A long while later, inside the bathroom.
Recalling Mary’s actions just now, Eros said with a hint of embarrassment, "Was it really necessary to go to such lengths?"
Mary shrugged and turned to him with an air of indifference. "I mostly just wanted to try it out. You know, it’s quite painful to have a wealth of experience but no opportunity to apply it. Now that I had the chance, of course I had to test it!"
Eros spread his hands. "Fair enough."
After all, he was the beneficiary. He was more than happy to let her practice her "eighteen martial arts" on him.
Mary cupped her chest with her hands, only to find that no matter how hard she pressed, the resulting cleavage was still underwhelming and failed to meet her expectations. Her mood suddenly soured, and she grumbled, "As expected, this physique of mine has too many limitations!"
Eros couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. After a few dry coughs to suppress his amusement, he offered some comfort: "It’s alright! To have your own 'private airstrip' at such a young age—you’re already doing great!"
"Huh?" Mary looked blank, not understanding his choice of words.
"Ahem! Nothing, nothing! I’m saying you’re amazing~" Eros cleared his throat again, subtly glossing over the joke.
"Oh," Mary replied. Though a look of suspicion flickered across her petite face, she didn't dwell on it.
Another long while passed. Mary leaned against Eros’s shoulder, her tone growing languid. "Two days and three nights. Forty-three noble ladies, plus four maids who got caught in the crossfire, and me. That makes forty-eight in total!"
She paused there, tilting her head to look at the still-energetic Eros with awe. "Is this because of the Elven bloodline? Or is your own strength just that formidable?"
Eros mused for a moment before giving an ambiguous answer: "A bit of both, I suppose. Though, I’m surprised you even know about those four maids who got involved."
Mary snorted and said proudly, "But of course!"
Eros’s mouth twitched. To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to the head count during the ball. Hearing Mary lay it out like that, he was a bit startled. Good heavens, were there really that many?
Curiosity piqued, he asked, "Was this ball organized by you?"
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Mary shook her head. "No. Since you’ve already seen their faces, there’s no need for me to hide anything from you. The host of this ball was Her Highness Anne. The venue and the maids were all hers; I was just the liaison."
"Anne?" Eros frowned, repeating the name. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Anne Bonkalev Solon, the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Solon!" Mary explained.
Realization dawned on Eros. He finally remembered who this Anne was. Grand Duke Solon, like his own father, was a powerful noble with his own fief. However, their families hadn't interacted much in the past. His father spent the whole year at the fief, and family affairs in the Empire were handled by Michell, so they had few private connections outside of official duties.
Well, he thought, my ties with the Solon family have certainly become very 'tight' now.
Seeing the look of realization on his face, Mary pursed her lips and continued the introductions: "Besides Her Highness Anne, there was Claire Vatu Rudy, the third daughter of Grand Duke Rudy, and Doreen Ilya Milan, the youngest daughter of Grand Duke Milan."
"By the way, the one who cried very loudly because of the pain—that was Doreen."
"Those three are the daughters of the Empire’s top-tier Grand Dukes. The rest of us were just... the others!"
Hearing this, Eros identified who Doreen was. Many had cried out in pain during the banquet, but only one had wailed quite that loudly; the impression was vivid. So it was that little one? He hadn't expected her to be the youngest daughter of the "Sword of the Empire," Grand Duke Milan.
"But speaking of which, why did you invite me? Was it because of my Elven blood? Did you want to conceive my offspring to improve your family lineages?" Eros asked curiously.
Mary didn't dodge the question, answering quite bluntly: "Some might have come with that goal in mind, but for most, it was probably due to your personal charm."
"My personal charm?" Eros thought to himself. All he could say was that they had excellent taste, and Mary certainly knew how to talk—he liked what he was hearing.
Mary’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Distinguished family background, handsome features, exquisite martial skills. The profound knowledge you displayed in various Academy tests, and the extraordinary talent of reaching Sequence 7 at the age of nineteen."
"And, possessing all of the above, yet remaining devoid of arrogance. Isn't it normal for a man as charming as you to attract a crowd of noble ladies?"
"Add to that the approaching Sin Realm assessment. The thought of not knowing if they’ll return alive has been weighing on their hearts. Suddenly, an opportunity to release that internal pressure appeared before them—and that person happened to be you, someone they already liked. So, in a moment of impulse, they came."
"If it weren't for the assessment, even if they liked you, they likely wouldn't have gone to this extreme. They’re actually quite conservative. You could feel that, couldn't you?"
Eros nodded, agreeing with her last point. Of the forty-four noble ladies, including Mary, the vast majority had been novices. Before attending, Eros had assumed the members of such a gathering would be those "wild" noble ladies. With a legendary "Old Driver" like Miss Mary involved, he had been even more certain. He had gone with the mindset of "seeing the world" and "doing as the locals do."
As it turned out, apart from a few individuals, almost everyone was a beginner.
Seeing Eros nod, Mary giggled. "But! After this, especially since everyone’s true identity has been exposed, it’s going to be very awkward when they meet each other in the future!"
"But for you," she added, "this is a good thing!"