Chapter 14
“The banquet is…”
Lucion paused for a moment and finished reading the letter.
“The banquet will be held in two weeks. We still have time.”
[A chance? It’s a banquet to celebrate the Divine Beast’s birth. Don’t you know what a divine beast is?]
“So why should I not go?”
So far, all the banquets that Lucion’s father sent him have been small-scale banquets.
In this world, that believes in the God of Light, the appearance of a divine beast is a great blessing, and it was obvious that there would be so many people that even the sum of all the banquets he had attended so far would not be enough.
“It’s a great opportunity to show that I’m fine in front of a lot of people.”
[I fully understand your feelings, Lucion. But you haven’t even built a tolerance for light magic yet. The light of the divine beast is enormous.]
Lucion pointed to Ratcho at Russell’s words.
“I’ll increase the dose.”
[Lucion. Don’t make mistakes in your impatience.]
“I’m not nervous. It’s true that I actually messed up because I couldn’t control myself.”
Lucion saw with his own eyes how the rumors had grown by seeing what the employees were doing at the Luteon Magic Bank.
‘So far, I’ve been forced to attend the banquet by my father’s power, but it seemed difficult because of the work of Viscount Horaon.’
Tella gave me a good opportunity, so shouldn’t I try asking?
“But they don’t even want to know why I did it. They just chewed me up, mocked me for fun. Why do I have to be like that?”
Two years before he becomes an intermediate boss.
It was a very short time.
In the meantime, anything had to be changed.
“Master.”
[Yeah, Lucion.]
“I want to be happy, too. I don’t want to lose any more of my happiness.”
[…….]
Russell could no longer follow Lucion’s heart, which he had never heard before.
There was only one thing to say to Lucion, who said this normal life was happiness.
[Try it.]
Despite the short answer, Lucion looked at Russell with gratitude.
[But apart from my permission, how do you intend to get Novio’s permission?]
He paused for a while.
Lucion crumpled his face as if he had met a huge barrier at Russell’s words.
* * *
“…so I want to attend the banquet…”
“No way.”
Novio cut Lucion’s words like a knife.
‘I knew it.’
Lucion swallowed the saliva inside his mouth.
Even Carson was nodding in agreement.
At first, the atmosphere was good.
When he heard that Lucion had a close friend, Novio’s mouth twitched, and even Novio quietly covered his mouth at the fact that he was invited to the banquet.
However, the atmosphere subsided sharply with the word divine beast.
Even Novio’s eyebrows went downhill.
‘I know what he’s worried about…’
Lucion looked at Novio and Carson’s facial expressions as he ate meat.
It was as if looking at twin castles that would never open.
“I’ll be careful.”
Lucion alluded to his mouth.
“For you, light magic is not just something to be careful with.”
“You’re not supposed to be involved.”
Novio lowered the gate, and Carson locked it down completely.
[It’s like a fortress.]
Russell giggled about what was happening.
—I don’t know what’s going on with Ratta.
I couldn’t take Ratta because she wasn’t allowed to enter the dining room yet.
However, Ratta made a fuss about going and showed off her mysterious technique of getting into his shadow.
Russell saw the technique and was informed it was a divine beast’s ability.
—I wonder what Lucion is eating right now.
Lucion glanced at a piece of meat with a fork at Ratta’s low voice.
After noticing Novio and Carson, he slipped food.
—Wooooooo!
The sound of the meat being swallowed followed by Ratta’s shout.
Lucion saw Novio and Carson pause for a moment, so he opened his mouth again to distract attention.
“I’ll go with Gerno.”
It was Lucion who had been leaking Gerno all the time even though he was asked to take him away.
Novio put down the spoon.
“What was your exact reason for going to the banquet?”
“I’d like to change the rumors about me.”
Lucion pointed out exactly what Novio was worried about.
Novio bit his lips, feeling slightly distressed.
“Father. There will be another chance to correct the rumors in the future. But my brother has only one life, isn’t it?”
Carson threw words to correct the shaky Novio.
Lucion couldn’t take it anymore and brought up the fact that he didn’t tell them.
“There’s something I haven’t told you about last time at the Magic Bank of Luteon.”
Novio’s face was stiffened by the sound of a bank incident, and anger was slightly seen.
“Tell me.”
“The staff knew I was Lucion Cronia. But he sold me out to a robber. What scares you more than the name Cronia?”
Lucion alluded to his mouth.
“I’m the one who became a monster through rumors. Just as there is a saying that if you make eye contact with me, you will be cursed, wouldn’t there be a variety of solutions to solve the curse? The employee probably just used the solution he knew.”
Lucion looked at the two speechless men and turned the pasta around.
“Now you know how serious it is?”
[That’s cheating.]
Russell clicked his tongue at the changed look on Novio’s face.
“Why didn’t you say this then?”
Novio opened his mouth.
“If I had told you then, I thought that you, father, would have overthrown the Luteons.”
One of Novio’s eyebrows wriggled because Lucion’s words were not completely wrong.
“So please allow me.”
“…….”
Novio could not immediately answer.
He didn’t know it was this serious because he cut off the source of rumors surrounding Lucion once in a while.
[Say no. Are you going to kill your son?]
Russell clenched his hand tightly.
“…okay.”
“Father!”
Carson’s voice rose with Novio’s words.
I can’t believe you let your son, who’s allergic to divinity, go to the banquet.
[Novio! Are you crazy?]
Russell’s voice went up as well.
“Go.”
But Novio’s decision has already been made.
He looked at Carson as if he shouldn’t say anything anymore.
Under pressure from Novio, Carson kept quiet.
[What happened to the fortress? The walls of the village must be stronger than this!]
Lucion smiled as he heard Russell mutter.
* * *
“…Dear Master, don’t lose as much as you do to Ratta! I believe in you.”
Gerno spoke to Lucion, who stumbled and ran.
Ratta was walking ahead of Lucion, apparently getting used to the four-foot situation.
‘Shut up.’
Lucion felt the taste of blood in his throat and was overwhelmed by just breathing out.
—Lucion’s heart is pounding! Oh! Faster! Run faster!
[Then die.]
Russell answered briefly and clearly.
—Hop! then you can’t run fast! Slow down! No, you can’t run!
[Still dying.]
—Hop!
Instead of going forward, Ratta collapsed and covered his mouth.
Lucion stared at Ratta with half-open eyes and continued to run forward.
Another sweatdrop overlapped on top of the sweat drops that fell to the floor.
“Cheer up, young master!”
When Gerno’s cheering for him was far beyond memory, the words he wanted to say would finally drop.
“Thank you for your hard work today!”
Lucion led a heavy body and began training to move the darkness right after lunch.
[You’re not the only one moving. The Darkness should move with you.]
Unlike Russell, who was full of energy, Lucion trained with the weight of feeling of having lead all over his body.
‘My head has been pounding as I have been using my mental strength to force my tired body, and I have been using my mental strength to move the darkness.’
At least, thanks to Ratta, he thought it was a good thing that Darkness listened well.
Lucion didn’t waste a moment before dinner.
I played tag with a ghost that Russell picked for me.
Lucion had to catch the ghost running away in fear of himself in the room within a set time.
As Russell said, [We need to develop our sense of play] it was quite difficult to catch the ghost running away.
“Hey!”
Lucion couldn’t catch the ghost again today.
[Well, you must have enjoyed your dinner. Shall we move until we pass out?]
As soon as Lucion entered the room after dinner, Russell said in an excited voice.
—Ratta is tired.
Ratta stumbled and lay on the floor.
[No, you can move. I can see everything.]
Russell was also able to see Ratta’s darkness because Ratta was connected to Lucion.
[Let’s practice lifting chairs for 3, 5, 7 seconds]
Lucion opened his heavy eyelids and said, “…you look so excited.”
[Of course. How can you not be happy to see your pupils develop?]
Russell waved and quickly rushed at Lucion.
* * *
A day later.
Morning.
—Lucion. Do you eat what Ratta doesn’t like? Does Lucion like being sick?
Ratta looked at Lucion, who dangled behind Russell and ate Ratcho.
After breakfast.
“It’s only been three days. It’s the moment when people are in the hardest moment. Young Master, you’re slower than yesterday because of the fatigue you’ve accumulated. I want you to run a little faster.”
With Lucion’s pace visibly reduced, Gerno is a little tougher than he was yesterday.
After lunch.
[Lucion. Don’t close your eyes. We still have 50 more to go.]
Just like that!
Just like that!
By lunch, Russell was busy waking up Lucion, who was tired.
In the late afternoon.
[That’s too bad. I would have caught it if I did it a little longer.]
Russell also giggled at Lucion, who missed the ghost.
Dinner.
[Lucion, Ratta. We’re breaking up right now. It’s not 8 seconds, it’s 7 seconds.]
On the night the moon rose brightly, Russell’s voice was still fierce.
[If you had to use the darkness to hold the enemy’s leg for just seven seconds, you’d find yourself a dark wizard by a second. Get a hold of yourself!]
Two days later.
Morning.
—Lucion. That’s supportive. I shouldn’t eat that.
Ratta still hangs behind Russell and looks anxiously at Lucion, who eats Ratcho.
After breakfast.
“Oh! It’s been five days, but it’s different from yesterday. You’re faster.”
Gerno nodded slightly at Lucion’s slowly balancing stance.
After lunch.
[Lucion, open your eyes. Open your eyes and send the darkness as you want, mugwort, like this. Lucion? Lucion! …Ha. Now you’re dozing off.]
Russell was amazed that Lucion had mastered a strange skill.
In the late afternoon.
[Wow, it was such a waste this time.]
Russell was looking sorry for Lucion for missing the ghost by a single margin.
I could have caught a ghost during this hide-and-seek.
[Why are you laughing? Drop the corners of your mouth.]
Soon, Russell took it out on the smiling ghost as if he had lived today.
Dinner.
[That’s it! That’s it! You two now fit like you’re playing the piano with two hands. The chair will be lighter. Now let’s switch to a desk.]
Russell smiled broadly and pointed to the desk.
Ratta immediately folded her ears as if she hadn’t heard anything, and Lucion muttered and fainted.
“…Oh, Damn it.”
* * *
Lucion, as usual, began the morning with a fresh Ratcho and stopped by the training hall.
“…?”
Strangely enough, Lucion solidified today when there were many people in the training hall.
Feeling someone’s signs, Gerno turned his head instead of training the knights.
“Young Master…”
When he saw Lucion, Gerno immediately stepped outside and closed the door of the training hall.
“What brings you here today?”
“…Why?”
When asked by Gerno, Lucion asked rather.
“I told you yesterday that I was going to stop training today at the instruction of the first young master, but have you forgotten?”
At Gerno’s words, Lucion looked at Russell hastily.
Gerno’s eyes followed along.
[Why are you looking at me?]
Russell looked at Lucion with astonishment.
‘Oops…’
Lucion then took a long breath as he remembered what Gerno said yesterday.
As I was tired, my head seemed to be empty.
—Ratta didn’t hear. It’s true!
Ratta clung to Lucion’s leg even though he didn’t ask.
“While you’re here, would you like to take a quick look at the training process? Now we’re…”
“No, thanks.”
Lucion turned his back on Gerno, rejecting his offer.
Just in time, the morning training time was free, so I thought I could go out for a while.
‘That’s good. Now I just need to buy something.’