* * *
He was used to the stares. Hed been handso all his life. Hed never been ugly in his life.
There was no shortage of incidents to support this truth-based confidence. For example, hearing a priest perform a marriage proclamation, let alone a confession, in front of him, or witnessing an outrageous demonstration of Garuel Monzasi is stolen by God!.
When you live in such a glamorous place, you cant help but attract attention just by breathing and walking. So the blatant stares didnt really bother him right now. On the other hand, what really bothered him was.
Hey, I think I just saw a gnarly aura coming from that black magicians hand. Is he cursing soone else?
What? So soone else is going to look like Easton? Damn it, why the hell is there a black magician roaming the Emperors sacred grounds?
Its all because of the commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order. Because His Majesty indulges him, he doesnt know his limit.
You go and say sothing.
To whom? To the commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order?
To that black magician!
You madman. If I say sothing and then die from a twisted limb, youre gonna be responsible?
It went sothing like this. His role as a black magician, assigned to him by Cadel, was excellent for freeing him from the suspicion of others, but it also had its own side effects.
I thought Sir Easton was injured by his own fall. When did this beco an injury caused by my curse?
Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw two knights, their dark navy blue robes making them obviously mbers of the Heaven Ti Knight Order.
He, hes looking this way!
Damn it, dont make eye contact! Youll be cursed.
Our eyes have already t!
Then go quickly and pray!
I have the pride of a knight, how can I bow my head before a black magician?
Then die alone. Im outta here.
As his unfaithful friend quickly moved out of Garuels line of sight, the lone man was left shuffling his feet. Unable to make eye contact, he hesitantly glanced at his thigh, so Garuel decided to approach him.
Do, do you have any business?
When Garuel bent down to force eye contact, the man shuddered and covered his eyes with his hands, even though he was right in front of Garuel.
What are you doing?
.
I thought you were talking about , so I ca over. Did I mishear you?
.
Thats strange. The curse I cast didnt have the power to take away your voice. Should I check again.
After a teasing nudge, the white-haired man leaned back.
I apologize for my ramblings, and Ill make sure it doesnt happen again, but if youve cursed , please take it back.
Naturally, there was no curse. He didnt even know how to cast one. But instead of just admitting that he was joking, Garuel decided to play the part.
Well, why would I do that?
Pardon? About that. We, we are knights of the Empire, serving the Emperor together. We shouldnt be hurting each other.
Didnt you fra our knight commander first? What did you say? Since His Majesty indulges him, he dares not to know his place and brings in a black magician jerk, who disrupts the discipline of the Imperial Knight Order and makes you guys uncomfortable. Youll have to see that jerks blood before youre satisfied. Didnt you say that?
Isnt the statent too extre?! I never said that much!
The man raised his head as if he was truly aggrieved. Because of this, the face of the man who imdiately made eye contact was stained with despair.
Garuel stared at the man and raised the corners of his mouth slantingly.
So youre upset?
No, I apologize, and I will never speak ill of the Scarlet Scales Knight Orders commander again, so please forgive just this once.
Well, sure.
The mans complexion brightened at the unexpectedly quick forgiveness, but the relief was fleeting.
The curse I placed on you will break itself in three days, but in the anti, you must spread the word of the Scarlet Scales Knight Orders great deeds to fifteen people, five a day.
Great deeds, isnt it?
Violating this will reduce your lifespan by 10 years.
What, what did you say? What kind of nonsense is that!
It is difficult to remove a curse that has already been cast. Wouldnt it be easier to talk about the Scarlet Scales Knight Orders achievents to fifteen people?
Garuel patted the man on the shoulder with a friendly smile, then turned away.
Do you think I would believe that? There are degrees of looking down on people!
I dont care if you dont believe , but Id do it if I were you, because I dont want to regret it when I die.
Garuel could hear the man shout sothing from behind, but he didnt respond anymore.
Maybe it would have been better to just reveal that Im a half-demon.
He might be despised, but he would never have bought such a ridiculous misunderstanding. A curse, an insult he could not bear as a forr clergyman. Shaking his head, Garuel resud his pace in the direction he was headed.
Cadels doorstep. Garuels hand paused as he was about to casually knock on the door. He opened his palm and ran it over the door, then blew lightly on it, a cloudy breath escaped.
It seems to be unusually cold over here.
Shaking his head, he knocked on the door and heard Cadels voice from inside.
Who is it.?
Its , Knight Commander.
Co in.
His voice sounded haggard and exhausted. He had left the castle with Sorin yesterday afternoon and hadnt returned until late at night, and Garuel wondered if sothing had happened to him.
Knight Commander?
Do sothing about this one, Garuel. Im so cold.
For one thing, it wasnt just Cadels room that felt cold. His entire room was frozen over. The floor, ceiling, and everything else was covered in ice, making it difficult to even step on it.
And the only ice attribute magician in this place. The presud mastermind of this outrageous event was lying on the bed, hugging Cadel tightly, looking disgruntled.
Cadel pinched Lydons cheek as he wrapped his arms around his waist like a koala, his blue lips curling into a smile.
Can, can you get that blanket over there?
Turning to where Cadels gaze was directed, he saw a pile of crumpled, frozen blankets by the door. They looked too stiff to do their job.
After a monts pause at this unacceptable sight, Garuel walked over to Cadel with a wry smile and threw his own robe over his shoulders, and Cadel, releasing his grip on Lydon, desperately pulled it on.
Can soone explain to how this happened? Did Sir Lydon go on a mana rampage or sothing?
Lydon seed to be in pretty good shape for a rampage, but Garuel couldnt quite put his finger on it, so he asked, and Cadel shook his head in misery.
He suddenly ca to and said I slled like another human being.
The sll of another human being?
Of course I do! Im out there eting people!
Cadel glared at Lydon in annoyance, and Lydon glared back at him.
Why are you hitting after you cheated on , darling? Isnt it who should be angry?
Whos cheating on you?!
Then why dont you tell who youre eting with!
Because his identity is a sensitive thing to talk about.
Look! Its an affair! Thats too much, Cadel. Am I not enough? I even took care of your concubines. I cant stand it anymore because Im so angry that youre being greedy even though Ive tolerated you so much.
As Lydon whined, Garuel could see what was going on. Cadel had t with soone who wasnt supposed to be in the public eye, and his attempts to keep it a secret had apparently irritated Lydon.
I understand how you feel, Sir Lydon. If this continues, Knight Commander will catch a cold. Why dont you stop getting angry?
If he has a cold, hell stay in his room. Thats better.
Oh, that kind of obsession tires out the other person, and while I might be able to build up so favorability by acting as Knight Commanders only breathing space, Sir Lydon is going to be thoroughly disliked, isnt that right?
.
Didnt you already have a history of being hated once? I thought youd learned your lesson from the ti you got treated harshly. Well, you still have a chance, because I dont think hes that mad at you yet.
Cadel secretly admired Garuels skillful handling of Lydon. After all, the forr knight commander was quite skilled at manipulating his opponents.
Lydons grip on Garuels arm loosened a little as he was persuaded. His sullen face rubbed his cheek against Cadels thigh and he sighed softly.
Sensing that Lydons stubbornness had finally broken, Cadel took the opportunity to stroke his hair.
Its not really an affair, Lydon. Dont worry, dead or alive, Im not cheating on you with those people.
Its okay to cheat.
Huh?
I can just kill them all.
Contrary to the bloody remarks, the expression on Lydons face was one of complete tears. Cadel finally burst out laughing at the consistent foolishness and rubbed Lydons white cheeks like dough. Garuel, who was looking at Cadel coddling Lydon, also took off his mask with a pleasant smile. It was the knight commanders relaxed smile that he had rarely seen lately, so he was not even jealous.
By the way, Garuel, didnt you co here to talk to ?
Ah, yes.
Hed completely forgotten why hed co here in the first place. Garuel clutched his removed mask in his hands and cut to the chase.
Ive heard rumors that a summit of the 7 great nations is about to take place, and since the host is the Osma Empire, Im wondering if you might be involved. Apparently, Sir Lun is in trouble with the Mainue Kingdom.
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