LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 21
A quiet night, deep in the secluded woods on the outskirts of the capital.A carriage arrived at an abandoned mansion hidden there.The door of the carriage opened, and a noble couple stepped out.They wore ornate masks that covered their faces, resembling those attending a masquerade ball.Greeting them were men also wearing masks, who appeared to be servants of noble families.One masked man, dressed in a butler’s uniform, noticed the brooch engraved with the letter “J” on the nobleman’s cravat. He bowed respectfully.“Welcome, Count J. Countess J.”The attendees of this gathering did not know each other’s faces beneath the masks. They referred to one another using anonymous titles.Even noble titles were uniformly addressed as “Count,” regardless of their actual rank.Some participants privately knew the identities of others, but they never acknowledged it. Most remained unaware of who the others truly were.Except for one person—the host of this gathering.“Please, follow me.”The couple addressed as Count J and Countess J, known publicly as the Lort Counts, followed the butler into the abandoned mansion.Inside, a lavish interior, completely different from the exterior, unfolded before them.The mansion’s interior was decorated with an abundance of jewels and gold, making it hard to believe it was the same building as seen from outside.The butler led the couple to the dining room.When the doors opened, they saw others seated at the table, their faces also concealed by ornate masks.However, there was neither food nor drinks on the table—only a solitary candlestick.The eerie sight of masked individuals seated around an empty table was unsettling.At the center of the table sat a man in a plain white mask.His striking red eyes, visible through the unadorned mask, stood out sharply.Those crimson eyes were unique to individuals of royal blood, who were born with immense mana.In the current empire, only one person had such eyes:Cedric Russel de Hartwig.The Crown Prince, said to have been born with an extraordinary amount of mana.Cedric smiled warmly at the count and greeted him.“Welcome, Count J.”Beside him sat a woman, also wearing a white mask.She was known to all as “the Priestess” and, along with Cedric, served as the de facto leader of this gathering.The Lort Counts bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince and took their designated seats.After a short while, the remaining seats were filled, and everyone was present.Cedric began to speak as though he had been waiting for this moment.“Thank you all for attending without exception.”“We are honored that you granted us the privilege to join this esteemed gathering.”One man, seated close to Cedric, flattered him, prompting others to echo his words like parrots.Cedric waited patiently for their chatter to subside before continuing.“The reason I have gathered you all here today is to deliver joyous news.”“Joyous news, Your Highness?”“Thanks to the tireless efforts of each of you in your respective roles, ‘He’ has finally been resurrected.”Gasps of astonishment rippled through the room.Then, someone cautiously asked,“But, where is He now?”“His power is not yet fully restored, so He could not come in person. However, He expressed His gratitude for your dedication. That said, He requires your assistance once more…”The “assistance” Cedric referred to was opening a rift between dimensions.Their god, the “Demon God,” was a being from another realm and could not regain His strength using mana from this world.Thus, to restore the Demon God’s power, they needed to open a portal allowing mana from another dimension to flow into theirs.“I will do it, Your Highness! Please entrust this task to me.”“Allow me, Your Highness. I am more than capable…”All attendees eagerly volunteered.Their eagerness stemmed from a desire to gain Cedric’s favor by taking on this critical role.The Countess of Lort urgently nudged her husband.“Bring up the ‘offering.'”A living sacrifice was necessary to open the dimensional rift.However, acquiring such a sacrifice was no easy task without risking being branded as criminals. Very few had likely prepared one in advance.The Count swiftly revealed his trump card.“Your Highness, please entrust this mission to me. I have already secured the offering.”The room fell silent.Amid the stillness, the Priestess, who had remained quiet the entire time, finally spoke.“This matter is urgent, so it would be best to entrust it to Count J.”The Priestess, the one who served the Demon God, held the true authority in this gathering.Even Crown Prince Cedric often followed her recommendations without hesitation.This time was no exception.“Very well, the task will be entrusted to Count J.”Behind his mask, the Count of Lort’s lips curled into a triumphant smile.“But,” Cedric added sharply, “since a recent incident nearly exposed us to the temple, you must exercise extreme caution.”His pointed words caused two men in the room to flinch and avert their gazes. They had been responsible for the previous attempt to open a rift.Count Lort replied confidently, “I will not disappoint you.”With that, the matter of entrusting the task to the Count seemed settled.At that moment, however, the Priestess, who had been silently observing the situation, suddenly felt a chilling gaze.She turned to look at the window behind her.Beyond the glass, the dark forest stretched into the distance. Only the branches swayed eerily in the wind.Cedric noticed her unease and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”“…No. It’s nothing.”Satisfied with her response, Cedric quickly lost interest and turned his attention back to the room.The Priestess, however, lingered a moment longer, her eyes fixed on the window.Beyond it, just as her gaze traveled upward along the wall, a figure came into view, perched on the roof.The figure sat quietly, the wind tossing their soft silver hair.Beneath the same mask worn by the Crown Prince, vivid violet eyes gleamed.The man remained there for a moment before disappearing into thin air, leaving behind only a faint trace of magic. ***** “Ugh…”The next morning, Elsez woke up feeling refreshed but groaned from the terrible muscle aches that plagued her.‘I did push myself too hard yesterday.’Anticipating this, she had returned home immediately to rest. However, her body—one that belonged to a frail noblewoman who rarely exercised or worked—was ill-suited for such exertion.She had reinforced her body with magic and engaged in fierce combat multiple times, so it would have been stranger if she woke up without any discomfort after just one night’s rest.‘But I can’t just lie around doing nothing.’The Demon God’s power was recovering by the minute, leaving no room for idleness.Forcing her heavy body to move, Elsez got ready and went downstairs to the dining room.Just as she arrived, Mrs. Mas had finished preparing breakfast. The table was set with a modest single serving, much simpler than when the butler was present.“Did you sleep well, my lady?”“Yes, good morning. Where’s Lenny?”Elsez had just asked Mrs. Mas about Lenny’s whereabouts when the dining room door opened, and Lenny entered, carrying a basket overflowing with letters.“My lady, you’re awake?”“Yes. Are those today’s letters?”“Oh, yes, that’s right. You’d think they’d tire of it by now, but it’s amazing how persistent they are.”Elsez stared blankly at the pile of letters.According to Lenny, since her engagement to the Duke of Ritenhaus, an overwhelming number of letters had been arriving daily.Considering that her fiancé, Tezette, was not only a duke but also a close confidant of the Crown Prince, it wasn’t surprising that people would try to curry favor with her as his fiancée.‘Once I’ve saved enough money, I need to visit the Ritenhaus family first.’For now, her activities with the guild remained a secret, but it wouldn’t stay that way forever.‘When the truth comes out, I’ll be labeled a disgraceful noblewoman for working in a guild. The Crown Prince might even use it as an excuse to push for Tezette to marry the princess.’For both their sakes, and to avoid being at the center of such controversy, it was best to break off the engagement as soon as possible.“What should I do with these, my lady?”“If they’re not from the imperial family, burn them all.”With that, Elsez began her breakfast.At that moment, a loud growl came from Lenny’s stomach, causing her face to flush bright red in embarrassment.“S-Sorry, my lady. I’ll step outside for a moment.”Elsez stopped Lenny in her tracks.“Why don’t the two of you eat with me from now on? It’s just us in the house anyway.”“W-What?”Lenny and Mrs. Mas were wide-eyed at Elsez’s surprising suggestion.Traditionally, servants stood by their masters during meals to attend to their needs. They only ate after their master had finished, often sharing the leftovers.The privilege of eating the best food while it was still fresh symbolized the master’s authority.The original Elsez, despite being from a viscount family, had been no exception. She had taken such authority for granted and would be furious if anyone dared challenge it.For her to voluntarily give up that privilege was unthinkable to them.After a moment of stunned silence, Mrs. Mas spoke firmly.“That won’t do, my lady. You’re the head of the family and our employer. How could we dare…?”“If the dignity of a household depends on starving a hungry maid, then what a pathetic household it must be.”Elsez’s retort left the two women speechless, unable to argue or agree.“And I don’t like eating alone.”Elsez’s words brought back memories from her previous life.She recalled the days she had avoided eating with her uncle’s family, who despised her, and instead ate cup noodles alone at a convenience store.The view of the empty streets outside the convenience store at night had left a chilly, lonely mark on her heart that lingered to this day.“Hurry up and bring some plates and cutlery.”