An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#57

“I’ll need to be away for a while.”

“Huh? So suddenly?”

“Mm. Something came up that requires a trip to the north.”

The next day, after the performance ended, Gert suddenly threw out these words, and I turned to look at him awkwardly, forgetting about putting away my lyre.

The reason Gert would go north was obvious.

I quickly calculated Gert’s hunting cycle.

‘…It’s a bit early though.’

Honestly, I was flustered. That’s because my performances for Gert were limited to only until he went hunting.

Thinking it was over now, my shoulders drooped. I thought if I continued just a little more, the heroic epic would get on track too… My heart felt dry and crumbly, like crushing a swollen balloon flower with my finger.

‘He’s not using hunting as an excuse to run away because of that kiss, is he?’

That day he conversed so naturally as if nothing happened! Going on about lilies and whatnot… Thinking it was all rhetoric to make me let my guard down made my stomach turn.

Of course, I knew it was an exaggerated speculation. But the timing was too suspicious to say it didn’t matter.

Anyway, I couldn’t stop Gert from going hunting. With my stamina and abilities, I couldn’t follow him either.

Feeling somewhat wilted, I bid farewell to Gert.

“Have a safe trip… Don’t stay away too long…”

I wanted to send him off brightly, but human emotions aren’t that simple. Perhaps because my head drooped without me realizing, my braided hair swayed as it flowed down over my shoulders.

Then, Gert reached his hand toward my braided hair. But just before touching my hair, his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air.

Gert soon composed himself, clenching his hand into a fist and murmuring quietly.

“Don’t worry too much.”

‘…I wasn’t worried though.’

As long as Gert wasn’t going to the Underworld, there was no reason to worry about him. But to honestly confess that, I was concerned Gert might be displeased, saying ‘What? You’re not even worried when I’m going hunting?’

‘That wouldn’t be good.’

It was better to let him misunderstand that I was worried. Then at least when he returned from hunting, he’d show his face saying he had a good trip.

‘Then I’ll beg him to tell me what monsters he caught and subtly coax him into letting me sing…’

With such schemes in mind, I played along with Gert’s misunderstanding and nodded obediently with a face full of worry.

***

News that Gert had left the capital soon reached Eurich’s ears as well.

The corners of Eurich’s mouth curved up wickedly. He had been waiting for exactly this moment. Since he had to finish things while Gert was away, he needed to hurry.

Upon hearing the news, Eurich immediately headed to his hideout. A temple standing alone on the outskirts of the capital, looking ready to collapse at any moment.

It was the Temple of the Ancient Gods.

The ancient gods were defeated by the new gods and demoted to the Giant Clan, and the temples that served them were also closed.

But no matter how banished they were, fear toward those who had once been gods remained, so humans dared not lay hands on the fallen gods’ temple.

An ominous aura lingered around the neglected temple. With rumors that intruders would be cursed, no one went near the place.

But Eurich didn’t care one bit about the curse rumors.

When even the gods who currently hold power cannot often exert influence on the human world for the sake of balance, what power would a long-defeated god have to curse humans?

Moreover, he believed that if it was a banished god, rather than cursing someone in the same situation, they would pity them and help with revenge.

‘Thanks to the curse rumors, I can use this place as a base to plot schemes away from others’ eyes, so it’s quite suitable for me in many ways.’

But compared to the affluent environment Eurich once enjoyed, it was also an utterly shabby and miserable space.

Not wanting to acknowledge his current situation, Eurich muttered irritably.

“If His Majesty had immediately accepted my proposal to assassinate Orphea, I wouldn’t have needed to go to such lengths…”

Having realized early on that Gert regarded Orphea specially, Eurich immediately ran to His Majesty asking for an assassin.

But His Majesty didn’t even pretend to listen, and instead mocked Eurich.

“Ha, how could a mere minstrel pose such a threat that I, a king of a nation, should order an assassination?”

“Since Gert regards Orphea specially, killing Orphea would plunge Gert into despair.”

“You speak as if Alkides actually loves that woman.”

His Majesty roughly grabbed both of Eurich’s cheeks and whispered.

“Remember this, Eurich. Alkides knows nothing of love. Just like Gerhart’s father.”

His Majesty projected Gert’s father, Odrich, onto Gert. Filled with absolutely unwavering prejudice, His Majesty refused to hear any rebuttal from Eurich.

But Eurich, for his part, believed in the Gert he had seen and experienced. The Gert he knew wouldn’t continue such a relationship with some nobody woman. To Gert, Orphea was definitely someone special.

However, without His Majesty’s help, what could Eurich accomplish with his own strength alone?

Even if he assassinated Orphea, if Eurich did it alone, traces or witnesses would inevitably remain.

If that happened, would Gert really leave him alone?

Eurich had no intention of throwing away his own life for revenge. He would somehow survive to the end and watch their miserable downfall…

‘Ha, did you think I’d give up just like that?’

He had no intention of sitting idle waiting for His Majesty to change his mind. Just as he was racking his brains, a good idea occurred to Eurich.

It was to use Princess Lairinne.

“Princess, may I ask you for one favor? I’m so frustrated that I don’t think I can bear it without giving Orphea some trouble.”

“Of course. What can I help you with? Please speak freely about anything.”

“Since you say so, I’ll speak shamelessly… Could you possibly lend me Aliphas’s net?”

“Aliphas’s net?”

The founder of the Petallien Royal Family of Alphenheim borrowed Aliphas’s power in exchange for a promise to worship Aliphas, the god of thieves, once he became king, and stole the crown to become king.

At that time, the god bestowed two forms of support: one was the bloodline ability, and the other was Aliphas’s net that erased one’s presence.

Perhaps because of this, Princess Lairinne’s face, which had been nodding readily as if she would grant anything, stiffened slightly. Princess Lairinne hesitated, unable to readily accept Eurich’s request.

But Eurich well knew that the princess also found Orphea disagreeable. Moreover, he knew that Princess Lairinne, who was subtly neglected in this royal palace, had few people to attach herself to.

He had no doubt that if he, someone she was friendly with, persistently asked, the princess would grant his request.

Sure enough, unable to resist Eurich’s repeated requests, Princess Lairinne eventually lent him the net.

While reminiscing about the past, Eurich reached the massive door.

Beyond this door, in the main hall of the temple, lay the trap Eurich had prepared using Aliphas’s net to end Orphea’s life.

‘Orphea may be skilled enough to face Sirens and put dragons to sleep, but can she survive this time too?’

This way, he could put Orphea in danger without leaving any trace of himself.

So even when Gert returned to face Orphea’s corpse, he would feel only helplessness with no target for revenge.

Imagining Gert’s despair made him hum unconsciously. Eurich put strength into his hand opening the door while wearing a pleasant smile.

Creeeeak-

The moment the massive door opened with an unpleasant sound, a thin moan like life dying away could be heard through the gap in the opened door.

But the door closed with a thud as soon as it swallowed Eurich’s figure, and as if the earlier moan was a lie, no sound could be heard anymore.

***

After Gert left, I suddenly felt like time was floating. I tried to focus on work instead of just killing time, but having already tasted the honey of motivation that was Gert, I couldn’t concentrate alone at all.

Just then, I heard new information from the instrument shop I frequented.

It was news that silk strings would be arriving soon.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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