* * *
Lucion’s eyes opened slowly, the fever having subsided late in the evening, leaving his body feeling lighter.
Perhaps it was thanks to that shattered vessel the black figure had nded.
He shifted his gaze and saw Ratta sound asleep, with the morning sun yet to rise.
[Not a night owl, are you? Get so more sleep. Close your eyes,] Russell’s voice echoed as Lucion flinched, feeling a hand approaching.
“You’re still here?” Lucion questioned.
[If there’s any chance that your condition worsens, shouldn’t we call Hu?]
Bethel gently placed her hand on Lucion’s forehead, feeling no heat, which made her smile.
“I don’t have a fever anymore, Bethel,” Lucion reassured her.
[Lord Lucion might still have a low fever.]
“That could be true. By the way, is everyone else asleep?”
Lucion asked casually, and Russell imdiately sighed heavily.
[Lucion.]
“There are three places I need to go now,” Lucion began, holding up three fingers. “The Pilgrimage, Troy, and I need to see Brother Heint.”
“But I don’t need to go to the Pilgrimage right now. I’m not joking or forcing myself to be okay. I really feel better now,” he continued, folding down a finger.
Unnecessary detours had to be excluded for now.
[Alright.]
“I’d almost like to have Hu confirm it,” Lucion said confidently, reopening his folded fingers.
“I need to et the warlocks.”
He unfolded another finger.
“And the Emperor as well.”
[Lord Lucion could use the communication device to get in touch with the warlocks. When you et Heint, you can see the Emperor at the sa ti. And…]
Bethel paused, her thoughts interrupted by Russell’s worried expression.
Lucion, however, seed excited and snapped his fingers. “I agree with you, Bethel. But I won’t enter the main temple when we et with Troy.”
Lucion also compromised.
All of this could be handled today, although it would an he’d be pushing himself a bit more.
Looking at Russell, he continued, “After that, I’ll rest until we go to the Magic Tower. The situation is urgent, after all.”
He pointed at the window. “Plus, the timing is perfect for acting covertly.”
Bethel fidgeted with the helt cover, realizing she might have given Lucion openings.
Taking a deep breath, she t Lucion’s gaze, feeling her resolve weaken just by looking into his eyes.
[Ratta is still deeply asleep, isn’t she?] Bethel finally found an opportunity to speak up.
—Ratta’s awake!
Suddenly, Ratta sprang up, wagging her tail vigorously, letting out a big yawn and stretching widely.
[Usually, you can’t wake her up. That’s why you shouldn’t let her nap too much.]
Russell raised an eyebrow, looking slightly betrayed.
—Ratta isn’t sleepy anymore. Ratta is ready to use ‘Shoong’ (Shadow movent) anywhere!
Ratta filled her eyes with determination. However, a hint of sleepiness still lingered in her gaze.
—So, where are we going, Lucion?
“To Troy.”
—Woohoo! Uncle Troy!
“To see Brother Heint.”
—Yep! You both need to make up! Lucion is nice!
“To et the Emperor.”
—I like Uncle Emperor too!
Ratta’s eyes sparkled with excitent.
She loved eting people.
Whenever she received kind attention, her heart felt warm, as if she were being held by Lucion.
“First, let’s make contact.”
Lucion took out the communication device.
* * *
-Yes. We are willing to cooperate as long as it helps the divine beast. That would be our way of repaying a favor, wouldn’t it? To the divine beast who helped us and the organization, Ale.
The response from Agent 45 was surprisingly positive. Despite being raised under Nevast’s influence, he seed to understand how warlocks were treated in this world.
Lucion had ntioned that warlocks were commonly seen as enemies in the world, just in case, but 45’s response remained unchanged.
-Perhaps it was the will of the Darkness that guided us. Until now, we have had no real purpose. It was just a matter of whether we obeyed Nevast or not. But haven’t our choices multiplied?
Number 45’s bright voice, carried through the communication device, echoed in Lucion’s mind.
-We weren’t forced into this choice. It is the first goal we have ever had in the world. If the world hates warlocks, then let’s try to change that hatred. Helping the organization Ale is our first step toward that goal, Mr. Hal. I believe you will respect our decision.
Lucion exhaled and relaxed his shoulders.
‘He’s so pure, it’s almost worrying.’
-Oh, my na is no longer 45 but Delos now.
‘Delos suits him well.’
Lucion sat down, having booked a room at the inn near the temple for a conversation with Troy.
Bethel had called Troy in advance, and now he appeared, glowing with light.
The curtains had been drawn in advance, so even with his bright presence, there was no need to worry.
—Uncle Troy!
Ratta dashed over to Troy, now resembling a small tiger, rubbing her head against him.
-Have you been well, Ratta?
Troy petted Ratta and nodded towards Russell and Bethel.
—Yep! I’ve been eating well, sleeping well, and playing a lot, so I’ve grown so much! Look at Ratta!
As Ratta proudly emanated a violet darkness from her eyes, Troy was filled with a deep nostalgia, as if he had t an old friend after a long ti.
-Yes. Now, ti that had stopped is finally flowing again.
“Do you know what that violet darkness is?” Lucion asked.
Instead of speaking, Troy simply smiled with his eyes.
Troy’s inability to speak seed linked to that bastard Veronia.
-Lucion, shouldn’t you be resting now? Consider your own well-being first next ti.
Troy expressed his concern, looking at Lucion.
Removing his mask, Lucion turned to face Troy. “I’ve co to share sothing crucial. If I don’t do it now, I may never get the chance. It’s a bit challenging because I’ve been leading a double life.”
Taking a deep breath, Lucion steeled himself. He needed to stay resolute.
“Ratta, cover your ears.”
—But isn’t Ratta supposed to hear it?
Ratta asked with wide eyes.
“This may make you sad.”
—Okay. Ratta doesn’t like being sad.
Ratta crouched down and reached for the tips of her ears, but missed.
[I’ll hold them for you.]
Bethel stepped in and held Ratta’s ears to ensure she couldn’t hear anything.
“Troy.”
-Yes, Lucion.
“I have t warlocks guided by the Darkness. They claim to be from Nevast.”
Originally, he should have gotten straight to the point, but for so reason, he found it difficult to speak.
“These warlocks are being raised in Nevast.”
Lucion watched Troy closely, noting his unchanged expression, as if he had faced a similar situation before.
“And from Nevast…”
-So they must have killed us.
“Did you… know?” Lucion felt shaken, swayed by Troy’s words.
-Vaguely, no, just a little. Perhaps I was waiting for soone to tell , including you.
Troy maintained his smile.
-Three divine beasts have vanished from Nevast. Who else could have hard us?
Just as Troy said, Lucion wondered if he, too, had been denying such an obvious thought.
-The only ones capable of harming us are those who follow us. The answer is clear, and I was in denial.
[That’s true. Three divine beasts have vanished from Nevast, so who else could be the culprit? I, too, have avoided the truth laid before , thinking that those blessed by the light wouldn’t resort to such actions.]
Russell’s voice quietly resonated in the air.
-Thank you, Lucion.
Troy smiled at Lucion.
-I’m so grateful to you for revealing the truth to .
No, this wasn’t sothing to be thankful for.
Lucion had asked Ratta to cover her ears to shield her from seeing a different side of Troy, fearing she might not recognize him anymore.
This unexpected reaction showed that just because he was a divine beast of light didn’t an he lacked feelings.
“Don’t you hate them?”
-I feel sad because this happened due to my failure to correct their misguided path.
“It’s understandable to be sad. Yes, it can be. But this ti, it’s their fault. Those who follow you deserve to be scolded…”
Troy stepped closer to Lucion, taking his hand.
-You truly are kind.
“No, this isn’t kindness. It’s only natural.”
-Getting angry for soone else is a very exhausting task, you know.
Troy turned his head to look at Bethel.
-You once asked if the God of Light placed a boundary to prevent the Sea of Death from coming.
[Yes, I rember.]
“There is no God of Light.”
Troy’s expression twisted.
-Perhaps there was a god at so point. However, the God of Light does not exist, Lucion. From the very beginning, there has been no God of Light.
The words of the black figure ca to mind.
There is no God of Light.
[W-wait, did you say there is no God of Light?]
Bethel stamred, confused.
Wasn’t Troy shattering the belief that anyone blessed by the light held?
-There may be a god, but there is no God of Light. The God of Light that people know is us, and we are nothing more than slightly special beings who are not even worthy of being called gods.
“What do you an by that?”
-The term ‘divine beast’ is simply sothing humans have attached. We are the ones who manage the light. If I said that we have beco sowhat special beings to maintain balance in the world so that there is neither too much nor too little light, would you understand?
[So… that ans there’s also the opposite, right?]
Russell spoke up, glancing at Ratta.
Then what about Lucion, the vessel? What is his true identity?
Troy simply smiled at Russell’s words without responding.
-In any case, this happened because our roles were not fulfilled properly, so it’s only natural to feel sadness. Who can I bla?
“What do you plan to do now?” Lucion asked calmly, though Troy noticed the anger in his eyes, stemming from his concern for himself and his resentnt towards those blessed by the light.
Yet that anger was dangerous.
Those blessed by darkness were sensitive, as they were akin to the darkness that possessed self-awareness, so Troy gently tried to calm Lucion.
-Even if a divine beast disappears, it will eventually be reborn. In fact, because so of us are gone, the light has diminished, which in turn has resulted in maintaining the balance.
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Lucion protested.
-Even if you think it’s unreasonable, that’s how balance works. There is too much light. It must sotis be extinguished for the sake of the darkness. The light is actually killing the darkness.
Troy’s eyes resembled the setting sun, as if he were looking back at a distant past.
-I’m sorry. For both the past and the present.
Lucion didn’t truly grasp how distant the past Troy spoke of was.
He only recalled the sight of himself dressed in a cloak, witnessing the world overrun by corruption.
It was a ti when those blessed by the light oppressed those blessed by darkness, shattering the balance that had existed.
Was this what he was speaking of?
“Troy.”
Lucion ntioned one more thing.
This was likely a fact Troy had been unaware of.
-Yes, go ahead, tell .
“They’ve been using warlocks in Nevast to corrupt the holy relics.”
Troy was montarily at a loss for words, caught off guard by this information.
-Lucion.
“Yes?”
-As a saint, could you lend your voice?
“What do you an by ‘lend you my voice’?”
-Sothing similar happened in the past. The light oppressed, killed, and drove away the darkness. The outco was absolutely horrific. The world was engulfed in corruption.
[Wait. What do you an by that…?]
Russell swallowed hard and asked.
-Corruption is the chaos of darkness that possesses self-awareness. It erges from the darkness’s sense of being unjustly attacked.
Troy’s words overlapped with the words of the black figure.
-Corruption is created that way. A broken balance, in which darkness is attacked and driven away by the light, leading to the chaos of darkness. These are the unfortunate and pitiful ones.
‘So it’s all true,’ Lucion confird, dispelling the doubts that lingered in his mind.
[So, if this continues, will another corruption arise and cover the world?]
Bethel questioned, fear evident in her wide eyes.
-No. The beings of light can no longer see the darkness. They don’t even know where it is, so they cannot attack it. What awaits now may not be corruption, but rather destruction.
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