"Well, that was fun," Murd sighed, wandering away from the training area.
I don't think Cynthia will scold me for wandering off, but seriously… where the hell am I?" Murd thought, groaning as he practically collapsed onto the cold stone floor of the grand hall, defeated.
"I should have followed Amelia. She's a noblewoman; she's bound to know where the banquet hall is," he muttered to himself, struggling to his feet.
He looked down the labyrinthine corridors. "Wait, which way did she go? Left… or right? Yeah, yeah, definitely left. I'm sure of it," Murd said aloud, though his voice lacked any certainty. He was completely doubting his own words.
Meanwhile, a few dozen rooms away, three boys were already gathered at the venue.
"When is this crap going to start?" "—groaned Churn, leaning heavily back in his ornate chair.
"It shouldn't be long. They said it would start in an hour, so there should be about twenty minutes left," replied Kida, fiddling with his formal attire.
"Ugh, how boring. Can't I go to sleep?" complained Churn with a pitiful wail.
"No, you can't. Go eat something and perk yourself up," said Huis in an expressionless tone, leaning casually against a nearby wall.
Huis looked up and surveyed the entire banquet hall. Dozens of people were mingling: nobles in luxurious fabrics, richly decorated knights, and busy stewards weaving their way through the crowd. Although the Emperor had referred to this as a "small" gathering, the hall was easily twice the size of a football field.
I suppose the concept of "simple and small" is very different depending on the world you're in, Huis thought, a look of astonishment on his face.
There were many families from the surrounding noble estates, including dozens of young people his own age. It was the perfect setting for socializing, networking, and making friends.
Huis tore his gaze away from the boisterous crowd and looked at his two companions.
"Unfortunately, none of us are capable of socializing with another human being," he lamented silently.
Churn was completely slumped in his chair, practically comatose and indifferent to the world around him. Kida, on the other hand, was too nervous to even utter a coherent sentence in front of a stranger.
Kida began scanning the room, taking in the crowd until he suddenly froze. He had spotted a young noblewoman with striking, pure white hair. Her elegant white and blue dress perfectly accentuated her bright aquamarine eyes. It was Lana Fligher, the daughter of Earl Fligher.
Kida's face flushed bright red the instant her eyes fell upon her. It was undeniable: Lana was absolutely gorgeous.
"Guys, let's get something to eat," Huis said, abruptly snapping Kida out of his daze.
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of Huis's mouth—a detail that completely escaped Kida's notice.
"Come on, Churn," Huis ordered. Lightly coating his hand with mana, he grabbed the exhausted boy by the collar and hauled him up.
"Uh... okay," was all Churn managed to groan before being dragged away by Huis.
Kida chuckled nervously." I'm way too tense. I should definitely eat something to calm down, he thought to himself".
As the group approached a massive banquet table, Huis leaned in and whispered something directly into Churn's ear.
Instantly, Churn's drooping eyes shot wide open, and a wicked, mocking grin spread across his face. Huis mirrored his expression, the two of them sharing a silent, mischievous conspiracy.
They quickly wiped the grins off their faces, instantly regaining their neutral composure.
"Alright," Huis declared, taking charge. "I'll watch this side. Churn, you watch that side. And Kida over there
"Uh, sure, I'm on it," Kida replied absently. Turning his back to his friends, he focused his attention entirely on the extravagant spread of food before him.
Rexcyous Tail... A massive "tail"—if you could even call it that—rested on a large silver platter. Roasted to perfection, it looked incredibly tender and juicy.
Next to it was something labeled Reneas Paddle. The strange, wood-like texture caught Kida's eye for a second, but he quickly dismissed it, moving down the line.
Then, he paused in front of a massive, beautifully seared cut of meat.
"Night Deer Meat," Kida muttered aloud, leaning in to inspect it. "I wonder if it actually tastes good?" he mused, resting his fingers thoughtfully on his chin.
"Yes, it tastes wonderful."
A soft, elegant voice chimed in right behind Kida.
He turned around to see who had answered him, and instantly froze dead in his tracks. His red eyes widened to the size of saucers. Standing right there, offering him a polite, gentle smile, was Lana Fligher.
"The chefs here are amazing. This cut is cooked to perfection, you have to try it," Lana continued enthusiastically, but Kida remained completely frozen.
"Hello?" Lana tilted her head and reached out to gently touch Kida's arm.
The sudden contact snapped him out of his thoughts. "H… H-Hello," he stammered, turning bright red instantly.
"Are you alright?" Lana asked, moving a little closer with concern.
"Y-Yes… yes, I'm perfectly fine," Kida managed to say, his voice trembling, his heart pounding.
Lana lowered her gaze slightly, her bright aquamarine eyes settling on the small badge pinned to Kida's chest.
"Oh! Are you a disciple of Miss Kilren?" she asked, her voice a little higher with excitement.
"Yes… yes, she's my teacher," Kida agreed, still trembling with nerves.
"She's incredible! She's so beautiful and powerful. I'm absolutely certain she'll be able to take the position of assistant principal of the Academy next year," Lana exclaimed, the words spilling out uncontrollably. "Wait, that means you must be from another world, right?"
"Yes, I'm new here," Kida replied awkwardly.
Lana's eyes lit up completely, shining with pure admiration. "Incredible! Oh, how rude of me! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lana Fligher. I apologize if I'm rambling, but Miss Kilren has been applying for the assistant headmistress position for a while now, and I'm sure she'll get it this time! Why do I say that? Well, I'm sure you already know how amazing she is, since you're her student. Her fire magic is on another level! Of course, she's quite skilled with the other elements too..."
Kida stood there, completely stunned, listening to Lana's rapid-fire speech.
"I'm talking to Lana... well, actually, she's talking to me," he thought, trying to grasp the stark reality of the situation.
Lana continued to speak enthusiastically about Miss Kilren for a full minute before catching her breath and finishing her speech.
"Anyway!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together with a sweet smile. "Would you like me to show you the buffet? Since you're new, you probably don't know what half of this is."
"Yes, thank you very much," Kida replied, completely fascinated.
"Don't worry! I love doing this. I'm practically an expert on good food," Lana declared, puffing out her chest slightly and smiling with absolute pride.
Kida's face flushed again. Without another word, he obediently followed Lana down the long food line.
She's a total fangirl of my teacher, Kida thought, finding it somewhat endearing.
"Oh! I was so distracted by the food that I totally forgot to ask your name!" Lana said, turning her bright eyes back to him.
"Uh, my name is K—" Kida started to say, but he abruptly stopped himself. Wait. 'Kida' doesn't sound cool at all. He quickly cleared his throat and lowered his voice slightly. "You can call me Rose."
Lana looked at him and smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you, Rose."
My new name sounds amazing, Kida thought proudly, his chest swelling with confidence. "Nice to meet you too, Lana."
They spent the next few minutes like this, lost in their own little world as Lana happily guided Kida through the buffet, explaining the exotic dishes one by one.
Meanwhile, hiding behind a nearby decorative pillar, the two masterminds were watching the entire scene unfold.
"We are amazing," Churn whispered, proudly watching Kida hold an actual conversation with a girl.
"We truly are," Huis agreed, nodding solemnly. He then leaned in closer. "So? Your hearing is better. What did you catch?"
"Uh... some things..." Churn muttered, covering his mouth as his shoulders began to shake, desperately trying to suppress his laughter.
"Huh? What is it? Tell me why you're laughing, spit it out!" Huis demanded, violently shaking Churn by the shoulders.
Churn, his face completely red from holding back his giggles, finally gasped for air. "I'll... I'll tell you..." He took a deep breath. "He... he just introduced himself to her as Rose."
Huis froze. He stared blankly into space for a second, looking down at the floor as his brain slowly processed the sheer magnitude of Kida's cringe.
"H-He... he introduced himself by his middle name?!" Huis burst out, clapping a hand over his mouth as he doubled over in silent laughter. "What a complete idiot! All for the sake of trying to sound cool!"
Their muffled, trembling laughter continued for a few more seconds, drawing a few weird, judgmental glances from the passing nobles.
"Fuck... I haven't laughed this hard in ages," Huis wheezed, wiping away a stray tear that had escaped his eye.
Churn, who had finally managed to calm himself down, sighed and leaned against the pillar. "But hey... they actually seem to be getting along pretty well, don't they?" he noted, glancing back over at Kida and Lana, who were now laughing together about a weird-looking fruit.
"Yeah, good for him," Huis smiled genuinely, stretching his arms over his head. "He better thank us on his knees later, though," he added, letting out one last chuckle.
"What are you laughing at, you sons of bitches?" a voice called from behind them.
Churn and Huis turned around, only to be met by a pair of glaring green eyes.
"H-hello, Verju! How are you? It's been a while. Have you eaten anything?" Huis said, approaching him. Once close enough, he slung an arm around Verju's shoulders and continued, "You're looking really strong, Verju. Your training is definitely paying off."
"You... forgot about me, you sons of bitches," Verju growled, glaring at Huis.
"Uh... well, we didn't exactly forget about you," Huis stammered, scratching his head.
"Yes, we forgot about you," Churn stated bluntly.
Verju shifted his gaze down to the small Churn. "You sons of bitches..." he muttered, growing even angrier.
"It was for a good cause, though. Come here, quickly," Churn urged him.
Contrary to his usual explosive demeanor, Verju calmly walked over to Churn.
Huis looked at Verju, puzzled. "Huh?" A mocking smile spread across his face. "You aren't actually that angry, are you? Did something good happen to you?" he teased.
Verju didn't turn around, but he blushed slightly. He remained completely silent.
"Oh, really? What happened? Did you meet someone? A girl?" Huis pressed, noticing his reaction.
"Shut up," Verju grumbled.
Huis just kept grinning, jogging after Verju to continue pestering him, exactly like he always did with Kida.