LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 10
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 10
The banquet hall inside the Imperial Castle.
A crowd of people had gathered around the fountain placed at the center.
Lavish accessories.
Antique-style dresses.
Tuxedos made from premium fabrics.
The majority of the attendees were nobles, dressed in attire befitting their status.
The imperial butlers and maids had reached the point where they could estimate someone’s rank based solely on their clothing. Among them, one maid was having an especially hard time.
“Who is that?”
It was because of a butler from some noble family who had suddenly latched onto her.
The maid answered his question first.
“That is Viscount Gospel.”
“Ah, I thought he looked familiar. Then, who’s that guy with the potbelly?”
“There are more than a few people here with potbellies….”
Then she suddenly snapped out of it.
“Hey, who are you calling ‘that guy’!”
The maid clamped her hand over the butler’s mouth.
“What if someone hears you!”
How dare a mere butler refer to a noble as ‘that guy.’
If even one of them overheard, he could have faced severe consequences.
“Mmph, mmph.”
The butler nodded as if he understood. The maid, still suspicious, asked again.
“Do you promise?”
“Mmph.”
Ha!
Only then did she release her hand. The butler grinned brightly and grumbled.
“What if I had suffocated to death?”
“That would still be better than losing your head for insulting a noble.”
The maid glanced around. Fortunately, it seemed no one had heard them.
She sighed and asked.
“Is this your first banquet?”
“In this life?”
“What?”
“…Never mind.”
With a suspicious smile, he dodged the question and continued to glance around.
The maid asked again.
“Which family do you serve?”
“The House of Salvatore.”
Hiccup.
The maid quickly covered her mouth.
The House of Salvatore.
One of the five pillars of the Hyperion Empire, a family of immense power and influence.
Renowned as the foremost magic noble family, unmatched by any other, and famous for being favored by the imperial family for generations.
Their wealth, built upon the production of potions and scrolls, and their fame, earned by defending the Eastern Front against the Demonic Tribe, were unparalleled.
Even as a count’s family.
More precisely, even as a border count’s family, they were not overshadowed by marquess or ducal families.
Despite being such an illustrious family, the Salvatore name carried a certain stigma.
-The House of Salvatore is a scoundrel family.
It wasn’t an unfounded rumor.
A former family head who cursed at the Emperor, the current head who destroyed a mountain because bandits annoyed him, and a young lady notorious for her mischief.
All of these incidents were real, with clear evidence to back them up.
Thus, such rumors spread, and recently, a new one had emerged.
-Even the butlers of the House of Salvatore are scoundrels.
Apparently, the eldest son of the Valentine Count Family was beaten up by a Salvatore butler.
Though whispered among the underlings, no one believed it.
After all, no matter how wild the rumor, the idea of a butler assaulting the next family head of a noble house was absurd.
The maid herself had laughed until her sides hurt when she heard the rumor, dismissing it as nonsense.
But still.
“Oh, right!”
It’s better to be cautious than sorry!
She awkwardly turned around.
“I have urgent business! I’ll be going now!”
Fortunately, she wasn’t stopped. Just as she was about to return to her master—
‘…Not even a thank you?’
She felt a sudden pang of disappointment.
She had told him so much!
She had even saved him from nearly being executed for insulting a noble!
Who knows if they’d ever meet again, but shouldn’t he at least say goodbye?
“Excuse me!”
She turned back and placed her hand on the butler’s shoulder. He was taller than she expected, making it a bit uncomfortable.
“I said I’m leaving—”
It was the moment she stood on tiptoe to confirm the butler’s face.
Hiccup.
The hiccups she had managed to stop started up again.
“Uh, excuse me…?”
The maid knew nothing about swords or magic. But there was one thing she could tell.
He was furious.
Just moments ago, he had seemed like a playful younger brother, but now he exuded the deadly aura of a beast.
It was impossible to think of him as the same person.
As she stood frozen, staring at him, the butler finally moved. He silently raised his hand and pointed to a specific spot.
“Who is that?”
At the end of his finger stood a middle-aged man with purple hair.
Hollow, sunken eyes.
Dry, cracked lips.
Pale, lifeless skin.
Though his appearance had changed drastically, the maid recognized him immediately.
“C-Count Valentine.”
Though not one of the empire’s five pillars, his family was a key member of the Noble Faction.
Count Valentine was smiling.
He was reaching out his gnarled, tree-like hand toward a young lady standing alone.
Crack.
The butler ground his teeth.
A crimson glow began to seep from the shadowed face.
The butler silently observed them.
He moved just as Count Valentine’s hand was about to touch the young lady’s head.
“…That bastard.”
The butler, who had been standing right in front of her, vanished.
Before the maid could even register his disappearance—
“Aaaaaargh!!”
A horrifying scream erupted from the direction the butler had been watching.
“…What?”
The maid could not comprehend the situation.
It was the same for everyone else.
“Don’t squirm.”
The butler was the one to break the silence.
In an instant, he moved to tear off Count Valentine’s arm and crushed it underfoot.
Radiating killing intent, he issued a warning.
“The sin of daring to extend your filthy hand toward the Young Lady. Repay it with death.”
The butler’s foot was lifted.
Then, it came crashing down at an incredible speed.
It was aimed at Count Valentine’s head.
2.
He felt it distinctly.
The demonic energy emanating from Valentine’s hand.
Without time to think deeply, his body moved on instinct. He leapt and tore off the man’s arm.
Anger flared within him.
Had it been his previous life, he would have observed the situation and purified the demonic energy clinging to the Young Lady.
But this body was the problem.
It wasn’t just his physique that was immature. His mind was also that of a boy.
Before he could think rationally, his emotions had taken over, and he moved without realizing it.
‘Now is not the time for regrets.’
He quickly regained his composure and looked down at the man, exuding killing intent.
“The sin of daring to extend your filthy hand toward the Young Lady. Repay it with death.”
He needed to kill him quickly.
Those exposed to demonic energy always acted irrationally.
Especially when cornered like this, there was no telling what they might do.
It was at the moment he was about to bring his foot down on the man’s head.
“【Stop.】”
Thunk.
The moment he registered the chilling voice, his body froze completely.
It was a familiar voice.
It was Rania, the Bodyguard Knight of the current Emperor.
She was both a Sword Master and a Sage who had surpassed the 7th Circle.
“【Kneel.】”
“Guh!”
He couldn’t resist.
The gap in their abilities was still far too great.
The Sword of the Emperor.
The Sage of Word Spirit.
The method she had chosen to break through the 7th Circle was to imbue power into her words.
If runes imbue power into symbols, she imbued power into speech.
That was why everyone was stunned.
“【Explode and die.】”
Because Rania had just pronounced a death sentence.
“Yuri!!”
The Young Lady’s scream rang out but was stifled before it could draw attention.
Count Vasello had covered the Young Lady’s mouth and was looking at him.
Why?
That was the question written on his face, but there was no time to answer.
Pop, crackle!
Severe pain coursed through every corner of his body.
His blood boiled, his organs swelled, and an unknown pressure expanded within him.
Had it been his previous life, he could have easily nullified the Word Spirit, but he was weak now.
Snap, crack!
There was no more time to waste.
Though he had tried to conceal his power, he had no choice if he wanted to survive.
He muttered as quietly as possible.
“【Return to Original State.】”
His swelling body began to subside.
Due to the vast difference in their abilities, it wasn’t restored but merely stabilized.
“【Reco―】.”
Just as she was about to issue another Word Spirit.
“Stop, Rania.”
“But―”
“Now!”
Someone appeared and issued a command. Rania obeyed her order.
“【Recover.】”
His swelling body began to heal.
Though the recovery came with severe pain, there was no time to dwell on it. Slowly, he rose to one knee.
“This humble one greets Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
He wasn’t the only one.
All the underlings knelt, and the high-ranking nobles bowed in respect.
Arista Leopold L Hyperion.
With fiery red hair symbolizing valor and mysterious silver eyes, she was the host of the banquet and the current Emperor of the Hyperion Empire.
She quietly asked him.
“…Did you see it?”
Her silver eyes gleamed.
To others, they might have seemed like beautiful eyes, but he knew the power they held.
The Light of Dawn.
Inherited by the Imperial Family, it possessed the power to see through everything.
The meaning behind her question, “Did you see it?” was, “Did you see the demonic energy clinging to him?”
But now was a time when the Demon God Cult was in hiding. If a twelve-year-old boy mentioned it, suspicion would surely follow.
After a brief moment of thought, he replied.
“It was a sinister aura.”
He acknowledged sensing the demonic energy but implied he didn’t know what it was.
The Emperor nodded.
“I will take you out of here.”
3.
They moved to the podium in the Emperor’s banquet hall. Then, she addressed everyone.
“Due to an unfortunate incident, the banquet will be halted here.”
Her voice was gentle yet commanding.
She alternated her gaze between the writhing Valentine and him before speaking again.
“As this is a matter that occurred within the Imperial Family, I promise to personally take responsibility for the investigation. Additionally, I vow to compensate the affected families.”
Most of the nobles nodded in agreement.
The accountability for the incident and the promise of compensation were clear.
“Well, now.”
But someone interrupted.
“Since it was us Northeastern nobles who were harmed, wouldn’t it be right for us to conduct the interrogation?”
It was Duke Richmond. The crowd parted as he made his way forward.
“I agree with ending the banquet, but we wish to handle the interrogation of the culprit ourselves.”
The Emperor turned to him and asked.
“A criminal, you say? Well, isn’t it a bit too early to jump to conclusions?”
Richmond fell silent for a moment. Then, he slowly turned his body and spoke.
“This is a case of a commoner tearing off a noble’s arm. And yet, you claim he is not a criminal…?”
Duke Richmond shifted his gaze.
“Could it be because that boy is a butler under the House of Salvatore?”
His eyes were directed at Vasselo Salvatore.
Vasselo shielded Frey and shouted.
“Duke Richmond! What nonsense are you spouting!”
“Hoho, why are you so agitated?”
“You should know how to separate public matters from private ones!”
Even as he was scolded, Richmond’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“I think so too.”
Ah.
Only then did Vasselo realize it. That he had fallen right into the trap Richmond had set.
Just as Vasselo, realizing it too late, tried to add something, Richmond turned back to the Emperor.
“I repeat, Count Valentine is one of the key figures of the Northeastern Nobles’ Union. Could it be that this boy, or those behind him, are aiming to dismantle the Northeastern Nobles’ Union?”
The banquet hall buzzed with murmurs.
Richmond seized the moment.
“Count Valentine’s injury is entirely my fault as the representative of the Union. Therefore, I promise compensation to the Imperial Family and to the injured nobles. However, I must claim the right to interrogate the culprit.”
The Emperor’s hand trembled slightly.
It pained him that, as the Emperor of the Empire, he couldn’t even issue a proper command.
Yet, he couldn’t back down here.
To root out the Demon God Cult that was sowing chaos in the nation, and to uproot those who had allied with them, he needed to become stronger.
“Well, in my opinion…”
A heated debate ensued.
Though the exchange was lengthy, its substance was remarkably simple.
-Who would hold the right to interrogate Yuri?
The balanced argument began to crumble with someone’s intervention.
“Wasn’t I the one attacked?”
It was Count Valentine.
Having had his arm restored by the Green Tower Master attending the banquet, he sided with Duke Richmond.
“Then, shouldn’t the interrogation rights fall to us…?”
Just as it seemed the Imperial side was about to lose the debate.
“Your Majesty?”
Yuri, who had been quietly subdued, whispered just loud enough for the Emperor to hear.
“If I may humbly suggest, wouldn’t it suffice to have Valentine reveal his demonic energy?”
Demonic energy.
For a moment, the Emperor’s expression stiffened.
However, Yuri’s suggestion was valid.
If it were revealed that he was part of the Demon God Cult, the criminal would be Count Valentine, not Yuri.
But it was practically impossible.
Those people already lived in hiding, so why would they foolishly expose themselves?
The Emperor lightly rebuked Yuri.
“Do you think that’s as easy as it sounds?”
“Indeed, it is not.”
“Exactly! It’s not that eas—”
The Emperor suddenly trailed off.
Not that easy?
Could it be possible to make Valentine reveal his demonic energy?
Yuri posed a question to the bewildered Emperor.
“Have you ever heard of this phrase?”
“…What phrase are you referring to?”
Yuri smiled brightly.
“A thunderbolt from a clear sky.”
As soon as he finished speaking.
Crash!
The ceiling directly above where Valentine stood collapsed in an instant.
Bang!
The edges of the fallen ceiling were uniformly smooth, as if cut rather than broken. From the opening, a man leapt down.
Landing atop the rubble that had buried Valentine, he turned to the gathered crowd and bowed politely.
“I am the Moonlight Gentleman.”
Clad in black attire reminiscent of a suit, a fedora, and a white mask engraved with a crescent moon.
His appearance matched both the name of his group and the epithet he had just declared.
“I have come to deliver the Captain’s message.”
The gentleman pulled a sheet of paper from his inner pocket. He unfolded it and began to read aloud.
“Criminal, Goofy Valentine, hear this. For the crime of daring to ally with the Demon God Cult and threatening the world.”
Rip.
The gentleman tore the paper apart.
“Pay with your life.”
With those words, he gripped his cane like a sword. As he channeled his aura into it, it transformed into what appeared to be a solid black blade.
“Come forth.”
Yet no one moved.
The startled gentleman cleared his throat politely.
“Goofy Valentine!! The time has come to atone for worshiping a false god!!”
Once again, there was no response.
After waiting quietly, the gentleman cautiously asked the gathered crowd.
“…Is he not here by any chance?”
Swish.
The nobles’ gazes shifted downward.
Toward the rubble beneath the gentleman’s feet.
“Ah.”
Only then did the gentleman realize.
Just in case, he asked.
“Could he be… under here?”
Everyone nodded.
“What in the world…”
It was a moment that left both the intruder and the intruded upon feeling awkward.