Hmm. Mmm! Young Master Neo, it's been a while since we last saw each other!
Eric immediately squeezed between Cale and Neo. Neo's eyes expressed disappointment.
He thought he had found a good catch, but now it would be difficult to get the better of her in the company of Eric Wilsman.
— He had zero success in this even before the arrival of Young Master Wilsman.
— What can you expect from a dumb six?
- Yes, Young Master Eric. I hope you are in good health?
Neo greeted Eric in this manner before also greeting Young Lady Amira and Young Master Gilbert. He then looked at the three that separated him from Cale and clicked his tongue.
"They're probably protecting him. Even if he's a nobody, he's still on their side."
- They seem surprisingly effective in this mission.
"This is just the beginning of the event," Rosalyn couldn't wait for the rest. If she understood correctly, this Cale was allergic to high society people, and he would be locked in the same room with them with no way to leave. She could already imagine how much fun this would be.
The Crown Prince's already existing tension was compounded by a headache.
He just hoped that the dinner would pass without scandal.
Neo decided to do nothing when he saw the three of them protecting Cale. Eric noticed Neo's intention and slowly turned to look at Cale.
Neo's gaze also turned to Cale.
— Mm-m.
Neo let out a soft groan.
Cale looked at Neo Toltz, crossing his arms over his chest. The eyes of the eldest son of the Hanityuz family were filled with utter contempt. He said nothing to Neo, but his gaze and body language conveyed all that needed to be said:
"Toothless fool."
- Mr. Cale has a very expressive face.
Lok shuddered. The gaze pierced right through him.
Choi Han felt worthless for a moment. He didn't want to face that look.
Even Ron felt less solid than usual. It made him feel euphoric.
It made Neo think of the look he had once felt on his skin. Even though Neo had been angry when Venion had looked at him like that, the young man consoled himself with the fact that the most high-ranking nobles could look at him like that.
"I even feel a little sorry for this guy," Vitira shook her head sympathetically.
"He even has the mentality of an ordinary henchman," Rosalyn completely shared her friend's opinion.
The Crown Prince decided that there was no point in dealing with the Toltz family for at least another two generations. Not that he wanted to, of course.
Cale turned away, stopping his observation of Neo's trembling pupils, and looked back. He heard the Black Dragon's report in his head:
— The voice recording magic is ready.
- YESSSSSS! - the child even flapped his wings, he was so pleased with the fact that he was able to somehow ruin the life of Venion's worthless, stupid cur.
They looked at the dragon with affection.
It was for this reason that Cale brought the Black Dragon with him.
He asked the Dragon to record everything that would happen today. Recording a video required a large amount of mana and was difficult to maintain for a long period of time, so Cale had to settle for just recording his voice.
- Why does he need this anyway?
— Perhaps for the same reason that this dinner took place in the first place.
Everyone remembered the Crown Prince's words that it was better to know the mood among the nobles than not.
Cale initially didn't intend to do this because there were many mages in the palace who were sensitive to mana, but the Black Dragon assured him that he wouldn't be detected if the voice recording range was small.
Cale decided to use this in the future to make Neo cry tears of blood before heading to the palace entrance. Cale was the type of man who always paid his dues.
- At the very least, he faces problems with a large, rich and influential neighbor, which is what the Hanituses themselves are. And he is guaranteed to get the sideways, disapproving glances of the rest of the nobility.
- And he knows a thing or two about revenge...
Eric Wilsman watched Cale walk away with his head held high. Eric thought that the letters he sent every day were probably working.
— Pf, ha!
— Did he even read them?
— I definitely read one thing.
On the other hand, Gilbert and Amiru looked at Cale with a distinct curiosity. Cale Hanitus was a man who used to wear only luxurious clothes, but today he chose to wear a simple black outfit without any accessories. Even his red hair was clean and shining like the sun.
Alberu had to admit that the butler had carried out his threat. Of the five nobles present, the red-haired one looked the most elegant, despite the outward simplicity of his attire. He wanted to compare him with the nobles of other regions.
The mood quickly turned sour.
They wondered if it was because Cale wasn't drunk.
Every step Cale took looked relaxed and calm.
Amiru and Gilbert watched as Cale turned around as he reached the entrance to the palace.
Cale's gaze that seemed to beckon them was an incredibly curious sight.
— When did he manage to transform from a ward into the leader of a team to ensure his own moral well-being?
- It's his whole face, I tell you for sure!
Eric looked at Cale with pride, but Amiru and Gilbert had an even stranger feeling as the three of them stood in front of Cale.
Cale himself looked at the two puzzled people, as well as at the proud Eric, and said:
- Let's go.
And the three of them followed Cale to the palace. Gilbert and Amiru's strange feelings continued to grow the more they followed Cale. Cale, in turn, decided that he would use these three people as much as he could today.
— Young Master Cale-nim from the house of Count Hanitus has arrived!
Cale heard the majordomo call out the names of Eric, Gilbert, and Amir as they entered the hall.
- Not bad.
He looked around the great hall before following Eric. The young Lady Amiru glanced at Cale before walking next to him and speaking.
— Young Master Cale. The front of the banquet hall is the seat for the crowned heads, and the hall itself is divided into regions. The reason for this…
Amir, who was about to explain the reason why the places were broken down into regions, caught Cale's gaze before changing the words that were about to leave her mouth:
— I probably don't need to explain the reason, right?
- Thank you very much, Young Lady Amiru, but I know the reason.
Cale watched as Amiru nodded, a very interested expression appearing on the girl's face before she headed towards the table in the northeast part of the room.
The Crown Prince noticed Young Lady Amira's reaction. She noticed that Cale was not acting as he should. And, unlike Eric, she tried to understand.
"She is very observant. This is a good quality. She can become a very useful person..."
There were five zones in the hall. Northeast, northwest, southwest, southeast, and center. They were all divided between the noble factions.
"The Crown Prince is quite good at these things."
The Crown Prince himself, at that moment, instead of listening to how the tables at the feast were arranged in accordance with his "insidious" plans, was thinking about how badly watching a fragment of this dinner could end for him personally. Cale had not yet shown that he knew his secret. So, it was not mentioned in the book. If he had not revealed his secret to his "friend", the main character, it meant that he was watching over its safety as carefully as always. If someone in another world found out about it, then force majeure must have occurred. Perhaps it was revealed in the battle. The God of Death said that they won in two years. So, there must have been many battles and in a short time, he could simply have run out of strength and not keep an eye on himself. So far it turned out that, apart from Cale's personal thoughts about his manner of doing business, nothing threatened him at this meeting. He could concentrate on what was happening at the tables. And Hanityuz's thoughts about those present were worthy of special attention.
Relaxing a little, he focused on the image again.
— Our table is closest to the exit, as expected.
Cale did not respond to Eric's loud cry. The Palace of Joy opened the eastern entrance as the main entrance, and the table of the nobles of the Northeastern Region was closest to the door.
Although the Northeast Region had a say, they did not have a strong enough house to have a meaningful voice. Cale raised his hand to pat Eric.
- It's great that our place is closest to the door. It's also great that there's no one we have to bow our heads to while sitting in our seats.
In other regions there were important people, such as the Marquis of Stan, who had to be treated with respect and deference.
- He just doesn't want to pretend to be well-mannered any more than is strictly necessary, right?
- Yeah! But it sounded very weighty.
The other three people accompanying Cale froze in place. He too stopped when he saw his companions doing this. Eric turned to look at Cale. He stared at the young man for a while before finally speaking.
- Young Master Cale.
Since they were surrounded by others, Eric did not address Cale in a friendly manner:
"I'm glad that my efforts seem to have paid off."
"Effort? What effort?"
"He's talking about those strange letters, right?" It was hard not to notice the skepticism in the black-haired swordsman's voice.
- A-HA-HA! Most likely, - Rosalyn was already enjoying this event, and it hadn't even started yet. This trio of nobles made her feel touched. Eric had temporarily taken the top spot on her list of favorite people.
Cale looked at Eric with a mixture of shock and confusion, but Eric turned and walked proudly to the table closest to the exit.
Eric didn't know that Cale never read his letters and simply threw them into the corner of the room.
- What's wrong with him?
Young Lady Amiru shook her head at Cale's question. Gilbert showed a similar reaction. Cale shrugged and headed towards the table.
But the majordomo's next announcement made him stop moving:
— Young Master Venion Stan from the Marquis Stan family has arrived!
The black dragon in the chair tensed and growled. He never wanted to see that bastard again, not even on the screen. All the horrible things he had done to him flashed before his eyes. He knew he was safe here, and when they left this room, they would come for him, most likely in just a few hours. But he couldn't help himself.
He began to shake slightly from the overwhelming emotions, when suddenly a hand fell on his back. He turned his head sharply and stared with wide eyes at the owner of the limb.
Eruhaben looked at the child straight and calmly. The black dragon felt like he was trying to convey to him that everything was okay. He looked around. The others were looking at him too. He saw understanding in their eyes. And a promise. Venion was first on the list of things to do.
The dragon took a deep breath and turned to the screen with a nod.
Not a word was spoken. But they were not needed.
Meanwhile, Cale had managed to take his seat, shocking the crowd with his statement that he was "glad to see them all."
- Hello. Glad to see you all.
Silence suddenly fell on the table, and Cale, with his hand under the tablecloth, didn't even pay attention to it.
"I knew it."
He felt the invisible Black Dragon's body tremble slightly.
- I'm fine. I told you I'm fine.
Cale heard the Black Dragon's voice in his head and patted his shaking body. Anger and fear. The Black Dragon's mind was literally overflowing with them now. That was why the traumas of his youth were so terrible.
The dragon decided that if his double was okay, then he should be too. He was in the safe Black Room, and his other self was in the same room with his main enemy. He couldn't be worse than himself, could he?
The Black Dragon didn't know how to react because the physical injuries his body remembered didn't match the rational representation in his head.
- I'm fine. I'm a great and powerful Dragon!
Cale told the Black Dragon, when he said he wanted to follow him, that Venion Stan would be there too. He also made the Black Dragon promise that he would not kill Venion Stan today. But in return, he made the Dragon a promise too:
"Later. I will definitely kill this bastard. But later. Later."
The dragon stared in surprise at the memory shown. He wasn't the only one surprised. Mouths opened, eyebrows rose, and eyes widened.
"He...he promised to kill him? ...For me?" the little dragon asked the equally shocked audience. Like himself.
Eruhaben nodded his head, somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this.
Ron looked at the man who had taken his Young Master's place and didn't know what he was feeling. He had realized some time ago that the man was far from simple as he seemed. Judging by the appraising glances, it hadn't escaped him alone. But the promise of murder had sounded surprisingly cold-blooded. He had claimed that he didn't like it when people died around him, and he turned his nose up at any violence. And then this. When he had said that he would always take revenge, what kind of revenge had he had in mind? He couldn't wait to see it.
Choi Han, Bikros, and Rosalyn's thoughts were roughly similar to the old butler's.
Locke didn't know what to think. On the one hand, he hadn't expected to hear that from the Young Master. And his doppelganger was probably right about him being difficult to deal with. The thought of killing made him feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, wasn't that what they were planning to do first thing after they got out?
Mary didn't think about it too deeply. There were many things she didn't understand about people yet.
Vitira only nodded her head respectfully. In her opinion, this should have been done back in the village.
And the shocked dragon, returning his gaze to the screen, thought of only one thing:
"That "I" tamed the right person! You just have to trust him! He's smart, he can do everything right!"
And for some reason this brought him a strong sense of calm. His tension eased as if it had never been there.
He saw Eric's group and Venion's group still heading to their table. It made sense, since Venion's table was in the northwest area, not far from them.
*Clap. Clap*
The Black Dragon rubbed his head against Cale's leg.
— M-m-m…
That's so cute! Dragons aren't supposed to be that cute," Rosalyn quickly distracted herself from thinking about Cale's strange behavior. It was very easy for a mage to be distracted by a dragon. Especially when he was acting like a cat. She didn't blame the young Master in any way. She would have killed for a dragon, too.
The Black Dragon's actions made the young man think. At that time, he met Eric's gaze, who was furiously signaling to Cale with his eyes:
"Keep quiet! Stay calm!"
But Cale simply ignored these signals. He then began to think about how to pretend that he did not know Venion. However, all his thoughts were in vain, because Venion greeted him first:
- Long time no see, Young Master Cale.
- Why did he even approach him? Didn't he think he was a nobody?
- Good question.
Venion Stan. It seemed that he had developed many wrinkles since they had met, but the young man continued to maintain a gentle smile on his face, befitting a nobleman. However, Neo Toltz, standing behind him, looked worried.
— It seems, as the Young Master said, Venion has more problems.
A vicious grin spread across the Black Dragon's face. The more trouble the bastard gets into, the better for him.
Cale smiled brightly and spoke:
- Greetings, Young Master Venion. This is our first meeting since we met in Viscount Toltz's territory.
Venion's gentle smile seemed to turn to stone, and Neo's face became completely pale.
- A-HA-HA-HA! That's it, Young Master! - Rosalyn laughed happily when she heard this greeting.
"Decided to ruin his life even more?" The Crown Prince smiled in surprise. He wanted to see what would happen next. Watching Venion twist was downright funny.
- What did he say? - People looked curiously at the merry royal heirs. They just waved their hand towards the screen.
Ron, who quickly figured out what was going on, also started chuckling.
Marquis Stan was one of the four leaders in the kingdom's politics. The successor of such a person visited the Northeastern region. Not only was it a visit to the territory of such an insignificant noble as Viscount Toltz. Obviously, this noble was part of the Marquis' faction.
Naturally, the Northeastern nobles began to frown, and the other nobles in the hall also turned their attention to them. The Northeast was currently a region without a strong leader.
- That's right. I was visiting my friend, Young Master Neo, and was returning home.
— New lesson. How to make someone have a nervous breakdown out of the blue.
Rosalyn tried very hard not to laugh out loud. The others were beginning to realize what Cale was doing.
Venion Stan did not like the looks that were directed at him. He had no problem explaining his visit to the Northeastern Region. Venion looked at Cale carefully, as if observing him, but his voice remained gentle:
- Yes, I think we agreed to have a drink in the capital.
- We actually talked about this.
Both Cale and Venion seemed very calm, chatting casually with each other. However, the people watching them couldn't remain so calm.
Rosaleen was shaking. She couldn't contain herself any longer and a quiet laugh was heard in the room.
The dragon looked at Venion's face. The way this always self-confident bastard clearly felt uncomfortable made the little one very happy.
Cale looked at Neo Toltz, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and began to smile. Neo flinched, looking at Cale's smile.
- Ah, that's right. The day after I met you, Young Master Venion, one of Viscount Toltz's knights came.
Cale started talking to Neo with a very polite expression on his face:
- I heard that the villa was completely ransacked. Is everything okay?
Neo's shoulders shook and Cale saw Venion's lips begin to tremble.
- Have you heard about it, Young Master Venion? I'm sure you have, since you said you were good friends.
Now it wasn't just Princess Breka who was laughing. Vitira and Choi Han were fully supporting her. The baby dragon was giggling into his folded paws. Eruhaben, Ron and Bikros were grinning, but trying to hide it.
Locke and Mary smiled.
- He let us down on all fronts, - the Crown Prince did not stand aside either. He covered his lips, which were spreading into a far from majestic smile, and looked at what was happening with delight. Under his rule, no one had ever humiliated the nobles so openly and with absolute impunity.
After a moment of silence, Venion finally responded. He spoke quite naturally, but Cale could sense the anger hidden behind the words of Marquis Stan's successor:
— … Yes. It was very sad to hear that.
- Yes. You have no idea how shocked I was when I found out about it over a hangover drink. How could they have robbed the place and left no trace? They said you had lost something important, Young Master Neo. Is that true?
The most annoying people in the world were those who had free lips but no tact or decorum in their behavior.
Now Cale spoke for three. He was having a blast.
And the degree of fun only grew with every word spoken.
Cale spoke warmly to Neo:
- Young Master Neo, cheer up. Each of us will definitely encounter such incredible situations at least once in our lives.
- Ah, yes. I suppose so...
Neo didn't even look at Venion, quickly answering Cale.
- You need a drink to forget everything that happened. Young Master Neo, let's meet tonight. Young Master Venion, would you like to join us?
Venion looked at Cale calmly. He had lost the Marquis' trust after losing the Black Dragon. Venion was suspicious of the organization that sold him the Black Dragon based on the testimonies of the knights and soldiers present there, but he could not shake off the suspicions he had about Cale's group, who was spending the night in that settlement at the same time.
But he had no compelling reason to suspect Cale. That was why he had spoken to the young man, to make sure.
- It would have been better if you hadn't approached him at all, you would have been safer...
— HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
- If you drink a lot and then get rid of the hangover after waking up, all your bad memories will just disappear!
But seeing how Cale Hanityuz continued to spew nonsense as before, Venion realized that there was absolutely nothing for him to sniff out here.
- Thank you for the offer, Young Master Cale. Maybe next time.
- Ah, that's a bit disappointing. But next time, well, next time.
Venion walked past Cale. As he walked away, he heard Count Hanitus's son talking to Neo:
- Your knight was very pale, Young Master Neo. You should have prepared for a situation like this. How could you allow such important and valuable things to be lost? But cheer up! You can't restore what was lost, but there's nothing you can do about it! You just have to keep living.
— A-HA-HA-A-A... I can't breathe HA-HA!..
"This is the most thoughtful stream of 'nonsense' I have ever heard.
- Eruhaben-nim, please stop! I can't laugh anymore.
After seeing Venion move some distance away, Cale turned away from the extremely pale Neo without the slightest hesitation. Naturally, he made one last remark:
- Cheer up.
- Pfft...
- Good advice!
— We've definitely perked up here.
Cale knew that Neo would get another dressing down from Venion.
- Young Master Cale...
Cale looked at Eric, who looked like he had a lot to say but didn't know how to, before leaning back in his chair.
- Now it's my turn.
Cale nodded after hearing the Black Dragon's voice and looked around. The northeastern nobles were all staring at him. This was probably the first time they had seen this version of the usual Cale. That was why the youth took the bottle of wine in front of him to meet their expectations.
They all turned away almost instantly.
The princesses in the room laughed with renewed vigor. The reactions of those around them to the Young Master's actions amused them beyond measure. Their laughter made the walls shake slightly.
Although Eruhaben soon realized that the walls were not shaking from the two girls' excessive joy. He looked up. He remembered that he had intended to keep a closer eye on the Death God while he was here. Despite the obvious physical reaction of the room, the black fog remained steady and unwavering. He noted this for future observation.
While he was busy making a comparative analysis of what he had seen, Cale handed the bottle to the vice-captain of the LOHI (Personal Dependent Guardian Squad) squad, and all the more or less important nobles finally took their places.
Cale settled himself comfortably in his chair and looked at the entrance to the banquet hall. It was approaching five o'clock in the evening.
*Clap. Clap*
The clock struck exactly five o'clock in the evening.
*Shiiiiiip!*
The big door opened and the main characters of this event appeared with their entourage.
The servant was ready to shout even louder than he had been shouting all evening, but the man walking in front raised his hand to stop the servant.
Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom, the eldest prince of the kingdom, Alberu Crossman.
He seemed to draw even more attention to himself as he walked to his elevated seat without any introduction. All the nobles rose to greet him, and Crown Prince Alberu left the second and third princes behind as he walked to the highest seat in the hall.
- A wonderful first appearance, Your Highness!
— Thank you, Miss Rosalind.
*Bang*
As soon as he stood in front of his chair, the door closed. This meant that everyone was gathered.
Crown Prince Alberu looked at the second and third princes, as well as everyone else, and began to speak:
- Welcome. Thank you for responding to my invitation.
It was a place where he didn't need an introduction. Alberu looked down. Cale looked at him blankly before looking at his watch again.
"The time has come for them to appear."
— Is there anyone else expected to show up?
- Since he mentioned that the book did not describe the actions of the nobles, it must be something he had a direct hand in.
— Young Master Taylor?
- Most likely.
— Just imagine how Venion will be contorted if he really shows up.
— HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!
Cale heard the Crown Prince begin to speak:
- Precious people who will make this kingdom shine, future leaders of our state, this prince is very happy that you all came to this meeting!
The Crown Prince began to slowly use his honey lips. And at that moment…
- Hm?
The Crown Prince turned his gaze to the exit. The locked door was being pushed, as if someone was trying to open it again. Chatter could be heard coming through the gap created by the next push.
Cale began to smile secretly. At this moment, a servant hurriedly rushed towards the Crown Prince from another entrance.
"They are here."
Cale was confident.