Chapter 22
“They’re holding a celebration banquet this time?”
“Yes. His Majesty seems to be delighted as if he had cleared it himself. He even mentioned wanting to tell <Fallen Power Warrior> at the celebration that he’d like to join the Zatum Expedition too.”
“Hmm. Honestly, joining at that level is basically just leeching, isn’t it?”
This place is the first floor of the Illusion Magic Tower. You could call it the lobby, I suppose.
It’s called a lobby, but it feels more like an unkempt living room.
Up until recently, there were no visitors, so that’s to be expected.
I think it’s about time we clean up and elevate our tower’s status.
“He must’ve really wanted Zatum’s Helmet.”
“Hmm. Galliard wouldn’t normally be too keen on such things, though.”
But recently, there have been a few visitors.
The head of the Blue Head Merchant Guild or Galliard would visit occasionally, and recently, Rikal has been coming the most frequently.
“That warrior grandpa is like that. I heard he’s been stubborn since the old days.”
“Well… That’s probably why he pushed through with the absurd idea of an offline strategy meeting.”
Even in my previous life, people paid a hefty price to join expeditions just to get Zatum’s Helmet.
Later on, rules for dividing raid boss drops were established, but it seems like it’ll still take some time for that to happen in this world.
There aren’t that many players who can clear Zatum yet.
Moreover, the number of players is still relatively low.
I need to get permission for mass-producing the artifacts soon.
But Hina has been busy with the Zatum raid recently, so it’s been delayed.
It’s time to start moving on to the next tasks.
Slurp—
Rikal leisurely sipped the instant coffee I made for him.
Come to think of it, why is he coming here so often these days?
“…But you’ve been visiting frequently lately? The capital and Trinity aren’t exactly close.”
“They are close. It doesn’t even take a day.”
“It takes over three hours.”
“That’s what I consider close.”
“Is there some issue at the Imperial City?”
Slurp—
Rikal silently sipped his coffee again.
“I think it would be best to reveal JeBbit’s identity at the celebration banquet…”
“Pfft— Hey, hey! Don’t talk nonsense!”
“So just tell me quickly. I’m busy too, so why do you keep coming to bother me every day?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Go ahead, try killing me. If I die, a notice will pop up in ‘Maple Leaf Story’ revealing that JeBbit is the 3rd Prince.”
“Bullshit…”
Rikal glared at me, clearly annoyed.
Even though he says that, Rikal won’t actually kill me.
Despite his temper, he takes ‘Maple Leaf Story’ very seriously.
I’m starting to get used to that filthy attitude of his. Though I still don’t like it.
“Phew… My brother keeps pestering me about JeBbit’s identity whenever we meet, and it’s annoying.”
“Your brother… the Crown Prince? Why would the Crown Prince ask you about JeBbit’s identity? Did he suspect something?”
“I don’t think so. He seems to believe that I know JeBbit from that time at the Illusion Magic Tower.”
He must be referring to when the Crown Prince came to deliver the invitation.
From the Crown Prince’s perspective, it looked like Rikal was at the Illusion Magic Tower when JeBbit was there too.
So he probably thinks there’s some connection between Rikal and JeBbit.
It’s less of a connection and more that Rikal is JeBbit, though.
“Is it really… an understandable misunderstanding? Still, I doubt he’d ask you directly.”
“It’s probably because he can’t ask the Illusion Magic Tower for information, so he’s asking me instead. No one knows JeBbit’s identity.”
The matter of JeBbit’s identity had been wrapped up with an explanation that it wouldn’t be fully disclosed due to health reasons.
So no one knows JeBbit’s family.
And despite the many requests directed towards JeBbit, there hasn’t been a single response.
Of course, there are still fanatics, but by now, people seem to have come to understand JeBbit’s situation to some extent.
Even so, the Crown Prince asking Rikal about JeBbit’s identity…
That means he must really want to meet JeBbit.
“Could it be that the Crown Prince is a fan of JeBbit too?”
Rikal’s expression soured.
It seemed like it was true.
What was the name again… I remember hearing that JeBbit has a fan club.
And among them, there are many male nobles who want to cure JeBbit’s illness or even marry her.
“Pfft! Now that I think about it, the Crown Prince is single too, isn’t he? How about becoming the Crown Princess at this opportunity?”
Hehe…
I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
Seeing that arrogant look on Rikal’s face crumble felt strangely satisfying.
“…Shut up.”
“Wow~ To think you’d charm the Crown Prince. Truly befitting of the idol of ‘Maple Leaf Story’! Aren’t male nobles lining up for you?”
Sreung—
Rikal unsheathed his sword, aiming at me as I clutched my stomach laughing.
I swiftly summoned a clone and escaped.
Rikal slashed at the clone.
“Ha… damn it!”
Rikal cursed, throwing his sword to the ground.
He seemed to be in a really bad mood.
If his own brother liked him as a woman, of course, he’d be furious.
“Hahaha… So, does that mean you won’t attend this celebration banquet?”
“…I’ll attend.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you know a player called <Phantom Thief Reset>?”
“Yes, of course.”
Naturally, I know her very well.
Even if it weren’t me, there’s probably almost no one who doesn’t know <Phantom Thief Reset> after this raid.
She was the only commoner member of the expedition team.
And her performance at the end moved even me.
“They’re saying a lot of things among the nobles because she’s from a commoner background.”
“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d care about such things, Your Highness.”
“…I’m just annoyed by those who talk nonsense without any real skill.”
Could he unexpectedly be an egalitarian?
Well, I’ve been worried about that too.
Everyone wanted to join the Zatum Expedition.
If a commoner made a significant contribution there, people are bound to be jealous.
And soon after, at the raid celebration banquet.
Just as Rikal predicted, the nobles’ gazes toward <Phantom Thief Reset> were not friendly.
***
The celebration banquet for the successful raid this time drew much more attention than before.
The number of invitation raffle tickets sold was several times higher than it was back then.
The reason for this increased interest was none other than the scheduled screening of the Zatum raid footage at this banquet.
The details of the raid were already somewhat known.
However, the opportunity to watch the video itself was still quite rare.
Although the Illusion Magic Tower had announced that they would be selling the footage, that would still take some time.
“Aah…! I can’t believe my luck…”
“When I failed to win an invitation during the strategy meeting banquet, I thought my world was ending! Who would have known this would happen!”
“It’s a miracle… A miracle! I actually won a banquet invitation.”
The chance to see a hero’s accomplishments with your own eyes.
In terms of history, it would be like witnessing the Hero Party defeating the Demon King firsthand.
Of course, it’s impossible to see the Hero Party defeating the Demon King.
It’s only passed down through stories.
Nevertheless, people are always captivated by their heroic tales.
But imagine if you could witness such a historic battle, the very first Zatum raid, in person.
No one would turn down that glory.
“What a glorious day this is—”
The emperor, who had already taken a drink, shouted from the podium.
It was a very long speech, but to summarize, it was praise for the Zatum raid.
And there was also a hint that he himself wanted to join the next Zatum expedition.
But such thoughts weren’t exclusive to the emperor.
‘If they succeeded in clearing Zatum with 24 people… that means there are 6 slots left, right? The maximum number of participants is 30, so maybe if I speak well enough, I could join too?’
‘The level requirement to challenge Zatum isn’t that high, anyway. If I could just slip into the raid, even if I had to pay extra…’
‘If I could just survive till the end, I could get my hands on the “Zatum’s Helmet” too…!’
The desire to participate in the Zatum raid.
And the greed to obtain “Zatum’s Helmet.”
The level requirement for Zatum was only 50, so most of the players harboured such thoughts.
Everyone was determined to make a good impression on the expedition members at this banquet, hoping to get a share of the spoils.
“Ooh, Galliard— No, <Fallen Power Warrior>!”
The members of the expedition began to enter one by one.
Most people tried their best to get noticed by them.
Except for one person.
‘Uh, uh… I’ll just stay quiet again today. But the food looks delicious. Hehe…’
<Phantom Thief Reset>, a commoner. Millie.
She stood alone in a corner, dressed inappropriately for the banquet, eating food by herself.
No matter how much people wanted to get into the expedition, no noble would stoop so low as to flatter a commoner.
Instead, the murmurs directed at her only increased.
Millie felt small and out of place in this grand banquet.
Still, there was no other opportunity for her to enjoy such a grand feast.
Eating these rare delicacies that she might never taste again made her feel a bit better.
Thud—
“Ah…!”
Someone brushed roughly past Millie.
Because of that, the food she was holding fell to the ground.
Millie instinctively bent down to pick up the food that had fallen.
“Ugh— She’s trying to pick up food off the ground. As expected of a commoner…”
“Exactly. Even if she’s part of the expedition… Bringing something like that into the sacred Imperial banquet hall…”
“…!”
Millie froze, crouched down.
She could clearly feel the hostility and mockery directed at her.
She was used to bowing her head in front of nobles, and her body started trembling instinctively.
“But how did she even get her hands on ‘Maple Leaf Story’? I barely managed to get one during the third release.”
“Right? And the price was much higher then. No way a commoner could afford that.”
“Exactly. It’s money a commoner could never get their hands on without stealing.”
“Then, could it be…?”
The two noblewomen feigned surprise and covered their mouths.
“No way, would they really have accepted a thief into the expedition team?”
“Of course not. If she were caught, she wouldn’t survive. If she really were a thief, would she have dared come all the way here?”
Thud—
“Argh—!”
The noblewomen pushed Millie, who was crouching, as they walked past her.
Millie rolled on the floor, now covered in dust.
And from that moment, the voices directed at her became even clearer.
“If it weren’t for that bitch, I could’ve joined the expedition team.”
“Look at her acting all proud just because she got lucky and made a name for herself. Who does she think she is…”
“How dare a commoner think she could come here? Even if she got an invitation.”
“How did a commoner even get ‘Maple Leaf Story’ back then?”
“Unless she stole it…”
Millie’s vision began to narrow.
Cold sweat ran down her body, and a ringing filled her ears.
Most of their accusations were not true.
Millie wasn’t acting proud and had only joined the expedition because Galliard had earnestly asked her.
Even at the banquet, she kept to the corner, barely raising her head, afraid of hearing such words.
And even without her, none of the other players would have been able to join the expedition.
The fact that the expedition team of 30 was filled with only 24 members for the raid was proof enough.
All those nobles were merely jealous and envious of a commoner’s success.
But there was one truth amidst all the falsehoods.
-Thief.
Her copy of ‘Maple Leaf Story’ had indeed been obtained by stealing from a noble.
If she were caught, she could be killed on the spot.
Millie wanted to run away immediately.
It felt like she was going to have a panic attack.
She hastily tried to stand up and move towards the exit.
But she could only take three steps before her legs froze in place, as if rooted to the ground.
“…?”
On the opposite side, she made eye contact with a middle-aged noblewoman.
It was the Baroness whose ring Millie had stolen.
The Baroness slowly walked in her direction.
“Hah… Hah… Hah…!”
Millie’s breathing quickened.
She wanted to run, but her legs had lost all strength.
The entire banquet hall, filled with nobles, began to look at her with curious gazes.
‘No, no… No…!’
The Baroness, who had now closed the distance, was about to speak—
Tap—
Someone placed a hand on Millie’s shoulder from behind.
“Hii, hiiik—!”
“Are you alright?”
He was the Illusion Mage who created ‘Maple Leaf Story.’
—
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