Chapter 291: A Lying Knight

Kaeloris let out a small, deliberate cough, using the sound to dispel the increasingly awkward atmosphere that had settled over the group. Apparently deciding that allowing whatever was transpiring between Regaleon and Caelestra to continue any longer would be an unnecessary waste of everyone’s time, the bespectacled Gnost stepped forward.

"Well, congratulations, Regaleon."

He offered a reserved smile, adjusting his spectacles as he examined the Halberd resting in the Forgotten Knight’s hand. Unlike some of their companions, whose reactions to the ascension had been dominated by astonishment and envy, Kaeloris appeared more interested in understanding the circumstances that had made it possible.

"Reaching the Count Tier is no small accomplishment," he continued. "Especially considering that you achieved it through an ability that appears to be entirely unconventional, using a method most Etheryeans would scarcely consider for their own cultivation."

His tone was polite, but the analytical glint behind his lenses suggested that his congratulations were merely the opening remarks of a much longer discussion.

Regaleon recognized that expression.

Kaeloris possessed the sort of curiosity that could turn a simple conversation into an interrogation, particularly when presented with a phenomenon that challenged his understanding of cultivation.

The man might have failed to awaken as a conventional Gnost, but his appetite for knowledge had evidently survived the disappointment.

If anything, the absence of a gnost’s traditional Soul Essence seemed to have encouraged him to compensate by developing an almost unreasonable interest in the abilities of others.

Regaleon had little objection to curiosity. He simply preferred it when curiosity did not involve dissecting the mysteries of his existence.

Nevertheless, he inclined his head slightly and replied. "Thank you."

Kaeloris adjusted his spectacles once more, seemingly gathering his thoughts before finally voicing the question that had been occupying his mind.

"Regaleon, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why did your Halberd only complete its ascension today, and why did you need Essence Crystals to accomplish it when you apparently collected Aether Cores from Caelestra last night specifically for your Soul Essence’s advancement?"

The question caught several members of the group by surprise.

Until that moment, most of them had been too occupied with their own cultivation and preparations for the journey to the Sanctuary to consider the matter in detail.

Regaleon had requested Aether Cores the previous evening, explaining that he intended to use them to advance his Soul Essence. They had accepted his explanation without much scrutiny, and since most of them had retired to rest while he continued meditating, nobody had thought to ask about the outcome the following morning.

Then the preparations for their journey had taken precedence, and the matter had gradually slipped from their minds.

Now, however, Kaeloris had brought the discrepancy into focus.

If Regaleon had already possessed the necessary resources, why had the ascension not occurred until today? And if the Aether Cores had proved insufficient, what precisely had changed when he began using Essence Crystals?

The questions were perfectly reasonable, even if their timing was somewhat inconvenient.

After all, there were few things more dangerous to a man’s peace of mind than a scholar who had discovered an inconsistency and refused to leave it alone.

Vaelorin folded his arms, his earlier envy giving way to curiosity. Valmyr scratched his chin, apparently attempting to reconstruct the events of the previous evening from his imperfect recollection. Even Caelestra, who had personally supplied Regaleon with the Crystals, briefly looked thoughtful.

Had Kaeloris not raised the subject, she might have overlooked the detail herself.

The group had been so preoccupied with the prospect of reaching the Sanctuary that they had inadvertently treated Regaleon’s Soul Essence ascension as a minor development, despite the extraordinary implications of such an achievement.

Of course, they had no idea what Regaleon had actually done with the Aether Cores the previous evening.

He had not used them to cultivate his Soul Essences or advance his Halberd. Instead, he had employed their energy to access the mysterious Reliquary residing within his heart, an undertaking whose nature remained far too obscure for him to discuss casually.

The Reliquary was connected to secrets he scarcely understood himself. Revealing its existence would invite questions he could not answer, and perhaps expose his companions to circumstances they were better off avoiding.

Regaleon had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Unfortunately, Kaeloris’s question had caught him genuinely off guard.

For the briefest moment, he had not anticipated that anyone would remember the details of his request, much less connect them to the timing of his Halberd’s ascension. He had underestimated the failed Gnost’s attention to detail, an error he would have to correct if he wished to keep his secrets concealed.

Fortunately, years of maintaining a composed exterior had taught him how to conceal surprise.

His expression remained as calm as ever as he glanced at the Halberd in his hand, adopting the thoughtful look of someone recalling an inconvenient but otherwise unremarkable detail.

"About that..." He allowed a short pause before continuing. "The amount of Aether Cores I used yesterday turned out to be insufficient for what I needed them to accomplish. That was why the ascension was delayed until today."

He lifted his gaze toward Caelestra.

"As she can confirm, the Essence Crystals she provided were what finally allowed me to complete the process. Without them, I would probably have had to postpone the ascension again."

The explanation was delivered with such effortless composure that it sounded entirely plausible.

Regaleon neither rushed his words nor overexplained the circumstances. He simply presented the information as though it were the most natural conclusion imaginable, leaving little room for suspicion.

Caelestra, who had witnessed his cultivation firsthand, nodded in confirmation.

"That’s right. He was having difficulty making progress with the Aether Cores, so I suggested trying the Essence Crystals instead. I wasn’t sure whether they would work, but the results speak for themselves."

Her statement lent further credibility to his explanation.

Kaeloris considered the answer for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I see. So the difference in the available energy sources was the deciding factor."

"Something along those lines," Regaleon replied.

It was a carefully chosen answer: sufficiently informative to satisfy ordinary curiosity, yet vague enough to discourage further investigation and the strategy worked.

The others accepted his explanation without detecting anything particularly suspicious, and the discussion gradually shifted toward the implications of his newly ascended Soul Essence.

To them, the matter had been resolved. Regaleon had simply encountered an obstacle, discovered an alternative method, and achieved the breakthrough he had been pursuing.

There was nothing especially mysterious about that. Or so they believed. Because the only person who remained unconvinced was Aelric.

Throughout the exchange, the green-eyed youth had watched Regaleon with the same detached expression he wore whenever something caught his interest but did not yet warrant his intervention.

Unlike the others, Aelric had been awake the previous night.

While the rest of the group slept, he had remained on guard, keeping watch over their surroundings and ensuring that the creatures lurking within the Nether Lands did not approach their temporary shelter unnoticed. His duties had also given him ample opportunity to observe Regaleon during his solitary cultivation.

Consequently, he knew that the Forgotten Knight’s explanation was, at best, an incomplete account of what had transpired.

Regaleon had indeed requested the Aether Cores, but Aelric had seen no convincing evidence that he had used them for the purpose he had claimed.

There had been something peculiar about the Knight’s behaviour, a quiet concentration that suggested he was occupied with something other than the ordinary advancement of a Soul Essence.

Now, hearing him provide such a convenient explanation, Aelric found his suspicions growing stronger.

’Quite the accomplished liar, aren’t you?’

The thought came with a faint trace of amusement, especially when it was pertaining to someone as noble as Regaleon.

Regaleon had delivered his explanation so smoothly that anyone unfamiliar with the previous night’s events would have accepted it without hesitation. Even Kaeloris, whose attention to detail was usually commendable, appeared satisfied.

Aelric, however, had spent six years surviving in the Nether Lands. He had learned that people rarely concealed things without a reason, and that the most dangerous secrets were often hidden behind the most ordinary explanations.

Still, he saw no reason to expose Regaleon.

If the Forgotten Knight was lying to his companions, then either he had a legitimate reason for withholding information or he was concealing something he was not yet prepared to reveal.

Aelric suspected the latter.

There had been no hostility in Regaleon’s demeanour, nor any indication that he distrusted the people around him. If anything, the Forgotten Knight seemed genuinely comfortable in their company. That made the deception all the more intriguing.

Perhaps the secret was dangerous... Or perhaps it was simply personal.

Either way, Aelric had no intention of forcing an answer from someone who had clearly chosen to remain silent.

He merely narrowed his eyes, his thoughts turning toward the silver-haired Knight standing among his companions.

’What exactly are you hiding, Regaleon?’

For a moment, the question lingered in his mind, accompanied by a growing certainty that the answer might be considerably more complicated than he expected.

And somehow, Aelric could not shake the feeling that whatever Regaleon was concealing might eventually become a problem for everyone.

If only he knew how the secrets would end up bringing as much trouble for them in the future...