The Archmage’s Restaurant

# 158

Chapter.36 Hibiren Flowers and Concert

“Huh?”

Duke Delian was startled and stood up because his majesty somehow felt an aura that transcended that of the emperor.

“majesty? “Why are you doing this?”

Because Duke Delian stood up with a startled expression, Count Michel also got up from his seat without hesitation.

Duke Delian didn’t answer the question, just stared blankly ahead for a moment, sighed, took a deep breath that no one could hear, and sat down again.

“It’s unusual to have black hair. Surely it’s not a hybrid? Please do not play Legana with the most insignificant people, even those from ordinary noble families. “Because it’s creepy.”

Loriana said, looking at Count Michel. Thanks to this, Count Michel had to rummage through the data in a hurry.

“It is said that His Majesty the Emperor is the guardian, but it seems that he is a distant royal family member.”

“A distant royal family member? What does that mean? Where is the royal family that we, the Duke of Delian, have not been able to identify… .”

Loriana tilted her head with an expression of incomprehension. But Duke Delian said nothing.

He just sat back down and kept making short noises.

Loriana glanced at the duke, but when he didn’t agree at all, Loriana’s voice lost a little strength.

While Loriana was watching Duke Delian’s notice and Duke Delian was thinking about something, the black-haired beauty who came into the preliminaries looked at another black-haired man in front of the keyboard, smiled, and placed her hand on the keyboard.

But then he got up again and ran towards the man. Say a few words. Then the man pulled the black-haired woman’s cheeks.

But then he strokes my hair affectionately.

Then the woman tapped the floor with the front of her foot and spun around, then turned around as if she was happy and went back to the keyboard.

“What is it doing now… .”

Loriana was furious as she wondered what was happening in the sacred preliminaries, but this time Duke Delian directly gestured towards her.

It meant to sit still.

Duke Delian was very interested in the black-haired woman’s performance. So, I made Loriana quiet and watched the performance quietly. It was the first concentration since the preliminaries began.

But that focus.

The black-haired woman hit the keyboard and it broke in an instant.

-Quaaaaaang!

Before playing anything, the keyboard was struck loudly, creating a strange sound.

Of course, Loriana’s face was completely distorted. With an expression like that, someone like that would dare participate in the preliminaries.

The black-haired man who was watching the scene also began to shake his head, resting his head on his forehead.

The Duke looked at it and smiled faintly.

The performance that followed was also beginner-level music that was completely unlistenable.

After seeing that, Loriana no longer wanted to see things that were not considered cultured.

“What are you doing? Are you going to keep them there?”

Loriana shouted at Count Michel. Count Michel immediately nodded and tried to gesture towards the guards. Of course, it was the Duke of Delian who stopped it.

“no. “Leave it alone.”

“yes? “Uncle?”

It’s not like I came out in disguise.

The black-haired man listening to the performance behind him came forward to save the capital, which had become a battlefield for dragons and was being brutally trampled. All three dukes except Duke Taiwuran were present with the emperor.

So, the only people in the empire who knew El’s identity were four people. Later, Duke Taimuran was added, bringing the number to five.

So the identity of that woman was also obvious. That’s why it’s a smile I feel relieved. Duke Delian wanted to confirm this.

Of course, I’ve already heard that a dragon will appear at the concert. The problem was whether the dragon would really take revenge if he did not win.

Of course, the emperor said that there would be no retaliation if the candidates were selected based on merit. Since there is an El who prevented the war, I will keep that word. I know he is that kind of man. However, if you catch something, it becomes difficult.

You may ask why they didn’t win. And if the dragon was good, it would be difficult in many ways. In the end, it means that no matter how good your skills are, you should be selected as the winner.

But there were no such worries now.

If your skills are that bad, there is nothing to worry about.

If a performer of that ability is selected as the winner, all the criticism will fall on the emperor. When there is such a clear difference, of course all responsibility falls on the emperor.

So dragons can be excluded from this concert.

If you happen to be chosen as the winner, that’s also a good thing because you’ll have something to criticize.

The fact that the dragon won and didn’t have to do something childish like drawing lots made Duke Delian smile.

If you have this stupid skill.

Chuckling inwardly, the Duke spoke to Count Michel.

“Let him pass.”

“yes?”

“Uncle?”

“There is a political reason for that. Of course, you will fail right away in the finals, but try to make it to the preliminaries.”

“… … .”

Loriana pursed her lips at Duke Delian’s determined expression. They said they were members of the royal family, but I was wondering if they had a hidden hierarchy.

Count Michel looked puzzled at Duke Delian’s order, but an order was an order.

“I passed number 29!”

At Count Michel’s declaration, the black-haired woman who was playing Legana stood up with a triumphant expression and approached the man. Shrug your shoulders.

He had an expression that said he was the greatest in the world.

Duke Delian’s inner thoughts were the same. Please turn it off. Although there was no way to express it.

Contrary to the Duke of Delian’s feelings, the black-haired woman did not turn off, but rather gave the man the imploring look of a child asking for praise.

Who on earth are they?

Count Michel had that thought, but he already knew that just because Duke Delian didn’t tell him something meant that he didn’t need to know.

Count Michel had seen so many nobles who had stepped into it and disappeared in an instant due to their rope breaking, so Count Michel simply followed orders and took care of business.

***

The Gray boy was hesitating how to explain to Verna that there was no use in participating in the concert, but in the end he couldn’t say anything and went into his room and lay down, saying he was tired.

Meanwhile, the sound of Verna playing can be heard.

iced coffee.

– Self-employed.

It’s really rewarding to be self-employed.

The more the Gray boy thought about it, the more his stomach hurt.

Pain like being stabbed by a needle in the stomach. Simply put, it is stress gastritis.

Not only that, but my head also felt dizzy.

In the end, I spent the day without saying anything in such pain.

My body was still heavy in the morning. The Gray boy, who slowly came out to the living room, was still thinking.

“Master!”

Meanwhile, the chief valet, who had gone out to buy ingredients with the chef, came running at a fast pace.

“Master, did you hear that?”

“What do you mean?”

“It is said that the family of the winner of the concert is entitled to a tax exemption.”

If there is such a thing, isn’t it a benefit that the great nobles ultimately reap?

The Gray boy who thought so replied harshly to the chamberlain.

“okay… ?”

Despite that reaction, the chamberlain continued to speak excitedly.

“yes. The chamberlain of the dukedom I met at the market said that the method has suddenly changed and only the family in question will benefit, regardless of whether they belong to the dukedom or the earldom. So he complained a lot about the bad atmosphere at home. There was an uproar because there was no one with the duke’s name… .”

“Eh… ?”

The Gray boy was startled and looked at the chamberlain’s face.

However, there is a limit to what you can know even if you push the chamberlain. The Gray boy began to move quickly.

“Let’s go to Duke Delian’s house right now!”

And then he ran to the carriage without any hesitation. If what the Chamberlain said is true, doesn’t that mean that the winner can really be determined solely based on skill?

As for why the sudden change occurred, it is enough to just say that I came to answer about yesterday’s incident.

Thinking so, the Gray boy urged the chamberlain and hurried to Duke Delian’s house.

***

“This way, mother.”

“Is that so?”

The Gray boy stopped Verna, who was walking in the wrong direction. Anyone could see that Verna was extremely nervous.

When I came with my husband, I received a miserable evaluation and failed in this very preliminary round. Verna, who was in the same place as the headquarters that had created the trauma, was in a very nervous state.

The Gray boy arrived at the reception desk with great difficulty, leading Verna, who was shaking and almost dancing on her own.

“How did you get here?”

“I’m here to apply to participate in the concert.”

When I went to check with Duke Delian, I received a harsh reply saying that it was true that something had changed. With instructions to go back with a disgruntled expression.

Of course, the Gray boy had nothing to do with that callous attitude.

I really liked the suddenly changed competition format.

“What family do you come from?”

Count Molante at the reception desk asked with an expression of blatant disregard for the Gray boy and Verna, whom he had never seen in social circles.

“I am Count Gray. And this is my mother, a participant.”

“Earl Gray?”

Count Molante’s expression changed strangely when he heard that it was Count Gray. The expression changed from a look of disdain to one of annoyance.

The story of Grace City, who was lucky enough to make a lot of money without serving any great noble, was already famous, and there were so many nobles who were upset about the situation.

“Is legana played even in the countryside these days?”

“What does playing your legana have to do with the countryside…” “Is there one?”

“Are you shaking like that?”

Count Molante pointed to Berna, who was trembling like an aspen from trauma and tension.

“You’re so nervous… .”

“I’m nervous. Hey, how about we go back without smelling like the countryside? “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“… … .”

Count Molante’s attitude of blatant disregard. Since he was receiving preferential treatment and no great nobles to serve him, it was unlikely that the aristocratic society would look upon him favorably, and Count Molante was also upset by the development of Great City.

Despite that attitude, the Gray boy just bit his mouth and endured it.

It doesn’t matter how you treat yourself.

If it is truly something that His Majesty has pushed forward strongly, then Mother has a chance of winning. No matter how much he is ignored, it doesn’t matter as long as he can give Verna a chance.

The Gray boy smiled while thinking about that.

I am already used to being ignored by the central aristocratic society.

“You won’t be embarrassed. So, I definitely want to participate.”

“Tsk.”

Count Molante filled out a document with a look on his face that made him wonder why he was told to just get out of the way, and then held it out to the Gray boy.

“Go alone number 2.”

The Gray boy who received the document nodded and moved toward the second hole. Verna, who was watching the whole situation from behind, pulled the Gray boy’s arm with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Is it because of my father…? ? “Did the Dedran family have a big accident and come out like that?”

“no. mother.”

Yeah no.

The Count of Dedran and Verna have nothing to do with each other. The Gray boy held Verna’s arms with those thoughts in mind.

“This is all just a check on the growing Grace City. are you okay! Don’t think about anything else. Just think about regaining your confidence and letting your father hear you play again! I’ll take care of everything else. every!”

“… … .”

Verna didn’t answer anything. I suddenly felt proud and reassured that the Gray boy who had whined that he didn’t want to be away from me when he was young had grown up so much.

Of course, the trauma is still rising inside me, I feel like I’m going to vomit, and my tension is at its peak.

Therefore, Verna forced herself to nod towards her proud son.