Chapter 150
The banquet hall at the Imperial Palace.
Lavish chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and elegantly arranged gourmet dishes adorned the tables.
Even in a world where some people starve, there are always parties where food overflows.
This particular banquet was hosted by none other than the Emperor.
As I walked past a giant fountain pouring out chocolate fondue, I quickened my pace.
Well, you have to experience a little bit of life to understand it.
Amidst the nobles sipping champagne and wine, I quietly nursed a glass of juice.
To be honest, I had wanted to try a glass of wine, but Han Si-hyuk had shot that idea down immediately.
Now, having abandoned me in his quest for clues, Han Si-hyuk was bickering with Sepia.
Their voices, faintly heard over the refined classical music, reached my ears.
“If you’re at a banquet, you should enjoy yourself. Were you really planning to just work on the investigation the whole time?”
“A detective should investigate. What else would I do?”
“…Were you always like this, Han Si-hyuk? So serious, even as a child?”
“What?”
“Were you this boring back then too?”
“I don’t remember.”
“How could you not remember something like that?”
“I really don’t remember.”
“You’ve got excuses for everything, don’t you?”
From what I could see, Sepia’s questions were being deflected with pinpoint precision.
“Were you always this handsome too?”
“…That’s nonsense.”
“My goodness. Leaving the Ministry has really gone to your head, hasn’t it? Watch your mouth.”
“No, Madam, Former Chairwoman.”
“You’re fun to tease, right?”
“…Sigh.”
Come to think of it, those two actually seem to get along in a weird way.
It was like watching a battle between a spear and a shield. I was enjoying the show when someone approached me.
“Are you Han Siha?”
“Oh.”
It was Duke Becken.
A man who always felt unsettling, even though there was no reason for it.
I instinctively bowed my head.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”
I had almost died at the hands of a dark mage who had impersonated Duke Becken.
Honestly, I still had a bit of PTSD from that, so I was a little scared.
But Duke Becken had always been kind to me.
He poured some juice into a wine glass and handed it to me.
“It seems you’ve been doing well. What brings you here?”
“I’m here assisting the Investigator.”
“What case are you investigating?”
“The Katablam Unsolved Case.”
Duke Becken paused for a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“…Hmm. I’m not familiar with that one.”
I had hoped he might have some information I could use, but it seemed he genuinely didn’t know.
Instead, Duke Becken spoke to me in a somewhat reluctant tone.
“Is Han Si-hyuk… the investigator in charge?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Upon hearing Han Si-hyuk’s name, Duke Becken’s expression soured slightly. He then lowered his voice.
“I’ll only say this to you… I don’t trust that man.”
“Pardon?”
“Seers are always a bit shady. Don’t place too much trust in him.”
Duke Becken gave me a couple of firm pats on the shoulder and smiled.
“Of course, this is just an old man’s rambling, so you can take it with a grain of salt.”
“No, thank you for the valuable advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Enjoy the banquet.”
With that, Duke Becken left.
I nodded politely as he departed, then returned to my glass of juice.
Even someone as influential as Duke Becken didn’t know about the Katablam Unsolved Case.
So, who should I ask next?
I sighed and massaged my temples as I tried to think.
If I kept digging around, something was bound to come up.
I sipped my drink while scanning the room for the next person to approach.
“Who should I ask next….”
It wasn’t like I knew anyone here, but I needed someone who looked important.
Someone who looked high-ranking but didn’t seem too nasty.
At that moment, a woman I didn’t recognize put a hand on my shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Banquets like this aren’t much fun when you’re alone.”
She was draped in elaborate jewelry that dangled from both ears, and she seemed to be of a certain age.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat pulled low, so her face was hard to see.
But she definitely looked like someone important.
She didn’t seem particularly unpleasant either.
She was exactly the type of person I’d been looking for.
“Are you Han Siha?”
“Yes?”
It surprised me that someone like her knew my name.
—
“Are you Han Taesu’s child?”
“Ah, yes.”
“You probably don’t remember my face, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
My guess that she was someone important was spot on.
Not only did she recognize me, but she also referred to Han Taesu by name, implying a certain level of familiarity.
A friend of my father? Maybe something like that?
Given the formidable aura she gave off, much like Sepia, I could tell she was a high-level mage.
“You’ve grown a lot. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Thank you.”
I responded with a polite bow to her kind smile.
“Did you come here with your brother?”
Duke Becken hadn’t known, but this woman was aware that Han Si-hyuk was my brother.
The extent of her knowledge took me by surprise, but it made sense if she had known me since I was young.
“Your father would be furious if he knew your brother was dragging you to places like this.”
“Probably.”
Han Taesu didn’t even consider Han Si-hyuk his son.
Seeing how Han Si-hyuk was using me, my father would likely have a fit if he found out.
I acknowledged her comment with an awkward smile.
“What are you investigating?”
“I’m here to gather information about the Katablam Unsolved Case.”
I spoke cautiously, gauging her reaction.
“….”
It was only for a split second, but I noticed her expression freeze, turning cold.
“Do you know about it?”
“…Well.”
The woman quickly composed herself, replacing her stern expression with a smile.
“Of all people, you asking about this is quite amusing.”
I might not be a Seer like Han Si-hyuk or Yoon Haul, but as a human, I have my own instincts.
That look in her eyes, that tone in her voice—she knows something.
“…Is this related to me?”
“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”
“Please, just tell me. You know something, don’t you?”
She smiled, slowly removing the dangling earrings from her ears. The warmth that had initially colored her smile now seemed unsettlingly eerie.
“The son of Han Taesu. May I ask you a question?”
“Yes.”
“If the Empire had to choose between saving a thousand uneducated commoners or you, who haven’t even graduated from the Academy yet, who do you think they would choose?”
The question was vague and hard to interpret.
As I hesitated, she rephrased the question.
“If a thousand commoners had to die to save you, who do you think the Empire would choose?”
“They would choose the thousand commoners.”
“And why do you think that?”
“…”
A novice who hasn’t even graduated from the Academy, or a thousand people—those thousand could be farmers, merchants, or soldiers.
No matter how I thought about it, the conclusion was the same.
“Am I worth as much as a thousand lives?”
“Hmm. You’re right, you do fall a bit short.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement, but hearing it so bluntly was irritating.
I frowned and retorted.
“I’m curious—what do you think of yourself?”
“Me? Compared to a thousand people?”
“Yes.”
“Even if you brought ten thousand, the Empire should choose me.”
“…That’s some confidence.”
I was being sarcastic, but she didn’t seem to catch on. Her expression remained calm.
She addressed me again.
“The son of Han Taesu.”
“Yes.”
“A thousand lives mean nothing.”
“What?”
The death toll in the Katablam Unsolved Case was around a thousand.
I realized too late.
She was referring to the victims of that incident.
“That case… it would be more beneficial for you to stop digging into it.”
The woman, having removed the other earring, smiled a chilling smile.
“It’s not that you’re a noble life worth saving instead of a thousand commoners… it’s that their lives are worth that little.”
“…”
“If sacrificing those lesser lives could stop the dark mages, of course, the Empire would do it.”
A wave of instinctive disgust washed over me.
For the first time, I understood why Adela feared the nobility so much.
I had now seen with my own eyes the kind of people who valued human life less than an ant’s.
Ardel Academy was a place relatively free from the constraints of social class.
But here, in this opulent banquet hall, I was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth.
This is their society.
“Joining your pathetic brother in this investigation is a waste of your time.”
“…”
“So give it up. Han Taesu’s son.”
I had to acknowledge and accept it.
This wasn’t the society I knew.
Even if I tried to impose my values on them, it wouldn’t work, and it shouldn’t.
Challenging their authority would be tantamount to rebellion.
But even if everything she said was true…
How am I supposed to deal with this revulsion?
“It’s kind of disgusting.”
“What?”
“That mindset… it’s a bit repulsive.”
I turned slowly to face her.
“I can’t claim to be more valuable than a thousand lives. So what makes you so sure of your worth?”
“…”
“What kind of life have you led to think you’re that valuable?”
“You…”
“I’m curious—why don’t you enlighten me?”
A boisterous laugh echoed from her.
“Haha… Hahahaha…”
The woman laughed for a long time, as if she found something utterly hilarious, then slowly removed her hat.
Her face, radiant under the chandelier’s light, seemed hideous to me—nothing more than a person consumed by power.
She smiled an inscrutable smile.
“…Han Taesu raised an amusing child.”
For a moment, her gaze locked onto mine.
It sent a chill down my spine—those eyes were terrifying.
Then, from behind, Duke Becken shouted in a loud voice.
“Oh… Oh! Your Majesty?”
What?
“Were you here all along, Your Majesty?”
Wait a second.
What did he just say…?
“…What?”
I turned sharply to look at Duke Becken.
“The Em-Emperor…?”
At that moment, Han Si-hyuk’s warnings flashed through my mind.
‘The Emperor will be attending this banquet, so don’t do anything that draws attention.’
‘Don’t cause any trouble.’
‘And don’t go around grabbing adults by the collar if you get upset.’
I didn’t grab her by the collar…
But I might have done everything else.
And it was the Emperor?
“…”
Han Si-hyuk was staring at me, his face drained of all colors.
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