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"When she was young, she had an accident. That's why her mental age is around 10 years old. They say she's not allowed to leave her room, so how did she come to this party?"
Alpheas looked back at Erina with a complicated feeling. However, she seemed completely unfazed by others' gazes, innocently smiling and greeting the young men.
As is common at such events, she seemed to be looking for a dance partner. But no one offered her a kind smile. Instead, they awkwardly greeted her and quickly moved away. They could only do this because of the power of the Bastard family.
Alpheas glanced at the head of the family sitting across the table. As expected, his face was flushed with anger. Unable to bear it, he yelled at his wife.
"Didn't I tell you not to bring Erina? Take her out immediately!"
"Honey, please bear with it. Erina likes parties too. If we forcibly remove her and cause a scene, it'll be a disgrace. Just leave her be, and I will take her quietly without anyone knowing.”
"Ugh! It's embarrassing. She's a disgrace to our family, a disgrace!"
Alpheas pursed his lower lip. He could understand the feelings, but it was too much to call one's daughter a disgrace. He knew very well the position of the first-class nobles in society. After all, he was born in a first-class noble family and had earned the chilling nickname "Light of Mirhi."
'It's just like looking at the old man in our house. Anyway, these nobles.'
Alpheas couldn't take his eyes off Erina until the music had changed three times. What he found out was that she was purely enjoying the party. She seemed satisfied with just the fact that he was greeted by the people.
But what kind of people were the mages? They were the kind to condemn ignorance as evil. They pretended to smile but secretly mocked the slow-witted Erina.
"Klump, hold this for a moment. No, you drink it."
After passing the glass, Alpheas turned to the ballroom and Klump hurriedly called and stopped him.
"What are you up to now? Please don't cause any trouble here."
“The lowly ones are rejecting the favor of the lady because they learned a little character. As the most popular person in Bashka, I have to step in and elevate her status.”
Klump's bear-like strength turned Alpheas back.
“Alpheas. You, that's a bad idea. To Erina, your sympathy might be taken as a mockery. She's had enough with those people. Don't make her more miserable."
Klump was sincere. His usual clumsy eyes were replaced by a burning sense of justice. Alpheas smiled and patted Klump on the shoulder.
"Anyway, you're simple-minded. Do you think I wouldn't know that? I've never treated any woman with falsehood. All sins are born from discrimination. Don't you know this word? If I start being considerate, her life will become like a bird trapped in a cage. Trust me, I've got a plan."
"Are you serious? Are you really going to do it? Hey, wait!"
Alpheas crossed the ballroom, then looked back at Klump and flashed a killer smile, which he himself acknowledged.
"Don't worry. Because I am everyone’s lover.”
By the time Alpheas arrived, no one was left around Erina. Everyone had subtly avoided her. However, she was enjoying her apple without even looking depressed, as if it was her daily life for her.
"Hello? What a delightful ball."
Erina stopped munching on an apple and blinked while looking back at Alpheas. Even before having a conversation, one could tell her intelligence was lacking just by looking at her eyes.
But it was pure.
So pure that it felt like she projected others' emotions like a mirror. It occurred to him that maybe this is the real reason why people avoid her.
"Ah! Hello! I'm Erina!"
Erina greeted brightly as if she had realized something. But her reaction was definitely different than when she was watched from afar. She seemed somewhat scared.
'Well, it would be the first time someone talks to her first.'
Alpheas bowed politely and greeted.
“My name is Mirhi Alpheas, a mage. I'm sorry for greeting you so late, as I was captivated by your beauty. If you don't mind, would you be my partner for tonight's ball?"
Erina opened her mouth in shock. A piece of apple rolled out from her mouth. Her emotions were clearly exposed, as if to say, 'What is going on?'
Suddenly, Erina lowered her head. She then, without a word, turned her body and passed Alhpeas.
Alpheas was dumbfounded. The expression 'being rejected' was accurate. Had he approached her too much like a normal person? Regaining his senses, he quickly blocked Erina's path.
"W-Wait a moment. Was I too hasty? I'm sorry. I just wanted to be friends with you, Erina."
Erina still didn't answer. She just stared at the ground, trying to find an escape route by shuffling her feet.
But this time, Alpheas did not give up either. He kept talking to her, blocking her escape at every turn.
"Alright. If you don't want to dance, let's talk. Let's have a conversation. I'll tell you a very interesting story. Are you interested in constellations?"
"I want to go. I want to go to my room. My mom will scold me."
"Why would your mom scold you? Nobody will scold you. You came to the party, and I'm asking you to be my partner."
"They said don’t talk. They said if someone talks to me, they're a bad person. I want to go to my room."
Alpheas was frustrated. No, he was nervous. No, he was anxious. His skills that had won the hearts of countless women vanished, and all he could think about was making eye contact with Erina once more.
“I am by no means a bad person. Look at my face. How could this be the face of a bad person?"
Alpheas grabbed her shoulders with both hands. At the same time, Erina screamed in terror.
“Kyaaaagh! No!"
All the nobles in the hall turned to Erina. To anyone watching, it seemed like Alpheas was doing something terrible to her.
"Mom! Help! Mom!"
“Erina! Look at me! I'm not trying to hurt you!”
"Mom! Mom!"
Among the invitee mages was Alpheas's rival, Saroph. He couldn't believe the absurdity of what he was witnessing. He knew Alpheus was crazy, but he never imagined he could be this insane.
“It's not enough that he grabbed all the girls in Bashka, now he even going to seduce a retard? He must be desperate to succeed."
Most of the nobles thought the same way. Although she had low intelligence, she was still the daughter of a Bastard Family. If he seduced her, their future would be as solid as any.
The only person who knew Alpheas' true feelings was Klumph, but when things got to this point, even he let go.
'Ah, such a psychotic bastard. It's a shit you made, so clean it up yourself.'
Erina was convulsing, almost as if she were having a seizure. If Alpheas was a reasonable person, he would have let her go in front of her family, but he stubbornly held onto her shoulder.
"Erina, wait a moment. Look at me. Look at me."
"Mom! I’m scared! Mom!”
“Erina!”
When Alpheas shouted, Erina's movements stopped. However, she was even more terrified than before.
"Please, just look at my face once. I beg you."
Erina slowly turned her head with a terrified expression. Alpheas's burning eyes met hers. A hot energy seemed to be drawn into her heart, making it burn.
"Now, see? Nothing's happening, right? I'm not a bad person. I won't do anything you don't like. But it's a party. Don't you want to dance?"
A hint of excitement appeared in Erina's expression. The particles of light breaking on the crystal, the sound of music, the noise of countless people mingling together. All she wanted was to laugh like everyone else.
"Miss Erina, I want to be with you. Please be my partner tonight.”
There was no answer, but he didn't intend to listen either. Alpheas took Erina's hand and walked to the center of the hall. She came to him as if she had just started to walk like a baby. And for the first time in her life, she embraced someone who wasn't her family.
As the quick-witted musicians resumed playing, Alpheas led Erina in dance. The nobles watched, dumbfounded. Even Erina's parents was speechless.
Alpheas didn't care. Neither did Erina. They lost themselves in the music as if they were the only two people there. It was a dance far from dignified, but it was instinctive and passionate. They spun like a top, losing their balance and bumping into people. And the more they did, the louder Erina's laughter became. After about ten minutes, Erina became the center of attention at the party for the first time.
--------------------
Playful laughter echoed through the garden. Having caused quite a scene at the party and escaping it, Alpheas and Erina ran wildly through the forest.
Reaching the end of the estate, Alpheas caught his breath, panting. To his humiliation, Erina didn't look very tired. He can't believe he’s weaker than a woman. He looked up at the sky, thinking that he should cut back on drinking.
It was a night full of stars.
Erina had a surprisingly quiet personality. But wasn't Alpheas famous in Bashka for being talkative? He continued the conversation without giving the atmosphere a chance to cool down.
As time passed, it almost felt like Erina was drawing out the conversation. She quietly listened to any topic he brought up. Occasionally, when she smiled as if she understood, Alpheas became more excited and talked like a waterfall.
Eventually, the conversation turned to the recent question of the nature of light.
Is light a wave or a particle?
Saroph defined it as a wave, but Alpheas was convinced it was wrong. However, he didn't necessarily advocate for the particle theory either.
To be honest, he don't know. He just thought that they should start by admitting that they don't know what they don't know.
"It's really strange, isn't it? Light has such peculiar properties. It shows wave-like behavior in interference experiments, but on the other hand..."
Alpheas stopped talking as he realized he was too immersed in his own story. He had been talking nonstop without even noticing that his listener was Erina. She was sitting on the grass, looking down at the garden below. But the smile on her lips was still beautiful.
"Hahaha! Did I talk too much? It feels like the first time I've talked for so long. People usually get bored."
“You are a good person.”
Those were the first words Erina uttered. And Alpheas blinked as if he had never heard such a thing before. He couldn't understand why his heartbeat suddenly sped up.
His mind was in turmoil.
Why am I here? What exactly am I expecting from this girl?
It was an unknown world. A world where the desire to explore and fear coexisted, making it impossible to judge anything.
Alpheas ignored it. He continued the conversation as if he hadn't heard her words.
"Haha! It's embarrassing to say, but as a magician, I should be writing a thesis, but I really don't know anything. I don't know which way to go. What do you think, Erina? Is light a wave or a particle?"
Erina wasn't disappointed with Alpheas' attitude. She stood up and looked at the stars in the sky as she spoke.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
