Ch.178Banquet (3)

The Lighthouse Keeper, Eurypylus.

As the great warrior of the Sacred Host Order, he was the longest-living human on the continent, and even extending the scope to the Outer Continent, he was among the longest-living transcendents.

Eurypylus is 428 years old this year.

While long-lived transcendents typically calculate their age in units of 50 to 100 years, Eurypylus calculated his down to the second.

428 years, 7 months, 21 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes, 11 seconds.

Even now, a part of his mind keeps ticking, counting the seconds. He always calculated the time he had lived with perfect precision.

Counting time, recording the time he had lived.

This was Eurypylus’s compulsion and also his way of defining himself.

Tick-tock. Eurypylus looked at the young man standing before him with a frown. A boy not even 20 years old. Some might call him a young adult, but from Eurypylus’s perspective, it made no difference.

Merely 20 years. This situation where a mere child who hadn’t even lived 20 years was causing chaos across the continent was quite displeasing to Eurypylus. Change naturally brings about chaos. Chaos creates variables, and variables force the immovable Lighthouse Keeper to move.

‘How annoying.’

Eurypylus was irritated by this situation that forced him to move. His power came from remaining stationary. The more he moved, the more his power drained away, and even if it was just a tiny amount, it was a horrifying prospect for Eurypylus.

He could have lasted another 312 years, 4 months, and 21 days, but by moving now, that time had been shortened by about a month.

Eurypylus hoped that this movement would be worth that much. But contrary to his hopes, the situation began to take a strange turn.

“It seems the First Horn thinks differently.”

The moment the boy said that, Eurypylus felt a chill. A cold gaze running down his spine. It felt like a blade touching his body.

Swish. Eurypylus turned his head.

His gaze was directed toward the top of the One Horned Tower. Despite the kilometers between them, the two transcendents locked eyes, ignoring the distance.

-······.

The Empire’s First Horn, Gerd.

The old man was staring this way without saying a word. He simply held a sword in his hand. He neither swung it nor pointed it this way, but the mere fact that he had drawn his sword was enough to send chills down Eurypylus’s spine.

That was a warning. A warning that if he stepped out of line any further, the sword would be swung.

Eurypylus was terrified by that warning. They would go this far? Eurypylus calculated inwardly. If he were to clash with Gerd here, how much time would he have to spend? The calculation was quickly done.

250 years.

He would have to use nearly 80% of his accumulated time. Moreover, this was the Empire. If the five pillars of the Empire intervened, all his accumulated time wouldn’t be enough.

“You.”

Eurypylus glared at Najin.

His gaze was filled with bewilderment.

“What on earth······.”

Even from the Empire’s standpoint, conflict with the Sacred Host Order was something to be avoided. After all, the Sacred Host Order had followers not just in the Empire but across the entire continent. So typically, when someone of his stature from the Order “acted like this,” the Empire would acknowledge the Order’s authority and take a step back.

Eurypylus couldn’t even imagine having to be mindful of the Empire in a situation like this—not for a serious matter, but merely for pressuring a young boy.

Flash.

A star shone blue at the top of the One Horned Tower. That star was warning him. To remove the barrier immediately and step back. Eurypylus gritted his teeth.

To think that this cold-blooded man who cared for nothing but the Empire, not even his own family, would go this far.

“The Order will not stand idly by on this matter.”

-So be it.

Gerd replied briefly.

-I, too, have no intention of standing idly by while you raise your heads high without knowing your place.

“Is that blasphemy representing the Empire’s position?”

-It’s my personal opinion, but the Empire’s thoughts aren’t much different. I am the Empire.

Eurypylus finally took a step back.

The barrier surrounding Najin and Eurypylus dissipated. Immediately after, Eurypylus realized his choice had been correct.

“······.”

A woman was glaring at them from outside the barrier. She appeared to be in her early twenties, a beautiful young woman, but the Lighthouse Keeper knew her true identity.

Seal of Eternal Beauty, Safria Gachefsga.

The Empire’s great magician was glaring at them with fierce eyes. A brown-haired girl was clinging to her side, and while patting the girl’s shoulder, Safria let out a short sigh.

“Lord Eurypylus?”

“Speak.”

“While I have no intention of disrespecting the Order or your authority, personally, I find this matter quite unpleasant.”

Safria clicked her tongue.

“An uninvited guest barges into a banquet and intimidates a guest. Are you aware that this insults both the host and the attendees of the banquet?”

High officials of the Empire and numerous nobles from prestigious families.

The Lighthouse Keeper could ignore them all, but he couldn’t ignore Safria who stood before him representing them. She, too, was a transcendent like the Lighthouse Keeper.

“Either enjoy the banquet,”

Safria pointed outside.

“Or wait for it to end.”

Choose one of the two.

2.

In the end, Eurypylus backed down.

He sat on a bench outside the banquet hall, apparently intending to wait until the banquet ended. He looked quite uncomfortable, but no one paid attention to the Lighthouse Keeper.

More precisely, they couldn’t “pretend” to care. This was the Empire, and Safria, a pillar of the Empire, had seemingly driven away the Lighthouse Keeper. Approaching the Lighthouse Keeper now would be disrespecting the pillar’s authority.

No matter how influential the religious figure might be, if one wanted to live in the Empire, one had to stay in the good graces of the Empire’s pillars. No noble wanted to fall out of favor with Safria, who was known for her strictness.

Thus, the banquet continued, leaving the Lighthouse Keeper behind.

“Are you alright, Najin?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Najin bowed his head in gratitude to Dieta and Safria who stood beside her. Safria nodded with satisfaction and patted Dieta’s shoulder.

“Chairwoman? Don’t worry. I have no intention of letting such a religious zealot ruin the banquet. We’ve prepared this banquet, so let’s enjoy it, shall we?”

“Thank you so much, Lady Safria.”

“It’s nothing. I should at least do this much.”

After saying that, Safria headed toward the center of the banquet hall. Dieta stroked her chest and glanced at Najin.

“Really, what makes you act so dangerously?”

“I have quite a few people I believe in.”

Najin smiled faintly and slightly bowed his head toward the distant One Horned Tower. Though Gerd was busy swinging his sword at the top of the tower as if he hadn’t been watching, Najin felt his gaze lingering nearby.

“Dieta.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“Could you tell me more about the Lighthouse Keeper? I think I need more information.”

“That sounds good, but······.”

Dieta hesitated and extended her hand to Najin.

“Will you finish this dance with me?”

“I was planning to do that anyway. Any other requests?”

“I’ll have to think about that······?”

The music that had stopped resumed, and Najin and Dieta finished their dance as if nothing had happened.

The banquet continued for a long time afterward, and though Eurypylus glared at Najin with fierce eyes from his isolated position, Najin paid no mind.

What are you going to do by glaring at me?

-I could tell you information too. Why don’t you ask me? I know a lot.

‘…Pardon?’

-Never mind. Forget it. It’s nothing.

Merlin grumbled, giving Najin a sidelong glance. A gaze full of discontent. Why was he acting like that again?

‘That’s one thing, but it seems the Lighthouse Keeper doesn’t know, right?’

-Know what?

‘That I pulled out Excalibur. I tried to probe a bit, and he doesn’t seem to know.’

Merlin nodded.

-That’s right. If he knew you had pulled it out, he couldn’t act like that. Actually, I don’t understand why the Lighthouse is behaving this way either.

The Sacred Host Order’s deity, the lighthouse that illuminates all things.

-By now, I thought he would either come to the Round Table and bow his head, or take an outright hostile attitude… do something, you know? But he’s not doing anything?

That was indeed the case.

The last time the Sacred Host Order was entangled with Najin was just before he became a Sword Seeker. Since then, the Order had not only refrained from threatening Najin but hadn’t even approached him.

They simply remained silent. Despite Najin holding both the justification and the weapon to destroy them, they maintained their silence.

It was a course of action that defied common sense.

‘Although I asked the Empire’s First Horn for help······.’

Najin turned his gaze toward where Eurypylus was.

‘I do need to confirm it directly.’

Though he really didn’t want to get involved with them at all.

While he wished his only entanglement with them would be when he demolished their main church, Najin momentarily suppressed his aversion to the Sacred Host Order for his purpose.

Why had Eurypylus come looking for him? What conversation did he want to have, even at the cost of such humiliation?

‘It’s worth hearing.’

Of course, he had no intention of listening empty-handed.

3.

After the banquet ended, Najin sat across from Eurypylus. At his waist was the sword he had removed briefly upon entering the banquet hall. With his hand on the hilt, ready to draw at any moment, Najin looked at Eurypylus.

“So you’ve finally decided to talk, it seems.”

Najin immediately made to stand up, signaling that he could end the conversation and leave at any time. Eurypylus gritted his teeth and gestured with his chin for Najin to sit.

“Sit down. This will be a story that’s not bad for you either.”

Najin stared at Eurypylus.

He was completely different from what he had imagined. In numerous books, the Lighthouse Keeper was described as expressionless, emotionless, and a detached being unbound by worldly matters.

A human who had lived over 400 years on the continent. And, if Najin wanted to bring down the Order, he would have to defeat this guardian of the Order first.

Until now, Najin had thought the Lighthouse Keeper would be similar to Gerd, but the reality was completely different. He didn’t hide his emotions but displayed them openly, and seemed no different from the nobles steeped in authority.

“As you know, I am the Lighthouse Keeper, the great warrior of the Sacred Host Order. I also represent the will of the Sacred Host Order.”

“I know.”

“As that great warrior, I would like to make you a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

Najin had to suppress a laugh that was about to escape.

“Yes, let’s hear it. What kind of proposal?”

“I understand you haven’t been knighted yet. Is that correct?”

“It’s not that I haven’t been, it’s that I haven’t done it.”

“Either way, it means you’re not a knight.”

The Lighthouse Keeper tossed an emblem onto the table. An emblem engraved with the symbol of the Sacred Host Order. It was an emblem symbolizing the highest-ranking holy knight, which only the High Priest Orlang and the Lighthouse Keeper Eurypylus could bestow.

“Join the Sacred Host Order.”

The Lighthouse Keeper gestured toward the emblem with his chin.

“I promise you the position of Holy Knight Commander.”

Considering the authority that the Holy Knight Commander held within the Order, this was equivalent to offering a pillar position in the Empire. It was indeed a groundbreaking proposal, especially coming directly from the Lighthouse Keeper.

But despite such a proposal.

The moment he heard those words, Najin couldn’t suppress his laugh.

“Why are you laughing? Is my proposal amusing?”

“How could it not be?”

Najin tapped the table with his fingers.

“I hate to say this myself, but I’m at odds with the Sacred Host Order. You’ve tried to kill me multiple times and tried to bury me. And now you come and promise me the position of Holy Knight Commander?”

Najin sneered.

“Are you joking? Why, are you afraid now? That I will······.”

“What? What did you just say?”

The Lighthouse Keeper interrupted Najin.

He frowned and tilted his head.

“The Order tried to kill you? What are you talking about?”

Is he pretending not to know? How despicable. Najin barely restrained himself from drawing his sword and spoke once more. But the Lighthouse Keeper continued to show the same reaction.

“This is the first I’m hearing of this. The Order did such a thing? That can’t be possible?”