Ch.9Society Debut (1)

Nepy and Irefi had been visiting the imperial palace frequently these days.

The Emperor seemed to enjoy conversing with me. As a result, Irefi’s workload had become unimaginably heavy.

While I truly felt sorry for her, it wasn’t my fault. It was all because Netionphis and the Emperor were being inconsiderate.

I could only admire how Irefi carried out her duties diligently without a single complaint.

Today, as usual, the Emperor and I were having tea time in the glass greenhouse. The difference from before was that Irefi was also present.

And today, the Emperor made a serious proposal.

“Would you consider making your social debut?”

We were unintentionally receiving a flood of public attention. However, the relationship between Irefi and me wasn’t something that could be disclosed to others.

That’s why we needed to coordinate our stories, and the Emperor’s compromise was a social debut.

Rumors tend to grow larger the more mysterious they become. The secret between Irefi and me could potentially cause troublesome situations.

The Emperor thought it might be better to openly face people at official events.

Of course, the narrative about me was something to consider from now on.

“Honestly, I don’t care whether I do it or not. But one thing—if I enter society, will the rumors about Irefi die down?”

Ever since meeting Charle, I occasionally felt guilty whenever I looked at Irefi.

She was a woman who would eventually need a marriage prospect. If my involvement in her past became a blemish, who would take responsibility for Irefi?

This great monster who could turn the world upside down.

“I don’t mind. Even if someone points fingers at me, it doesn’t hurt me at all. All I want is just…”

Irefi stopped mid-sentence, then awkwardly smiled and changed the subject. I guessed it was about Miren Justitia but pretended not to know.

“Hmm, you know what? There are so many people who envy and badmouth me behind my back.”

“How unlucky do you have to be—ARGH!”

Irefi mercilessly kicked my shin. I had to kneel from the pain. Because Netionphis’s senses were delicate, his pain receptors were unnecessarily sensitive.

Since Charle’s visit, her violent tendencies seemed to have escalated.

“The funny thing is, even those people go crazy with joy when I show my face. Their thoughts are so obvious.”

“Aren’t you disliked because you’re annoying?”

“Shut up. When you have more than ten embarrassing nicknames, you can’t help but know about them. Anyway…”

Irefi added confidently.

“What I’m saying is that rumors don’t tarnish me at all.”

The Emperor laughed heartily and agreed.

“Marquess Justitia’s beauty is second only to our Empress in the empire. By the way, ‘White Sword Beauty’ is a nickname I spread.”

“Your Majesty!”

Irefi’s face immediately flushed with embarrassment. Her arms trembled, and her fingers fidgeted with her sword handle. Truly remarkable patience and loyalty.

“Even if Irefi doesn’t mind, we should suppress the rumors. Do you think a social debut would make that possible, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor pondered, resting his chin on his hand. I added in an accusatory tone.

“Your Majesty is also at fault. You knew how inappropriate it would be for an unmarried man and woman to live together.”

It was an obvious fact that even I knew. However, the scale of the mansion made the concept of cohabitation seem vague.

It’s unreasonable to consider two people living on a university campus as cohabitation. That’s how I felt living in the grand mansion.

The Emperor defended himself, claiming he was also wronged.

“Then what should I have done at that time? If I had left you alone, Marquess Justitia would obviously object. If I forcibly separated you two, how would Marquess Justitia act?”

“She would reject the imperial order and eliminate the threat to the empire.”

Shing—

Irefi’s beautiful silver blade reflected light and sparkled. I screamed in terror.

“I told you not to take out that hideous thing! Put it away right now!”

Even as I scolded her, I clutched my throbbing left arm, leg, and waist. This was learned psychological pain.

“I’m just saying hypothetically.”

Disappointment lingered on Irefi’s face as she sheathed her sword. She seemed to dislike me quite a bit.

“…You see? Even I was cautious and had our second meeting in the glass greenhouse. Please understand.”

“Your Majesty, I admit it. I was shortsighted.”

“Nepy, I don’t care about rumors, which is why I accepted the order. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm!”

Even if Irefi was fine with it, I wasn’t. All three of us spent a while in silence, trying to find an appropriate solution.

Suddenly, the Emperor exclaimed in admiration and snapped his fingers. It was a gesture indicating he had thought of something.

“I’ve come up with a suitable excuse.”

“Really?”

I asked, brightening up. The Emperor smiled at me.

“Marquess Justitia’s martial prowess isn’t known to the public. So from now on, let’s say Marquess Justitia was severely injured while carrying out a top-secret mission.”

From someone who had experienced it firsthand, it sounded implausible. But fortunately, I was the only one who had experienced having my limbs cut off by her.

“And the one who treated her was the imperial court’s hidden divine physician, Marquess Alteon. In fact, the medical knowledge of the Founding Noble Count exceeds imagination.”

The Emperor’s words were probably true. Even in a fantasy world, he was the very person who had modified his body into a unique immortal. He might have repeated human experiments countless times.

However, that was about Netionphis, the original owner of this body. All I knew about the human body was that the upper and lower body could be separated quite neatly.

“So the hidden divine physician received a title and a grand mansion for his family’s dedication and for saving Marquess Justitia. Isn’t that a good story? It’s not like you received any territory.”

This excuse was possible because my title was essentially honorary.

“It would be fine to say she’s staying for treatment of aftereffects. Any minor contradictions can be glossed over.”

Irefi agreed as well. She must know that a knight commander being severely injured isn’t something to be proud of. For her, it would be a compromise that weighed on her pride as a warrior.

I decided to accept Irefi’s goodwill and determination.

“If Irefi agrees, I have no objections.”

“Excellent!”

The Emperor clapped his hands, seemingly very pleased.

“In three months, there will be a banquet at Duke Feita’s manor, one of the four ducal houses. Marquess Alteon’s social debut will take place then.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll have to send a message when we return.”

“As such a high-profile couple, there will be an unprecedented crowd. Haha!”

With the Emperor’s hearty laughter, today’s meeting came to an end.

◇

We boarded a carriage returning to the mansion and left the imperial palace. Outside the window, a fantastically red sunset was dyeing the sky.

The streets looked quite different from daytime. Pretty lights were decorated, ready to shine. Rather than playing children, busy adults caught my eye. All these movements seemed like preparations to welcome the stars, making everything look beautiful.

Feeling somewhat detached, I watched the scenery outside and casually spoke to Irefi.

“Irefi.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve had your social debut too, right?”

At my question, Irefi suddenly wore a nostalgic expression. Her voice carried a sense of wistfulness, as if reminiscing about the past.

“It was when I was sixteen. Seems so long ago now.”

“Come to think of it, how old are you exactly?”

“Twenty-six. It’s been ten years already.”

“I see…”

Despite spending nearly a month or two together, I had just learned her age. As I quietly nodded, she asked me in return.

“How old are you, Nepy?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe a bit older than the Eld Empire.”

“Wow…”

Irefi’s mouth gaped open at the unusual scale. It was a rare sight, so I couldn’t help but stare.

Embarrassed, Irefi quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

‘I don’t like that.’

In truth, I wanted to proudly tell her that I was also twenty-six. That was my age before being possessed into this world.

Although I had been sealed in the Great Cavern for a long time, I didn’t include that because I didn’t know the exact duration. But I couldn’t say it. She wouldn’t believe me, and I had no way to prove it.

Thinking about this made me a bit depressed. I changed the topic to shake off these thoughts.

“Will you be attending the banquet too?”

“Of course.”

“Then… will you wear a dress then?”

Irefi always wore the pure white uniform symbolizing the knights and carried a silver-white sword at her side. She truly embodied the dignified appearance of a knight commander.

Perhaps because I had always been around Irefi? Seeing Charle in a dress had felt somewhat awkward.

Irefi firmly denied my question.

“The knight commander wears the uniform regardless of gender, always. Whether in public or private settings.”

“I see…”

Somewhat disappointing—

“Were you expecting something?”

“What?”

Irefi’s eyes were narrowed, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. Plus, her voice was definitely teasing…

I denied it in panic.

“Absolutely not!”

“Hmm.”

Did it show on my face? Or did she interpret my panicked reaction differently? It was a response unlike her usual self. Like a predator’s eyes looking for an opening.

After a pause, Irefi continued.

“I did wear a dress for my debutante. Back then, swordsmanship was just a hobby for me.”

Irefi was saying something quite monstrous in a subtle way.

“I received quite a lot of attention. You could say I monopolized it. I don’t know where they came from, but so many people gave me flowers upon first meeting.”

“You were popular.”

I replied curtly.

“Hehe, among all the debutantes from that time, I’m the only woman who still hasn’t married.”

Though she spoke self-deprecatingly, she didn’t seem to have any regrets at all. It was Irefi’s characteristic confidence.

“I just remembered. It was a pure white dress adorned with pearls. A relatively simple design without fancy decorations like frills.”

I imagined according to her words. An Irefi ten years younger, wearing a pure white dress, slowly descending the stairs.

Below the railing, I envisioned crowds having their attention stolen by Irefi. She mingled with people confidently, not intimidated by the numerous gazes.

I wasn’t there.

“It was a dress my sister chose for me. I liked it so much that I bought it without hesitation.”

I was a bit surprised when Irefi mentioned her sister. She seemed unaware that she had spoken unconsciously…

“Seems like you don’t dislike dresses. They just look uncomfortable.”

“Of course they’re uncomfortable. I can’t put them on alone, they’re cumbersome, and I have to wear a corset.”

“Then why?”

To my innocent question, Irefi answered as if it were obvious.

“Because I’m a woman too? When I see a sparkling ring, I want to try it on, and when I see a pretty dress, I want to wear it.”

“…”

Irefi’s words gave me quite a shock.

It wasn’t simply because her answer differed from her image. For a moment, her future overlapped with the present.

A ghostly figure covered entirely in black heavy armor and helmet. The beautiful silver-white sword was gone, replaced by a blood-colored sword in the form of a nodachi. Her hair, as if covered in graphite, had turned ashen and fluttered like a broom.

A woman who, only at the time of her death, let out her final scream in a hoarse voice like chalk scraping a blackboard.

She was Irefi Justitia who had lost everything.

“Well, I don’t have occasions to wear them anymore. Maybe for a wedding.”

“…You’ll be able to wear them.”

I answered in a subdued voice. Sensing something strange, Irefi observed me.

“Nepy? What’s wrong?”

Irefi, though she appeared special, was in fact a woman no different from others. Just a woman who liked pretty accessories and wanted to wear elegant clothes.

It was just that her extraordinary talent had obscured her essence.

What kind of loss must such an Irefi have felt to become the destroyer of the human world who abandoned her self? It’s impossible for me to imagine.

Once I thought about it, the present Irefi and the future Irefi kept overlapping in my mind.

The pure white uniform became black heavy armor. Her white, glossy hair that reached her waist turned ashen and dragged on the ground. The silver-white sword became a blood-colored tachi, and her voice, once like a bird’s chirping, became metallic, grating on the nerves.

I looked at the scenery outside to cool my head. I decided to let go of complicated thoughts with a sigh.

‘To think I’d become this thoughtful, what a strange thing.’

Awakening from my contemplation, I answered casually.

“Yeah, the scenery outside was nice, so I zoned out.”

“You really have no manners.”

Irefi criticized me, shrugging her shoulders. I chuckled and counterattacked.

“Try living alone.”

“Fine. Don’t act like that at the banquet. When we get back to the mansion, we’ll have special training.”

“I don’t want that.”

“Do you think you have the right to refuse?”

“…I guess not?”

“Yes, now you understand!”

This was the diligent and energetic Irefi. I believe this is the essence of Irefi Justitia as a person. She will continue to be the same upright person as she is now.

‘I can change it. There’s no need to worry.’

The carriage had just arrived at the mansion. Irefi tilted her head, looking at me standing blankly.

I started walking and said.

“Hey, Irefi, you should really be grateful to me.”

Irefi made an incredulous expression.

“Did you hit your head? You need shock therapy treatment.”

Shing—

Shudder.

“I told you not to do that!”

That trauma is really driving me crazy.

I ran up to the mansion as if escaping. Irefi followed slowly, telling the servants lies that it was nothing.

It was frustrating that everyone believed her words.

That night. While someone spent the night in deep anguish, another slept soundly. Feeling the plight of the weak, I made a resolution.

On the day I bestowed a favor upon Irefi, I would definitely demand one flick to the forehead.