Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 69: Regalia I (Part 05)

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Engagement Party ⸻ In general, the event is often held among nobles or conglomerates, both in the Kingdom of Felixia and other countries. In its early history the upper class held the engagement only as a phase before the official wedding, forming relationships to develop a family.

But, as time went by the goal of engagement itself has literally changed. An element of contract falls into the tradition, making an engagement only seen as a tool to tie one family to another.

Being a medium to pre-contract in a political marriage, kills the essence that should exist in a family and replaces it with absolute regulation in a piece of paper.

In other words, almost all children of aristocrats or conglomerates will be betrothed by their parents.

To strengthen relations with other parties. Create coalitions and get protection from more influential aristocratic families, or get financial help from conglomerate families.

From a third-party point of view, Odo Luke's engagement to Princess Arteria also has the same function. It was done with the political goal of organizing and keeping the hierarchy of the Kingdom of Felixia stable by matching the future Queen with a child from a prominent family like Luke.

As the sun rose and it was almost noon, the guests who had stayed last night had gathered in the Main Hall to attend the event. At the gates of the Mansion, guests from Luke's newly arrived territory one by one entered the courtyard with invitations they could get for the event.

Of course the engagement party was not held in general, only nobles with the title of Baron and above and some great merchants were invited.

Of all the territories and cities in Luke's territory, not all of them could be present for some reason. Some of them preferred to send representatives into the event, while the mayors and nobles who came alone were only cities located not too far from the Luke Family Mansion alone.

Aside from the matter of distance, the reason most of them could not come was because of the war-related news that was about to break out. That kept the territorial leaders within Luke's territory busy fortifying their strongholds, especially for the border town.

Izta Maria, Saint. Lacus, Lignum ⸻ The nobles who led the three cities did not attend the event and only sent their representatives. The representatives who came were mostly knight nobles, then among them there were also conglomerates from various trade unions.

In addition to the three regions, almost all the nobles from the other territories came to the event without representation and it was dominated by the nobles. The difference in positions and guest titles coming from each region is the result of the system of government applied, between economic and military focus.

In contrast to the other six territories, the representatives of the City of Mylta who were supposed to enter in the form of an economic-focused government came with the least number of conglomerates or merchants.

Among the nobles who had just come by their magnificent horse carriage, Lisiathus Mylta as the Substitute Mayor was excommunicated. He was increasingly insecure, moody and showed facial expression like a labile teenager.

When the newly arrived guests chatted with each other and built their relationship, the red-haired woman could not enter into their conversation at all. He was ignored, despised by a woman and her young age, and looked down upon for coming from the most disadvantaged city.

Although Mylta is entering a progressive phase in the economy and is beginning to restore its heyday, its income is still very far compared to other economically focused cities in Luke's regional government system.

The red-haired woman stopped stepping, giving up trying to get into the conversation of the nobles and conglomerates around her.

Of the city of Mylta, only Lisiathus and Deputy Mayor Wiskel Porka were invited. In addition to the two of them, came also some traders from the Lorian Trade Union and of course the Executive, Aprilo Nimpio, also participated.

Seeing the woman in Maxi Dress violet bow her head among the guests, the Executive approached her and reached out. While putting on a thin smile, the middle-aged man in a formal shirt suit offered, “If you please, Miss Lisiathus …. Let's go inside together.”

The Substitute Mayor raised his face and could only smile wryly, even more discouraged from being pitied by the person he asked to come for formalities.

Wiskel Porka who had come with Lisiathus glanced slightly sharply, feeling the merchant only intended to take advantage of his best friend's daughter. But when he heard the sneering sounds of some other guests around, the old man could only sigh.

“Nona Mylta, you should not put such a face in public. As a noble, you must stand tall and walk proudly. Miss learned that from Mylta's residence, didn't she?” advice from the Deputy Mayor.

“Uncle need not worry, I am just a little upset …. I did not expect their reaction to be this cold,” said Lisiathus. He took a deep breath, puffed up his chest and tried not to show emotion on the face.

The servants from Luke's residence came out of the building. Led by the Chief Servant, Fiola, they escorted the guests who had just come to the Main Hall to attend the party that would take place in a moment.

Following the direction of the servants, Lisiathus felt at first glance that he would be treated special because he knew Odo Luke and had met Fiola informally. But as if to ignore the daughter of Baron Mylta, the Huli Jing only focused on her duties and gave direction to the servants.

But in the middle of his task, Odo came from the direction of the library and approached Fiola on the terrace. Regardless of the number of guests present, the young man casually asked, “There are also many guests, are there indeed nobles in Luke's territory this much? Though the income of the region from taxes is very little ..”

The words certainly sounded like frontal innuendo, making the few nobles who heard it instantly turn their heads towards the young man with sharp gazes. Fiola stared at him, a little surprised that Odo suddenly came and said such a thing.

But upon seeing what the young man was wearing for the event, the resentment that would come out of his mouth turned to astonishment. “Why ... Do you even wear such all-black clothes? Not that Julia has prepared more appropriate clothes in your room?” asked Fiola while frowning.

“Then Ma'am Julia is late, I wake up from night.”

“Eng ..., you don't sleep anymore?’

“Yah, so ...” Odo glanced at Lisiathus and the guests from the city of Mylta, he immediately waved and stepped foot towards them.

Of course Fiola did not allow Odo to enter the ranks of the guests and further aggravate the atmosphere. He pulled the collar behind the young man. But when he thought he had managed to grab it, it was just the rest of Odo Luke's shadow that in a moment moved very fast.

“Technical Step Dewa .. is that easy to use?” fiola thought in wonder. He and the servants were shocked, as were the guests at the place. The movement of the young man momentarily made himself look there were two.

“Morning, Miss Lisia and Uncle Aprilo! You guys came too, glad!” said Odo with a slightly elevated volume, deliberately to make other guests hear it.

Despite not seeing what Lisia had gone through when she had just come to Luke's residence with the guests, Odo clearly understood that the Mylta Family was being underestimated by the other nobles.

Odo's faint smile widened, gazing towards Aprilo and asking, “Did Arca do her job well, Uncle? He didn't mess with that negotiation, ‘kan?”

The Executive grasped Odo's intentions and immediately understood why he had brought up the subject. As a merchant, showing influence was indeed very important and that was also true of the aristocratic world.

Poking his index finger forward, the middle-aged man replied, “Of course, we're done with that. Not excessive if the Port District is said to have fallen into our hands.”

“Hmm, perfect. After this, we will expand it all the way to the neighboring territory.” Odo put his hand to the chin, glanced slightly at the nobles around and said, “At first Mylta was one of the three economic centers in Luke County. However, due to the regressive effects of the end of the Great War, the role was replaced by that of St. Lacus became a semi-trade-military city. But with this phase, should the system return to its supposed state.”

The few nobles and conglomerates who heard that showed some reaction. Some are indifferent, dismissive, dislike, annoyed and even look at hate because they consider it an arrogant word from a military noble family to interfere in economic affairs.

Recalling their faces and reactions, Odo performed Perception Speculation to come to some conclusions. Like sheets of documents that flowed into the head, some plan he thought at that moment.

“Alright, I've decided ...” Odo lowered his hands from the mouth, put on a flat expression and unhesitatingly declared, “After this, it's time for a massive cleaning.”

“Pem ... seams?”

Aprilo was stunned to hear that. At the same time, he also felt afraid because Odo's personality was not much different from Arca's view of the young man to the corrupt aristocrats and conglomerates.

“Tree named Luke Region has been abandoned for too long, I think a few years is enough to grow branches and twigs that can only be pests.” Odo raised two fingers of the right hand and formed scissors, then while putting on a thin smile he said, “Therefore, I will cut it.”

It was a declaration as well as a direct warning to the nobles and merchants in Luke's territory. Seeing his Young Master sowing such hostile seeds, Fiola immediately pulled his shoulder from behind and made the young man face towards him.

“Young Master, You ..”

Odo just put on a thin smile got an anxious look from the Huli Jing. Looking back without anxiety or fear, he confidently said, “Mbak Fiola need not stare like that. I just do my duty, from this second also myself will not be half-and-half again.”

“You why …? Mr Odo is not a person who likes to jump into problems like this, ‘kan?”

“It was true ...” Odo put Fiola's hand away from his shoulder, opened the right palm and looked at him himself with a hint of gloom. Looking back at Huli Jing, he clearly replied, “But the Old King gave this matter to me. Therefore, I will finish this quickly.”

Odo brought his mouth closer to his ear, then in a punishing tone whispered, “I will not hold back anymore, Ms. Fiola …. Under these conditions, I can't help myself anymore.”

The only Son of the Luke Family walked past the Servant's Head. Fiola's face instantly looked surprised, the sentence that the young man whispered made him tremble and immediately turned his head towards his Young Master who was walking away in the direction he had come before.

Fiola was about to pursue and ask for an explanation from the whispered sentence. But as the particles of light gathered together and formed the body of a blue-haired female hovering next to Odo, Fiola instantly froze in place.

“Vil?! Why could he appear like that and maintain his physical form outside the library without breaking down ⸻? Don't tell me, Mr Odo managed to find a way? Not with the magic bracelet …. He succeed? He could maintain the Great Spirit in the Real World without a Soul Contract or reduce the lifespan?”

What Odo did was not a form of equivalent Contract between humans and astral beings, yet a kind of Contract was commonly done by spirit mages to bind a Low or Intermediate Level Spirit so that it could freely set its physical form in the Real World.

The reason Fiola could see the astral form clearly was because of the Inner Eye he had, making Huli Jing momentarily mistake Vil for a full physical form in the Real World.

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.

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Odo stepped his foot on one of the corridors of the Mansion, looking slightly dissatisfied. Squinting his eyes, he recalled the people he had met on the front porch. The young man understood very well, that indeed among the guests that had just come were many corrupt people.

Thinking they were all from Luke County, Odo grew restless and lazy to take care of all the problems he would have to face. Although he did not know what such people had done, he made various speculations about their reaction to the provocation.

“If you are easily provoked, then you are also easy to control. But if the situation is like this ..” Odo sighed lightly, glanced out the window with ornamental glass and muttered again, “I was instead harmed for provoking them at once.”

Odo's footsteps slowed down, he tried not to complain anymore and looked ahead. In the middle of his steps, the young man with black hair recalled about his future fiancee.

The power to see one's soul, in other words to observe the essence of life directly and understand his nature and personality. Understanding the burden of the power that could make him see the soul form of a living being, Odo again sighed and briefly thought, “I began to understand Arteria's feelings. It is like being able to see the hearts of others, judge which people are good and which are bad absolutely …. Shape of the soul, fire color of living beings.”

Amidst Odo's steps towards his room, the Mana particles of the Low-Level Spirits gathered at one place. Formed the physical form of a former Great Spirit of the North Sea Lord of the Astral World, Vil.

Treading on the ceramic floor with his high heels, he walked beside the young man in black hair and glanced slightly in surprise.

“It's not better Odo doesn't provoke them like that?” Vil folded his hands behind his waist, looked confusedly and said, “While it will still be done sooner or later, I think it is better for you to do it in a subtle way. No need to blatantly and en masse like that.”

Odo glanced sharply, after a light sigh he replied, “That I did to ascertain which enemies and comrades, does not mean wanting to find enemies. With such a declaration, a clear line will form and make it easier for me to move.”

“Hmm ...” Vil looked clueless, from his point of view Odo only looked like an enemy with provocation. Stop folding hands and looking ahead, the blue haired woman said, “Honestly I don't understand that kind of thing. Why is it like that?”

“I hate enemies the most in blankets, it is better to make them indulge in hatred so that it is easy to destroy.”

Vil still felt that it was only inviting other enemies, not reducing the possibility that there was an enemy in the blanket that Odo mentioned. But feeling the young man had other thoughts he did not know, Vil simply said, “Hmm, so yes...”

A moment Vil was silent, thinking about the action Odo took and feeling it was more aggressive than usual. Recalling the young man's conversation with Princess Arteria while in the library, he felt that there was something between them that he did not know about.

Odo's steps stopped in front of one of the glass windows, and Vil followed and looked at the young man in surprise. So sharp, it felt cold and seemed rushed, that sort of thing was felt from his expression.

“By the way, how's your body? So far is there anything uncomfortable?” asked Odo while looking at the woman next to him.

Vil took one step back and turned full once. While smiling lightly, he happily replied, “As Odo saw, this is really convenient. I didn't think you could find a way this fast.”

“Uuuhk ...” Odo looked in annoyance.

“Eh?! What's wrong?”

“It's only temporary, I also feel like I'm drained out of the inside.”

“A-What is this too burdening you?”

The young man turned his gaze away from Vil, put up an unsettled face mimic and replied, “I just changed the information order so that you are on par with an Intermediate-ranked Spirit and establish an ordinary Spirit Contract with me. Our situation now is just like the Spirit Witch and Spirit Contract, so please remember that.”

“I understand, just relax! I will not make Odo dry kok,” said Vil in a joking tone.

Hearing that, Odo could not take it as a joke. Although the Spirit Contract used gave balanced authority and more inclined his power to be held by Odo, but Vil as the Great Spirit could easily take that authority and suck his Mana through the Contract.

“Tch!” Odo rang his tongue, then angrily muttered, “What better I lower it to 1 :10 only, up to Low-Level Spirit to find safe.”

“A⸻!? It was the same with slave dong!  I don't want to!”

“Then, don't make jokes like that. Although to you funny, I can't laugh when you really dry me.”

“Alright, I won't joke like that anymore.”

Despite saying that, Vil did not seem to feel guilty at all and instead put on a big smile. A more dominant sense of pleasure filled his heart now. Being able to get out of the library and make a Contract with Odo really made her happy. Without using tools, tied directly to the young man's black hair.

Seeing Vil's smile, Odo felt it would be problematic to let the Great Spirit be overconfident. Without a doubt he also offended, “You do not forget what happened when you were too happy, right?”

Vil gasped, he instantly recalled the dark memories in the North Sea of the Astral World. He was immediately grim, looking at the annoyed Odo with a pouting face.

“In retrospect, Odo had a very bad personality, huh? Can't you let a woman be happy for one day?”

“It's my engagement day, it's not nice to see you're happier than me.”

“Uwah ⁇ Odo properties are indeed very bad.”

“You know that from long ago, ‘kan?”

“Hmm, but lately I don't understand your nature anyway.”

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Note: The short edition ends.

All pause, later update again like next wednesday.

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