Inside the inn's restaurant downstairs, the lights were bright and the air was filled with the clamor of voices.
A few people sat around a circular table, enjoying a reasonably sumptuous dinner.
At this moment, Lucrezia was standing on a chair with one foot on the edge of the table. Holding a leftover chicken bone like a storyteller's gavel, she was vividly describing the afternoon's events to Vespa and A-Ling, who had just returned:
"Behold, as Leo took a step forward, a sweep of his sleeve was like reaching for the moon from the ninth heaven! His momentum was like a soaring rainbow! That scoundrel Kevin of the Felton family, who usually relies on his lineage to bully others, was panicking!"
"Leo formed a seal with his hands and shouted, 'Go!' That Pyroblast transformed into a purple-gold dragon, charging straight for the scoundrel's face!"
"Just a moment ago, that villain Kevin was barking, 'I want this sky to no longer veil my eyes!' but now he could only cry out, 'Woe is me!' as he erected a turtle-shell-like earth wall before him. Little did he know that Leo... ahem, that this great expert possesses heaven-defying means! With a gentle flick of his finger, that earth wall turned traitor on the spot, exploding right in his face! It turned that insufferable Young Master Felton into a spineless coward who only knew how to cry for his parents!"
Lucrezia's rhythmic storytelling was delivered with such enthusiasm that spit was flying everywhere, leaving Vespa and A-Ling stunned.
"My Lord is mighty!"
Vespa clapped her hands with a thunderous sound, her cat-like eyes sparkling.
"I knew my Lord was amazing! Even the young master of the Felton family was beaten like a dog! Too strong!"
That was the Felton family! A top-tier noble house of the empire!
Although she had long witnessed Leo's prowess, she hadn't expected him to become even more incredible in just a few days since their first meeting, and she felt a secret sense of awe!
Beside her, A-Ling didn't speak. She silently stuffed a piece of roasted meat into her mouth and looked at Leo, her eyes showing a much more genuine sense of recognition.
"I didn't expect you to have a talent for storytelling."
Leo took a large gulp of chilled "wheat juice," feeling quite good.
Although the process had been a bit convoluted and he had almost been screwed over by that old geezer Brandon, the result was positive.
"Hmph! Of course! This Pri... I have read more books than you've eaten grains of rice!"
Lucrezia sat down proudly, spearing a black pepper sausage and taking a large bite. She continued through a mouthful of food:
"And... that old man who made things difficult for Leo ended up obediently issuing Leo a 【glorious】 rank certification! To make amends, he even gave Leo a special recommendation letter for the Arcanum Public Occult Academy!"
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
Vespa, who was drinking soup, sprayed it out instantly. She looked at Leo with a face full of shock:
"What?! A recommendation letter?!"
Wait... that wasn't right.
Vespa didn't even bother to wipe her mouth as her brow furrowed:
The president of the Worcester City Mage Association was that 【glorious】 rank mage, Zaborun, wasn't it?
Although he was someone of note, he was at most a branch president. How could he have the authority to give out a recommendation letter that was essentially a 'Floating City green card'?
Even though Vespa wanted to keep flattering Leo, she was in the intelligence business after all; she had common sense.
Could Lucrezia be exaggerating too much?
But looking at the little girl's certain expression, it didn't seem like she was making it up.
So, she cautiously tested the waters:
"Um... did you see Master Zaborun? That middle-aged man with the goatee?"
"Zaborun?"
Lucrezia took a bite of sausage followed by a cherry tomato. Her round little face was puffed out like a hamster hoarding food. She asked in confusion:
"Wasn't that balding old man named Brandon? I heard Kevin call him that too."
Clack.
Leo set down his glass. He realized something seemed off.
"Master Brandon?! That 【palace】 mage known as 'Frost Sigh'?"
Vespa sucked in a breath of cold air, her expression instantly becoming solemn.
"Is he very famous?"
Leo frowned, sensing that things weren't simple:
"I was wondering if 【palace】 rank experts were a dime a dozen these days. Does every random border city have one?"
Vespa's expression became dead serious.
She put down her spoon and pulled out several sheets of densely written parchment from her robes. Combining the names she had just heard, her mind raced.
A newly arrived 【palace】 rank expert, Brandon...
Kevin, the Sixth Young Master of the Felton family, appearing here for no reason...
And...
Vespa took a deep breath and lowered her voice, speaking with a heavy expression:
"My Lord, the situation might be a bit wrong."
She pointed to the intelligence summary on the table:
"We spent the afternoon asking around..."
"First, the eldest prince of the Akhtar Duchy—Alexei Akhtar—is said to have just graduated from Arcanum Academy and returned home. He is currently leading a squad of Silver Hand paladins and the main force of the Duchy's First Legion toward Dorontana City."
"The reason... is to investigate a possible outbreak of a 'Fel plague' in the Dorontana region."
Hearing the word "Fel," Leo's pupils constricted slightly.
"Not only that," Vespa whispered, her expression grim. "According to reliable rumors, traces of the 'Ever-Devouring Abyss Cult' activities have been found in Dorontana City, and there are even... sightings of a dreadlord."
The Abyss cult again?
Leo's heart sank.
"What does that have to do with Brandon?"
"It has everything to do with it!" Vespa explained. "Kevin and Alexei are both from Arcanum Public Occult Academy; they were even classmates. And Master Brandon... if I remember correctly, he is a guest professor at Arcanum! The fact that these people are gathered here means something big is about to happen!"
"Also, news from Kent Town has arrived."
"Baron Hawthorne's family suffered heavy losses, and it's said to involve Fel as well. The Silver Hand within the Solaris Duchy has already intervened in the investigation."
At this point, Vespa paused and dropped the final, most explosive piece of news:
"Furthermore, there is one more piece of terrible news."
She glanced around and lowered her voice even further, almost speaking in a breathy whisper:
"Finally... just yesterday, the Holy Light Church's 'Heresy Inquisition' seemingly used official diplomatic channels to submit a joint investigation notice to the Virado royalty."
"Inquisitors have already entered Virado territory, but..."
"Their specific target... is unknown."
Boom!
Those words were like a thunderclap exploding in the minds of Leo and Lucrezia.
The Holy Light Church! Inquisitors!
"Damn it!"
Leo couldn't help but curse under his breath, his face instantly turning as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Nothing has gone right since I arrived in this hellhole! Trouble follows me wherever I go!"
He reacted almost immediately—this was the Church's follow-up move!
Even though the Church had publicly announced that Lucrezia was dead.
In the shadows, those mad dogs were indeed still searching!
Plop.
The black pepper sausage in Lucrezia's hand fell onto her plate.
Her small face turned pale instantly. She didn't even have the heart to drink her favorite creamy mushroom soup, her red eyes filled with unmistakable worry.
A-Ling, who had been silent, keenly noticed the momentary stiffness and worry in Leo and Lucrezia when they heard that last piece of news.
That reaction...
A flicker of doubt crossed A-Ling's mind, but it was quickly swept away by Vespa's confident speech, so she didn't think much more of it.
Vespa was still rambling on with her analysis of the situation and intelligence, completely failing to notice the grief-stricken expressions on Leo and Lucrezia's faces.
It wasn't until she realized neither of them was speaking and the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy that she stopped.
"Uh... My Lord? Your Highness?"
Vespa looked at their dark faces and, after processing it in her head, had a sudden realization:
"Oh! You two don't need to be so worried!"
She patted her chest to reassure them with great "emotional intelligence":
"Even though the situation is a bit messy... we aren't pushovers either!"
"So what if there are a few paladins and inquisitors? As long as we don't go looking for trouble, would they really come all this way through the crowds just to find us?"
"Besides, with my Lord's strength, even if the Akhtar Duchy explodes, we can make a clean getaway! Don't worry, don't worry!"
"Mmph!! Mmph mmph—!!"
Leo quickly reached out and covered the mouth of this jinx of a cat-girl, forcing the remaining half of her deadly sentence back down.
Then he and Lucrezia exchanged a glance, both forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.
Big sister, is your mouth cursed or something?
What do you mean 'not looking for trouble'? They are literally coming for us!
And please, stop raising death flags, okay? Any more and someone is actually going to die!
"Whew..."
Leo exhaled sharply, forcing down the irritation in his heart.
"Eat."
He picked up his knife and fork, fiercely cutting into the steak in front of him as if he were slicing off the head of a Church bishop:
"After eating, pack your things quickly. Buy all the supplies, and tomorrow we'll go look for a carriage..."
"Once you two turn in your missions the day after tomorrow, we leave immediately!"
"This is no place to linger."
Rate on N.U.
