Chapter 334

◈ Episode 334: White Lion (2)

A grand reception room prepared to welcome a foreign delegation.

In that spacious area, two groups stood facing each other, dividing the space.

On one side were the knights and priests wearing white ceremonial robes and white armor on top.

On the other side were the Imperial Royal Guards, dressed in silver uniforms, arranged in formation.

Although it was a space to accommodate important guests, the atmosphere in the reception room was extremely tense.

"Hmm. The tea tastes good."

A man with a relaxed attitude, as if completely unaffected by the heavy and tense atmosphere, made a remark.

He had a fairly ordinary appearance.

With his messy brown hair and a few freckles, his expression exuded arrogance.

Aileen, sitting opposite him, stared at the man with narrowed eyes.

"But I've heard that the Empire has better tea leaves. It seems they weren't prepared, after all. Ah, of course, I'm not saying that this tea tastes bad, but it doesn't quite meet my standards."

The disrespectful remark made the Royal Guards bristle.

However, as well-trained as they were, no one dared to speak out of turn.

Instead, they glared back at the man with liveliness in their eyes, pressuring him with their gaze.

But the man confidently held his head high, not because he believed in his own abilities, but because he trusted the knights standing behind him.

And even more than that.

He trusted the woman sitting next to him.

"We have also heard about the unfortunate incident that took place in the capital of the Exilion Empire. It's truly regrettable."

"It gives me strength to receive comforting words from the Breutus Kingdom, even sending a delegation. Thank you for your concern."

Eileen spoke without changing her expression.

"However, it's quite surprising that you've brought so many people with you if you're here to help and worry about the unfortunate incident."

Eileen's gaze lingered on the woman sitting next to the smirking man.

She was dressed in pure white attire, with a tiara adorning her forehead.

Sitting elegantly with a faint smile on her lips, she had an air of dignified grace that almost resembled a mannequin imitating a human, sending a strange chill down Eileen's spine.

Eileen immediately grasped the identity of the woman.

'Is she a priestess from their homeland?'

The Breutus Kingdom established branches of the Lumensis Order in each country and sent their own people there.

In every major city of a country, there was always a district head, who could exert some influence in their area.

But even such district heads could only lower their heads when they returned to their homeland, facing the person standing right in front of them.

A priestess.

In the Lumensis Order, priests usually served as intermediaries between gods and humans, playing the role of a communication bridge.

Therefore, they were regarded as 'the humans closest to the gods' among people.

In the Breutus Kingdom, it was a position that could not be considered low.

'But she is so young.'

When one hears the word 'priestess,' they would typically imagine an elderly person, but that was not the case in the Breutus Kingdom.

They handpicked women in their mid-twenties as priestesses, as if it were a sacred vow.

Although the number of priestesses did not exceed ten, it was a well-known secret that all the priestesses wore tiaras.

Whether the anonymous priestess knew that Eileen was staring at her or not, she smiled more intensely, as if a smile soaked in genuine compassion.

It wasn't a sneer or a mockery, but a smile that seemed to have slipped away from true benevolence.

However, Eileen didn't like that smile at all.

Whether it was because she had a rough appearance or because she could exert influence even in the dark world, Eileen always felt uncomfortable around people like her.

Especially if the other person was from the Breutus Kingdom, it made her even more uneasy.

'Moreover, it hasn't been long since the terrorist incident ended, yet they brought such a large force to the capital. It's as if they knew this would happen and made preparations without giving us a chance to react.'

Could it have been exposed? Or was it simply a coincidence?

While Aileen pondered over various possibilities in her mind, the deputy priest couldn't hide his displeasure.

"You are being disrespectful. Don't you know who you are facing right now?"

Right, there was such a guy in this gathering.

A foolish fox who believed that the power of the deputy priest was his own power.

"It is you who is truly disrespectful. Do you not know who you are facing right now?"

"But you are not the Emperor."

"However, I can become the Emperor. Unlike you, who can never ascend to the position of a priest, even as a deputy."

Aileen's sharp remark made the deputy's face turn red.

Having relied on the authority of the priestess to establish his own position and roam freely, deep down in his heart, he felt a sense of despair that he could never become a priestess.

Aileen, being quick-witted, immediately grasped the opponent's weakness.

The deputy priest was about to say something in response but soon had a mischievous smile on his face.

"The homeland? You are the deputy of the priests, not the deputy of the Bretus Kingdom. Yet you dare to speak in the name of the country? Truly an arrogant remark."

At those words, the deputy high priest fell into contemplation.

Eileen effortlessly turned his half-threatening words back on him with her own rudeness.

The deputy priest glanced at the priestess sitting beside him anxiously.

That glance urgently conveyed that his words were by no means meant in that sense.

"Indeed, they say the next Empress is extremely strong, beautiful, and intelligent. Those words seem not completely unfounded."

Surprisingly, it was the priestess herself who had remained silent until now who spoke up.

"I thought you were unable to speak."

"I simply didn't see the necessity. However, in this particular situation, I cannot stay silent, considering the opposing party involved."

"Ha."

Eileen responded with a laugh to those words.

She thought it wouldn't be easy for the priestess herself to step forward.

It's probably also unsettling for them to leave the task to that blockhead.

It's a pity.

She had planned to dig a little deeper.

However, contrary to Eileen's expectations, the priestess slowly stood up from her seat.

"We will take our leave now. Even as we are engaged in this conversation, somewhere in this world, an impure group is plotting something sinister."

As if there would be an impure group as impure as you.

Eileen barely restrained herself from saying those words.

It was gratifying to know that those annoying and bothersome individuals would leave on their own.

Watching the members of the Lumensis Order leaving alongside the priestess, Eileen clicked her tongue in annoyance.

'For now, it seems like the immediate crisis has been averted, but judging by their reactions, it seems they still suspect us.'

Even though we've hidden it as much as possible, if they start investigating, they might discover some traces.

And naturally, that will also lead to Rudger getting involved.

Judging by Rudger's reaction, he seemed to despise the Lumensis Order a lot.

If it's a relationship where they explode just by coming into contact, like fire and gunpowder, anything could happen suddenly.

'For now, I sent Mandelina to warn that man to be careful.'

He's perceptive enough to protect himself and avoid danger on his own.

* * *

Rudger silently watched the group of people approaching him head-on.

The moment he realized who they were, he couldn't help but feel awkward.

'The envoys from the Bretus Kingdom that Mandelina mentioned. Of all places, I have to encounter them here.'

It was an absurd situation.

He deliberately avoided paths where they could possibly be moving, yet they ended up crossing paths.

They didn't seem to have any specific intention.

It was just a coincidental encounter while passing by.

'Let's just ignore them and move on.'

As Rudger was about to think that way, the woman wearing a tiara at the forefront turned her head towards Rudger.

Her gaze was hidden behind the tiara, but she was clearly staring at Rudger.

"Who are you?"

"...."

He tried to ignore them intentionally, but they initiated the conversation.

Rudger silently looked at the woman with the tiara.

At a glance, she held the highest position among this group.

If she was accompanied by such a high level of escort from their homeland...

"Is she the priestess?"

While Rudger was having such thoughts, the deputy priest came up to him, fuming with anger.

"Hey! She's asking who the hell you are. Are you deaf or something?"

The deputy priest was not in a good mood.

He had been mocked by Princess Eileen during their conversation and failed to fulfill his role properly.

Just that alone was embarrassing enough, and now this guy dared to approach the priestess, so his frustration boiled up.

"Hey, what's wrong with your ears? Or is it a problem with your mouth? priestess, it seems this guy might be deaf or something."

"Did you say 'priestess'?"

Rudger stared intently at the woman with the tiara and spoke.

The deputy priest, who didn't expect Rudger to suddenly speak, looked at him with a puzzled expression, saying, "Huh? Huh?"

"It seems you're accompanied by a suitable retinue for yourself."