Chapter 97: Incomprehensible Man (2)

Cough.

The cough broke the silence.

That became the trigger for the atmosphere to turn restless.

“The food is quite good today.”

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it’s always good? I hear Lord Gadum is quite the connoisseur—”

“Word is, the head chef once worked for a high noble household—”

“By the way, about that business venture you mentioned earlier—”

“I’m telling you, it’s all thanks to Lord Gadum backing me up—”

The “friends” were trying to lighten the mood, to give Gadum a chance to recover from his disheveled appearance.

It was a display of beautiful friendship, but Gadum wasn’t the type to be genuinely grateful in such situations.

“So…”

“What I meant to say was…”

If their expressions could be captured in sound effects, it’d probably be something like “awkward…”

The seasoned Gadum could tell.

They were pretending otherwise, but all eyes were still on him.

They wanted to see how Gadum, who had tried to humiliate Lan but ended up backfiring, would handle the aftermath.

That was their sole concern now.

Damn it all—

Gadum looked down at the Modua in his hand with trembling eyes.

Sniff sniff.

His nose twitched faintly, tracing the lingering scent in the air.

That distinct acidity, sharp like a needle pricking the tip of his nose.

It is spoiled, right…?

After confirming that again, Gadum looked at the young brat before him with a haunted expression.

“Don’t hold back. I’ll pour you a glass.”

The boy smiled brightly, as if he hadn’t just downed half a bottle of spoiled Modua like water.

Instead of writhing in pain from the wine’s toxins, he smiled nonchalantly.

How…?

Then Gadum noticed the discomfort hidden behind Risir’s smile.

Why is he making only me drink this? Did I… do something wrong? Was it because I called myself Lan’s black knight?

That conflicted thought was written all over his face.

And Gadum read it clearly, it was like he has eaten something unpleasant, but endurable.

Gadum froze.

He endured the poison of Modua? What kind of monster…?!

Was it just his imagination, or did that youthful, mild-mannered face start to feel like a mask?

“To think I’d enjoy such fine wine alone on such a lovely day. That wouldn’t be right, now would it?”

No. It wasn’t his imagination.

The brat was quoting Gadum’s own earlier words, turning them back against him.

That gesture, holding out the Modua again!

Gadum instinctively drew the bottle back.

Ah, crap!

He forgot there were people—both ‘friends’ and foes—watching his every move like hawks.

“Of course! Exactly! I can’t let you drink this fine wine all alone!”

Trying to recover, Gadum hurriedly handed the bottle back and picked up a glass.

At this point, there was no backing down.

He had to accept the challenge.

With resolve, Gadum brought the Modua to his lips.

Even in its spoiled state, the wine retained some of its signature aroma and class.

So that’s how he endured it. Then I can handle it too.

Gadum’s expression began to relax more naturally.

And just as the Modua reached his stomach…

“…!”

Reflux.

Gadum felt his stomach violently reject the wine, trying to send it right back up where it came from.

“Huff…”

Struggling against the twisting pain in his gut, Gadum managed to force the Modua to stay down.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing heavily.

And saw it.

Risir’s expression twisting as he looked at him.

Was he really that shocked to see Gadum down the Modua?

Yeah. Maybe… no, definitely, he did something sneaky.

Feeling a sudden rush of confidence, Gadum tried to go on the offensive.

“…I apologize. I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“…What?”

“I had no idea you were so sensitive to alcohol, Lord Gadum.”

“…!”

It hit Gadum a moment too late.

What, you threw up after one glass? Then why did you make such a show? Now I look like the villain who forced someone to drink.

Also… this wine has an odd aroma. Is it supposed to be like this?

It was mockery.

That brat knew full well that the nausea came from Modua’s toxicity.

Yet he was playing it off, making Gadum look like a lightweight fool.

“Urgh…!”

Wounded by Risir’s relentless psychological assault(?), Gadum finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He stormed out of the hall.

And Risir?

Everyone now turned their attention to him.

“So I guess that means I have to finish the rest.”

Risir poured himself another glass and took a sip.

“…”

“…”

“…”

What is with him?

That was the consensus that appeared on those watching.

Fear began to appear on the faces of some nobles.

A short while later.

When Gadum returned, he had to work hard to compose his expression.

“It’s probably just the servants mishandling the Modua.”

“Well, Lord Gadum has been quite busy lately, so these things happen.”

“Who knows? Maybe he truly wanted to serve Lady Lan with all his heart.”

In the chatter among his ‘friends,’ Gadum sensed that uniquely noble tendency to sugarcoat.

Nobles cared about face as much as power.

And Gadum’s recent disgrace had likely diminished him in their eyes.

How did it come to this…

He couldn’t let things go on like this.

This had to be the turning point.

I have no choice but to bring up that topic.

Gadum sat down again, pretending nothing had happened, and casually addressed Lan and Risir.

“I’m sorry for the brief commotion. So, how’s the food?”

Lan and Risir, still wary, played along with polite conversation.

As they exchanged light banter.

“Oh, right. Risir. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask—mind if I pose a question?”

“Feel free.”

“Gladly. Cadogan and Ragan. What happened to them?”

Cough!

Coughs echoed from various corners of the hall, right in the middle of the meal.

The question had come that suddenly and bluntly.

“Oh, if the question was too abrupt, I apologize. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”

And yet Gadum delivered that heavy question with total composure.

Who could stay calm under such a frontal assault?

Not just Lan, but even the city’s prominent nobles would find that difficult.

And now, such a burden was placed on a young mage barely into adulthood.

Would he handle it skillfully?

Even just avoiding stammering would be impressive.

As expected, Risir didn’t answer right away.

Everyone had anticipated that much.

But then.

“?”

Risir simply looked at Gadum blankly.

His dazed reaction made it seem like he was wondering what the question even meant.

That incredibly light response, in turn, made the asker look like the fool.

“No, I mean…”

Gadum, who had always steered conversations with sharp wit, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

It was nearly impossible to deceive someone like Gadum, who had outwitted countless power players in Bondalles.

No matter how refined the acting or trickery, he always found the cracks.

But now, he saw no cracks at all in Risir.

Ragan? Cadogan? Who even are they?

Risir had never visited [Wine in the Left Hand], nor met the two barbarians who owned it.

That he wouldn’t even know them was inconceivable to Gadum and the others.

“How irresponsible of a response! I said you didn’t have to answer if it was uncomfortable, but how dare you twist that as an excuse!”

“I’m truly sorry. I’d love to give you a sincere answer, but I honestly don’t know anything about it—”

“No… ha!”

Gadum was nearly shaking with frustration.

No, it was him.

He was sure this brat was the one who brought down Ragan and Cadogan!

So how could he be this shameless?

The nobles watching the two could barely believe what they were seeing.

That Gadum, getting utterly played by a young noble?

Risir, just who is he…

Where did a guy like that come from…?

Wait. Why would Gadum ask him about Cadogan and Ragan? Could it be… the one who destroyed [Wine in the Left Hand] wasn’t Lan, but him—?

The ‘friends’ who had surrounded Gadum now focused their gaze in one direction.

Right now—

Gadum and Lan could feel it clearly.

Their ‘friends’ were slowly turning away from Gadum.

And some of those hearts were now turning toward Risir.

“Quite the unusual fellow, isn’t he?”

“…Excuse me?”

Lan didn’t miss her chance.

She turned to a city noble sitting beside her, who had been staring blankly at Risir.

“I mean Risir.”

“Ah… yes, he really is.”

As Lan turned her gaze, another noble eagerly joined in.

“Councilor Lan, I hear this Risir fellow is an honorary mage of the Mage Tower. How did you meet him?”

“Well, funny story—”

The momentum spread like wildfire.

“So it’s true he ousted a cultist group?!”

“And without any help from the city guard?!”

“By the way, Lady Lan—about that orphanage you support— I actually…”

Gadum’s ‘close’ friends were left awkwardly glancing around.

While Gadum’s ‘distant’ friends were enthusiastically drawing closer to Lan.

“…”

Gadum could only watch as the hall gradually split into two camps.

“Oh…”

Risir let out a quiet exclamation as he observed the scene unfold.

One side shake the hearts of Gadum’s allies on Gadum’s own turf—

And the other sway the hearts of Gadum’s people in his own domain—

Truly.

Both of them look at each other with awe and admiration.

““…””

“Hoho…”

“Hoho…”

Interpreting each other’s expressions however they pleased, the sense of reassurance they felt toward one another only grew stronger.

The banquet continued later than originally scheduled.

It was because Lan and her newly made friends kept chatting for so long.

Gadum, if he had his way, would’ve brought the banquet to an abrupt end, but how could he?

He was the one who hosted it.

He was the one who invited the guests.

Cutting it off while everyone was still enjoying themselves would make him seem like a jealous child throwing a huge tantrum while yelling “Why are you guys hanging out with them instead of me?”

His pride had already been shredded from the whole Modua reflux spectacle, but even so, there was still a line he couldn’t cross.

In the end, Gadum had to use a loophole.

“It’s getting late, so let’s continue this again tomorrow.”

He announced the extension of the banquet, not today, but tomorrow.

The guests all moved to the rooms Gadum had prepared for them.

“…”

Left alone in the banquet hall, Gadum fell into thought.

“Lord Gadum.”

A man in uniform approached and spoke to him.

A member of the city guard, one who acted on Gadum’s will.

“We’ve found Damal.”

“…”

Damal.

He was in charge of one of the businesses Gadum managed.

Not as big as [Wine in the Left Hand], but it was still a fairly sizable operation.

After the chaos from the [Wine in the Left Hand] incident, he tried to use the confusion to escape with the business’s assets—its slaves.

“What shall we do?”

“…There were people who helped him escape, weren’t there?”

“Yes. Damal promised to compensate their families.”

“Track them down and bring them in.”

“…Pardon?”

“Make an example of them.”

“…”

An example.

At those words, the man instinctively placed a hand on the sword hanging from his belt and nodded.

But Gadum’s orders didn’t stop there.

“And go fetch Dogal. Now.”

He was calling the city guards into the mansion.

Upon reaching the room assigned to him, Risir sat down on the bed and focused his mind.

Before resting, he intended to carry out a round of sword training within his inner world.

“Mastah!”

“Hm?”

That was when Verdandes’ voice rang out.

Risir looked down to see the little sand girl standing in front of the bed, gazing up at him.

“Oh, Verdandechu. What’s up?”

“No!”

“?”

“It’s Verdande…”

The sand elemental girl’s body trembled.

Like she was doing a delicate and demanding task that required full concentration.

“…Chu!”

And yet, her tongue betrayed her.

But the spirited girl simply puffed herself up, proud of her pronunciation regardless.

“Got it!?”

“Pfft, of course. Loud and clear.”

“As expected of Mastah!”

Verdandes wriggled her way up onto the bed.

She locked eyes with Risir and asked.

“Mastah! Are you busy!?”

“I was about to be.”

“Mastah’s always a busybee!?”

“Sorry-bee.”

“Then, can I go out for a bit!?”

“Out? Where to?”

“I smell something yummy!”

“…”

Was she trying to sneak some leftovers from the banquet?

Well, should be fine. It’s all going to be thrown out anyway.

After a moment of thought, Risir nodded.

“No causing a scene. Just go and come back quietly. Got it?”

“Yup!”

Nod nod!

Verdandes vigorously bobbed her small head.

She turned into a breeze of sand and slipped out through the crack in the closed window.

Risir closed his eyes again, preparing to enter his inner world—

“Hm?”

But then opened them again, murmuring as if struck by a sudden thought.

“Do elementals… feel hunger?”