WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 20: You Ugly Bitches....

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Damian was renowned as the Magic Tower's next master and a genius mage.

His pride was just as great, and he was not someone who easily opened his heart to women.

The only woman he had ever actively pursued was Lucia, the star of high society.

"I'd like to know your name, my lady. Would you whisper it to me with those sweet lips?"

Yet even with Lucia standing right beside him, he had been captivated by another woman.

Platinum-blond hair, blue eyes, and an innocent beauty that carried a strangely sensual air despite her youthful appearance.

Celine, dressed in a more mature style, was breathtakingly beautiful.

If Lucia was a splendid rose in full bloom, Celine was a plum blossom blooming alone amid snow.

"...Pardon?"

Caught off guard, Celine could only blink.

"Ah, forgive me for startling you, my lady."

Damian came to his senses a moment too late. Just as he reached out longingly toward Celine,

Smack!

A hand shot in like an arrow and seized Damian's wrist.

"Hey."

Damian turned his head and found golden eyes filled with killing intent.

"Want to die?"

"Who the hell are you?"

He was blocking Damian's approach to the young lady and openly showing hostility. There was only one obvious reason a man would act this way.

"You womanizing bastard. Are you planning to set up house with two women all by yourself?"

"Shut up and get lost. You have three seconds."

"That's what I should be saying. Let go of my hand and get lost. Now!"

Their gazes clashed so fiercely that sparks seemed ready to fly.

In the middle of that hostile standoff, Celine clung to Astin's arm.

"P-please calm down, Brother!"

Brother?

Thump!

"S-sowwy!!!"

Damian von Sirius, genius mage without equal.

His ability to assess a situation was as swift and accurate as his mana calculations.

That was why he was the deputy tower master.

"I failed to recognize you and spoke out of turn, Young Lord! No, Brother!!"

His attitude changed in an instant. Even his form of address had smoothly changed from Young Lord to Brother.

Astin only let out a short, disbelieving breath.

After glaring at Damian like he was a bug until the very end, Astin coldly turned away.

"Let's go, Celine."

"Ah...!"

Astin dragged Celine away by the wrist and left the terrace.

Every heavy footstep carried unmistakable anger.

Once the two had left, only Damian and Lucia remained on the terrace.

"Ahem. Ahem!"

Damian rose while dusting himself off, coughing awkwardly.

He had been desperately searching for Lucia until moments ago, only to fall for another woman in an instant.

From Lucia's perspective, he probably looked like the worst kind of bastard, switching women without a second thought.

Damian cautiously watched Lucia's expression.

"Lady Lucia. I'm sorry. I behaved rudely..."

Lucia gave him a smiling look before he could begin making excuses.

"I'll be rooting for you, Deputy Tower Master Damian."

There was no jealousy or hurt in her expression, only the warmest smile.

"Pardon? Lady Lucia, what do you mean by that...?"

"It means you should do your best. Good luck!"

Lucia even clenched a fist in encouragement.

Damian froze, unable to make sense of it.

Lucia left the terrace with her back to him, her steps light and buoyant.

'Perfect. That's finally one less!'

Four men who clung to her and made her life miserable.

Lucia felt deeply grateful to Celine for lifting a little of that suffocating burden from her shoulders.

* * *

"Where the hell is he hiding? He was standing in a corner until just a moment ago."

The two young ladies walked through the banquet hall, scanning every corner.

"Exactly. Do you think he just ran away?"

"That could be it."

Perhaps Astin had been unable to endure their stares and fled. What else could one expect from someone with such a notorious reputation as a wastrel?

The hand fanning irritably trembled with anxiety.

They had to humiliate Cardenos at the Founding Festival somehow.

It did not have to be Astin. Even the bastard would do.

That was the secret order House Rosenthal had given them.

"The future of our careers at the Magic Tower is on the line. We have to find that bastard at least."

With Rosenthal behind us, we could finally shed the tiresome label of apprentice.

The Magic Tower was a harsh place where talent alone was not enough to survive.

They desperately needed powerful patrons with vast wealth and influence.

Even as they spoke, the two kept their eyes peeled, searching the crowd with single-minded focus.

"Oh? Look over there."

"Did you find him?"

Red-painted lips formed a sinister curve.

"That's him. He's passing by right now."

A blond man and woman crossed the banquet hall.

It was Astin, walking out from the terrace with a stony expression, and Celine, hurrying to keep pace with his long strides.

"They're together, of all things."

"If we don't do it now, we might not get another chance. And it may be better that they're together. Remember, we need to be ready to take a few hits from Astin."

"Of course."

The two young ladies set down their champagne glasses and moved with elegant steps.

A servant carrying champagne on a silver tray was about to pass Astin and Celine.

The two young ladies quietly slipped past them as well.

Whoosh.

In that instant, a faint ripple of mana stirred at one young lady's fingertips.

Celine's gown was a long dress that reached all the way to her feet.

The secretly cast mana curled the inner hem of the dress inward.

The fabric cleverly wrapped around Celine's heel.

"!"

Celine's steps tangled, and she helplessly pitched forward.

She collided head-on with the servant. The silver tray in his hands flew into the air.

Crash! Clatter!

Golden champagne splashed everywhere.

Celine and the servant, both sprawled on the floor, were soaked. So were the dresses of the two young ladies passing beside them.

"Aaaaah!"

"W-what do you think you're doing?!"

The two young ladies let out exaggerated screams and jumped back. Every eye in the banquet hall turned toward them.

They dramatically shook champagne from their dresses and glared sharply at Celine.

"Oh my goodness, what are we supposed to do now? How could you suddenly crash into someone like that?"

"I-I'm sorry. My feet suddenly got tangled..."

"Your feet got tangled? I thought there was something strange about the way you were walking. You're Cardenos's bastard, aren't you?"

"Oh my, it really is you. I suppose you still haven't learned proper social etiquette. No matter what, how could you walk around so carelessly at an imperial palace banquet...?"

Celine's shoulders hunched miserably.

With everyone's eyes on them, the two young ladies made an even bigger show of shaking out their dresses.

"Do you want your tongues ripped out?"

Golden eyes, thick with killing intent, flashed.

Astin stepped in front of the two young ladies, shielding Celine with his body.

"Young Lord Astin. What did you just say?"

"Do you think I don't know? You two tripped Celine."

"Pardon? What are you... Why would we hold a grudge against such a young lady and trip her?"

"That's right. Please don't use your status as Cardenos's eldest young lord to threaten helpless women like us."

That was exactly what the two young ladies wanted.

Even in decline, Cardenos was still a force to be reckoned with. They had expected Astin to notice what they had done at such close range.

But Astin would be the only one who noticed. He had no way to prove it.

"Rosenthal?"

"Why are you suddenly bringing that up?"

The two young ladies did well to keep their expressions under control.

Astin surveyed the atmosphere around them, then glanced at the cowering Celine.

As long as this continued, Celine would only be humiliated further.

"Rosenthal or not, apologize to Celine and get lost. Then I'll let it go."

"Why should we apologize? We're the ones who suffered here."

"Our dresses are soaked, and we've been humiliated beyond belief. Shouldn't we be the ones receiving an apology?"

Astin's fist tightened without him realizing it. Veins stood out along his forearm.

This was the moment.

"O-oh my!"

One of them raised her voice for everyone nearby to hear.

"Young Lord, are you clenching your fist right now? Surely you aren't planning to use violence against us...?"

"Oh my. So the terrible things they said happened to Lady Azelin were not just rumors."

At the Founding Festival, where thousands of nobles had gathered, if Astin lost his temper and raised a hand, his reputation would fall beyond repair.

Astin forced down his rage until his knuckles cracked from how tightly he clenched his fist.

He wanted to tear their mouths apart immediately, but he had to hold back.

When they saw him hesitate, the two young ladies spoke even more pitifully.

"We aren't even asking for compensation for our dresses. We only wish to enjoy the Founding Festival His Majesty the Emperor has hosted."

"Please calm your anger and face reality. Don't let your emotions consume you. Think rationally."

They pretended otherwise as they surveyed the atmosphere in the banquet hall.

Most of the guests watched Astin and Celine with cold looks, whispering among themselves.

Astin already had a terrible reputation, and Celine was a bastard.

It was easy to control the crowd simply by painting them as the villains.

They would appear to be pitiful but principled women, trembling before a young lord known to beat women yet refusing to back down.

They had already achieved their goal, but they needed to drag him down as far as possible.

"Please stop glaring at us so frighteningly. If you offer one sincere apology, we're willing to quietly put this matter behind us."

"Is it difficult for you to lower your head because of your pride as the heir to a grand ducal house? But everyone in this banquet hall is suffering because of your stubbornness. Please think of everyone and let go of that pride."

Ideally, they wanted Astin to use violence.

Then the public would associate him with Azelin, further cementing the idea that Rosenthal was the tragic victim.

It was a perfect plan.

"Give me a break."

Until someone interrupted.

Click.

The steady sound of heels slowly drew near.

One person parted the crowd with confident strides. The two young ladies' eyes widened the moment they saw Lucia.

Why was she coming over here?

"I was watching from afar. There were far too many suspicious things going on."

With the attention of the entire hall on her, Lucia approached them.

Her crimson eyes narrowed lazily.

"You two are very suspicious."

"W-what do you mean, suspicious?"

Ignoring them, Lucia approached Celine.

"Excuse me for a moment."

She gently lifted Celine's skirt and examined her shoes.

The two young ladies felt as if their blood were draining away.

Why was Lady Lucia suddenly doing this? Could she not stand injustice? Even so, why interfere this much?

No, she could not know yet. Even Lucia could not possibly know this.

"I knew it."

A small smile appeared on Lucia's lips as she inspected the dress.

"There's a faint trace of mana on the inner hem of the dress. Residual wind-aspect magic. It's very faint, but I can see it clearly."

"What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly accusing us of being bad people?"

"Lady Lucia. You must be prepared to take responsibility for what you just said."

"Yes, I will. I can state it with my entire honor on the line. These two did it."

The two young ladies' faces went white the instant she finished speaking.

Only Lucia could see the residual mana. It was no more than an unprovable claim with no solid evidence.

But Lucia had said it herself. She had declared it with her honor at stake.

"If Lady Lucia is willing to say that much..."

"I thought something was strange."

Lucia was not just anybody. She was the star of high society.

Everyone in the banquet hall recognized and accepted the weight her words carried.

"It was awfully suspicious that she fell at that exact moment."

"Right? I had a bad feeling about it too."

"Oh my, how horrible. How could they do such a thing to that young lady?"

In a single instant, because of one person, the mood completely reversed.

The nobles' cold whispers pierced the two young ladies like daggers.

Their faces reddened like tomatoes in humiliation.

"Ugh...!"

"Tch!"

They fled the banquet hall as quickly as they could.

Even behind them, the nobles' condemnation and gossip did not seem to end.

After the disturbance settled, Lucia turned to Celine.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"......"

Looking up at Lucia's gentle eyes, Celine tried to hold back her tears. It did not last long.

Her eyes quickly turned red, and a choked sob escaped her.

"Oh, dear. It's all right. You're all right."

Lucia smiled softly and held out a hand. After hesitating, Celine threw herself into Lucia's arms.

Lucia gently stroked Celine's golden hair, then glanced at Astin.

"Can I borrow your ear for a moment?"

"?"

Astin tilted his head, then leaned closer. Lucia whispered quietly into his ear.

"Actually, I couldn't see any mana either. They really planned this carefully."

"...Really?"

"Really. I was bluffing based on circumstantial evidence. Still, it's fortunate I was right."

"What would you have done if your guess had been wrong?"

"That would've been a shame, right?"

Astin stared at her in silence. He let out a quiet sigh and lowered his head.

"I owe you."

He knew exactly what it meant to make a declaration with one's honor on the line. It carried even more weight for someone as prominent in high society as Lucia.

"If you're grateful, let's talk later, just the two of us."

Though Lucia continued patting Celine's back, her eyes remained on Astin.

"We have a lot to talk about anyway, don't we? Though I suppose I have more questions to ask you."

* * *

Tap tap tap!

The two young ladies' faces were filled with despair as they fled the banquet hall.

"What do we do? What are we supposed to do?!"

"We're finished. It was a perfect plan! Who would've thought Lady Lucia would step in like that?!"

Their plan had failed completely because Lucia, the star of high society, defended Celine. All that remained was a terrible aftermath.

"Will Rosenthal clean this up for us? What if they abandon us?"

"What about Cardenos's retaliation? Did you not see Young Lord Astin's eyes? He looked ready to kill us!"

The two could only fret and bite their nails.

"You two there."

A cold voice came from behind them.

Startled, the young ladies turned around.

Their pupils widened when they saw the figure walking out of the darkness.

"D-Deputy Tower Master...!"

Damian von Sirius, deputy tower master of the Sirius Mage Tower.

To the two young ladies, who belonged to the Magic Tower, he was a figure as high above them as the sky.

They trembled and bent deeply at the waist.

Damian approached in silence, every measured step precise.

He touched the hems of their champagne-soaked, ruined dresses.

"I remember your faces. You are both apprentices from the third-floor laboratory, correct?"

Gulp.

"Y-yes..."

Damian looked at them, then suddenly stared into empty space. There was nothing there.

The two young ladies exchanged confused looks.

As they tried to quietly slip away, Damian muttered to himself.

"I've finally made up my mind. About the heart that has wavered back and forth all this time."

"Pardon?"

Damian's gaze slowly lowered.

It landed coldly on the young ladies' faces.

"I made up my mind ten times, and swore it a hundred."

A strange light filled his eyes.

"I, Damian von Sirius, will protect Lady Celine von Cardenos with my life."

"Eek!"

The two young ladies' shoulders jerked upward. They instinctively stepped back.

The more they retreated, the closer Damian moved toward them.

"Nothing is more disgusting than ugly bitches picking on pretty women."

A genius mage and the true power behind the Sirius Mage Tower.

The murderous mana Damian gave off made it difficult for them even to breathe.

"What a shame. Your ugly faces are about to get even uglier."

Damian grabbed both young ladies by the collars.

For some time afterward, shrill screams echoed through the deserted corridor.

Author's Note

There will be two chapters tomorrow, at 1 a.m. and 1 p.m.!

Footnotes:

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