Chapter 246: The Grand Banquet for Heroes
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: The Grand Banquet for Heroes
"What do you mean by that?"
Cheon Yu-seong's eyebrows furrowed deeply.
If he was referring to "those above," he must mean beings on par with deities.
He couldn't understand what it meant to keep things hidden from them.
"Do you remember Antrad, the mid-grade demon?"
"You mean that bag of bones who laid waste to the citadel."
"Yeah. Him."
"I remember him being quite a powerful demon. But what does that have to do with those on the upper floors?"
"To summon that demon, you have to gather cursed sacred relics. But their relics weren't complete enough to manifest Antrad. The location wasn't right, either."
Despite the poor conditions, an absurdly strong bastard had popped out.
And with a significant portion of his original power intact, at that.
And.
This meant only one thing.
"Are you saying... someone exerted a transcendent power to help them?"
"Exactly. And this isn't something deities can do. Nor do they have any reason to."
Deities might enjoy seeing demons run amok, but they don't like it enough to recklessly interfere with the system.
In fact, that went for anyone.
Since they would have far more to lose than to gain.
"The one who helped the demonic humans is an Administrator. And they're likely connected to a very high level. Maybe even the very top."
Jinhyuk looked out at the night sky reflected in the window.
The upper floors of the Tower, which couldn't possibly be seen from here.
Up there, there must be absolute beings contemplating everything below the Tower.
"A High Manager... is involved."
Cheon Yu-seong's face stiffened.
Because the weight of these words was too heavy.
And because he knew the danger would skyrocket the higher they climbed the Tower.
He couldn't help but feel the blood in his veins run cold.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"Who knows? For now, we should just enjoy today."
"What?"
"We've done nothing but fight frantically since we got to the middle floors, right? Even at the citadel, the demonic humans interrupted us before we could even rest properly. For now, just knowing there's someone trying to stab us in the back is enough."
"You sound as if you already have a plan."
"I have a few things in mind. Though we'll have to wait and see if they work."
"Honestly, your confidence never ceases to amaze me."
The opponent was none other than a High Manager.
A transcendent being who governed everything regarding the Tower on equal footing with the deities.
Yet, what was this confidence?
"Still... I don't know why, but I feel like as long as I'm with you, we'll somehow find a way out of even the worst situations."
Heh.
Cheon Yu-seong smiled for the first time.
It was a soft, heartwarming smile.
"I make sure to take good care of my employees' welfare. So don't worry too much. I don't know about others, but I will definitely protect my people."
"Yeah. Like you said, enjoying today wouldn't be so bad."
Wasn't the veteran standing right in front of him the one who had resolved everything previously thought impossible?
He would surely find a breakthrough this time as well.
Because that was the player named Jinhyuk he knew.
It was then.
"Ugh. I thought I was going to die of annoyance."
Alice approached with a face full of exhaustion.
Beside her were Teresa and Andrea.
"What's wrong?"
"Some weird guys kept hitting on us, asking to dance or go for a night stroll by the lake."
"There was even someone who casually said, 'Cheers to your eyes...'"
Alice and Teresa let out long sighs as they recalled those dreadful moments.
Jinhyuk had been too distracted talking to Cheon Yu-seong to notice, but it seemed they had gone through quite an ordeal in their own way.
"Hehe. That's because you unnies are just too pretty."
Andrea smiled brightly.
Hmm. Indeed, with how those two looked right now, it was no wonder the nobles were anxious.
In contrast to the silver-haired Alice in her black dress, the blonde Teresa in her white dress stood out brilliantly anywhere.
Add Andrea, who looked like Alice's sister, and this kind of commotion was practically inevitable.
"Still, you managed to push through that crowd."
"Well, I reasoned with them nicely."
"With words?"
"Yeah. Words."
Mmm...
Somehow, that was hard to believe.
He couldn't picture her declining anyone in a gentle tone.
Then, Andrea leaned in and whispered the truth into Jinhyuk's ear.
"Alice unnie spoke harshly too, but to be exact... Teresa unnie released her 'aura'."
"...!"
Don't tell me she used 'Corruption'?
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
Indeed, if it was the darkened version of Teresa, ordinary people wouldn't have been able to handle her aura.
'To be honest, even I find her dark version a bit overwhelming.'
Imagining two haughty queens radiating a terrifying aura sent goosebumps all over his body.
A moment later.
"Ah! You're all gathered here. I wanted to have a drink with you, but I had so much work piled up."
"The main guests of the banquet were in the deepest corner, so it was quite hard to find you."
Once Abraham and Phesis joined them, everyone except Wolyeong, who was hiding in the shadows, had gathered.
* * *
In a comfortable atmosphere, fine wine and delicious appetizers added flavor to their conversation.
Having spent the past days in such a frantic rush, this moment felt all the sweeter.
Once the atmosphere had ripened to a certain degree, a slightly tipsy Abraham spoke to Jinhyuk.
"For the grand cause of the Empire's survival, I abandoned everything else. I thought that as long as I could preserve the mere framework of the Empire, no matter how much was sacrificed, it would be enough. Yet, you achieved an incomparable feat all on your own."
In his words, filled with complex emotions...
gratitude, apology, and self-loathing were melted together.
At the same time,
Shring!
He drew the ceremonial rapier at his waist.
"This is the Empire's unique tribute to its benefactor."
He had received a favor he could never repay in a lifetime.
He had also been reminded of the pride and self-esteem he had lost and worn away over the years.
Jinhyuk was the hero and savior of the Empire.
[Abraham activates 'Knight's Conviction'.]
Instantly, a warm energy enveloped the banquet hall.
Golden petals manifested from Qi began to drift down one by one from the ceiling.
It was a beautiful sight.
But what was even more surprising was the sound that had suddenly vanished.
The sound of chatter, the music of the orchestra—everything inside had come to a halt.
The nobles bowed their heads in respect.
The Tower Master leading the White Tower, and the Knight Commander leading the Red Cavalry.
The Imperial Guard protecting the imperial family, and the heads of numerous prestigious families.
All of them expressed their gratitude in their own ways.
Reinhardt, standing on the central platform, also looked at Jinhyuk with deeply moved eyes.
[The Empire bestows 'Honorary Titles' upon you.]
[The 'Citadel of Giants' is elevated to the status of a 'Duchy', guaranteeing its independent status from the Empire!]
[You have achieved an astonishing feat.]
[This achievement will be listed in the 'Hall of Fame' for the duration of tomorrow.]
Status windows popped up one after another.
'An honorary title and... the status of a Duchy.'
For the Empire, which was a strict class-based society, this was an unprecedented reward.
While Jinhyuk was still dazed, Phesis slowly spoke up.
"I, too, found this turn of events highly intriguing. The Veteran Corporation. A rising power composed entirely of formidable members."
If there was a faction most talked about within the Tower right now, it would be this one.
Therefore,
"I truly look forward to your future endeavors. You will likely establish yourselves as a force capable of bringing a massive storm to the Tower. Just being able to witness this legendary beginning makes coming here entirely worthwhile."
[Phesis's affinity has increased by a very large margin.]
Even Phesis's affinity had gone up.
He had attended the banquet simply planning to relax and eat delicious food...
'But unexpected rewards just keep pouring in.'
Once again, he felt that summoning the First Emperor Reinhardt had been a stroke of genius.
Because of his speech, the nobles were able to reflect on their mistakes.
And looking at Alice, who had made it possible, a warm smile spread across his face without him realizing.
"Why are you smiling so creepily?"
Alice's eyes widened like a rabbit's.
"No reason. Just proud. I was thinking that you didn't become the head of the Ataraxia family for nothing."
"Hmph. You finally recognize my true worth. I might look like this now, but in the past, vampires lined up just to get a single word in with me."
"Sure, sure."
Jinhyuk humored Alice, patting her head.
"Ah. Come to think of it, what did you mean by what you said at the tomb?"
"Huh?"
"Te... Sensio Te Arpem, was it? The incantation you used to summon the First Emperor."
It sounded like the imperial language, but since it didn't seem very useful, he hadn't bothered to study it.
He had barely managed to recognize the word for 'Empire'.
"Ah... that?"
Alice waved her hand dismissively.
"Only those who inherit the imperial bloodline can protect the Empire. Something like that. It was an incredibly arrogant thing to say for a mere brat."
"...Hmm. He was a pretty cool guy, that First Emperor."
"He wasn't bad. He wasn't all talk, either."
"I'm curious about something. Can I ask one more thing?"
"Hmm? Go ahead."
"The reason he died... it wasn't because you drained all his blood, was it?"
A Grand Sword Master should have been able to live past 200, but his lifespan seemed rather short.
Perhaps the culprit was this vampire...
Alice wore a bright, radiant smile.
"Oh my. For some reason, I feel like that will be your cause of death tonight."
The air grew chillingly cold.
It was a night where her fangs looked exceptionally sharp.
* * *
The banquet, which lasted until dawn, finally came to an end.
Everyone returned to their respective quarters, filled with alcohol and food.
As if determined to forget all their fatigue on this day, their tension completely unraveled.
Right then.
Tap... tap.
Jinhyuk gently shook Phesis, who was fast asleep.
"Mmm, gasp... J-Jinhyuk? What brings you here at this hour?"
Phesis sat up in shock.
It was only natural, given that Jinhyuk had appeared at his bedside with a deeply ominous smile.
If it had been Cheon Yu-seong instead of Phesis, he might have drawn his sword on the spot.
Jinhyuk lowered his voice significantly.
"Come take a short walk with me. There's a place I absolutely must go."
"Pardon? A walk? In the middle of the night? Where on earth is this place you must go..."
Phesis wore an expression that asked what kind of nonsense this was.
"I want to go back to the Emperor's Tomb we visited earlier."
"The E-Emperor's Tomb? Why on earth would you go back there?"
"There's something I absolutely must get my hands on. I was too distracted earlier, so I couldn't bring it with me."
"You don't mean... you're going to rob the grave, do you?"
"Tsk. Grave robbing? What do you take me for!"
At Jinhyuk's indignant response, Phesis's face flushed with embarrassment.
"My apologies. Indeed, now that you are the Grand Duke of a Duchy, there's no way you would do such a..."
"Let's call it a long-term lease."
"Excuse me?"
"It was an inevitable decision driven by international affairs and resource conflicts."
Phesis wanted to ask what kind of utter nonsense that was, but instinctively realized he had already fallen into a swamp from which he could not escape.
The fact that his affinity had just increased also played a major role in his resignation.
"Sigh. If you asked the imperial family, they would probably just give you most things. Wouldn't it be better to simply ask?"
"If it were just 'most things,' I would have. But this isn't an item of that level. Above all, even the current Emperor likely doesn't know how to get there."
"Even the Emperor doesn't know... D-Don't tell me?"
Phesis's eyes shook with shock.
Yes. He figured Phesis would know.
After all, there was only one person in the entire Tower who could earn the title of a great explorer.
"You must have heard of it at least once, Phesis. The rumors about the Dragon-Slaying Sword sleeping in the Empire... 'Balmung'?"