Witch’s Night: Chapter 4 Eh, Who Are You?!
It must be said, whether in the Old Era or the New Era, what nobles couldn’t change was holding banquets.
Of course, these banquets weren’t for eating, nor were they just for fun.
More importantly… they were for communication.
Banquets provided a platform for communication, and the people who could participate were all dignitaries and nobles.
These people were basically all high-ranking and influential, their every word and action attracting attention. It was often inconvenient for them to communicate privately, as it was easy to be caught out.
Therefore, banquet socializing came into being.
Because of its short history, and the fact that its major families traced their roots back to refugees before the pioneering era, the so-called nobles in Yan City were more like nouveau riche, so there were rarely such banquets.
If there were any, they would probably really be for eating…
Lannister was different.
It was an ancient city with nearly a thousand years of history, built by the first generation of pioneers who responded to Noah’s call. It was the oldest mega-city besides Noah.
The gradually solidified classes over nearly a millennium had given rise to true nobility, who restrained each other with all kinds of cumbersome etiquette and rules, to show their difference from commoners.
But this restraint only applied within the noble class. It could be said… that in the eyes of the nobles, commoners weren’t even considered the same species as them, let alone refugees.
Hua Qingling knew this very well, so she didn’t like to participate in these noble banquets.
However, the invitation was personally issued by Granny Zoya… Hua Qingling had to accept. This was basic respect for a pillar of humanity.
Of course, the invitation didn’t say she couldn’t bring another person, right?
Hua Qingling frequently glanced sideways at the black-haired young man who was a head taller than her, making Luo Yan feel a little uncomfortable.
“Sister Qingling, there’s no need…”
Being looked at like this by Hua Qingling, Luo Yan inexplicably felt a sense of shyness.
“Ahem, sorry, I’m just a little surprised.” Hua Qingling sighed. “I never thought ‘Envy’ could be used this way… No, that’s not right, who would use it like this?!”
“…Actually, basically every Devil’s Minion who has mastered ‘Envy’ has used it this way, but they distorted their own will, causing irreversible mutations to both body and soul.” Luo Yan added.
People who hadn’t used “Envy” always misunderstood it, thinking that this ability could only be used to create monsters.
In fact, demonic powers weren’t evil; they represented the pinnacle of an ability system.
However, this power was easy to lose control of, and coupled with its difficulty to use, one could only resort to the will of the “Witch of Envy” to wield it, thus resulting in distorted outcomes.
The reason why those infected by demons, that is, God’s Chosen, weren’t affected by Primordial Demons when using demonic powers was because their powers originally belonged to them and didn’t need to rely on the will of Primordial Demons.
However, precisely because of this, God’s Chosen usually had short lifespans, and their abilities were extremely prone to going out of control.
These were naturally not problems for Luo Yan. Compared to the recently acquired “End,” her use of “Envy” could be said to be masterful, to the extent that it could be used as a Life Hack.
…If she were this proficient with “End,” Luo Yan wouldn’t have gotten lost in the Void.
Their idle chat didn’t last long. Soon, a luxurious car drove towards them.
This was a vehicle specifically for transporting nobles, here to take Hua Qingling and Luo Yan to the banquet venue—Granny Zoya couldn’t possibly make her distinguished guests walk there.
This was the first time Luo Yan had ridden in such a vehicle. In Yan City, she had only seen that unlucky Young Master Liu (the one stabbed by Red Butterfly) ride in one. Others, including City Lord Lin, hadn’t used them for travel.
There were only three people in the small car compartment, Hua Qingling, Luo Yan, and a tall, silent woman in the front.
Unlike the equally tall Qin Wen, she looked more powerful and had a fierce scar on her face.
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, Granny Zoya had sent a rare female driver to pick up Hua Qingling, but she hadn’t expected to pick up two people.
The scarred woman’s expression was serious, and she would occasionally look at Luo Yan (black-haired young man face) through the rearview mirror, frowning.
Unfortunately, no one had told the scarred woman that it was best not to keep making eye contact with Luo Yan, even though her condition had improved.
After being scrutinized several times by the scarred woman, Luo Yan also noticed the strange gaze constantly falling on her.
So, Luo Yan raised her head, and the pale red eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses met the scarred woman’s serious gaze.
At this moment, the scarred woman’s mind went blank for a split second, and she slammed on the accelerator.
But she quickly came to her senses. Seeing that the car was about to crash into the corner ahead, she quickly slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel.
“Screech—”
With a sharp, ear-piercing screech of brakes, the car narrowly turned the corner.
After the situation stabilized, the scarred woman said in a low voice,
“…Sorry.”
“What happened just now?”
Hua Qingling frowned. Logically, although the person Granny Zoya sent was a female driver, she shouldn’t be unable to handle a civilian vehicle.
In fact, almost all drivers were military personnel, because only the military had the qualification to teach driving skills.
As for driving for nobles… that was something retired veterans did to earn extra money, and this scarred woman was obviously one of them.
“I was distracted,” the scarred woman said in a deep voice. “If I disturbed the guests, I’m willing to accept punishment.”
“It’s not that serious, just be more careful.”
Luo Yan said softly. Her original voice was too gentle, so she could only deliberately lower and soften it to sound more androgynous.
“Since you don’t mind, then I don’t either.”
Hua Qingling nodded. The near-accident just now wasn’t a big deal to her, and obviously, it wasn’t to Luo Yan either.
The scarred woman was silent for a moment, then nodded and said,
“Thank you.”
After this little interlude, and with an outsider present, Luo Yan and Hua Qingling didn’t continue their conversation.
The scarred woman, after that scare, also became much more honest and didn’t peep at Luo Yan again.
As for what she was thinking in her heart, it was unclear.
The banquet venue wasn’t far away, about a ten-minute walk, so this awkward atmosphere didn’t last long.
After the car brought Luo Yan and Hua Qingling to the banquet venue and dropped them off, it left directly.
“…Huh?”
Luo Yan looked up at the location of this banquet and was instantly stunned.
“Is this… Natalie Manor?”
Then she immediately denied it herself.
“No, it just looks like it.”
Indeed, what appeared before Luo Yan and Hua Qingling was an Old Era, Western-style manor. To be precise, it was indeed almost identical to Natalie Manor.
Whether it was the layout or the castle-like mansion, even the servant’s quarters outside the manor were almost perfectly replicated.
“Some of Lannister’s pioneers came from the West of the Old Era, so their descendants also have a special fondness for this style of architecture.” Hua Qingling said in a low voice. “Of course, it’s also possible that they want to subtly express… that as nobles, they have heritage.”
The prominent families in Yan City didn’t have so many twists and turns, which was partly why they were seen as “nouveau riche.”
Seeing Hua Qingling, a sharp-eyed waiter nearby immediately walked over quickly and bowed gracefully,
“Respected ‘Wind’s Favor’ your acceptance of the invitation adds a touch of airy grace to Count Spencer’s manor. The master is very concerned about you and eagerly awaits your arrival. He specifically instructed us to carefully attend to you if we saw you.”
After the elegant and natural string of words, Hua Qingling nodded, indicating she understood.
Luo Yan, on the other hand, was bewildered. She tugged at Hua Qingling’s clothes secretly,
“Sister Qingling, weren’t you invited by Granny Zoya? Why is this Count Spencer… also concerned about you? Also, why didn’t he just call you by your name, but instead used that nickname?”
“…It’s just polite conversation, and it’s not a nickname, it’s a title.”
Hua Qingling gritted her teeth and said in a low voice. “Every ‘Peril’ level ability user has their own title. In such occasions, they usually address each other by their titles.”
“Oh.”
Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully. No wonder when Hua Qiling first met Grifres in Ghost Town, she called him “Soul Spear.”
Luo Yan had always thought it was a nickname.
…Actually, there wasn’t much difference. It was said that this trend was started by a certain Saint.
When that Saint walked among mortals, he had used many titles, such as “God of Black Dragon Flame,” “Dragon King of Ruin and Illusion,” “Hero Chosen by Light,” and so on.
Later, after these were made public by a certain published book, the trend of giving titles to ability users above “Peril” level started.
Until finally, it was embarrassing to say you had reached “Peril” level without having a title.
The waiter politely waited for Luo Yan and Hua Qingling’s whispered conversation (actually, their voices were loud enough to be heard) to end before speaking again in a gentle and refined manner,
“‘Wind’s Favor,’ who is this…?”
“Is it necessary to report?” Hua Qingling said with narrowed eyes.
“Since they are a guest brought by you, of course, it’s not necessary. I just wanted to ask, how should I address this esteemed… gentleman, so that we can properly receive him?”
Even though the waiter was experienced and had received countless guests, he couldn’t help but pause when he said the word “gentleman.”
There was no helping it. Even though Luo Yan had used “Envy” to distort her image in the eyes of others, her demeanor and actions couldn’t be faked.
Moreover, using “Envy” in this way, distorting one’s image also had a limit. It couldn’t completely transform her appearance.
However, the observant waiter had already seen that Luo Yan intended to appear at the banquet as a male.
Since that was the case, regardless of her true gender, she would be treated as a gentleman at this time.
Most of the plots in stories where noble servants judged people by their appearance were unrealistic. The first rule for a noble’s personal attendant was to hide their true emotions.
Even a fake smile had to appear sincere.
While his words were pleasant, Hua Qingling’s tone was somewhat aggressive, but the waiter defused the awkwardness with a few words.
“You can call me Luo Yan.”
“…Luo, Luo Yan?” The waiter’s smile seemed to crack slightly.
Miss, if you want to crossdress, please show some respect… At least change your name, okay?
This was obviously a female name!
“Yes.”
Luo Yan nodded matter-of-factly.
The waiter could only sigh inwardly, then stepped aside, made a proper welcoming gesture,
“Alright, Mr. Luo Yan, ‘Wind’s Favor,’ this way please. The gates of Spencer Manor are always open so that our esteemed guests can visit at any time.”
“…Wouldn’t that attract thieves?”
Luo Yan’s untimely remark was genuinely a question she wanted to ask.
“Uh…”
How could that be? They were usually closed, okay? How could you take polite conversation literally?!
“Duke Spencer’s reputation resounds throughout Lannister. Petty thieves are scared away, so naturally there can’t be any thefts.”
The waiter’s tone was calm and proud, but he was nervous inwardly, afraid that Luo Yan would ask any more strange questions.
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
Luo Yan nodded and didn’t say anything more.
“…”
Why did it feel even stranger that she suddenly stopped asking?
Forget it, he had received many strange guests over the years, and this one was still relatively normal among them.
The waiter thought this but didn’t reveal any of his thoughts on the surface, leading Luo Yan and Hua Qingling into the manor.
“Didn’t you used to do this too? Your maid etiquette is very standard.” Hua Qingling whispered in Luo Yan’s ear. “Why do you seem so unaccustomed to these polite conversations?”
“Natalie Manor doesn’t usually have guests. If there are any… it’s on ‘Redemption Day,’ the day to pray to the ‘Witch of Envy.’” Luo Yan also leaned in and whispered.
“It always felt somewhat unreal, based on your descriptions of Natalie Manor and Ghost Town.”
Luo Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled,
“Perhaps, but to me, the memories are real. Whether it’s Mrs. Natalie or Little Tini, I truly interacted with them.”
Even though she already knew that Ghost Town was just a fragment of memory peeled from the depths of the Witch of Envy’s consciousness by the “Luo Yan” of that time, in order to seal her.
The residents of the town wandered lonely in this fragment for hundreds of years until Luo Yan freed them all.
Hua Qingling looked at Luo Yan’s rare heartfelt smile and couldn’t help but be stunned,
“Beautiful…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
The waiter tactfully distanced himself from Luo Yan and Hua Qingling, who seemed to be whispering to each other.
Respecting every guest’s privacy was basic etiquette for a servant in a noble household.
Besides, which of the guests weren’t important figures? Who could afford to offend them…
Just then, a cheerful voice suddenly came from afar, accompanied by the sound of (da-da-da) footsteps,
“Sister Qingling! Over here, over here—Eh, who are you?!”
Leave a Reply