Chapter 295: The Hongmen Banquet (Patreon)

"This outfit is really awkward."

Solitär wore a backless, dark-green dress with a short, tie-front hem. Her two pale thighs lay bare under the lights, and her glossy black high heels clicked against the marble floor.

It was her first time wearing Human formal wear. With so much skin exposed, she couldn't settle into it.

Her hair, usually left loose and untidy, had been combed into neat order by Gaderia's stylist. A huge silver hairpin engraved with a phoenix-like bird was fastened at the back.

Two emerald-green diamond-shaped pendants hung from her ears. Add a calm, gentle expression, and she looked poised and elegant.

Beneath the light makeup, her lovely face carried a pair of small Demon Race horns. Far from looking fierce, they only made her a little cuter.

"Lady Solitär is especially captivating today."

Lügner took Solitär's hand with perfect gentlemanly grace.

He wore a pure black suit with a red tie over a standard white shirt.

"An old thing like me, doing this for the first time."

Solitär had never imagined she would one day attend a banquet held by Humans.

She flashed Lügner a warm smile, pretending the two of them were on intimate terms, while her small mouth asked in a low voice:

"Why me?"

"Because I trust your strength, Solitär, and your appearance and expression are flawless. Honestly, I didn't expect you to agree to my request."

"I just happened to be in the mood."

While the two of them murmured with their heads close together, they stepped into the venue.

Naturally, two Demon Race members with horns walking into the hall drew plenty of stares, some open and some sly.

Among the previously noisy chatter, several new topics sprang up.

"I can hardly believe it. That backwater frontier place, Gaderia, is really run by the Demon Race."

"They say the previous lord of the Gaderia family picked that Demon himself. How frightening. Are you sure he wasn't threatened by the Demon Race into giving up the lord's seat?"

"There's no danger, is there? What if the Demon snaps and hurts someone?"

"How interesting. I've never seen a scene like this. It was worth coming."

"My Goddess, I never knew the Demon Race could be this beautiful."

The voices had already begun to drown out the musicians' background music.

Faced with the stares from every direction and the murmurs she could faintly make out, Solitär frowned.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

She walked up to a tower of stacked wine glasses filled with red wine and gave a light flick of her finger. Guided by her Mana, the topmost glass floated into her hand.

The chatter around them swelled all the more. Someone even cried out in alarm.

"Those who want to talk to us will come over on their own. However, most of the nobles at this banquet are from outside our circle, unlike the banquets hosted by the nobles who used to ally with us."

Lügner picked up a plate of sliced steak and handed it to Solitär.

"In that case, there's no need to attend, is there? They don't seem to welcome us."

"It's a form of publicity."

"Aren't you afraid those Humans will join forces and set a trap for us at the banquet?"

"That's why I invited you to come along."

Solitär took the fork from Lügner's hand, speared a bite of steak, and took a small sip of wine.

She had to admit, Human food really wasn't bad.

"The host is Earl Sikang of the Langwish family. Gaderia is attending as a representative of the Triangle Alliance. And the one over there staring at us is Graf Granat, who clashed with Lady Aura not long ago."

"Aura?"

"She was thrown into the prison in Graf Granat's Domain, and then she broke out."

"What a shame."

Ever since fighting Aura, Solitär had held a grudge against that spineless Great Demon.

Lügner paid no mind to the quarrel between Solitär and Aura. Instead, he used his eyes to point out another man, who had a woman hanging on each arm.

"That one over there, who looks like a fool at first glance, is the former duke, now Earl Wolf II. Even if he came to befriend us and drag us into his mess, I'd refuse him."

"Wolf... Something about that name feels familiar."

Solitär's gaze came to rest on a figure standing in the shadows of the banquet.

It was a man whose eyepatch couldn't hide the scar covering half his face. His sharp eye caught her attention in particular.

"Levi, the Empire's Northern Governor-General. Secretly, he is also the Commander of the Empire's covert agency, the Shadow Warriors Warriors. Long ago, he made a non-interference pact with Lady Nanoda."

"That Human is something."

Levi had been hiding himself the whole time, but the keen-sensed Solitär couldn't ignore his presence.

"To be honest, nearly all the nobles here aren't very friendly toward Gaderia. There are also many big names with no ties to us. Apart from the royal family and the grand dukes, it seems about half of the Empire's earls are gathered here, plus a crowd of petty nobles. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Lügner, with your Mana Perception, who do you think the sources of Mana surrounding this mansion are?"

"I'm not sure."

"Don't worry, I'll be prepared. After all, it would be a waste for an interesting specimen like you to die here."

Solitär reached up and patted Lügner's shoulder. The situation was still within her grasp.

Shortly after the banquet began, its star appeared: Earl Sikang Langwish.

He strode in from the main entrance along the red carpet, followed closely by a maid in black and white carrying a bottle of red wine.

The guests politely stepped aside to open a path for the young Earl.

All along the way, Earl Sikang never let his gaze linger on anyone or cast a glance at the others.

He made his way to the center of the banquet hall, drew a deep breath, and slowly began to speak.

"Welcome, everyone, to the banquet I'm hosting. Are you all enjoying yourselves? There's something I've always wanted to say to you all!"

A huge grin stretched across Earl Sikang's face. He pressed one hand to his chest and extended the other, crossed his feet, and bowed slowly.

In the hush as everyone held their breath, his voice rang out like a thunderclap.

"What I want to say is: are you nobles all idiots?!"

Earl Sikang bared his teeth and laughed, wild and unrestrained. "Hahahahaha! A bunch of idiots!"

Right then, beyond the red carpet at the main entrance, another group of uninvited guests arrived, all in black military uniforms!

"Imperial Magic Special Forces, investigating a case! No one is to leave this place!"