Athena's General Reincarnated in Another World

Marquis Laurence:

The banquet was in full swing, with guests from all ranks and corners of nobility. Across the hall, large glass displays showcased the corpses of the beasts that had attacked the academy.

They were hideous.

Not exactly frightening—

I'd seen something in this life far worse than these things.

"So this is what attacked the students?" one of my fellow nobles asked, staring at the display.

"It's bigger than a man… and definitely stronger," said another.

"Good thing they don't use magic..." I murmured.

We stood there, observing the monstrous forms.

A servant passed by with a tray. I took a small hors d'oeuvre without breaking my gaze from the display.

"How can you eat with that thing staring at you?" one of them asked.

"I've seen something that would make every man in this room shit their pants," I muttered.

They laughed.

That wasn't a joke, you idiots…

I sighed and kept staring at the 'orc.'

Wait...

Was its eye open before?

I tapped on the glass.

It was submerged in fluid.

Dead.

Probably just a twitch.

"Hey," another noble approached us, sounding urgent. "I just saw the most beautiful woman of my entire life. Someone tell me she's not one of your mistresses—I don't want to start a duel."

"The most beautiful?" one of us asked. "If you're talking about that high-elf professor, forget it. She's the daughter of a duke from the elven realms. High elves already look down on humans—and noble ones? They won't even breathe in your direction."

The man shook his head.

"No, she's human. And I swear, not even that high elf comes close to her. Look—over there."

The others turned.

But I kept staring at the orc.

...Wasn't its jaw shut a moment ago?

I pressed my palm against the glass again.

Still submerged. Still dead.

Must've been a trick of the light.

"Damn, who is she?" I heard someone whisper.

"She's gorgeous," another muttered. "I just found my third wife."

"Don't even think about it. I saw her first."

"Is she single?"

I finally turned around.

"Alright, alright—show me this woman…" I said. "Who knows? Maybe my marquis charm will work on her."

But the moment I saw who they were talking about—

I choked.

"Y-you lunatics… do you have any idea who that woman is!?" I stammered.

My heart began to race.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Dizziness hit me like a wave.

I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Wait, don't tell me—she's a secret sister of the king or queen of Asalon?" one asked.

"No…" I managed, barely able to breathe. "She's from my duchy. That woman is…the commoner mother of the Evenhart heir."

For a moment—

Even from across the room—

She turned her face in our direction.

And I saw her eyes.

Cold.

Lifeless.

Staring straight through me—

Like they could see into my soul.

I felt my stomach churn violently.

The bile was already rising.

"Better not stare too long, boys," one of the nobles said. "She's tied to the high nobility. We've got no shot. The only one here who might stand a chance is you, Laurence—since she's not married."

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No. No, no, no. Get me out of this.

That woman is insane.

I can't afford to offend her.

I can't afford to offend any of them.

"Excuse me," I said, forcing a smile onto my face. "I need to visit the restroom."

I started walking—briskly, but not so fast as to draw attention.

But then I paused. Turned back.

"Y-you… you should stay away from that woman," I said, my voice thin, cracking. "Seriously. Just… stay away."

I turned again and moved quickly toward the corridor leading to the lavatories.

But then—

The temperature dropped.

A sudden chill climbed up my spine, spreading like frost beneath my skin.

"Is something wrong, Marquis Laurence?"

That voice.

My heart spasmed.

"L-Lady Margaery?" I asked, drenched in sweat, my smile twitching with effort. "No problem at all! Why do you ask? Is… is something bothering you? If there's anything I can do, I—I'll do it. Gladly."

"Oh… I simply wanted to speak to one of my marquises. To see how you were doing."

"I'm excellent! No problems whatsoever!" I replied too quickly.

I could feel the sweat sliding down my face… my back… even into my sleeves.

She was smiling.

A pleasant smile.

The same smile I'd seen as she made me watch a baron be tortured—

Or casually ordered nobles to be fed to a dragon.

"Very well... you may go," she said at last.

I bowed—

Not too deeply—

Then turned and continued down the hallway, my steps as steady as I could manage.

I passed a few staff members and nodded politely. When I reached the bathroom, I rushed in and locked the door behind me.

And then—

I collapsed over the toilet.

I couldn't hold it back anymore.

I vomited.

Violently.

The memories of that woman's sickening smile…

And the twisted faces of the Evenhart family…

All flooded back into my mind at once.

Nathan Evenhart:

I was walking through one of the mansion's hallways, lost in thought about my next moves.

There was supposed to be a private meeting after a few formal announcements, and I was still thinking through everything while pacing.

Was the demons' plan to create an incident just to send a message?

If they knew it would cross a line, then why do it?

Why reveal themselves?

All it did was put everyone on high alert for traitors...

I passed a few staff members along the way.

I'd even heard that the food served tonight had been overseen by trusted agents from each royal house.

Should I reveal my Celestial Eyes to them?

That was something I did not get to ask Siegfried.

Either way... the demons already know who I am.

"Master Nathan..." a voice pulled me from my thoughts.

It was Kinue.

"I left your plate on the table, but you disappeared. I got worried," she said.

I looked at her for a moment.

"Kinue... wanna take a walk with me? I need to clear my head."

"O-of course! But we shouldn't stray too far from the event area," she said cheerfully, stepping closer to my side. "If there's something on your mind, you can always talk to me."

She walked alongside me, glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby.

Then, once she confirmed the hallway was empty, she gently slipped her arm through mine.

"I... would really like to see your relationship with Chloe evolve publicly," she said. "That way, it would be possible for me to make my relationship with you official."

"I think that'll happen soon," I replied. "My aunt wants to wait until we finalize my citizenship situation."

She pressed herself closer to me, lowering her voice to a whisper near my ear.

"But I don't mind if, until then... we let our relationship evolve privately."

I turned to look at her.

"For my race... this means a lot," she said, her cheeks flushed deep red. "We only do this with someone we truly love… it's a form of consummation.
I want to serve you—body and soul."

Her face burned crimson.

Without hesitation, I scooped her into my arms.

"N-Nathan, what are you doing?" she stammered. "Someone might see us being this... intimate. I don't want to embarrass you."

"I'm not ashamed of being with you… Lady Evenhart," I said softly.

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"In that case... I want a kiss," she whispered, sliding her arms around my neck, drawing closer.

"Aww, how cute—such young love," said a voice right beside my ear.

In a flash, electricity surged through me, and I jumped back, still holding Kinue protectively.

My heart pounded.

"Queen Garnora?" I asked, stunned, lowering Kinue gently to the floor.

"The very same," she replied with a sly smile.

How…? She hadn't made a sound. Not a single footstep. Nothing.

"You don't need to understand," she said smoothly. "I'm a feline. If I don't want to make a sound… I won't."

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Kinue asked, embarrassed.

Ah, so she's Kinue's queen.

"Nothing at all," the queen replied. "I simply came to check on you two personally."

"Us?" I asked.

"Oh, don't mind me. I just wanted to see a rare little golden fox up close," she said. "And also to offer my thanks to your family, Nathan Evenhart."

Her words struck me as odd.

"You didn't wonder where my high nobles were?" she asked, hiding a smirk behind her fan.

"They stayed in your kingdom to maintain order?" I offered. "That's what happened in the elven realm, at least."

She let out a small, amused laugh.

"You'll never see a high noble among the beastkin," she said. "Because they don't exist. I killed them all."

My eyes widened.

"They were all from the wolf tribe," she continued, stepping closer. "I hunted them down—one by one. Their children, their grandchildren… even the elderly and newborns. I left nothing behind. Well… almost nothing. Two of them survived—your headmistress Victoria and her niece. But they're not nobles anymore. I stripped them of their titles."

"Why?" I asked.

She pulled her fan away, her expression sharpening.

"Because those nobles dared to meddle with the wrong people," she said flatly.

In her hand, a small ball of earth formed—

Then began to ooze a red, bubbling substance.

"Lava..." I whispered, stunned.

The magma element... It was the rarest and most powerful of all. Requiring three base elements—plus an exceptionally rare affinity.

"I'm the only mage alive who controls it," she said. "The wolves screamed as I drowned them in boiling lava."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, I recently learned there was a human family that used the surname 'Wolves,'" she said with a cruel smirk. "I don't like wolves. But I was pleased to hear their leader was silenced. You did good work."

She chuckled.

"And you even kept one alive… to serve as a warning. That's exactly what I did, too. You're like a little mirror of me."

"My family didn't do anything," I replied. "It was other nobles who bravely stood against him."

"If you say so…" she said with a playful grin.

Then, her smile vanished.

Her face turned cold.

"You can come out of the shadows now, Sahro..." the queen said without turning around.

Footsteps echoed behind her.

From the darkness, a figure stepped forward—

Someone I never expected to see here.

"Old man?" I asked, stunned.

It was the drunken vagabond from the city.

"I thought you were leaving, Sahro…" the queen added, finally glancing toward the elderly elf.

"I was," he said with a grin, pulling a bottle from his storage bracelet. "But I decided to enjoy the party a little longer."

Queen Garnora looked back at us.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both in person," she said with a slight nod. "I'll be going now. I despise this old man."

And with that, she turned and walked away—

Not a single footstep made a sound.

Not even her breath.

She moved with elegance—

Her dress trailing behind her like shadow, her steps silent as mist.

She was probably walking on her toes, so quiet was her movement.

"I told you once I fought the beastkin queen, didn't I?" the old man chuckled, taking a swig from his bottle.

"Old man?" I asked, stunned. "What are you doing here? And what's with the fancy outfit? Aren't you basically homeless?"

"N-Nathan… you really don't know who he is?" Kinue said beside me, her voice trembling.

"No… do you know him?"

"O-of course! He's the Guardian of the Elven Kingdom! He's the one who personally keeps unauthorized people from entering the capital! And not just that—he's the—"

Before she could finish, hurried footsteps came rushing up behind us.

"Grandpa! What are you doing here!? Are you drinking again!?" shouted Syvis, completely exasperated.

No way...

Don't tell me this drunken old bum is the former Elven King!?