Killing the Possessor - Chapter 29

Silver hair. Just that alone was enough to put my body on high alert. Now that I thought about it, that man was an aristocrat.

The male lead couldn’t just be an investigator. He wasn’t the kind of aristocrat who had only a name and nothing else; he was the only son of Duke Abyss.

A man with a solid background, yet he was running around on the field, chasing after possessors without even seeking promotion. That was Ren Abyss for you.

Given his prominent status, it wasn’t surprising to see him in the palace.

“So, what’s the big deal? I’ve got nothing to hide.”

It was a little odd that he kept asking me why I was there last time in Loitri, but I thought I’d given enough of an answer. I just had to make sure to stay out of his sight when I met the female lead.

“What are you mumbling about?”

Dahlia asked gruffly, apparently hearing me. I turned to her, still staring out the window, and replied casually, “Mind your business. Focus on your debut.”

“Is that supposed to be encouragement?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, I turned to look at her. She was pouting, but her bright eyes showed a hint of expectation.

Reluctantly, I had to ask, “You want encouragement from me?”

“You’ve already debuted, and you’ve seen the Empress several times. This is my first time meeting the Empress.”

Then, Glinda, who had been silent, joined in.

“Exactly. Your sister is about to make a big debut, and you don’t have a single kind word for her? Say something nice to lift her spirits.”

“….”

When did we become this close? I was taken aback, but then decided to think of her like a high school student before the entrance exam. Even if she was an annoying stepsister I wanted to strangle most of the time, maybe I could give her some encouraging words on exam day.

“You’re pretty. If you don’t mess up, you’ll have lots of suitors.”

I said, biting back the urge to add “as long as you don’t open your mouth and show your naive brain.”

Dahlia seemed to lighten up, and she responded with a proud look.

“Do you think I’d mess up? I’ve been preparing for years.”

“…Right. Just make sure you do well.”

With no real interest in the situation, I ended the conversation quickly. Fortunately, not long after, it was our turn to get out of the carriage.

As expected for a debutante ball, the palace was full of people. The crowd was as eye-catching as the grand chandeliers, flowers, and curtains that decorated the space. The various dresses and colorful headpieces were enough to draw attention from the lavish palace surroundings.

It was much more extravagant than any company holiday party I’d been to. I was about to wander around, my mouth hanging open in awe, when suddenly, a burst of light appeared in front of me, and a new message filled my vision.

[Welcome to the playfield.]

“…Playfield?”

I wondered if this was the main location from the first chapter, or if there was something specific to this place that could only happen here.

Just as I was pondering, the screen displayed a new message as if reading my thoughts.

[In the Playfield, you can defeat the evil spirits and check the favorability of the male leads.]

“Evil spirits? And they want me to defeat them?”

The bad memories of dying hundreds of times in the game came rushing back. I definitely wanted to avoid that, but the information about checking the favorability was quite welcome.

First, I needed to meet the female lead and renew my residence permit, then I could check out the male leads when I had the chance. The investigator guy was automatically excluded, so maybe I should look for the prince later.

As I was making plans and wandering aimlessly, I noticed someone who caught my attention.

A woman wearing an absurdly oversized, puffed-up dress. She was giving off an air of being out of place in the crowd. Holding a wine glass in one hand and standing there alone, she seemed more like an abandoned prop placed awkwardly against the wall than a person.

She didn’t fit in with the bright and lively atmosphere of the ball at all. As I watched her, her transparent emotions, as she observed the cheerful groups of people chatting, tugged at my heartstrings.