That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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That’s not what kissing means!
Episode 117

The Clerics were arrested faster than expected. They sprayed aggressive dark magic potions at the Duke in an attempt to escape.
But in the forest, all magic was rendered useless.
In the end, they had no choice but to surrender and be dragged to the Duke’s Mansion by the Knights.
The place they arrived at was the Underground Dungeon beneath the castle. The damp air and musty dust they experienced for the first time filled their lungs completely.
The Clerics were both disgusted and terrified by the unfamiliar environment.
The Knights fastened restraints around their wrists with expressionless faces.
The Clerics shuddered at the cold, hard metal.
“P-please don’t treat us so carelessly. We are representatives of Goddess Yulia….”
The Knights gave no response. Only the restraints fixed around their wrists clinked metallically.
Realizing it was futile, they sat down on worn chairs. It was a miserable environment without even a makeshift bed.
Shortly after, the Knights guarding the dungeon bowed to someone.
“Open it.”
The dungeon door opened with a heavy, low voice.
Duke Ashford, already imposing in stature, appeared even more menacing when looked up at from the darkness.
Theo gazed down at the Clerics. His eyes held no emotion whatsoever.
“I hope the interrogation will be brief.”
At the low, measured tone of his voice, a Cleric swallowed hard.
A Knight brought over a chair. Theo sat down with deliberate slowness.
He retrieved something from his pocket. When he manipulated the glass rod, it quickly changed to a green glow.
The magitech device didn’t register in the eyes of the tense Clerics.
Having always lived in comfortable surroundings before being confined to this damp dungeon, everything felt like a shock to them.
Theo slowly opened his mouth.
“The answers I need are simple. Your relationship with the Grand Cleric, the immortality ritual, the uses of the Saren Flower—and anything else you know. Tell me.”
“D-do you think we would answer so easily?”
The Cleric clung to his last shred of pride.
He shouted whatever came to mind about sacrilege and divine punishment, but Theo merely wore a bored expression.
When there was no response, they gradually fell silent.
“….”
“….”
A brief silence fell.
“Are you finished speaking?”
Theo tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Do you believe in eternal life?”
At those words, the High Priest’s eyes gleamed with fervent light.
Theo lifted one corner of his mouth.
“Yes, that eternal life the Envoy promised.”
“…I’ve already heard from the Envoy. That you know about the immortality ritual!”
“Threats won’t work!”
At the loud response, Theo laughed coldly.
“I’m not threatening.”
“….”
“Before you can even enjoy it, I could send you to the divine right now.”
His clear voice seemed incapable of uttering falsehoods. If they didn’t speak, their very lives could be forfeit this instant.
The Priests’ faces drained of color. Their lips began to tremble violently.
“This is a prison. An interrogation chamber, to be precise.”
Theo glanced around the space. The Priests followed his gaze and inhaled sharply.
Only then did the many objects displayed on the walls come into focus.
Yes, those were torture instruments.
At the Duke’s gesture, a Knight handed over a dagger. Theo wielded it with practiced ease as he asked.
“What shall we do?”
“….”
In the silence that followed, he rose from his seat. Even in the dim dungeon, the blade’s edge gleamed with lethal sharpness.
“P-please spare us….”
“So you won’t resist?”
The Priests nodded frantically. One of them had already lost control of his bladder.
“Then what if we make you identical to Lionel? Without any injury whatsoever.”
“Th-that…!”
At the even more horrifying proposal, tears streamed down their faces.
Theo approached the Priests slowly, utterly unmoved.

* * *

At that same moment, Evelyn was at the Magitech Research Institute.
In the Conference Room with Helena and Donovan.
A metal box that the Clerics had brought lay on the floor, while their bags sat atop the Table.
Evelyn rummaged through one of the bags and pulled out the documents inside.
“It’s all in ancient language.”
It seemed a Cleric fluent in ancient language had accompanied them.
Evelyn interpreted as she turned through the pages one by one. They contained instructions for performing an immortality ritual.
The ritual, sacrifices, and even soul separation techniques.
It was a record organizing in sequence the ritual they planned to conduct at Ashford Estate.
“It seems they anticipated Knights would be lying in wait in the Eastern Forest.”
Evelyn spoke to the two of them.
“Just as I thought… they intended to burn the Ashford Knight Order and separate their souls to use them as additional sacrifices.”
“Despicable creatures.”
Helena began spewing curses in a voice filled with rage. As increasingly harsh words leaked out, Donovan stopped her.
“Helena, keep those thoughts to yourself.”
“Oh, my apologies. Lady Evelyn.”
“No, they deserve every curse thrown at them.”
“Don’t they?”
Helena resumed her tirade. This time, even Donovan seemed to have given up.
That was when it happened.
Thud.
A dull sound came from somewhere.
Screech, screech—
A scratching noise clawed at their ears.
Identifying the source of the sound was not difficult. It was the metal box beside them.
The metal box inscribed with ritual formations still contained countless souls. Now including Lionel’s as well.
“The immortality ritual failed, so why is it doing this?”
Evelyn asked in alarm, and Helena answered.
“It doesn’t only react when being used as a sacrifice. It happens like this when there are so many souls that the container can’t hold them all.”
Helena’s expression grew sorrowful. They were tangled together in that cramped space, suffering even more intensely.
“Is there any way we could grant them freedom?”
Evelyn asked her.
“I’ve actually been researching that since you asked last time. Even if we can’t dispel the ritual formations, I want to liberate the souls.”
Helena spoke with conviction, and Evelyn nodded in acknowledgment.
Shortly after, the box’s cries ceased.
It seemed they only wailed when the suffering became unbearable.
As Evelyn examined the bag further, she discovered another document.
“This is…”
A report heavily mixed with ancient language, as if to obscure it from others. But Evelyn could decipher it with ease.
“It looks like they planned to head to Oben Territory after finishing their work here.”
The immortality ritual at Ashford Estate, and the additional atrocities to be committed in Oben Territory….
Below that, I saw the contract with Oben.
Evelyn hurried to focus on the contents of the contract.
As expected, it listed the required quantity of Saren flowers and the monetary exchange. Moreover, even hallucinogenic grass was mentioned.
‘So it was Lionel who was seeking the hallucinogenic grass after all.’
At the very bottom was the seal of the Envoy.
Oben’s trading partner was clearly a suspicious individual. It seemed they would not hand over the goods without verifying the seal of the Envoy, who was the principal of the transaction.
‘This could serve as additional evidence.’
Only the Envoy could use his seal.
I had secured evidence that the Envoy was deeply involved with the Saren flowers.
At that moment, the Conference Room door opened. Donovan and Helena rose from their seats and bowed respectfully.
Theo approached Evelyn with a subtle smile.
“I recorded the testimony of the Clerics on video.”
“So quickly? Do you have some special method?”
Theo merely smiled without answering.
…I shouldn’t ask further.
Evelyn changed the subject.
“We found a transaction with Oben in the Cleric’s bag. It appears the Saren flowers were indeed produced in Oben Territory.”
“Now all that’s left is to investigate Oben Territory.”
Documents alone were insufficient. As long as the Envoy maintained a close relationship with the Emperor, he could simply claim it was a false accusation.
I had to raid the location and obtain decisive evidence.
“We’ll need to go to Oben Territory.”
No matter how powerful Duke Ashford was, I had no right to conduct a sudden raid on another region. I had to first obtain consent from the lord.
“What if the lord of Oben is also involved?”
Evelyn worried about a cover-up of the incident.
“There is someone who influences the entire Empire.”
She answered to Theo’s words.
“…You’re thinking of meeting His Majesty the Emperor.”
Now it was time to head to the Capital.

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