abcnovels
Chapter 266: Victor (1)
Chapter 266: Victor (1)
Chapter 266: Victor (1)
Angels didn’t need to sleep. That’s why the nights for Latera were long.
Though she could sleep anytime she wanted, centuries of ingrained habits still bound her.
The Hero’s Abode. In that white space, named so, she waited sleeplessly for the Hero, who might come at any moment.
“Hmm-hmm.”
She didn’t even want to recall the memory of that room, a place that would drive anyone to madness in just a day, but looking back now, she thinks it was inevitable.
Well, thanks to the habit of not sleeping, she could experience something so rare.
“Sigh…”
Latera smiled as she watched the sleeping Shiron.
Even though she rested her chin on her hands and stared intently at him from the bedside, Shiron didn’t wake up.
Usually, he’d be disturbed by such intense gazes and toss and turn, but he must have been quite exhausted; even after several hours, he remained sound asleep.… To the point where she felt a little mischievous.
‘Good.’
Latera lifted the blanket and slipped under it next to Shiron. Instantly, she felt a chill. The night air was cold, and a frosty feeling brushed her face, but inside the blanket, it was warm, and the heat seeped deep into her bones.
“Phew…”
In the end, Latera couldn’t help but let out an elated breath as her face relaxed.
Even though Shiron fooled around with other women, he wouldn’t allow Latera to sleep with him, let alone hug or kiss her lightly. So, this moment felt even more special to her.
So much that she wanted to stay like this,
So much that she almost forgot the tasks she had to do every day.
Ding-
But Latera, though small like a child, was a guardian angel chosen by the gods.
She wasn’t a child who would skip her duties. Today as well, Latera looked over the semi-transparent window, just like the guardian angel she had been 500 years ago.
[Character Information]
[Latera]
[Pet]
[Species Attribute: Divine]
[Exclusive Partner: Shiron Prient]
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[Explicit Scene Achievement 37/107]
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[Sacrifice of the Father]
[The Good Brothers]
[Achievement Rate 87%]
‘… Not much left, huh?’
Her purple eyes, reflected in the neat handwriting, blinked. Then, as a smile formed, small dimples appeared on her cheeks.
Puhuhu-
Soon, Latera couldn’t hold back the laughter bubbling up from the joy that she would soon become an archangel.
“Please keep up the good work. Fighting.”
“Yes.”
Her purple eyes met Shiron’s black eyes. Latera’s whole body stiffened like a stone, and Shiron sighed as he sat up.
“When did you wake up?”
Realizing she had done something embarrassing, Latera pulled the blanket up to her face and spoke.
“Just now.”
“…Aren’t you tired? You seem to have slept too little.”
“You need to be in a situation where you can sleep comfortably to say that.”
Shiron glanced at her half-hidden purple eyes.
Latera felt as if his gaze was reproachful. But almost immediately, Shiron extended his right leg.
… The leg that had been reattached.
“It’s because of this.”
“Why? Didn’t it reattach properly?”
Latera slowly crawled over and touched his leg.
Considering it had been severed from the knee down and only reattached after several days, there was no sign of discoloration or scarring where the leg had been joined. It didn’t look like a reattached leg at all.
“It reattached so perfectly.”
“Yeah, too perfectly.”
“What?”
“Think about it. No matter how much divine power I have to reattach severed limbs, there have been only a few times where they reattached this smoothly. What do you think that means?”
“…I don’t know?”
Latera tilted her head in confusion. Shiron stared at the demon’s mark on the soles of his feet.
“The answer is, only when the severed body part is perfectly preserved.”
“Even though it took several days to reattach my leg, there was no sign of decay, and it was as fresh as if it had just been cut.”
“Then…”
“Yes, the one who preserved this leg was a high-ranking cleric from Lucerne.”
There were many theocratic nations on the continent, and many high-ranking clerics were produced by them. However, the only nation that cooperated closely enough to go on expeditions with the Empire was Lucerne.
And that’s not all.
Lucerne, under the cause of protecting humanity, purged demons across the continent.
They suppressed cults, provided relief, and maintained order in conflict areas.
They took in those with the right talent, educated them, and gave them opportunities to evangelize and serve in their hometowns.
When you looked at what they did, you’d think they were a perfect nation, but Shiron had never formed close ties with the people of Lucerne.
“But didn’t you borrow a holy shield from the Pope? That means you have quite a close relationship, doesn’t it?”
“You know I attended seminary, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, how many of my classmates do you think I’m still in touch with?”
“No way…”
Latera squinted her eyes and looked at Shiron.
“Hero.”
“What.”
“Did you have no friends?”
“What are you talking about? Of course I had friends.”
“But according to you, you haven’t contacted any of them? You graduated from seminary at 17, right? It’s been 5 years now, and if you haven’t contacted even one person during that time…”
Latera’s brows furrowed. Her expression gradually turned into that of a parent seeing a child who doesn’t fit in with the other kids and gets bullied.
“That’s like being ostracized.”
“No, it’s not.”
Shiron denied it flatly.
“I’m the one who’s deliberately not contacting them. In other words, I’m the one keeping my distance.”
“That sounds like the kind of excuse people who are ostracized would make…”
“Hey, can you show me the letters?”
Shiron, still doubtful, took out a bundle of letters. As Latera looked through the senders, Shiron continued talking.
“The reason I cut off contact with them is that there’s no need to risk our lives by getting too close.”
“Hmm-hmm.”
“No matter how well-hidden the mark might be, there’s no such thing as absolute secrecy in this world. The moment it’s discovered, I’ll be branded as a demon worshiper, divine sword or not.”
“I clearly told you. Don’t hang out with those filthy demons.”
Latera tilted her head to the side. Shiron pinched her cheeks and stretched them sideways.
“What am I supposed to do about a contract I’ve already made? Do you think I would have survived the Apostle without them?”
“Right, the hero is awesome.”
“Exactly.”
Shiron let go of her pinched cheeks.
“It’s driving me crazy wondering who it was that treated my leg to keep it from rotting, and why there’s been no news even after a month…”
“Certainly, something needs to be done about it. Huh?”
Latera noticed a particularly familiar name while sorting through the bundle of letters.
[Victor Ado de Rien]
“Hero. There’s a familiar name here. Did you mix them up by mistake?”
“I bundled the ones from my friends together, so of course, his name is there.”
“…”
Hearing Shiron’s reply, Latera thought for a moment and then chuckled.
“Even so, hero, you keep all your letters. Just now, you were talking about drawing a line and all that.”
“I told you, I have a lot of friends.”
Currently, Victor was the only friend he’s in contact with, but once he killed the Demon God, he planned to reconnect with the peers he made in Lucerne.
Shiron carefully put the letters back, his expression hardening. Looking out the window, he noticed that dawn was breaking.
“Anyway, I need to find out who that kind and helpful cleric is.”
“…Are you going to kill them?”
“Not sure.”
In the past, he might not have hesitated, but now Shiron wanted to avoid unnecessary killing.
“I’ll try persuasion first. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll have to shut them up.”
A week later.
Shiron discovered the identity of his benefactor sooner than he had expected.
Maybe it was because the whole family had gathered after a long time? Shiron and Glen were invited to dinner at Eldrina’s place.
“…What is this?”
It was after dinner when they were getting some fresh air on the terrace.
Shiron stared at the paper handed to him with a calm gaze. The document inside the blue envelope, which symbolized the Imperial Family, was held by Glen.
“It’s an invitation.”
Glen spoke calmly, even as Shiron’s face frowned.
“It’s an invitation from the Imperial Family, recognizing your contributions to the recent expedition.”
“I get that, but why are you giving it to me? I didn’t receive any letter.”
“That’s because you’re the child of Glen Prient, a knight directly under the Imperial Family, and the fiancé of the Empire’s greatest swordsman.”
“…Forget it. If you’re going, go alone. I’m busy.”
“Shiron.”
Glen grabbed Shiron’s shoulder as he turned to leave. Shiron sighed and turned back, only to find Glen’s expression quite serious.
With a look that suggested the world might end tomorrow, Glen spoke.
“I want to attend a banquet before I die.”
“Aren’t you fully recovered? And I told you, go by yourself.”
“I want to see my son and daughter-in-law dance together at the ball. And besides, fully recovered? What are you talking about…”
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Glen coughed and spat out blood. Although his physical condition was actually fine except for his dantian, he bit his tongue to make himself bleed just to get Shiron to come along.
“Ugh, how filthy…”
Shiron gathered the blood droplets in the air and burned them.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go. I’ll go.”
“Are you serious? Then I’ll have Lucia prepare as well.”
“…Why Lucia? Was she invited too?”
Hmm? Me?
Lucia, who had been snacking in the background, spoke with her mouth full. Glen didn’t even glance at her.
“No, she wasn’t. But it says you can bring one companion at most.”
“Sure. And?”
“I’m taking Lucia, so you should go with Siriel.”
“…”
Shiron responded by pressing his tired eyes with his fingers.
He had been searching for the ‘benefactor’ who treated his severed leg for several days, but so far, no significant results had been obtained.
It wasn’t for lack of effort.
He had visited the palace to review the list of participants in the expedition and even went to the cathedral within Rien, but aside from Cardinal Deviale, there were no other high-ranking clerics left.
They had probably returned to their homeland.
Since he couldn’t just head to Lucerne to deal with the matter, he was racking his brain over it, and now Glen’s antics were adding to his headache.
…Actually, Glen’s antics weren’t the real problem.
A rumor had quietly spread from this expedition that the Imperial Army had failed to properly protect the Empress.
This banquet was likely a cover to refute those rumors.
It wasn’t the elegant and sophisticated ball that Glen imagined.
‘…I don’t want to get involved in politics.’
Shiron exhaled a white breath as he sipped his wine.
It’s clear that the absence of a letter was Victor’s way of being considerate, but now he was forced to participate, which was ironic.
Two days later.
Shiron encountered an unexpected person at the banquet.
Pointed ears. Flowing golden hair.
Someone who should never have been there.
“Shiron Prient. Are you using the relic well?”
“Yes… Thanks to you.”
It was the Pope of Lucerne.