It was some time before I found the ballroom. During the trip, my mind was totally consumed with the Kirina Vlad issue.
Again and again, I probed my memories for further hints about her and the bandits' identity. Each time, I arrived at bupkis. Once I finally reached the doorway, I had no choice but to ignore my concerns and focus on the event.
The ballroom was disturbingly grand, even by the mansion's standards. The sheer size of it made the dining hall look like a cheap apartment's living room.
Lining the back walls were massive, open bay windows leading to a wood and stone balcony overlooking the town below. Surrounding the windows were colossal golden-blue drapes that billowed from the entering winds.
The floor was a composition of smooth marble and limestone. It was so polished I could see a vague reflection of myself on the surface.
Attached to the ballroom ceiling was an enormous, crystalline chandelier.
Its curves of gold contained various encrusted precious gems ranging from sparkling diamonds, deep red rubies, and vibrant blue sapphires.
Because of the gems, the light that seeped through became distorted and colored, dyeing the floor in all manner of sparkling colors.
There were quite a few new faces amongst the waltzing crowd.
Handsome men and beautiful women, all decorated in velvet suits and dresses, were partnered up amongst themselves and my countrymen.
The extravagance of their garb rivaled even Kamida's, if you could believe that. Not only the nobles but many of my countrymen boasted luxurious attire too.
They swayed to and fro in sync with the classical melody that filled the room.
"The atmosphere is a little suffocating…." I whined.
Somehow, I felt more at home with my potential enemy, Kirina Vlad, than in this luxurious ballroom. I wasn't sure whether it was because of the danger I sensed from her or the absence of a crowd.
Of course, a few of us didn't accept the offer of such gaudy clothes. One of which I had already spotted. It was Takagi.
He was near a refreshment table and glared with his usual intensity.
He stood alone within the tide of swaying couples, or maybe I should say, stood against it.
In their avoidance efforts, the partygoers formed a perfect, circular barrier around him.
Aside from Takagi, the next person I noticed was Tachibana. He'd had his usual entourage following him as well.
Even in suits, their mental immaturity was painfully obvious. Possibly more so since they had been drifting from girl to girl and propositioning them.
That was some willpower to be rejected so many times and keep going. I would've been impressed if it were anyone else, but it fit his character too well to be surprising.
Unlike Tachibana, women flocked to Kamida like moths to a flame.
Amongst their excited chatter, he saw me. When we made eye contact, he gave me the goofiest grin. Knowing him, the prospect of how much value he could extract from them, rather than the harem itself, was what he enjoyed.
As for myself, I never bothered learning to dance. The closest I ever came to it was hand-to-hand combat courses, but I didn't think I could apply those skills in this situation. Even if I could, I still felt it was best to avoid this crowd.
Heading to Takagi was the best option; I'd be away from the festivities and have a natural crowd barrier with me. Plus, the clear space was perfect for chaperoning my countrymen.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ I traveled toward Takagi while enjoying the musical notes that floated in the room.
It was a soothing melody composed of various string and woodwind instruments.
Closing my eyes sent my consciousness to an endless plain of verdant green. I felt a grassy-sweet scented wind filling my nostrils that blew across intangible, weeded riverbanks.
I couldn't stay in paradise for long, though, since I had to worry about colliding with the waltzing couples.
I opened my eyes and glanced at the music's origin to see over a dozen musicians arranged into groups by their instrument type.
Surrounding the stage were various tall candles which gave the illusion of a short, fiery barrier between them and the ballroom floor.
When I was just a few paces away from Takagi, I ended my focus on the distractions. I raised my arm slightly to greet him but was interrupted by a familiar tugging on my vest.
"Where the hell have you been?! Agawa whispered loudly.
"Huh?" I turned to meet her. "Oh, I was left behind," I responded.
"LEFT BEHIND?!" She looked at me in disbelief. "Aren't you some elite soldier? How'd you fail to follow a slowly moving group of people? In a tight hallway, no less!"
"That's rude," I shrugged, "I never called myself an elite."
She shot me an irritated scowl. "That's what you care about?!"
"It was a joke." I chuckled. "Besides, I did manage to find my way back here, didn't I? That has to be worth something."
"After an hour!" she exclaimed. "I thought something had happened to you. We all did! Well, except for Kamida. He calmed everyone by saying you were just messing around the mansion." Her eyes were unflinching and sincere.
I didn't really care to explain myself to a civilian, a high school girl especially. However, it was something I needed to do. If I was to ensure these people's safety, I needed them to trust me. Though I wouldn't lead them, I'd do what I hate doing best and shield them from harm however I could.
With fictitious remorse, I bent my posture slightly and clasped my hands in front of my face in apology. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry anyone." I glanced at her to gauge her mood, but she still seemed frustrated. "But I did use the opportunity to explore a bit, as Kamida said."
"You explored?" A spark of curiosity fluttered within her eyes, replacing her previous annoyance. "Did you learn anything?"
Knowing it'd keep the mood positive, I decided to spill what I'd discovered. "Not much. I met a girl that claimed to be the lord of the mansion. She was…strange…to say the least." I did refrain from mentioning the "devil's army" thing, though. The last thing I'd want is panic or rampant rumors.
She looked at me in shock, like I'd just told her that civilization had collapsed. "What?! You're telling me that you met the lord of the manor, and you DON'T think that's important?!"
I shrugged. "She didn't give any useful information," I shook my head, "so I didn't consider our encounter all that important."
"You didn't learn anything? How is that possible? What did you two talk about then?" Her interrogation was relentless. Now I knew how Weiser must've felt back in the tower.
Reflecting back, we only covered two topics, neither of which were notable. "Whether I liked the night and food, I guess?" Even I was ashamed to hear that I engaged in such pointless banter.
"What?" She looked at me in disappointment and disbelief. "Well, whatever, so long as you haven't been murdered and eaten somewhere…." Her face of frustration gave way to a welcoming smile. "I'm glad you're back!"
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