Ch.269269. It’s just that I have better intuition than others.

“Um, what brings you here…”

I half-rose in surprise, but Isabel Montero tilted her head curiously.

“This is a bar I frequent, but what brings you here, Lord Levan?”

“Ah… just having a casual drink.”

Isabel Montero looked at the empty glass on the table that Elina Parseche had left behind before speaking.

“You have company, I see?”

“I did, but they had urgent business and left, so I’m alone now.”

“Oh, drinking alone, are you?”

“Well, I was planning to have just one more drink before leaving.”

Isabel Montero smiled brightly and pointed to the chair across from me.

“Then may I join you?”

“Of course.”

After hearing what Elina Parseche had told me, I felt I should be a bit more friendly. I had been rather cold before.

“It seems you’re drinking alone too, Lord Levan?”

“My companion left, so I’m drinking alone by necessity. You seem to enjoy drinking alone, Lady Isabel?”

“I didn’t have anyone to drink with either. Elina, my only friend at the gathering, said she had urgent business.”

Just then, a cold beer arrived at our table.

I picked up my glass and continued.

“Shall we have a drink, then?”

“I’d like that.”

I took a light sip and placed the glass back on the table.

“But if you had no one to drink with, couldn’t you have joined your knights?”

“My, how did you know?”

How could I not?

From the moment Isabel Montero started talking to me, three men had been watching me with murderous gazes.

After checking with my spiritual eye, I could tell they were quite skilled.

“I could just sense it.”

“Ah… Lord Levan must be quite skilled with a sword.”

“I just have better intuition than most people.”

“I see. But my knights never drink while on duty. I’ve told them it’s fine several times, but they won’t budge.”

Of course, I can defend myself, so I can leisurely have a drink with Jawil Wilson, but Isabel Montero’s knights don’t have that luxury.

Plus, after she nearly got kidnapped, they must be extra vigilant.

“You have good knights.”

“You’re quite strange, Lord Levan.”

“…Pardon?”

“With other men, I can predict the next line of conversation, but with you, I can’t predict anything.”

I tilted my head at Isabel Montero’s words.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Just now, when I said, ‘Lord Levan must be quite skilled with a sword’…”

“Yes?”

“Usually, other men would laugh heartily and boast about themselves, or go on and on explaining their swordsmanship.”

“…If you dislike men’s boasting, couldn’t you simply not bring up their sword skills in the first place, Lady Isabel Montero?”

When I countered, Isabel Montero let out a relaxed laugh.

“It’s become a habit. I learned conversation techniques directly from my father. He especially said that men are simpler creatures than one might think, and you need to give them plenty of time to boast about themselves.”

“Haha… your father sounds remarkable.”

Isabel Montero took another sip of beer before continuing.

“But I still haven’t received an answer. Why do you react differently from other men, Lord Levan?”

Isn’t that obvious?

As a former reader of this novel, I know better than anyone that spilling all your information after being enchanted by a woman’s beautiful scent is poison.

Even without trying, I naturally conceal my strength.

However, even if I wanted to be honest, I felt Isabel Montero wouldn’t understand, so I gave a vague answer.

“It’s really just good intuition.”

“…You recognized my elite-level knights by intuition alone?”

“Lady Isabel, don’t we all encounter moments in life that defy explanation?”

Isabel Montero, seemingly deciding further questioning was futile, shook her head.

“Fine. I’ll accept that it’s good intuition.”

“Thank you.”

Then Isabel Montero straightened her posture.

“Do you know why I approached you first at the banquet?”

“Did I look pitiful all alone?”

Isabel Montero covered her mouth and chuckled.

“No. Quite the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“It felt as if you were looking down on everyone at the gathering.”

I had only stepped back to assess the atmosphere while thinking about how to bring up the hair loss medicine, but hearing this, I could understand why Isabel Montero took interest.

In this world, power equals strength.

So, after seeing people desperately trying to make connections at the noble gathering, she became curious about me, who was detached from the central table.

Moreover.

I don’t know how Isabel nearly got kidnapped, but she must still carry those scars.

Those memories probably made it difficult for her to approach people easily.

Then, seeing me not mingling with others, she likely felt a strange sense of kinship.

“How could someone insignificant like me look down on anyone? I’m just shy around strangers.”

“Then how did you become friends with Elina?”

“Lady Elina Parseche?”

“Yes, you attended the noble gathering because of your friendship with Elina, right?”

“Ah… we met by chance a few times and developed a friendship.”

Isabel glanced around once before speaking in a small voice.

“Did you become friends after she removed her mask?”

“No. I knew her even when she wore the mask.”

“Ah… you must have been surprised when you saw Elina’s face without the mask?”

“What man wouldn’t be surprised? With beauty like that, I even regretted not treating her better before.”

“I see now that you have quite a way with words, Lord Levan.”

“Do I?”

It was a peaceful drinking session.

Most of the conversation was trivial, but it helped ease the guilt I had been feeling.

Isabel seemed to be enjoying herself too, as her laughter never ceased.

Then.

As we drank more, the conversation shifted to a more serious tone.

“My mother passed away early, and my father raised me alone.”

“I see… It seems your father raised you admirably.”

“But when I tried to repay his kindness, I found that my father’s health had deteriorated significantly.”

“Has treatment not helped?”

“No, everyone says it’s a poisoning symptom they’ve never seen before.”

“Poisoning?”

“He was poisoned by a magical beast in our territory.”

Poisoning that can’t be treated when he wasn’t even bitten by a zombie?

Most magical beast poisons should be treatable.

I raised my head with a puzzled expression.

“What kind of magical beast?”

“I’m not sure. But all the mages and physicians have tried, and there’s been no improvement.”

Isabel Montero’s eyes grew moist as we discussed her father.

I put down my glass and continued.

“If I may ask, are you certain it’s poisoning from a magical beast?”

“It must be. The symptoms appeared the day after he returned from hunting.”

“…I see.”

As I rubbed my chin in thought, Isabel Montero tilted her head.

“Do you perhaps know healing magic?”

“Ah, I don’t, but I know someone who’s a mage…”

Before I could finish, Isabel Montero grabbed both my hands on the table.

“Really? Could you please take a look at my father’s condition?”

“Didn’t you say all the mages and physicians have tried with no improvement…?”

“Still, I want to do everything possible without regrets. You never know. There might be a mage or physician out there who can heal my father…”

I regretted mentioning it.

What man could easily refuse a request made with tears in her eyes?

“How long does it take to reach Montero territory from here?”

“A day and a half.”

“Then I’ll go check his symptoms first and call my friend if needed.”

“Really?”

It wasn’t entirely one-sided generosity.

Elina Parseche’s successful gathering was due partly to her initiative but also to her beauty.

Therefore.

I wanted to put Isabel Montero, who was equally beautiful, in my debt to organize a second noble gathering.

I heard her family was wealthy too, so it wouldn’t cost me anything.

‘Two gatherings should be enough.’

It’s not that I don’t trust Elina Parseche, but monopolies always cause problems.

Dividing the system in two would naturally foster healthy competition.

I stood up, put on my coat hanging on the chair, and my eyes flashed.

“Well, since we’ve discussed it, shall we depart right away?”