Ch.141141. It’s a Story Related to Me, Isn’t It…?

“Lord Revan, there are many delicious dishes here!”

I slowly looked around the banquet hall.

It seemed hastily prepared after the war, but as Denis said, the food was incredibly diverse.

“Yeah, eat a lot.”

“Aren’t you eating, sir?”

“I’m not much of a big eater.”

At that, Denis, who had been looking awkward, grabbed a bottle of whiskey and shook it.

“How about some alcohol?”

“…Sure.”

“Haha! Then have a glass!”

I received the whiskey Denis offered in a transparent glass and looked at the prepared dishes.

Seeing so much food, I immediately thought of Jawil Wilson and Lucien, who were probably having makeshift meals at the inn.

It felt somehow guilty to eat alone.

I took a sip of whiskey and gave a faint smile.

“The whiskey is decent.”

“Indeed. It seems Viscount Roden put a lot of effort into it.”

Whenever I attend banquets, I habitually find a spot in the corner.

It’s my way of trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Well, parties don’t really suit my temperament anyway.

And.

If I had thought a victory feast would be a simple gathering where war comrades loudly chatted and celebrated, the scene before my eyes was quite different.

The banquet hall was filled with congratulatory delegations.

People from families who couldn’t even be contacted when we were fighting the Cardrian family.

A world where connections take priority.

Of course, it’s not much different from where I used to live, but I could guess what the bitter expressions on Viscount Roden’s and Elina’s faces meant from a distance.

“I’m leaving this evening.”

“T-this evening, sir?”

“I told you earlier. I’ll leave when people associated with me arrive.”

“Ah… so you’re not going to confess to Lady Elina?”

“Are you going to keep saying strange things?”

“No, I mean, what kind of man leaves without ever confessing to the person he likes?”

I stared blankly at Denis with a ‘is he crazy?’ expression, but quickly understood.

His face was already flushed red after just two glasses of whiskey, and his pupils were already dilated.

‘How bad at drinking do you have to be to drink whiskey when you can’t handle alcohol…’

Clicking my tongue, I turned my gaze away, and Denis placed his hand on my shoulder with slurred speech.

“What do you have to lose? Just close your eyes once and confess your honest feelings to Lady Elina.”

I no longer felt he was worth engaging with.

Just as I was about to leave for somewhere else, a man’s voice came from behind.

“Are you Revan?”

I turned my head to see Viscount Roden.

Not knowing how much of the conversation he had heard, I bowed while trying my best to maintain my composure.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Viscount Roden.”

“…Follow me.”

Could he have heard?

Denis, who had caused the incident, was already passed out face-down on the table, and I followed Viscount Roden with a brief sigh.

We arrived at a reception room.

“I apologize.”

What on earth is he apologizing for?

Unable to anticipate Viscount Roden’s first words, I tilted my head in confusion.

“…Pardon?”

“This victory banquet should be centered around you all, but with all these congratulatory delegations, we’ve been too busy to properly attend to you, haven’t we?”

“Ah, no, sir. Just inviting us mercenaries to this victory banquet already shows Viscount Roden’s considerable thoughtfulness.”

“No need for modesty. The fact that you all are the main characters remains unchanged.”

It was an unexpected apology.

Was Viscount Roden always this considerate?

When I visited as ‘Selden Alphonse,’ he seemed rather blunt and cold.

Moreover.

Both ‘Selden Alphonse’ and ‘Revan’ under an alias should be people Viscount Roden is grateful to.

After all, I helped recover his family’s finances and led them to victory in the war.

But.

For there to be such a difference in treatment…

I wondered if I had done something wrong to Viscount Roden as ‘Selden Alphonse.’

There was some friction over business matters back then, but I don’t think I made any mistakes.

I slightly bowed while seated.

“I’m rather grateful that Viscount Roden is showing such consideration.”

“You’re a person of excellent character as well. I heard from Elina that you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Now that the war is over, I need to resume my wandering life.”

“According to Knight Commander Ellix, you don’t want anything in return. Is that true?”

“I volunteered as a mercenary to repay my late grandfather’s kindness, so I don’t need any separate compensation.”

Viscount Roden stared at me intently before grabbing the whiskey bottle on the table.

“Would you like a drink?”

It seemed he wanted to do something for the person who led them to victory in the war.

I reluctantly but politely took the glass.

“Please pour for me.”

“Gladly.”

A servant set out some light fruit snacks.

Viscount Roden drank his whiskey without hesitation, as if the congratulatory delegations were of no concern to him.

‘He’s going to get drunk at this rate.’

Right.

Getting drunk on such a good day—when else would one get drunk?

I smiled gently as I unexpectedly found myself serving drinks to Viscount Roden.

“You can drink slowly, sir.”

“Haha! You’re much stronger with alcohol than I expected, given your delicate appearance.”

“It might be impolite to say this, but I think you handle your alcohol better than I expected as well, Viscount Roden.”

“Are you saying I look delicate too?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Heh, I like you more and more.”

“It’s an honor to be in your good graces, Viscount Roden.”

Viscount Roden downed more whiskey and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I happened to overhear your conversation with your fellow mercenary earlier.”

In that moment, I felt the alcohol’s warmth instantly clear from my head.

Carefully choosing my words, knowing how unpleasant it could be for a father to hear someone talking about his daughter behind his back, I spoke.

“I-I’m sorry. The mercenary with me was drunk and spoke nonsense.”

“I’m not scolding you. I’m saying that if you have feelings for Elina, I can help you wholeheartedly.”

“…Pardon?”

“In this day and age, what does it matter if you’re not nobility? I don’t care about such pretenses. Though I’m still an inadequate father to Elina…”

“Most fathers feel apologetic toward their children, so it’s natural for you to think that way.”

At my words, Viscount Roden waved his hand in the air.

“It’s different from that ordinary sentiment. I’m a pathetic father who almost sold off my daughter for the sake of the family.”

“W-what do you mean by that…?”

“You might not know this as a wandering mercenary, but the Parseche family was in severe financial trouble. At that time, Elina was going to proceed with a marriage for the sake of the family.”

What?

This is related to me…

Barely hiding my surprise, I continued the conversation.

“I see you had such difficulties.”

“Fortunately, the situation was resolved, but not being able to properly stop Elina’s marriage at first has become a deep regret in my heart.”

I understood Viscount Roden’s feelings somewhat.

What father would want to marry off his daughter to a scoundrel from the far edge of the eastern continent, even if the family was facing ruin?

It would be no different from selling his daughter to save the family.

Viscount Roden must have tried to stop it.

But he couldn’t break Elina’s stubbornness.

When I first saw her at Lake Estate, she seemed determined to do anything for her family.

“Lady Elina would never resent you, Viscount Roden. Even in my brief encounter with her, I could sense she’s a strong person.”

“…Since then, I’ve had one last wish. I want my daughter to find a good match.”

It seemed Viscount Roden was trying to arrange a marriage between ‘Revan’ and Elina Parseche.

To escape this awkward situation, I put on a slightly artificial smile.

“The conversation in the banquet hall earlier was truly a misunderstanding created by my fellow mercenary.”

“…Heh, is that so?”

“I apologize. I’m still content with my life as a wandering mercenary.”

“Don’t worry, I just took a liking to you, that’s all.”

By this point, I was starting to feel slightly offended.

What exactly was the difference that made him cold toward ‘Selden Alphonse’ but warm to ‘Revan’?

As I mentioned earlier, both had helped the Parseche family equally.

I couldn’t question him for fear of revealing my identity.

Managing my expression with difficulty, I continued.

“Lady Elina will surely meet a good person.”

SLAM!

Seemingly displeased by something, Viscount Roden forcefully set down his whiskey glass on the table.

“That’s the problem. I don’t understand why that fellow who broke off the engagement… tsk.”

Ah…

So Viscount Roden disliked me because of the broken engagement.

From his perspective, ‘Revan’ would naturally be preferable to ‘Selden Alphonse,’ who had once rejected his daughter.

Feeling inexplicably guilty, I remained silent, and Viscount Roden, quite intoxicated by now, launched into a tirade.

“And!! Despite clearly seeing our Elina’s beauty!!! He maintained an attitude of complete indifference, only talking about business before leaving? My daughter expressed her feelings so clearly!!?? Have you ever seen such an insensitive bastard!”

I felt suffocated.

I was certain that I should avoid meeting this man until the ‘Monster Blood’ business became successful.

After a few more incoherent mutterings, Viscount Roden, unable to fight the rising alcohol, passed out on the sofa.

Sitting on the opposite sofa, I stared blankly at Viscount Roden before lifting my gaze to the ceiling of the reception room.

Then, as if whispering to the empty air, I muttered.

“…Viscount Roden, I am that insensitive bastard…”