As I step out of the carriage, I see the line to get into the party. As I walk towards the front of the line, I fiddle with the Pultovia ring on my finger. Most people recognize me and say nothing about me butting the line, instead whispering about being surprised I actually showed to a party. Some are gossiping about how I look like a whore in this dress. Of course, those are mostly the men and elderly noble women. Most of the younger women are just blushing, shocked that someone would actually wear a dress like this, but not opposed to me wearing it.

I notice one of the more particularly vocal men is a reoccurring customer to the Succubi’s secret, so I decide to have a little fun. I walk up to him and say,

“I look like a whore in this dress, do I? I suppose you would know, considering your rather consistent visits to that new brothel that opened.”

His wife, the poor woman, looks at him with shock. I smile at him and turn around, continuing to walk to the front of the line. As I get to the front, I show my ring, and am let inside. Inside the ballroom is a gathering of snak- I mean nobles. I see beautiful women, handsome men, and mainly ugly old men having dick measuring competitions. Sorry to disappoint, boys, but the biggest dick belongs to yours truly. Ask Jenna!

So, I head in and immediately all eyes turn to me, as my entrance is announced,

“ANNOUNCING, LADY ROSANNA HERA PULTOVIA!”

I look around for a second and see Countess Triapan, and her daughter. I ignore the stares I’ve received and the gossip as well, as I’ll be receiving much more sooner or later.

I walk over to the Triapans and greet them,

“Hello, Countess and Lady Triapan. Thank you for your gracious invitation.”

The Countess smiles at me and says,

“Oh, it was no problem, lady Pultovia. It’s the least I can do for a friend of my daughter.”

I smile back, and say,

“As you can tell, that mixture worked wonders. I went from barely being able to walk to being able to train my mana.”

Countess Triapan puts her hand over her mouth in shock and says,

“Oh my! To think it had such amazing effects! What circle have you reached?”

I smile and say,

“I just recently broke through the fifth circle!”

*smack*

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the sound of dozens of jaws hitting the floor. Just to fully sell this act, I show five blue circles on my forehead. I smile smugly as I see the nobles around me in absolute awe. I speak with a slight bit of ego,

“It was quite easy, really. Once that mixture fixed my body, it all came to me like a dream. So, I’d like to give you the method I’ve come up with as thanks.”

Countess Triapan sighs and says,

“An old lady such as I have no need for such a wonderful technique. I may be a mere mage, but my daughter could be much more. As such, I ask that you instead gift this technique to my daughter.”

I pause for a second and chuckle before saying,

“I’ll just give it to the both of you. It’s no issue. I also have no issue with you giving it to others. Though, I will need to do something slightly embarrassing.”

Nala, Countess Triapan’s daughter, tilts her head in confusion. I point at her and then wiggle my finger, motioning her forward. She comes up right in front of me with an adorable innocence emanating from her. I lift up a finger and poke her on the forehead. She lets out a cute whimper, which causes me to smile in amusement. She then looks up at me and says,

“Woah… How did you do that?”

I snap my fingers, making a small spark with magic and say,

“Magic!”

Her mother panics and holds her daughters arms saying,

“Nala? What did she do?”

Nala looks at her mom and says,

“She just… gave me the method she came up with… Like it’s been put into my mind.”

I smile and say,

“Well, would you like me to do it to you as well?”

She nods her head, and I give her the method. No, I didn’t actually give her the method I used. She can only live for at most 300 years, obviously. Floating through space for millions of years will naturally make you this strong. I gave them a method that will be faster than any method used today, but still pretty slow.

After giving them the method, I chat for a little while with the other noble women who have gathered around us. One of them, a rather weak baroness, asks me the burning question on everyones minds,

“If you don’t mind me asking, wh-what was it like to die?”

Almost immediately, I could see the regret beginning to form on her face. One of her friends, another baroness, elbows her in the side and begins to beg for forgiveness for her friend. I just raise my hand and say,

“No, no, it’s quite alright. I too was curious at first. Before actually experiencing it.”

I reach for a glass of champagne from a passing servant and take a sip. I sigh and say,

“It felt as though I was asleep. Just, that I wasn’t having a dream. I still don’t have much memory about my life before the accident, but I do remember my death. I remember being pushed down the stairs, but then my mind simply blanks. After that, I woke up in the casket. Though, I did feel another presence before waking up. I can’t be quite sure what it was, sadly.”

Where’s my source? My source is that I made it the fuck up. Death was boring. Every popular noble must master the art of improv. The baroness that asked the question nods her head and says,

“I-I apologize for asking such an insensitive question. It appears my curiosity has gotten the better of me. I-If you’ll excuse me, I shall take my-”

I reach my hand out and hold hers. I give her a warm smile and say,

“There’s no need to leave the conversation, my lady. I do not believe your question crossed any lines in the slightest. Please, this conversation would be much less lively were you to leave.”

The baroness blushes and nods her head. 

The rest of the night is rather uneventful, so when the conversation begins to reach a lull, I decide to begin the spread of the rumor. I pretend to be troubled by something, and right on cue, Nala asks,

“Is something the matter Lady Pultovia?”

I smile and say,

“No, I’ve just been troubled by a rumor that has been floating around the knights of my estate.”

Nala tilts her head and says,

“And what would that rumor be?”

I sigh and say,

“One of the knights said that his father, who is a hunter at the border with the empire, had seen more imperial soldiers than usual around the valley. I want to believe that the empire would not seek to raise tensions, but it does seem quite in-line with Empress Perotell, that brute.”

The group begins to quieten after hearing that. Rumors are generally ignored when spread by commoners, but when a high ranking noble seems troubled by them, even the most outlandish rumor can be seen as fact. Nala nods her head,

“I agree. I would not put a single thing past her. I hear that she once ordered one of her own sons to kill his own daughter while the two were on a diplomatic visitation to the Land of the Elves!”

Soon, the entire group of noble women are discussing the possibility of the empire building up troops, then they begin to discuss what actions the empress has taken in the past, and finally, they feel that it is confirmed that the empress has sent troops to the border to begin preparing for war.

Ah yes, the beauty of rumors. Once they have spread, they become fact. This rumor, may as well already be a fact.

Once the kingdom begins bolstering defenses at the border, the empire shall as well, confirming this rumor by using said rumor.

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AN: oi, join the patreon. you get early access to Abyssal Phoenix, as well as some unreleased stuff, like Figure Hunter. Figure Hunter is a Solo-Leveling style book where the MC gains powers through absorbing the anime figures she collects.