Chapter 335

Chapter 335: The Interweaving of Red and Black

Two days have passed since Edlen extended his invitation, and today is the weekend, which is also the day of the gathering.

A large hall in the center of the fortress was reserved for this banquet.

As dusk fell, lights were lit early in the hall. Elegant glass chandeliers, golden dome murals, neatly arranged chairs, and long tables covered with exquisite tablecloths all exuded an aura of luxury and splendor.

At the entrance of the hall stood six members wearing rose badges. They wore deep red uniforms with black-red sword sheaths at their waists. They looked quite handsome, serving as the face of the club.

Under their reception and guidance, invitees from other clubs began to enter with their invitations and sat down quietly, waiting.

At the head of the long table in the hall, there was a golden-red chair, reserved for Edlen. At this moment, he was still in the adjacent rest room, not having entered yet. Besides him, Ronald and another subordinate were present.

Creak, a slight sound of the door opening. A member in a red uniform walked in, stepping on the red carpet laid indoors, bent down, and whispered something to Ronald. Ronald nodded, and then the member quietly left.

“How is the situation now?” Edlen leaned against the sofa, supporting his head with his right hand, while holding a glass of red wine in his left hand.

“The number of people who have arrived so far is less than expected.”

“How interesting, this is truly intriguing. It seems I underestimated this opponent.”

“Who could have silently influenced so many people in the academy, gradually seizing our positions.”

Edlen looked at the red liquid swaying in his cup, slowly sipping it.

“How did she manage to do that?”

“She has such great power, making these people fall for her in such a short time. Even Miss Lolan has not reached such a level of losing one’s mind.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I cannot answer that either.”

—-

In the hall, some seats around the central long table were already occupied, while the remaining ones, though unoccupied, had nameplates of the club in front of them.

“I’m sorry, Bumansa, you’ll have to accompany me tonight,” said a chestnut-haired girl to the person beside her. They stood by the long table, but only the club president could sit there, while the rest of the accompanying members sat at small round tables near the hall.

“It’s fine, actually, I am curious about the food at the banquet.”

Bumansa shook her head nonchalantly. Her origins were merely ordinary, naturally curious about what top-tier nobility banquets were like. Therefore, she came along with the ‘Flower Bud’ club president tonight.

“Hehe,” the club president chuckled.

“It might disappoint you; actually, banquets among nobles are not very interesting, sometimes even leaving one unsatisfied.”

She whispered, not sitting immediately but first bringing Bumansa to a small table nearby to find a seat.

“Speaking of which, I should thank you recently. Because of your joining, our club’s reputation has increased significantly, and now we have more members.”

“Would you consider becoming a core member of the club? After I graduate, you will inherit the club.”

The club president tried to invite her further.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I was a core member of another club in my first year. School regulations state that one can only be a core member of one club, so it’s not possible.”

The club president didn’t get angry upon hearing this, only feeling a bit regretful: “What a pity, it would have been nice to meet you earlier.”

After a while, she asked, “Which club is it? I don’t think I’ve heard of it before.”

“It’s called ‘Black Water Lily,’ because there are only four members, not many people know about it.”

“Seems I haven’t heard of it. Is it a newly established club?”

“Yes, it was established in my first year with a few friends, but the president isn’t me, it’s Lolan,” Bumansa nodded. This wasn’t much of a secret; it was registered in the school directory, but usually, no one bothered to check.

“Lolan, is she the girl who won the ‘Rainbow Bottle’ competition?”

“Mm-hm, our dorm rooms were next to each other in our first year.”

“Wow, what a coincidence.”

The club president was somewhat surprised.

“I didn’t know Miss Lolan was also a club president before.”

“With so few members, they weren’t invited this time,” Bumansa smiled.

“Hehe, I bet Edlen doesn’t know. If he knew, he would definitely have someone invite Miss Lolan,” the club president naturally referred to Edlen by name, indicating they were old acquaintances.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. I see he’s here, I need to take my seat. We can chat after the banquet ends.” With that, the club president stood up, walked to the long table, and sat down. At this point, many seats around the long table were still empty.

Edlen entered the hall, noticing the numerous vacant seats, his brows slightly furrowed, then quickly returned to normal as if he didn’t care. He calmly walked to his designated seat and sat down.

Ronald stood beside him, whispering a report.

“Out of the 42 invited clubs, only 16 have shown up. Clubs with a high number of Demon Sequence members didn’t come, only a few clubs mainly composed of Natural Sequence members attended.”

Edlen nodded slightly, Ronald stepped aside, and then he raised his hand, signaling the hall to quiet down. Everyone started to focus their attention on Prince Edlen. Their gazes contained admiration, curiosity, doubt, and indifference.

They surely knew many people were invited, but only a few showed up. Naturally, they were curious how Prince Edlen would handle this situation. Would he explode in anger, rage helplessly, or use effective means to make other clubs submit? After all, students needed to graduate, and most of them would continue living in the Empire, thus not daring to offend Prince Edlen too much.

Some people, like the ‘Flower Bud’ club president, were indifferent to the outcome of the banquet. Her family was an old aristocratic lineage, and she had known royalty like Edlen since childhood. She came to school just to experience campus life.

“I am deeply gratified by everyone’s presence, but I must admit that the situation at the academy has changed suddenly,” Edlen spoke calmly, his steady voice echoing throughout the hall.

“I believe everyone has heard of the ‘Black Veil’ club. The purpose of this invitation is to discuss this club, which recruits members through unknown and undisclosed methods on campus.” Although it was called a discussion, in reality, only Edlen spoke, while others did not dare or want to interrupt.

Bang—

Just as Edlen was about to announce sanctions, the doors of the hall suddenly opened, and several red-uniformed members guarding the entrance were pushed inside. Following them, members in black robes flooded into the spacious hall.

Seeing this, the Crimson Rose members originally standing at the corners of the hall gathered together, drawing their crimson long swords, forming a human wall blocking the banquet’s long table.

These members in black robes remained silent, saying nothing, their faces hidden under hoods. Upon entering the hall, they did not move forward but instead gathered on one side, creating a dark mass.

Once they settled, the hall clearly divided into two different colors. One side was the Crimson Rose club members in red uniforms under the golden light, while the other side was the ‘Black Veil’ members, shrouded in dim lighting. They were more numerous and exerted greater pressure.

Watching this sudden and bizarre scene, other club members slowly moved away, retreating to the edges of the hall. As various speculations and questions arose in their minds, the crowd in black parted like waves, and a purple-haired girl with lace veil, dressed in a magnificent black gown, gracefully entered.

“Sorry for keeping everyone waiting.”

(End of Chapter)