Chapter 81
Franz faced Arian.
Rosy cheeks, lips as red as cherries, and a gorgeous sky-blue dress. Arian’s appearance, dressed up for the party, suited the snowy North perfectly.
She had been pretty enough when they went to the social gathering together, but she was even prettier now. So much so that, if one looked solely at her appearance, there was truly not a single flaw to be found.
If one were to pass her on the street without knowing her, one’s head might naturally turn to look.
“Is there something on my face?”
Franz asked, as Arian was staring blankly at his face.
At that, she startled a beat late and let out a dumbfounded sound.
“H-huh?”
“I asked if there was something on my face.”
“N-no? There’s nothing on it.”
Then why on earth had she been staring blankly at him?
He wondered, but decided not to voice it.
It wasn’t anything important, and there was no need to pry.
After a brief moment of silence, Arian asked.
“I’m looking forward to the party. Aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
A party would have a slightly more comfortable atmosphere than a social gathering.
People would probably spend their time comfortably enjoying food and wine.
He had felt a bit wronged when Yustia said he was going out to play, but it didn’t seem like she was entirely wrong either.
However, apart from that, a question arose.
“Arian, did you catch a cold?”
Arian’s face was rosy, and the tips of her ears were dyed red.
Having no way of knowing the reason, Franz was simply worried that she might not be feeling well.
“A cold…? I haven’t really felt like that…?”
“Really? Your face is red, though?”
Franz tilted his head and reached his hand toward Arian’s forehead.
There was no special meaning behind it; he was just trying to check if she had a fever.
As Franz’s hand touched her forehead, Arian froze in place.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know the meaning behind his action, but the mere fact that their bodies touched was enough to make her thoughts grind to a halt.
“You don’t have a fever…”
Somehow, her face seemed even redder than before. Well, since she said she was fine, she must be fine.
Franz decided to just accept that and move on.
The people of the Ducal House of Phrygia were watching the two of them with pleased smiles.
Because no matter how they looked at it, the relationship between the two didn’t seem ordinary.
Marcel, in particular, felt an immense amount of trust in Franz.
He had said he would do something about it, and he was truly doing something about it.
Franz himself knew nothing of this, but he had already become like family to them.
As time passed, people began to gather at the party venue one by one.
Perhaps because the purpose of the party was Arian’s arranged marriage, most of the arrivals were on the younger side.
Of course, it had lost its meaning since Ballak canceled the arranged marriage.
“Ducal Daughter Arian, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Ah, Young Lady Ser. It really has been a while.”
Arian, the eldest daughter of the Ducal House of Phrygia that hosted the party, exchanged greetings with quite a few people.
Given the familiarity of their greetings, it seemed she knew most of them.
Then again, her sense of it had just been dulled from being a Secretary; it was only natural, as they were people who would do whatever it took to get close to a ducal house.
Franz watched Arian from a distance with a wine glass in one hand.
It was more that he didn’t particularly want to get closer, as being around many people was quite uncomfortable for him.
He knew well enough that he had to make good use of opportunities like this to make friends, but…
'Do I really need friends…?'
What were the lives of nobles like?
They were people who took up horseback riding and hunting as hobbies, boasting to one another about who had acquired better items.
There might occasionally be those who weren’t like that, but since most lived such lives, there was no reason to get close to them.
But did the world ever just go according to one’s wishes?
Even if Franz tried his best to avoid them, it was all useless if they came crashing in from the other side.
“E-excuse me, by any chance…”
A woman suddenly appeared in front of Franz, who was sipping wine in the corner.
She looked much younger than Arian.
Had she just turned twenty? Perhaps she was even younger than that.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Are you Franz, by any chance…?”
There was one thing Franz had overlooked: his face was more widely known than he thought. It was only natural, as he was one of the heroes who saved the world.
He had a rather bad feeling about this, but since he had been asked a question, he had to answer.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“R-really?!”
The woman’s eyes widened in shock as she let out a loud cry.
She belatedly covered her mouth, but there was no taking back a sound once it was let out.
“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…?”
“Isn’t that him? The one who was the mage in the Hero’s Party…”
“Could it be Franz…?”
The attention of those nearby gathered, and murmuring voices could be heard.
Some were even already taking steps to approach him.
He had wanted to enjoy himself quietly and leave if possible, but it seemed that was out of the question.
“I-I’m sorry…!”
“It’s fine. Since you went through the trouble of coming to the party, don’t mind it and enjoy yourself.”
Franz replied with a smile to the woman’s apology.
The deed was already done, and blaming her for it wouldn’t change anything.
Nor were they close enough for him to express his emotions.
While he was talking with the woman, people had gathered around Franz before he knew it.
“Franz…! I heard you saved my father from the evil deeds of the wicked cultists…!”
“I-I’ve always respected you…!”
“The House of Count Luan is hosting a social gathering next month, and I would like to invite you!”
His mind went blank at the voices coming from all directions.
'The other guys probably don’t know about this, right…?'
One was stuck only in the Cathedral, one was stuck in the forest, and one was stuck in the countryside.
None of the members of the Hero’s Party would know his struggles.
Franz had to deal with people for a long time after that.
A hero who saved the world and an unprecedented Archmage. A living legend had appeared, so everyone flocked to him regardless of age or gender.
Once the situation calmed down to some extent, mostly only women remained by Franz’s side.
“Franz, excuse me, but do you have someone you’ve promised your future to…?”
A woman with red hair, wearing a red dress, asked.
He was sure he had heard her name, but having dealt with so many people at once, he couldn’t quite remember it.
'Someone I’ve promised my future to…'
Simply put, a fiancée or a lover.
They were words that were very far removed from Franz.
“I don’t…”
Just as Franz was about to answer honestly that he didn’t.
Arian cut in between Franz and the women.
“Excuse me for a moment. I need to have a quick word with the Magic Tower Lord. An urgent matter has come up at the Magic Tower.”
Arian said that to the women and started dragging Franz somewhere.
While she dragged him by the wrist, Franz truly felt a myriad of emotions.
Because she said a problem had occurred at the Magic Tower, worry took precedence.
Eventually, the place the two arrived at was the balcony.
Perhaps because it was quite cold outside, there was no one on the balcony.
“Arian, did the Magic Tower contact us? What kind of problem is it?”
As Arian’s steps halted, Franz immediately asked.
But whether he should call it fortunate or not, the answer he received completely missed Franz’s expectations.
“They didn’t.”
“Huh?”
“The Magic Tower didn’t contact us. In the first place, the Telepathic Message magic tool they use over there is connected to you, Magic Tower Lord.”
That meant Arian had lied to drag him all the way here.
Thanks to that, he had escaped an annoying situation, but he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Then why did you drag me all the way here?”
“Because you looked like you were having a hard time, you don’t like crowds, do you, Magic Tower Lord?”
“That’s true, but…”
It was definitely true, but he felt somewhat awkward about it.
Perhaps it was because being rescued by someone was an unfamiliar experience for him.
“Well, I was exhausted from exchanging greetings too, so I thought we could run away together for a bit. Oh, would you like some wine?”
“Yeah, I’ll have some.”
He had only drunk one glass while talking, so he was feeling a bit regretful.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go get it.”
Arian went inside the building, and soon returned to the balcony with two glasses filled with wine.
She offered a wine glass, and Franz naturally accepted it.
“What were the Young Ladies saying earlier?”
Arian said that and took a sip of wine.
“Well, we were talking about this and that, and then they asked if I had a marriage partner.”
“So what did you say?”
“You dragged me away before I could answer.”
Hmm-.
Arian let out a strange nasal sound and took another sip of wine.
She then shifted her gaze far away and spoke.
“Magic Tower Lord, you said you had thoughts of getting married, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Then do you want to make a promise with me?”
“What promise?”
The bright moon floating in the sky, the mountain range covered in pure white snow, and, to top it all off, the intoxication of the wine.
In a truly peculiar atmosphere, Arian spoke.
“If we still don’t have marriage partners in a year, how about we just marry each other?”