Chapter 91

“I don’t know how to dance things like social dances.”

“Sigh… you… whatever, got it.”

Lorcha grabbed my hand and pulled me. She’s small, but her grip and strength are insane. Is she really a descendant of dwarves? Come to think of it, she likes beer too. Definitely a dwarf descendant.

“I’ll lead, so just follow the steps.”

“Oh, you know how to lead?”

“This much is basic etiquette.”

“Sorry, I’m not a person with much etiquette.”

Lorcha started dancing with me. Just following the rhythm, stepping, waving my arms, and spinning a few times. Once I memorized it, I got the hang of it.

We still whispered to each other so others couldn’t hear. More like reading lips than whispering.

“Oh, you’re pretty good?”

“Once you get the hang of it, you can do anything physical.”

“Pretty confident, huh? Seems like you’ve been working out.”

“I realized magic alone makes you powerless.”

“…Idiot, really an idiot.”

Why is she suddenly cursing at me again? In games, toxic players like this should be chat-banned, but the GM, God, always treats user feedback like crap. Knowing how negligent this bastard is, I didn’t hold much resentment.

I looked at the movements around me and wrapped my arm around Lorcha’s waist.

“Hey, you crazy, why suddenly…”

“All the couples around us are doing this.”

“That’s something newlyweds do, just stick to the basic posture…”

“We’re supposed to be a couple now, idiot.”

Lorcha’s face turned red, and she fell silent. If God doesn’t give her a chat ban, I’ll do it myself.

After the song ended, Lorcha said she needed to go to the restroom and hurried off. Oh, so her red face was because she needed to pee.

I started looking for Airi, and surprisingly, found her easily. She was surrounded by numerous noblemen.

“Jinger, the eldest son of the Ale family. May I have this dance?”

“Prune, the third son of the Rakya family. May I have the honor of dancing with the lady?”

“Coretto, the second son of the Grappa family. If you’re looking for a partner…”

“Kaiper, the eldest son of the Schnapps family. For the sake of family relations…”

Wow, these family names are something else. Are you guys part of some black organization? Even your names are all related to alcohol. I called out Airi’s alias.

“Airis, what are you doing here?”

I pretended to be serious, pushed aside the alcohol brats, and stood in front of Airi. It’s a man’s duty to shoo away these flies. Except for the Ale family brat, the rest are all distilled spirits, why are they holding wine?

Airi, clearly annoyed by these flies, smiled brightly at me.

“Ah, bro… I was getting too many dance requests, it was overwhelming.”

“Your dance skills are still unpolished, so you didn’t want to embarrass yourself. But not dancing at the Crown Prince’s ball would be disloyal… Let’s dance together.”

I offered my black-gloved hand to Airi. She happily took it.

“I’m so happy to dance with you, bro.”

“Heh, still so young.”

Airi whispered to me cheerfully.

“I don’t know how to dance… do you know how, Master?”

“Don’t worry too much. I just learned.”

“Huh?”

It’s not martial arts, these dance moves are simple.

As the second song started, I led Airi in the dance. As expected, even though the music changed, the rhythm was slightly different, but the moves were the same. The same moves with different rhythms… these noble brats have no creativity. I wanted to show them Michael Jackson’s dazzling moves but held back.

Musical enlightenment is less important than shaking up noble society.

“You’re quite skilled.”

Airi seemed a bit dissatisfied with my dance skills. Why does everyone get uncomfortable when I dance? Is social dance some kind of devil’s implant to breed professional discomforters?

“Well, I learned from Lorcha.”

“Are you close with her?”

“Somewhat.”

“So your first dance was with her.”

Ah, so that’s it? She’s upset I didn’t prioritize her…

“Well, I danced with Lorcha first…”

During a move where our faces got close, I whispered to Airi.

“But the perfect dance is with you. The dance with Lorcha was a bit clumsy. So, you can consider yourself my first dance partner.”

Airi’s face turned red.

“Mas…”

“Watch your words, idiot.”

Almost ruined the act, damn it. Am I the only one immersed in this roleplay?

The second song was relatively shorter than the first. After finishing the second dance, I felt a bit hungry and had some wine and canapés the servants were carrying.

Whatever meat they used, it was fragrant and juicy, absolutely delicious. As I enjoyed the light meal, noblewomen approached me.

“Hello, Count Holstead. I’m Fiasta, the eldest daughter of the Al Dente family.”

“I’m Jusie, the second daughter of the Maillard family.”

“I’m Seloin, the only daughter of the Sous-vide family.”

“Olive, the third daughter of the Oil family…”

It’s really hard not to laugh, damn it.

Why are their names all cooking terms? Mustard, those black organization brats, and now these delicious ones… looking at the noble list feels like reading a recipe, damn it.

Since these “delicious” families were also targets, I decided to probe them.

“Haha, nice to meet you, ladies. Unfortunately, I haven’t been involved in social circles much, so I need your help.”

“For a handsome count like you, we couldn’t refuse even if we wanted to.”

The undercooked one smiled and swirled her wine.

“Thank you, miss. I’d do anything for your request too.”

“Haha, Count, you’re quite the joker…”

I slightly raised the corner of my mouth and said.

“I don’t lie in front of beauties. My late father taught me that.”

“Ah… yes… yes…”

So, I’m lying to you, undercooked brat.

Then I turned to the beef tenderloin soaked in water.

“Do you know what song this is?”

“Ah, the song being played now? Of course, I know. It’s a piece by Otto, the Empire’s greatest composer… known for its rich tones and serene feel…”

Why is she suddenly talking about tuna belly?

Hey, beef tenderloin brat, do you know what meat is in the canapé I’m eating? I was planning to buy some on the way, but you, named tenderloin, don’t even know that? Damn, you’re not tenderloin, you’re just an idiot.

I didn’t want to talk anymore with these clueless idiots.

“Ah… I have something to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself.”

What concerned me more was that some nobles who went to the restroom hadn’t returned. Unless they all got enemas, some should have come back by now.

Lorcha went to the women’s restroom, so no worries there… what are these brats plotting? Are they dueling or something? I’ll beat them up.

But the corridor leading to the restrooms and other rooms was eerily quiet. I had no choice but to close my eyes and focus my hearing.

‘Kyaa… Marquis… if you do this here…’

‘My turn! I summon… in attack position… and attack!’

‘…So… well… your mission is… make it look like an accident… the Count…’

‘So secretly… take advantage of the chaos…’

‘You idiot sandwiches! When I handle… I start from… and add salt… how many times do I have to say it, damn it…’

Found you, Gordon Ramsay… no, you rat bastards.

From the sound, it’s the second door from the inside?

Walking over, I saw a sign saying “Out of Order.” So, they were asking people to use the outermost restroom.

But even though it’s out of order, some brats were inside, talking crap.

“So, if this plan succeeds, we can eliminate that annoying Crown Prince. Plus, if we kill that irritating country Count… his family will be ruined, and I’ll take his widow and younger sibling…”

Really, listen listen I can’t listen. The more I listen, the more I can’t stand it.

I opened the out-of-order door and went in. Inside were brats in robes and that Count brat. His name and surname were some kind of sauce…

“What, the door was locked… how did you…”

“Shut up, damn it, I’m trying to remember.”

Damn, what was this brat’s name? American? Barbecue? Garlic?

“Ah, I remember, you’re Mayonnaise Soy Sauce damn brat. Who are you killing and taking?”

Looking closer, the brats in robes had the Black Round Table emblem on their wrists. Ah, if I use magic here, I’ll be exposed.

“So, we’re just speeding up the plan. Everyone, kill him!”

“Don’t give orders, and we were going to kill the witness anyway.”

Ah, this is annoying, damn it.

I jammed my cane between the door handle to lock it.

“What are you doing all of a sudden.”

“Ah, just making sure you don’t leave.”

I’m a sorcerer, but lately, I feel like I’m using more martial arts than magic.

“I’m grateful my hair and outfit are red right now.”

“What?”

“If they were white, I’d have to worry about bloodstains.”

These brats gathered in a broken restroom… they must be delinquent high school students smoking. Such punks need to be taught a lesson.

“Hey, remember this.”

“What suddenly…”

“Manners make the man. But you’re too late, so my manners will turn you into corpses.”