Reincarnated Hero System

Just as Evan had set his targets on one of the Counts, he sensed some presences approaching him from behind and turned to meet with a quartet of young noble ladies.

Leading them was a cat beast woman who gracefully approached Evan amidst the lively atmosphere of the evening party.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see that there were other little cliques of young nobles showing displeased reactions that this one had beat them to approaching Evan.

'Come to think of it, I had been so focused on the older nobles that I didn't talk much with anyone my age…'

It was a bit of an oversight on his part, so he decided to change things up and mix with younger nobles for the rest of the event.

His gaze returned to the young lady in front of him, the sleek obsidian fur on her ears and tail shimmering under the ambient lights of the Marquee.

A subtle, elegant smile graced her face as she executed a curtsy, a delicate nod to both tradition and refinement.

"Count Bourne, an honour to share this evening with you. I trust the night finds you well."

Her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of emerald green, held a glint of curiosity and friendliness as she extended her hand in greeting while introducing herself in a voice carrying a refined charm.

Aiko, with a graceful demeanour, extended her hand towards Evan as she introduced herself, her voice carrying a refined charm.

"I am Aiko Herrera, daughter of Margravine Herrera. It's a pleasure to have you here, Count Bourne. Your presence adds much to the vibrancy of this evening."

With a graceful movement, Aiko extended her hand toward a passing server, who carried a tray adorned with crystal glasses and a variety of beverages. She selected a glass filled with a sparkling, amber-hued liquid, a signature drink from the Beast Kingdom renowned for its unique blend of flavours.

"Count Bourne, please allow me to offer you a taste of our finest."

She presented the glass with a slight incline of her head, the aroma of exotic fruits wafting through the air.

Evan met Aiko's gesture with a warm smile, appreciating the elegance in her greeting. Taking the offered glass, he nodded graciously.

"Thank you, Lady Herrera."

Though he had recognized her before she even spoke, the introduction was still necessary since she was this was the first time that they were actually speaking to one another and she was the one initiating the conversation.

From her last name, it was clear that she was the daughter of Princess Malaya's guard, Selah, one of the Beast Kingdom's high nobles.

The members of her entourage introduced themselves, and Evan responded to their greetings appropriately, so much that one would wonder if this was the same person who liked playing around 25/7.

With a subtle clink of glasses, they raised a little toast before engaging in small talk.

They chatted a variety of things, ranging from his adventures in other countries; the discussion seamlessly transitioning to Lacertilia, the current point in his journey.

Ever poised, the young ladies inquired about the little stir caused earlier when it was discovered he possessed draconic powers, especially Aiko whose curiosity was clear in her emerald green eyes.

Their exchange continued, delving into Evan's plans for his stay in the Beast Kingdom. Eventually, Aiko decided to bring the conversation to a close, as her group wasn't the only one with plans to speak to Evan tonight.

Leaning in slightly, she suggested the possibility of future encounters.

"Count Bourne, it would be a delight to cross paths again in the near future.

Perhaps at another enchanting party or even more maybe a salon gathering, if you are less busy?"

"Indeed, we would love for you to grace us with your presence, Count."

"I know of a salon in the capital that's quite fitting for such a gathering."

Her friends also chipped in, and this little conversation caught the ears of lots of young nobles nearby as they wanted a chance to speak with the 'Esteemed Count Bourne' in a less formal gathering as well.

Seeing this, Aiko's mind began compiling a list of possible guests, but she kept up her refined smile as she asked.

"So, how about i-?!"

Aiko's words were cut short when she felt a chill run down her spine, LITERALLY. Her friends also went stiff for a moment and Evan naturally noticed this and questioned it with a tilt of his head.

"Is there a problem, ladies?"

The reply to his query came not from Aiko or her friends, but from a much more familiar person.

"Oh no, there couldn't possibly be a problem. Right ladies?"

Eliza, spoke as she slipped in through Aiko's friends and placed her hands on the cat beastwoman's shoulders with a bright smile on her face.

It was a picturesque scene of two beauties 'talking' with each other if you ignored the fact that Eliza's smile did not reach her eyes.

Evan instantly picked up on Eliza's current mood, as well as the reason why Aiko had suddenly stiffened earlier.

Looking to the ground he noticed that there was a bit of faint green mist around their legs, and he didn't even want to know how Eliza used just that to make a level 200 like Aiko feel cold.

"Now then, If the ladies would excuse me, I need to have some ALONE TIME with my boyfriend."

Eliza grabbed Evan's arm and pulled him close while taking the wine glass he held and placing it on the tray of a server passing by.

From the way she was acting, Aiko would be dumb not to get the hint and back off immediately.

"Y-yes. We would not disturb you."

She curtsied to Evan once more, before offering a little farewell greeting.

"We shall speak at a later date, Count."

Eliza's brow twitched when she heard that and Aiko noticed this, even so, the beast woman didn't stick around long enough for Eliza to say anything, quickly leading her entourage away from the two.

"Well, someone's quite pissed."

Evan spoke the moment Aiko was out of earshot, and this caused Eliza's frosty gaze to turn towards him instead.

"Evan…the amount of time you just spent speaking with her is more than the amount of time we've spoken in the past week."

"…"

'I am genuinely curious to know how she was counting the time. I don't even know how much time I spent talking with them.'

However, despite this thought, a portion of his mind made warned him not to ask so he refrained from doing so.

Still, if that was truly the case, he could understand Eliza's current behaviour very well.

Some other young ladies wanted to speak with him but Eliza just tightened her hold on him, pulling his arm so close to her chest without regard for whether it was touching or not while staring at them blankly.

Thankfully, they all got the hint and backed off so no one had to be subjected to ice that could make level 200s feel literal chills on their spines.

Frankly speaking, Evan hadn't spent much time with Eliza over the past week.

His time had been split between going to the Tower of Trials, and planning the evening party they were currently in.

There was also him sending official requests to Wolfen in his capacity as the GWE's Count Bourne, as the 'Hero Evan', and the third he had just sent in the morning, as the Adventurer with the epithet 'Irregular Evan'.

Naturally, the first two had been rejected and he expected the third to be no different but this didn't really matter.

He was doing this to make it so there was 'Justification' for him to interfere in the GEE—Wolfen conflict that was rapidly escalating.

Evan had also used the Beast Kingdom as a liaison to inform the Houses of 'Marquis Randall' and 'Duke Cooper' of the GEE to be expecting him very soon.

The bottom line is that he had been very busy in the past few days and that led to him not talking to Eliza much.

'She's clearly not happy about it.'

Evan thought as he looked at the girl who was dragging him out of the Marquee and away from the outdoor lighting set up to brighten up the area as the sky darkened.

Her dress was made to match his suit, sporting the same beige colour. It covered her shoulders entirely and flowed down into a stylish draped neckline, a relaxed fit that gave the dress a graceful look.

It also covered her arms to just below her elbows, with loose-fit sleeves that in a way, helped put focus on her skin.

He didn't really like that last part much, though.

The moment they were out of sight, in an area not too visible from the Marquee, he pulled her behind one of the buildings nearby and slipped his arm around her, pressing her body close to him.

Naturally, she reciprocated his abrupt hug after half a second of light surprise, and very quickly it transitioned into a kiss.

Eliza had been a lot bolder with her displays of affection recently, something Evan liked very much and didn't want to change anytime soon.

"I was feeling very tired but all it took was a single kiss to re-

energize me…"

Evan muttered as he buried his face in Eliza's neck, while she ran her hands through his hair lightly.

He caught sight of the moon from the corner of his eye, and the first date idea that he and Eliza had not gone on because of him being busy popped into his mind.

"Moonlit stroll…"

"Hmm? What about it?"

Evan did not give her an answer, instead breaking out of their hug and grabbing her arm before pulling her along with him as he returned to the Marquee.

He looked around and spotted one of the Beastkeepers near Kolvar, walking up to them and making a request that he would have refused If it was anyone else.

However, with Kolvar present and Evan's identity, the boy's request was quickly accepted.

◇ ◇ ◇

Fifteen minutes later, Evan and Eliza, still in their party wear, found themselves seated in a room located hundreds of kilometres from Lacertilia, whose only source of light was that of the moon coming in from the windows.

A variety of telescopes filled the room, and a pair were set up in front of them, which the couple used to indulge in a bit of stargazing.

Silently, Evan ticked 'Date plan #1' off in his mind, while he and Eliza basked in the warmth of each other's embrace.