chapter_0042

42 – Invitation from Lord Geras

42 – Invitation from Lord Geras

In the depths of a cave in the south, a hideout of the Blood Clan lay concealed from the eyes of the world.

Inside that cave, there was a vast space unknown from the outside.

And there, all the Blood Clans from the south had gathered.

Before dozens of Blood Clan members stood Kir, the leader of the southern Blood Clan unit known as ‘Valharim,’ as he spoke.

“The south has stabilized.”

Their mission was to create chaos in the southern region of the Empire.

To achieve this, they had assassinated numerous lords and nobles and made contact with slaves and free people who could become rebels, lending them strength.

According to their plans, the south should have been in utter turmoil.

There was the ‘Slave City Dreyhart,’ filled with the anger of slaves, and the ‘Military City Lyon,’ which had suffered for over a decade.

If they could incite the anger of the residents in these two places, it could lead to chaos resulting in thousands of deaths over the years.

However, the south had stabilized far too quickly.

The reason was due to one lord.

“Calix’s abilities have exceeded our expectations.”

It was because of Calix, the lord of Crone, known as the Silver Dragon of Crone.

He had shown benevolence not only to his own subjects but also to the migrating free people, suppressing Dreyhart and Lyon, thus stabilizing the southern situation that could have turned into a proxy war between the prince and princess.

With the situation turning out this way, it became difficult for the Blood Clan to carry out assassinations.

Politically, even if they killed a lord, no chaos would ensue.

Rather, more and more people were hoping to use that opportunity to ask for help from Crone, wishing for their own cities to be transformed like Crone and Dreyhart.

“It is my negligence! The price for ruining our sacred mission! I will atone with my life!!”

Yan, Kir’s subordinate, drew a dagger and held it to his neck.

Kir had initially judged that leaving Calix alive would hinder their sacred mission.

So far, they had attempted to assassinate Calix twice.

The first was during the early days when he began to showcase his abilities.

At that time, Calix was one of the lords who posed a future threat, so they sent a single squad.

Though it was a small squad of three, their skills were enough for Kir to acknowledge them.

However, Calix demonstrated another ability by slaughtering them with his own sword.

Thinking he had misjudged Calix’s combat abilities, Kir prepared more thoroughly for the next attempt.

This time, they attacked Calix using a summoning technique for evil spirits that could not be harmed by physical attacks.

They contacted the fallen nobles of Dreyhart, who harbored anger towards Calix.

And they subtly provided them with a dark magic scroll, leading them to attempt to kill Calix.

They believed that an evil spirit, which could not be harmed by physical attacks, would be sufficient to kill Calix.

But this too ended in failure.

The evil spirit was purified by the power of the moon.

Stopping Yan from taking his own life, Kir said,

“No one would have expected a mere lord to possess the power of the moon. Do not blame yourself, Yan.”

The power of the moon, which could purify unclean beings like evil spirits, was a force akin to a natural enemy of summoning magic.

Kir could only be astonished that Calix possessed such power.

He judged that the existence of Calix seemed born to obstruct their mission.

For the sake of their sacred mission, Calix was a being that must be eliminated.

“There is no longer any place for us to retreat.”

Kir looked at the gathered Blood Clan members.

The Blood Clan belonging to Valharim focused on their leader’s words.

In the dimly lit cave, illuminated by faint moonlight, Kir spoke.

“To create chaos in the southern region, we must eliminate Calix.”

All the Blood Clan members present resonated with Kir’s words.

They were field agents who had contacted the Empire’s citizens more than anyone else to gauge public sentiment.

They knew well how the public viewed Calix and how dangerous he was.

“We will risk our lives to ensure that we eliminate Calix this time.”

[ “Yes!!!” ]

They responded to Kir’s words.

Calix’s life was valuable enough that the lives of all Valharim members were at stake.

“Everything is for the sake of our sacred mission.”

[ “For the sacred mission!!” ]

The conspiracy of the Blood Clan echoed in the cave.

Another crisis was approaching Calix.

Chills ran down my spine suddenly in the carriage, and I turned to look behind me.

Naturally, there was nothing there, and Lana, noticing my strange behavior, spoke.

“Are you alright, my lord?”

“Ah… it’s nothing, Lana.”

Lately, I’ve been feeling chills down my spine.

What is it? I haven’t done anything wrong, so it’s strange.

As I was pondering this, Azel, who was riding outside to guard the carriage, spoke to me.

“My lord, we will soon arrive at the Silla family.”

“Okay, understood.”

Not long ago, I received a letter.

It was a letter from Lord Zeras, inviting me to the Silla family.

The purpose was to express gratitude for saving Ricain’s life when I sent him to Dreyhart last time, but it seemed more like an invitation out of joy for having dealt with Hadem.

Since a head of another family formally invited me and there was no special reason not to go, I accepted Zeras’s invitation.

A little while later, a procession bearing the banner of the Crones Family arrived at the gates of Silla.

As the gates opened, waiting at the main entrance was Lord Zeras Silla himself.

Dressed in a blue silk robe with refined metal epaulettes, he had his signature brown mustache impeccably groomed as he awaited us.

“Welcome, Lord Calix!!”

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Lord Zeras.”

Zeras opened his arms wide to greet us warmly.

Seeing the numerous soldiers and attendants who came out with Lord Zeras, it seemed the Silla family had mobilized everyone.

“It is only natural to extend such hospitality to the hero who has dealt with the Empire’s villain. Hohoho!”

“Hahaha, it is all thanks to my excellent vassals.”

“To be so humble, you truly are a hero. Hohoho!”

It’s true…

Seeing Zeras’s laughter, I was reminded of a particularly friendly but not overly familiar boss from a past life.

We weren’t particularly close, but he never crossed any lines, making him someone I had a long-standing relationship with.

In my experience, this type was not bad for doing business together.

We were guided to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall of Silla Castle featured a transparent crystal with a magic circle engraved on the ceiling.

Whether due to the effect of the magic circle or not, a cold breeze always flowed from there, and magical candles, designed not to flicker in that wind, softly illuminated the room.

Additionally, the walls were adorned with splendid bows, swords, and spears.

In short, it was a truly magnificent room.

As we sat down for a private dinner for just Zeras and me, a maid poured us wine.

It was ‘Lucas Drot,’ a wine made from silver grapes that only grow in the north.

From Calix’s memory, it was an extremely expensive wine.

Zeras raised his wine glass and said with a cheerful smile,

“This is a special ‘dinner’ ordered from the chef for tonight’s banquet.”

As Zeras signaled, the food began to arrive.

On the table were neatly arranged Silla specialties such as ‘red goat cheese,’ ‘rabbit roasted with spices,’ and ‘rock apple tart.’

“This is rabbit roasted with Silla’s specialty goat cheese and seasoned with spices from Dreyhart and salt from Crone. Doesn’t it seem to represent the prosperity of our territory? Hohoho!”

“Yes, it seems so. Hahaha.”

Thus, the banquet began.

And once again, I felt it. I really do have a childish palate.

I found the cheap drinks and food from last week with everyone at the tavern much more delicious than this expensive meal.

Ah! Of course, it wasn’t that it tasted bad.

The dishes prepared by Lord Zeras had a luxurious flavor that truly made me feel what high-class food from another world was like.

It just wasn’t to my taste.

As we dined and lightly discussed some practical matters, when I received my second glass of wine, Lord Zeras suddenly spoke up.

“By the way… did you sleep with the princess’s gift, Lord Calix?”

“Cough!! Wh-why do you suddenly ask that…?”

While the maids around us were in a state of shock for the conversation between lords, I nearly spat out my wine at Zeras’s sudden question.

Zeras spoke with a serious expression.

“I did!”

Zeras said this with eyes shining brighter than ever.

It didn’t seem like something to boast about… Am I being too modern in my understanding?

“The moment I met Ain, I felt it. She is the other half I have been waiting for!”

“Ah… I see. Congratulations, albeit belatedly, Lord Zeras.”

From what I gathered, it seemed Lord Zeras had taken Ain, the maid who was a gift from the princess, as his main wife.

Though it didn’t start well, since it was pure love, I sent my blessings for his affection.

“Surely, the moment you saw the princess’s gift, Lord Calix must have felt something similar to my feelings.”

I recalled the moment I first met Lana.

Indeed, Lana felt like destiny to me.

When my favorite character from my past life appeared before me, if I didn’t feel fate, then I was a fool.

I somewhat empathized with Lord Zeras’s words.

“I think I understand what you mean, Lord Zeras.”

But I couldn’t act freely.

In the world of the World Archive, using my lower body carelessly could lead to unimaginable events that could ultimately result in death.

Thinking of the dark future that was gradually approaching… I found it impossible to love anyone right now.

“But I have things I must do. Until then, I probably won’t be able to find freedom.”

“I see… Lord Calix… I understand. At our position, love cannot be free either.”

Lord Zeras said this and then set down his wine glass.

He approached the other door I had entered.

“In that sense, I have brought someone who can support you, Lord Calix.”

“Someone who can support me?”

With those words, Lord Zeras opened the door.

There stood a woman whom I had only seen once, as had Calix.

With hair shining brighter than obsidian and warm brown skin like the dawn in the desert, she entered the banquet hall under Zeras’s guidance, wearing a golden dress.

She was none other than Selenia Lily Novarensia, the second princess of the Novarens Empire.

“Hello! Calix, we finally meet.”

“Y-Your Highness!!”

Suddenly, a high-ranking figure had descended.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

The princess has descended!

It has been a long, long time.

Thank you for reading today!!