abcnovels
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Chapter 173: Those Left Behind (1)
“Did you hear about it? Not long ago, after the incident in Axilium, there was a huge event in Brenu as well, right?”
“You’re just hearing about it now? Your news sure is slow, isn’t it?”
Residents who finished their day’s work gathered at a tavern to relieve their fatigue.
From the mouths of dozens of people, a common story emerged.
“Who would have thought? That fourteen-year-old noble, who had just emerged from his diapers, was actually the fearsome assassin of the Mist….”
As usual, rumors tend to exaggerate and embellish.
Assassins of the Mist.
Black magician who summoned the devil dragon in Axilium.
Owner of the demonic sword that supposedly claim a hundred souls with a single swing.
Rumors about Cyan Vert, the youngest son of the Vert family, spread uncontrollably day by day.
“Thank goodness, at least. Apparently, the legendary wielder of the Holy Sword himself appeared to capture him. They say he surrendered to the power of the Holy Sword and fled in disgrace, perhaps?”
“Is this guy so naive that he doesn’t know how the world works? Does he still not know that it’s all a fact spread by the royal family to conceal the truth?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“The incident happened right in the middle of the street. How many people, not just the prince, but also the ordinary folks who witnessed the scene, do you think there were? They all say that just one boy faced the entire army! Even the wielder of the Holy Sword….”
The eyes of those listening to the story around them widened.
“N-no way, right? How could everything be handled by one person?”
“Wanna bet? Do you know what kind of stories are circulating among the information merchants of the continent? Oh, there’s no need, huh? Just run to Brenu from here and ask anyone you meet; they’ll spill everything!”
Just then, the tavern owner started posting new wanted posters from the knights on one side of the bulletin board.
Including the wanted poster for Cyan Vert they were talking about.
“He dared to commit such a great deed with such a handsome face.”
“Who else? Those noble families, I tell you, their words are like poison. Count Vert, of course, and wasn’t his daughter supposed to be incredibly beautiful? The pretty sister ended up with a huge nail in her busty chest!”
“Just by looking at him, you’d think he’d collapse if you touched him.”
A tall man looking at Cyan’s wanted poster stroked his beard and said.
“Why? Don’t you know? If we catch that kid, won’t they marry us off to their daughter? Haha….”
As the conversation of the three men turned sour, a woman with navy blue hair sitting at the bar table got up from her seat.
“Thank you for the meal.”
After settling the bill, as she left the tavern, the three men stared intently at her retreating figure.
“Wow…. Did you see her face? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a stunning beauty.”
“Darn it. Shouldn’t we have talked to her at least? It feels like a waste to just let her go….”
“Argh. Thank goodness she didn’t run away at the sight of your face…?”
In the midst of the three men’s banter, their chatter suddenly stopped.
The woman with navy blue hair, who they thought had left, was now standing in front of their table.
They blinked in confusion, and just then, the tall man spoke with an ominous smile.
“Why, miss? Did you say the drinks were not enough…?”
-Bang!
With a deafening noise, the man’s head hit the table.
“W-what’s going on…?”
-Bang! Bang!
Startled, the other men stood up one by one, but they too succumbed with a deep kiss to the table.
Crushed by an unimaginable force, they couldn’t even feel the urge to resist, let alone stand up, and they all ended up foaming at the mouth and fainting.
“Hah….”
The woman, who still seemed irritated, sighed deeply.
She handed a thick purse to the owner who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
“I’m sorry for causing a disturbance. Please accept this as compensation.”
For a woman who had just subdued three grown men effortlessly, her face was unbelievably beautiful and graceful.
With an unexpectedly welcoming face, the stunned owner couldn’t even utter a word.
The woman, who was about to leave abruptly, stopped in front of the bulletin board where wanted posters were posted once again.
As if she was about to scrutinize someone’s wanted poster,
– Swish!
She swiftly tore off the wanted poster of Cyan Vert, which was prominently displayed, and left the tavern just like that.
Like a storm that passed, leaving behind calm waves, the tavern was filled with silence.
Leaving the tavern and turning the corner of the alley, the woman leaned against the wall weakly before finally sitting down.
Amidst her gasping breaths, a faint sob could be heard.
Perhaps reluctant to shed tears, she tightly gripped the wanted poster she held in her hand.
“Cyan….”
Soon, regaining her composure, she stood up and resumed her journey.
The direction she headed was towards the north, where the chilly wind blew.
Towards the unfamiliar land where she, as a human, might not be welcomed, Alice, the daughter of the Vert family, set out with firm steps.
* * *
In the office of the Garam Magic Society, where the iridescent magic stones shimmered brightly.
Two weeks had passed since the Brenu incident, and the work to resolve the situation was proceeding busily.
Foreigners from another country causing a commotion with magic on the land of the empire.
This was a very sensitive and significant event that could potentially lead to war between the Ushif Empire and the Garam Kingdom.
“The compensation demanded by Prince Louisnel is surprisingly large. It seems a bit unreasonable for us to bear this burden entirely. The royal family doesn’t seem willing to provide any support….”
“It doesn’t matter. We can cover it all with the funds we collected during the Auram expedition. Just pay without objection and be done with it.”
Regens, as if it didn’t matter as long as the situation was resolved, instructed to proceed as is.
“What about Luna?”
He then immediately inquired about his granddaughter’s whereabouts.
“Uh, she’s in the society’s laboratory….”
“The laboratory?”
Regens furrowed his brow at the unexpected location.
“Yes. Since fully recovering from the injuries suffered in Brenu, she seems to spend almost all her time in the laboratory. I heard she even warned not to approach her unless it’s something important….”
Regens stood up abruptly.
He headed straight for the Garam Magic Society’s laboratory, where Luna was said to be.
Ignoring the greetings of the society members, he opened the firmly closed door of the laboratory.
As soon as he opened it,
“You’ve come. Grandfather?”
Luna, who was there, greeted him with the usual indifferent tone.
Her gaze was not on Regens but on the various tools in the laboratory.
“What have you been doing all this time?”
“As you can see, I’ve been examining the facilities and other research materials in the laboratory. I’m focusing on things related to the experiments to be conducted on me in the future….”
Regens showed considerable confusion at her unusual behavior.
Nevertheless, Luna took out a piece of paper without explanation, filled it densely with something, and handed it to Regens as if to show him.
“This is a revised plan for the experiments to be conducted. Please review it and proceed as is.”
Regens looked at her suspiciously.
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“I think it’s necessary to adjust materials such as magic crystals and powders we used before. Please check the suppliers again. If you confirm the ones I wrote down, you’ll be able to procure high-quality items.”
“Because of that boy?”
“……”
Luna couldn’t bring herself to deny it.
“While you were unconscious, I checked your physical condition. Your heart curve disappeared.”
“You checked well.”
“It’s probably what that boy did….”
“It wasn’t intentional. Honestly, I still don’t know why Cyan senior did it.”
Luna shrugged as if it was nothing.
“I admit it. Your abilities that day far exceeded my expectations.”
“……”
“I won’t say that it was thanks to the academic society’s experiments. I know that in addition to what you have accomplished yourself, that boy has had a great influence. Even if your current magic grade is not at the level of a 7th-grade, it’s at least above 6th-grade, nearly reaching a level similar to a 7th-grade……”
Luna remained silent for a moment.
Regens, unlike usual, patiently waited for her to speak.
“Indeed, I felt the wall that day. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was the most reckless thing I’ve ever done in my life, considering everything I’ve done since I was born.”
That day, Luna, who had sent Cyan away from the society members, exerted all her strength to stop Regens.
However, it was impossible for her alone to bear the magical power of the Garam Magic Society’s leader and 9th-grade grandmaster.
Thanks to Regens’s concern for her, he withdrew his power at the last moment.
Otherwise, she might have been unconscious for days due to severe injuries that would have made manifesting mana itself impossible for a while.
“Whether you hear it as such or not, I think I saved you that day, Grandfather.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you and senior Cyan had really fought that day…. Grandfather, you wouldn’t exist in this world right now.”
“……!”
Regens’s pupils shook greatly.
“Not only Grandfather, but no human in this world could have dealt with senior at that time. In fact, it’s not just Grandfather, but all the society members present there, I saved them.”
Luna’s eyes still had an undeniably sincere look.
The true essence of power she confirmed when embracing Cyan’s body for the last time.
It was so immense and incomprehensible that it was almost impossible for a human to possess it.
“I don’t think that power was solely based on the sword of the god called ‘Demonic Sword.’ There must have been Senior’s relentless efforts to complete that power.”
Beyond merely liking Cyan Vert as a man, she was now more interested in the origin and value of the power he possessed.
“Magic has been the driving force and survival tool that made weak humans the rulers of this land, right? But when I felt Senior’s power, I realized. We humans are still far from ruling this land as its true masters.”
In her eyes, the heavy figure of Cyan enveloped in mist was vividly visible.
“Just as the society has been exploiting the notion of the future of humanity, I also plan to use the society under the same pretext from now on.”
Regens was deeply perplexed, but it didn’t feel entirely bad.
The eyes of his granddaughter that he was seeing now, were the eyes of a true human, burning with determination to achieve a goal.
“Let’s go, Grandfather. It will be a very interesting journey.”
A faint smile adorned Luna’s lips.
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