Chapter 2638 – 2638. Dark Moon

I returned to the banquet hall with the Queen and the Royal Head Maid, Florence. All eyes were on us.

Most seemed curious about what kind of conversation I had with the Queen, but some, who wielded significant influence in Neo London, seemed to have an idea of what we discussed and exuded a relaxed atmosphere.

‘Are they also remaining neutral in the succession battle after talking with the Queen?’

However, the Queen is someone who will eventually step down from the throne. I can’t be sure they will remain neutral until the end.

‘The expressions of the princesses and princes are stiff. As the parties involved, they must know the Queen’s intentions better than anyone.’

The Queen was old but still vigorous.

“In my dream last night, I saw three suns rising over Neo London. Two more suns rising because one couldn’t set! Isn’t that an auspicious dream?”

The Queen joked.

“If there are three suns, it might get too hot and Neo London might melt,”

Florence chimed in from the side. They seemed more like friends than a master-servant relationship.

“Florence, melt? That’s not something a lady should say.”

“Why do you always think in that direction when you’re at an age where you shouldn’t have any sexual desires….”

“Isn’t that what you’re thinking? Or am I wrong?”

“You’re right. Neo London is the Queen’s country, so if it had a gender, it should be considered a woman, shouldn’t it?”

“Don’t turn the city into a woman. I’m sometimes scared of what’s going on in your head.”

The nobles around them managed their expressions. It seemed like they were used to it. The Queen and the maid’s banter was nothing new.

Still, the Queen was the center of this banquet.

“Oh, Count Tolan. It’s been a while. Three years? I thought you were dead.”

“Haha. I had a hard time because my business wasn’t going well for a while. But I’ve appeared before Your Majesty like this. You haven’t changed at all.”

“Lady May. You look beautiful today as well. What kind of cosmetics do you use? Will you tell me the secret?”

“Oh my, Your Majesty, you’re too much. Of course, I’ll tell you.”

The Queen walked around the banquet hall, talking to people. She greeted them with jokes. She didn’t say a single word about politics. Everyone here was friendly to the Queen. At least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.

‘You never know what’s on the inside.’

Just then, Florence slightly fell back and approached me. She took out a wine and a wine glass from her apron pocket.

“This is a hard-to-find wine. I’ll give you the honor of having a glass, Count.”

Florence’s right hand swept over the wine bottle. The cork sealing the wine had already moved onto her palm.

‘Teleportation? Is it a space-related ability? I didn’t feel any magic.’

Florence also appears in the original game. But no detailed information is known about her. I don’t know what kind of abilities she has.

She poured the wine with a blank face. As expected of a Prime-level, her movements had the air of an expert.

“…Now that I look at it, the label is strange. 137. A wine with only a number on it. I’ve never heard of it.”

“It means it’s the 137th wine. There’s no other meaning.”

“Could it be handmade?”

“Yes. It’s a wine made by me, the master sommelier and master of wine. It’s a wine that’s hard to get even with money. Because I don’t sell it.”

Florence handed me the wine she had poured in a moderate amount. Even without bringing my nose close, I could smell the unique aroma of the wine. I could tell without even tasting it. This was definitely delicious.

“Did you know? The higher the grade, the more special the body becomes. There’s a saying that a 7th-grade warrior’s fingernail is harder than steel. And there are even rumors that the body fluids of the saints of Divine France are holy water. And I’m an 8th-grade. I’ve added something extra to this wine that men will like.”

“……Don’t tell me. Did you put your body fluids in here?”

“Body fluids? That’s sexual harassment.”

What is with this woman? She was talking nonsense with a blank face.

I looked at her with bewildered eyes, then at the wine. It smelled good. There were no other peculiarities.

“Rest assured. What I added was a bit of mandrake root juice. Yes. The one that’s good for a man’s… you know.”

I widened my eyes. Mandrake was a well-known elixir even in this world. She put its root juice in? It was a tonic in itself. It was also true that it was good for a man’s stamina.

“Isn’t mandrake root known to be very bitter? Is it okay to put it in wine?”

“I’ve improved the bitterness to suit the wine using alchemy, so it’s fine. Please try it.”

I was suspicious, but I brought the wine glass to my lips. It was hard to resist since it was said to be good for stamina. It was a man’s instinct.

After taking a sip, I widened my eyes. Whether it was the effect of the mandrake or not, my body felt pleasantly warm and full of energy. Above all, it tasted incredibly good.

“This is… amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

I enjoyed the wine for a while and then asked her.

“Ms. Palmer.”

“Florence is fine.”

“…Ms. Florence. What is your purpose in approaching me? What are you curious about?”

“You’re cold. Isn’t it possible that I’m flirting with you because I admire you, Count? I even treated you to a precious wine.”

“Thank you for the wine, but I’ve heard stories about Ms. Florence. I heard that Ms. Florence doesn’t directly step forward even if there’s a royal event.”

“All the royal servants are capable, so there’s no need for me to step forward. Still, I set the direction.”

“That must be convenient.”

“Yes. It’s a very comfortable position. I only need to worry about Her Majesty the Queen. Well, sometimes Her Majesty makes unreasonable requests, which can be troublesome.”

“……Is it because of Yuria?”

Florence was still expressionless. It seemed difficult to guess her inner thoughts from her expression.

“Yes. I was curious about what kind of person the master of the next Prime-level maid is. Of course, she hasn’t become a Prime yet… but it seems highly likely that she will become my junior.”

“Junior. Yuria won’t work for the royal family.”

“The final examiner for the Prime certification is Her Majesty the Queen. Her final test is to assist Her Majesty for 100 days. In other words, she will be my successor for 100 days. Even if that’s not the case, she’s still my junior. I’m also a graduate of the Maid Academy.”

“Is it okay to leak the test details like this?”

“If she’s truly a Prime-level talent, she would have already guessed the final test. Also, knowing the test details in advance doesn’t change anything. The final test is a test to evaluate all her abilities.”

“In the end, Yuria will pass.”

“You have great faith in her. Ah, people who have met her say that she and I are similar. As her master, what do you think?”

The reason why others felt that Yuria and she were similar was probably because of the unique feeling of genius.

I unknowingly scanned Florence up and down. She was beautiful. But to say she was as beautiful as Yuria, I wasn’t so sure. She had jet-black hair, while Yuria had silver-blue hair.

“Ah. You’re about the same height.”

She was quite tall for a woman.

“Didn’t you just look at my chest?”

“Yuria’s is bigger.”

“…To openly sexually harass me. I’ve done something too, so I’ll let it go this time. …But is it really that big? I’m quite confident in my chest.”

Florence’s chest was also big. I guessed it was about an E cup. Judging by the maid uniform that subtly emphasized her chest, she seemed to have some pride in it.

“Yuria’s is bigger.”

“…Hmm. My junior is a formidable opponent.”

Florence crossed her arms, supporting her chest. Even so, Yuria, who was just standing still, was bigger.

As I stood there blankly, she sighed and uncrossed her arms. Unlike her consistently expressionless face, she seemed to have a bit of a playful side.

“It was a pleasure talking to you today, Count. It’s almost auction time, so I’ll be going. I hope to see you again if the opportunity arises.”

Florence returned to the Queen.

‘Did she really come to talk to me because she was curious about me, Yuria’s master?’

She was an unpredictable woman in many ways.

• • •

Maids and butlers entered the banquet hall. Moving in perfect order, they created an auction area in the center of the banquet hall.

Party attendees put up items for auction, and other attendees purchased them. The purchased items were kept, but the proceeds from the sale were donated entirely in the seller’s name.

The important thing wasn’t the donation. It was the event itself. The people who attended this party were all CEOs or executives of large corporations, or high nobles. Even nobles with weak power were still nobles.

‘It’s an opportunity to promote items in front of them.’

And there were also reporters watching this place. I couldn’t see any reporters right now, but… it was obvious that all sorts of articles would come out within an hour after the banquet ended.

‘An opportunity that entrepreneurs can’t miss.’

The one who stepped up to the center of the auction area was a butler wearing a diamond-shaped badge with a cross on it. A Superior-level butler, two levels higher than Triple, became the auctioneer and proceeded with the event.

“The first item is a necklace that Her Majesty the Queen used in her youth! It’s an artifact with 5th-grade physical protection and health management magic! There’s a limit of 6 hours of activation per day! The starting bid is 1 million credits!”

It was a pretty good artifact. More than that, it was more valuable because the Queen used it in her youth.

‘The current Queen’s popularity is among the top five in history. Queen fanatics can’t resist.’

And more than half of the nobles here were Queen fanatics.

“5 million credits!”

“6 million!”

“8 million!!”

The nobles shouted one after another. Honestly, it was a bit undignified… but the atmosphere of the auction quickly heated up. The host, the Queen, was watching with a smile. Florence was expressionless beside her.

“60 million.”

I shouted. The surroundings became quiet. It was a 5th-grade artifact, but since there was a 6-hour limit per day, 60 million credits was excessively expensive.

But this was also a way to prove loyalty to the Queen.

“70 million!!”

Someone bid higher. It was a high noble. I glanced at him for a moment and then said.

“100 million.”

I was generous when spending money.

Some nobles were intimidated, and some chuckled.

‘After all, 100 million will be donated in the Queen’s name. You have to show off when you’re showing off money. And if you don’t swear in a place like this, you’ll get cursed at.’

Especially since LK Corporation had been making crazy money recently, it was easy to get cursed at. To avoid that, I had to spend money.

“The first item has been won by Count Eugene Meyer!”

The Queen was the first to applaud. Others followed suit.

The auction continued. The nobles put out their cherished items, and the entrepreneurs put out their new products and limited editions.

I spent money moderately and won bids for items that I didn’t need right away.

‘The important thing is to spend money.’

I didn’t bid on the princesses’ and princes’ items.

I, who had been flaunting my wealth by spending money like crazy, closed my mouth. The people gathered here were basically capable people. Of course, they couldn’t help but notice the intention.

I have no interest in the succession battle. I’m neutral.

A signal that anyone who doesn’t understand is an idiot.

The Queen smiled contentedly, and the princes’ and princesses’ expressions stiffened.

“Next is an item from Count Eugene Meyer! It’s a metal called Adarium! It’s said to be an Adamantium alloy! This Adarium has the ability to block all kinds of energy!”

“…Block all energy? Mana, heat, cold, electricity, everything?”

“Not an artifact, but a metal?”

“So LK Corporation didn’t just have superconductors….”

“If this is true… the world will go crazy again.”

The banquet hall began to get noisy.