Feast

Havent, feeling a bit too full after waking up, had no appetite for the food before him.

He leaned against a pillar in the hall, holding a glass of Blackthorn Wine and watching the crowd at the banquet.

Since it was ostensibly a welcome banquet for the Dawn Guard arriving from afar to offer support, many nobles and knights had brought their female companions.

After a few drinks, some of the young men and women couldn't stand the quiet and started dancing in the open space in the center of the hall.

"Young Master Havent, thank you for earlier. Otherwise, I might have said something I shouldn't have."

Havent raised his wine glass to meet Baron Raven's as the latter approached, holding his own glass.

"It's nothing, you're too kind. My father always said, we Northerners are the most united; helping each other is only natural. What are your plans? The war is over, and the Church of Death has fled. Haven't you returned to your territory to take a look?"

Baron Raven, clad in armor, gave a wry smile and shook his head. He tilted his head back and finished the wine in his glass, speaking to Havent in a low tone.

"No, my barony is currently in ruins. Most of my people didn't escape."

He then chuckled self-deprecatingly and patted his armor.

"Now, besides this armor and the sword at my waist, I only have a few attendants left. I've already sent them away, and the territory has been entrusted to the Count. Tomorrow at dawn, I'll be heading to the Armor Defense Line."

After listening to Baron Raven's account, Havent sympathetically raised his glass in a toast and took a large gulp. Facing the fallen nobleman, Havent didn't offer any words of comfort, merely patting Raven's shoulder.

"I hope next time I see you, I can call you Viscount Raven."

"Thank you. I appreciate the good wishes."

Watching Baron Raven's retreating figure, Havent couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion, realizing he himself had almost become a wandering noble.

Sigh~ Wait, that's not right. I'm not that bad off. I can go to the Imperial Capital to find my mother.

Hiss~ Speaking of finding my mother, that really needs to be put on the agenda. The old man seems to have a lot of troublesome matters waiting for him. He probably won't be free for at least half a year, so I, his good son, will have to handle it.

But that old man is really something. As a Count, with such a vast territory like Hailan Territory, he's so poor it's astounding. If he had any money, he could hire more mages, buy more magical equipment, and just bombard them from the city walls. As for almost being wiped out by a mere ghoul army, it's embarrassing to even talk about.

"Young Master Havent, would you like to dance?"

Just as Havent was leaning against the pillar lost in thought, he heard a clear voice greet him. Turning his head, he saw a young girl in a light green banquet dress speaking to him. Her dark brown hair was styled into a fluffy braid down her back, and a few small freckles dotted her cheeks. She looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Hmm~ It's nice to meet you, but I don't dance. Please find someone else."

Hearing that Havent had refused her invitation without even asking her name, the young girl looked a little sad and turned away, leaving dejectedly.

"Hehehehehe~ Young Master Havent~ That was a nice little girl. You just rejected her like that."

Hearing the voice from behind him, he turned to look and saw Aurelion, dressed in a white robe, looking at him with a wine glass in hand.

"Greetings, Lord Aurelion."

Hmm~ Although he had just heard his father and Count Mori condemning and cursing the Eternal Fire, the polite Young Master Havent still bowed respectfully to Aurelion.

"Hahahaha, no need for 'Lord'. Just call me Aurelion."

With that, he casually clinked glasses with Havent.

"Can clergy members drink alcohol?"

"Hmm?"

Aurelion clearly hadn't expected the heir of Hailan to focus on such a peculiar point.

"Ah~ Yes, we can. The doctrines of the Eternal Fire aren't that strict. Some of our monks can even get married and have children."

"Ah! It's that liberal? I thought it would be like monks, unable to eat meat, drink alcohol, or find women."

Although he didn't quite understand some of the words in Havent's sentence, he still said with a smile, "I'm not too familiar with the monks you're referring to, but there is indeed a type of ascetic monk in the church who fits the situation you just described. Young Master Havent is truly a learned person."

Looking at the other person's sunny smile, Havent felt a strange discomfort, a feeling like being lectured by a teacher sitting next to him.

"No, no, Lord Aurelion, you flatter me. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be with my father and the others right now? After all, this is your welcome banquet."

Aurelion finished the wine in his hand and leaned against another pillar, just like Havent had done earlier.

"Count Hailan and Count Mori said they had important matters to discuss and would be back in a while. I saw you from the high platform and felt we'd hit it off, so I came over to chat. You don't mind, do you~"

Listening to Aurelion's words, Havent couldn't help but give him a mental middle finger. With how he'd put it, there was no way Havent could say he minded.

"Mmm... Hahaha... Of course, I don't mind. It's a great honor to chat with Lord Aurelion."

After Havent finished speaking, he felt it sounded a bit disingenuous, but he didn't know what else to say, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.

Finally, it was Aurelion who broke the somewhat cold silence.

"Havent, you're a mage, aren't you? Why haven't you enrolled in the Royal Academy of Magic?"

"Mmm, I'm a low-level mage. I plan to go in a while."

"Well, with your intelligence, I'm sure you'll have a very smooth journey on the path of magic. Oh, right, the main cathedral of the Eternal Fire is in the Imperial Capital. You can visit it. Amanata blesses everyone who visits."

"Alright, if I go to the Imperial Capital in the future and have time, I'll definitely pay a visit."

As the two chatted idly, Count Hailan and Count Mori returned to the banquet with grim expressions.

Seeing them return, Havent let out a long sigh and quickly said, "Lord Aurelion, my father and the others are back. Let's go over. I'm so sorry for making you wait so long."

Without waiting for Aurelion's reply, Havent made a gesture of invitation and walked towards the high platform.

Watching Havent's retreating back, Aurelion's smile grew even gentler as he followed Havent back to the high platform.

The two, who were still digesting the news from the soldiers while seated, looked up and saw Havent, whose eyes were rolling to the heavens, and Aurelion, a few steps behind with a smile all over his face.

"Ah~ My apologies for keeping you waiting, Lord Aurelion."

"It's quite alright, Count Mori. I had a very pleasant chat with Havent just now. It's been a long time since I've met such an interesting young man."

With that, he nodded friendlily towards Havent.

"Seeing that your expressions are grim, have you encountered any problems? The Dawn Guard is willing to offer its full assistance~"