Ch. 22 Munchkin – Chapter 22
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 22
The banquet hall was beautifully decorated.
A luxurious chandelier poured light from the ceiling, and silver trays laden with exquisite food were neatly arranged on long tables.
When Ed, Lucy, Ellie, and Ron entered the banquet hall, all eyes turned to them.
It was because of Ed.
Ed was the star of this banquet.
“Oh, he’s here! Our hero!”
“To achieve such a feat at such a young age, truly remarkable!”
People applauded and welcomed Ed.
Ed smiled shyly but walked with confidence.
Thanks to his upbringing, he didn’t shrink back in such situations.
Even if the story of him defeating the monster was a lie.
“Truly a worthy heir to the Leyton family!”
“The future of the Leyton family is bright!”
“With such a young master as the heir, Lord Leyton must be so proud!”
People didn’t hold back their praises, and cheers of “Long live Young Master Ed!” echoed throughout the hall.
In one corner, Lord Leyton watched the scene with a satisfied smile.
“So, Lucy, isn’t my brother amazing?”
Ellie whispered to Lucy.
“They say Ed defeated a terrifying monster all by himself, one that even knights and soldiers couldn’t handle.”
Ed flinched at Ellie’s words.
He wished Ellie hadn’t said that, especially in front of Lucy.
Thinking about how ridiculous this situation must seem to Lucy, who knew the truth about the monster, made Ed’s face burn with embarrassment.
“He’s amazing.”
Fortunately, Lucy responded indifferently.
Soon, the soft sound of instruments playing filled the air.
It was the signal that the banquet had begun.
“Lucy, what should we eat?”
Ellie tugged at Lucy’s hand.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I want that…”
Lucy pointed at the food.
“And that, and that too. That one… and that.”
Ellie giggled.
“Lucy, are you planning to eat everything here?”
“…As long as it’s not mushrooms.”
“Really? I hate mushrooms too. They smell weird.”
“Same.”
Watching Lucy and Ellie chat so comfortably, Ed felt a bit left out.
He had hoped to get closer to Lucy during this event, but it felt like Ellie had taken that opportunity.
Still, he was glad that Lucy and Ellie were getting along.
It was better than them fighting.
After a while, they sat at a table with their food.
Ed chuckled when he saw the mountain of food piled on Lucy’s plate.
‘Could she really eat all that?’
“Here, Lucy, let me feed you.”
Ellie speared some food with a fork and held it out to Lucy.
Lucy opened her mouth wide and accepted it.
Seeing this, Ed felt another pang of envy.
‘I want to feed her too…’
Of course, if Ed tried to feed her, people would start whispering.
Ed sighed softly and looked away.
Beside him, Ron was engrossed in his book.
“Ron, you should eat too.”
“Yeah.”
Ron kept his eyes on the book as he fumbled around the table.
He seemed to be looking for a fork.
“Ugh.”
Ed had no choice but to hand Ron a fork himself.
Ron held the fork but didn’t eat.
He just kept reading.
‘Was the book really that interesting?’
Ed shook his head, then suddenly widened his eyes when he looked at Lucy.
Lucy’s cheeks were puffed out like they were about to burst.
It seemed her mouth was stuffed with food.
“Lucy, eat this too. Ah~”
Ellie continued to try feeding Lucy.
Lucy’s eyes were trembling.
“…Ellie, feed her slowly. Her mouth is full.”
At Ed’s words, Ellie looked at Lucy’s cheeks.
“Oh, you’re right. Sorry, Lucy, eat slowly. You might choke.”
Lucy couldn’t even respond and just nodded.
She gave Ed a grateful look as she chewed the food.
◈
Lucy thought coming to the banquet was a good idea.
As expected of castle food, everything was delicious.
After eating to her heart’s content, she patted her stomach in satisfaction.
Ed, Ellie, and Ron had been called away by the adults, leaving Lucy alone at the table.
Just then, someone approached Lucy and spoke.
“Come with me for a moment.”
It was a soldier who had been eyeing Lucy earlier.
Lucy pretended not to hear. There was no reason for her to follow the soldier.
The soldier then spoke in a slightly threatening tone.
“If you want your family to live, it’d be best to come quietly.”
“…”
Lucy slowly stood up and followed the soldier.
The soldier led her to a secluded area and then down into what seemed like a basement.
The sound of a metal door closing and locking echoed from outside.
As they walked down the underground passage, they reached a door at the end.
The soldier stopped in front of the door and said,
“Go inside.”
Lucy obediently did as she was told.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, someone was waiting for her.
A bulky figure.
Their face was hidden under a hood.
“You’re here.”
The figure spoke.
“No need to be too nervous. If you do as I say, you’ll be fine.”
Lucy scratched her cheek.
She wasn’t nervous at all.
“Hehe, you’re quite pretty. If we dress you up, no one would think you’re a commoner.”
The figure slowly approached Lucy.
“Listen carefully, kid. The mercenaries I sent are heading to your house right now. The moment I give the order, your family will die. Do you understand?”
Lucy said nothing.
“But if you do as I say, not only will your family be safe, but so will you.”
The figure pulled out a small vial from their pocket.
Inside the vial was a suspicious liquid.
“What you need to do is very simple.”
The figure shook the vial as they spoke.
“Just put this in your drink and have Young Master Ed drink it. Do you understand?”
Lucy remained silent.
“Can you speak? Or are you mute?”
“I understand.”
Lucy replied shortly.
“Good, well done. Don’t be rude. Here, take it.”
The figure held out the vial.
“If you succeed, your family will be safe. But if you fail… your family will die a horrible death. Understand?”
Lucy quietly stared at the vial in her hand.
The suspicious color made it clear that it was poison.
They wanted her to give this to Ed.
She roughly understood the situation.
Just like Ed’s guard knight at the river, this person also wanted to kill Ed.
Lucy spoke softly.
“Mercenaries are heading to my house?”
“Yes. Very rough and cruel mercenaries. But don’t worry. They won’t kill your family unless I give the order. Are you concerned?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe.”
The figure let out a satisfied laugh.
Of course, they were pleased. If Lucy was worried about her family, the plan was more likely to succeed.
But the figure was mistaken.
Lucy wasn’t worried about her family.
Lucy looked at the figure with a pitiful expression.
“Those mercenaries… they’ll probably die.”
After all, Kairos was at Lucy’s house.
◈
The mercenaries rode their horses through the quiet forest.
The sound of hooves echoed softly in the cold wind.
They were mercenaries sent by Groose to capture Lucy’s family.
The leader spoke.
“This job is simple, but don’t let your guard down.”
They were currently heading to Lucy’s house.
With the information Groose had given them—a girl with white hair and red eyes—finding Lucy’s house wasn’t difficult.
They just had to grab a few villagers and ask.
According to what they had learned, Lucy’s family consisted of only an old lumberjack.
Their mission would be complete once they dragged the old man to the castle.
“We can’t mess this up. The reward is huge.”
At the leader’s words, one of the subordinates chuckled.
“Don’t worry, boss. We just need to smash the house and drag the old man out. Easy.”
“Yeah. It’s not like we’re going to lose to some helpless old man.”
The subordinates were completely relaxed.
Even the leader, despite his words, looked confident.
After all, it was just a matter of dragging out one old man.
After a while, a house came into view.
A modest cabin in the middle of the forest.
It was Lucy’s house.
The leader sent a subordinate to scout the house.
It was a precaution, just in case there was someone else besides the old man.
The subordinate quickly approached the house and peeked through the window.
Then he returned and reported.
“Only the old man is inside. He seems to be taking a nap.”
“Then we can just grab him and go. Alright, let’s move.”
They dismounted and approached the house.
Just then, footsteps sounded from behind.
Thud—
“Who’s there!”
The leader quickly drew his sword and turned around.
A young man stood behind them.
He had a handsome face and was dressed in fine clothes.
“…”
For some reason, the young man’s eyes glowed with a golden light.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
A banquet that’s actually treated like a banquet, unreal…
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