Chapter 542

Chapter 542

"The esteemed guests have arrived," Diana opened the dining hall doors and announced in a lifeless voice as she stepped inside.

Following leisurely behind her, Ian took in the scene.

Another feast.

At the far end of the empty dining hall, a large rectangular table was laden with all sorts of dishes, which still looked warm. Of course, Ian was likely the only one interested in the food. Thesaya, dressed in a red formal gown, sat at the head of the table, exuding a powerful presence.

"Huh…"

Her gaze, a cigarette holder held between her lips, was already sweeping over the area behind Ian, scanning Lucia and Mukapa.

Meanwhile, the fairy servant, Phoebe, was circling the table, filling wine glasses. A cold dissatisfaction emanated from her downcast, expressionless face.

Looks like she’s not happy about this either.

Thinking, Ian crossed the room after Diana. A few seconds later, Thesaya tapped her cigarette holder, knocking off the ash, and rose from her seat. At her glance, Ian stopped in front of the table while Diana trudged off to the left.

Despite Diana and Phoebe’s presence, a faint smile touched her lips.

As Lucia gave a slight bow, she placed her left hand on her chest and added, "I am Thesaya Erenos, Head of the House of Erenos, a member of the Southern Council of Elders, and the youngest root of the Tree of Life. And also…"

Thesaya’s long, slender eyes curved into a faint arc. "I am a dear friend of the Agent of the Saint and Sir Mev. I’ve heard much about you. I’m glad we finally met."

Why does she sound like some wise old matriarch?

Ian firmly suppressed a smile. In any case, it seemed she had no intention of being as high-handed as she was with the other fairies.

"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Lucifer Ash Riurel, Apostle of the Blazing Goddess and the new spark of the Brazier," Lucia replied, curtsying politely.

Bowing her head respectfully, she added, "I, too, have heard much about you. Thank you for your hospitality, my lady."

"I don't like that title. I have crossed the line between life and death with Sir Mev, so her sister is as my own. So would you not think of me as such?" said Thesaya, smiling.

Lucia blinked, then smiled. "Yes, I will, Sister. Please call me Lucy, as well."

"Yes. That sounds much better. I will gladly do so, Lucy."

So, she just wanted to be called sister.

At Thesaya’s smile, which looked almost proud, Ian once again swallowed a scoff. Meanwhile, their conversation continued.

"You resemble Sir Mev a great deal. I see why Ian is particularly fond of you."

"You are beautiful as well, Sister. Much more so than I had heard."

"Oh my, and you speak beautifully, too. Have you heard of Sir Mev’s visit here?"

"Yes, thanks to you."

Thesaya nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Ian, and added, "Your sister will be very happy to see you again. Do not worry. I will be with you to ensure you meet safely."

"I feel at ease already. Thank you," Lucia said with a bright smile. Having heard the story from Ian, she wasn’t surprised.

Of course, from Diana, who was standing to the left of the table, and Phoebe, who had retreated after filling the glasses, came sighs and clicks of the tongue.

Pretending not to hear, Thesaya turned her gaze. "And you?"

"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Head of House. I am Mukapa of Vanatir, son of Valdit," said Mukapa.

Bowing his head slightly, he continued, "By the order of Lady Sonnier, I am to escort the esteemed guests, including the Agent of the Saint, to the mainland."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mukapa of Vanatir. Gray skin, hm? Then I’m truly honored to be guarded by one of the desert’s most noble warriors."

"You flatter me, my lady."

Does skin color mean something?

Ian glanced at Mukapa. True enough. Most of the orcs he had seen had yellowish skin, and the number of gray-skinned ones he had encountered could be counted on one hand.

"I have kept our esteemed guests standing for too long. Please, sit. Let us continue our conversation over a meal," Thesaya said then, gesturing to the table.

Ian quickly moved to the side of the table. His stomach had been rumbling nonstop. Diana, who had been standing to the left of the table, also approached the seat opposite him.

I’m going to lose my appetite just looking at her.

Ian swallowed a silent laugh at her lifeless face.

As Lucia sat next to him and Mukapa next to Diana, Ian picked up his wineglass and said, "You’ll be leaving the family for quite some time if you leave this time. Will you really be alright?"

"Of course. The acting Head of House has been handling her duties very well. More meticulously, in fact, than when I was doing them myself," Thesaya answered promptly, glancing at Diana.

"You are… too kind…" Diana murmured. Of course, her tone was anything but happy. She put down her fork and knife again, as if what little appetite she had had just vanished.

"In that case, instead of just having her act as your representative, why not give her more authority? So she can command the subordinates more freely," Ian added suggestively after taking a sip of wine.

Diana’s eyes widened as she looked at him.

Without even glancing her way, Ian looked at Thesaya. "That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?"

"Hmm…" Thesaya looked at Diana.

Diana swallowed dryly, unable to even meet her eyes.

"Very well. It is a bit early, but the Agent of the Saint has a point. At this family meeting, I will formally appoint you as the acting Head of House and delegate all authority to you," Thesaya finally said, her eyes having been narrowed in thought.

Diana’s wide eyes flashed. She couldn’t hide the way the corners of her lips twitched and curled up.

Looking at the side of her face, Thesaya added coldly, "Know that this does not mean you can dump all your work on others."

"Of course, my lady!" Diana replied, bowing her head. All the while, she was sending Ian a heated gaze of gratitude.

I don’t think it’s something to be that happy about.

Thinking, Ian gave a slight tilt of his wineglass and brought it to his lips. Then again, she was destined to be worked to the bone as the acting head anyway. For now, she was likely just satisfied with the breathing room.

Thesaya clicked her tongue and turned her gaze. "Has the next destination been decided?"

"We plan to go to Rune Catis first," Lucia, who had been chewing, answered. Ian had just taken a bite of meat, so the reply had fallen to her.

Thesaya nodded. "Rune Catis… so you plan to take a ship from the archipelago."

"Yes, Sister. His Excellency the Duke wrote us a letter of introduction."

"It might be useless if we’re late, though," Ian added suggestively.

Thesaya put on a feigned look of concern. "Oh my. Then we must hurry. How about you rest for one more day tomorrow and leave the day after?"

It was clear she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

As Phoebe’s sigh brushed past his ear, Ian pretended not to notice and nodded. "Well, let’s do that."

"Then we must prepare right after the family meeting tomorrow. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, besides a bath, I don’t really need anything, but…" Ian murmured, then glanced at Lucia sitting next to him. "I heard there are many excellent books at the library. Lucy was full of praise. Could you let her take a few?"

As Lucia’s eyes widened, Ian added, "She’s still at an age where there’s plenty left to learn."

"With all due respect, Saint’s Proxy, the books in the library are—" Phoebe began, frowning, but she paused. It was because Thesaya had turned to her, holding up an index finger as if to silence her.

"No matter how precious a treasure is, it is but trash if it has no use. You are not unaware that dust is just piling up in the library, are you, Phoebe?"

As Phoebe fell silent with a hum, Thesaya turned to Lucia with a smile, as if she had never been stern. "So choose as you please, Lucy. I will give you as many as you want."

"Sister!" Lucia let out a breathy gasp of gratitude, which clearly pleased Thesaya even more.

Nodding, Thesaya picked up the wineglass in front of her. "If you need anything else, just say the word. To this sister of yours."

"I will. Thank you, Sister."

"That’s right. Want a cigarette, too?"

"Uh… Sir Ian doesn’t like that."

"Really? Then I guess not."

Thesaya’s unexpected response made Diana pause mid-bite.

Then Thesaya looked at Ian, who was chewing his meat. "After the family meeting tomorrow, please come to the garden for a moment."

Ian rolled his eyes to look at her. Thesaya’s eyes curved suggestively. "I have something to give you. Please do not refuse."

"…Alright." Ian nodded.

What is she trying to give me now?

Thesaya, smiling with satisfaction, picked up her fork.

—Seeing as everyone is quiet…

It wasn’t long before a low whisper spread through Ian’s mind. Yog, who had silently crawled up to the armrest, was flicking its tongue.

—It seems I’m late again.

It was enough to make not only Ian and Lucia, but also Diana, twitch the corners of their lips.

***

Crunch— Crunch—

The sound of Moro chewing on raw meat echoed. Ian, holding a basket of meat in one hand, looked around the stable. It smelled a bit, but it was a fairly clean space. The only downside was that it was in the corner and didn’t get any sunlight, but that made it the perfect space for this creature.

"We’re leaving tomorrow. Eat up while you can," Ian said, finally looking back at Moro. "When there are more eyes on us, you’ll have to eat grass instead of meat."

Though it snorted as if reluctant, Moro tossed its head. Its jaw was still moving nonstop.

"Try hiding your presence better, too. I know you enjoy it, but if you keep spooking the horses everywhere we go, it’s going to draw suspicion."

At that, the beast huffed again. A faint purple light swirled in its eyes, and its fur, which had been black as if absorbing light, gradually gained a soft sheen.

"See? You can do it."

Smiling, Ian patted Moro’s neck. Thanks to the chaos energy Yog had given it, Moro looked brimming with strength. Of course, it was also thanks to Lucia’s affectionate care all this time.

It was then that a white horse with a lush mane suddenly came to mind.

If nothing happens to this one, they will eventually get to meet.

Ian silently smacked his lips. Nila and Moro were polar opposites. They might even try to kill each other the moment they met.

I’ll have to stop them with force then… To think I might end up having to mediate a fight between horses.

A sigh escaped him automatically, but it couldn’t be helped. He had no intention of abandoning either of them. If they could just get along, he could choose whichever suited the situation to ride.

Maybe I should find a servant or a groom…

Ian’s gaze, lost in thought, suddenly shifted to the closed stable door. Someone was approaching.

"…It is Phoebe, Agent of the Saint."

At the voice, Ian, who had dumped all the meat from the basket in his hand, turned around, not forgetting to whisper to Moro to get plenty of rest.

"I will escort you. The Head of House is waiting in the garden," Phoebe, who had been waiting in the passageway, said with a bored expression, reaching out to take the basket from Ian.

Readily following behind her, Ian added, "I thought this meeting would be long. It ended sooner than I expected."

"It was no different from usual," said Phoebe with a sigh. It meant that, as always, it had ended one-sided.

Sure enough, in the forest, fairies with serious expressions were walking out in groups of two and three.

"A secret mission from the Deep Forest…"

"What kind of order could it be to be called an opportunity for central advancement…"

The murmurs faded the moment they spotted Ian approaching.

Ah, right. She must have reduced the opposition by stimulating their greed.

Suppressing a laugh, Ian pretended not to notice and entered the forest. Phoebe, who had been leading him down the path, stopped before they even reached the garden.

"This is as far as I’ll go."

She turned around and bowed slightly. Her attitude was as if she were arranging a secret meeting.

Ian gave a calm nod and said, "Have some bathwater ready before dinner."

"Yes. …Um, Agent of the Saint," said Phoebe, just after Ian had passed her.

As Ian, who had stopped, turned his head slightly to look at her, Phoebe continued in a whisper, "Please ensure that the Head of House can return safely."

The corner of Ian’s mouth curled up slightly. It seemed that, despite everything, she held some affection for Thesaya.

"I’ll do what I can."

Leaving Phoebe, who was curtsying, behind, Ian started walking again. Soon, the garden, with its throne of gnarled wooden chairs rising beyond the forest branches, came into view.

"She said she had something to give me…" Ian’s eyebrows shot up.

Thesaya, dressed in her formal gown, was standing barefoot on the armrest of the chair. She was on her tiptoes, holding a dagger high above her head with her right hand.

"Oh, you’re here already, Ian?"

She, who had belatedly spotted Ian crossing the garden, smiled while precariously balancing. "I was trying to do it before you arrived, but the pointy-ears were dawdling."

"What, are you trying to break off a branch or something?" Ian said, approaching without stopping.

Thesaya shook her head and answered, holding up her left hand. "No. I’m going to collect some sap."

In her left hand was a long, empty glass bottle. It was a bottle that had once contained the Elixir of Life.

"The sap of the Tree of Life is condensed with magic. It’ll be helpful to you, too, Ian. I’ll put some in here for you."

"Then you can just take that for yourself."

Thesaya, who had been bringing the blade to the branch again, paused. "I told you not to refuse. I received a lot of help this time, too. Compared to that, this is just a small token of my gratitude."

Ian pulled his right hand out of his pocket dimension and showed her the empty bottle in his hand. "I’m not saying I won’t take it. I kept an empty bottle, too."