8

Until the day of the banquet, McClain devoted himself entirely to training.

He had requested support from several families with private armies, but they all showed reluctance.

He couldn’t even attempt to approach the magic tower or temple. The temple, having close ties with the imperial family, obviously wouldn’t move without an imperial decree, and the magic tower would look for ways to avoid helping even with an imperial decree.

In the end, all that remained was individual strength. The only solution was for him to reach max level and become powerful enough to face the Demon King alone.

Fortunately, he was now on the verge of reaching level 100, the max level.

However, no matter how much he swung his sword or completed personal quests, his level 99 refused to advance to 100.

‘If only there wasn’t that damned banquet.’

He blamed the Emperor for the distraction of having to attend the banquet, but deep down, he knew the truth.

What disrupted his concentration wasn’t the banquet but Natalie.

It was her face appearing before him at random moments and her voice echoing in his ears that kept making him hesitate.

By the time the well-dressed expedition members came looking for him as the banquet hour approached, he was still swinging his sword, drenched in sweat.

A shocked Orlando hurriedly approached to stop him, making a great fuss.

“Commander! The banquet is about to begin. What are you doing still like this?”

“We don’t need to arrive right at the start. In such urgent times, even briefly showing my face at such a trivial party is the best I can do.”

However, no one sympathized with his words. Everyone just shook their heads with expressions that seemed to ask what nonsense they had just heard.

Finally, even Jorel stepped in to add his opinion.

“But isn’t this banquet being held for the expedition team? And you’re saying you’ll be late? Are you serious right now?”

“Absolutely serious. So the rest of you who are ready should go ahead. I’ll come when I finish here.”

None of the members agreed with McClain’s unwavering statement. They all opened their mouths with bewildered expressions.

“Surely you’re not thinking of not attending at all?”

“I think our Commander doesn’t plan to go. That’s why he’s still like this.”

“I agree with my brother. But is that okay? Didn’t they say this was a banquet hosted by the Emperor? Commander, I think you’re going too far this time.”

Listening to them, McClain’s brows furrowed as it seemed his non-attendance was becoming a foregone conclusion. He exhaled a short sigh and replied curtly:

“I said I’m going. I said I’ll go even if I’m late. Why is everyone so…”

But before he could finish, Orlando interrupted with an even deeper sigh.

His tone conveyed not just displeasure but a hint of exasperation.

“Even if you start preparing now, it’s already too late to arrive at the beginning. Yet you’re still like this, so we can only assume you don’t plan to come at all. But consider this. The Emperor aside, will it be alright with that person?”

McClain tilted his head askew at the sudden mention of “that person” and asked:

“That person?”

“I mean, after sending dresses and accessories for the banquet, if the gift-giver himself doesn’t show up, wouldn’t she feel disappointed or uncomfortable, or perhaps find the gifts even more burdensome?”

McClain finally remembered that he had gifted Natalie items for the banquet and let out a soft groan.

“Hmm…”

“Well, whether that happens or not is entirely your problem to deal with, so we’ll no longer interfere. Those of us who are ready will go ahead.”

Orlando bowed exaggeratedly before leaving with the other members.

McClain could hear the departing members asking Orlando questions like “Who is ‘that person’? You said he sent a dress? Is it really okay to leave like this?” but the words didn’t properly register in his ears.

He was already deep in thought after hearing Orlando’s words.

The statement was correct. Having sent dresses and accessories to help with banquet preparations, Natalie would naturally want to show him how she looked all dressed up.

But what if she learned that McClain himself wasn’t attending the banquet?

She would be disappointed. She might feel uncomfortable, wondering if she had been made to spend money unnecessarily. If that happened, his gifts might feel very burdensome. No, her already burdened feelings might become even heavier.

Thinking this way, McClain suddenly felt urgent.

Since his transmigration, he had never attended anything like a banquet. Fortunately, having fully inherited McClain’s memories, he roughly knew what attire was appropriate, but he wasn’t confident he could perfectly execute it according to those memories. There was also too little time to prepare while trying to recall those memories.

Left with no choice, he hastily called for someone he had never summoned since his transmigration.

“Bailey! Come here right away!”

The elderly butler rushed over, dropping everything. The Duke, who had been distant for a while and tried to handle even trivial matters himself, had called for him. And with such an urgent voice.

“What is it, Your Grace!”

Wondering if some accident had occurred during training, the butler’s gaze first examined McClain’s body, checking for injuries.

“I need to urgently attend the imperial banquet in an hour. Can you help me prepare as quickly as possible so I’m not late?”

“Of course I’ll help you prepare. But if I may ask, Your Grace! Did you just say the banquet starts in an hour?”

“Yes. In an hour, or rather, I think less than an hour remains now.”

Hearing McClain’s reply, the old butler lamented with a devastated expression.

“Oh my, no matter how quickly we prepare, it will be difficult to make it in time. Even if we left right now, it would take over thirty minutes to reach the imperial palace from here. Besides, you can’t change clothes immediately in your current state.”

When McClain looked at him, wondering why he couldn’t change immediately, the old butler shook his head and explained further:

“You’re completely drenched in sweat! If you put clothes on like that, you’ll look like someone who fell into a stream on the way. I’ll call a maid right away to prepare a bath, so please wash up first. In the meantime, I’ll take care of the rest of the preparations.”

“I can handle the washing myself…”

Before McClain could shake his head, the old butler continued firmly:

“You’ll just quickly wash in cold water and come out without properly drying your hair, won’t you? To attend a banquet, you need to apply some perfumed oil and style your hair. The maid will help with that. It will be much faster and more skillful than doing it yourself.”

“Fine, let’s do it that way.”

McClain decided to endure the discomfort and unfamiliarity just this once. Fortunately, the skilled maid’s hands were quicker than expected, and by the time he finished bathing and hair styling, all the attire he needed was perfectly prepared.

Despite finishing preparations relatively quickly with the old butler’s help, by the time he was ready to leave the mansion, only about ten minutes remained until the banquet began. No matter how fast he rode, he would inevitably be late.

“What are you saying? You’re going to ride a horse directly to the imperial banquet!”

The old butler objected with a face that suggested he had heard something absurd when McClain said he would ride his own horse. The butler insisted he must take a carriage, which McClain was reluctant to concede.

But in the end, he had to listen to the butler.

“Do you intend to waste all the preparations we’ve made? Are you saying you want to enter looking sweaty again with your hair and appearance in disarray?”

He couldn’t deny that the butler was right. By the time he arrived at the imperial palace hall where the banquet was being held, nearly an hour had passed since it began.

When he entered the banquet hall, dozens of couples were spinning around, dancing to the music before his eyes.

And among them, McClain immediately spotted the one person he had been longing to see.

※※※

Before entering the imperial banquet hall, Natalie had been struggling with all sorts of complicated emotions.

Before departing for the imperial palace, she had secretly hoped that someone, specifically McClain, might come to escort her.

Doesn’t it happen in countless romance fantasy novels? The male protagonist visits to escort the female protagonist, and upon seeing her beautifully dressed up, he freezes like a statue in amazement.

Of course, the romance fantasy novel she had transmigrated into had long since deviated from the standard progression, and McClain could hardly be called a proper male protagonist, but she couldn’t help the hope that blossomed within her.

That hope was completely shattered when a splendid carriage arrived in front of her house.

When she stepped outside with an excited heart, Natalie was greeted not by McClain but by a neatly dressed coachman. As he announced he had come to escort the daughter of Count Pereira to the imperial palace, she instantly sensed there would be no escort from the male protagonist.

He was a busy man in an urgent situation. She knew well that this wasn’t something to be disappointed about, nor should she be disappointed.