CHAPTER 032
"Who is this guy? Why are you doing this with a random guy?"
Then, she turned to look at the man.
There was no way the man who recognized me and Charlotte wouldn't know Lewis. The man who saw Bella and Lewis suddenly hiccupped.
"Ahem, I think I'm sobering up..."
"What kind of alcohol makes you freely drunk and sober?"
I looked at the man in disbelief, but Lewis didn't care about the man's change in attitude.
He simply asked coldly.
"Did you hit on my partner?"
"What do you mean by that...!"
The man, pretending to sober up, flared up.
Hey, there's no need to be so defensive!
That question was bound to hurt both the man and me.
Lewis looked back at me again.
"Why did you say you'd dance with a guy like this?"
It's betrayal. Lewis's eyes were saying that.
I instinctively shook my hands.
"I was just saying. Did you really think I meant it?!"
Why are you focusing on that? Humans are so hard to understand.
Anyway, I wanted to clear up any potential misunderstandings.
"That man was bothering Lady Hopkins, so I was helping her."
"Bothering her?"
"Yes. She was resting alone, and he kept asking why she wouldn't dance with him... He was upset because he had already been rejected seven times."
Oh, now that I say it out loud, it sounds really pathetic, doesn't it?
As I trailed off and looked out the window, I saw nobles peeking at us from beyond Lewis and Bella.
"Such a disgrace..."
Everyone looked shocked by the man's pathetic behavior.
"If I were rejected seven times, I wouldn't even ask out of sheer embarrassment."
Bella muttered loudly. The man's face turned bright red.
He looks just like before, doesn't he? His drunken red face was exactly the same as earlier.
"Do you really want to dance that badly?"
Lewis said, looking at the man.
That face that looked like he was thinking of how to torment him! The mischievous look on his face was clearly not a good sign.
Soon, Lewis's lips curled up completely.
"Then, let's make sure he dances to his heart's content."
"What?!"
As soon as Lewis finished speaking, the man's feet started moving. It was clear that Lewis had cast a spell.
"My feet... my feet!"
The man's feet moved freely as if dancing.
The man seemed overwhelmed by his legs moving on their own.
"Marquis! I was wrong! Please stop this!"
"No."
Hearing an answer that was worse than no from Lewis, the man left the terrace.
Or rather, his feet moved him away.
"Ahhh!"
The man's urgent voice moved with surprisingly graceful footwork.
He happily went down the stairs... Was he going to dance downstairs?
Good for you. Go, to a bigger space!
As the man disappeared, the spectators began to disperse one by one.
"Why is everyone gathered here?"
It was partly because Lewis gave them a look.
As people left, Lady Hopkins thanked us.
"I kept refusing because his reputation is terrible, but I didn't know he'd hold a grudge. Thank you so much for helping me."
"It's nothing. We just did what was right."
Charlotte, who had first acted on behalf of the lady, replied with a smile.
Next to her, I nodded vigorously and asked Lewis.
"But won't that man be a nuisance if he keeps dancing downstairs?"
"He won't dance on the floor, so don't worry."
Then where will he dance...?
A little later, I saw the man tap dancing on a table.
"Holy..."
I couldn't help but exclaim. The dance was weird too!
The man was quickly restrained by the count's knights.
"You can't do this here!"
"I didn't want to do this either!"
Soon, the man left the ballroom, leaving behind only a sorrowful cry.
"He'll probably dance outside. He'll stop once he's completely exhausted."
Lewis explained nonchalantly.
I'm glad there was no bloodshed, but... this is awful in its own way.
"That man won't get invited anywhere again."
I was 100% sure of this.
Lewis and I moved to a garden without the man and started talking.
"By the way, you were looking for me?"
It wasn't because of the noise, was it?
"I looked for you because you suddenly disappeared. We're partners, aren't we?"
He didn't move freely last time, leaving Bella behind. I decided not to mention it.
But Lewis's gaze at me became strange.
"I was the first person you agreed to be partners with, but you were accepting a dance request from such a fool?"
"I told you, it was just a joke! What do you think of me?!"
"Next time, don't say such things even as a joke. Just call me. You have a powerful friend and don't even know how to use him."
Well, thanks to having reliable friends, I could deal with the man...
"If you're upset because I didn't say I wanted to dance with you, I can dance with you as much as you want!"
"Really? I like that."
Lewis chuckled.
But it was only for a moment; his smile slowly faded.
He was now looking sharply at a certain spot.
"Seems like coming here was a good idea."
Snap, the branch in the direction Lewis was looking at suddenly made a loud noise as it broke.
Did Lewis just break that...?
Behind the broken branch was a young Viscount I had seen a few times.
What's his name again? I don't remember well, but he seemed to be out for a walk too.
The Viscount also seemed surprised by the sudden noise, but Lewis, who had stood up from the bench, asked.
"Who are you?"
"Uh, are you talking to me?"
The Viscount flinched at Lewis's ominous atmosphere.
"Did I do something wrong?"
The Viscount looked at me and Lewis alternately with a bewildered face.
How would I know why Lewis was acting like this? I was just as puzzled.
"Marquis, what's going on?"
"I told you I'd investigate if I found anything suspicious."
Investigate?
Could it be about that?
There was only one investigation Lewis would mention in front of me. Was it that thing he mentioned last time?
It seems I guessed right.
Staring at the Viscount, Lewis spoke with a stern face.
"You. You need to come with me to the Magic Tower."
Being suddenly invited to the Magic Tower didn't sound like a simple invitation.
Sure enough. The Viscount's face turned pale at Lewis's words.
"Why the Magic Tower all of a sudden...?"
Would a person's face look like that when they heard they were about to die?
The Viscount was trembling at Lewis's words.
A pale face. Shaking pupils. Wow, if that was an act, I'd give him an award.
It seems he's found something, doesn't it?
I remembered Lewis reacting to the sudden noise on the street last time.
Seeing this attitude now, it must mean the noise happened again.
"Marquis, I really don't understand..."
The Viscount cried out.
The problem was that his face didn't look like he was lying. Look at that face, as if struck by lightning!
"Marquis, wait a moment."
I hurriedly stopped Lewis.
"Why?"
"The Viscount seems to really not know why you're doing this. How about talking first?"
If you press too hard, things won't work out.
Lewis nodded reluctantly at my suggestion.
"Alright."
Then he said coldly to the Viscount.
"If you do anything suspicious, you won't walk out of here."
"Eek!"
Oh dear, the Viscount got even more scared. You shouldn't do that...
So I decided to step in. It was better for me to talk than Lewis, who only pressured him!
"Viscount, I'm sorry to ask this now, but what is your name?"
I think I heard it before but forgot. Sorry...
"N-Nick Bois."
With a tense face, the Viscount answered, and I asked Lewis.
"Marquis, do you know him?"
"No."
"You don't know every mage, do you?"
"There are too many to remember."
"You've never heard of a mage named Nick Bois?"
As I asked Lewis, Nick interrupted our conversation.
"I don't know any magic..."
"That is indeed strange."
It was odd.
How could someone who didn't know magic amplify Lewis's noise?
"Wait a moment."
Lewis took out a ledger from thin air.
The ledger flipped through pages on its own and stopped soon. Lewis said.
"There's no one named Nick Bois in the official mage registry."
Did you already read it all? That's amazing speed reading... No, wait!
"Isn't it possible that he's an unregistered mage?"
"That's illegal."
In the empire, knowing magic is a great talent.
If a young noble had magical abilities, there was no reason to hide it. There was no need to commit a crime.
"Then he really might not know magic, right?"
"..."
At my question, Lewis tilted his head slightly.
"But I can feel it right now."
He left out the subject because Nick was listening, but I understood.
He meant he could feel the noise that shouldn't be there.
"Then what's the problem?"
"I really don't know any magic! Please believe me!"
Nick pleaded with a face that looked like he was about to cry.
Oh dear, now I feel like the bad guy! I'm just a commoner!
Anyway, thanks to Lewis, I'm experiencing all sorts of new things.
Now, let's think! I recalled our conversation with Lewis about our speculations.
The thing that amplifies Lewis's noise.
It could be a person or not.
If it not a person but an object?
"Could it be something the Viscount is carrying?"
"That makes sense."
As soon as Lewis nodded, I asked Nick.
"Did you go to the shopping district about a week ago?"
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