Chapter 22
Meet
Lucion tightly pressed his lips together.
That boy was a creature created by some corrupted warlock using the corpse of a monster that had now completely disappeared. In other words, that boy was just an unknown being in human form.
His name was ‘Hume’, and he could not use magic nor aura because of his ecological limitations.
‘I’m sure he was.’
Crisp.
As soon as the strange feeling coming off Hume disappeared, the blue thread was cut off.
[Did that strange feeling completely disappear? Ratta, how did you do it?]
Russell hastily urged Ratta to say it.
―Ratta only infused the darkness. His darkness was unstable, and it looked like it was about to explode.
Ratta smiled as if she was proud of herself.
[Can you see the darkness?]
―Yes! Ratta can see the darkness.
[Do you really see it?]
Russell was astonished and repeated his question.
―Yes! Ratta can’t lie.
[‘Is she different because she’s a divine beast?’]
Lucion looked at Ratta for a moment and then forced Hume to stand up. “Wake up.”
Still, Hume was shaking.
Hume, the boy’s figure, opened his mouth so calmly that it was hard to believe he was frightened. “Thanks to you, my condition has entered the safe zone. Thank you,” he said.
Lucion felt the goosebumps on his arm when he spoke and behaved like a boy.
“Is my greeting wrong?” Hume asked without blinking as he saw Lucion’s reaction.
Swing.
Lucion looked back urgently at the sound of the sword being pulled out.
Carson was staring at Hume with a grim face.
Only then did Lucion notice that he was acting like a madman.
“Brother, let me explain...”
“Get back.”
But Carson turned his back and growled at someone.
[You may not have noticed because of that guy, but the priests are right in front of you. Look at your hands.]
Russell raised his voice and said.
Lucion quietly looked at his hand.
When he learned that it was not Hume who was shaking, but himself, he felt a sudden tremor that he had unconsciously forgotten.
“I’m sorry, son of light. We are here to disrupt the order of light and eliminate the evil who follows the darkness.”
One of the priests bowed his head to Carson.
Among the priests who had gathered, he was the only one wearing a dark gray robe.
Apprentice priests wore black robes, while the semi-priests wore dark gray robes. The brighter the clothing color, the higher the rank a person had.
Carson spoke in a hostile voice, “May I take it as saying that you stood here determined to be killed?”
“That’s right. As light-worshipers, we cannot bear to see a person tainted with darkness left alive, even if they were exiled.”
“The darkness you’re looking for is not here, so back off.”
Carson’s sword was still facing the bottom.
No matter if he had the name Cronia, he couldn’t just ignore the priest of light.
“Son of Light, please do me the mercy. I have inherited my ability from the God of Light, so let me confirm it.”
“I’m Carson Cronia.”
Carson pulled back the hood and revealed his name.
The priests who heard the name began to whisper to themselves for a moment, astonished in unison.
Carson looked at Lucion in the meantime.
Through the hood, a pale white complexion was peeking out.
‘It’s not good.’ Carson rolled his eyes as he thought of it. His gaze went to the boy behind Lucion.
‘Did Lucion come all the way here because of him?’
At that time, he couldn’t figure out what Lucion had to run all the way here. He just followed his tracks.
Since it wasn’t the first time Lucion had acted unexpectedly, Carson was determined not to display any signs of panic, so as to protect the boy Lucion found.
“I didn’t realize you were a Cronia. Please understand my boldness with a big heart.”
A priest dressed in dark gray opened his mouth.
“With that being said, if you know how heavy my name is, just get out of my way.”
Honestly, Carson was a little nervous.
It was the second time the priest came so close to Lucion after he had the first reaction to divine allergy.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the mission of the Lord of the God of Light. I’m so sorry, but I could not follow your wishes, Mr. Carson.”
But the priest again rejected Carson’s offer.
“Right at this place, the dark reaction was cut off. It’s an urgent situation, so please understand.”
“I don’t know who you are chasing, but now I am with my younger brother. So I order you to take a step back and don’t come any closer than this. Can’t you just find it after we’re gone?”
―Is Lucion still sick? The sun was up yesterday, and today you slept until the sun rose and went high.
“No, I don’t feel sick anymore.” Lucion shook his head.
There was something more worrisome now.
“Teacher... are you upset?”
[I am not, but I think it’s going to get messy now.]
“Did my brother kill him?”
[That’s right. He killed the man who released light with one stroke.]
Russell pretended to be calm and scratched his neck with his hands awkwardly.
Whatever the reason was, the fact that Carson killed a priest was a huge commotion.
“My father... ah, never mind. I’ll hear it myself.”
What was going to happen now at the banquet?
Lucion’s face crumpled as if he was tasting a cooked rice with ashes sprinkled on it.
[The one you brought...]
Russell hesitated but still brought it up.
Lucion, who expected what he would say, replied calmly, “As you may have felt at that time, I just followed the strange feeling.”
[No. I’m not doubting you, but he’s a little weird.]
Russell was being cautious and embarrassed, speaking more carefully so Lucion would not misunderstand his question.
―Ratta doesn’t know anything weird.
Ratta’s forefoot pressed Lucion’s cheek again.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Lucion raised his upper body by grabbing the back of Ratta.
[He can see me, but I’m sure he is not a warlock.]
“... Yes?”
Knowing that Hume was a monster, Lucion could not hide his surprise. ‘Seeing ghosts?’
[Yeah, I know how much this sounds like crap. I’ve told you that the only people who can see ghosts are those who have been blessed by darkness.]
“Is this possible now?”
[It’s impossible.]
Russell said firmly. Soon he frowned.
[But there’s only one left.]
“Do you have any guesses?”
[... No, I think it’s too ridiculous]
Russell, who was about to say something, soon gave up.
‘You didn’t know Hume was a monster, did you?’
Lucion didn’t ask any more questions about that, just in case he would be suspected of knowing something else.
“Where is he now?”
* * *
Hume smiled brightly when he saw Lucion entering the room. “Oh, hello.”
After Hume had washed himself, Lucion felt that he had become a different person to the point that he couldn’t remember how ragged Hume looked when he was curled up in a corner.
“Yeah.” Lucion nodded and looked at the room.
‘Still, my father treated him as a guest.’
It was fortunate that Novio let Hume stay in the guest room.
“Thank you.”
Hume bowed to Lucion as he looked at Ratta looking at him behind Lucion’s leg.
“I learned how to say hello. Is that correct?”
[He’s not a 3-year-old kid. What’s wrong with his words?]
Something was strange in Hume’s tone, Russell thought so, folding his arms, as he stared at him.
“In fact, it’s almost the first time I’ve ever said something like this. Uh, so, I hope you understand.” Hume agonized for a moment and soon replied with a smile.
“Can you really see the teacher?”
Lucion was surprised again to see Hume answering Russell.
“Yes, I can see him,” Hume replied and nodded his head.
“You, no, master, no... What should I call you? I don’t want to be scolded for misnaming.”
“You heard my name.”
Hume smiled as if he understood what Lucion said.
“I also know that young master Lucion is a warlock.”
Hume uttered the word ‘warlock’ in a very small voice and carefully.
“Young master Lucion’s darkness has allowed me to function normally in a few years.”
[What are you talking about?]
“I was made into a being called a monster in the past. I did not become a perfect monster, so I had to be constantly supplied with darkness.”
[Really? ...Nope. They are no longer in this land!]
Russell’s voice became louder.
Hume suddenly stuck out his tongue. His tongue had a black star engraved the same symbol engraved when a ghost submitted to a warlock.
‘Why is that there?’ Lucion thought as his eyes were full of doubts.