Chapter 46 Romantic Entanglements And The White Snake’s Demand
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”W-Why, you bastard…!”
A dry, furious roar echoed through the student council room.
Standing by the window where the sunlight came in, Elliot Valias — Prince Liam’s fiercely loyal helper — looked like his veins might pop from pure rage. He had just seen Elenor and me kissing.
His face was bright red, twisted into the face of a demon.
He must have had some special feelings for Elenor.
My deepest sympathy.
I ended the kiss, keeping my arm around Elenor, who was still clearly dizzy, and slowly looked toward Elliot.
Papers that had been knocked loose during our earlier fight lay spread on the floor. I looked down at them, then gave a helpless, casual shrug.
”Look, it’s just a minor lovers’ quarrel,” I said, spinning the half-baked lie on the spot. “Elenor here was getting jealous because I’ve been friendly with some of the other girls in class. I was just trying to soothe her and calm her down.”1
I said it so smoothly it sounded like the truth. The words came out as easily as if I were reading from a script.
In short, the story went like this:
Elenor had been meeting me in secret. She didn’t care about my fiancée (Cecilia), but she couldn’t stand me getting close to our classmate Lizel.
So she called me into the student council room to scold me about it.
An ordinary, cliché lover’s fight. That was the story I made up on the spot.
”T-The truth is… Well, that is exactly what happened,” Elenor stuttered, her voice shaking with fake feeling. “While secret meetings were being held to talk about the peace treaty with the Adrastea Empire, we… we found ourselves drawn to each other. But we are both set to marry partners chosen by our parents. Please, Elliot, I beg you to keep this just between us.”
Elenor’s confession was breathtakingly convincing.
As expected of the student council president known for her sharp mind.
She understood the crazy story I made up in a split second.
With the perfect skill of a star actress, she fit into the role without any mistake. A faint sheen of tears still stayed in her eyes, but now it looked like a planned part of her act.
As her words sank in, a deep, terrible despair spread across Elliot’s face.
The color left his skin, and the light left his eyes.
It seemed Elenor had no idea about the romantic feelings Elliot had for her.
I felt a tiny bit of pity for him, but other than thinking “poor guy,” there was nothing else I could do for him.
With my business done, I let go of Elenor and got ready to leave.
”Well then, Elenor. I’ll make sure to spoil you like this from time to time. So don’t be so jealous, alright?”
I let the cocky line slip just to push her buttons.
Seeing how she reacted at times like this was my small secret fun.
”…Grr! …I-I understand,” Elenor replied, biting her lip in frustration, yet playing her part perfectly until the very end. “However, you must also be more mindful of the distance you keep from other female students while at school…!”
”Yeah, yeah, I get it. See ya,” I scoffed softly. “…Sorry for interrupting your work, Elliot.”
With that, I gave Elliot’s empty, spiritless shoulder a light pat and walked out of the student council room.
Looking back, the shadow he left behind seemed covered in deep, sad gloom.
Officially, I headed straight home.
Later that afternoon, while I was relaxing at my mansion, an urgent message came through using communication magic from the theater-style restaurant, [Star of the Desert].
Apparently, a big merchant known by the name ‘White Snake,’ Ignazio Valachia, had arrived as a customer and was asking to see me.
Ignazio.
On the surface, he acted like a kind merchant running clean businesses, but under that surface, he led [Whispering Ear], a huge secret organization that controlled the information network of the Royal Capital alone. People said his pale skin had never even known the color of blood.
”…What could he possibly want?”
I could have ignored it, but I was curious.
We were, after all, old rivals who had bid against each other until the bitter end at the underground auction.
I already knew pretty well what his business was about.
”Guess I’ll go see him.”
I sent a quick reply via communication magic (a magic artifact that works like a fax) to tell them I was coming, then changed out of my comfy lounge clothes into formal wear for the meeting.
The cool touch of the silk shirt felt pleasant against my skin.
Using Teleportation Magic, I instantly traveled to the basement of the theater.
A faint, sweet scent of perfume lingered in the dim corridor—perhaps an afterthought left behind by a passing dancer.
”Once the show is over, guide him to the underground VIP lounge,” I commanded the theater manager.
Settling into the luxurious basement room, I prepared to wait for Ignazio.
A freshly lit candle flickered on the polished ebony table.
Its tiny flame cast strange, dancing shadows against the wall.
* * *
”I am profoundly honored that you have granted me this audience, Grimlock-sama.”
The heavy door of the VIP lounge opened without a sound, and Ignazio appeared.
His words were perfectly polite, but his face was as unreadable as a mask. Even his bow seemed perfectly measured. With his deathly pale skin, he gave off a feeling that had no life in it at all.
I sat far back into the sofa and accepted his polite greeting.
”Think nothing of it. I was a bit curious about what you have to say. Well, have a seat.”
Only after I allowed him did Ignazio sit on the sofa across from me. Every one of his moves was perfectly polite.
”Even so, it was a truly great performance,” Ignazio said, his British accent elegant and calm. “I had heard the rumors, of course, but to see it in person was much more than I expected.”
”Naturally.”
I brushed off his praise as if it were a given.
The loud noise from the theater upstairs did not reach this VIP lounge. In the total quiet, only the candle made a faint, occasional crackle.
”So, what is this business you mentioned?” I cut straight to the point.
His eyes shifted for a moment, as if looking for something deep behind my face.
”Yes. To be exact, it is about those beautiful sisters, ‘Pharma’ and ‘Leela,’ whom Grimlock-sama won at the auction the other day,” Ignazio explained smoothly, his tone perfectly polite. “I would very much like you to transfer the younger sister, ‘Leela,’ to my ownership. I have prepared 400,000 gold coins for this deal. How does that sound to you, sir?”
400,000 gold coins.
Since the amount I paid to win both sisters at the auction was 800,000 gold coins, this was exactly half.
He clearly didn’t think I would refuse.
A smile full of confidence played on his lips.
”Of course, the one I want to get is not the songstress who stood on the stage today,” Ignazio added, his elegant eyes narrowing a bit. “I am speaking of the true, real ‘Leela’ herself — the one you won at the auction.”
I had given the dancer Pharma and the songstress Leela a magic artifact of my own design, the [Ring of Transformation].
The one performing on stage today was without doubt the real songstress Leela, but her outer look should have made her seem like a completely different person.
As a fellow who was at the auction, Ignazio must have noticed the difference in how she looked right away.
Deep in his eyes, I caught a quick flash of curiosity.
(So he only wants the younger sister, huh. It seems his target was Leela alone from the very beginning. …Don’t tell me this guy is a lolicon?)
”Even if you ask me to hand her over, I’m not so sure,” I countered smoothly. “Is the songstress who performed today not to your liking? Her singing voice was quite exceptional, wasn’t it? If it’s her you want, I wouldn’t mind handing her over for 400,000 gold coins right this second.”
I made the dishonest offer on purpose, just to see if I could get any information out of him. His eyebrow twitched a tiny bit.
”No. That songstress has no such value to me, I promise you,” Ignazio said without a moment’s doubt, keeping his pleasant smile. “The one I am looking for is only the songstress named ‘Leela’ who was put up for sale at the auction.”
There was no doubt at all in his voice. His thin lips quietly spoke the words.
–Hmm.
Even though she was using the [Ring of Transformation], her singing voice had not changed at all. Also, I had set the artifact so that her looks stayed at the same level as her original self.
And yet, this man said she had “no value.”
In other words, whatever he was willing to spend so much money to get, it was not her singing voice, and it was not her amazing beauty.
Then what was it?
Well, I doubted a man like him would give up his secrets so easily…
The air in the room grew noticeably heavier than before.
It felt thick, almost sticky.
It looks like I’ll need to dig deeper to find out what he really wants.
If I don’t figure out the enemy’s real goal and guess his next move, I might be in a very dangerous position.
—
Summary:
Escaping a sudden confrontation with a furious student council aide via a perfectly executed faux lovers’ quarrel, the protagonist retreats homeward safely. He is quickly summoned via magic to his luxury establishment by a powerful underworld information broker known as the White Snake. The broker makes a massive financial bid for an enslaved songstress, dismissing her appearance and voice entirely to target a hidden quality.
—
Trivia:
Elliot Valias is completely oblivious to the fact that his deep infatuation with Elenor is entirely unreciprocated and ignored by her.
The protagonist possesses a magic artifact called the Ring of Transformation that modifies physical appearance but leaves vocal properties intact.
Ignazio Valachia commands the secret spy network known as Whispering Ear while masquerading as a clean merchant in the Royal Capital.
The transaction price offered for Leela represents precisely half of the total sum spent by Grimlock to purchase both sisters at the secret auction.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Elenor – The Student Council President, a noble princess and revered “Saint of Light” with radiant golden hair and piercing blue eyes, is a sharp-minded master of adaptation. A skilled swordswoman and secret arena gladiator, she relies on past lessons with Xenos to prepare for threats like Grimlock’s tracking magic. Despite facing a brutal submission ordeal, she remains resilient, performing expertly to protect her secrets.
• Elliot – A tall, slender student council member and fiercely loyal aide to Prince Liam, he is known for his sharp, strategic mind and piercing blue eyes. Often seen with his signature deep blue hair, he is a close associate of the Prince who harbors deep, unrequited romantic feelings for Elenor, reacting with visible fury and extreme distress whenever he witnesses her intimacy with others like Grimlock.
• Valias – The Valias family name, carried by Elliot.
• Liam – The idealistic First Prince is a calm, detached leader dedicated to human and demi-human harmony. Engaged to Princess Elisabeth Adrastea, he maneuvers against the warmongering Grimlock family while maintaining the absolute loyalty of his aide, Elliot Valias. His political standing is threatened by a leaked magic recording that reveals his secret, passionate pursuit of Cecilia over his duty.
• Cecilia – The eldest daughter of the Vermillion Duchy is a graceful noble with crimson hair and cobalt-blue eyes. Outwardly cold and status-driven, she masks her love for beastfolk and cosplay under a refined demeanor. Bound by a crest to Xenos—her target for annulment—she hides timid, teasing affection for him. She is also the designated fiancée of Grimlock and is currently pursued by Prince Liam.
• Lizel – A petite, graceful Blanchet count’s daughter, this magic academy student is known for her vibrant pink twin-tails, purple eyes, and defensive tsundere nature. A powerful wind mage, she masks her vulnerability with a prickly exterior. Fiancée to Luca Dalton, Kai’s master, and a classmate of Grimlock, she harbors deep feelings for Xenos, whom she shadows with a mix of aggression and devotion.
• Adrastea – Princess Elisabeth bears the imperial family name of the Adrastea Empire, representing the majesty of the enemy nation she rules. As a royal figure, she embodies the power and identity of her lineage, standing at the center of the empire’s influence and its complex relationships with surrounding nations.
• Valachia – The Valachia family name, carried by Ignazio. The family name carried by Ignazio.
• Ignazio – The ‘White Snake’ is a gaunt, cold-eyed tycoon with slicked-back white hair and a predator’s gaze. Leading an underground intelligence empire behind a polished merchant facade, he exudes a lifeless, mask-like composure. Driven by an obsession with victory, he is a corrupt, ruthless operator who aggressively pursues targets through threats and illicit transactions, currently fixated on obtaining Leela.
• Grimlock – Xenos, heir to the influential House of Margrave Grimlock, manages his family’s assets and military legacy from the Royal Capital alongside his father, Gaius. Behind this prestigious facade, the mana-less protagonist exploits his knowledge of the game’s script to manipulate others. Using tactical falsehoods, spatial magic, and the Collar of Submission, he maneuvers through dangerous social circles.
• Pharma – An elven performer at the Star of the Desert, she is a beautiful dancer who works alongside her sister, Leela. Initially won at an underground auction, she now masks her identity with a magical ring to protect them. While she appears timid and trembling, she is a fierce guardian, delivering passionate performances in glittering costumes to ensure their safety while keeping their past hidden.
• Leela – A silver-haired elven songstress from Zahara, she performs at the Star of the Desert theater with her older sister, Pharma. Though timid, she is resolute in staying at the theater despite being a target for high-stakes underworld acquisitions. Using a transformation ring to mask her past as an auction captive, she weaves magic through her voice, protected by her devoted sister from their shared past.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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