Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 61

61. The Player Who Became a Constellation

Episode 61

They began to enjoy the feast.

It didn’t matter whether the food was high-class or low-class.

Any food would be heavenly compared to Aum’s cooking!

If there were no musicians, they would play; if there were no poets, they would recite poetry.

If there were no dancers? They would dance themselves!

The Berserker Warriors Corps took off their armor and began to dance exuberantly.

“Captain Kudan, cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Kudan drank and drank the alcohol given by the Berserker Warriors until he eventually vomited what he had eaten.

The Berserker Warriors laughed loudly at the sight and patted Kudan on the back.

“Now! Let me tell you my adventure!”

The Berserker Warriors sang songs passed down from the frozen lands or told their own adventures, showing their excitement….

“Priestess, would you like to dance with us?”

“Pardon?”

“Come on, come on…!”

Some Berserker Warriors even made an offer to Cancun.

Cancun glanced at Loki and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m not much of a dancer….”

“The Priestess is joining us! Everyone, clap!”

“Well, just a little….”

The sound of applause rang out….

“Hey! Fairy lady! Try this too!”

“Eat this too.”

“Can you even drink alcohol?”

“…….”

Some of the Berserker Warriors showed interest in Sialat.

Although she had her hood up, they had already noticed that her ears were long.

Sialat felt confused by the Berserker Warriors who suddenly showed interest in her.

“What? Can’t even drink? That’s elves for you…! Worse than dwarves!”

Instantly provoked, Sialat glared at the Berserker Warrior who offered her alcohol and grabbed the glass.

Grasping the glass, which was difficult to hold with both hands, she downed it in one gulp.

The Berserker Warriors stared at Sialat with wide eyes.

Sialat, having emptied the glass without leaving a drop, slammed the glass on the table.

“…Hic.”

Her face turned red, her eyes spun, and she slammed her head on the table.

The Berserker Warriors slapped their knees and laughed at the sight.

“Would you like a drink?”

“I will.”

Loki lightly accepted the drink offered by Aum.

Exciting. Joyful. This is what a feast is!

There was hierarchy, but it was a place where they didn’t care about such things, a festival just for them.

It was then.

Thump!

In the midst of the boisterous feast, the door burst open.

Instantly, the Berserker Warriors, who had been completely immersed in the atmosphere, looked towards the door.

They reflexively glanced at the location of their weapons and carefully observed those who entered.

The most noticeable was Prince Ash Ronia, with his blonde hair and blue eyes.

He was wearing luxurious clothing made of golden embroidery on a red background.

Nobles accompanied him.

The Berserker Warriors looked at Kudan, Kudan looked at Aum, and Aum looked at Loki.

“What shall we do?”

“Decide for yourself.”

Aum smiled bitterly as he watched Loki take a sip of his drink.

Aum looked at the nobles.

What were the nobles’ expressions?

Everyone looked dumbfounded and bewildered. There was a mix of embarrassment and ridicule.

It was inevitable.

To those elegant and arrogant nobles, the Berserker Warriors at this feast looked truly ‘uncouth’.

Wearing only leather clothes, dancing exuberantly, drinking alcohol, with food scattered on the floor and even vomit.

They were even singing vulgar songs… they could tell how the feast was being enjoyed from beyond the thick door.

‘So, how will they react?’

Aum had an intrigued look on his face.

He approached Ash and bowed with exaggerated and awkward gestures.

It was the kind of behavior that a commoner who didn’t know proper etiquette would do.

Seeing this, the nobles thought that Aum and everyone else were merely of ‘lowly status’.

“Ash…. Uh, um, uh? What was it? Ah! I greet Ronia~!”

Aum staggered as if drunk.

“Ah, well, yes.”

Ash nodded and stared blankly at the banquet hall.

He had clearly ordered luxurious food to be prepared, but it was filled with cheap food that commoners mainly ate. And that’s not all?

There were no musicians, poets, or dancers to liven up the mood, nor even servants to take care of them.

“Such a splendid feast…! Ha! Ha! Ha! Thank you so much for preparing this feast to celebrate saving the Prince.”

Aum bowed, then raised his head and smiled at Ash.

However, his narrowly opened eyes looked eerily sharp.

Ash felt that something was wrong.

To Ash, each of Aum’s actions seemed to be mocking him and, at the same time, ‘warning’ him.

Those exaggerated gestures, and the emphasized tone. The etiquette that seemed to be a mistake, as if drunk but not really.

All of it was an ominous sign.

Unlike Ash, the nobles began to ignore them.

“Such lowly things….”

“They are barbarians after all. How can they play so vulgarly?”

The voices were low, but not low enough for Ash not to hear. So, Aum in front of him must have heard it too.

‘What…?!’

Ash was so angry that he turned around and glared at the nobles.

They didn’t know how much power this Berserker Warriors Corps had. If they could bring these people in as allies, victory would be guaranteed, but this was how they were treating them?!

If they turned their backs on East Ronia with malice, there would be no hope for them.

“What are you doing? Nordics. Everyone kneel….”

It was when a noble was about to cross the line.

“Oh! Oh! Serving such low-grade food…! I’m sorry. We couldn’t treat you properly.”

A man who was right next to Ash among the nobles stepped forward.

He was a man in his late 40s with a potbelly and thinning hair, but he had a magnificent mustache.

He was Duke Halom, one of the key figures in East Ronia.

As he clapped his hands, servants and maids brought in luxurious food as if they had been prepared.

Also, musicians, poets, and beautiful dancers entered.

“This… I mistakenly guided you to a dinner party to boost the morale of the soldiers.”

Halom had a smiling face. Not only that, but he even took a humble posture, rubbing his hands together.

Despite having the position of a duke, he fawned over the other party in a submissive manner.

“I heard that you are the great Nordics?”

The Duke raised Aum’s upper body with both hands.

Aum smiled outwardly, but inwardly frowned.

‘…What. This guy?’

Things seemed to be going smoothly, but suddenly a high-ranking noble appeared and changed his attitude.

“Ah! I was too flustered and didn’t hear how the Prince met these people. Ash-nim [term of respect].”

“…Huh? Why, why are you doing this?”

Ash was embarrassed by Duke Halom’s words and actions, and at the same time, he felt that the situation was turning strange.

“Please tell us how you met these people. Ah! Come to think of it….”

Duke Halom looked at the Berserker Warriors and smiled.

“I think you were telling various heroic tales earlier… I would like to hear them too. If it’s not rude, could you tell us?”

“…….”

The Berserker Warriors looked at Aum.

Aum, who had covered his face with his hand, was clicking his tongue.

‘…Too bad, missing the justification right in front of me. Well, there will be many opportunities, so it doesn’t matter.’

He wanted to turn this place upside down already, but he hadn’t yet obtained a clear justification.

An attack without justification could cause backlash from other countries and be branded as lacking ‘trust’ diplomatically.

If that happened, not only Asgard but also the Nordics throughout the continent would suffer.

It was a pity, but it was time to move on.

In the end, the feast was restarted by Duke Halom.

Halom chimed in with Loki’s party every time stories were exchanged.

“Ah! You saved Prince Ash! To think you would save the Prince in that plague! You are heroes! By the way… I heard it’s a new Asgard. What kind of country is it? Wow… amazing! To think there would be such a country…!”

The atmosphere didn’t become hostile; rather, it flowed smoothly.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

The uneasy feeling seemed to be slowly disappearing.

The Berserker Warriors were enjoying themselves to the fullest, Loki was just drinking, and Aum was just talking to Halom.

Cancun was patting Sialat, who was passed out, on the back.

‘…Beautiful. Elves are elves after all.’

Ash glanced at Sialat.

She was drunk, her face was red, and she was shaking her head from side to side.

This was because she had drunk every glass of alcohol offered by the Berserker Warriors without refusal. When the Berserker Warriors, worried that she was drunk because of them, asked if she was okay, she would just shout, ‘I won’t lose to a dwarf!’

‘…Would she accept if I asked her to have a drink with me?’

Ash looked at his own glass.

A wine glass filled with red and transparent wine.

It was different from the large beer mugs they were drinking from.

‘Yeah, there’s no reason why I can’t.’

High-class alcohol and noble status. There was no way she would refuse someone like him.

Rather, as an elf, she should consider it an honor.

It was when Ash was about to approach Sialat.

“Ah! Prince, a word….”

Someone grabbed Prince Ash’s shoulder.

It was Duke Halom.

“Huh? Ah, wait a moment. There is a woman I want to share my drink with….”

Duke Halom smiled and looked at Ash with lukewarm eyes. Furthermore, he even put strength into the hand that grabbed his shoulder.

“It will only take a moment.”

“……!”

Ash, feeling a chill down his spine, closed his mouth and nodded.

***

The place they gathered was the command room.

A long table and chairs placed on both sides.

Ash was sitting in the center, with Duke Halom next to him, and nobles around them.

They were talking about the Berserker Warriors Corps they had seen a little while ago.

“They are lowly.”

“Besides, they acted vulgarly like barbarians.”

“What? Slaughtered a thousand wights [undead creatures]? That’s insane. There should be a limit to exaggerating!”

There were no good stories coming from their mouths. They were all busy ridiculing, insulting, and looking down on them.

The more Ash heard it, the paler his face became.

“Well, it is true that they brought the Prince here, so giving them even a small reward….”

“Does that make sense? A reward! We should be using every penny to hire mercenaries at this time!”

“That’s right. They should be satisfied with the honor of saving the royal family.”

“That’s right. They will be proud of what they have done! Honor cannot be bought with money!”

“…….”

Ash just looked at the nobles.

The nobles didn’t believe what he said.

Ash turned his gaze and looked at Halom.

“…Ha, Duke Halom, I have something to say.”

Duke Halom smiled.

“Yes, please speak.”

All the murmuring disappeared at Duke Halom’s one word.

The nobles, who had been talking loudly even when Ash opened his mouth, focused on his words as soon as Halom opened his mouth.

It was as if the highest decision-maker in this place was Duke Halom.

“That… about Asgard. Instead of compensation, it would be better to discuss it diplomatically….”

At that moment, someone’s laughter was heard.

“Huh! Are you talking about diplomacy now? Prince?”

It was a word that seemed to ridicule even the prince.