Chapter 30

“From His Majesty!”

The entrance to the hall where the banquet was to be held. The attendant waiting there spotted Shin Jae-heon and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Whoa, what lungs on this guy!

I nearly clapped my hands over my ears.

At the edge of my vision, the hem of his outfit kept catching my eye, looking just like boiled octopus sashimi.

Thinking about boiled octopus sashimi, and now I could practically hear the sesame oil and salt… Just looking at it made my mouth water.

Ah, but they probably don’t have boiled octopus sashimi around here…

I was gazing wistfully up at the ceiling when—

“And…”

The attendant’s flustered gaze locked onto me. That distant look screamed it.

♧Why the hell are you here…?♧

I could almost see subtitles scrolling under his chin. Well, sure, showing up out of nowhere with His Imperial Majesty as a rising noble (potentially) would make titles tricky.

“No need to make a fuss.”

Shin Jae-heon just shut down the attendant’s dilemma. Basically, “Don’t say a word.”

“Understood.”

The attendant bowed deeply and knocked on the massive doors of the grand hall.

They began to swing open silently.

Through the crack, I glimpsed a red carpet. Flanking it were nobles standing with heads bowed.

Ooo…

It really hit home that this was a monarchy.

Shin Jae-heon stepped inside first. I followed in his footsteps.

“…!”

The nobles bowing to the Emperor as he trod the red carpet flinched every time I passed.

Not because a walking boiled octopus sashimi was going by, obviously.

“With His Majesty…?”

A tiny mutter reached my ears.

No way it missed the ears of S-rank Shin Jae-heon.

“Is it strange for the banquet’s star guest and me to enter together?”

At his words, their gazes slammed back to the floor.

We proceeded through the crowd to the deepest part of the banquet hall.

Seeing the red carpet lead up to stairs, I halted.

Senia’s knowledge informed me I shouldn’t go up there.

Hm, that’s the Emperor’s seat, right?

When I glanced up at the dais, my eyes met Shin Jae-heon’s. He was seated, the only one not bowing. Our eyes met alone amid the sea of lowered heads.

Before the RP Dungeon penalty could hit, I flashed a quick smirk. Then hurriedly schooled my expression.

“Well then,”

Shin Jae-heon paused mid-sentence to smirk back at me. It felt like we were a mischievous duo of impish kids sharing a secret prank.

“—Before the banquet begins, we should honor the promise first, right?”

His ornate clothes glittered.

He was even more splendidly dressed than when he’d visited So Yeri the hunter’s log cabin—fancier shirt and outer robes. And earlier on the way here, he’d definitely said:

‘This is me dressing casually.’

Ah, yeah. Come to think of it, back in Korea, Shin Jae-heon wasn’t hopeless at fashion.

I just lounged around in t-shirts at home, but this guy dressed up decently.

Thinking back, after Joo Yian’s suits, the outfit I’d seen him in most was these shirts.

“Herald.”

While I was lost in thought, the poor herald was summoned again. Same guy from before.

This time, without a word, he presented a ceremonial sword wrapped in red cloth.

The crest marked it as the Carman imperial house’s ritual blade.

He took the sheathed sword and descended the dais.

I felt the nobles who’d lifted their heads now bowing again.

Senia’s instincts strongly urged me to kneel now.

This really feels like a knighting ceremony. I dropped to one knee, and Shin Jae-heon’s sheathed blade touched my shoulder.

“Lady Senia.”

He no longer used my full house name, de Pourlang. Instead, he spouted nonsense via hunter chat.

I nearly burst out laughing. Facing RP Dungeon penalty peril, I fired back indignantly.

Meanwhile, he continued.

“I dub thee my new knight and…”

He tilted his head slightly. House name. Muttering that, he opened his mouth again.

“…Countess of the Edelweiss region. Conveniently, plenty of vacant land there.”

Of all things?

Edelweiss, really?

While my brain fried, murmurs rose from the nobles.

“The Edelweiss region… plenty of houses coveted that…”

“To a new noble, no less.”

But tormenting my mind was a song from Korea.

One from before the gates, maybe high school, like 10 years ago.

And I had bad memories tied to that song.

My gaze lingered on my name in hunter chat—still Senia de Pourlang, church approval pending.

Then Shin Jae-heon’s chat popped up.

Fond my ass! I struggled to hide my killing intent behind a pleased smile.

This jerk was in my high school class.

Meaning he knew I barely scraped a passing grade on the Edelweiss vocal exam.

The music teacher was horrified by my singing.

‘This is an insult to music!’

That legendary quote—giving me a passing grade felt like betraying the composer—while giving this guy a perfect score.

Thinking back, Shin Jae-heon excelled at arts.

Music, drawing, you name it. No gates, he’d probably be in music or art school.

“I expect you to keep honing your blade for Carman henceforth.”

Whether my mind stung with painful memories or not, Shin Jae-heon turned away.

Of course, hunter chat flew fast.

Right, So Yeri the hunter must be invited as Magic Tower Master.

So Yeri hunter roared with laughter.

This is why alumni in the same hunter team is a bad idea! I clenched my fist.

We were locked in our mutual roast battle when Joo Hunter Yian’s chat appeared.

Wait, who the hell smashed the Pope’s carriage wheel? Some bastard ruining dinner.

That church side’s rotten somewhere for sure.

While we chatted away excitedly, Shin Jae-heon spoke up.

“This is also to lighten the tense mood so far, so please enjoy yourselves.”

The nobles quieted at his words. He lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile.

“As you’ve seen, I don’t execute without cause.”

Only then did the nobles’ tension ease a bit.

‘My friend’s a tyrant!’ I’d read that cliché in like 30,000 novels, but seeing it live was a whole new feeling.

In chat, he was the Shin Jae-heon I knew, but before my eyes, he seemed a different person.

“Your Majesty, this time…”

As he descended the dais and picked up a glass from a table, nobles began slinking toward him.

They’d supported Ivan Elethia von Carman even before Shin Jae-heon possessed him.

One or two started it, then they swarmed like clouds. I was impressed by the sight.

A bit late on the polite speech, but anyway.

Shin Jae-heon, too busy for that, sighed in hunter chat.

While he got buried in the crowd, I headed to a table at a polite distance.

Time to fill my stomach with simple finger foods.

Hm, salmon canape-looking thing over there.

A boiled octopus sashimi reaching for its salmon canape cousin—surely a masterpiece.

That very moment—

“I never dreamed I’d see Lady Senia de Pourlang here.”

Some noble popped up and spoke.

Still insisting on Pourlang since church approval’s pending?

Turning with vague displeasure, a squid-like noble leered at me, raising his glass.

Behind him, murmuring crowds.

Conveniently D-rank but good ears, their backtalk rolled right into mine.

“Wasn’t she dying? How’d she get that strong…”

“Snatched the family heir spot too. Now wants a new title? What power hunger…”

These places are full of bigmouths, gotta give ’em that.

I eyed the salmon canape cousin roughly and replied.

“I never imagined I’d end up in such an undeserved position either.”

Of course, out loud it was Senia version. Saying ‘I didn’t expect so many scrubs at the sword tournament’ would’ve triggered penalty.

“A fine knight indeed, Lady Senia. As expected of the storied Pourlang house.”

I had to turn back to Squid-bro.

Really sticking to Pourlang sans church approval?

Didn’t hear the Edelweiss bit? Want me to sing for you?

“But with a new title, doesn’t that leave Pourlang without an heir…?”

As the man spoke again, a name finally appeared over his head.

Senia didn’t see him often, so knowledge upload(?) took time.

An explanation system window followed right away. Aha.

So that’s why he’d been snarky.

As I raised my glass, Pourlang house folks approached behind Kias.

Lord and Lady Pourlang stared with betrayal-filled faces.

Kikal beside them approached me, barely hiding glee.

Whatever. I popped the salmon canape cousin into my mouth.

My vision flashed.

Senia, people need some impudence sometimes! As I slyly lowered my hand—

“Seny. What the hell have you done?”

Kikal, arriving before me, blurted out.