The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 48

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

Fire

The heavily settled air hinted at her status. I tried my best to maintain a calm atmosphere.

I felt the widow’s gaze watching me from afar.

And I felt my hands trembling under the tablecloth.

‘Why…?’

There was nothing here to be afraid of. This was nothing more or less than a high-pressure interview situation.

I had even prepared countermeasures for everything, so what was there for me to be afraid of…

‘Could it be…’

Was Sernuan Lumiere’s ‘body’ afraid of that ‘widow’?

‘That’s the only way to explain it.’

I had gone through all kinds of hardships. I’d been stabbed and even lost both hands. There was no reason for me to suddenly tremble before that powerless widow.

‘If Sernuan Lumiere and the widow had some history…’

This was trouble.

Cardil was fine since he only maintained a shallow connection with Sernuan, but if there had been a close relationship with that widow…

‘Stay calm. Panicking will only hurt me.’

Everyone calmly raised their chalices. It was etiquette that didn’t deviate from protocol in the slightest.

They lifted their intricately crafted crystal chalices without making a single clinking sound.

Sernuan’s body was also following that etiquette perfectly.

“I offer this first chalice for the Empire’s endless prosperity and glory.”

As the widow began the opening, everyone recited the prayer.

“For the Empire’s endless prosperity and glory. We thank Lumensia for allowing us to live under the light today.”

‘Sernuan Lumiere’ knew this prayer. When everyone recited it, the prayer reflexively came out of his mouth.

After finishing the prayer, the liquid in the chalices immediately began to bubble.

Whoosh.

The alcohol in the chalices instantly vaporized and disappeared. The surprise was brief.

Soon after, twelve attendants entered through the doors in sequence. However, their appearance was strange.

They had something like earplugs in their ears and their eyes were covered with cloth.

I wondered how they could carry dishes in that state, but looking closely, the first one walking only had his ears covered while his eyes seemed to be visible.

They came between the people and set up the meal.

When they opened the silver bell-shaped lids, steam rose and luxurious restaurant food was revealed.

An attendant poured wine into the chalices. The attendant who could see explained the meal next to the widow.

“This is white wine brewed under moonlight. The salmon placed on asphodel leaves is lightly smoked, harmonizing with subtle herb oil. With a sip of wine, you’ll feel harmonious flavors filling your mouth.”

The attendant said this, then displayed formal etiquette again before disappearing outside the door he had entered through.

Someone near me swallowed what was in their mouth and spoke.

“What should we do about appointing a lord for Astrapolis?”

“Didn’t that son become the interim lord? Since we haven’t heard any complaints, he seems to be doing quite well.”

Despite the delicious food, I chewed and swallowed the salmon half-heartedly. Only the sensation of cold wine going down my throat remained.

‘Phew, I ate well without trembling.’

Someone sitting near the widow spoke up.

“Wouldn’t it be better to place one of our people there? Deliberately installing an unverified lord’s son… even if he has legitimacy, won’t it become troublesome later?”

“Hmm… Astrapolis is chaotic right after the attack, and inserting an Imperial official in that situation would only add to the confusion. Moreover… don’t we lack suitable lord material to properly handle Astrapolis?”

“Couldn’t one of the people here become lord?”

The young lady who had spoken to me gently set down her chalice and brought up the topic.

“The people in the banquet hall are already in important positions, so they can’t also serve as lord. And the banquet hall rules… have you forgotten?”

“Ahem…”

“There’s no need to create unnecessary trouble. Since that son isn’t incompetent at managing the territory… wouldn’t it be better to leave things as they are?”

Since it was bite-sized food, the people in the banquet hall were just moistening their throats with wine. The widow set down her utensils.

“Let’s do that, Young Lady. Shall we taste the next course then?”

The widow’s black-gloved hand reached for the bell placed on the table. The man sitting directly to her right opened his mouth.

“Before tasting the next course, excuse me for a moment. Didn’t Sernuan Lumiere directly treat the lord? I’d like to hear the opinion of someone who saw it firsthand.”

The widow looked at the man. Soon her hand moved away from the bell.

The widow was silent for a moment, then leaned back against her chair.

“That… is interesting.”

It was silent permission.

A gaze of unknown color beyond the veil seemed to pierce through me. My heart pounded as if it would burst. Even when I first possessed this body and saw corpses, my heart had remained calm, but now it was beating violently in my head.

This was an aura battle.

I could tell just from how they suddenly addressed me now.

The senses of ‘me,’ who had lived a lifetime in strange aura battles, combined with ‘Sernuan Lumiere,’ who felt fear, became even sharper and went into overdrive.

They were trying to crush me now. If I backed down here, I would die.

Of course, I wouldn’t die immediately, but I would die later. By Yelena’s halberd or at the guillotine.

That wasn’t what I wanted.

An intangible aura dominated this space.

Now seemed like the right timing to bring up the topic.

I began speaking calmly.

“You’re referring to Lord Kairon Riobrant, aren’t you?”

Everyone held their breath. The widow’s momentum was suppressed. Someone holding utensils dropped them onto the carpet below.

All eyes focused on me. Someone trying to set down their chalice placed it wrong and spilled wine on the table. Sparkling pale golden liquid soaked the tablecloth.

“When I first saw him… he was lying in bed, emaciated. Ah, it was truly pitiful. At such a young age, unable to run and play, bedridden with an unknown illness.”

Even without using Weakness Detection, I could read their inner thoughts clearly enough.

Overwhelming.

Fear.

Awe.

Whether believers or nobles in the banquet hall, the reaction was the same.

Class, reputation, wealth.

Such things became meaningless before the skill called Divine Aura.

“I wondered why Lumensia had given this child such trials. Perhaps because he was destined to bear a great mission, she intended to strengthen him through trials beforehand. However… I couldn’t just watch someone writhing in pain. My mission is for everyone to escape from suffering. So I treated the child, and fortunately, he was able to regain his health soon. The former lord was truly delighted.”

No one tried to interrupt my words.

I moistened my throat with wine and continued speaking.

“At that time, since the lord was still alive, I didn’t have many opportunities to see his son directly… but the current son, Lord Kairon Riobrant who serves as acting lord, is truly excellent. His character is upright and his intentions are deep. I’m sure his father, who went to paradise first, would be very proud of him.”

The widow’s red lips twitched.

“Stop.”

I clenched my fist under the tablecloth.

The subtle pressure had disappeared, but this damn Sernuan was still afraid of the widow.

Stupid Sernuan Lumiere. What exactly was so scary about someone like that?

“Did I say something inappropriate?”

“The viscount asked, so you answered. There was no problem with your response. However… won’t you put your veil back on? It’s a special etiquette of this banquet hall.”

“Oh my. I acted inappropriately. I apologize. As you all know, I wander around Moon Village treating the sick… so please understand my ignorance in such matters.”

I spoke leisurely and put the veil back on.

The color returned to the faces of those who had turned pale white.

“Of course. I think etiquette merely shows a person’s basics, not their heart and character.”

Was she indirectly criticizing me for lacking basic manners?

But since I really did lack basic manners, I had nothing to say.

‘This much intimidation should be enough. Anyway, besides the widow, no one else seems able to speak to me…’

The impact of removing my veil earlier must have been significant, because except for the young lady and the widow, everyone else was looking at me as if I were something fearsome.

Meanwhile, the widow’s nerve in cutting off my words was truly admirable. The young lady who faced me when I removed my veil was the same.

Well…

I had set the atmosphere.

Now all I had to do was enjoy the banquet.

Ding.

The widow’s hand rang the bell.

*

“We’ve arranged root vegetables harvested at dawn, sliced thin. Lightly drizzled with dressing and crystal honey, you can taste both moderate sweetness and a pleasant bitter flavor.”

The attendants rushed in again to serve more dishes and refill drinks, quickly cleaning up fallen utensils and spilled traces before departing.

A strange tension filled the air.

The woman sitting at the middle table caught her breath and brought up a topic.

“So… about Marquis Alderion, the marquis of Astrapolis. I heard some interesting news – aren’t you curious?”

“House Alderion? Isn’t that the marquis house that’s been inactive for several years? Who cares about some frontier marquis like that…”

“Well, it’s perfect gossip to whet the appetite like this salad, don’t you think?”

The man on the right is definitely marked.

The man sitting to the widow’s right couldn’t make a peep and shrank back. The woman who brought up the topic continued with a somewhat triumphant air.

“The story is that Marquis Alderion became a monster. I had personal business in Astrapolis so I stopped by, and there were rumors going around that the marquis had become a monster that devours people.”

“Oh my…”

“But apparently it was the work of heretics, you know? I really don’t understand why there are so many heretics in this country. So Yelena the Inquisitor magnificently dealt with those heretics and returned, they say.”

“Yelena the Inquisitor… isn’t that the inquisitor you recommended, Widow? You have such good judgment, haha.”

Someone sitting at the far end fawned over her. I just silently chewed my salad.

“They said that heretic had a terrible appearance… I was curious, you know. When I secretly went to see, that heretic had become a tree.”

“A tree, you say?”

“There was a human face in the middle of that tree, and it could even speak. When you broke a branch, blood would come out too! It must have been from misusing dark magic!”

“How interesting. Since the Count’s Daughter saw it personally, the truth of the incident is naturally credible…”

The widow praised her. She smiled faintly, enjoying the favor.

The widow surveyed the table. Then she looked directly at me across from her. Sharp eyes pierced through me between the gaps of her veil.

“Since you traveled with Yelena the Inquisitor, you must know well about that heretic, right? I’d like to hear Sernuan Lumiere’s answer first.”

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