The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

25 – The Social Gathering of Destruction (1)

“Master of the Tower, a letter has arrived from Duke Ishtar.”

Franz received the letter handed over by Arian.

Not long ago, he had sent a letter to Duke Ishtar to announce his attendance at the social gathering, and this was the reply.

Franz’s gaze slowly began to read the letter.

“To the esteemed Master of the Tower, Franz Gilbert.

The sun is hot, and the sky is clear, making it a refreshing day.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, the birds were…

(skipping)

It is an honor that the social gathering hosted by our Duke Ishtar’s family will be your first social gathering.

Then, see you on the day of the social gathering.”

At least the attendance at the social gathering was settled.

But what kind of letter was this long?

The necessary words were in the last two lines, and the remaining 40 lines were filled with useless content.

Although it was typical of noble letters, he still couldn’t understand their way of thinking.

For a modern person of the 21st century, ‘keep it brief’ was the norm.

Franz put the letter down on the desk and turned his gaze to Arian.

“Arian, what happened to you?”

“I managed to resolve it well.”

Fortunately, it seemed that Arian had also received permission to attend.

Well, they are from the same ducal family. There’s no reason to refuse, and they couldn’t refuse even if they wanted to.

But it feels a bit sorry to treat them the same as that socialite and the Frigia ducal family.

‘Well, it should be fine.’

Anyway, after the day of the social gathering, the Ishtar ducal family would no longer exist.

In any case, Arian had chosen the clothes a while ago, so now all that was left was to wait for the day of the social gathering.

“Master of the Tower, should I arrange a carriage?”

“A carriage? Why?”

When Franz expressed his doubt, Arian was momentarily stunned.

It was an unexpected answer.

Then, coming to his senses, he questioned the question.

“Aren’t you attending the social gathering?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you going to walk there?”

“Why would I walk?”

They couldn’t understand each other’s words.

From the beginning, their perspectives were fundamentally different.

To Arian, a carriage was a means of transportation that could quickly cover long distances.

So, it was natural to take a carriage to the social gathering.

On the other hand, to Franz, a carriage was merely a leisurely means of enjoying a trip.

If it was just about getting to the destination, teleporting was much faster.

Of course, most people thought like Arian.

Realizing this fact belatedly, Franz said,

“I’ll teleport on the day of the social gathering.”

“Yes….”

Arian answered in a voice full of disappointment.

From the Tower to the Ishtar ducal residence, it took a carriage a full two days.

The plan to spend those two days sweetly and affectionately in the carriage crumbled to pieces.

‘Ludwin, I’m sorry.’

Arian apologized to the imaginary child.

The day of birth had been postponed a little further.

Franz, however, knew nothing about it.

He was just thinking, “My back hurts when I ride the carriage for too long.”

* * * * *

On the day of the social gathering.

Franz took off his usual clothes and changed into the ones Arian had chosen for him.

It was a tuxedo-like outfit, commonly worn by nobles.

It had been a long time since he had worn such clothes, and he couldn’t shake off the feeling of discomfort.

But it was only for a day, and thanks to Arian’s care, it was much more comfortable, so he had no complaints.

Soon after, Arian arrived.

“I’m, I’m sorry. It took a while to get ready….”

Arian couldn’t continue her words.

Even though she had seen him once before, she was shocked again.

Franz was handsome even without any adornment, and now, there was no need to say more.

Franz had no way of knowing Arian’s feelings.

He just acted as usual.

“It’s okay. The social gathering doesn’t end quickly anyway.”

“That’s a relief…. But….”

Arian hesitated and trailed off.

Franz tilted his head slightly.

“But what could she want to say?” he thought.

“…You look great today.”

Arian squeezed out her courage to say.

Elin had advised her to make sure to compliment him.

Then something surprising happened.

“Oh, really? Thanks. You look pretty today too.”

Franz, though a bit awkward with her compliment, returned it firmly.

‘She really is pretty today.’

Objectively speaking, Arian’s appearance was truly beautiful.

Her lightly wavy hair felt almost elegant, and her slightly flushed cheeks with natural makeup were charming.

With such looks, the fancy dress didn’t seem too much but rather fitting.

It was like a fish meeting water.

“Your clothes are folded here.”

Arian approached Franz and straightened the folded collar.

Franz felt a familiar scent wafting from her.

It was subtle enough to be pleasant.

“Did you put on perfume?”

“Oh, yes. I made a perfume from the tea leaves you liked at the shop before.”

“No wonder it smells so good.”

“Thank you.”

Indeed, that was why the scent was familiar.

Franz thought roughly so and said.

It seemed he really liked the scent.

“Then let’s go now.”

“Yes.”

A complex magic circle was drawn under Franz’s feet.

Soon, the light flickered, and the two figures disappeared from the tower master’s room.

Before long, they reappeared in front of a huge mansion.

It was five times larger than the bald pig’s mansion they had seen before.

At this level, it should be called a castle rather than a mansion.

“Wh-who are you?!”

The guard at the mansion’s entrance asked, eyes wide open.

Well, it was natural to be surprised since people suddenly appeared where there was nothing.

Even so, it was a very good judgment to show respect based on their attire.

“I am Franz Gilbert, the tower master.”

“Arian Frigia.”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry for not recognizing you.”

As Franz and Arian revealed their identities, the guard bowed his head deeply and apologized.

If we were to argue about right and wrong, it would be on the side of the one who suddenly appeared, but this was the reality of nobles and commoners.

Franz passed by the knight with Arian and headed inside.

Silently offering his condolences to him.

If Duke Ishtar was revealed to be a cultist, he would be burned at the stake regardless of his guilt.

“I told you we should have taken the carriage.”

“I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”

“Next time, let’s take the carriage.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Franz naturally fell into the trap Arian had set, like water flowing, but he didn’t notice it.

His mind was already filled with thoughts of Duke Ishtar and Yuna.

Eventually, the two arrived at the social hall.

Since the social gathering had already started and time had passed, the other nobles were already engaged in conversations.

‘Let’s see, where is Duke Ishtar…’

Franz scanned the social hall.

If he attended the social gathering, the first thing to do was to greet the host.

He wanted to find evidence that he was a cultist right away, but if he aroused suspicion, it could make things more difficult.

“There he is.”

At Arian’s words, Franz shifted his gaze.

There stood the tall and slender Duke Ishtar.

Why did he get involved in something like a cult, looking so normal?

Well, even if he had a reason, it wouldn’t be understandable.

Franz approached Duke Ishtar with Arian.

“Duke Ishtar, nice to meet you. I am Franz Gilbert, the Tower Master.”

When Franz greeted him, he smiled brightly and welcomed him.

“Wow, it’s truly an honor to meet the Tower Master in person.”

“It’s an honor to meet you too, Duke.”

“Haha, you’re too kind. I’d love to have a deep conversation with you, but unfortunately, I’m a bit busy today. I’ll make sure to find time next time.”

“If you have business to attend to, it can’t be helped.”

Although there would be no next time.

As Duke Ishtar left for somewhere, Franz was left alone with Arian again.

“Master of the Tower, what should we do from now on?”

Arian whispered softly to Franz.

Franz looked around and fell into thought for a moment.

‘For now, it might be better to just watch a little longer.’

It would be strange for someone who just appeared at the social gathering to suddenly disappear.

For now, it seemed best to act normally to avoid suspicion.

“Let’s just pretend to enjoy the social gathering for now.”

Franz said this as he received two glasses of wine from a passing servant.

And just as he was about to hand one to Arian.

‘Something feels off.’

He felt an inexplicable unpleasant sensation from the wine.

Yes, it was a sticky and slimy feeling, like when facing a demonic beast.

Franz expanded his mana around him to check more closely.

And he realized.

‘This is really bad.’

He felt the same sensation from all the wine that the nobles were drinking in this social gathering.

It seemed that Duke Ishtar was planning to cause an incident.