As the night deepened, the banquet was becoming more and more lively.
The luxurious banquet, funded lavishly by the Duke’s House, was enough to make everyone forget their worries and simply enjoy the moment.
However… not everyone present was reveling in the festivities.
“Is everything ready?”
Above the banquet hall, in the annex ceiling, there were mysterious figures atop a glass ceiling supported by iron beams.
With the moon obscured by clouds, no one in the banquet hall noticed their presence.
“Yes. Everyone is just waiting for the Priest’s command.”
The figures nodded at the words of the man referred to as the Priest.
Though shrouded in robes and hoods, it was evident to anyone that they were all tense.
Given the situation, it was only natural.
How many could maintain their composure before a mission that was tantamount to a suicide mission?
“Do not fear. Death is but another beginning for us. We shall return to His embrace and become one.”
The Priest, watching the scene, clasped his hands and began to pray.
At that moment, an aura resembling the depths of the abyss began to swirl around his body.
It was a cold and heavy energy, unlike the warm divine power serving other gods.
This was the divine power imbued with the essence of the God of Death, Thanatos.
“Death is fair…”
As the others saw this, they clasped their hands together and quietly recited prayers…
After a brief moment of prayer, their appearances had completely changed.
Their eyes turned cold and emotionless, and their breaths were as silent as the grave.
“Then… let’s begin.”
Confirming that they were ready, the Priest looked at another man beside him.
The man nodded and began to concentrate to activate the magic he had prepared, and the spell responded to his magic, starting to take effect.
However…
“Uh…?”
“What’s going on, brother?”
The voice from the man activating the magic came out in a dazed tone, and the Priest turned to him, puzzled by the unexpected situation.
“Something feels off… The magic isn’t activating?!”
“What do you mean…?”
Just as the Priest frowned in bewilderment at the incomprehensible situation…
“Cough!?”
“Brother Werner!?”
From the shadow of the man illuminated by the light spilling from the banquet hall, thorns made of deep darkness rose ominously.
The man pierced by the thorns collapsed with a dying gasp, and the thorns disappeared into the shadows like a sticky liquid.
In a situation far beyond the comprehension of normal humans, everyone lost their words and stared at the scene.
And then…
“I really didn’t think he would come…”
A voice spoke from behind them.
A youthful voice that clearly hadn’t shed its naivety…
“Who are you!?”
The Priest shouted, turning his head, and the others rose in surprise, looking around.
What appeared before them was an unidentified figure.
Dressed in dark robes and a hood, with their face covered, they were impossible to identify.
The only thing visible were their faintly glowing green eyes beneath the hood.
“You…”
The Priest recognized that the figure was an obstacle to their plans.
It was no wonder; the gleaming green eyes beneath the hood clearly held hostility.
“I’m a bit busy, so I won’t say much.”
With a polite yet hostile tone, the figure spoke.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Declaring this, shadows beneath the man surged like waves, engulfing them all.
*
“Why is he taking so long…”
As she waited for Rudell, who had been gone for over thirty minutes ostensibly to use the restroom, Leje mumbled to herself.
It was understandable if it took time due to the restroom being crowded, but…
“When he comes back, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
After all, how can a man leave his partner alone for more than thirty minutes at a banquet?
Of course, she hadn’t formally asked Rudell to be her partner…
“At this point, we should be considered partners, right…?”
Except for the first two hours, Leje had been with Rudell the whole time.
So it could be argued that they were practically partners.
“Nice to meet you, Duchess. If you don’t have a partner…”
“Sorry, but I do have a partner. Please find someone else.”
“Oh, okay…”
As soon as Rudell left his seat, noble offspring from other houses approached her as if waiting for the opportunity.
Each time, Leje coldly rejected them, but her patience was wearing thin.
“Fool. Idiot. Slacker.”
Feeling increasingly impatient, Leje cursed Rudell under her breath.
Just then…
“Wait a minute…”
Suddenly, she had a thought that made her heart skip a beat.
“Could it be that intruder…?”
The one who attacked the guards and then disappeared.
The Duke’s guards had been on a manhunt for the intruder, but after hours of searching, they hadn’t found a trace.
This meant there was a chance the intruder remained within the Duke’s House, and if by some means the intruder crossed paths with Rudell…?
“Surely… it can’t be.”
Still, that seemed too much of a stretch.
But as they say, once doubt and anxiety start rolling, it’s hard to stop.
The unease taking root within her began to grow.
As a result, Leje’s expression grew darker…
“I need to go find him.”
Not long after, looking determined, Leje began to move.
At that moment…
Clang!!
With a sharp sound, the ceiling of the banquet hall shattered, and pieces of glass fell to the floor.
“Kyaaaa!?”
“What, what’s happening!?”
“Everyone, take cover!!”
The people below screamed and fled, as something crashed down amidst the chaos.
With a loud crash, a table below broke…
Lying there was a man covered in blood.
“S-someone fell!!”
“Get a healer! Call for a healer!!”
Amidst the screams of the people, guards began to approach.
“Everyone, step back!”
But before them, Leje rushed toward the fallen man.
As the heir of the Duke’s House and fulfilling her duty as a decent person, she couldn’t just stand by.
“Are you okay?!”
“Ugh…”
“Oh my God…”
Seeing the injured state of the man groaning, Leje instinctively gasped.
His body was in a condition that could only be described as gruesome.
Judging by the multitude of wounds, it seemed he had been on the brink of death even before the fall.
“Healer! Hurry, bring a healer!!”
She had no idea what had happened, but saving this person was her top priority.
Focusing her thoughts, Leje yelled at the guards.
“Leje… El… Ragrind…”
In that moment, the man caught a glimpse of her and weakly spoke.
“Do you know me? No, more importantly, don’t talk! You’re tearing your wounds further open!”
Confused by the revelation from a stranger, Leje shouted.
But…
“Everything… is for the true god…”
As he spoke those words, the bloodied man reached out to her with a trembling hand.
At the same moment, his body began to crack like glass, and ominous dark blue flames began to seep out.
“What in the world is this…?”
Leje stared in shock at the unprecedented scene unfolding before her.
As the flickering flames grew increasingly intense…
Feeling that something was amiss, she tried to pull away from him.
Flap!
With a fluttering sound, someone appeared in the air, blocking the space between her and the man.
Instantly, a black shadow loomed over her, and startled by the unexpected scenario, Leje looked up at the figure who had interposed themselves.
A hooded figure dressed in a black robe.
They were about a head taller than her.
For some reason, they felt strangely familiar, yet she had no time to ponder why.
“You…?”
A trembling voice slipped from Leje’s lips, but there was no response.
Instead, in front of the bright light, the figure slowly extended their hand and lightly drew in the air.
At that moment, the shadow draped beneath his feet surged forth, swallowing the dark blue flames.
It was a sight akin to a gigantic mouth devouring fiercely burning flames.
While it might have seemed frightening, Leje felt a strange comfort from the scene.
Perhaps it was because she sensed no real hostility from this unidentified figure.
Or was there another reason?
As the fiercely blazing flames vanished into shadow, a tranquil silence followed.
However, that silence did not last long.
“Hey you! Surrender peacefully! If you resist, we’ll have to take you by force!”
The guards surrounding them had begun to shout as they approached cautiously.
“Wait! This person is not an enemy!”
Leje shouted, having witnessed the recent events unfold before her eyes, but the guards were still approaching with their guard up.
It was a truly tense moment…
And then…
“…”
“Wait…!! What are you trying to do!?”
Dark aura began to rise around the unidentified figure.
Seeing this, the guards rushed towards him, but it was already too late.
“Whoa!?”
“Kyaaa!?”
The surrounding dark smoke exploded into the air as if blown by a strong wind.
With the fierce momentum, not only Leje but even the guards couldn’t keep their eyes open.
Moments later, when the black smoke that had spread throughout the banquet hall cleared, there was nothing left.
*
Not far from the banquet hall, in a secluded spot.
“Hah…”
With a weary voice, Rudell sank down to the ground.
He had exhausted much of his magic in the battle with the Church, not to mention squeezing the last of his magic to escape the banquet hall.
Originally, he had planned to go in after extinguishing the lights at the banquet, but the situation had become much more urgent than he expected, leaving him with no time for that.
“Still… this should be enough…”
Neither Leje nor the Duke had been harmed.
In that sense, this plan could be considered a clean success.
“Now all that’s left is to figure out how to explain this…”
He had been absent for nearly an hour by now.
If he returned like this, he would certainly raise suspicions.
“Ugh…”
As Rudell strained to think of a plausible explanation, nothing concrete came to mind no matter how hard he racked his brain.
“Forget it…”
There was no good reason to stall any longer, and as time passed, Leje’s suspicions would only snowball.
Well, it would work out somehow.
With that thought, Rudell rose from his spot and began to walk toward the banquet hall.
As the night deepened.
