VIP Chapter 490: The Very First Banquet (3k)
Treya’s Grand Birthday Celebration—that’s what it could be called, and it was divided into two parts.
During the daytime, starting from the morning, Treya would participate in the capital’s “parade.” She would ride in a flower carriage adorned with numerous protective spells, traveling north from the capital’s south gate back to her royal palace.
Although she herself mentioned that so many protective spells weren’t necessary, believing that anyone capable of assassinating her here could earn more experience in a dungeon.
However, at Will’s strong insistence, every single protection was applied.
Will himself had personally reviewed them.
“It reminds me of my fifteenth birthday. Ah… they are so enthusiastic…”
She leaned by the window, waving to the public.
“Hmm, when you were fifteen… right. Speaking of which, back then, you might not have been seen the same way by them… uh…”
“What? Why not the same way?”
“This…”
Will initially wanted to say that in the public’s eyes, Treya used to be the beautiful, naive, and likable youngest princess.
Her popularity stemmed from the fact that she hadn’t been involved in much political struggle (nor had the time), and as a half-elf, she had a kind of endearingly naive charm.
Now, he felt…
Although Treya had engaged in some tyrannical actions against the old noble powers after taking office, especially the former royal family.
Still…
She didn’t seem overly harsh towards the public, or rather, her willingness to form an alliance with the Adventurer’s Guild without reservation, granting them so much authority, made her appear overly trusting and pure.
He also looked out the window.
However, he sensed that the mage was clearly wary of him…
On his side of the carriage, not only were there countless anti-peeping spells, ensuring he couldn’t be seen at all.
But various exorcism spells from the Goddess Reviers, a skill typically mastered by priests, were also cast.
It was as if he were being treated as a creation of demons and black magic.
Fortunately, he wasn’t a trivial mage either. Not only could he see through them, but with a slight movement of his finger, he could undo one of the spells preventing him from looking outwards.
The public’s enthusiasm was high, with many holding their own banners. Their attitude truly didn’t seem like that of people treating a ruler whose actions were rather “progressive” and “radical.”
Moreover, the crowd was immense, filling the entire street.
It could genuinely be called a city emptied of its populace.
Will initially thought that the “Royalist” posters popular in the capital were likely created by factions wanting to oppose the adventurers.
Looking at it now, there seemed to be quite a lot of spontaneous sentiment involved.
“…Never mind, I think in their eyes, you truly haven’t changed at all.”
“Even though I myself feel I’ve changed quite a bit. After the battle on my birthday, I became someone who befriends demons.”
Despite it being her birthday, and amidst so many people celebrating, Treya looked at her palm with a hint of sadness.
“If it weren’t for you, this life would probably have…”
Will sensed it.
Treya was about to unleash her gravity manipulation field again!
Murmuring about “this life,” “I only have you,” and “I can do anything for you” (and she truly could do anything)…
However…
“So what?”
Unlike Treya, Will’s tone was very casual.
“I told you, you should be more greedy. This is not enough. Since you’ve decided to do this, why not extend your greed further?”
“Mm. I’ll remember that.”
Having been interrupted, Treya’s tone seemed to lighten slightly.
But the look in her eyes towards Will was even more complex.
Will pondered whether Treya considered him a “hallucination” that she had created, or if she already knew that he was alive.
If it were anyone else, he could use that demonic eye to read some “emotions” and determine if it was real.
But for Treya, who had bestowed this ability upon him, she possessed a natural immunity to this trick.
“Ah, it seems we’re approaching the turn for the parade. I should open the window and wave here.”
Treya didn’t give him a chance to investigate further, turning towards the window of the flower carriage.
However, Will knew for certain.
He adjusted his monocle—using the eye that actually held no other power, he watched Treya’s retreating figure.
No matter what she believed.
Tonight was the “decisive battle” with Carver. After today, Treya would surely realize… that he was a living person.
If she had truly been deceived all along, Will was curious about her expression then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the evening, around dinner time, a birthday banquet for Treya, inviting various nobles and heroes, began.
Will led Treya into the venue.
Then…
The once lively hall fell silent as they saw the two of them walk in hand in hand.
Next, gasps of shock could be heard one after another—
Among the invited guests were many who hadn’t entered the royal palace recently and were completely unaware that Will had “come back from the dead.”
It was natural for them to gasp seeing a dead person attend a birthday banquet.
“Oh my, esteemed guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening—”
Will, acting as if nothing had happened, spoke with exceptional cheerfulness.
“Today is His Majesty’s birthday. Don’t focus your attention on me. Come, come, feast your eyes on our great Majesty Treya’s magnificent beauty—”
Will suddenly stopped, bowed, and created a large space for Treya.
“Magnificent… beauty…?”
Treya didn’t blush at such praise, but rather, her confusion grew.
Then, Will, who had just said that, suddenly felt his magic circuit twitch as if someone had yanked it.
“Urk!?”
He looked in the direction of the twitch.
He saw a white-bearded, red-haired “little old lady” below, excitedly waving her pure metal staff, no, her cane.
From her lips, Will could tell she was saying—
“We’re fighting desperately here, and you’re just showing off on stage, you rascal?!”
On the other side, Iaar maintained a “Isn’t it nice?” smile. She wore a large beret, hiding her ears well.
As for her tail, it seemed to be concealed by a dress that made her look rather plump.
At least this proved that both of them had “taken their positions.”
“Will. There is some necessary socializing here, of course… If you don’t want to go, I can handle it.”
Treya gestured towards the interpreters and foreign guests in the distance.
Especially the pure-blooded elves, who appeared even fairer and more delicate than her.
“Go ahead. And… even though your blood is half-mixed, don’t be intimidated by the pure-blooded elves. Be confident.”
Will patted her back to encourage her.
“Why would I be intimidated? Entak has developed far better than them. Their dungeons are also deeper; they have no advantage against us.”
“…”
Will was speechless at this wooden, chosen emperor!
However, since Treya had already begun conversing with the foreign guests.
Will was also able to hold his wine glass and mingle.
Many people had come, and he couldn’t recognize most of them. Even though he had reviewed the list beforehand and made detailed annotations.
But the divide between the Adventurer’s Guild members and the nobles was quite distinct.
Even the drinks and food they consumed were different.
The large bottles of beer from the Adventurer’s Guild were quickly emptied, while the nobles still savored their red wine from stemmed glasses; the Adventurer’s Guild members snatched up the large portions of meat and fish on the tables, while the nobles ate delicate cakes with restraint; the Adventurer’s Guild members had already occupied tables, leaving behind empty plates, but the nobles couldn’t miss this precious social opportunity and were still engaging in enthusiastic conversation.
Will thought that if the Hysterm Family, merchants who started from scratch in the Adventurer’s Guild and became semi-nobles, had been able to intermarry with Treya, things might have been much better.
It was just a pity that both in the original work and now, he was dead.
This world was eerily moving and developing in the direction of the “original work.”
Even though a major event like the overthrow of state power hadn’t changed as much, there seemed to be some force pulling the story back.
It wasn’t just a matter of fate and “luck.”
There was indeed “human effort,” as if something was secretly guiding things back to the right track.
“No one is coming to drink with me. What a shame. I’ve never been to this kind of occasion much, and yet I can’t even find anyone to drink with.”
As Will walked along, he also noticed other things.
At this banquet, besides “Old Lady Liya” and “Iaar without ears and tail” whom he had planted, there were other familiar figures.
A witch mage, about the same age as Liya.
Sylph.
She made no attempt to conceal her identity, standing among the adventurers, seemingly appearing as a witch.
And a pure-blooded elf archer.
Grace.
She also didn’t conceal herself, but she seemed to have been invited as a “foreign guest,” positioned close to the elves but not socializing with them.
“Carver and I thought of the same thing. Should I say it’s because we have some distant blood relation? At a banquet, we both have the right to invite friends, so it’s normal to bring people in.”
However, Carver’s choices were likely different from his. He brought in…
A group of middle-aged adventurers sitting on the left.
A group of adventurers with a somewhat student-like demeanor on the right.
These were packed in tightly, seemingly bringing in the entire dungeon clearing team.
“Alright. In this regard, I suppose I’m not as bold as you. I should have at least brought Ya’er and her Fire Dragon mecha, claiming they were exhibits.”
“Seeing everyone ignoring you, does your desire to perform make you monologue here and put on a good show?”
“!”
Will heard a voice that was familiar yet always made his hair stand on end…
He looked up to see Carver, holding his wine glass…
He was still wearing his most flamboyant and eye-catching white suit, standing right before him.
However, compared to a few days ago, the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose seemed to have been slightly changed; they were now rimless.
He narrowed his eyes, looking more cunning, more like a fox.
