Ch#51
The Banquet (5)
He had expected a day like this would eventually come.
After all, was it not last autumn when he sent a letter to him through Polo, the Imperial supply officer who had visited Wibin?
Of course, even Elric hadn’t anticipated that he would show up in quite this manner.
“So this is the royal banquet of Ferdin. I rarely get invited to banquets in other nations, so this feels quite fresh. Well… I wish you all a peaceful year ahead.”
He quickly looked away from Elric, addressed the crowd, and walked toward the center of the ballroom.
In an instant, a crowd swarmed around him.
“Elbus Graham… A celebrity has arrived,” Tiria said softly.
Her tone was that of someone informing Elric of a fact he might not know.
“He is known as the ‘Talent of the Empire.’ He was a major figure in the war before he even reached adulthood, only retiring due to an injury. His achievements still linger everywhere like legends, so there are few even here in the East who do not know his name.”
Elric let out a small chuckle at her quiet explanation.
“I know of him as well. While traveling the continent…”
Oops, he should refrain from unnecessary remarks.
As he swallowed his words, Tiria let out a soft “Ah” and seemed to accept it easily.
“…Yes, he is famous in many ways. My apologies. I was being presumptuous.”
“Not at all. Please continue to explain things like this in the future. There is much I do not know about noble society.”
His hand moved instinctively to cover the back of hers.
Tiria nodded slightly, while Elbus was skillfully navigating through the commotion.
Elric fell into thought.
‘So Wolyeong’s original target was Elbus…’
There was something to consider.
Wolyeong was a group that had already suffered a bitter defeat at his hands while trying to assassinate Elbus once before.
What was their motive for targeting Elbus again now?
It had to be one of two things.
‘Either it’s worth the risk despite the danger.’
Or, his appearance was an unforeseen accident.
Neither possibility was pleasant.
Elric felt a sense of unease.
‘Why did you come all the way here?’
His gaze went straight to Elbus.
The scenario Elric had imagined was him traveling to the East for leisure and visiting Wibin in secret.
He judged that Elbus, knowing his temperament, wouldn’t have intended to cause trouble in such a public setting.
Yet, this was an unexpected entrance.
He couldn’t dismiss it as mere whim.
Just as Elbus knew Elric, Elric knew him.
Behind those noble words and actions, he always acted with a multitude of calculations.
Today’s appearance was surely part of those calculations.
For a moment, his eyes met Elbus’s.
Elbus gave a thin smile and mouthed something.
‘Let’s talk in a bit.’
That was what he said.
Elric signaled his agreement with a look.
Thus, the banquet began in earnest.
Fanfare!
“His Majesty the King is entering!”
The King made his entrance.
“I am truly pleased to see your faces at the start of the year. Moreover, this year is especially significant as we have invited such an important guest.”
A middle-aged man began his speech in a dignified voice.
“…Thus, I shall end by wishing that this year be filled with peace for Ferdin. Please, enjoy yourselves.”
As he waved his hand, the orchestra’s melody changed.
It was the start of the ball.
“Head of the family, it’s about time we…”
“No.”
“…Pardon?”
Elric looked at Tiria and said, “It is a ball, so why don’t we enjoy ourselves for a bit before leaving? Though I cannot dance with you because of my knees.”
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
Was it discomfort? But it couldn’t be helped.
Elric felt a small pang of apology, then composed his emotions and spoke.
“Would that be alright?”
“…Yes.”
“Good. Then, may I step away for a moment to take care of some business?”
He spoke with a hint of awkwardness, and she nodded in response.
“I’ll be back shortly,” Elric said as he stood up.
Elbus had already slipped out of the ballroom.
There was no need to exert much effort to find him.
Vrrr—
A mana pulse.
He was signaling his location using a code.
The place Elric arrived at was a garden somewhere within the royal palace.
Whether the location had been scouted in advance or not, the area was draped in a heavy silence, a stark contrast to the noise of the banquet hall.
A garden where flowers bloomed in profusion even in the middle of winter was a miracle permitted by magic.
Elbus Graham was staring at the flower bed with a faint smile.
“It’s been a long time,” he said, turning his head.
Elric couldn’t help but let a laugh slip out.
His words came out somewhat playful.
“You really always seem to exceed my expectations.”
“Can I take that as a compliment?”
“My friend, how could that be a compliment? And why did you look at me like that the moment you walked in? I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“My apologies.”
Elbus chuckled and added another remark.
“Man, I never dreamed. I never thought you’d be a married man.”
Elric’s lips pressed into a tight line.
For some reason, he felt his face heating up.
“That’s…”
“I thought it was strange. Even with so many women throwing themselves at you, you never spared them a glance. No interest in women? It was all a lie.”
“The thing is…”
“You were a devoted husband. Even while wandering the battlefields, you couldn’t forget your wife…”
“…It’s not like that, so could you please stop?”
Elric felt his face burning.
Back then, he truly had no time to look at women, and to call himself a devoted husband felt like a lie even to him, considering how much he had wronged Tiria.
It was a matter tangled with many complex causes, but Elbus merely shrugged as if he took it all as an excuse.
“Your wife is truly beautiful.”
“Your wife would be disappointed to hear that.”
“It’s fine. Ilia is generous about these things.”
I’m sure she is.
Elric recalled the face of a woman who was nothing if not fierce.
‘Birds of a feather, I suppose.’
The woman who had spoken so boldly from their very first meeting when he introduced them.
Seeing as he hadn’t brought her along, it must be his own way of being considerate by keeping Elric’s identity a secret from her as well.
But was that where the consideration ended?
“Your eyes were practically dripping with honey. I was dying of curiosity wondering what you two were talking about while holding hands.”
“I told you to stop.”
“It was like watching a man and woman in their first love. Did you two kiss?”
Elric’s fist clenched tight.
Only then did Elbus shut his mouth.
The annoying man.
His skill at slipping away was top-notch.
Elric let out a sigh and spoke.
“…We didn’t meet separately just to talk about that, did we?”
Elric was urgent to get to the main point.
According to his deductions, the matter involving him and Wolyeong was no ordinary affair.
“I assume you have a rough idea. You aren’t one to move rashly.”
“Ah, assassins? Of course there would be. It’s not like I don’t have many enemies.”
“This isn’t something to laugh off. The people targeting you…”
“To be precise, they weren’t targeting me.”
“…What do you mean?”
Elric’s brow furrowed.
Elbus spoke with a casual smile.
“The assassination was likely intended for the Imperial envoy, not me. This seat wasn’t originally mine; I only took over the position last week.”
“…Ah.”
So that was it.
Only then did Elric understand why Wolyeong had taken on this assassination mission.
The three assassins who had knelt and begged for their lives flashed through Elric’s mind.
‘They certainly lead miserable lives.’
To think the replacement target was Elbus—judging by their cowardly nature, it must have been quite a harrowing experience for them.
A dry laugh was beginning to leak out.
“What you’re thinking is correct.”
Elbus reached out and plucked a single flower.
It was a red flower.
“I trust you’ve been hearing news from the Western Battlefield. The situation there has changed quite a bit, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“A full-scale conflict is about to begin. and isn’t that how war is?”
Elric could guess the words that would follow.
It was a phrase he used to say habitually.
“Despair for some.”
“And opportunity for others. You remember.”
“I heard it so often, after all.”
“Did you?”
Elbus chuckled.
Soon his expression hardened, and his smile began to carry a hint of bitterness.
“For instance, there are those who wish to seize that opportunity.”
It wasn’t a difficult concept.
An Imperial noble who came to the East.
An assassin force targeting that noble.
He considered the hypothetical.
If he hadn’t been here, and if the original envoy meant to come instead of Elbus had arrived.
If Wolyeong had assassinated him.
“An Imperial noble assassinated on Eastern soil.”
That would mean,
“A perfect casus belli.”
It meant another sea of blood would be created.
“There is a faction that wants the war to expand to the East. Within the Empire, and perhaps in league with those outside.”
Elric’s heart went cold at Elbus’s words.
Just how far did they intend to drag out that sickening war?
“Listen, Kasha… no, Elric. I’ll ask you straight.”
Elbus’s gaze turned toward Elric.
“Do you have any intention of returning to the battlefield? We need you.”
A serious face.
He was looking for an unadorned answer.
There was one funny thing.
In that moment, what was painted in Elric’s mind was not the horrors of the battlefield, nor the memories of terrible moments, but the scenery of a certain wheat field.
The face of a certain woman.
“I…”
It was the moment he opened his lips amidst hesitation.
“Did you two know each other?”
A third party intruded.
Elric and Elbus simultaneously turned their gazes toward the direction of the voice.
A large, blonde, middle-aged man was approaching.
A man he had never actually met face-to-face.
However, Elric knew his identity all too well.
“…Count Nimrud.”
The heavyweight of the Ferdin Kingdom who had commissioned the assassination.
He was a clear enemy.
“What a remarkable coincidence.”
He gave a crooked smile.
My Wife Waited in the Wheat Field (Serialization)
