Chapter 23 - Ballroom of Madness (2)

  [Deilos, son of Demon Lord Dantalion, Young Lord]

  [Demon Territory, De Gracia—Grand Ballroom]

  Scylla was standing by my side as we waited outside the guest mansion for the carriage to arrive. She wore a simple black dress without much embellishment, similar to the attire I was wearing. When the large, extravagant carriage picked us up, a Lycanthrope beast-kin with black fur and white clothing stepped off the side of the coachman’s seat and opened the door for us.

  “I’m pleased to be in your care.”

  The Lycanthrope bowed slightly when he heard my words.

  “This one is honored.”

  His voice was low and crass, something you would hear from an old butler.

  The moment we were both seated inside, the Lycanthrope closed the door swiftly. The carriage slowly moved with the horse’s hooves clicking more as it sped up.

  Scylla sat in front of me. Her face was as cold as ever, but her body told something else. She would take glances at the window of the carriage, then the floor, then the ceiling, and lastly at me. While Scylla seemed to be having an internal dilemma about her being invited to the grand ballroom, only the slight bumps and the sudden urge to regurgitate the abhorred amount of healing potions I drank earlier bothered me. The dark circles at the bottom of my eyelids were the only indication of my tiredness.

  There were boringly colored vendor stands outside, as well as the customers and vendors who occasionally looked at the carriage that ran past them.

  “......”

  “......”

  Scylla and I didn’t talk throughout the carriage ride and only made the silent decision to accompany ourselves despite us being partners, us being servant and master, and us being people.

  While I’m trying to accept the idea that silence was the thing that surrounded me the most, be it during my time in that jail or at midnight when I would study this world, it was that silence that both irritated and comforted me. It is a familiar element in my life, even before my reincarnation. The silent workplace when the day was done, the eerily mundane streets as I walked home, and the empty apartment house where I lived by myself. Such instances of silence weren’t foreign, but it was only when I was thrown into that jail that I found it irritating, yet now I find it comforting to a certain degree.

  I might be a bigger idiot than I let on.

  “......”

  When the carriage had stopped, the coachman opened the door for us. I stepped outside and offered Scylla my hand. She curled her hand when she touched me, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her with a gentle tug.

  Once we were both outside, the gazes of the people in the place pierced through me.

  A great number of people with extravagant clothes were all around us. Some had golden dresses, others wore jewels the size of a thumb as their earrings, and others stepped down their carriages on a red velvet carpet while being escorted by knights in fancy armor. I didn’t bother to look more and only walked towards the mansion holding Scylla’s hand.

  Before we were able to enter the mansion, where the grand ballroom was, a group of black pointed hats playfully skittered towards us alongside their brooms. Upon reaching close to our proximity, one witch ordered the others to stop and proceeded to walk forward alone.

  “Ehem!”

  She straightened her back as if trying to give a formal address.

  “Oh, Noble One! We had expected your arrival and waited for thee! To such an extent of waiting for an hour, waiting in such a place where these humble witches had stood out of their usual environment, much as comparable to water being thrown to lava, we humble witches had endured such endeavors for His Noble One. With that in mind, though it is quite selfish despite our humble upbringings, we expect that His Noble One was to treat us in recognition of that!”

  The little witch bowed gracefully.

  Such a grand speech. I could feel my heart getting warmer than ice.

  People were staring at us with questions about why witches were in a noble event when, most of the time, witches are known to be outliers in the Demon Territory. From what I remember, a witch bowing towards a noble might be a normal occurrence. But this happening in a setting of rigid formality, playfully even, was unusual. If this was a typical witch and noble, then the noble might even make the witch strip and plead for her life, creating a spectacle where the noble would demonstrate their authority at an annoyance.

  Despite the embarrassing situation I was in, all I could think about was why Pelica was doing such an elaborate introduction in the first place.

  A smile curled from my lips as I leaned forward.

  “Why are the humble witches standing here with me? Is it to their agendas to have brought them here? I had not expected the witch I had accompanied before to bring along a coven.”

  My voice was the same as when I talked to her privately. Casual.

  “This little witch had only come here to greet His Noble One for his upcoming dance. Hmm hmm~ it is quite the surprise that he chose his half-breed maid, though.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Chatters were becoming evident. They heard what Pelica said.

  “It is so. Does that happen to be a problem?”

  “Ah, no. No, no. Not really. But, but. This little witch was still surprised by it, though it was a pleasant surprise!”

  Pelica straightened her back.

  “Well,” she fixed her pointed hat. “It is quite the fortunate and unfortunate thing, for this little witch will be going now.”

  “I see.”

  “Despite her short time talking to His Noble One, this little witch hopes for His Noble One to have a great time at the ball.”

  “I pray for your safe travels also, little witch.”

  “This little witch is honored.”

  After exchanging a few teasing nods, Pelica gleefully strode back to the group of witches, gathering them and flying off on their brooms.

  Nobody said anything to me as Scylla and I walked towards the mansion.

  A maid of the mansion bowed to us when we were at the door and kindly asked the guards to open it.

  “Your Noble One. The ballroom is up ahead.”

  She pointed to the center of the spiraling staircase in the middle of the mansion’s hall.

  I nodded.

  The inside of the mansion was opulent, from its decorations of rare antiques ranging from vases to paintings, the gigantic marble pillars that shot up from the ground to an approximately three-story building before the ceiling was met, the soft red carpets with intricate symbols weaved in by golden threads, the enormous chandelier at the middle of the hall, tattered with glints of red, violet, and blue, and the guards wore beautifully ornamented armor, gleaming in the yellow and orange lights of the candle fires that swayed to the opening of the gigantic double door when we entered.

  It was like my skin might peel off.

  “Disgusting......”

  Our steps echoed as we stepped closer to the ballroom. Guards bowed to us when we reached another door.

  There was a small fountain on the front of the door with a needle protruding from its center. I pricked my ring finger with the needle. When the blood reached the water, it dissolved, and the door opened.

  “Shall we?”

  My question went to Scylla, her warm hands wrapped around my left arm.

  “Yes, young lord.”

  She replied in her usual tone.

  “Then we shall.”

  With a poised demeanor, Scylla and I entered the ballroom.

  A loud thud reverberated as the double door behind us shut. The ballroom was spacious, perhaps too spacious, roughly a football field in its spaciousness. The ones who were already standing inside looked at us with observant gazes. Demons, humans, noble beast-kin, serpentines, elves, and a variety of races greeted my eyes. Each wore clothes just as elegant as, if not more so than, the ones who were still on the outside. There were also guards inside, standing on the corners that were barely lit by the candles hung on the pillars of the ballroom.

  When Scylla and I stood at the corner of the marble flooring that indicated where the dancefloor was, their focus shifted to the people they were facing. No one seemed to dance for now, as everyone either talked to one another or just stood silently. Although I’ve already seen the different races within my routine strolling around the city, this is my first time seeing serpentines and elves. Even the beast-kin currently present are fairly unique: one with multiple colored hair that was braided elegantly, one with a spiked metallic tail swinging casually, and one with long hair similar to an Afghan Hound.

  While there were a lot of momentary side glances directed at us from time to time, there weren’t many people inside.

  “There’s only a few people. I thought there would be more.”

  “It is because the ones who are only allowed in first are the representatives of the Demon Lords before anyone else can enter, young lord. During the Eve of Walpurgis, those who are outside are subjected to wait until the arrival of the Demon Lords and the Demon Monarch.”

  The arrival of the Demon Monarch.

  So it is here. Everything would unfold here.

  “Demon Lords......”

  ‘The papa dog is leashed. Not by the rescuer. The pup might not live much longer. Find the spiteful one.’

  Demon Lord Barbatos’ note.

  My back felt cold remembering it.

  Is Barbatos really on my side? No, it’s better to think that she was never on my side in the first place. She’s a Demon Lord, someone with an authority that can order to execute me at any moment she feels like it. Even if I didn’t meet her standards, my neck was already tied the second she met me in the guest mansion.

  ‘Tsk, tsk~ That’s a bad misconception, child. A dog isn’t that loyal. If you let a dog watch over you when you sleep, it’ll bite, you know.’

  From her own words, she might have expected me to betray her so she could expose me and Dantalion to prove a point. Otherwise, if I prove useful, then she’ll leash me instead. Even if I were to escape, Seekth would hunt me till the end of Hell and bring me to her.

  Either way, I’m cornered no matter what option I choose. For now, I’ll work with her.

  ‘A dog can bite whenever it wants to, and whoever it is.’

  Whenever and whoever it is......

  In this event, the Eve of Walpurgis, the most prestigious gathering of nobles and Demon Lords, even a tongue slip can get your head decapitated. A place where only the most foolish can even think to conspire treachery, yet here we are. Then let us test your own words, Demon Lord Barbatos. Let’s see whether even a leashed pup can bite.

  I exhaled, and the feeling of unease slowly dissipated from my nerves.

  Scylla stood at my side with her eyes closed, not wanting to make eye contact with the nobles due to her lineage.

  “Scylla.”

  Her eyes opened.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m quite excited, it seems.”

  She looked at me with a confused expression.

  “The young lord’s face does not exhibit that.”

  I didn’t reply and only faced the center of the ballroom. Scylla tilted her head and furrowed her brows. Then, after thinking for a quick second and realizing what I meant, she returned to closing her eyes. This is the night that would determine both our fates, after all. Whether we live or die, be captured and tortured, or be free, all of that falls here.

  An unreasonable life and an unreasonable death.

  “What a funny thing.”

  I chuckled.

  Scylla lowered her head as if what

  I said made her sigh internally.

  “Your jokes are as unusual as ever, young lord.”

  . . .

  ●●●