Chapter 32

Night fell over Ironwood Keep, and the hall was ablaze with light.

"Tonight, we are honored by the presence of Lady Ophelia, daughter of Archduke Landon! On behalf of all the people of Ironwood, I welcome you! A toast to you!"

Dressed in formal evening wear, Charlo raised his goblet and drained it in one go.

The other officials of Ironwood stood up in unison. "To Lady Ophelia!" they chorused, emptying their glasses.

"I am delighted by your warm welcome despite my sudden intrusion! To you, Viscount Charlo!"

Ophelia, resplendent in a grand gown, showed no hesitation. She raised her glass and drank slowly but completely, leaving not a drop.

Charlo frowned slightly, exchanging a glance with Davis across the table. He gave a subtle signal.

Davis understood. He raised his glass. "Lady Ophelia, your elegance is unmatched! Your beauty captures the world's gaze; seeing you today is like beholding the face of a goddess!"

But Ophelia merely offered a faint "thank you." Before Davis could continue, the middle-aged man beside her stood up.

"You must be the knight who guided the Young Lady today? I am Pales de Goethe! Thank you for your service."

"This..." Davis paused, caught off guard. He could only bow slightly to the man. "I am Davis de Lord. It was my duty; no thanks are necessary."

Seeing Davis’s opening gambit fail, Charlo glanced at Lawrence. The Minister of Internal Affairs nodded slightly.

However, before Lawrence could stand, Ophelia raised her glass again.

"I came here primarily to celebrate Viscount Charlo's victory! You successfully defeated Viscount Baroque and his conspirators, thwarted their despicable plot, and maintained peace and stability in the Eastern Border. I toast you!"

She drank, then fixed her blue eyes directly on Charlo.

Outmaneuvered, Charlo could only stand up again, forcing a smile. "It is the duty of a border lord! You praise me too highly."

He threw his head back and drank, then sat down heavily, feeling stifled.

"I heard that Viscount Charlo deployed many Grand Magi to inflict heavy damage on Viscount Baroque's forces. May I ask which masters assisted you?" Ophelia asked innocently.

"Uh... In fact, I have no Grand Magi here," Charlo explained quickly. "I simply set up ambushes along their march route ahead of time, using single-use magic scrolls!"

"Hehe! Then Viscount Charlo must be incredibly wealthy. To throw scrolls continuously for over ten minutes... Even Border Earl Esther would feel the pinch of such expenditure, yet you seem unbothered!" Ophelia smiled faintly, clearly not buying a word of it.

Damn it! Charlo’s heart sank. He hadn't expected the "Little Princess of the East" to have investigated the battle details so thoroughly while merely traveling here! This was tricky.

"Ha... haha, well, I do have some savings," Charlo laughed awkwardly. "Although I used up eighty percent of my scroll inventory, I can replenish twenty or thirty percent over the next few years. Barely enough for self-defense."

First, imply he wasn't short of money. Second, claim his inventory was depleted (to lower her guard). Third, hint that he could recover quickly (a warning to other potential aggressors).

He didn't know who leaked the details to Ophelia, but he had to spin the narrative carefully.

"Is that so? Viscount Charlo has managed Ironwood for only four years, yet you have amassed such wealth from this remote land. Ophelia is impressed! A toast to you!" Ophelia raised her glass again.

Charlo had no choice but to drink another cup.

"Please do not be surprised, Lady Ophelia. To the south of Ironwood lies the Great Forest of Death, which is rich in Ironwood trees. I have been aggressively logging for the past few years, so I have made some money!" Charlo explained.

Although the Great Forest of Death had a terrifying name, it was far less dangerous than the Forest of Magic Beasts. There were no magical creatures, and even ordinary predators were rare. Development wasn't difficult.

The only difficulty lay in the hardness of the Ironwood trees. Their wood was comparable to cast iron, hence the name. Felling them was labor-intensive.

But precisely because of this hardness, Ironwood fetched a high price in the noble market. It served as a plausible explanation for his wealth.

Charlo’s high-end exports—porcelain, glass, refined salt—were sold through his family connections in the capital. He wasn't worried about Ophelia knowing about those. But since he kept them secret locally, explaining his massive sudden wealth was tricky. Thankfully, the short timeframe meant Ophelia likely hadn't audited his exact timber sales volume yet, so he could bluff his way through.

"I see!" Ophelia nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. Charlo breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am Lawrence de Rose!" Lawrence finally found his opening. He raised his glass. "Lady Ophelia, as the daughter of Archduke Landon, to travel so far for my Lord, a mere Viscount... I toast you!"

"Sir Lawrence, every Lord is a foundation of the East. From Dukes to Knights, only when everyone follows the rules can the people of the East live and work in peace!" Ophelia returned the toast, her voice calm. "This time, Viscount Baroque and his cohorts broke the peace by launching an unprovoked attack. They suffered the punishment they deserved! I came here to stand with Viscount Charlo, to tell everyone that rule-breakers will be punished!"

"Well said!" Charlo shouted loudly. "Thank you, Lady Ophelia! Lawrence, from now on, the price of Ironwood sold to Archduke Landon will be seventy percent of the market rate!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Lawrence responded immediately.

"To Lady Ophelia!" Charlo raised his glass high.

"To Lady Ophelia!!" Everyone else stood up and joined in.

______________________

Outside Ironwood Keep.

Clyris crouched on a nearby rooftop, watching the hall through a telescope.

She didn't dare get too close. Ophelia’s entourage included three Seventh-Rank Knights, one Seventh-Rank Magus, and an Eighth-Rank Knight. That was equivalent to a third of the combat power of a Marquessate.

In her prime, Ninth-Rank powerhouses were mere ants to her. But now, heavily wounded and recovering, facing an Eighth-Rank Knight alone would be difficult. Add three Seventh-Rankers and a Magus to the mix, and if she were discovered, escape might be impossible.

Fortunately, her concealment technique was flawless. By using gravity to distort the ambient mana around her, she merged perfectly with nature. Even Elemental Vision couldn't detect her from a distance.

But close range was a different story. Anyone skilled could sense the discontinuity in space and realize something was wrong.

"What on earth are they talking about..."

Through the telescope, she watched Charlo and the others laughing and chatting through the window, but she couldn't hear a sound. The more she watched, the more irritable she became! She wanted nothing more than to cast an Eavesdropping Spell right then and there.

"Honestly... if only there were a device that could eavesdrop without using magic!" Clyris complained, suppressing the urge with rationality.

Once she used magic, the mana fluctuation would expose her instantly.

Finally, seeing everyone stand up and raise their glasses to toast Ophelia, she knew the banquet was ending.

"Forget it. I'll just ask him later!"

Deciding to interrogate Charlo directly afterward, Clyris stood up and slipped away into the night.