Chapter 417

Words : 2244 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Eileen silently glared at Commander Luther. Usually maintaining a neat appearance as a Knight Commander, he was now dressed casually as if he had just gone out for a stroll. Even the bread bag in one of his hands suggested as much. Anyone who saw him would think he was just a local resident stopping by a bakery on his way home from work but Eileen wasn’t fooled by such appearances. ‘A Knight Commander who only stays in the Imperial City, in Leathervelk? And in such attire?’ The change of clothes was laughable too. Luther Wardot was so well-built that he stood out even in such casual attire. In fact, passersby were stealing glances at him, intimidated by his inexplicable overwhelming presence. ‘He had no intention of hiding in the first place.’ Knight Commander Luther could easily control his presence in a crowd if he wanted to. It was because he could do this with such a physique that he reached the pinnacle among knights. Luther spoke with a genuinely friendly-looking smile. “What a coincidence. I never thought I’d run into Your Highness in a place like this.” “Commander Luther. What brings you here?” “Hmm. There are quite a few eyes around. Shall we go talk in a quiet café inside?” Eileen nodded slightly at Luther’s suggestion but she didn’t lower her guard. While Luther was a protector of the Empire, he wasn’t her subordinate. If anything, he was a free man. It was a position where he could refuse even the Emperor’s orders if he didn’t like them. Nevertheless, Luther moved for the Empire’s sake. While she understood his dedication to the Empire, Eileen found Luther very uncomfortable. ‘If I had to say, he seems to have some connection with that second one.’ Eileen thought this as she headed inside the café. Pasius also followed to guard her. -Creak. The chair made a sound as Luther sat down. Seeing this, Luther let out a hearty laugh. “I should tell the café owner to prepare sturdier chairs for the future.” “What chair in the world could handle your build?” “Ha ha. I suppose I’ve become quite insensitive to civilian life from staying only in the Imperial Palace.” “So.” Eileen cut straight to the point without beating around the bush. “What brings you here? Did Father send you perhaps?” “What are you saying? Didn’t I say I just happened to stop by while passing through?” “You still seem to remember me as an ignorant child who knows nothing.” Eileen narrowed her eyes as she glared at Luther. Luther didn’t erase the smile from his face even at that look. “How could I be so disrespectful?” “Or are you telling me to believe that? Logically, running into each other in a place like this can’t be dismissed as coincidence.” “My, this is interesting. Princess Erendir would have believed it.” At those words, faint wrinkles appeared on Eileen’s forehead. “While I deeply care for and love my sister, I don’t particularly enjoy being treated the same as her.” At those words, Pasius rolled his eyes and glanced at Eileen. That look seemed to ask, ‘Then is that not really caring for and loving her?’ But Eileen was sincere. While her sister was cute and precious, comparing her to her sister who often acted foolishly was crossing a line. Luther let out a small laugh at her confidence before wiping the smile from his face and speaking. “First of all, running into Your Highness here truly was a coincidence.” “A coincidence?” “I am aware that Your Highness has been quite friendly with suspicious people lately.” Eileen’s lips twisted at Luther’s pointed remark about knowing. “But that is Your Highness’s freedom, so I have nothing to say about it. However, if the people you’re meeting are those whose identities are hard to verify in the Empire recently, I cannot simply stand by.” Luther’s reason for coming to Royal Street was clear. “I came to verify. To see and judge whether these people will become a threat to the Empire or not.” Luther wasn’t the type to blindly believe reports submitted by others. He needed to see and judge everything with his own eyes to be satisfied. Perhaps such an attitude and drive was what brought him to his current position. At Luther’s words about taking action, Eileen didn’t show it outwardly but felt considerable urgency inside. Luther Wardot came looking for Rudger. He came to meet the owner of Royal Street, and at the same time, he knew about U.N. Owen. What would happen if those two were to meet? No matter how much Eileen thought about it, she couldn’t imagine it ending well. There would be at least a physical clash, and if that happened, it was impossible to predict what would unfold. While Rudger and his subordinates were strong, they clearly wouldn’t be a match for Luther. “You don’t need to judge. I’m already handling them well.” So Eileen emphasized to Luther that they were also under her command, but the person hearing those words didn’t believe it at all. “Do you really not know my personality, Your Highness? I only judge what I see with my own two eyes.” “...Are you saying you won’t believe my words?” “I take Your Highness’s words deeply to heart. That’s precisely why I need to verify.” Eileen was about to say something more to Luther but closed her mouth. Whatever more she said here would only plant more suspicion in Luther’s mind. Luther nodded with satisfaction at Eileen’s appearance of accepting his attitude. “Well then, I shall take my leave first. Your Highness should also not wander around too much and return early.” Luther left the café with those words. There was no sound in his footsteps. “What will you do?” Pasius asked while watching Luther leave. If they couldn’t stop Luther now, a big fight might break out with Rudger’s group. “If I order you to stop him, can you?” “...Well.” While Pasius answered like that, the truth was he had already reached his conclusion long ago. ‘Can’t win.’ No matter what he tried, he couldn’t see a future where he could win against Luther. ‘Well now. I thought I had gained some enlightenment this time.’ Nevertheless, Luther felt like an impossibly high wall. Even more surprising was Luther’s glance toward him while talking with Eileen. ‘He knew that I had grown.’ Fight an opponent who could see through his abilities completely? It was essentially equivalent to suicide. “Still, if you order it, I must follow. That’s what I exist for.” “...Hmph.” Eileen snorted at Pasius’ words. Not because Pasius was just saying empty words, but to stop him from actually trying to go. “Don’t worry unnecessarily. There’s nothing we can do here anyway.” “Then...” “For now, we watch.” “Will that be alright?” “What if it’s not? That man isn’t someone who would be taken down so easily in the first place.” Above all, regarding this matter, her intuition was telling her that nothing serious would happen. Eileen trusted her intuition. Perhaps, she wanted to believe in it. * * * Pantos, who had been sent out by Rudger, walked alone through an alley. It was a quiet place where no one lived as it was scheduled for redevelopment. Something had taken root in his head while sparring with Pasius this time, and this was a suitable place to quietly work it out. Like something tickling constantly lingering around his head, Pantos knew that if he could grasp that thread, he could become stronger than before. Then the question was how to grasp it. As Pantos was thinking this to himself, his head suddenly turned to one side. ‘Something is there.’ Something that made his whole body’s hair stand on end. It existed somewhere in Royal Street. Pantos’ body heated up intensely. The blood flowing through his veins quickened, and a growling sound unconsciously came from his mouth. It was different from simply discovering a strong opponent and feeling competitive. If anything, it was similar to when he faced Rudger with red eyes. Not just simple competitiveness, but a feeling that included fear and dread toward the unknown. Pantos chose to accept it rather than trying to deny it because by clashing with it, he could become stronger. The question was what this being with such intense presence was trying to do. The moment Pantos thought that, that massive presence moved. ‘Fast.’ Its direction was right toward the alley where he was. The mighty presence felt from afar approached Pantos in an instant, arriving before he could even respond. “Well now.” A gentle breeze blew and faster than the wind, someone appeared. Luther Wardot looked around before giving a surprised look at Pantos standing before him. “My, I felt an extremely dangerous beast’s presence from far away and thought perhaps the Beast of Gevaudan had appeared, but it’s just a beast-person?” “...” “No. Not just any beast-person. I’ve never heard anyone say I’m lacking in build, but my word, I never knew the world was this vast. What do you eat to grow so big?” After joking playfully, Luther finally stared at Pantos with sharp eyes. “A beast-person of your caliber wouldn’t simply be passing through an alley like this by coincidence.” At those words, all of Pantos’ fur stood on end. His ears perked up, and his muscles tensed tightly. Meanwhile, Luther continued making his deductions while stroking his chin. “Most likely, you’re directly connected to the person who made this street?” If so, the answer was decided. “I’d like to ask where your base is, but...” Luther looked at Pantos’ appearance and smirked. “It seems you have no intention of telling me at all.” Right after that. Bang-! With the sound of the ground exploding, Pantos kicked off the ground and lunged at Luther. * * * “Special mana, you say.” At Rudger’s question, Grandel gave him a somewhat proud look. “It seems you’ve picked up some knowledge somewhere.” “I learned about it when I went to the Kasar Basin recently. They say that in the very distant past, there was a time when people received more blessings of mana than now.” “So that’s why you asked me? Thinking I might know something?” “At least as far as I know, there’s no being who has lived as long as you, Master.” Grandel made a strange expression at those words, then approached Hans with light steps and sat on him. Hans flinched at her sudden action but remained still when he was about to move, not knowing what she might do. After enjoying the soft feel of the spirit deer’s fur, Grandel settled in and opened her mouth. “Following the traces of that mana, does that mean you’re still holding onto things from the past?” “...” Rudger didn’t answer but that seemed enough for Grandel, who shook her head as if having a headache. “Right. Your stubbornness was never something I could break from before. You’re not the type to listen even if I tried to stop you.” “So do you know?” “Special mana exists even now, doesn’t it? Those black mages and the magic you classify as special types. Did it ever look like something that could be learned just by teaching?” “Then that means there were even more special types of mana in the past than now.” “Yes. It’s too far in the past even for me to remember exactly, but there were more diverse blessings than now.” ‘Blessings.’ Rudger kept getting caught on that word. “You’re saying that’s not the case now.” “You know too, don’t you? While magic has developed to be more calculated and innovative, conversely, the mysticism and miracles of mana passed down from ancient times have grown dim.” “Are you saying the current development is actually regression?” “Not regression. Development is certainly development. But disciple, development should never proceed in just one direction. The moment other paths disappear, even if you realize something was wrong and look back, you can no longer return to that time.” Hans inwardly admired those words when he heard them. He had thought she just did whatever she wanted, got irritated easily, and spent all day lying on beds or sofas but Grandel now conversing with Rudger was emanating an atmosphere like a sage straight out of old tales. Perhaps this was her true self. “In that sense, the current world is truly heterogeneous.” “In what way?” “In the past, yes in the past that I remember, at least the world wasn’t this one-dimensional. It was truly diverse then. It was an age of legends and myths that people now couldn’t even imagine.” Grandel’s voice as she muttered these words was filled with nostalgia as if recalling a longed-for past. “But at some point, the world collapsed and changed.” “What happened?” “The stars called gods fell, and beings called sentients became monsters and were driven beyond the mountain ranges.” Grandel referred to that time like this. “The age of humans had begun.”

Chapter 417

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