NOVEL WEB
Chapter 174: Great Light Temple, Again? (2)
The matriarch smiled softly at Lucion’s bold words, revealing a glimpse of her true self.
It felt like Lucion was seeing a different side of the matriarch for the first time.
“Lord Lucion.”
“Yes?”
“I want to thank you for being friendly to my daughter. Tella has been joyful ever since she met you. I hope you will continue to treat her as Tella, not just as Tella Luteon.”
“Of course. It has been my pleasure, matriarch.”
Lucion stood up from his seat.
“I will take my leave now. I hope our next meeting will be a more peaceful one.”
“Yes. I would be honored to invite you again.”
The matriarch also rose from her seat and bowed slightly to Lucion.
Her eyes held a mixture of regret and gratitude.
* * *
‘I guess I should go to the Great Light Temple.’
As soon as Lucion left the Luteon Mansion and boarded the carriage, thoughts began swirling in his mind.
The story he had heard from Tella and the gathering of holy relics around him troubled him deeply.
Could all of this be mere coincidence?
‘There’s no way it’s just a coincidence.’
Rather than addressing these concerns separately, Lucion decided it would be best to visit the temple while he was in the central region.
“Hume.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Change the carriage’s course to the Great Light Temple.”
At Lucion’s command, Russell lightly tapped his forehead.
[I knew it would come to this. You’ve been unusually quiet for a while.]
[Lord Lucion, I understand your intentions, but this impulsive decision worries me. It’s important to calm your mind, carefully consider your options, and then take action. Remember, that place is the temple.]
“Bethel. You know who I am, right? Yet, these relics have come to me. Three of them. It feels like carrying a bomb that could explode at any moment. I need to find answers.”
[Yes, I understand the anxiety you must be feeling right now. However…]
Bethel paused for a moment.
Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled down from Lucion’s nose.
Hume quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Lucion.
―Hop! Lu, Lucion, are you in pain right now?
Ratta, who had been running around inside the carriage, quickly approached Lucion and looked at him closely.
“Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?”
In response to Hume’s concerned words, Lucion clenched his fist and replied.
“No, I’m just tired. It’s nothing to worry about.”
[…Shouldn’t Lord Lucion prioritize his health?]
Bethel spoke belatedly.
This time, her expression was stern, as if she were a rehabilitation training officer.
[You’re sacrificing your sleep at night, hardly taking any naps during the day, and constantly on the move. How can your body handle it? You’re aware that your physical condition isn’t at its best, aren’t you?]
Russell nodded in agreement.
[Well, Bethel’s right. That’s all true.]
―…Um. Yes! That’s right! Ratta also thinks Bethel is right. People die if they don’t sleep.
Ratta’s eyes, which had been spinning around, became somewhat serious.
But soon after, she was startled and hurriedly burrowed into Lucion’s embrace.
―Hop! You can’t die, Lucion! Ratta doesn’t want Lucion to die!
“I’m not going to die.”
Why would he die when he’s struggling so hard to stay alive?
Lucion set aside the handkerchief and gently stroked Ratta’s head.
“Bethel, even if you try to stop me, I’m going to go.”
[Lord Lucion!]
“I’m tired of living in constant suspense, and it’s strange to have something that could potentially kill me right beside me without investigating. I’m going to see Troy and find out what’s happening.”
Observing Lucion’s resolute gaze, Bethel urgently glanced at Russell.
[As much as I’d like to stop him, this time Lucion is correct. We need to understand why the holy relics are gathering around him.]
“As expected of you, Teacher.”
[Of course. I’m always on your side.]
Russell placed his hand on his hip and slightly lifted his chin.
‘If you’re with Tella, then you’re on Tella’s side, right?’
Lucion was on the verge of snorting but held himself back.
* * *
Rattle.
Lucion opened his eyes, startled by the sound of the bell.
He had the bell Asha had given him as a bracelet, temporarily attached with a string.
Lucion anxiously examined the bell. It remained still.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Hume asked with concern as Lucion took a deep breath.
“I think so. I heard the bell ringing in my ears.”
“The bell didn’t ring.”
“I know. It shouldn’t have rung.”
―That bell doesn’t make any sound. Ratta touched it a few times, but it was silent. Strange.
“This bell is supposed to be soundless.”
―Ooooh. It was such an interesting bell! Ratta didn’t know that…
Screech!
Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt.
Lucion’s body jolted, but Hume swiftly caught him and maintained his balance.
―Ugh. Ratta was really, really startled.
Ratta’s eyes widened almost to the point of popping out.
“I will find out.”
Hume stepped forward.
[It’s Veros.]
However, Russell, being one step ahead, quickly identified the person responsible for stopping the carriage.
It was Veros, the current owner of Troy, the divine beast of light.
[Who is Veros?]
Bethel asked.
[He is currently the high priest who can summon the divine beast of light. He has an acquaintance with Lucion.]
Bethel’s eyes widened at Russell’s answer.
[So, you’re saying Veros intentionally stopped the carriage because he knew Lord Lucion was coming?]
[Well, based on what I can see, it seems like Veros has something to discuss with Lucion regarding the divine beast. Whether it’s a personal connection or just a coincidence, it’s intriguing.]
Russell rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“What’s happening here?”
As Hume opened the carriage door, the loud voice of the coachman, who had been driving, echoed outside.
“Hume.”
Lucion called Hume.
“Yes, young master. How may I assist you?”
“After calming down the coachman, approach Veros and discreetly inquire about the situation.”
“Understood. I will do it right away.”
―Uncle Troy! Ratta is here!
Ratta, who had been looking around, suddenly smiled and pointed to one side.
The inside of the carriage sparkled for a moment, and then a tiger cub appeared inside the carriage.
-Nice to meet you, Ratta and Lucion.
A solemn voice that didn’t match the appearance of Troy flowed into their minds.
[…!]
Bethel was the only one taken aback, seeing Troy for the first time.
Although larger than Ratta, Troy looked nothing like the descriptions of the divine beast of light.
-Don’t be surprised, child of darkness. I have simply shrunk to fit inside here.
Troy reassured Bethel.
―Oooooh! Then, can Ratta also grow and shrink like Uncle Troy?
Troy burst out laughing at Ratta’s bright eyes.
-Of course. Anything is possible.”
“By the way, what’s going on? Isn’t it too sudden, just like before?”
Lucion asked with his arms crossed.
-Lucion, I knew you were coming, so I came to greet you.
“How did you know?”
-The darkness informed me. It guided me to you.
“…The darkness again?”
Lucion’s expression twisted, and Troy drew closer, patting his knee.
-Don’t be too distressed. They are concerned about protecting you now.
“What is the reason?”
Lucion asked with a stiff expression on his face.
Why was he the only one special?
No one had an answer to that question.
He didn’t like being special.
Being special had always brought him pain, and he despised it.
-I will explain that to you later.
Troy created a gust of wind that brushed against Lucion with a gentle whoosh.
Lucion furrowed his brow and blinked, feeling refreshed yet strangely uneasy.
-You see, something unpleasant has already caught up with you. Ignorance has taken root.
If he hadn’t gone on the pilgrimage, he wouldn’t have understood the meaning behind Troy’s words. But now he did.
“Could that unpleasant thing be the entity the darkness refers to as ‘him’?”
-Yes.
‘I didn’t mishear the bell sound…’
Lucion felt a rush as blood drained from his face, and his breathing quickened slightly.
Had that entity approached him?
[So you knew from the beginning?]
Russell suddenly spoke up.
If Troy had been aware all along, wouldn’t it have been better for him to inform Lucion in advance?
At least then, Lucion wouldn’t be trembling with fear as he was now.
-If you’re asking whether I knew about his presence, the answer is yes.
‘You knew about it? That sounds strange…’
Lucion stared at Troy intently.
As Troy’s gaze turned to Russell, Bethel looked on in disbelief.
[Can you see us?]
-I can see you.
[How can a divine being of light see us?]
-Isn’t it even stranger that light has become unable to perceive the existence of darkness?
Troy responded with a counter question.
“Are you saying you were originally able to see it?”
Lucion asked, paying attention to the outside.
-This place is not ideal. Veros will guide you, so follow him. Then, I will answer as much as I can.
Troy rubbed his head against Ratta and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Lucion stared at the spot where Troy had disappeared, as if haunted by an illusion.
A heavy silence filled the carriage.
―Haha! Uncle Troy can also disappear like a ghost!
Except for Ratta, who was excited to meet Troy.
* * *
As Lucion stepped out of the carriage, an unsettling discomfort pressed down on his body, causing him to tremble.
Now he realized that the faint light he had sensed around the Great Light Temple before was actually feeble.
That light he had previously perceived was truly insignificant.
“This way. Please hold on just a little longer.”
Veros looked anxiously at Lucion.
Light should be transmitted through light, but emitting light in the temple was both disregarding the request of the divine beast and making things difficult for Lucion.
As Lucion entered the Great Light Temple, a trickle of blood ran down his nose, accompanied by a piercing pain throughout his body.
It was different from the fatigue-induced nosebleed he had earlier.
‘Even with my resistance to light, I can’t believe I’m in this state…’
Amidst the voices calling out to him, Lucion calmly accepted the handkerchief offered by Hume.
In the novel, the Hand of the Void’s leader was often depicted as having no effect on light, but after devouring Ratcho, he emitted light.
Is there anything missing other than this method?
‘Or… is it because I am a broken vessel?’
A broken vessel.
An imperfect vessel to contain something.
Lucion looked at Bethel with surprised eyes.
He’d made sure Russell was okay before, but not Bethel.
[I’m a Death Knight; I don’t vanish with just a trace of light. Please prioritize your own well-being.]
Only then did Lucion feel a sense of relief as he followed Veros, avoiding the gaze of others, and arrived at an unfamiliar place within the Great Light Temple.
Here, the light was so faint that Lucion could barely breathe properly.
Next to Veros, something sparkled, revealing Troy’s true form. Troy wagged his tail, and Veros quickly retrieved paper and a pen
The paper and pen were enveloped in light as they diligently wrote something down.
-Veros. I need you to leave for a moment.
In response to Troy’s message, Veros immediately replied, “Of course. I will wait nearby.”
After nodding towards Troy, Veros turned to look at Lucion.
“I apologize for the late greeting, Saint. It’s been a while. I am Veros.”
“It’s good to see you.”
Lucion replied with a smile.
“I couldn’t properly greet you at the previous banquet due to the circumstances. Thank you, Veros.”
“No need for thanks. As one who serves the God of Light, it is my duty to do what is expected. If your condition worsens, please call me at any time. I’ll be waiting nearby.”
Though Lucion hadn’t had many conversations with Veros, he had never seen someone so devoted to the divine beast.
He had a feeling he understood why a divine beast of light had chosen him.
-He’s a good kid. I could say it a thousand times. It’s just sad that he still can’t hear my voice.
Troy spoke with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
Why couldn’t the owner of a divine beast hear its voice?
Bethel’s face was filled with questions, but she refrained from asking.
Troy lifted his forepaw and gently stroked Lucion’s pale complexion.
-I’m sorry, Lucion. I brought you, who follows darkness, to this place filled with light.”
“No, I came to see you as darkness said.”
Troy’s gaze shifted to Lucion’s shadow.
-Are you okay, Ratta?
―Ratta had been weak until just now, but she’s fine here! Ratta is strong! Thank you for your concern, Uncle Troy!
Hehehe.
Ratta emerged from the shadows and wagged her tail enthusiastically.
As Troy smiled at Ratta, he looked back at Lucion.
-I know you came to ask me about the holy relic.
In response to Troy’s words, Lucion immediately posed his question.
“Did darkness also inform you about this?”
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