novelzi Chapter 65
Chapter 65
T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by Kaden K. (10/14) See my Ko-fi if you want more bonus chapters.
About five minutes after responding to Ethan’s request and slowly matching steps in the center of the stage...
By the time we finished the first song, holding hands with my partner and following the choreography, the impression in my mind was simpler than I thought.
‘Surprisingly, following along wasn’t as hard as I thought.’
Of course, I was aware that Ethan was moving slowly in consideration of me being a beginner at ball dancing. I wasn’t dull enough not to notice that while moving together in sync.
However, it was also true that the process of following the choreography wasn’t very difficult.
First, the song itself wasn’t very fast, so there was no need to move the dance in a hurry.
Other than that, it was probably because I had unknowingly become familiar with the choreography while searching for Agnes and other characters from the game.
‘Originally, evening ballroom scenes appeared frequently in the game too. Maybe I got used to it then.’
With a playtime of 2,000 hours, even if I extracted just the ball-related events separately, wouldn’t it amount to about one to two hours worth of content?
Thinking that I might have subconsciously become accustomed to it, I calmly matched steps with Ethan to the slow dance.
“You dance well, Lili. Did you learn it somewhere?”
“Who knows? Maybe I got used to it from watching. Or, it could be because Ed is leading me well.”
“...I’m grateful you said that.”
“Did it help you change your mood? If not, are you going to dance to another song, Ed?”
“...Will you accompany me more?”
“If it’s just a song or two.”
“Then I’ll ask that of you, Lili.”
“Alright, Ed.”
After exchanging some words at the end of the first song, we started moving our bodies again to the second song.
When the orchestra’s performance reached the middle, suddenly, dozens of soldiers rushed in through the entrance of the hall.
BANG!
“Esteemed guests! Please give me your attention for a moment!”
“...?”
The nobles chatting at the edges of the ballroom, the people dancing in pairs in the center like Ethan and me, and even the orchestra gathered on one wall of the evening Rose Hall playing classical pieces...
At the words of the knight, who seemed to be the captain among the soldiers who entered through the door, everyone stopped their actions and focused their gazes on him. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
Soon, the words that came out of his mouth were enough to surprise everyone in the hall.
“Just recently, an abnormal monster proliferation phenomenon has been confirmed at Lake Verdan, located north of the royal palace! There is a possibility of a monster wave, so esteemed guests, please gather in the main hall of the palace to receive protection from the palace guards!”
“M-Monster wave?!”
“...L-Lake Verdan isn’t far from here!”
“N-No...”
The guests of the masquerade ball showed various startled reactions to the sudden declaration by the security forces.
Well, looking at the faces of the people gathered here, it was only natural for them to show such reactions.
As it was the birthday banquet of the Third Princess, most of the attendees at this party were guests around Seraphine’s age.@@@@
The majority of the people gathered here likely hadn’t even entered the academy, let alone graduated from it.
Even if they had enrolled, they would be, at most, 1st or 2nd-year students.
Especially for noble mages who grew up in a greenhouse *1, it wasn’t uncommon for them to encounter monsters for the first time only after entering the academy, so as soon as they heard the words “monster wave,” they couldn’t help but fall into a panic.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 50% of the female players of “Luminor Academy” played because of Orion. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
As I was watching him with such trivial thoughts, Orion gave us a sly, suspicious smile.
...And he immediately began a public ‘recruitment’ targeting the guests gathered in the ballroom.
“Is there anyone among you who has experience defeating monsters or is confident in their skills? I’d like to gather people to go with me to stop the monster wave.”
“...”
“If you have hunting experience or confidence in your abilities, you don’t necessarily have to be an academy student. Of course, I can’t provide any rewards myself, but the imperial family might express a small token of gratitude to those who fight diligently.”
“...T-The imperial family...”
“B-But a monster wave is a bit...”
“Hmm, is there really no one?”
Despite Orion’s rather lofty recruitment of noble volunteers, the guests were hesitant to step forward.
Most academy students would have experience defeating monsters, and even those who hadn’t enrolled yet, about half of them would have experience.
Nevertheless, the reason they didn’t readily volunteer was likely due to the atmosphere of fearing monsters themselves or worrying about unfamiliarity. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
If the age range of this party was a bit older and there were a few upperclassmen from the academy mixed in, there would have been some people voluntarily going out.
However, since the gathering consisted mainly of prospective academy students and lower-grade students, everyone lacked confidence in their abilities.
‘I want to go out the most if it were up to me, but...’
The problem was that the moment I did that, my identity behind the mask would be exposed, and the fact that I was a commoner maid, not a noblewoman from somewhere, would also likely be revealed.
I had just calmly received greetings from other nobles while pretending to be a noblewoman, so if it was revealed now that I was a commoner, it probably wouldn’t end well.
Moreover, I currently didn’t have a dagger to use as a weapon, and considering the gazes of others, I couldn’t freely use magic in my position.
As I was watching Orion while expressing deep regret in my heart...
“...Ahem.”
Suddenly, I heard the voice of someone beside me responding to Orion’s ‘recruitment’.
“...If it’s alright, even if I’m not a student at the academy yet, I’ll participate.”
“Oh, really?”
“...?”
I was also enveloped in a slightly confused emotion as the familiar black hair unexpectedly pushed me aside and leaped forward.
Focusing my gaze on the back of his head, my ‘partner’ soon began to speak to Orion.
“Ethan Richard Blackwood, eldest son of the Blackwood Duke family. My specialty is magical swordsmanship using body enhancement magic.”
“...Hmm.”
“My power may be weak, but I promise I won’t be a hindrance.”
...What?
Why are you suddenly stepping up?
T/N
The use of the word ‘greenhouse’ here is a metaphor likening sheltered nobles to plants in a greenhouse, protected from the dangers of the outside world.Ever seen the choreo of Fake Love by BTS?Speaking of narrowed eyes, read Ruminas’ TL!
Hello! Axiomatic here.
Great news!
I just received a $3 donation from JoshuaW on Ko-fi. Thank you so much for sponsoring one bonus chapter! The Google Sheets schedule has been updated with your name on it, and I’ll now be on track to publish Chapter 104 by June 28!
Also, as I was translating this chapter, something kinda clicked in my head. Lilith is currently wearing a crimson dress, and I expect Ethan to be fighting what seems to be monsters alongside Lilith in the next chapter. Doesn’t that remind you of the cover image??? We’ll both find out tomorrow.
Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!