The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 89 - Poaching, Are We?

[Task 90: Ensure Treya successfully completes the coronation ceremony and gains the Demon’s Favor.]

[Reward: Treya’s exclusive swordsmanship—Demon’s Black Blade.]

Closing the notebook, Will looked out the carriage window at the familiar sights of the royal palace.

When he first entered the palace, he had been curious, looking around at everything as if it were new. Now, he was calm. The overly manicured trees of the palace grounds, while perfect, had become dull to him.

“I’m so excited. Everyone’s been talking about Treya’s sword dance performance today.”

Eir, of course, had come along.

The coronation ceremony followed a specific sequence: first, social interactions and greetings. After the celebrant’s grand entrance, they would perform a sword dance in front of the Demon’s Spirit Jar, showcasing the Entark swordsmanship. Finally, guests would offer their blessings to the celebrant, followed by a regular banquet.

Naturally, such an event required the presence of personal attendants to serve their masters.

Typically, a coronation ceremony with its semi-ritualistic nature was only attended by the royal family or nobles closely associated with them.

In the original timeline, Will, having annulled his engagement, wouldn’t have been eligible to attend such an event.

But…

In this altered reality, since the engagement had been “postponed” rather than outright “canceled,” he, as Treya’s nominal fiancé, had received an invitation to the coronation ceremony.

It seemed that “fate” wasn’t set in stone. There were malleable aspects.

By poking at these softer areas, changes could be made.

At least, that’s how Will interpreted it for now.

“Treya’s performance has to be stellar. Otherwise, how will it reflect on me as her teacher?”

“You were just scolded by Leah-sensei at school this week, and now you’re already calling yourself a teacher? Young Master, that’s not very convincing.”

“That was only because the name of the spell was too complicated, and I misspelled one letter on the midterm exam, so I didn’t get a perfect score.”

Will sighed at the struggles of being a “super honor student.”

Even a single spelling mistake that cost him a perfect score earned him a harsh lecture from his teacher.

“But this carriage seems to be heading somewhere we’ve never been before… Is it going higher up? Or…”

“How does the Young Master know so much… Have you… memorized the palace map?!”

“Not exactly. Normally, when we visit Treya, the carriage stops around here. But this time, it’s going further up.”

Will pointed outside.

The carriage was winding its way up the mountain roads on which the castle was built. Normally, it would stop around the first level.

But now, the carriage was nearing the summit.

It seemed that the Demon’s Spirit Jar was considered important enough by the Entark family to be placed at the highest point of their castle.

After spending about a third more time than usual, Eir and Will arrived at the “Grand Hall” where the coronation ceremony was to be held.

Eir helped Will down from the carriage.

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“Young Master… this place is huge. Is Her Highness Treya really hosting her birthday party here?”

“Well, perhaps this is just how royal banquets are.”

The hall was located near the very top of the castle. Standing outside, one could feel the cool breeze of the mountaintop gently blowing.

The hall itself was incredibly tall, with sunlight streaming through intricately carved stained glass windows. Its design reminded Will of a cathedral from his previous life.

The floor space was enormous, estimated to be three to four times the size of the venue where Will had attended his first royal banquet.

At the center was a slightly elevated stage—this was where Treya would perform.

The stage faced what appeared to be the third-floor level of the hall, where the “Demon’s Spirit Jar” was displayed.

The jar was encased in a glass cabinet, resting on a luxurious red velvet cloth, exuding an air of grandeur.

Though it was hard to see from a distance, its appearance resembled a teapot, albeit aged and slightly yellowed.

Oh, right.

It wasn’t officially called the “Demon’s Spirit Jar.”

Will knew from the original story that the jar contained a demon and that the Entark family’s power came from this demon.

But…

According to the officially atheistic Entark royal family’s description:

This was the “Divine Spirit Jar” bestowed upon them by the gods, containing divine wisdom that slowly seeped out, serving as the foundation of Entark’s rule over the empire.

So…

It had an official (propaganda) name—

The God-Blessed Spirit Jar!

If the goddess this empire supposedly worshipped ever found out her name was being associated with a demonic teapot, she’d probably manifest on the spot.

Then again… in the original story, this goddess only existed in the lore and never made an appearance. Who’s to say she wasn’t as fictional as the jar’s divine origin?

“Young Master, I just saw the Master.”

Eir suddenly tugged at him.

“Huh? He’s here too? Where?”

This was unexpected. Will had assumed his ever-busy father wouldn’t attend.

Eir pulled him aside and pointed to a table inside.

At the center of the hall, in front of the stage, was a long rectangular table that resembled a judge’s panel. A row of distinguished guests sat there—poor Treya, on her own birthday, had to perform a sword dance for them.

Carver’s brown hair and lean figure stood out among the group.

He was indeed here, and Eir hadn’t been mistaken.

It seemed the Hysterm family had indeed strengthened its ties with the Entark royal family through this engagement.

But more intriguing than Carver…

“Hmm, I see him. And… King Edward is here too.”

Edward Entark.

The current king of Entark.

Over the past three years, with the rise of dungeon productivity, he had been implementing extreme exploitation and centralization policies.

He had annexed numerous neighboring vassal states and territories, leaving the lower classes in misery.

But perhaps due to his excessive indulgence, he looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and a frail, gaunt frame.

“Really? Then, then, then, should we…”

“Let’s keep our distance. After all, I’m not the main character today.”

The thought of dealing with the king and the associated formalities gave Will a headache. He decided to leave such troublesome matters to his father.

“Oh? The young master of the Hysterm family, who stole the spotlight last time, isn’t the star today?”

A displeasing voice came from behind.

Eugenie.

It was hard to miss her, with her red, wavy hair likely doused in copious amounts of hairspray to keep it neat.

She was still dressed in predominantly black attire, though this outfit was slightly different from her previous one. It had a more mature vibe, likely due to the addition of intricate lace patterns.

“Don’t say that, Princess Eugenie. I’m just an unambitious, good-for-nothing noble. I have no interest in being the center of attention.”

“Is that so?”

Eugenie casually took a glass of wine from a nearby tray.

She was old enough to drink freely.

“I think the Hysterm family is quite fortunate to have someone like you, Will. Smart people like you are rare.”

Will hadn’t expected Eugenie, who had once used him as a pawn, to approach him now with compliments.

“Well… thank you?”

He wasn’t fond of these back-and-forth social games.

He disliked dealing with nobles; their conversations were too “subtle,” requiring multiple layers of interpretation. A single misstep in his response could reveal that he wasn’t thinking as deeply as they were.

But…

What was Eugenie’s purpose in approaching him now?

And why was she trying to get close to him?

“Since you’re a smart person, I’ll be direct. Has the Hysterm family ever considered… other options?”

Will sensed danger.

Was she…

Trying to poach him?!