Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
“Lucion.”
After entering, Carson suddenly called out to Lucion.
In the quiet great hall, Carson’s voice rang out very loudly.
Carson clearly deliberately called him to inform the gaping nobles again that it was Lucion Cronia.
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
Lucion responded with a smile.
“Your clothes are wrinkled.”
When Carson pointed at his clothes with his finger and continued his words, Lucion smiled as if he was embarrassed.
“Ah, Thank You. I was so amazed by the grandeur of the great hall that I didn’t notice that my clothes were wrinkled.”
His and Carson’s conversation was ordinary, but it wasn’t like this for the other nobles.
Carson spoke up to Lucion first to overturn rumors that speaking with Lucion brings a curse, and by calmly agreeing, Lucion also overturned the rumors that he was crazy.
The faces of the nobles, who thought that Cronia didn’t block rumors about Lucion because he was out of his mind, turned pale.
“However, Hyung-nim.”
Lucion fixed his clothes and opened his mouth.
“Speak.”
“I don’t understand why it’s so quiet, even though it’s a banquet. Are the banquets held in the temple always so quiet?”
At Lucion’s calm question, the faces of some nobles crumpled.
Wasn’t it like saying ‘serves you right’ for being swayed by rumors?
But the nobles, who were excited to defame Lucion, couldn’t smile and avoided his gaze.
“I, too, want to know the reason for that.”
Carson looked at the nobles pretty aggressively.
Then, the music, which stopped at the priests’ command, started again because the atmosphere was getting dangerous.
The people’s voices also returned, as if their frozen blood began to flow again.
“Did you see it?”
Carson spoke as he pointed around.
“I saw it.”
“Shallow, cowardly, and extremely credulous.”
Carson’s words lacked the words ‘they are’.
“Many things they thought about will change after this banquet.”
“Yes. That’s what I wished for.”
Lucion smiled and left Carson to grab the seat first.
Because in the distance he saw Tella waving her hand.
‘It’s slowly getting hard.’
Lucion wiped his sweat and endured the nausea.
Unlike the rumors, Lucion Cronia was sane.
His goal was successfully accomplished on the first day of the banquet.
Soon, how they see him will start to change.
They would even feel that him wearing a hood every time was a good decoration by itself.
[What is that…]
But Russell was sad.
Lucion looked at Hyum and said:
“The bottom was always like this. Big and shallow.”
[It’s all the same.]
Russell looked at Lucion with worry.
How pointless it was?
Lucion smiled, but he couldn’t help the flooding feeling of dejection.
‘It was such a simple matter.’
It was really such a simple matter.
[Anyways, you achieved your goal, so shouldn’t you go back now? There are many bastards who know that you have divine power allergy.]
“Your complexion doesn’t look very good. Wouldn’t it be better to just go back?”
Hyum, conscious of the eyes around them, deliberately borrowed Russell’s words.
‘He lacks common sense, but is sharp.’
The corners of Lucion’s mouth slightly rose.
“The banquet didn’t start yet, so I can’t leave. It’s troublesome, but I have to endure for a bit.”
Lucion didn’t plan to feed hyenas who perked up their ears.
Since they suffered a big hit, they would be fretting to get revenge somehow.
“… You have an allergy to divine power?”
Tella, who approached Lucion, halted.
“Ah, Young Lady. Good morning.”
“I-I, what a mistake… I truly apologize. I…”
Lucion was truly flustered when Tella was about to cry.
[Gosh. You made her cry. Cry.]
Russell teased the flustered Lucion with a snickering face.
“Ah, no. I’m okay. I’m truly thankful You invited me to such a great banquet.”
Lucion was briefly surprised by how quickly he could speak today.
Tella sniffled and handed the drink she was holding to the servant.
With two hands free, she approached Lucion with quick steps.
“Come out with me before the symptoms that You say aren’t that bad worsen.”
“The banquet didn’t start yet.”
“So, before it starts…”
Suddenly, the music stopped.
Lucion asked Hyum.
“What time is it?”
“Five minutes before 10 a.m.”
Creak.
The door opened, and priests wearing black clothes slowly entered.
“How about we sit down, Young Lady?”
Lucion smiled widely and offered Tella a seat.
“… We should have gone out faster.”
She hesitated and then sat down, unable to help it.
The priests pulled the curtains, blocked the light, lit up candles and prepared to welcome the priest, who had a Divine Beast.
“It’s 10 a.m.”
Hyum informed him of the time.
Precisely at the moment he finished speaking, a priest wearing pure white clothes with black sleeves entered.
Behind him, priests in gray clothes entered in line.
A small groan leaked from Lucion because of the presence of the priests.
‘It feels like I was hit hard in the stomach…?’
“Do You see the person wearing pure white clothes with black ends on the sleeves?”
Tella whispered, as if she was never wavering before.
“I see him.”
“Only priests possessing a Divine Beast can wear such a garment.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s the only priest with a Divine Beast who appeared not in the Holy Nation Nevast, but in here in the Empire within the last 20 years. Ah, here is some special news.”
Tella whispered even quieter.
“A person from the royal family also came.”
Lucion’s eyes grew wide.
‘A person from the royal family came?’
Frankly, there was not a lot of information about the royal family in the novel.
But instead, he knew who would be the next crown prince.
[… Wow. Doesn’t that mean that we will even run into a prince?]
Russell was already counting his chickens before they hatched.
“Surprised? I thought You would be.”
Tella looked at Lucion and giggled.
“But I don’t know who came. Even so, if You operate a bank, You get to hear all the juicy information. That information was also obtained there.”
Tella’s words didn’t enter Lucion’s ears from the middle.
‘… Crazy.’
The moment one of the priests in gray, who followed after the main character of this banquet, the priest with the Divine Beast, entered, he saw a red thread.
‘Crazy!’
Seeing that red thread envelop him, that priest and everyone in the great hall, a shiver come over his whole body.
Lucion’s pupils shook greatly.
‘What is happening?’
Lucion had to think.
A turning point of an incident that could influence everyone in the great hall.
After a short thought, there was only one thing.
‘Terrorism!’
“Young Master…?”
Tella called Lucion, who didn’t reply.
Just when Lucion was about to stand up, he heard Heint’s voice behind him.
“… that was close.”
“…!”
Startled, Tella looked back.
Because the curtains were pulled and the only dim light came from the candles held by the priests, it was very dark in the great hall.
“Ah, apologies. I forgot the time when the banquet started and had to sneak in…. Lucion?”
Heint spoke pathetically and then saw Lucion and showed his delight.
“You know each other?”
Tella slightly covered her mouth with her hand and asked.
“Yes. He is my younger brother. Of course, not a biological younger brother.”
“A ple-pleasure. I’m Lucion’s friend Tella Luteon. I apologize that I can’t formally great You.”
“No. I’m the same. Ah, I’m Heint Tria.”
“Hyung-nim.”
Lucion called Heint when the two people’s conversation was about to end.
Because his voice was very heavy, a smile disappeared from Heint’s face.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask You one thing?”
“Anytime.”
“In case something bad was to happen here… what method would usually be used?”
Heint was a knight.
Naturally he had a lot of experience with such things.
“In a lot of cases a barrier mage cuts off the place with a barrier. But considering this place is a Grand Temple, it would be difficult to make a barrier because of the power of Light. So, the most efficient option would be a bomb.”
Heint answered seriously without asking for the reason.
‘A bomb…’
Lucion thought for a moment.
Supposing a bomb was the right answer, the priest who entered when a red thread appeared would surely be the priest with the bomb switch.
[There is no way that you’re talking about it without any reason. You noticed something strange, right?]
At Russell’s question, Lucion bowed his head in the meaning of nodding.
“I apologize for inconveniencing both of You.”
Lucion apologized to Tella and Heint right away.
From the looks of it, it was extremely dangerous situation.
“I was bothered for no reason by what Carson hyung-nim said about the Grand Temple’s Light being weak, so I asked. It seems that because many things happen at the border, I unknowingly became sensitive.”
“… No. Thinking about it, it’s really strange.”
Heint crossed his arms.
“Even if today a banquet is held, if they drop the power of Light so much, it’s just throwing bait to warlocks.”
“Bait? What kind of bait are You speaking of?”
Tella blinked and asked.
“If Darkness touches Light, it’s annihilated. And the other way around, if Light touches Darkness, it becomes corrupted.”
[To be precise, corruption is the worst-case scenario and usually a person just loses the power of Light.]
Russell looked around the people, as he added.
“And the Divine Beast is no exception. Even in the past there are records of a Divine Beast being corrupted by a warlock.”
Russell explained again, as if adding a footnote to Heint’s words.
[It’s true, but regretfully, you can’t really use it. If the Divine Beast’s owner loses their power, the Divine Beast disappears. Even so, it’s worth using these days.]
“Really?”
Tella asked in surprise.
“Yes. It’s a fact. The reason why warlocks can’t approach the Grand Temple is because of the special power of Light emitted by the priests. But if the Light was weakened during such an important occasion…”
Heint’s expression hardened.
He didn’t think about it at first.
He thought there wasn’t anything particularly suspicious before Lucion pointed that out.
It wasn’t just an ordinary temple, but the Grand Temple.
No matter what, he should have noticed that.
“I’ll be back in just a moment.”
The person with the most powerful voice here was Carson.
While Heint left, Lucion looked at the shadow Latta was hiding in.
He slowly started to worry after she stopped talking.
[Latta is fine. She supplements the Darkness she lacks from you. The problem is you. You should quickly leave.]
Russell, who read Lucion’s gaze, stopped searching their surroundings and spoke up.
“Hmm…”
Hyum also stood from his seat and perked up his nose.
As the place was as it was, the smell of cosmetics and perfumes nobles used was making him a bit uncomfortable.
Among those, the refreshingly sweet scent he smelled at the perfume shop before was mixed in.
[Regretfully, there is nothing in particular.]
Russell crossed his arms and came to that conclusion.
[As you know, even if a warlock was hiding here, we wouldn’t know unless they used Darkness. But of course, it would be realistically impossible.]
‘Even master-nim didn’t discover anything?’
Lucion looked in front.
The priest with the Divine Beast climbed the podium made in the great hall.
The priests following him were in the process of taking their places to hold the ceremony in perfect order.
[I’ll go crazy. Another priest came?]
Russell glanced at the door and checked Lucion’s state.
“The priest-nim wearing a black hat is usually called a high priest. So, it’s a position right under the archbishop.”
Tella pointed at the priest who entered last as she spoke.
She, who wore white clothes, had a black hat on her head.
And was also tied with a red thread.
Creak.
At last, the door closed.
‘Okay. Let’s think.’
Lucion wiped his sweat and took a quick breath.
The first Divine Beast that appeared in the Tesealla Empire in the last 20 years.
‘Two years later, the position of the temple and the Holy Nation would be much higher than it is now.’
It was natural.
As the villains of the novel were ‘warlocks’, the position of the temple and the Holy Nation naturally could only rise.
‘Certainly, this incident would have been mentioned in the novel.’
Lucion calmly recalled the content of the novel.
《‘This, too, is the same as before.’
Heint looked at the Grand Temple, as if he was missing it.
‘I heard that it was cracked in half at that time.’
Two years ago, a big explosion occurred at the Grand Temple.
He wasn’t there at the time, so he didn’t know the details of what had happened.》
There was a scene showing Heint’s nostalgia, as he returned to his hometown after two years.
Lucion opened his eyes, which he closed before, and licked his parched lips.
‘That explosion incident happened at this banquet?’
Because it was concluded it was the work of a warlock, the oppression against warlocks became even more severe, and it was well known that that incident made the temple’s power naturally grow stronger.
Heint, who shouldn’t have originally been here, was participating in the banquet.
‘I also originally didn’t come here.’
Lucion stood up.
‘I can change it.’
Knowing that something big enough to crack the Grand Temple in half was about to happen, why should he hesitate?
“Young Master? Why a chair suddenly…?”
Tella followed Lucion’s gaze up.
[Wait a moment, Lucion. What are you planning to do? There is no way that you’re planning to throw it, right?]
Russell asked with an anxious face.
Lucion threw the chair towards the window, meaning that he was right.
Shatter.
The wind from outside blew in together with the sound of glass breaking.
‘Refreshing.’
After the wind dried his sweat, Lucion at last felt like he could live.
The fire quickly grew bigger and everyone looked at Lucion.
“Ah, my hand slipped.”
Lucion smiled calmly.
*~*~*
Translator’s note: No party ever can go without an explosion.
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