Ch.60Chapter 60 – The Mechanic Meets the Saint (1)

Thanks to the second elixir bestowed by His Imperial Majesty, my body was able to heal completely.

“Then I’ll see you again during the founding festival. At that time, I’ll call you Count, not Mr. Pathos.”

I had solved two problems that had been troubling His Imperial Majesty: his hair loss and the corrupted holy sword Zebario.

And as a reward, I was about to be elevated to the position of Count before even graduating from the academy.

What’s going on? I was certain my goal was to live a quiet, unassuming life until I met the heroine of Erasto Chronicle.

‘Where exactly did things go wrong?’

At what point did my plans get derailed?

When did my plans start falling apart?

I can’t pinpoint it exactly. Perhaps from the moment I entered the village.

Or maybe my fate was already determined from the moment I started using my abilities.

“Do you know? The hottest topic in high society right now is all about you.”

“Yet I’ve never once attended any social gatherings.”

“Ah, that’s fine. Soon, His Imperial Majesty will be hosting a grand imperial banquet. Originally, only nobles with titles or their family members could attend, but since you’re confirmed to receive a title soon, you qualify to attend the banquet.”

The Chancellor placed his hand on my shoulder with a benevolent smile.

Though he didn’t say anything more, I realized he was silently pressuring me to attend the banquet.

“But I don’t have any clothes suitable for a banquet.”

“Getting clothes made is a simple matter, isn’t it? Since you’ve accomplished great things this time, I’ll gift you tailored tailcoats for the banquet. Five custom-made suits should be sufficient.”

I tried to avoid attending the banquet by using the excuse of not having proper clothes, but as if he had anticipated such a response, he offered to gift me clothes.

And not just one suit, but five.

Moreover, not ready-made clothes, but custom tailored to fit my body.

I started racking my brain for ways to avoid attending the banquet.

That’s when I remembered what the professor had said during the standard etiquette course “Banquet Manners” at the academy.

‘The point of a banquet is to show respect to the host. So, if you respect the host, you must always bring a partner when attending a banquet. Hohoho.’

‘Why, you ask? In noble society, bringing a partner to a banquet means you respect the host enough to introduce them to someone you’re close with! If that’s too complicated, just remember: always bring a partner to a banquet! That’s all you need to know. Hohoho. And remember, it doesn’t matter if your partner is male or female!’

That’s right, I needed a partner to attend the banquet.

“But even if I have clothes, I don’t have a partner for the banquet.”

“Hmm? What, haven’t you made any friends yet?”

“I have friends I greet by name when we pass by, but no one I’m close enough with to introduce to my room.”

“Hmm…”

The Chancellor looked quite troubled by my response.

“I understand for now. However, the purpose of this banquet is to debut you in high society, so you must find a partner and attend this banquet. Understood?”

“B-but… Ah, understood! I’ll find a partner and attend the banquet!”

Due to the Chancellor’s intense gaze and the pressure of his hand on my shoulder, I finally surrendered.

“Hahaha. Then I’ll look forward to it. I’ll have the custom tailcoats sent to your dormitory. Have a good day.”

The Chancellor dropped me off at the academy’s main gate and disappeared down the street with his carriage.

“Haah…”

Now I was truly in an inescapable situation.

Having fallen into the Chancellor’s trap, the option of skipping the banquet had completely vanished.

I thought about pretending to be sick, but I feared His Imperial Majesty would send another elixir.

‘Sick, you say? Then I’ll send an elixir, so drink it immediately and regain your health!’

One way or another, I couldn’t avoid the banquet.

“Sigh…”

Returning to the academy, I noticed there was no one around, suggesting that the vacation had already begun.

It seemed many people had gone back to their hometowns for the break.

I considered returning to the dormitory but wondered if there was any point.

After all, I had Pathos Repair Shop, which served as both my store and lodging.

Since enrolling in the academy, it had become a weekend-only operation…

Surprisingly, the customers who used my shop had all congratulated me when they heard I’d been admitted to the academy.

As I packed my belongings and left the dormitory, I hung a sign on my door.

‘During the vacation period, I will be staying at Pathos Repair Shop. If you need me, please visit there.’

This way, anyone looking for me would naturally visit my shop located in Archenium’s downtown area.

Leaving the academy’s main gate and heading toward downtown Archenium, I noticed more young people than usual wandering the streets.

As a precaution, I transformed my bracelet into glasses and changed my hairstyle.

Since I usually didn’t dress up, I looked completely different from my usual self.

Even the security guard at the academy gate didn’t recognize me at first, only realizing who I was after checking my student profile.

Thanks to this, I was able to enter my repair shop without any interruptions.

The shop was surprisingly clean despite being left unattended for a long time, so I unpacked my things and headed straight back to the downtown area.

I could reopen the shop tomorrow. Today, I decided to enjoy Archenium’s downtown as an ordinary citizen.

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To summarize Archenium’s downtown in one phrase, it was like Seoul without electricity.

“Except for the lack of electronic devices and cars, it’s not much different from downtown Seoul.”

Ah, I don’t mean this in a negative way.

Literally, apart from the absence of electronic devices, cars, and electronic equipment, there was no difference between Seoul and here.

“Come! These items don’t come every day! Today only, half price!”

“Come on, take your pick. Anything you choose is just 10 coins!”

“Delicious strawberry crepes for sale! Made with fresh strawberries straight from the farm!”

Merchants calling out to attract customers.

And people gathering in response.

Seeing everyone laughing and chatting happily, enjoying the downtown area in broad daylight, I couldn’t help but feel good.

However, my good mood quickly faded when I remembered that I needed to find a partner for the banquet.

‘Where should I look for a banquet partner?’

Hoping to find someone who might be willing to be my partner, I tried to locate students I usually hung out with.

Since it was difficult to investigate with my abilities, I asked Shannon and learned that Reina had returned to her family home for training, Elena had gone home to see her family after a long time, and Mina had left with her research lab assistants to find rare magical materials to earn money.

If I had known this would happen, I should have made more friends and spent more personal time with people.

To be honest, the only heroine from Erasto Chronicle I had met so far was Mina.

‘Have the others not joined the academy yet besides Mina?’

Ah, come to think of it, there was one more person. Serin Ecatos, who had accompanied me on the way to Belsalem.

I had forgotten about her because she didn’t have any particularly noteworthy points (?) that caught my attention.

I remember she was the daughter of Marquis Ecatos…

“At times like this, I wish even Serin were here.”

It would be strange to suddenly ask someone I barely know to be my banquet partner.

But the only people I was somewhat friendly with were Reina, Elena, and Mina.

Ah, of course there were male friends too, but I couldn’t exactly bring a man to the banquet.

“I think I’ll take a break for now.”

I entered a nearly empty café to rest for a while.

“Welcome, customer.”

“Do you have any cold drinks that would wake me right up?”

“Ah, yes! If that’s what you want, our popular menu item…”

Honestly, I couldn’t understand what was said after that.

Anyway, there was a menu item that the employee strongly recommended, so I ordered that.

Since the café had table service, all I had to do was sit at my table.

I sat by the window, watching people pass by.

All sorts of people were walking through the streets, and among them, I felt a strange gaze.

I turned my head to find the owner of that gaze, and surprisingly, I found them quickly.

The owner of the gaze was right next to me.

“If you’re alone, would it be alright if I joined you?”

A beautiful girl with long silver-white hair and distinctive narrow eyes that appeared almost closed was requesting to share my table.