Chapter 75: The calm before the Storm

"Invitation, please."

We reached the front of the line. The staff member, dressed in a bright, festive uniform with gold braiding, smiled politely.

Ariana nodded and pulled a heavy, gold-embossed envelope from her purse. It bore the crest of the Solmere Duchy—a rising sun over a shield.

The staff member’s eyes widened. He bowed deeply immediately.

"Welcome, Lady Solmere! Welcome, Young Master! Please, right this way!"

He didn’t even ask for my ID. The crest was a free pass.

"And... weapons?" the staff member asked hesitantly, glancing at Lena and Alicia. "For the safety of the guests, no weapons are permitted inside."

"We have none," I said, spreading my arms wide.

Lena had concealed her daggers with expert stealth skills that baffled even magical sensors. Alicia was a mage, so she didn’t need physical weapons; her existence was the weapon.

And me?

My weapons—the Benelli M4, the revolver, the boxes of high-explosive ammo—were all safely tucked away.

In my Inventory.

Yes, Inventory.

It was getting too bothersome to carry storage bags everywhere. It ruined the silhouette of my suit, and frankly, it was kind of lame that I had a System and didn’t have something as basic as a subspace inventory.

But this blood-sucking System didn’t give it for free.

[Skill: Spatial Inventory]

[Cost: 2,500 Points]

Listed right there in the shop.

So, without any hesitation, I bought it last night.

Though it was physically painful to watch my points—which I had painstakingly hoarded for emergencies—drop by nearly half, the skill was too practical to miss. The ability to pull a shotgun out of thin air? Priceless.

The magic detectors at the gate scanned us—humming softly—and found nothing physical.

"Clear. Enjoy your day at CrystalVale!"

We walked through the archway.

The moment we stepped inside, the noise of the outside world vanished, replaced by lively orchestral music and the sweet scent of cotton candy. It looked like paradise.

I adjusted my collar, feeling the cold weight of the invisible arsenal in my subspace.

’We’re in.’

Since it would be a while till the attack happened—Infernus usually waited for the main speech at the central plaza—I decided to do something I hadn’t done in two lifetimes.

Enjoy a date.

I stopped and turned to Alicia.

"Alicia."

"Yes, Boss?"

I pulled a small, heavy pouch of coins from my pocket and dropped it into her hand.

"Take a break."

Alicia blinked, weighing the pouch. "Boss?"

"Go buy something. Eat something. Ride the roller coaster. Just... don’t follow us for a few hours."

Alicia looked at the money, then at Ariana, and a sly grin spread across her face.

"Understood, Boss. I will make myself scarce."

Ariana, catching on, turned to Lena.

"Lena, you too," she said softly, handing her a similar pouch. "You’ve been working hard. Please enjoy the festival."

Lena hesitated, her bodyguard instincts warring with her orders. But seeing the pleading look in Ariana’s eyes, she sighed and bowed.

"As you wish, Young Miss. But I will remain within signaling distance."

"Go," I shooed them away.

The two maids exchanged a look—a mix of solidarity and amusement—and walked off toward the food stalls, leaving us alone in the crowd.

I turned to Ariana. She was looking up at me, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, her hands clasped in front of her dress.

"So," I offered my arm again. "Where to first?"

"T-The Sky-View Wheel?" she suggested shyly.

"Lead the way."

****

For the next two hours, we weren’t a villain and a neglected noble daughter. We were just... normal.

We walked through the avenues of CrystalVale, surrounded by floating mana-lights and laughter.

We stopped at a stall selling "Cloud Candy"—sugar spun by wind magic into shapes that floated in the air. I bought a large one shaped like a dragon.

"Open," I said, tearing off a piece of the fluffy blue sugar.

Ariana blinked, her face reddening, but she leaned in and took the bite from my fingers. Her lips brushed my skin—soft and warm—sending a jolt straight to my chest.

"It’s sweet," she murmured, licking a bit of sugar from her lip.

"Yeah," I said, my voice a little hoarse. "Very sweet."

We rode the ’Mana-Coaster,’ a high-speed train that looped through artificial mountains.

When the ride dropped, Ariana screamed and clutched my arm, burying her face in my shoulder. I instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. She didn’t pull away, even after the ride slowed down. She just stayed there, pressing her warmth against my side, her heart beating fast against my arm.

And then, the Haunted Mansion.

It was cheesy—illusions of ghosts and skeletons popping out. But in the darkness of the corridor, our hands brushed.

I took her hand.

She squeezed back.

We walked the rest of the way with fingers interlaced, the darkness of the Haunted Mansion’s exit tunnel hiding the flush on both our faces.

The sunlight hit us as we emerged, but I didn’t let go. And neither did she.

"Ariana," I said, keeping my voice casual despite the sudden spike in my heart rate. "There’s actually someone I want you to meet."

Ariana looked up, blinking her large violet eyes.

"Meet? Who?"

I didn’t hide it. "My mother."

"Your... mother?"

She froze.

Her brain seemed to stutter, the gears grinding to a halt.

’Mother...?’

’As in... Countess Ashborne?’

’As in... meeting the parents?!’

Heat exploded in her cheeks. Her mind went into overdrive.

Is this it? Is this happening? We haven’t even officially started dating—we just held hands! Is it going too fast? What if she hates me? What if I’m not noble enough? What if—

"She arrived in the capital a day ago," I continued, oblivious to the internal meltdown happening beside me. "And she insisted that I introduce you to her. She’s waiting in the VIP area right now."

Ariana wasn’t even hearing me anymore. Her eyes were spinning.

Seeing her silence, I frowned slightly.

"If you don’t want to meet her, it’s okay," I said, my voice softening. "It’s not like it’s mandatory. I can just tell her you were busy—"

"N-No!"

Ariana jolted back to reality, waving her free hand frantically.

"It’s not like that! I... I just spaced out for a moment! Sorry!"

"Oh. Ok." I studied her face. "So, are you okay with it?"

"Of course!" she squeaked, straightening her posture as if presenting herself for inspection. "Why would I not be? It would be an honor!"

"Ok then. Let’s go."

I tugged gently on her hand.

"She said she’d be at the VIP viewing deck."

I walked ahead, leading the way through the crowded thoroughfare. Ariana trailed half a step behind, her hand damp with nervousness, muttering things like

"posture, Ariana, posture"

and

"don’t stutter."

While we navigated the sea of tourists and nobles, the atmosphere of the park shifted ever so slightly.

Most wouldn’t notice it. To the average guest, it was just the bustle of a festival.

But to me—with [Detection Lv. 7]—it was glaring.

A man in a maintenance uniform lingered too long near a structural pillar of the ferris wheel. He tapped a rhythmic signal on his thigh.

Two ’tourists’ near the food court exchanged a glance that was too sharp, too alert, before splitting up into different paths leading toward the noble section.

’They’re moving.’

I tightened my grip on Ariana’s hand.

’Infernus is positioning.’

The clock was ticking.

We neared the entrance to the VIP zone—a cordoned-off area with plush seating, guarded by CrystalVale security.

Just as we were about to turn the corner—

THUD.

Someone rounded the bend too fast, distracted by a skewer of grilled meat, and slammed right into my shoulder.

"Hey! Watch where you’re—"

I turned, ready to scold the idiot.

The boy stumbled back, catching his balance.

"S-Sorry, I wasn’t—"

He looked up. I looked down.

We both froze.

It was Bordon Eisenwald.

The shield of the protagonist party. He was holding three skewers of yakitori in one hand and a half-eaten crepe in the other.

His eyes widened as he recognized me.

"Cadet... Lucien?"

He blinked, then his expression shifted from apology to wary surprise.

"It’s you? What are you doing here?"

I raised an eyebrow, dusting off my sleeve.

"The same thing you are doing, clearly."

"Oh."

Bordon looked at the food in his hands, then at me, then at the VIP entrance. He seemed to realize that was a stupid question.

"So... uh..." he stammered, awkwardly shifting his weight. "How do... you like it?"

"Don’t bother with the small talk," I cut him off.

I scanned the area behind him.

"You are alone?"

"Of course not," Bordon replied, regaining some of his usual cheer. He pointed toward the massive artificial lake. "Princess Celestia and Elisha are enjoying the ferry ride. Mariella and Kael are on the Mana-Coaster—Mariella wanted to scream, apparently. And I..."

He lifted the skewers.

"...was just checking out the food stalls. Important reconnaissance, you know."

"Hm? So the whole battalion is here," I said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha~ And you are not alone either."

Bordon’s gaze shifted to the girl standing partially behind me. His eyes widened slightly.

"I hope you are having fun, Cadet Ariana."

Ariana flinched, peeking out from behind my shoulder.

"Ah... yes. Hello, Cadet Bordon."

Bordon looked between us—at our joined hands—and a knowing, slightly mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Well, well. I see how it is. I won’t keep you two."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Ok. We will be on our way now. You enjoy your meat."

"I will!"

I stepped around him, pulling Ariana along.