Ch.79Chapter 79 – What Happened at the Founding Festival (5)

As His Imperial Majesty returned to his seat, the grand banquet officially began.

The imperial orchestra’s soft, gentle music filled the air as people began to mingle.

Nobles sought out those with whom they had connections.

Naturally, people started flocking to me, now a Count at this banquet.

“Pathos. No, I should call you Count Severio now.”

“Ah, Lord Chancellor.”

However, since the Lord Chancellor was already engaged in conversation with me, no one dared approach hastily.

“If you’ve studied well from the books I gave you, you shouldn’t have much difficulty. Do you think you can manage?”

The Lord Chancellor was concerned about my ability to adapt to noble society.

“I’ve committed as much of the content from your books to memory as possible, so I should manage somehow.”

“Good. Most situations won’t deviate much from what’s in those books. Well then, do your best. There are many people waiting to meet you.”

The Lord Chancellor left after offering those words of encouragement.

As soon as he departed, nobles who had been watching cautiously began to approach one by one.

“I am Viscount Calegedo. It’s an honor to meet the famous Demon Sword Destroyer, Count Severio.”

Among nobles, formal speech is the basic principle.

Even those of equal rank must use formal speech, and if the other person’s rank is equal to or higher than yours, it is proper etiquette to add “nim” after their title.

“Pleased to meet you, Viscount Calegedo.”

However, since I am a Count and he is a Viscount, I use formal speech but don’t add honorifics when addressing him by title.

In other words, while we speak formally as fellow nobles, the hierarchy of titles applies when addressing each other.

This was the etiquette observed among nobles in the Celebrio Empire.

After Viscount Calegedo left, several others approached to greet me.

“Pleased to meet you. Do you know who I am?”

Just then, a high-ranking noble accompanied by a familiar-looking young lady approached and greeted me.

“Of course I do. You’re Margrave Ielron Sandrios, the Grand Magician of the Celebrio Empire.”

He was indeed Ielron Sandrios.

The Grand Magician of the Celebrio Empire and the father of Elena Sandrios, Mina Endras’s friend.

Naturally, the young lady accompanying him was his daughter, Elena.

“It’s been a while, Lady Elena. Have you been well?”

I greeted Elena, who responded with slight embarrassment but according to the empire’s etiquette.

She slightly bowed her upper body, placed her right hand above her chest, and gently lifted the hem of her dress with her left hand.

It was a nearly perfect greeting.

Well, as a Margrave’s daughter, she must have been thoroughly educated in etiquette.

“Elena Sandrios greets Count Pathos Severio.”

Only after receiving her perfect greeting could we begin our conversation.

“Ho ho. Our Elena has talked about Count Severio so much that I still hear stories about the Count when she’s trying to fall asleep.”

“F-Father!”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Elena talked about me to Margrave Sandrios? I wonder what she said.

“I heard you perfectly repaired the crystal orb for my daughter’s close friend’s magic wand? Truly remarkable. Repairing a natural crystal orb flawlessly is nearly impossible.”

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“Uahahaha! Of course! Someone with the ability to destroy demon swords could easily repair a crystal orb for a magic wand!”

Margrave Sandrios laughed heartily while patting my shoulder.

Ouch. Wasn’t this man a magician? Why is his grip so incredibly strong?

“Your ability is truly extraordinary, Count. When you visit the imperial palace, would you mind stopping by my laboratory?”

“Your laboratory, sir?”

I was quite surprised by the Margrave’s invitation.

For a magician to invite someone to their laboratory, they must have considerable trust in that person.

“Yes. There’s an item that only your ability can repair. We’ll discuss the details later in my laboratory.”

“I understand. However, it might be best not to expect too much.”

“Uahahahaha! Don’t worry. It should be easier than destroying a demon sword. I’ll see you then.”

Margrave Sandrios departed with another hearty laugh.

“Do well, my youngest.”

“F-Father…”

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

Elena Sandrios.

She was the daughter of Ielron Sandrios, the “Grand Magician” of the Celebrio Empire.

She was also a promising freshman at Glesius Academy, considered one of the most promising talents.

Wherever she went, she was treated as a precious guest—the daughter of the Grand Magician and a promising magician with a bright future.

Perhaps because of this, she occasionally indulged in the fantasy that if this world had a protagonist, it would surely be her.

In other words, she was someone who believed the world revolved around her.

That’s why she could boldly barge into Pathos’s repair shop.

Her mind was filled with the thought that as a member of a renowned noble family and an exceptional magician, she would face no problems.

Had anyone else known this thought, they might have said her head was full of flowers.

However, Elena met someone her age whom she considered more impressive than herself for the first time in her life.

When she stormed into Pathos’s shop for her friend, despite not knowing him well, she witnessed firsthand the ability bestowed upon Pathos by the Great Goddess Epitrina.

“Have you been well, Lady Sandrios?”

And now, at the Empire’s Founding Day banquet in the Celebrio Imperial Palace, she met Pathos again.

Before, they had met as a repair shop owner and a difficult customer.

Later, as fellow academy students.

And now, as a Count who had received his title directly from the Emperor for destroying a demon sword, and as the daughter of a Margrave family.

“Yes… I’ve been well during the break. Have you also been well, Count?”

Elena couldn’t quite gather her thoughts at the sight of Pathos at the Founding Day celebration.

Dressed in a tailcoat meticulously crafted by an artisan personally selected by Bergen Steyler, and with full makeup unlike his usual unadorned appearance, Pathos embodied nobility itself.

Moreover, his black hair and black eyes, indicating his Eastern Continent heritage, complemented his black and white two-tone tailcoat perfectly, giving him an almost mystical aura.

“Thanks to Lady Sandrios’s concern, I’ve been doing well without any issues.”

Additionally, thanks to the books provided by Bergen Steyler, Pathos could now follow noble speech patterns reasonably well, if not perfectly.

“That’s a relief. I was worried something might have happened to you.”

When Elena heard the news that Pathos had destroyed a demon sword, she thought he might have been involved in some major incident.

Demon swords are typically found in dangerous places that are difficult for ordinary people to access.

So Elena had assumed that Pathos had embarked on a perilous journey to destroy a demon sword.

“Contrary to your concerns, truly nothing happened.”

Pathos assured Elena that everything was fine, seeing her worry.

Although he had been severely injured in the aftermath of the demon sword’s destruction, he had survived and was perfectly fine now.

“So, there’s no need to worry.”

“That’s a relief. Mina was also very worried about you, Count.”

“Miss Mina?”

“Yes. To Mina, you’re the kind person who repaired her precious item. I had quite a hard time calming her down when she kept asking if something had happened to her benefactor.”

Elena shook her head and sighed.

“Perhaps we should discuss that separately when the three of us meet.”

“Yes… I suppose so.”

“Count, what are you discussing so pleasantly?”

In the middle of Elena and Pathos’s conversation, an uninvited guest interrupted.

“Ah, Etherna.”

It was Etherna, a member of Pathos’s party.

She had been conversing with nobles who were followers of the Solar Order and those who had issues with their territories.

Seeing Pathos engaged in what appeared to be a friendly conversation with a woman, she became curious and approached.

“Elena Sandrios of the Sandrios family greets the Chief Inquisitor.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Sandrios. I am Etherna, Chief Inquisitor of the Solar Order, currently assigned as Count Severio’s personal guard.”

Etherna looked directly into Elena’s eyes as she spoke.

However, when introducing herself to Elena, she emphasized the words “personal guard.”

The significance of this emphasis was something only Etherna and Elena would understand.