Arnold and Roseria split up once both of them reached the banquet hall. There was a grave expression on Roseria's face if one looked carefully.
Even Arnold was feeling a little guilty for using her to avoid drawing any trouble towards himself.
But this was necessary. For revenge.
'Now that that's sorted I'll need to find Rein and recruit him. Then my reason for being here is over.'
Before he could start looking though, the conductor suddenly spoke after he silenced his musicians:
"We will now allow the couples to dance. Everyone please head to the dance floor." He said so before the lights were dimmed.
The music changed from an elegant tone to a much more gentler tone that fit the atmosphere. Couples and singles alike sought for their dance partners.
'Shit.'
Liam was never much of a dancer so he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. There were already a crowd of young ladies approaching him. No, there were some old women in the mix.
But he felt a tug on his arm before he turned tail to run.
"Shall we dance?" Liumiala said with a radiant smile, "I couldn't leave my lover to dance with someone else."
"…Ugh." Arnold forced down his annoyance and nodded, "Right. Let's go, my love."
"Pft. Yes, dear." Liumiala was finding it hard to hold in her laughter.
'So damn carefree.'
The two of them headed towards the dance floor where the couples were already dancing. The people seemed to enjoy themselves as they laughed and matched the tune of the music.
Arnold looked at the loners standing idly to the sidelines or eating at the buffet.
'This kind of reminds me of my high school prom.'
It was his final year of school yet he had no girlfriend. None of the girls in his class even wanted to go with him.
Liam was like a stranger to the current Arnold now. He remembered the dreadful life the guy had to live just to survive. His only reason for living was to eat, sleep, play games, go to work and repeat.
It was a constant cycle that he repeated every day. Even if he didn't have a social life outside of work, he still had his guildmates.
They would praise him for his battle experience and judgments during raids and such. Those people looked up to him and he liked it.
But would those same praises and sparkling eyes have been directed at their Vice Guild master if any of them found out about his lifestyle?
Arnold knew that the answer was a definite 'no'. The only person who knew his living circumstances and the piece of shit he was, was the girl he mentored in the Newbie Program.
The two were coincidental neighbours in their apartment complex. She looked up to him even though she knew what his life was really like. There would be a smile on her face each time she came over to his apartment after school.
'I kind of miss her. I hope Alecs is taking good care of her…'
It was regrettable how he wouldn't hear her cheerful voice calling him, "Senior~".
"Haaah…"
"Why are you sighing when a beautiful girl is right here?" Liumiala stomped on Arnold's foot, "Focus on me. I'll get mad even if this is fake. Humph."
"Pouting and acting cute doesn't suit you. It honestly creeps me out."
"What!?"
Arnold made Liumiala spin and pulled her close. Her widened eyes narrowed angrily at him.
"Where is the emperor? I thought he would host the party."
"I just left auntie—the empress' side, she said that His Majesty is discussing some things with his nobles."
"I'm guessing the things you're talking about refer to that vampire?"
"Most likely the things they didn't mention during the conference, yes."
A conference is a gathering of people with a common interest or background, with the purposes of allowing them to meet one another and to learn about and discuss issues, ideas and work that focus on a topic of mutual concern.
"They probably left some things our during the conference. This was to keep the vampire in the dark. Information is the most important thing if you want to invade a nation or destroy it internally."
Although he wasn't a historical nerd, Arnold knew that even two nations on friendly terms would keep national secrets from each other. This was so that they could have an advantage over the other if war were to ever break out between the two. It gave either the upper hand depending on how useful that information was.
'She probably also knows this.'
Arnold gazed over the heads of everyone to see if he could spot Selia. It seemed that she already left the banquet because her presence was no longer needed.
He was hoping to ask her what kind of enemies he might face inside that dungeon so it was regrettable that she left.
"She's gone."
"Hm?" Liumiala followed Arnold's eyes, "Who?"
"Brynhildr. I could swear I saw her in one of the corners a few minutes ago."
'Did she use one of those rings on her fingers to teleport away?' He remembered the rings she wore on her fingers. Each had a specific function. 'One of them seemed familiar. I think it was a magic spells ring… No, maybe I'm just mistaking the design.'
"I see. What were the two of you discussing outside?"
Twirl and spin.
"Oh? Is my love jealous because I've been talking to other women?"
Back step and front step.
"Young lord, please stop with the jokes." Liumiala said with a deadpan look on her face.
"Ah… Right." Arnold laughed awkwardly.
'It would be bad to mention the fact that she asked me to become her ally. Serz shouldn't be on good terms with that vampire so I should change the subject.'
"She gave me a lesson on how to manage my city. We're apparently in the same boat."
"Huh, is that so." Liumiala didn't seem to believe him.
"Y-Yeah. Anyway, have you seen Rein? I thought he would attend this banquet. It's the perfect opportunity for him to make new connections and raise his name out of the mud."
At least on the surface.
Rein didn't actually need to repent for his actions during the major deal he botched. He was only going to be here for appearances sake so his father would think he was honestly trying to correct his mistakes.
"About that…" Liumiala leaned forward, "The young master is apparently sick so he stayed home. I'm friends with one of his cousins who told me."
"Fuck…"
'Then why the hell am I still here?' The only reason he came was to make Rein come over to his side. But since things didn't work out then the plan had to change.
"There are some people who would like to meet you, young lord."
"No, we're leaving after this dance is done. I'm not entertaining leeches like them."
"…Fair point. But isn't it by time that you pull nobles over to your side? Or maybe make some of them your vassals?"
"Either they are bottom of the barrel trash or they are high nobles with ulterior motives for wanting to meet me."
"So we're leaving here empty-handed?"
Arnold smiled mysteriously, "Not quite."
He obtained valuable knowledge from Selia. Well, if her words were correct then he might be able to obtain a pure martial art which was directly derived from its founder.
That would put him at the top of the martial arts world(Even higher than the martial artist from the Murim Alliance) because no one had been able to learn a pure martial art since any evidence of one had disappeared from existence.
'I can also get a Cherubim which will help me with my low divinity resistance.'
If he got that then he could fight any adversary capable of using divinity.
Arnold was hoping that this would increase his chances against someone like Lancelot. Although not to the extend of winning overwhelmingly.
What mattered was the data he collected from his fight with Lancelot. Liam was always at the frontlines during raids or player invasions so he would analyse the battle strategies and skills of his opponents and use that against them—although he would use this on his own guildmates as well.
Now that he knew the Theocracy had something like that Green Dome that could make the user's stats increase during their time inside and even regenerate, he had to set up countermeasures as well.
'My demon aura was effective against the dome. It's of pure divinity so it's definitely a skill or divine magic of Lancelot. Then comes the single target teleportation.'
Since Lancelot was incapable of using mana, Arnold assumed that the teleportation magic was the workings of someone else.
'Who used the teleportation on me if Lancelot was the one that erected that dome? Fuck, as expected. Someone else knows that I was involved with Flora.'
The question was why didn't they do anything about the situation. Could they have been a subordinate of Lancelot and was forced to keep their mouth shut that a treasure was stolen and because Lancelot lost in the process? With no information to rely on, Arnold had no choice but to stop thinking about it.
The music died down as the hall was brightly lit up again. The people clapped hands while chuckling together.
"We're leaving."
"Eh? Aren't you going to see your father?"
Arnold looked at the second floor when he heard Liumiala's question.
"It's fine. I can catch up to him when he heads to the city. Well, that depends if he'll be finished by then," Arnold looked around to see if he could spot James. The bastard was nowhere in sight, "The main event of tonight is only getting started."
◇◇◇
'Why is he still alive!?'
James raced back to his carriage and roared at the coach to get going.
He had seen it.
Arnold was alive and well.
It was during the time before the dance started. He saw Arnold speaking with the Empress while occasionally glancing at him.
James couldn't believe it at first so he thought that he was tired. But that was undoubtedly Arnold von Berkley.
"What the hell happened with the mission!? I told Nork to let me know if anything went wrong!" James hit the carriage wall in anger.
The attendant by his side shrieked.
"Has Nork sent anything yet?"
"A-Actually, the [Message Receiver] magic item rang several times but I wasn't sure who it was so I didn't answer…"
Before the woman could continue, James punched her in the face.
"You bitch! That could've been Nork!"
"A-And what if it was!? Should I have run into the banquet hall and scream for master to come quickly!?" The woman shouted in protest.
Servants weren't allowed in the banquet hall. That was why she stayed in the carriage while waiting for James. The knights would've turned her away even if it was an emergency.
"Kuh…!" James knew her words were right but he didn't apologize for hitting her, "I need to call everyone together… If I am revealed as the mastermind then…"
'I'll be hunted down by the duke.'
James had already planned a way to erase the evidence of his involvement with Arnold's death but everything's changed now that said person was alive.
James wasn't sure but he could see the madness in Arnold's eyes as he kept glancing at him occasionally.
It was the eyes of a madman.
James picked up the Magic Receiver and connected it to the Imperial Court head office.
A voice answered a moment later:
-Hello? Lord James, is that you?
"Yes, it's me! I need you to burn all the evidence and anything that has to do with this operation I mentioned to you before!"
-Burn it…? But we're running out of time. The people are beginning to suspect this case of the imperial prince and young lord Arnold.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
-I thought you called off the mission? We have Arnold in custody here. He's on the verge of death so we're trying to heal him so that he's ready for the trial tomorrow.
"Wait… did you just say Arnold is there?"
-Yes. What is the problem, lord James?
James dropped the receiver. His eyes were widened into saucers.
How could Arnold be in custody when he was at the banquet?
"No… No way…"
James spoke in disbelief.
He realised that he had played in Arnold's hand this entire time. His plan was seen through the moment he sent those imperial knights.
"The… trial is tomorrow? How can that be?"
Before assuming things, James picked up the receiver and asked anxiously.
"Where is… His Highness?"
-He should be in one of my private residences. I hid him there before we began the trial. I haven't left the office in a few days since I had to finish the paperwork before we request permission from His Majesty to hold the trial in his presence.
"Check… Go check if he's really there!" James screamed into the magic item in anger.
-B-But I'm sure he…
"Just go check!"
-O-Okay! I-I'll call the housekeeper! Please wait a moment.
The connection broke off for a few minutes.
James breathed heavily.
"We're arriving at the mansion, Master."
The coach's voice came from outside.
James felt the magic item vibrate. He took a deep breath before picking it up.
Someone's ragged breathing came from the other side.
-"H-His Highness was…! He was… taken! There's no trace of him at the villa!"
"What!? How can that be? Your people should've been looking after him, right?"
-"Y-Yes but…" the man hesitated to speak, "there is someone else here in his place…"
"What…"
-"A-As I said, there is someone—"
"I heard you for fucks sake! What do you mean by there's someone else there!?"
-"Eek, yes! It seems that this person's appearance was being changed with transformation magic to look like the prince. We were only able to tell after looking closely that it wasn't him."
"…"
-"Lord James? What should we do!? If any of my superiors find out then I'm screwed! My family will also get involved! Please tell—"
James shut off the magic item before the man could finish.
"…."
He thought that he could avenge his brother who died by Marcus' hands.
But that was a far-fetched dream born out of selfishness and hard-headedness. He couldn't come to the conclusion that his brother didn't want this.
Don't follow the same path as your brother, my son. He chose to antagonize such a powerful household because he was power-hungry. He didn't want to subordinate himself to them just because he was a count and they were a ducal household.
James' brother was the head of the household before his death but James took the title afterwards.
'To think my plan was seen through by a kid!' James screamed in his heart, 'Damn you, Arnooooorld!!'