Chapter 157. The Compass of Evil Within My Heart
The next day.
I met Lancy again in front of the Warp Gate Management Office.
“Are you truly sure about this? matriarch will make preparations, yes, but the nobles’ scheming is far more humiliating and petty than you might imagine, Lord Aster.”
“…”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I stared straight at her, then shook my head slightly.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“…?”
Because, for once, emotion flickered across Lancy’s usually expressionless face.
Normally, she would have given a perfunctory, formal warning, something like, ‘It’s matriarch’s command, after all.’
But right now, she seemed… genuinely concerned. And since she was showing this much worry, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Just how bad is it supposed to be?”
I was sincerely curious.
I’d seen all kinds of things, ugly things, ridiculous things, even diamond-shaped things, in this country, but I’d never experienced noble scheming firsthand.
But then, why was it…?
The corner of Lancy’s eye twitched.
‘What’s that?’
The tremor vanished so quickly that I might’ve thought I imagined it—but that was when Lancy’s lips parted.
“It’s childish.”
“They all are.”
Schemes are, by nature, childish things.
Still, I’d asked because I wondered if nobles had their own special brand of childishness.
Soon enough, however, the tricks that poured out of Lancy’s mouth went far beyond childish, they were downright despicable.
“They trip you.”
“A weak one…”
“Think about it. Right in the middle of a banquet, someone suddenly falls over with a thud. You’re holding red wine, or, in your case, food. What happens next?”
“It gets all over my clothes?”
“That’s when someone rushes over. ‘Are you all right?! Lord Aster, oh no…!’ And I assure you, their voice will be loud and clear enough to draw everyone’s attention.”
As she spoke, Lancy’s brow furrowed, as if she were recalling something unpleasant.
And from there, even without my prompting, her words flowed freely.
“Sometimes they’ll try to belittle you with their ‘cultured’ knowledge, art, music, literature, politics, economics, society.”
“That’s not so bad…”
“They’ll make you give a speech.”
“…?”
“Nothing formal, just hand you the floor in front of a crowd. And then someone will say, ‘Hmm! Lord Aster has some thoughts on this topic, why don’t we all hear him out?’ Their voice will be—”
“—loud and clear enough to draw everyone’s attention?”
“Your learning ability is impressive.”
“…”
“In any case, before you can even open your mouth, they’ll praise you to the skies. The higher they raise you, the harder you fall.”
Listening to her, a thought crossed my mind.
Perhaps she wasn’t merely describing what she’d seen and heard, but what she’d actually experienced. Either way, there were plenty of other petty tricks.
Giving the wrong dress code on purpose, pretending to spill wine, steering the atmosphere to humiliate someone publicly, and so on.
As I listened, all I could think was, ‘What kind of idiots do this?’
But…
‘Each and every one of these is just subtle enough to be untouchable.’
Exactly.
They were disgustingly petty, yet too trivial to make a fuss about individually. And if that was the level of their tricks, I could see why Lancy had tried to stop me.
‘This is… the kind of thing that would look ridiculous if matriarch interfered himself.’
In other words, all these trials and humiliations were mine to endure alone.
Of course, no one would dare pull such stunts right in front of the matriarch, but only right in front of him.
Still, hold on.
As I listened, something strange stood out.
“By any chance.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“It sounds like you’re assuming I’m attending the banquet for sure… Am I right?”
“Did Lord Demian not tell you?”
“…?”
“I assumed you knew when you contacted me.”
“…?”
Just moments ago, Lancy’s eyes had been full of worry.
Now, faint disgust clouded them instead, like she’d just realized the ‘human’ she was talking to was actually a goblin.
And the contempt burning in them was even fiercer than when I’d mentioned ‘Sweat and Tears No.1.’
That was when I gave her a calm, easy smile.
“I was joking. Of course I kno—”
“Stop right there. If you couldn’t answer immediately, Lord Aster, I would have been deeply disappointed.”
“…”
“Do you truly know?”
I silently shook my head.
Lancy looked at me with undisguised contempt.
“The day after tomorrow is Lord Demian’s twelfth birthday.”
“Excuse me?”
“…Let’s go. It’s time to board.”
I stared, dumbfounded, as she turned sharply and strode away, so abruptly that my hair fluttered in her wake.
I just stood there, watching her recede.
‘I really didn’t hear about this.’
Truly, not a word.
* * *
The Warp Gate, as always, offered swift and comfortable travel. And Lancy’s emotional control, much like the Warp Gate’s speed, was remarkably quick to recover.
“My apologies. Come to think of it, Lord Demian never regarded birthdays as anything special.”
“…”
“Still, I thought he would have mentioned it to you… Apparently not.”
“…”
With a polite bow, Lancy apologized for her earlier tone.
Rather than anger, I felt a small relief, confirmation that my memory hadn’t failed me.
Honestly, as someone from the Grey Zone, birthdays held little meaning. Still, the whole thing left a sour taste.
“Anyway, let’s continue our discussion on the way. In truth, what you must really be careful of isn’t those childish tricks.”
As we stepped out of the gate, Lancy continued.
“Those sorts of cheap stunts are always pulled by the same people. And everyone else knows what they are. Aside from being disgraceful, they’re not a major concern. The real problem is…”
“The problem is?”
“When you can’t endure it anymore.”
“Hmm.”
I didn’t need her to finish.
A vagabond from the Grey Zone, attending a noble’s banquet thanks to the kindness of a friend. But if that vagabond lost his temper over a noble’s ‘accident’ and caused a scene?
What would happen next was obvious.
‘A vagabond who insulted a noble.’
Even if they didn’t literally take my head, no one would fault them if they did.
Of course, since it was the young lord’s birthday, and since I was attending as his friend, they wouldn’t actually go that far…
‘But it would make a fine excuse for something else.’
Lancy’s concern aligned perfectly with my own.
Still, she went on.
“Even if you endure, the trouble doesn’t end there.”
“If it doesn’t end, then…”
“They’ll demand you prove your worth somehow. I can’t say what excuse they’ll use, but they’ll find one.”
“Hm. For example?”
“The simplest would be a duel. But since it’s a banquet, they’ll have to disguise it somehow. They can’t exactly hurl spells across the ballroom, after all.”
So, in short, nothing definite.
We paused the conversation there.
“Ah, this way, please.”
“So we’re not going straight to the mansion?”
“No. The matriarch ordered that an outfit be prepared for the banquet. Given the short notice, we can’t do a full custom fitting, but we can alter something off the rack.”
And so, we made our way to a tailor’s shop within the Blando territory.
The conversation continued even inside.
Lancy deftly relayed instructions to the clerks, then stood beside me as they took my measurements.
[You can use message magic, correct?]
[Yes.]
[Then I’ll continue speaking this way.]
She resumed her string of cautions and advice, and I quietly listened.
After a while, I realized something.
‘This sounds… rehearsed.’
Perhaps because she knew I was from the Grey Zone, Lancy explained in detail the customs, habits, and subtle power plays of the nobility, everything I might need to know.
The information was too concise and polished to have been improvised.
And that wasn’t all.
[…Was that too difficult to follow?]
[Hm?]
[My apologies. I keep forgetting your age, Lord Aster. Allow me to simplify.]
Taking into account both my background and my age, she even adjusted her tone for me.
When she finally finished…
[Lord Aster?]
[Yes?]
[Were you listening?]
[I was.]
[Then that’s enough.]
Back in her usual stoic attendant mode, Lancy fell silent.
I took the pause to organize my thoughts.
A sudden notion struck me.
‘The path of justice truly is long and perilous.’
Listening to her, it almost felt like I was marching not into Blando Manor, but into the demon realm of Dekulan itself.
So what was I to do?
‘Submit? Not a chance.’
I don’t back down.
These filthy noble antics only watered the parched soil of justice within my heart, sprouting a fragile little shoot.
It would probably wilt soon, but at least it wasn’t hopeless from the start.
[…Your eyes look rather dangerous.]
[You’re imagining things.]
Following the tailor’s request, I stood before the mirror as they held garments up to my body, then returned to my seat.
But then…
[That ‘vassal house’, or whatever it’s called. You said it wasn’t an ordinary one. Are they really bold enough to pick a fight with the young lord’s friend on his birthday?]
[That is…]
Lancy hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly.
[It’s possible that Lord Demian simply won’t care.]
[Why?]
[…Because it’s not something he’s interested in. He might be different when it concerns you, but…]
[I understand well enough.]
I’d already seen it at the entrance ceremony, with the second son of Dolanfe House, or whatever his name was. Hipster? Hickster? Something like that.
The hamster lost his mind and attacked, while Demian just smiled innocently.
[Forgive my impertinence, but… even if Lord Demian doesn’t step in, please don’t take it too hard…]
[Ah, no, of course not.]
[…]
At my firm reply, Lancy’s expression briefly hardened.
But my stance didn’t change.
If I had strength, and someone close to me was being humiliated, could I just sit there and watch?
A true friend means, ‘I’m the only one allowed to hit or tease them.’ Like how I hit and tease Shine and Rayleigh…uh, wait. No, that’s not right.
I do have some conscience, so correction…
‘They’re not friends.’
Anyway, that’s beside the point.
Rayleigh’s always ready to stab me in the back, so forget him, but Shine… yeah, maybe I felt a little bad for her.
Especially since she seemed to have gotten stronger lately.
[Don’t worry. There won’t be any need for me to step in.]
[…Understood.]
I’d been trying on various outfits, dragged around by the clerks, when suddenly a commotion broke out near the front of the shop.
“What the hell’s wrong with you people! Do you have any idea who I am? Hey, hey, you don’t know me? Huh?”
“S-sir, as I said, there are already guests inside…”
“Guests? Huh? Who? Who’s so important that you turn me away? Come on, let me see their face! Who is it? Speak up!”
Judging by his voice, the intruder was in his mid to late teens.
Still carrying that unrefined youthful arrogance, he shoved aside the flustered clerk and stormed into the store.
“S-sir…!”
“Ha! You lowborn fool dare to block me? Hey, you bastard! Do you even know how much this outfit costs?”
Glancing toward the ruckus, I caught Lancy narrowing her eyes.
[We’ve borrowed the store under matriarch’s name, but the clerks won’t be able to say that. They seem troubled, so I’ll handle this.]
Apparently, high-end boutiques like this had their unspoken rules.
‘Well, yeah. If people could just ask who’s inside and get a straight answer, my life would be a lot easier.’
Anyway, Lancy stepped toward the entrance to help the poor clerk.
The rude young man’s voice brightened instantly.
“Oh? Well, if it isn’t Lancy! What a surprise!”
What? They knew each other?
I listened closely, curiosity piqued. Even the nearby clerk held his breath.
And then, why was it…That was when a message spell came through from Lancy, sharp and cold.
[Lord Aster, do not come out.]
Technically, there was only a single wall between us, but still.
Her voice, faint yet frigid, carried through clearly.
“…It’s a pleasure to see you, Young Lord Paijin.”
“What’s this? What are you doing here? matriarch should be at the estate. Did the young lord himself come?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m not at liberty to say.”
As I listened to the exchange, my long-dormant instincts as a righteous trouble-shooter began to tingle sharply.
‘…It’s him, isn’t it?’
The compass of evil within my heart was pointing straight ahead. It whispered to me: There. Evil lies there.
And yet…
Was it just my imagination, or was the needle spinning wildly?
Probably just my imagination.
