43 Chapter(41)

Episode(41): Looming Disaster, Mavis's Background

SOVEREIGN OF DEATH~(41)

Meanwhile the princess was secretly having her sister moved secretly to a private villa that only a select few knew about, the banquet kept progressing at a smooth pace.

One by one everything on the program commenced and ended and before anyone knew it the banquet was close to ending.

At this moment, soft music played in the background.

Noble couples and heroes that had partners took to the dance floor dancing to the slow tune with blissful expressions on their faces.

Occasionally nobles that weren't dancing would spot a hero from another world and go up to them and start up a conversation.

They were like missiles homing in on their targets and it was worse than shoppers at a black Friday sale event.

Even though they were nobles whom should be refined and elegant, they were more like beasts in a jungle at this moment.

Although their intentions were unknown to the heroes who were merely children, the nobles all had the same idea. 

"If I can gain a hero's favor my political power in the royal court will rise!" 

There wasn't only the short term benefits to consider.

After all, having a hero marry into their family meant that the bloodline of their descendants would be monsters among their peers.

Even if they didn't become experts, becoming elites wouldn't be too far away from reach.

Such a prosperous future had the heads of many houses trembling in anticipation.

Their thirst for this future was so extreme that some of them even had water drooling from their mouths.

Also, what if the hero they invested in became a pillar for humanity in the future?

Forget the Empire, even the entire world would have to bow down and pay homage to their family.

Within the confines of the Empire they may still have to obey the royal family but they would set their own rules at that time.

Hahaha, their imaginations ran wild at the thought that they could literally talk down to a king.

All because their hero made huge contributions they would be like gods amongst men!

Many greedy eyes fell upon Renji at this moment.

As the hero who wielded the trait 'Holy Sword' and was recognized as the apostle to the 'God of Swords'. He was the hero with the most prospects and potential.

No one wanted to miss the opportunity to 'adopt' such a son in law with great promise.

Even if he didn't do much for the family, his mere presence would be like the touch of god for a family.

Their rise to prominence would just be right around the corner! 

Even those famous stoic dukes known for their love of the sword and Martial arts approached him with a gentle demeanor.

Normally they would have such a strong presence even before the king, however the contrast between how they treated Renji and others made everyone stunned.

Yet, even when the dukes lowered themselves in stature, Renji didn't even pay them any attention.

With nothing but an annoyed glint in his eyes he shooed them away like bugs that kept buzzing in his ear.

The dukes were displeased by this attitude and they weren't the only ones.

Everyone was.

However for the dukes they were displeased due to a completely separated matter.

As people who had conversed and even fought alongside the previous hero, they greatly respected those with the title of 'God's chosen'.

They expected every hero to have a valiant and virtuous character.

All they really wanted was a battle with the hero and to offer help if the need be.

But, never did they expect Renji to be such a self-centered and ignorant *ss.

[Sigh...I feel like the future of the kingdom might be a fuzzy one]

[To think the world's peace rests on his shoulders]

They all lamented with pity for the future of the kingdom.

Renji paid no heed to the heads of the houses that approached him, unless they were a beauty he would literally spit in disgust the moment you greeted him.

At this point it seemed like he held more promise as gigolo than a hero.

Most still remembered the admirable character of the previous hero and couldn't help the comparisons.

Not everyone got along with such a righteous idiot but, he still brought hope to the dark world on the verge of destruction.

Everyone had to admit that he was a great man.

He loved women but only ever had two wives.

Aside from those two he would literally shoo away all advances toward himself and never lusted for women aside from the two.

No matter what beauty the nobles tried to honey trap him with he never fell for it at all.

Even when the Empress of another empire asked for his hand he firmly declined.

In most cases he'd even bring his wives when he went to bars and events just to keep women away from himself.

Looking at the hero before them, the stark difference was clear for all to see.

Even so, he was the hero.

The Gods chosen and the only one able to vanquish the demon king.

If he did indeed manage to save the empire then even with their negative view on him as a hero they would definitely have to acknowledge him as the hero.

Just then, a noble having a drink turned and looked over the entire banquet but his eyes squinted as if he didn't find his target.

[Come to think of it, where is the princess?]

As soon as these words were uttered, the ceiling above the banquet hall shattered into countless shards.

***

[So, this is a ball?]

Akane gasped as she took in the sight.

Everything and everyone was so sparkly that it seemed she had entered an entirely new realm.

Looking at how the dresses and suits worn by the nobles were crisp and brand new, even from afar Akane was blinded by the screaming wealth on their bodies.

'I also have something expensive…'

She patted her dress then sighed.

Compared the other nobles what she was wearing could be called a cheap piece of fabric.

A normal commoner and even an extremely wealthy merchant might have to consider their wealth before buying the dress she wore.

Nonetheless, what the nobles wore would definitely cost at the least ten or even fifty times more than what she wore.

They were on a completely different level compared to Akane who had just bought what seemed to fit nice.

Still, the scene was so surreal.

Normally she could have only seen such a sight in comics or on TV, but here she was experiencing it firsthand. 

Akane wanted to capture the moment as a memory she would never forget.

She wished she had a camera on her. However she hadn't brought a charger on her so her phone had long died.

This world had created electricity by converting mana into a specific frequency.

She didn't know the full detail but if she had her charger when she was transferred into this world she would have a lifetimes worth of picture's in her phone album by now.

And though this world was already in its revolution stage, cameras and chargers had yet to have been made.

It was a little depressing but really, what could she do but blame herself for being careless.

She couldn't be sure that she could recall everything by memory alone, however it was the best option she had for now.

'Those bastards that have chargers don't even want to lend them out and when they do they charge so much!'

Just one hours' time of charging was enough to by several of her dresses.

That was how expensive it was.

Akane could only let it go and hope for the electronics in this world to develop quickly enough.

As a modern rat she couldn't feel at peace not scrolling the net!

At that moment-

[Please don't go too far away from me Akane]

A familiar voice rang in Akane's ears.

It was a soft yet confident voice somewhat tinged with concern.

Turning slowly to face the owner of that voice, Akane saw a beautiful woman with pale blonde hair and beautiful gem like eyes looked at her with a tinge of worry and annoyance.

It was Mavis.

Looking at the astounding beauty made even Akane's heart skip a beat.

They both wore the same dress except it was in two different colors. Even so, why was it that this woman looked more beautiful than herself?

Akane thought to herself that she might as well be chopped liver.

Considering how the dress makes her look all the more beautiful she even had the thought that she sullied the beauty of the dress.

Mavis on the other hand didn't notice her expression and spoke with a sigh.

[Unless you want to be caught up in the stream of nobles, stay by my side. You'll be in trouble if some high ranking nobles come up to you. Even I wouldn't be able to drag you away without a good excuse]

[Ugh...]

Akane came back to her senses when she heard this.

She looked around and indeed, just as Mavis said the nobles had crowded each and every hero present in the banquet.

They were like prey surrounded by sharks unable to find respite.

Whether it was a hero that didn't stand out much or one that stood out way too much, nobles gathered like a flood giving them no inch of escaping as they tried to build up conversation.

The sight was like bees starving for honey and it made Akane tremble.

'I wouldn't last a second in that sea of nobles. The moment I get separated I'm a goner!'

A shiver ran down her spine as she imagined being cornered like a rat.

She ran her gaze filled with fear and relief over the pitiful heroes and subconsciously her eyes caught Renji's figure.

As usual, Renji chased away anything that wasn't a female. 

'….Renji as usual'

She shook her head, she was sorry for the pitiful girls that didn't even realize they were ensnared by a demon.

Just look at his devious smile as he gleefully accepted the sea of women around him and you could tell that face of his deserved a good punch.

Akane had thought noble women would have been more poised or refined.

Not what she was seeing now.

'It's like a swarm of fan girls finally meeting their idol'

Maybe if he were to hold a live event they might even consider him a national treasure.

Akane couldn't understand what made women so infatuated with him all the while ignoring his bad traits.

The red flags were so obvious it was blinding.

But all she could do was shrug.

Thinking about her best friend that had fallen for this guy, she felt crestfallen.

Seriously, she knew her best friend wasn't an idiot so why?

'Speaking of which..'

Akane's eyes searched the banquet hall glancing over each person until her eyes landed on a person.

Long black hair cascading down to her waist, a cute face and a pure smile.

It was Aoi. 

She was standing at one side of the hall where the clergy from the church had gathered.

It seemed she was having a lighthearted conversation with a priest at the moment.

Akane pondered for a moment before deciding not to go over.

It was better that Aoi stayed put in that corner rather than giving her a chance to focus on Renji again.

Who knows what catfight might break out if the Saint rushed into that sea of beast?

Rather, she turned her eyes toward a certain section of the banquet.

The buffet.

Countless delicacies and food lined the entire table and she couldn't wait to start feasting.

'Kukuku, what should I start with…is it you? You? Or…let's start with you!'

Walking beside her, Mavis let out a slight chuckle seeing Akane drool over the food with such a gleam in her eyes.

One by one, Akane began filling her plate as if she were trying to clear the table.

'No one will blame me for eating it all right? Right?'

Like a ravenous fiend she took a step forward to capture her prey, but the moment her heel touched the ground.

The eyes of the nobles nearby focused on her like a sniper being locked unto a target.

'Eeeek!'

Akane hurriedly retreated seeing the killing intent in their eyes.

'What…. What is up with those guys?!'

It was like they were saying if she dared to take more they wouldn't mind starting a war.

But looking back, the nobles were all still chatting normally.

Akane thought it was just her imagination and was ready to start her ravenous clearing again but feeling the ominous aura she decided it was enough.

Seriously, even though they were acting all pristine and none of them made moves to take a lot, it seemed like they knew their stuff.

No wonder they stood so close to the buffet.

Akane just realized but every time they finished a plate they would casually go back for more.

Even though their portions were small every time, this ensured that no one thought they were too greedy. 

[Phew]

It seemed she still had a lot to learn.

None the less, it was good thing to have Mavis by her side.

Akane had no doubt that those nobles would have taken the chance to pounce on her like a baby rabbit and barrage her with conversation topics if she wasn't with Mavis.

[Even so, for them to give up so easy. Could it be that Mavis is actually a big deal?]

She knew Mavis was a commander of the knights but, still.

It didn't make sense for them to give in so easily. Although she didn't know much about noble society she was sure that it wasn't so easy to make a noble back away.

She even began to wonder if she had a weird scent on her that kept the nobles at bay.

 'I don't actually smell bad do I?'

Her face paled.

Deep down she knew that there was no way she could smell bad but seeing the nobles avoid her like a plague caused her needless anxiety.

While no one was looking, she adeptly took a whiff of her scent and a look of relief washed over her. 

'Nirvana!'

There was no way it was because of her scent.

That was just impossible.

Even on earth she took care to scrub herself until the scent of flowers stuck to her body. There was no difference even when coming to this world.

Seeing her confusion Mavis chuckled.

[Oh, did I not tell you by chance Akane?]

Akane raised a brow in suspicion while looking sideways at the mischievous Mavis.

[…..Tell me what?]

Suspicious. 

Mavis smiled, she then stood straight and with an elegant curtsy she spoke introducing herself again.

[I, Mavis am not only the captain of the knight guard but I am also the daughter of a Duke household]

Shock registered on Akane's face the moment she heard this statement.

[Ehhhh!]