Ending Maker Chapter 22
Ending Maker Chapter 22
Chapter 5 - Devil's Hand #3
A social gathering.
The name alone might suggest a small get-together at some tavern, but when the hosts were the children of the Twelve Northern Houses, the scale was bound to be different.
The gathering of the Twelve Northern Houses was not merely a meeting for their children, but a banquet attended by many other guests as well.
People who wanted ties with the Twelve Northern Houses, influential figures from Langesthei, celebrities the young heirs were interested in, and many others attended the gathering each year.
At this scale, the gathering was one of the big events eagerly anticipated each year in the social circles around Langesthei, and one's standing in society varied depending on whether one had been invited to the gathering or not.
Anyway, for that reason.
"Wow," they said in unison.
Yuder and Cordelia emerged from their rooms, met in the drawing room, and were both genuinely impressed.
A peerlessly handsome boy and a peerlessly beautiful girl had dressed their best for the banquet, and the result was dazzling enough to make anyone stare.
'She's pretty.'
If Cordelia by the valley had seemed mysterious like a fairy, Cordelia now was beautiful like a goddess.
Her slightly wavy red hair, tinged with pink, not only swayed softly but even sparkled, and her white skin was full of vitality.
What she wore was a red dress.
Cordelia usually looked somewhat younger than her age because of her bright expression, but when she wore a red dress with a mature feel that fully exposed her shoulder line, her hidden alluring beauty burst vividly to life.
The skirt was quite narrow, unlike usual, and the lines of Cordelia's slender, long legs were glimpsed now and then, enchanting onlookers.
Of course, Yuder was impressive too.
It had only been a month, but the elixirs from Count Chase and the Heavenly Martial Body had already filled out Yuder’s formerly gaunt frame.
Now that his naturally good frame had filled out, Yuder finally looked good in a suit—and proved once again that a handsome face completed any outfit.
Strong yet mysterious green eyes set within soft facial lines.
Yuder and Cordelia stared at each other for a moment. Dahlia and Maia, who had been just as entranced, soon exchanged satisfied smiles.
'You're quite good.'
'You're the one.'
'Honestly, the person wearing it is just that good.'
'Same here.'
Either way, both of them were thoroughly satisfied.
Moreover, thinking that those two would now enter the banquet hall together, a smile naturally formed at the corners of their lips.
Should one say they wanted to see other people's reactions quickly?
"Now, now, let's depart."
"Young master, you must escort her."
"Ah, uh."
When Yuder, prompted by Maia, extended his hand to Cordelia, she too, who had been dazed, quickly came to her senses and took Yuder's hand.
'Wow, seriously. If it weren't for Outboxer, my heart would have fluttered.'
'You too? Me too.'
The two, who exchanged glances, laughed as if it were absurd, then passed the knights who could not hide their admiration and climbed into the carriage.
"Hoo."
"Ha."
Since it was not the large four-wheeled carriage they had ridden during the journey, but a small carriage operating within Langesthei, Maia and Dahlia were scheduled to ride a different carriage.
Once they were finally alone, Yuder and Cordelia immediately relaxed their posture.
"You really dressed up."
"You're the same, you know?"
Cordelia, who snorted with a hmph, looked herself over anew and grinned.
"Why?"
"Because I'm pretty. Cordelia is the prettiest, as expected."
"Ugh, narcissism. Don't do that in front of others."
"Hmph, but it's still true that Cordelia is pretty. You think I'm pretty too, right?"
"Well, you are pretty... but I'm relieved."
"About what?"
"That I snapped out of it when you used third-person speech."
Because his heart fluttering at the sight of Yellow Storm was something that must never happen.
Yuder, who let out a sigh of relief anew while looking at Cordelia snorting with a hmph, straightened his posture and said.
"Anyway, let's not space out too much. It's an important day."
"You got some rest, right? You went through a lot yesterday."
The hardship from yesterday.
Strictly speaking, it was not Phase 4 but more like Phase 3.5.
At Cordelia's question, Yuder briefly wore a sad expression as he remembered yesterday's events, but soon grinned.
"Well, the hardship will have been worth it. Though honestly, not using it at all would be best."
If things went well, there would be no occasion to use it.
Cordelia nodded in agreement and reached out to Yuder again.
"Stay still for a moment."
"Huh?"
"Stay still, just a bit."
Yuder tensed without realizing it because she approached closely with a serious face, but he soon learned her purpose.
"Your tie is crooked."
Cordelia caught hold of Yuder’s bow tie, adjusted it several times, and finally smiled in satisfaction.
"Good, done. Just right."
Cordelia thumped Yuder on the chest, sat back down, and Yuder let out a dry cough.
"Ahem, ahem."
"Why, embarrassed?"
"As if."
"Seeing you like this, you do have a cute side, huh?"
The way she laughed—“heh heh”—somehow reminded Yuder of the Fairy Queen.
"Let's focus, focus. Today is a really important day. You know?"
"I know."
It was the same as when they had gone to find Leisegang.
Nervousness was making them spout even more nonsense than usual.
Yuder, who steadied his breathing anew, looked out the carriage window.
A red sunset was spreading as the sun slowly set.
* * *
The gathering was being held at one of Langesthei’s most famous restaurants, a place financed by the Count Hraesvelgr Household.
Even though the gathering had not yet begun, the banquet hall was bustling, and at a glance there were several places where people were especially crowded.
'The children of the Twelve Northern Houses.'
Lucas Hraesvelgr, the host of this gathering and the heir of Hraesvelgr, the foremost of the Twelve Families.
Sylvia Crossbell, the young lady of the Count Crossbell Household, which boasted immense wealth.
Among the sons and daughters of the Twelve Families gathered here today, these two especially stood out, and as if proving it, the people gathered around them to try to exchange even a single word formed a sea of people.
'Hmm, there are some kids being left out too.'
Even though they were called the Twelve Families, not all of their powers were equal.
Against the left wall, a gloomy-looking girl stood with a cowed face among her escort knights, and she was clearly Viola of the Viscount Lang Household.
Sylvia spent most of the year inside the mansion—usually in her own room—and her fear of people was so severe that she could barely speak in a crowd like this.
'If she survives, she becomes a good friend of Cordelia's.'
More precisely, the two were close enough to treat each other like sisters.
Yuder turned his gaze elsewhere again.
The twin brothers of the Count Dahut Household were glaring at Lucas with dissatisfied eyes, and Felix Duran of the Marquis Duran Household, the eldest among the young heirs at this gathering, was sending a heated gaze toward Sylvia.
Including Yuder and Cordelia, a total of eight were the sons and daughters of the Twelve Families attending this gathering.
"Oh, Lady Cordelia. Is the person beside you perhaps your fiancé, Lord Yuder Bayel?"
At the voice heard from beside him, Yuder reflexively turned and saw a young nobleman of Langesthei speaking to Cordelia.
Cordelia looked at the young man as though her memory were hazy, then smiled brightly and launched into her usual stiff, textbook-like delivery.
"This is my fiancé, Lord Yuder Bayel."
"Oh! As expected! Of the Count Bayel Household!"
At the appearance of a new face—Yuder, who had never shown himself at an official function before—the banquet hall stirred for a moment.
"That person?"
"His looks exceed the rumors."
"For someone called the Count Household's anguish, he looks fine?"
"Has his illness been cured?"
That was when people here and there began murmuring in low voices.
The scattered children of the Twelve Northern Houses began moving toward Yuder and Cordelia, and a path opened before them as if the Red Sea were parting.
Cordelia fixed her gaze on Viola, who was hesitantly approaching from afar, while Yuder lightly dismissed the gazes of the swaggering twin brothers and Felix, who would no longer attend the gathering from next year, then looked toward Lucas and Sylvia.
'Both of them really do stand out.'
Cordelia still had a girlish air, but Sylvia, despite being only a year older, carried a mature quality in her gaze, her smallest gestures, and her distinctly curvaceous figure.
Her long sky-blue hair framed a snow-white dress, and her blue eyes were full of curiosity as she looked at Yuder and Cordelia.
And Lucas Hraesvelgr.
The blond, handsome young man at the center of today’s gathering approached with a confident stride. Though only sixteen and a year younger than Yuder, he was nearly a full head taller.
His body, too, was solid beyond measure since he had trained from childhood.
"It's been a while, Cordelia."
"It’s been a while, Sylvia."
When Sylvia smiled brightly and spoke, Cordelia replied with slightly reddened cheeks.
Because Sylvia's beauty was so alluring that even another woman would fall for it.
'But unexpectedly, it's bearable?'
Yuder himself had come with his heart firmly prepared in case he lost his wits, but unexpectedly, how should he put it—it just felt like watching a Hollywood actress in a movie?
'Maybe I've gotten used to peerless beauties.'
To be precise, a peerless beautiful girl.
Either way, thanks to that, Yuder was able to maintain his composure even before the devastatingly beautiful Sylvia and introduce himself with dignity.
"I am Yuder Bayel of the Count Bayel Household. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Lord Yuder. I was very curious about what kind of person Cordelia's fiancé would be."
Sylvia, who smiled elegantly, looked at Yuder with a slightly observing gaze, but unfortunately, now was not the time to converse with Sylvia.
Yuder left Sylvia to Cordelia and turned to Lucas, who had already come close enough to exchange greetings.
As expected, Lucas spoke first.
"I am Lucas Hraesvelgr of the Count Hraesvelgr Household."
He extended his hand as if requesting a handshake, and his blue eyes held no particular emotion.
Not that he was indifferent—just the feeling of greeting a new guest?
'Well, Yuder is known as someone who can't learn martial arts because of his chronic illness.'
As befitting someone born with tremendous talent for the sword, Lucas had a personality that enjoyed becoming stronger itself, and because of that, he had a slightly bad habit of varying his degree of interest depending on whether someone was strong or not when he met them.
'As expected... or not?'
One reason Yuder had paid attention to Lucas apart from the attack on this gathering.
'Playable Character.'
Yuder and Cordelia, who were Playable Characters, were the reincarnations of Outboxer009 and Yellow Storm respectively.
Then what about the other Playable Characters?
Could Lucas also be someone’s reincarnation—for example, the player who ranked #3 on the server?
'Judging by his eyes right now, he's not.'
If the other party were also a ranker of Hero Legend 2, they would have had thoughts similar to his own.
Moreover, the mysterious sensation he had felt when he first faced Cordelia was not felt from Lucas in the slightest.
'Tch, it can't be helped.'
Yuder intended to test Lucas the same way he had tested Cordelia.
"I am Yuder Bayel of the Count Bayel Household."
Yuder smiled faintly, took Lucas's hand, and said while leaning his upper body slightly forward.
"Hey, you too?"
"Lord Yuder?"
Lucas, who had been exchanging the handshake, narrowed his brow and looked at Yuder as if something were strange.
And no wonder—what was he suddenly saying in the middle of a handshake?
"Ah... um, no. Some nonsense slipped out for a moment. My Nine Yin Meridian Blockage isn't fully cured yet..."
"Ah... because of your chronic illness?"
"I've shown you an embarrassing sight. It's gradually improving, so this won't happen anymore."
"No, it's because of your illness. I hope you recover fully."
Lucas laughed refreshingly like the fine young man he was, and Cordelia, who had been watching from the side, spoke with her eyes.
'No matter how much of a miracle cure-all it is, isn't that too much?'
"Ahem, ahem."
Having nothing to say, Yuder hid his embarrassment with a dry cough.
'Still, there's a result.'
Lucas was not a ranker of Hero Legend 2.
There was no special feeling like when he had faced Cordelia, and he had genuinely been flustered by what was just said.
'I don't know whether it's misfortune or fortune.'
There were advantages and disadvantages either way.
'Because there was more than one playable character.'
Hero Legend 2 had more than ten Playable Characters.
What would happen if more than ten rankers began acting on their own, each with different intentions?
There was no guarantee the rankers would unite behind one purpose the way Yuder and Cordelia had.
They had not entered Hero Legend 2 as rankers. They had lived as characters in Hero Legend 2 and later awakened their memories as rankers.
Among the playable characters were villains and even demon worshippers, so some could instead become powerful enemies standing in Yuder and Cordelia’s way.
"I am Felix Duran."
"I am Yuder Bayel."
He exchanged formal greetings with the other sons and daughters of the Twelve Families in succession.
Felix, who was deeply infatuated with Sylvia, and the twins of the Count Dahut Household, who burned with rivalry toward Lucas, were people who would not greatly influence the overall situation whether they lived or died in the gathering attack event.
'Of course, I intend to save them all if possible.'
While conversing moderately, Yuder looked around the banquet hall.
The four mages persuaded on the first day plus the two newly joined made a total of six mages scattered about, and it felt as though they had each assigned their own areas to cover under the command of Ronin, who was the leader.
Besides them, the six knights of the Blue Lion Knights sent by Sir Barua and the escorts each of the Twelve Families had brought totaled more than thirty knights guarding various parts of the banquet hall.
'This is much better than the original.'
What remained now was when the bastards would attack.
Since Yuder himself had already shaken up the board considerably, there was no guarantee they would attack at the same time as in the original.
'In the first place, the game just glossed over it with "time passed."'
And time passed.
Had about an hour passed since the banquet began?
The music in the banquet hall suddenly changed, and Yuder and Cordelia knew the moment they had been waiting for had arrived.
'Dance time.'
Because it was a scene depicted in Hero Legend 2 as well.
If you played as Lucas, you danced with Sylvia, and if you played as Cordelia, you danced with Lucas.
But today was different.
'Do you feel it?'
'I feel it.'
The gazes of Maia and Dahlia, looking this way with eyes full of longing.
Especially Dahlia's gaze was piercing, since she had suffered greatly to create time for just the two of them.
In fact, it was not just those two.
Everyone in the banquet hall was intensely interested in the engaged couple appearing together for the first time—especially a match between two of the Twelve Northern Houses.
"Lady Cordelia, will you grant me the honor?"
"Yes, my lord."
Cordelia answered with an awkward smile, and small cheers and applause were heard from around them.
As they moved to the center of the naturally formed stage, Cordelia said quietly.
"Hey, you do know how to dance, right?"
"What's this, I'm a man born with the Heavenly Martial Body."
Yuder, who answered with a smile, placed his hand on Cordelia's waist, and gently took her hand as she flinched for a moment.
"Let's dance."
"Hmph."
Cordelia snorted, befitting Count Chase’s daughter, then let Yuder lead as the two began moving smoothly to the rhythm.
No, they tried to begin.
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, the entire building shook. Yuder and Cordelia, who lost their balance for a moment, leaned on each other and urgently turned their gazes.
Roar, explosion, smoke.
"Aaaah!"
With belated screams, dozens of masked men in black hoods smashed through the balcony windows and walls and burst in.
At the same time, the escorts positioned throughout also drew their swords.
"My lady!"
"Young master!"
It was not only Dahlia and Maia. The escorts each shouted the names of those they served, and fighting began everywhere.
It was truly an instant.
Yuder and Cordelia had the same thought at the same time. They turned their gazes toward the person they had been tracking even as they stepped to the center of the banquet hall to dance.
"Lucas!"
Lucas Hraesvelgr.
Standing some distance away, he drew his own sword like the sword prodigy he was and tried to confront the current crisis.
And one person.
Because they had both looked at Lucas, their gazes crossed.
Beyond the broken wall.
The Demonic Human Minos stood there.