Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight
Chapter 359: SS 7

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 7: Hazel Ryan Bloom (2)

And so I ended up attending the social gathering hosted by the Ryan Bloom Marquis family.

I don't like that I fell for Hazel's scheme, but I have to admit I'm excited about going out after such a long time.

Besides, this is my first time at a gathering with so many children my age. So of course I'd be looking forward to it.

"Hazel, you must take good care of Young master Theo."

"Young master Theo, please enjoy yourself and have fun."

Oh, those two didn't come along.

Uncle Michael said he wouldn't go since it was just kids playing around, and Uncle Dominico had too much work to do.

How long did we travel by carriage? Suddenly Hazel stuck her head out the window and shouted.

"Theo! Quick, open the window and look! Over there!"

I did as Hazel said.

Then I saw a large mansion built on green fields.

That must be the Ryan Bloom family's villa where the social gathering is being held.

"How is it? Pretty, right?"

Hazel asked me with a confident expression.

It was as if she was saying, "This is your first time seeing a villa like this, isn't it?"

I got a bit annoyed.

I couldn't just let this nasty girl get the better of me.

"It's pretty."

"Take a good look while you have the chance. You can't see mansions like this anywhere else..."

"It's not as good as the villa Uncle built on top of the World Tree, though."

"World Tree...?"

It must have been unexpected because Hazel's expression went blank.

I lifted my chin slightly and said.

"Yeah, Uncle built it himself. It's built up really high so you can see everywhere from there."

"Don't lie. The World Tree is the elves' treasure. How could anyone build a villa there?"

"Did you forget who my uncle is?"

At my retort, Hazel clamped her mouth shut.

Then she turned her head away sharply.

She seems pretty upset.

I didn't show it, but I was secretly pleased.

***

A little later, we two arrived at the mansion.

All the servants working at the mansion came outside and bowed.

They're all very well-disciplined.

"Where are the guests?"

"They're gathered in the reception room."

The head maid answered Hazel's question.

Hazel immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"Come on. We need to greet the guests."

I was led by Hazel toward the reception room.

The closer we got, the louder the bustling sounds became.

There must be quite a lot of guests who arrived before us.

Hazel forcefully opened the reception room door.

This drew everyone's attention to us.

"Miss Hazel?"

"Lady Hazel!"

The reaction was absolutely enthusiastic.

The guests who had been scattered around the reception room having conversations all rushed over and surrounded Hazel.

"You've become even more beautiful since we last saw you!"

"Lady Rabel, you're the one whose skin is practically glowing."

"The mansion is so pretty, I was completely surprised!"

"Thank you for the kind words. I'll give you a personal tour later."

Wow, amazing.

To handle all those people so calmly like that.

I heard that Hazel was incredibly famous in high society, and it seems that was really true.

"M-Miss Hazel! It's an honor to meet you like this!"

"Do you perhaps remember me? We met once in the capital..."

It wasn't just the girls.

The male nobles were also desperately trying to strike up conversations with Hazel.

"Of course I remember. You were with your younger brother, right?"

"Ah... I never thought you'd remember!"

When Hazel responded to the conversation, a smile full of happiness appeared on his face.

He seems incredibly happy just to have exchanged a word with Hazel.

Hazel really is popular indeed.

Well, she may be nasty, but she is pretty.

I'll give her that much.

Then, our eyes suddenly met.

Hazel raised one corner of her mouth in a smirk.

That damn girl...

What's the reason she's making that expression while looking at me?

Isn't she showing off her popularity? To feel superior even in this situation, she's really annoying.

"But Lady Hazel, who is that person?"

Then, one of the young noble ladies asked while looking at me.

"Oh, I was late introducing him. You'll all be meeting him for the first time. This is Theodore Haksen..."

At that moment, the reception room suddenly became quiet as if cold water had been poured on it.

The change was so sudden that even Hazel was flustered and closed her mouth.

"Haksen? The Haksen Ducal family?"

"That's the family where Damien Haksen is!"

"A boy our age from the Haksen Ducal family... that can only be Damien Haksen's nephew!"

"Damien Haksen's nephew is here?"

People immediately rushed toward me.

They surrounded me and bombarded me with all kinds of questions.

"Y-Young master Theodore! Are you really Lord Damien Haksen's nephew?"

"Is it true that Lord Damien Haksen can do anything with just one sword?"

"They say even the Imperial Supreme Sword can't move in front of Lord Damien Haksen!"

Aaaah.

I unconsciously stepped backward.

This was the first time in my life I'd received such excessive attention.

I looked at Hazel with pleading eyes, not knowing what to do.

"...Grrr."

But Hazel was trembling so much she didn't even notice my gaze.

I guess she didn't expect people to be this enthusiastic about me.

But not all the nobles had swarmed me yet.

The young male nobles who had been seeking Hazel's attention were still there.

"...Everyone seems very curious about Lord Damien Haksen. Shall we step aside for a moment?"

Hazel asked the young male nobles with a forced smile.

At that moment, the young male nobles all rushed toward me at once.

"I-I've always admired Lord Damien Haksen!"

"P-please, if it's alright, tell us about Lord Damien Haksen!"

The young male nobles questioned me even more enthusiastically than before.

"Th-this..."

Left alone, Hazel glared at me with tears welling up in her eyes.

Hmm.

It's satisfying, but I feel a bit wronged.

Honestly, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

***

The questioning continued after that.

"Is it true that Lord Damien Haksen has millions of undead legions under his command?"

"That can't be true."

"Then the rumor about dwarves working as undead is also false?"

"Oh, that one's true."

No, rather than continued, it would be more accurate to say it never ended.

People asked all sorts of questions as if they were determined to satisfy all their curiosity with this opportunity.

Actually, the Haksen Ducal family rarely engages in external activities despite its fame.

It's because of Uncle's policy.

He said that since the entire continent's attention is already focused on the Haksen Ducal family because of him, frequent external activities wouldn't be beneficial.

The person who saved me from the barrage of questions was none other than Hazel.

Clap!

Hazel drew people's attention with applause and then said this:

"Doesn't everyone feel stuffy just staying inside?"

A servant who had arrived in the reception room was holding out a bow made of ash wood.

Hazel picked up the bow and said to the people.

"How about we warm up our bodies in preparation for tomorrow's hunt? It would also be fun to compete in archery skills, don't you think?"

It must have been a really good suggestion.

People nodded their heads, forgetting about questioning me.

"That sounds great!"

"I'm in favor too."

The young male nobles shouted with faces full of competitive spirit.

Being at the age when their blood runs hot, they probably couldn't just pass by the word ‘competition.’

The young ladies looked at the young male nobles with excited faces.

"Then please come downstairs when you're ready."

Saying that, Hazel went downstairs first.

She didn't forget to glare at me on the way down.

***

"10 points!"

When the arrow hit the center of the target, a servant raised a flag and shouted.

"Wow."

"Woooow."

People all exclaimed in admiration at the sight.

Hazel smiled briefly and lowered her bow.

"Lady Hazel, you're amazing!"

"You've hit the center for the fourth time already!"

Surprisingly, the winner of the archery competition didn't come from among the young male nobles.

Hazel won overwhelmingly with superior skills.

"My condition just happened to be a bit better today."

Hazel was being modest like that, but her eyes weren't modest at all.

They were full of satisfaction.

What was I doing, you ask?

Oh, I was...

"Ugh, ughhh!"

"Young master Theo! That's it! Pull just a little harder!"

Embarrassingly, I couldn't even draw the bowstring.

So now I'm receiving one-on-one instruction from another noble.

In the end, I had to lower the bow again without being able to fully draw the string.

"Ah, you almost had it."

The young noble who was teaching me said regretfully.

I could only make an awkward expression.

"You taught me so earnestly, but I'm not keeping up."

"Not at all! Young master Theodore, you did well. It's just that I'm lacking..."

"I see things aren't going well?"

Then, I heard a voice I didn't want to hear.

When I turned my head, I saw Hazel with a faint sneer.

"You should have practiced hard usually. Like me."

This damn girl.

She's trying to beat me with all these people watching?

The problem is that it's a valid point, so I have nothing to say.

But I couldn't just admit defeat.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and said.

"I should have worked hard usually like you said."

"It's not too late now. If you work hard following my example..."

"I don't need to practice archery. Uncle catches everything for me if I just ask."

At that moment, exclamations burst out from among the nobles.

"What do you mean Lord Damien Haksen catches everything for you?"

"Well, exactly that. He catches them with magic or his sword."

"H-hunting prey with a sword? By throwing it? Does he throw it to hit them?"

"He just swings it casually and the prey appears right in front of us."

"W-wooooow!"

As soon as I mentioned Uncle, the atmosphere changed instantly.

Hazel glared at me with a disgusted expression.

It was as if she was saying she definitely wouldn't let me off next time.

It's a bit underhanded, but what can I do? She's the one who picked the fight first.

"How noisy. Are nobles these days always this talkative?"

Then, I heard an unfamiliar voice.

I reflexively looked in the direction of the sound.

Then I saw a bald man in a purple robe.

Maybe it was because of his skinny body and hooked nose.

Somehow it felt like I was looking at a large bald eagle rather than a person.

The problem is how that person got here.

This is the Ryan Bloom Marquis family's territory.

There's no way such a suspicious-looking person could have entered.

Hazel must have had the same thought as me. She immediately shouted toward the air.

"An intruder has appeared!"

Knights immediately burst out from the forest.

The knights blocked the man's path and drew their swords to point at him.

As expected of the Ryan Bloom Marquis family's knights.

Swift and precise.

But even seeing the knights, the bald man wasn't scared at all.

"Quite excellent guard dogs, but..."

Instead, he twisted his lips and raised the back of his hand.

On the back of his sickly white hand, a black pattern was floating.

"They're nothing compared to the power bestowed by the Lord of Hell."

Right after the monster said that, darkness covered everything before my eyes.

And when the darkness lifted, the children and I had been kidnapped to a cave where an altar was set up.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]