Chapter 65

The capital was abuzz with news of the Emperor’s guild, ‘Bluebird’.

The Hunters who had gathered in the capital, waiting for me to establish my own guild, flocked to Bluebird instead.

This was because the Emperor had promised guild members not only compensation for clearing gates but also immunities comparable to those of the nobility.

Not only that, but all items obtained from gates belonged to the guild members, and they didn’t even have to pay monthly dues with points.

‘It’s only natural that the Hunters chose Bluebird, but…’

I felt awful. As if I’d been robbed.

Every guild member who joined Bluebird had originally planned to join my guild, a fact the Emperor was well aware of.

So, while I was waiting for Duke Ruthius to awaken, he stole a march on me.

‘So that was why he tried to kidnap and imprison us. To lock us away while he recruited members.’

His plan was thwarted because we weren’t kidnapped, but Duke Ruthius still needed time to recover.

In the end, things turned out just as the Emperor had intended.

“Is power that great? He’s so petty and pathetic, I can’t even deal with him.”

“They say when you’re drunk on power, you won’t even recognize your own family.”

Alex gulped down a glass of cold water. He appeared calm on the outside, but he was clearly fuming on the inside.

*Thud.*

Alex slammed the empty glass down.

“Shouldn’t we hurry? At this rate, we’re going to lose all the potential guild members.”

“I think they’re already gone.”

“…Those faithless bastards. What? Bluebird? What’s so great about a guild with such a lame name that they couldn’t wait and had to jump ship?”

After grumbling for a while, Alex glanced at me.

“It’s not time to give up yet. If you want, I can try contacting some of their members. A few of them might come over.”

“You want me to beg them to join?”

“You always have to put it like that… Ever heard of strategic persuasion?”

“No, thanks. I’m not creating a guild to worship its members.”

It’s to have the Hunters in the palm of my hand and control the apocalypse.

To do that, my guild needs to be one that every Hunter wants to join.

Not one that begs them to join.

“So what’s the plan?”

“Since it’s come to this, I’m going to take my time instead of rushing.”

“Have you given up?”

“No. They’ll come over eventually, so there’s no need to be impatient, right?”

“You have something up your sleeve?”

“Of course I do.”

“Really? What is it?”

“I can’t be bothered to say it twice. I’ll tell you when the Duke gets here.”

Just then, Duke Ruthius entered the drawing room, holding a wand that looked like a wizard’s staff in one hand.

“Duke, you’re not an old man… Why are you carrying that around?”

“Pay it no mind.”

Duke Ruthius replied coolly and sat on the sofa.

His posture seemed a bit awkward. Looking closely, I saw he was limping slightly on his left leg.

“…What’s wrong with your leg?”

“Perhaps I have osteoporosis, just as you said.”

“Don’t joke around. The High Priest healed you, didn’t he? So why are you limping? Wasn’t it a clean heal?”

“The High Priest is not a god. He can’t heal aftereffects.”

Does that mean his leg has lasting damage because it wasn’t treated right away?

“So… you’ll have to walk like that from now on?”

“I don’t see what the problem is. Frank said it looked cool.”

A handsome middle-aged man with a luxurious wand embedded with a fist-sized emerald.

He looked like a wizard, or perhaps a dapper gentleman. It was true that the look suited him.

It’s just that I was pissed off.

‘The Emperor… Should I just kill him?’

First, he takes away a Sword Master’s sword, and now he’s made him limp? At this rate, he won’t be able to walk for long, let alone run.

Duke Ruthius elegantly lifted his teacup.

“The preparations are nearly complete. The building we’ll use as the guild headquarters has been renovated, and mass production of the uniforms can begin as soon as the design is finalized.”

“…This fast? But you’ve been at the mansion the whole time.”

“Is there any need to move personally when you have money?”

Alex asked with an excited expression.

“So all that’s left is recruiting members? Have you decided on a guild name?”

“Guardian.”

“Guardian… Not bad. How are we going to promote it?”

To recruit members, we have to spread the word. That’s the only way Hunters will come to us.

That was why I went to the boutique with Duke Ruthius. To start rumors.

But now, thanks to the Emperor’s interference, it was all for nothing.

“How about hanging a recruitment banner on the guild building?”

“We could also commission an information guild to spread the word. Hmm, I hear Semo-i is quite famous in that field.”

Banners are fine, and so are information guilds, but I have a better way.

“Is there any need for that? I can just announce it at a gathering where all the Hunters are present.”

Alex raised his thick eyebrows.

“Don’t tell me… you’re planning to use the party?”

“Yep.”

“I have a feeling the Emperor is going to hate that.”

“So?”

“So it’ll be even more fun.”

Alex and I grinned at each other.

Between us, Duke Ruthius sipped his tea, perfectly composed.

The party was just around the corner.

* * *

The carriage that had entered the imperial palace came to a stop.

The door opened, and a long, slender hand reached out to me.

“After you, my lady.”

I gave Dante, who was speaking formally, a sidelong glance and stepped out of the carriage.

He looked me up and down, his eyes full of amusement.

“You look especially beautiful today, Lady Astell.”

“Please use the proper title. I’m not attending as a noble lady today.”

“Acknowledged. You look beautiful, Hunter Astell.”

“I know. Your Highness is also looking tolerable.”

Dante’s smile deepened.

“Shall we?”

“Yes.”

I gently took Dante’s arm and headed toward the rear garden where the party was being held.

The moment we entered, all eyes fell upon us. The soft music that had been playing suddenly stopped.

Every single person wore a horrified expression, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.

It was understandable. The attendees were dressed in light, colorful party attire suitable for an outdoor party.

Everyone except for Dante and me.

“Are you really… going to attend the party in this outfit?”

“Why? Don’t you like it, Louis?”

“I like it. It’s my design, after all. But let me be clear, it’s not suited for a party. It’s fundamentally based on a uniform.”

“I have no intention of dressing for the party. I like it this way.”

“Sigh… If I’d known, I would have made the design a little more vibrant.”

A structured jacket over an asymmetrical gothic-style dress, and a golden brooch combining Louis’s logo with the Guardian logo.

Knee-high lace-up boots, and one of the thigh-high stockings she wore inside had a run in it.

It was an outfit completely at odds with the bright and cheerful party atmosphere.

It wasn’t just the outfits that didn’t suit the party.

Her face was powdered a deathly pale, and the area under her eyes was dark. It was definitely not party makeup.

Dante was in a similar state.

A jet-black suit with golden embroidery. The dress shirt underneath had three buttons undone—not for style, but as if he’d been interrupted while dressing.

His face was even more of a disaster.

The bright red lipstick smudged suggestively on his pale face made it look as though they had been kissing passionately right before the party.

The rear garden fell silent at our appearance.

It was as if we had thrown a splash of black ink on a beautiful and glamorous party.

I accepted the champagne Dante offered, pretending to drink while I surveyed the atmosphere.

Most of the nobles were frowning at us.

“Oh my, what is that… It’s simply absurd.”

“Judging by the brooch’s logo, it’s a Louis Blanc design… I wonder if something unfortunate happened to him?”

“They must have mistaken this for a funeral.”

“Look at Prince Dante’s lips. It would be rude to show up at a funeral like that.”

“The Princess is out of her mind, so I can understand, but I didn’t expect this from Prince Dante. I’m disappointed.”

“…The outfit itself is quite pretty, though. It just doesn’t suit the party.”

The non-nobles, surprisingly, had a more favorable reaction.

“I’ve never seen black party attire before. What do you think the concept is?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s cool. It’s so intense!”

“Look at Prince Dante. Doesn’t he look more decadent than a demon? Haa, I think I’m going to die.”

“But… they look surprisingly good together.”

“Hmph! Our Lady Astell is way too good for him!”

The last voice was a familiar one.

Yulia. As a Hunter, it seemed she had also attended the party.

Once the shock subsided, the musicians began to play again.

Those who had been gossiping about us also made their way to the central hall with their partners.

Dante extended his hand to me.

“Hunter Astell, would you care for a dance?”

In preparation for today, Alex and Duke Ruthius had taught me how to dance.

They said that since I was attending the party, I absolutely had to dance at least once.

So I accepted without much thought.

To be honest, I hadn’t taken the lessons seriously. I was confident in my athletic ability, so I thought I’d pick up something like dancing in no time.

Unfortunately, however, dancing and athletics were two completely different things.