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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 42: Lord Zeras’ Invitation
Deep inside a cave in the southern region lay the hidden refuge of a powerful Bloodkin.
This cave, tucked away from the eyes of the world, contained a vast space unknown to outsiders.
And within that space, all the southern Bloodkin members had gathered.
Before dozens of Bloodkin members stood Kir, the commander of the southern Bloodkin unit called Balharim. He spoke—
“The south has been stabilized.”
Their mission had been to sow chaos throughout the southern provinces of the Empire.
They had assassinated numerous lords and nobles and reached out to slaves and free people who could become rebels, lending them their strength.
According to their plan, the south should have been a place of great turmoil.
There was the slave city of Dreihart, full of pent-up anger, and the military city of Raion, suffering for over ten years.
If the anger of these two cities’ residents was properly stirred, a rebellion could erupt, causing years of chaos and countless deaths.
But the south stabilized far too quickly.
The reason? One single lord.
“Calyx’s abilities surpassed our expectations.”
That lord was Calyx, the lord of Cron, known as the Silver Dragon of Cron.
He showed benevolence not only to his own people but also to the free migrants, suppressing Dreihart and Raion and stabilizing the southern region—which could have become a proxy war between the prince and princess.
With the political situation stabilized, assassinating lords became difficult.
Killing the lord wouldn’t cause any chaos anymore.
In fact, more and more people were asking Cron for help, hoping their own cities could become like Cron and Dreihart.
“I was careless! I failed the sacred mission! I will atone with my life!”
Yan, one of Kir’s subordinates, pulled a dagger and pressed it to his own neck.
Kir had judged early on that leaving Calyx alive would interfere with their sacred mission.
So far, they had tried to assassinate Calyx twice.
The first attempt was early, when Calyx first began showing his power.
At that time, Calyx was one of the lords who posed a future threat, so Kir sent a small squad—only three men, but skilled enough that Kir respected their abilities.
But Calyx, wielding a cleaver, personally slaughtered them, revealing another of his powers.
Kir thought they had simply underestimated Calyx’s combat ability and prepared better for the next attempt.
They attacked using necromancy, summoning evil spirits immune to physical attacks.
They contacted the fallen nobles of Dreihart who hated Calyx and secretly gave them black magic scrolls to lure them into killing Calyx.
They believed spirits immune to physical attacks could kill Calyx.
But this plan failed too.
The spirits were purified by the power of the moon.
Stopping Yan from killing himself, Kir said—
“No one expected a mere lord to wield the power of the moon. Don’t blame yourself, Yan.”
The power of the moon, which purified evil spirits, was the arch-nemesis of dark spirit summoning.
Kir was shocked that Calyx possessed such a power.
He decided that dealing with Calyx would require a serious commitment—Calyx seemed born to thwart their mission.
To fulfill their sacred mission, Calyx had to be eliminated.
“There is no turning back for us now.”
Kir looked over the gathered Bloodkin members.
The Balharim Bloodkin members listened intently to their leader.
In the dark cave, faintly lit by moonlight, Kir declared—
“To bring chaos to the southern region, Calyx must be removed.”
Every Bloodkin member agreed.
They were the field agents who, more than anyone, had contact with the Empire’s citizens and understood public sentiment.
They knew how the people viewed Calyx and how dangerous he truly was.
“We will stake our lives to eliminate Calyx this time.”
[ “YES!!!” ]
Their lives were on the line because Calyx’s life was that valuable.
“Everything is for the sacred mission.”
[ “For the sacred mission!!” ]
The Bloodkin’s conspiracy echoed through the cave.
Another crisis was closing in on Calyx.
＊ ＊ ＊
Shivers—!
Suddenly, a chilling sensation ran down my spine while I was in the carriage. I glanced back.
Of course, there was nothing there. Seeing my odd reaction, Lana spoke up.
“Are you alright, my lord?”
“Ah… it’s nothing, Lana.”
Lately, I’ve been feeling this creepy chill more often.
What’s going on? I haven’t done anything wrong… it’s weird.
While I was lost in those thoughts, Azelle, who was riding alongside to escort the carriage, called out to me.
“My lord, we’re about to arrive at the Silla estate.”
“Alright, understood.”
Not long ago, I received a letter.
It was from Lord Zeras, inviting me to the Silla family estate.
The stated purpose was business, and also to thank me for sending Rikain to save lives back in Dreihart. But honestly, I think it was more because he was happy I dealt with Hadem.
Another noble head officially invited me, and there was no reason to decline, so I accepted Zeras’ invitation.
A short while later, the procession bearing the Cron family’s flag arrived at the gates of Silla.
As the gates opened, waiting right at the entrance was Lord Zeras Silla himself.
Dressed in a deep blue silk robe with polished metal epaulets, he stood there meticulously grooming his signature brown mustache to a shine, ready to greet us.
“Welcome, Lord Calyx!!”
“Thank you for your warm hospitality, Lord Zeras.”
Zeras spread his arms wide, warmly welcoming us.
With so many soldiers and servants by his side, it was clear the whole Silla household had come out to greet us.
“It’s only natural to offer such hospitality to a hero who has eradicated the empire’s villains. Hohoho!”
“Hahaha, all thanks to my outstanding retainers.”
“To be humble as well, truly a hero indeed. Hohoho!”
Honestly…
Seeing Zeras’s laughter reminded me of a client boss from my past life who suddenly acted super friendly.
Not exactly close, but never crossing boundaries—someone I kept a long professional relationship with.
From my experience, this type was not bad for business.
We were then led to the banquet hall.
Silla estate’s banquet hall featured transparent crystals engraved with magic circles on the ceiling.
Whether due to the magic circles or not, a cold breeze always blew from them, and magical candles designed not to flicker in the wind softly lit the room.
The walls were adorned with ornate bows, swords, and spears.
In short, it was a truly magnificent room.
When we arrived at the private dinner just for me and Lord Zeras, a maid poured wine.
It was『Lucas Drot』, a wine made from silver grapes grown only in the North.
From what I remembered, it was a very expensive wine.
Zeras smiled happily, raising his glass.
“This is a special ‘dinner’ ordered from the chef for today’s banquet.”
At his signal, the food began arriving.
On the table were Silla’s specialties like Red Mountain Goat Cheese, Rabbit Roast infused with spices, and Rock Apple Tart, all neatly arranged.
“This is our specialty mountain goat cheese from Silla, rabbit roast seasoned with Dreihart spices and Cron salt. Doesn’t it symbolize the prosperity of our territory? Hohoho!”
“Yes, it certainly does. Hahaha.”
The banquet began.
And once again, I realized I probably have a kid’s palate.
Compared to this expensive food, the cheap drinks and snacks we had last week at the inn tasted way better to me.
Ah! Not that this was bad.
Everything prepared by Lord Zeras was elegant and truly made me understand what high-class food in another world tasted like.
It just wasn’t my style.
While we lightly discussed some practical matters over dinner, as I received my second glass of wine, Zeras suddenly spoke.
“By the way… Lord Calyx, did you sleep with the princess’s gift?”
“(Choke!) W-Why would you ask that all of a sudden?”
The maids nearby stayed silent for our conversation, but Zeras’ sudden question nearly made me spit out my wine.
He looked serious and said—
“I did!”
His eyes shone brighter than ever.
Not exactly something to brag about… am I too modern-minded?
“The moment I met Ain, I knew she was my other half I had been waiting for!”
“I-I see. Congratulations, Lord Zeras, albeit a bit late.”
From what I gathered, Zeras had taken Ain—the princess’s gift maid—as his official wife.
It didn’t start well, but since she was pure, I blessed his love.
“Oh, I’m sure, Lord Calyx, you felt the same way when you first saw the princess’s gift.”
I recalled the moment I first met Lana.
Lana was definitely my destiny.
If your favorite character from a past life appeared in front of you and you didn’t feel destiny, then you were just broken.
I found myself agreeing with Lord Zeras.
“I think I understand what you mean.”
But I couldn’t act freely.
If I carelessly misused my lower half, I could get caught in unimaginable events that might lead to death in the World Archive’s world.
And with the dark future approaching… I simply couldn’t love anyone right now.
“But I have things I must do. Until then, I doubt I will be free.”
“I understand… Lord Calyx. At our positions, love can never be truly free.”
Zeras said this and put down his wine glass.
Then he walked toward the other door I had entered from.
“In that spirit, I’ve brought someone who will be a support for you, Lord Calyx.”
“A support for me?”
With those words, Zeras opened the door.
There stood a woman Calyx and I had each seen only once before.
Her jet-black hair shone brighter than obsidian, her calm and warm brown skin glowed like the dawn in the desert, and dressed in a golden gown, she entered the banquet hall accompanied by Zeras.
She was『Selenia Lily Novarens』.
The 2nd Princess of the Novarens Empire.
“Hello! Calyx, we finally meet.”
“Y-Your Highness!”
Suddenly, the highborn had arrived.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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