Chapter 142: To The Church of Light (2) |
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: none
Illustrations: none
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In the office of the first prince, located in the royal palace:
Rubrious, the office's owner, and Groud Ozlima, the de facto head of the Ozlima family, were sitting face to face.
"Did we lose them?"
Rubrious questioned a subordinate who had just come in to report.
"I'm sorry. Despite constant surveillance, they vanished right before our eyes, and we couldn't pursue."
As the subordinate bowed and left following this dismissal,
"It's now clear that priest is hiding something. A normal priest would never have evaded our surveillance."
As if waiting for this moment, Groud spoke up.
"That's something I've known for a while."
Rubrious nodded in agreement.
"The question is, what is that something?"
His eyes were coldly settled.
The situation was turning out to be more serious than expected.
"Did I ever tell you about the rat I caught recently?"
"Are you talking about the one who was with that priest?"
"Yes, during an interrogation with the inquisitors, it turned out he was a demon."
"Is that true?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
Groud's eyes wavered at Rubrious's response.
This was indeed a very serious matter.
A demon inside the imperial palace, the heart of the empire.
"So, the priest who escaped..."
"Likely connected."
It was almost certain.
An undercurrent unknown to them was flowing through the imperial palace.
"A demon, how...?"
Groud's face grew increasingly stern.
Given that the third prince, Enoch, once caused a major issue using demonic powers, the Ozlima family was sensitive to such matters.
Moreover, rumors were circulating that the Ascalon family had been inactive recently due to demons, and information had been obtained that the fourth prince, Utekan, who had died recently in a large gathering, had used demonic powers.
At that moment,
'Could all this be connected...!'
A hypothesis flashed through Groud's mind.
Although still a stretch, if this hypothesis were correct, the entire empire could be in danger.
Seeing this, Rubrious slowly nodded as if he had the same thought.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"We need to meet someone connected to all this."
The first prince recalled a figure in his mind.
Zion Agnes.
His youngest brother, closest to the throne and also the recipient of the oracle from the god of light.
'Enoch, the Ascalon family, and Utekan are all connected to Zion.'
It occurred to him that when he first encountered the escaped priest, the priest had been heading towards the Zimseong Palace, where Zion was.
Therefore, Rubrious couldn’t dismiss the thought that Zion was at the center of everything happening now.
"Where is Zion now?"
This dry question came from the first prince, which did not match his usually gentle demeanor.
---
'Quite a spectacle.'
Zion observed the magical train standing before him.
This train was destined for the city of light, 'Lezero,' the headquarters of the Order of Light.
Was it to honor the god of light?
The appearance of the train was peculiar.
Unlike other trains, its exterior was entirely painted gold and engraved with symbols of light.
Although boarding felt quite daunting, there was no other option but to take this train to Lezero.
At that moment,
"Here's the ID you'll be using this time, Your Highness."
Aileen, standing beside him, handed Zion an identification card.
It bore the name 'Zion Harness,' similar to before, but with a slightly altered photo of Zion.
This was an unofficial outing, so revealing his true identity would do no good.
Despite a high likelihood of being recognized once inside the deeper sections of the Order of Light headquarters, the plan was to remain hidden as long as possible.
"Like last time, I've set it up so you're a wealthy, lower-ranking noble," she explained.
As she glanced at the so-called 'Sun Train' they were about to board, seeming a bit overwhelmed by the prospect, she continued.
"The seats are booked in first class, and although I can't accompany you, we have agents there who can assist you whenever needed."
"Understood."
"But, Your Highness, may I ask why you are suddenly visiting the Order of Light?"
Triggered by her characteristic curiosity as the head of the intelligence guild, Aileen questioned Zion.
"There's someone I need to ask."
"Who?"
She looked puzzled by his cryptic response, but Zion didn't reply and started walking towards the train.
Explaining everything would take too long.
Suddenly, Zion stopped in his tracks as he was about to board the train.
'This is...'
His eyes chilled, darkening as he surveyed the train and the other passengers.
How long did he stand there?
"This just got interesting."
With a low murmur and a slight smile, Zion resumed walking and stepped onto the train.
"Really, do I have to go? Ah, I really don't want to..."
In the first-class corridor of the Sun Train heading to Lezero.
There, a platinum blonde woman with long hair was arguing with the knights escorting her.
"It's the head of the family's order, so we have no choice," replied the knights with a look of discomfort.
Their politeness was fitting, as the woman was Olivia Bright, the sole daughter of the powerful Bright family, renowned throughout the empire.
"How about this? Let me sneak off, and I'll tell Dad I escaped on my own... Ah, it's starting."
As Olivia was proposing another compromise to her knights, the noise from the magic train signaling departure made her lose all hope.
"Hmm, it's dangerous to stand here, miss. Please, take your seat," said the senior knight with a mustache, and Olivia reluctantly moved, her shoulders drooping.
She was reluctant to go to the city of light for one reason.
She had to participate in the competition to select a saintess there.
The Order of Light always had one saintess per era, and selecting her was the purpose of the saintess competition.
The Bright family, devoted followers of the god of light for generations, always sent a female member to the competition, and this time, Olivia was chosen.
'I really don't want to participate.'
She was very active and loved having fun more than anything.
However, participating in the competition required her to stay at the headquarters for over a year, living a strictly ascetic life.
And that was practically a death sentence for Olivia.
'Ah, I'm already craving a drink, what to do?'
With that thought, Olivia's expression turned somber as she headed to her reserved seat and noticed something odd.
"Huh?"
Someone was already sitting opposite her reserved seat.
A man with black hair.
"Weren't you supposed to have booked the entire first-class compartment?"
"There must have been a mistake. Sorry, miss. I'll move him right away."
"No, it's okay. I'll sit here. You guys take a break in the next compartment."
After a quick glance at the man through the window, Olivia responded with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Alright. If anything comes up, just call me."
Immediately after the knight finished speaking, she entered the compartment.
At that moment,
'What's this?'
Olivia's eyes filled with curiosity.
Normally, when someone enters, people instinctively turn to look.
However, the black-haired man did not even glance her way, let alone greet her.
It was as if he had known she would come.
'What an odd fellow.'
Not wanting to feel like she was losing by greeting him first, she decided to ignore him as well and sat opposite him, stealing glances at the man.
'He looks like a merchant or a lower noble’s offspring...'
A seat in the first-class section of such a magic train was prohibitively expensive for anyone of moderate wealth.
That meant he must be a very wealthy merchant or a high-ranking noble, though the latter seemed unlikely.
She had never seen him, or anyone resembling him, at any party or social gathering she had attended.
'If I had seen him, I wouldn't have forgotten.'
The man had a uniquely compelling aura.
His eyes were languid yet captivating.
Furthermore, his face was so strikingly handsome that it was unforgettable.
In fact, the reason Olivia had insisted on sitting here was because of his face.
She was, admittedly, quite taken with handsome faces.
But...
'Doesn't he care at all?'
Still, the man had not looked at her even once.
Olivia was confident in her appearance.
Not catching his eye even once was a blow to her pride.
"Excuse me."
Her voice was soft as she spoke.
But the man continued to look out the window as if he hadn't heard.
"Excuse me."
Only after she called out again did the man finally turn his gaze to Olivia.
"Since we’re both in the same compartment, shall we introduce ourselves? I’m Olivia. And you are?"
"Zion."
With an air of annoyance, Zion simply spat out his name and turned his head away again.
In reality, Zion was quite bothered by the woman sitting in front of him.
'Why did she have to sit right in front of me?'
While it seemed he was just sitting there, Zion was actually busy sorting through the gains from his recent battle with Utekan.
Could it be because of the battle, teetering on the edge, and the overlap of two lunar eclipses?
Zion’s power had rapidly approached the brink of a major breakthrough.
He might reach the fifth tier much sooner than the one month he had initially aimed for, so he was experimenting with his power internally.
But the continuous glancing and talking from across the seat were distracting.
'Still, her face isn’t completely unknown to me.'
Only then did Zion glance at the woman who muttered under her breath, “Fine, I'll put up with it since he’s handsome.”
The woman in front of him, Olivia Bright, had appeared several times in the chronicles.
She possessed humanity’s greatest talent for handling divine power.
If not for Elysis Desire, her comrade and a hero who could have been a saintess if not for the angelic blood in her, Olivia would have been an unsurpassable candidate herself.
Indeed, the chronicles mentioned that if Elysis didn’t have angelic ancestry, Olivia would have been the saintess.
'Was she supposed to be heading to the Order of Light at this time?'
Olivia’s whereabouts at this period weren’t documented in the chronicles, so it was unclear.
However, seeing her resolved one of the doubts Zion had been harboring since earlier.
'So that’s why on this train...'
Just then, with a jolt!
As the door opened, a train attendant entered.
"I'll check your tickets momentarily."
The attendant bowed politely as he spoke.
"Here."
Olivia handed her ticket first.
Then Zion handed his over and asked,
"Do you normally check tickets in first class too?"
"A recent directive from above changed that."
The attendant apologized with a regretful expression.
It was natural for him to be cautious since first class was usually for high-ranking nobles.
'He's a bit brusque? But maybe that makes him more attractive...'
Was it his handsome face that made everything about him seem appealing?
As Olivia thought this while looking at Zion,
"I hope you enjoy your journey."
After bowing politely, the attendant began to leave, but Zion's low voice stopped him.
"Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"Uncomfortable? What do you mean?"
The attendant turned back to ask.
Zion smiled slyly and continued,
"That skin you're wearing. It looks uncomfortable to be in."
"What do you mean by that...?"
As Olivia watched, puzzled by his words, there was a loud snap!
Zion's hand, charged with darkness, crushed the attendant's head.
---