[What, what did he say? Isn’t that guy a slave trader?]

Bethel was taken aback.

“What do you mean?”

Lucion quickly asked.

As Bethel mentioned, Chayton was indeed a slave trader.

For a slave trader, slaves were the most important commodity.

Brachion paused for a moment before speaking up.

“According to the knight’s report, he was seen with a warlock, staining an item with blood.”

[No way… That’s a method used to corrupt divine beasts, but on an object?] 

Russell reacted with disbelief.

[Wait, corrupt a divine beast?] 

Bethel was aware that divine beasts could be corrupted but was unfamiliar with the method.

Russell nodded.

[Yes. The blood of the dead, filled with resentment, is used by warlocks to corrupt divine beasts. They also harness the darkness within the corrupted warlock. But Brachion just mentioned that Chayton was seen with a warlock, so he must be corrupting something.]

‘Then if it’s something to be corrupted…’

Lucion’s mind raced, his eyes widening in contemplation.

‘A holy relic?’

No way.

Lucion immediately dismissed the idea.

[Considering the current situation, that item is probably a holy relic with power similar to a divine beast… Chayton, wasn’t he acting under Nevast’s orders?]

Russell’s expression soured.

This was precisely why Lucion had initially dismissed the idea.

Chayton was associated with Nevast, the holy nation.

Why would followers of the light collaborate with a warlock to corrupt a holy relic?

‘Am I… mistaken?’

Lucion felt confused.

However, all signs pointed to Nevast’s involvement with Chayton.

Chayton had subjected Kran to a decade of enslavement, and it was Nevast that had brought ruin to the Kingdom of Keortia, Kran’s homeland.

The connection was too strong to ignore.

“Where is he now?” 

Lucion set aside his doubts, knowing that he could find answers through Chayton.

* * *

“Do you recall, Teacher?” 

Lucion spoke in Brachion’s vacant room while awaiting Bethel, who had gone to the location Brachion had mentioned.

It was a conversation best kept away from Bethel.

[You mean Tefellow Selga, Twilo’s subordinate?] 

“Yes,” Lucion affirmed.

“Now that I think about it, I wonder why he was so fixated on that bracelet. Could he truly have been unaware that it was a holy relic?”

The fake Chayton had taken the other half of Tears of Larvis, the bracelet. 

Yet, the one who had competed with him for the bracelet at the auction was Tefellow Selga—that bastard.

He seemed to have reacted specifically to that bracelet. 

[Lucion. Regardless of all the reasons, it was Nevast who wanted to take the holy relic. It doesn’t seem like they joined hands with Neubra. If they had, the guards protecting the fake  ℟

Chayton wouldn’t have been so sloppy.]

“Then, was he attempting to negotiate with Nevast?”

[That hypothesis seems more plausible, doesn’t it?]

“Yes, much more logical.”

Lucion exhaled deeply.

Before Bethel sent a signal, he had something he desperately wanted to say to Russell.

“Teacher.”

[Yes. Go ahead.]

“You seem troubled about something.”

Russell flinched for a moment.

“You appear preoccupied. Is there something you haven’t shared with me?”

[There is.]

Russell didn’t want to deceive his perceptive disciple.

“Understood. I hope you won’t dwell on it too heavily,” Lucion reassured him.

Lucion chose not to press further, sensing there were painful memories that Russell couldn’t bring himself to discuss.

He knew too.

That there could be memories like that, which were too painful to speak of.

[Lucion.]  

Russell began with a hint of regret in his eyes.

Seeing Russell’s struggle, Lucion comforted him, saying, “It’s okay, Teacher.”

Standing up as Bethel signaled, Lucion turned to Ratta.

“You know where it is, right, Ratta?” 

—Yes! Ratta is also ready to go!

“Young master.”

Hume called out to Lucion.

“You’re not thinking of going in head-first, are you?”

“Of course not. Why would I go into a place full of warlocks? I’ll just sneak in, startle him, and bring him out…”

Lucion stopped talking and looked at Hume.

When they arrived at the hideout, what would happen if they used the relic to the enemies?

“Why… are you doing that?”

Hume asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Thinking about it, there might be more evidence in the hideout, right?”

[Lucion. As I mentioned earlier, just sneak in and take the bastard out. Don’t think about anything else.]

“I’ll go check it out first.”

Lucion immediately signaled Ratta to depart.

—Yes! Ratta’s carriage is on its way! Whoosh!

* * *

[You’ve arrived.]

Bethel welcomed them with a bright smile.

She gestured towards the village below.

Looking down from the hills adjacent to the village, the town appeared so small that one could 

count the houses with their fingers.

[Do you see the village over there, Lord Lucion?]

Bethel asked.

“I do.”

[That entire village is their hideout.]

[Even with few houses, the presence of a warlock is worrisome.]  

Russell mused, stroking his chin.

Whether it’s a warlock or anyone else, those with something to hide tend to have secret locations.

[As for the corpse that Brachion saw, as he told you, it’s in the center of the village…]

“Chayton is likely there, with a strong scent of blood in that direction.”

Hume directed Lucion’s attention to the dense forest behind him.

It appears the enemies are holed up in a cave somewhere within that forest.

‘Hume’s sense of smell is sharp.’

Hume recalled the blood-scented letter exchanged between Chayton and an associate under the old mansion about Kran.

[Then, does that mean the situation that Brachion’s knight witnessed in the center of the village over there… was possibly a trap?]

Bethel was taken aback.

“That might be the case.”

Lucion snorted.

“With ghosts wandering around like this, it’s ridiculous to think that the warlock wouldn’t notice Brachion’s knights. That’s just absurd.”

He could clearly see three ghosts and suspected there were more lurking unseen.

[It seems they deliberately tried to lure Brachion out. Which means… they must have realized that the King of Myronist was alive.]

Russell chuckled.

But Lucion couldn’t laugh.

‘Could Nevast be aiming to seize control of the Myronist Kingdom?’ he pondered, glancing back in the direction indicated by Hume.

‘Are they trying to make a deal with Neubra?’

In the novel’s initial stages, set two years later, the Neubra Kingdom had taken over Myronist.

The King of Myronist had died.

Brachion, the first heir, had died.

If it took two years for them to completely swallow a country by installing his younger brother as a puppet, then it would make sense that they would need to start now.

‘Does that mean Nevast was involved in that beginning? Is that why the red thread was moving to capture Chayton?’

Why?

Why would Nevast be involved?

[Shouldn’t we call someone? Perhaps gather the organization?]

Russell urged Lucion to contact Kran immediately.

“I think it’s better to survey the situation first and then make a decision,” Lucion replied, gesturing in the direction Hume had indicated.

The opponents were warlocks.

How many members of his organization had died even when armed with the Light at the Tefellow Selga’ mansion?

If there were other warlocks besides himself, the casualties might have been fewer.

“And let’s not forget what I possess.”

“Young master!”

Bethel and Hume shouted almost simultaneously, stopping Lucion.

—Hop!

Ratta, who had been rolling around in the shadows, jumped in surprise.

‘That startled me…’

Lucion took a small step back.

[Lucion! You are a warlock! You are not someone blessed by the Light! Why do you keep forgetting that simple fact?]

Russell’s voice was firm.

While the holy relic had previously saved Lucion, relying solely on it wasn’t the solution.

“The Light from the holy relic was effective due to Troy’s blessing.”

Russell slapped his forehead at the suggestion that there was a quick and easy method Lucion could use.

[What if Troy’s blessing doesn’t manifest this time? What will you do then?]

When Russell asked, Lucion hesitated.

It was the light of a holy relic, after all.

Veronia—the light that worked on him as well.

“I’ll do it! The light doesn’t affect me!”

Hume raised his hand quickly.

A servant of darkness, yet one who was unaffected by the light.

A servant of darkness, yet one who respected the light.

Ravien.

“Hume?” Lucion was surprised.

“Didn’t I mention this? I promised to handle what the young master couldn’t,” Hume stated, extending his hand. 

“Please. I’ll take the relic and launch a surprise attack.”

“Wait a moment. Let’s verify the situation inside first.”

[Then I’ll proceed with Russell, leaving Lord Lucion here momentarily.]  

Bethel interjected, stepping in front of Lucion and offering her palm.

‘This feels absurd. It’s like a return to kindergarten.’ 

Lucion snorted.

While it was indeed safer for Bethel and Russell to take the lead rather than himself, Lucion couldn’t shake off his concerns.

—Ratta is curious about what’s inside there.

Ratta pouted slightly, peeking her face out from Lucion’s shadow.

—But Ratta is good at waiting!

“How about you take a seat while we wait?” Hume had already laid out a mat.

Russell and Bethel had yet to depart.

“Wait a moment. I haven’t even agreed yet.”

Seeing Lucion’s bewildered expression, Russell chuckled.

[Just sit here. Don’t wander off.]

“I’ll keep a close watch,” Hume replied with utmost seriousness.

[Then I’ll trust you, Hume.]

Bethel patted Hume’s head and moved off with Russell.

Behind them, Lucion let out a resigned laugh, causing Bethel to chuckle in response.

[Russell. Did you tell Lord Lucion that you regained your memory?]

Once they were a bit away from Lucion, Bethel discreetly asked Russell.

[I did.]

[Were you afraid to tell him?]

[Afraid?]

Russell halted abruptly.

[You just seemed that way. If not, I apologize for being nosy.]

Bethel also paused, looking at Russell.

Russell’s eyes trembled slowly.

[Bethel.]

[Yeah, you can say anything.]

Bethel offered a bright smile like the one she had when he revealed a few days earlier that he had regained his memories.

Bethel felt she could trust him, not just because they were both ghosts, but as comrades.

[Lucion… there’s something I really need to tell him, but what if I can’t?]

Russell let out his frustration.

He had never been with anyone. 

From the moment he realized he was a warlock, he had been a loner, and though he didn’t know how he first met Lucion, he had always regarded Lucion as his disciple, both in the past and the present.

What was the best course for Lucion, his first and only disciple?

Russell felt as if he was facing a question without an answer for the first time.

[Even if it makes Lucion sad… should I tell him? Or should I keep quiet for his sake?]

Russell’s voice trembled.

Bethel first calmed Russell down.

Assuring him that it was alright, urging him not to panic. 

Though they had only shared a brief moment together, it was the first time she had seen him so shaken since Lucion had been hurt.

They needed to find Chayton now, to determine how many enemies there were, to pinpoint the exact location of their hideout, and to understand how the enemies were positioned.

Russell asked Bethel for advice.

His urgency was palpable.

[Russell.]

[Yeah, yeah.]

[I want you to understand that my thoughts aren’t the answer.]

[…I know. I understand, but I just want you to say it.]

[If it were anyone else, I might have advised against revealing the truth. But when it comes to Lord Lucion, I believe it’s crucial to be honest, even if it’s belated.]

[Why…?]

Russell spoke as if he were in pain.

As if his pain were contagious, Bethel had trouble responding.

[Because Lord Lucion… trusts us.]

Bethel had often caught glimpses of Lucion’s thoughts and memories through their connection.

Lucion wasn’t as strong as he appeared on the outside.

[Russell, you are the first ghost that Lucion has accepted.]

Bethel’s voice trembled slightly.

[You know how much Lord Lucion relies on you.]

At those words, Russell’s eyes flickered slightly.

[You understand, don’t you? The pain from deceiving Lord Lucion and the burden of withholding difficult truths differ in their impact.]

Bethel regarded Russell like a steadfast oak tree.

Trust.

He understood the harsh weight of that word better than most.

For Lucion, the blow of betrayal might cut deeper than for others.

Hence, Bethel was resolved to disclose the truth, regardless of timing.

[Lord Lucion will accept whatever you have to say.]

[Thank you, Bethel.]

Russell felt the burden on his chest gradually lift.

He had thought that hiding it forever was the right thing to do for Lucion, but it wasn’t.

Lucion was aware that he was facing death.

Every move he made was to evade that fate.

He needed to talk.

[Thanks again.]

Russell thanked Bethel again.

[Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do.]

Bethel smiled brightly, showing her teeth.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel happy.

[Shall we go then? If we take any longer, Lord Lucion will catch on and realize we were having a 

conversation.]

[Right. First, we need to deal with that Chayton.]

Russell followed Bethel as she moved ahead.

They had to eliminate the ones threatening Lucion’s life first.

Then, when the opportunity arose, he would speak to Lucion.

Russell bit down on his lip firmly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read