compared to the effort put in once a year.

“What do you think of the teacher?”

“If you have the confidence to keep your promise, accept it. It shouldn’t be too difficult since you just have to come down and attend during vacation. If you have connections with nobles, there are many benefits.”

There is nothing much to lose.

If Silverin said that, then there would be no reason to refuse.

***

Silverine said she was sick of crowds and went into the VIP room assigned to her.

Even if she went in like that, no one could say anything.

I was still in a position where I had to pay more attention to the nobles.

I was driven back to the banquet hall alone.

Nancy and Bologna were in harmony when I returned.

I decided to follow Silverin’s advice.

And they didn’t force me to do it, probably because they noticed that I hated dancing.

They were catering to me.

As I walked slowly on the lawn of the gymnasium, they bombarded me with questions.

“How did you meet Silverin-sama?”

“When did you start learning swordsmanship?”

“Tell me about the ghoul subjugation.”

I mixed a little bit of lies around it.

They reacted politely and listened to my story.

The topic of the story gradually turned to swordsmanship, but I was sweating to get their questions.

Because I knew very little about swordsmanship.

Bologna pointed her hand at a corner of the gymnasium where crowds gathered.

There, as if there was some kind of spectacle, people were wrapping around a point in a circle.

Occasionally, applause erupted along with exclamations.

“Would you like to go over there?”

***

On one side of the gymnasium, a small tournament was being held.

Since it was a social church supervised by the Knights, Dalian was the best entertainment and spectacle for them.

In the center of the area surrounded by spectators, two men took off their outerwear and rolled up their white shirts and pants, brandishing wooden swords and fighting fiercely.

Every time the sword comes and goes, the audience exclaims.

The sparring knights also had a smile on their lips, and the crowd was enjoying the atmosphere lightly.

The knights exchange several times, and one knight’s wooden sword flies away from a strong blow.

The crowd cheers and claps follow.

“Three victories in a row, Julien!”

Felix was standing in the middle of the crowd, glaring at a boy on the other side.

He didn’t notice Felix’s presence at all. Beside him is a familiar face.

Nancy showed interest in Felix, but immediately became attached to Damian when he came to the social club.

He doesn’t even look at Felix anymore.

To him, Damian was an uninvited guest. This social church was the seat of the Templars and their knights. However, he was not even a member of the Knights Templar, and thanks to the halo of his teacher, he was acting as the main character in this place.

‘You guys don’t deserve to be here.’

Felix had explained to Nancy what a mess Damian was.

Investigating the traces of the basement where he subdued the ghouls, he found that his swordsmanship skills were sloppy, and he pretended to be a genius in swordsmanship by trapping the ghouls with the power of the enchanted sword he received from his master.

Nancy’s face seemed to believe when she heard Felix’s story, but she seemed to be thinking something else.

Now, with a flushed face, she was talking happily with Damian shoulder to shoulder.

Felix clenched his teeth.

You just have to prove yourself right here.

in the manner of a knight.

“The next challenger!”

The man in charge shouted, and Felix went inside and picked up the wooden sword from the floor.

Felix stood in front of Julien, who was on a three-game winning streak.

This was a pairing with wooden swords, and it was different from a real sword fight. The wooden sword only bruised him, but he was not seriously injured.

For Felix, who has the physique and strength, it was a match that ended with a press with force.

The match has begun.

A search battle ensued for a while, and then Felix stepped in.

Knock knock knock!

Felix took down Julien’s wooden sword at the last minute.

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Julien’s wooden sword struck Felix’s body, but no message came from him.

Some in the crowd cheered and others sighed at the overwhelming performance.

“Take it in moderation, damn it.”

In the end, Julien finally admitted defeat and laid down his sword.

“Felix wins!”

The audience’s lukewarm applause spreads.

“Is there a next challenger?”

Because Felix showed an overwhelming appearance with his size and strength, no one stepped forward.

In the quiet gymnasium, the audience’s eyes were suddenly focused on one place.

Soon after, the crowd began to move away around one boy.

Damian, Nancy, and Bologna were standing in the center of the stepping out.

Originally, I was there all the time, but because the crowd moved out of my way as if they had come for a sparring, the composition naturally led to the next challenger.

Soon after, the sound of handguns covers the gymnasium.

All the spectators seemed to be expecting him.

Damian had a troubled face. After holding out for a while, he couldn’t overcome the spectators’ gaze and reluctantly entered the arena.

Felix smiled inwardly. Things were going the way I wanted.

He was a head taller than Damian.

It was definitely superior from the weight class, and because it was a wooden sword sparring, he couldn’t even use Damian’s main weapon, the enchantment sword.

Now, the only thing left was for that sham swordsmanship to be exposed.

A murmur gradually grows louder in the crowd.

“Wait!”

“I’ll take a look!”

The news of Silverin’s disciple, Damien’s participation in Dalian, spread quickly, and those who enjoyed the banquet put aside their work and concentrated on the Dalian.

In an instant, the number of spectators nearly tripled.

Everyone was looking forward to seeing what kind of skills Damian would show.

The man in charge of hosting slightly changed the rules of the sparring when people gathered.

“Come on, the rule of Dalian is 3 out of 5!”

He also noticed that it was a waste to end it with a single plate.

Damian picked up the wooden sword that had fallen on the floor and checked its condition for a while.

Felix snorted at the sight.

‘What are you going to do after seeing that?’

Taking off his tailcoat and handing it to Nancy, Damian finally got ready to face Felix.