Chapter 20: Invitation to a banquet

Since the last time Yibel 'blocked the door' and Christine left, he has never looked for her again. There are not many mages in the Mage Guild, but for those who spend hours or even dozens of hours in the library or laboratory, the chances of a chance encounter are not high.

The latest news is that Yibel has been promoted to Second Order Mage. Christine has also heard that the Yibel family has found her a future husband.

Mages or apprentices don't have time to spread such gossip, but these noble ladies and young ladies are different. It doesn't take long for news to spread through the noble circles of Ren City, and the speed is comparable to the information centre at the village entrance.

As a second-level magician and a member of the Count of Ren family, Iber is a natural topic of conversation.

Christine, as a noblewoman, had to attend some parties, and as a mage, the noble ladies were especially eager to tell her about Yibel's engagement, so she had no choice.

The carriage went down the street, and Christine was on her way to a party hosted by Yibel. As a field noblewoman and quasi-baroness, Christine could care less about the mage's promotion from first to second rank, but for ordinary people it was something to celebrate.

At first she didn't want to go because the other friends Iber had invited were not of high status. But Iber begged her to go, and she relented, thinking that they were both mages after all.

After her rebirth, she was indeed affected by living as a woman for so many years. Had it been in the past, she would not have even looked twice when a mountain collapsed and the earth cracked.

The banquet was held in the villa where Iber lived. In addition to Iber's fiancé and a few friends, Christine also saw Nazan, a first order mage who was on good terms with Iber.

Her arrival immediately livened up the entire banquet. Everyone rose to greet her, and with the exception of Mage Nazan, their attitude could be described as sycophantic.

The fathers of these people were only the second sons of nobles, and the highest status they could achieve was that of a squire. Most of them were also the second children in their families, and their status was too different.

You should know that there are only six barons and above in the whole of Brittany, and the Kingdom of France, one of the strongest countries on the continent, has only seventeen counties, five of which are directly under the Crown.

Of course, she has not yet officially inherited the title, otherwise she would not be able to invite a single baron to a banquet of this calibre. The rules of nobility are sometimes very loose and sometimes very rigid.

Christine, I'm so glad you could come.

Today Yibel looked particularly smart in a brand new ceremonial robe.

Apprentice magicians all wear brown robes, and the mages' ceremonial robes are blue, symbolising pure magical energy. Below the fourth rank, only the cuffs are patterned; the fifth to ninth ranks have patterns on the garments, and the tenth to fourteenth ranks have embedded magical patterns. From the fifteenth rank, they can wear whatever style they like, and no one can control the Masters.

However, the Mage Guild is full of low-level mages, and the normal robes they usually wear, though practical, do not show the nobility of the mage. So there are ceremonial robes, which emphasise the 'expensive' in terms of material, style and matching accessories, and are used for important events.

Congratulations, Iber,' Christine said, handing him a gift box.

Thank you.

On the mainland it was considered a sign of respect to open a gift in front of the recipient, so Iber opened the box immediately. Inside was a first level spell scroll for 'Mage Armour'.

This is too valuable.

Iber said, but his expression was very happy.

Spells of the same level of protection cost more than offensive spells, so this scroll was worth 50 gold coins. The more expensive the gift, the more face the owner has. This is why it is popular on the mainland to open gifts in front of the recipient.

We're both mages, so we don't have to worry about such things,' Kristen replied indifferently.

It was only because of his status as a second order mage that Ebel dared to invite Kristen to the banquet and could call her by her first name, otherwise he would have to respectfully address her as 'Miss Stewart'.

Next, Ebel introduced Kristen to the guests at the banquet, but of course this was only out of courtesy, and in reality none of these people's names were worth knowing.

The only male guests present were the Reverend Nazan, who was often seen with Kristen and behaved normally, and Ebel's fiancé, who was a little out of control, his eyes glued to Kristen's every move.

This is not difficult to understand. Not only is Christine almost perfect in appearance and voice, her temperament and demeanour are also exemplary.

As immortals, the Baron and Baroness Stewart may look like young people, but in reality they are nearly a hundred years old. Having been like this for so long, etiquette and grace have become second nature to them, and Christine has been brought up under the guidance of her parents.

The banquet that followed was considered by others to be high class, even up to the standards of a hereditary lord's formal banquet. In Christine's eyes, however, it was just so-so, not even as good as the food she ate every day.

It was no exaggeration to say that the tea Baron Stewart led at two hundred gold coins a brick was her daily drink. Field lords were reluctant to use such expensive tea at their banquets, not to mention the possibility that it might not be available.

Banquet etiquette does not forbid conversation during meals, but only Ibel and Archmage Nazan can chat with Christine, and no one else dares.

Firstly, the difference in status is too great, so they dare not speak for fear of being ignored and humiliated. Secondly, they do not know what topic to choose, so they do not dare speak for fear of saying the wrong thing and being humiliated.

Even so, the faces of those present could not help but reveal an uncontrollable joy. After all, the other man is a baron-designate, and he can boast for half a year after his return.

It's like the owner of a grocery store having dinner with a big shot who's in the top six in the province. He'd be sorry if he didn't brag about it when he went home.

After the meal, Christine and Master Nazan could not participate in the other activities. The difference in their status was too great for the others to feel comfortable, but they could not just leave and embarrass their hosts. So the two borrowed the study to discuss some topics related to magic.

When Christine and Master Nazan returned to the hall half an hour later, they found that Yibel was not there, so they asked the maid to invite her in, as they always had to say goodbye in person.

After a while, the maid returned and said that Yibel had invited Miss Stewart and Master Nazan to go upstairs for a while to discuss something important.

Christine was confused, but considering that the other party had invited both her and Master Nazan, they followed the maid upstairs together. What they didn't notice was that a few of the guests were missing.