Chapter 505 330: The Cold and Warmth of Human Feelings

"I get it." The Lord snapped his fingers. "The principle is just like a hibernating snake."

"They used the Dark Erosion Crystal to unwittingly turn Rillo into a hibernating snake, drastically lowering his perception of the outside world."

"Exactly," Filo sighed. "What a brilliant method."

"As for the third point, there isn't much to say. The attendant was actually just a High Tier Mage. Everyone assumed he used a piece of Magic Equipment inscribed with a Legendary Level spell."

"All in all, the combination of three insidious and hard-to-detect Death Magic spells, the effects of the Dark Erosion Crystal, and the fact that Rillo Archbishop was focused on his advancement, led to this tragedy."

Everyone sighed in unison, seeming to lament the Archbishop's fate.

He was on the verge of advancing to Great Magic Master, with a boundless future ahead of him. He could have even left behind legendary tales that would be told for generations.

But instead, he died an ignominious death at the hands of a group of unknown rats.

The historical records written after the fact will surely express regret and deem it a worthless end.

Though his story will be passed down for generations, it will be as a different kind of shame.

"So, what was the aftermath of this incident?" Levi asked.

"The members of the Chaos Cult committed suicide by taking poison en masse. The followers they deluded went mad. His Majesty couldn't bear to have them all executed, so he had them confined to the Water Prison for the rest of their lives." Filo was clearly still shaken. "Those people are absolute lunatics. You can't even call them human anymore."

He had witnessed it himself. After being captured alive and taking the poison, they were actually smiling, as if it wasn't death but a return to the embrace of their deities.

"And what about Talisi? What did they have to say?"

"What could they say? They just had to swallow this bitter pill." Filo spread his hands. "The facts of the matter are clear. The only thing they could blame Debei for is our poor security. The Chaos Cult was recruiting followers right under our noses, and no one even knew."

"Out of apology for this and on humanitarian grounds, His Majesty didn't accept the Earl's Domain from Talisi. He even gave them an additional one hundred thousand Gold Coins and an Epic Level Magic Staff as compensation."

"They took Rillo's body and hurriedly returned to their kingdom this morning."

"In this world, no one truly knows what tomorrow will bring." Si Kai, who had been listening quietly all this time, finally let out a sigh.

A Legendary Powerhouse died so easily. A mere High Tier Combat Qi Knight like him was no different from a small fry.

Noticing the atmosphere had grown a bit heavy, the Lord waved his hand. "Enough of that. Let's talk about something happier."

"Now that this is over, we should be heading back soon. If there's anything you want to buy, go get it. I, your Lord, will cover it."

Levi declared with a grand wave of his hand, his generosity soaring.

It couldn't be helped. He was so used to being poor, he would pinch every Gold Coin until it screamed.

But now, not even counting the hundreds of thousands he earned down south, he had one hundred and twenty thousand Gold Coins on hand. As a Lord who had suddenly struck it rich, he naturally wouldn't be stingy.

"Boss, you haven't been possessed by a ghost, have you?"

To his surprise, Zamanzi was flabbergasted, looking as if he'd seen an Undead. His expression screamed, 'Give me back my old boss!'

"Very well. Then you can pay for your own things." The Lord's malicious voice rang out, instantly chilling the Barbarian whose heart burned hotter than a tiger's. "And nobody else is to buy anything for this guy!"

"Don't look at me. It's an order from the Lord," Leiden said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't dare disobey my brother-in-law," Mier said, rubbing the back of his head.

"My loyalty to the Lord of High Cliff Castle is absolute," old Sam said with a straight face, his first word being 'loyalty'.

Zamanzi's massive frame, which could hold up the sky, was crushed by the cold indifference of the world. Though the sun shone brightly outside, his heart was frozen solid.

...

"By the way, Lord Levi, the King is holding a banquet tonight to select husbands for the three princesses. Will you be attending?"

Afterward, that scoundrel Filo said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows, "A free princess and five hundred Griffins. If His Majesty chose me, I wouldn't hesitate for a second."

"Since when did you become a pimp?" Levi was speechless, but he stroked his chin and gave it some thought before finally making a decision. "Well, I don't have anything else to do. I might as well go and see."

"In that case, I'll go inform His Majesty!" Filo's face lit up with joy, and he scurried off excitedly.

"Damn, you're getting a commission for this, aren't you!" The Lord was stunned for a moment, then it dawned on him.

...

Inside the magnificent Royal Palace, another grand banquet was held. This time, however, only the nobles of Debei were in attendance.

Both the delegations from Talisi and the Holy Sith Kingdom had already left Gonda.

The Lord had styled his hair in a fashionable way and wore a crisp nobleman's suit, which made him look extraordinarily dashing and heroic.

This banquet was different from the previous sit-down dinner.

Nobles of all ranks and beautiful, alluring noble ladies stood in the center of the hall, chatting.

An almost dizzying array of dishes was laid out on long tables along the sides of the hall, complete with plates and cutlery for guests to serve themselves.

Attendants moved through the crowd carrying silver platters filled with wine, stopping to pour a glass for anyone who needed one.

As the most dazzling rising star in Debei at the moment, the Lord's arrival was like a Giant Stone shattering the calm surface of a lake.

The nobles all bowed respectfully in greeting. Naturally, some tried to strike up a conversation with him to deepen their connection, but he dealt with them perfunctorily.

When it came to invitations from the beautiful noble ladies, however, the Lord would patiently chat for a bit before declining.

Levi wasn't completely unfeeling toward these admirers.

He had long seen that most of these nobles were sanctimonious hypocrites, so Levi had no desire to associate with them too closely. After dealing with them, he enjoyed the food alone. 'My mind is on other matters. I didn't agree to attend this banquet for some princess, but to fulfill my promise to Sivia. The last time I was in the Royal Palace, I didn't have a chance to investigate those places, and I didn't know my way around, so it came to nothing. If I miss this chance, I have no idea when I'll be able to enter the Royal Palace again.'

"Ah!"

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out. Levi felt like he had bumped into a ball of cotton.

"My lord, I'm so sorry..." The person's apology trailed off, quickly replaced by excitement. "Lord Levi, I can't believe I get to see you again!"

"Oh, it's Ashiru. Long time no see." The Lord looked at the little girl on the floor, offered what he considered a flawless smile, and extended a hand to pull her up.

"I can't believe you still remember my name." Ashiru was overjoyed, but her spirits fell soon after.

'My father, the King, is going to choose a husband for me today. Who would want someone who looks like me?'

'Lord Levi will definitely choose one of my sisters, right?'

'After all, both of my sisters are prettier and smarter than I am.'

Levi had a rather good impression of this girl who, despite being hungry herself, had offered him a roasted sweet potato.

"Why are you here right now?" Levi asked curiously.

The three princesses were undoubtedly the main event of the banquet. Logically, they should be the last to appear, to build the atmosphere to a climax.

"I only ate a little mashed potato this morning. I was so hungry, and nobody was paying attention to me, so I snuck over to grab a little something to eat," Ashiru said, a bit embarrassed.

Looking at the girl in front of him, still wearing an old dress with a faded, yellowed hair ribbon, Levi understood.

Her two older sisters were surely being attended to by their maids, getting dressed up in splendid gowns. Meanwhile, this princess was, as always, forgotten. And on top of being hungry, she had come to sneak some food, only to bump into him.

"Then let me treat you to some food tonight," Levi said with a smile, patting her head.