[Vol. 7] Chapter 153: Strange People, Strange Events
Yulia, already used to reactions like this, simply smiled and explained,
"It's perfectly normal for the food to taste amazing. That's because it's not made through a step-by-step cooking process like usual. Instead, it's directly replicated using an ideal, perfected template..."
She paused, glancing around the area before clearing her throat.
"Ahem… The exact mechanism involves certain academic secrets that haven't been made public, so I can't go into detail here. But as long as you know how to use it, that's all that matters. Besides, there are some other interesting things—"
"Ahh!"
CRASH!!!
A sudden yelp and the sharp sound of porcelain shattering on the ground interrupted Yulia's explanation. Everyone turned toward the commotion and saw that Lenka, who had been happily eating just moments ago, had fallen onto the floor. Her plate had slipped from her hands, smashing into pieces, while she sat there rubbing her sore backside with a grimace.
Standing beside her was a girl in a light red dress, looking about fifteen or sixteen, just a little older than Lenka.
"I'm so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Are you okay?"
The girl frantically bowed and apologized over and over. Meanwhile, Mia rushed forward to help her up. But Lenka, instead of getting angry, just looked at the scattered pieces of untouched grilled meat with a pained expression.
Then, as Mia helped her to her feet, she shook her head and sighed.
"Such a waste… But it’s fine, really. I was too focused on eating and wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. You, uh… you don’t look so well. Did you hurt yourself when we bumped into each other?"
"N-no! I’m fine! Um… if everything’s okay, I’ll be leaving now. I’m really sorry!"
Before Lenka could say anything else, the girl hurriedly turned and walked away at a fast pace, without even lifting her head to reveal her full face. Her behavior was so abrupt that it made everyone frown.
"Master, that girl…"
Sensing something off, Xiao Guang glanced at the black-haired girl beside her with a questioning look. But Violet simply shook her head subtly, her expression unreadable.
"This isn't the right time or place. Let her go for now."
"Alright."
Yulia, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured,
"That dress… Is she a student from Frederick Royal Academy? But I don’t recall seeing her among their group..."
Everyone quickly took on different tasks to clean up the mess. Mia led Lenka to the restroom to clean her stained dress, while Selna took the initiative to pick up the broken plate shards.
After a moment of thought, Violet shifted her gaze away from the girl who had hurriedly disappeared into the distance and turned to Yulia, who had been mumbling in surprise earlier.
"Frederick… That’s the Royal Academy in the capital of the Austre Empire, right? I’ve heard it’s quite prestigious and is completely run and controlled by the imperial family. So they sent representatives to this exchange conference too? I thought the empire’s delegation was from Sainz."
Setting aside the recent incident, the head maid nodded in response.
"Of course. This year’s World Academy Joint Exchange Conference has over a hundred participating academies from around the world. A major power like the Five Great Nations wouldn’t just send a single delegation."
"After all, the Austre Empire, the Holy Empire, the Human United Kingdom, the Azure Sky Kingdom, and the Far North Snowland together make up more than half of the world's explored territory. If participation was strictly divided by country, the distribution of academy spots would be completely unfair."
"Besides, our Sainz Academy isn’t competing as part of the Austre Empire this time. We’re participating as an independent faction. That’s why the empire’s official delegation is led by the Royal Academy instead."
"That makes sense, but…"
Just as she was about to continue speaking, the priestess suddenly paused and turned toward a distant part of the hall.
It was clear that something was happening, a growing crowd was gathering in that direction, and the noise of people talking loudly and arguing filled the air.
Violet chuckled helplessly.
"Heh, one thing after another… Looks like someone isn’t going to let us have a peaceful evening."
Xiao Guang, also noticing the disturbance, frowned slightly.
That was the same direction Lenka had just gone.
………………………………
"I swear I didn’t take it! I have no idea how this ended up on me, this is a misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding? You were caught red-handed, and you expect us to believe that? What, are you saying this ring suddenly grew wings and flew into your pocket on its own?!"
"Your Highness, and you, sir, Lenka is not the kind of child who would steal! She was with us the whole time today, there was no chance for her to do anything like this!"
"Nonsense! The words of an accomplice mean nothing!"
"Enough talking! Arrest these two thieves and lock them up first. We’ll deal with them later!"
"Wait!"
When Violet and the others arrived, they saw Lenka standing there, completely lost and confused. Meanwhile, her maid, Mia, stood protectively in front of her like a mother, arms spread wide, desperately trying to defend her.
Around them, aside from a curious crowd of onlookers, several plainclothes guards with strong, imposing presences had subtly surrounded them. Leading the group were two men, one was a middle-aged man in a pale red formal suit with a sharp face and a loud voice, and the other…
"Oh? Isn’t this Prince Xiluo? A good evening to Your Highness. May I ask what’s going on here that requires such a dramatic scene? After all, this is a formal banquet. I do hope Your Highness will show some consideration for the academy’s reputation~"
Before the guards could make a move, Yulia stepped forward, parting the crowd and standing firmly between Lenka and the two men. Flashing a bright, diplomatic smile, she smoothly intervened.
The loud middle-aged man was briefly stunned upon recognizing Yulia, the highly experienced secretary of the academy’s headmaster. Instinctively, he glanced back at the prince, as if waiting for his orders.
But Prince Xiluo didn’t immediately respond to either of them. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Violet, who had arrived alongside Yulia. He watched as she calmly reassured Lenka and Mia before turning her attention toward him. The prince narrowed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought.
Unlike the last time he had confronted Ismael in the Seventh Academic District, where he had been loud and furious, Xiluo seemed to be handling this situation differently. Whether it was due to the setting or some other reason, his voice remained steady and composed as he spoke.
"So, it’s you, Lady Yulia. Don’t misunderstand, I have no intention of causing trouble at the banquet. However, this little brat stole something very important from me. Now that I’ve caught her, I had no choice but to surround her to prevent another escape."
Lenka quickly shouted in protest.
"I didn’t steal anything!"
"Oh? Is that so…? But, my [Lion’s Ring] somehow ended up in your possession. How do you explain that? Just as Lord Shutak said earlier, this ring doesn’t have wings. So tell me, how exactly did it fly into your pocket?"