Chapter 65: The Phantom Of Griffin

Chapter 65: The Phantom Of Griffin

The Phantom of Griffin

Did you come to rescue your siblings, Margrave Norseweden?

Darius was perplexed about what answer to give as a response to Archmage Ropelicans question.

Should he uphold his beliefs, or should he weave in a lie within his excuse just to get by?

Though his heart leaned towards the latter, his mouth wouldnt comply with his pride.

Yes.

Darius openly acknowledged his intention. After speaking, he somehow regretted his own foolishness. However, Ropelican seemed rather satisfied with this, chuckling with a wry smile.

I like your confidence. You resemble your father, Damos, the Giant of the North.

Ssrrrk.

As Ropelican lowered his staff, Darius coughed while slumping down from the wall with considerable difficulty.

Outside the wall, the trio were asking if he was okay, but it wasnt a situation where he could respond.

Are those your companions? Thats good, then. Let them in for now.

Pardon?

Darius couldnt comprehend the situation, but since he was prompted by Ropelican to act fast, he securely fixed the rope.

The trio swiftly crossed the wall.

Huh?!

Whats this?

Did you betray us?!

The bewildered trio immediately questioned Darius. However, they could only open and close their mouths like goldfish, unable to utter another word.

The Archmage had cast a spell to block their sounds, making their sudden attempt to shout at the unexpected situation seem like a kind of theatrical performance.

Ropelican gestured to Darius and the silenced trio, and said,

Follow me. Ill take you to them.

* * *

King Orpheus still sat in the Royal Familys secret chamber, flipping through the records.

Just like the flame on the candlestick placed beside him, his gloomy heart continuously hesitated and wavered intensely.

His bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked traces revealed a sense of fatigue as he turned the pages unfolding the Griffin Royal Familys origin.

With each turn, his chest trembled; he was overwhelmed by guilt and disgust, almost provoking a feeling of nausea.

Despite taking a strong stance against inhumane acts in the Clark Republic, Orpheus found the authors of the records to be no different from a pot calling the kettle black, which was quite embarrassing.

Orpheus couldnt help but be shocked by the fact that to prevent the revelation of the country founded by a dark mage, the Royal Familys history also aggressively suppressed fellow dark mages.

These records were indeed an abyss of dark secrets.

Just when the King thought it couldnt get any worse, after flipping through a few more pages, he was exposed to even more diabolical thoughts.

However, one thing strongly resonated throughout the pagesan obsession with being royalty.

Perhaps this obsession stemmed from their origin as dark mages, who were always disdained and looked down upon.

Or, maybe the bloodline might have carried an innate ambition and stubbornness for power and authority.

As time passed and the authors changed, the obsession continued to persist like a deep-seated delusion, portraying a strong dedication to upholding the Royal Familys name.

It was like

It was like Mother.

The more he read, the more Orpheus recalled his mothers excessive attachment to royalty.

Having been educated by Ropelican, he could resist being influenced by her. His sister, Eleanor, on the other hand, was severely tormented by their mother, Hylan.

Therefore, Orpheus and Eleanor both harbored a strong resistance towards formalities, despite being in the direct line of royalty.

Huff.

His eyes stung from fatigue. Even with the crushing weight of guilt, King Orpheus slowly returned to his original self.

Everything was confusing and disgusting, and he hated it to the point of anger.

I cannot evade responsibility.

In the end, all this responsibility was an unavoidable weight that the current Royal Family had to bear.

Im sorry, Deus.

In a low tone, he apologized to Deus, whom he had imprisoned.

Despite knowing all these truths, Deus kept his lips sealed until Orpheus asked.

Deus kept silent; he did not let anything out, even when he held information that could destroy Griffin Kingdom.

At the time, the King arrested Deus immediately to prevent him from speaking to anyone. He did this to protect the Royal Family.

However, the more Orpheus pondered about it, the more Deus truly seemed like a loyal subject.

Orpheus slowly stood up.

Though it was late at night, he considered going now to release Deus from captivity. However

Bang!

The door suddenly closed forcefully.

Despite there being no wind, the candlelight extinguished as if abruptly snuffed out.

Hmm?

Wondering what was happening, he manifested mana in his hand to illuminate the room.

[Foolish kid.]

A grim face emerged in the light.

Startled, King Orpheus took a step back without even being able to scream.

The grim face followed Orpheus as it was.

I have clearly mentioned that I would consider it carefully.

Since King Orpheus hadnt made his decision, I had no plans to escape recklessly and make a fuss by myself.

Ropelican avoided my gaze and refused to respond when I frowned and said this.

While I appreciated that Darius came here to rescue Deia and me, he just watched the situation unfold oddly without doing anything.

When I was about to speak, Deias bare leg popped out from the side. She stood with one leg in her pants, leaning her back against me.

Have a sense of shame.

I suddenly directed the words I had intended to say to Darius and Ropelican towards Deia.

Huh? Thats probably not something you should say.

.

Try living with two men who dont act like your older brothers at all. Theyre all the same.

After saying something like that, she immediately shut her mouth. Thats because, right now, only Deia knew that I was not the real Deus.

I would someday have to tell Darius but now was not the right time.

Anyway, after completely putting on her clothes, Deia came out from behind me. Seeing the magic gun hanging from her leather belt, it seemed she really risked her life entering Graypond.

I was about to say that everyone should return first and we should continue waiting. However

[B-big trouble!]

The Dark Spiritualist shouted as she came through the wall, making a fuss. I had entrusted her to keep an eye on King Orpheus.

However, since she came out like this, I wondered if the King made a negative decision.

However, the response was beyond my imagination.

An evil spirit lurked deep within Griffin Kingdom, possessing the bodies of past kings. Now, it had taken over Orpheuss body.

It was so absurd, to the point of being unbelievable.

There is such a hidden twist like this?

There was no such content in [Retry]. However, upon a little reflection, it seemed more appropriate to say that it was simply unknown.

Because there was no dark mage in the party.

The Saintess, too, had temporarily joined the party, but she was not a party member when they were working in Graypond.

Tsk, did we just waste our efforts?

The others who couldnt hear the Dark Spiritualists voice were looking at me with strange expressions.

Darius had an uncomfortable expression, asking if we should go back, and Ropelican was still awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

No.

I put on the jacket that Deia handed me and stepped outside the bars.

The situation has changed.

A thunderous sound of approaching footsteps came from outside.

Knights in red armor lined up and entered the prison.

They were surprised to see Ropelican here.

Soon, a woman with an imposing presence walked forward, straightening out the mess.

Despite being the smallest among the armored knights, she stood at the pinnacle of the Royal Knights, which directly served the Royal Family.

She was Gloria Grace, the Royal Knight Commander.

She was the sharpest sword in the Kingdom, even being able to match the prowess of Mage Tribunal Judge Tyren Ol Velocus.

With her red hair fluttering, she sharply stared at me and asked,

Deus Verdi, the wicked dark mage, a sinner who has insulted the Royal Family. His Majesty has ordered your immediate execution by the Royal Knights.

How efficient.

As I responded with honest sarcasm, Glorias eyes slightly flickered.

There is no trial held for someone claiming to be a dark mage. One cannot expect a fair judgment.

How was this different from the witch trials during medieval times?

Well, it doesnt matter.

Right, it didnt matter at all.

When you approach me this unreasonably, Ill respond with an equal force of unreasonableness.

I wouldnt stop at all. Deia and Darius, too, followed behind and prepared for battle.

I quickly realized that if we didnt fight, everyone would die anyway.

Do you think you can escape?

With a disbelieving expression, Gloria drew her sword. In response, the Royal Knights also drew their swords, as if choreographed.

Swinging those swords in such a narrow passage didnt seem easy.

Yet, it wouldnt be a problem for them, as they were skilled knights.

However, there was something I needed to clarify.

Im not running away.

At some point, the Lemegeton brought by the Dark Spiritualist emitted a subtle black glow in my palm.

Like a magician performing card tricks in front of his audience, I skillfully did it in the blink of an eye.

I could feel the evil spirits wailing, echoing like reverberations from all around me.

Youre not running away?

As if she considered my words an insult, Gloria gritted her teeth, gripping the sword with both hands and preparing herself.

I just

However, I once again clarified.

I just want an audience with His /genesisforsaken