“Why do I have to be here?”

At that moment, Delrina stood in the middle of the banquet hall, pondering the question.

“And why do I have to do this?”

Delrina’s face and hair were well-hidden behind a mask and wig.

Fortunately, her shoulders were tensing up a bit due to the murmuring crowd who were looking at her. She wanted to break the palace windows and escape immediately, but because of the gaze of Haeir, who was looking at her, she could only sigh silently.

“Delrina. So many people.”

“…Yeah. Zen. Just stay still for a moment.”

Of course, Delrina wasn’t alone. To her sides stood her aides, Zen and Calix.

Calix also wore a mask to cover his face, but due to his distinct black hair and usual style of dress, people easily recognized him.

“Isn’t that Prince Ulfirum?”

“It seems so. But why is he there…?”

“…If you’re going to wear a mask, you should wear a different one.”

It was unfortunate that the mask Calix wore resembled the one that Bellion usually wore, so Calix was easily spotted. Zen, however, revealed his face openly, wearing nothing to disguise himself.

“Squeak.”

There was also an animal. Seeing many people, the monkey was momentarily startled but soon naturally climbed onto Delrina’s head.

“Delrina, what are you doing?”

“First greet them, bow your head like this.”

As Delrina and her party awkwardly bowed to the flustered nobles, various stage props were brought before Delrina.

For a moment, Delrina was speechless at the tremendous variety and size. If real clowns had received this kind of support, they would have shed tears of joy. Delrina, however, felt like crying for a different reason.

“I don’t know. Just do it.”

She couldn’t back out now. Recalling what she had prepared in a short period, Delrina walked to the center of the stage.

Music gradually filled the air, signaling the start of the performance. The nobles began to murmur, realizing what Delrina was doing.

“Is she performing?”

“It looks like a young girl… What talent could she possibly have to be in the royal banquet?”

The crowd’s words added to her nervousness. Delrina looked around and focused on one spot: where Bellion was.

“…”

Bellion did not say or do anything. When their eyes met, he merely licked his lips.

Clown.

In such a situation, he still sounded like a clown. A consistent Bellion. Delrina chuckled. Then she began to fiddle with what was in her hand—the gun she had received that day.

“Pull the trigger for something fun? Not a bullet?”

She hadn’t had a chance to use the gun she had just received. But recalling Bansent’s words that something interesting would come out, she hesitated for a moment and then pulled the trigger. Instantly, fire burst from the barrel.

“!”

Not only Delrina but also the surrounding nobles were startled by the sudden fire. They began to murmur, thinking the fire had come from Delrina’s hand. And among those nobles, Delrina spotted Bansent.

“Is this what you meant by ‘fun’?”

Bansent seemed pleased, showing off his invention. While still holding the fire-spewing gun, Delrina turned her eyes toward a giant ring nearby.

“……!”

Delrina aimed the stream of fire at the ring, and the fire instantly latched onto it. As she watched it in a daze, Zen, who had rushed to her side, asked her.

“Can you go through that?”

“…Wait, just wait.”

Although it had turned from passing through a ring to passing through a ring of fire, Zen looked neither scared nor concerned. With a look of anticipation, he listened as Delrina whispered to him.

“Remember, if you use too much power, you’ll faint like last time. Be careful.”

“Yep!”
Zen felt his body lighten as his ability activated, soaring through rings of fire with astonishing speed. The aristocrats around him gasped in awe.

“Squeak, squeak!”

The monkey started playing alone, picking up various tools scattered around.

It juggled balls, rolled sticks, and continued its own performance, maintaining balance on a precarious pole and passing through small rings. The aristocrats seemed to find the monkey amusing.

“Shall we get ready?”

“……”

As Zen and the monkey captivated the crowd, Delrina also drew her dagger. Calyx, seemingly resigned, walked towards the target and stood in the middle.

‘After all, hitting the target is difficult.’

Given his current skills, it was only a matter of time before Calyx would have to dodge a throw. So, Delrina opted for the opposite strategy.

Swish. The dagger thrown by Delrina flew straight toward Calyx’s face. The aristocrats screamed or closed their eyes in horror. However, the dreadful event they imagined didn’t occur.

‘It bounced off!’

The thrown dagger rebounded before it could even reach Calyx’s face. The aristocrats looked bewildered. Delrina then threw dozens more daggers, but none stuck to Calyx.

‘Certainly, an impressive barrier.’

Upon using his ability, no object or person within one meter could approach him. Seeing this invisible barrier, Delrina finally gave a satisfied smile.

Applause and murmurs continued among the aristocrats who had witnessed the dagger performance. Delrina then addressed the crowd.

“Is anyone willing to assist with the next performance?”

As she spoke, Delrina walked toward Vincent.

“Wouldn’t you like to try an experiment?”

Speaking softly so only Vincent could hear, Delrina continued.

“It’s an experiment you’ll never get to try in your lifetime.”

Vincent chuckled, seemingly bemused.

“If you think I’ll volunteer for an experiment…”

“Will you?”

“I won’t.”

As Vincent stepped forward to volunteer, the crowd began to stir. In the meantime, Delrina was still surveying the surroundings. She quickly licked her lips when she saw Noah in the distance.

Hiring!

Although concerned about hiring expenses, right now, every person mattered. Moreover, there were promises made to Grace in the garden last night; she had to gather as many kids as possible. Noah, noticing Delrina’s lips, smiled.

“Ashud, why don’t you volunteer as well?”

Sure enough, Delrina’s prediction hit the mark. Grace, who was sitting next to Ashud, excitedly watching the children onstage, turned to Ashud.

“…Me?”

“It looks fun. Why don’t we try it together?”

“…No, I’m not interested.”

Unlike the enthusiastic Grace, Ashud looked uninterested. However, another voice chimed in.

“Go.”

At Hyer’s words, Ashud’s eyes widened. Continually staring at Delrina, Hyer gritted his teeth. Unexpectedly advertising Delrina’s performance had caught him off guard.

“Find out what trick she used.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Obeying Hyer’s words, Ashud rose from his seat and walked toward the center stage, drawing curious glances from the aristocrats.

“…Thank you all for volunteering. Shall we start again?”

‘Of course, it’s not perfect volunteering.’

Three people with diverse expressions stood there. Delrina smiled awkwardly. The first person Delrina called was Vincent.

“Go on in.”

Delrina guided Vincent into a large empty box. Vincent muttered upon seeing the empty space.

“A once-in-a-lifetime experiment, right?”

“Yes. Trust me.”
After pushing Vansent inside, Delina closed the box. For a moment, as if gathering her energy amid the gaze of the crowd, she reached her hand toward the box. After a brief pause, Delina reopened the box’s door.

“My goodness!”

Exclamations of disbelief poured out. Among them were those rubbing their eyes, as if questioning whether what they were seeing was real. Delina lifted Vansent, who was now at the bottom of the box. To be precise, Vansent was now crawling as a baby.

The nobles stared blankly at Delina, who held Vansent, who had not just become younger but had turned into a baby. A moment later, a faint sound of clapping was heard. And that clapping gradually turned into loud cheers and applause.

“Thank you, thank you.”

Amid the applause from the crowd, Delina thought,

‘…I should never use an older man charm, not even in the future.’

And so she said.