Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Dracain
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Earlier than expected. I hadn't doubted Simo's victory, but I'd thought the Dracain opponent might show something of note. However, the opponent turned out weaker than I'd imagined.
"Someone we've never seen before, and he showed red wings?"
"For that bloodline, his hair doesn't look murky enough. Where's that starlight shine of the night sky authority?"
"So, what was that guy's name? If he's inherited the family name, then the next succession structure..."
Red wings. Talk of bloodlines. There was so much I wanted to ask. I was waiting for Simo to come down from the arena when suddenly the mana flowing around us began to concentrate in one spot, and crimson blood droplets swirled in like a whirlwind.
The gathered droplets formed the shape of an adult man. He looked over two meters tall at a glance. His skin maintained a flawless pallor, and the eyes peeking from beneath half-lowered lids gleamed red like jewels. The strangest part was his hair. A subtle light flowed from it, as if drawing everything into a deep abyss, yet it suited him without excess.
There could be no better phrase than "noble of the night."
The moment I saw him, insight struck. He was the master of this mansion. Vast mana surged from him like a raging storm. The mana flowing through his blood was so dense that to my eyes, it looked as if mana coursed through his veins instead of blood.
The man before me was Grand Duke Azariel.
"The Grand Duke...?"
"It really is that bloodline after all. Otherwise, there's no way he'd appear."
The Grand Duke said nothing. His mere silent watch over the hall drew a natural hush. The one who broke that silence was Simo.
Thud-
He hopped down from the arena with light movements and walked over casually, showing no sign of concern for the Grand Duke's arrival. Perhaps that irked him. Just as I thought the Grand Duke's eyebrow twitched slightly, he spoke.
"Aren't you going to exercise the winner's rights?"
He wasn't inquiring about the incident itself. It was a simple question to satisfy his curiosity. The Grand Duke gazed at Simo with genuine puzzlement. Simo answered curtly.
"No need."
"Does that mean you dislike mixing with tainted blood?"
"It's not that..."
"I asked something unnecessary."
And that was the end of it. As the conversation cut off, silence descended once more. Simo, who had approached quickly, stopped beside me.
At that moment, every gaze in the hall focused on me. I immediately invoked Gentle Wind to erect a barrier of air.
"I'm back."
"Is this okay...?"
"No need to grovel just 'cause it's a noble. He's not even above me, so why bother..."
"What's this about red wings, and winner's rights?"
"That's..."
There was so much I wanted to ask, but this wasn't the place. As the Grand Duke raised his hand and said something, the gathered crowd dispersed to various spots in the venue. I dismantled the Gentle Wind barrier while watching them go. What had he said? I hadn't heard.
Given how all those gazes lifted at once, it must have been something important.
Step-
The Grand Duke began approaching. In his hand was a champagne glass he'd somehow acquired.
"I've cleared the eyes. They won't hear us either, so we can talk freely now."
The Grand Duke's steps didn't halt. Circling our group as if to scrutinize us all, he came to a stop on the opposite side. The champagne in the clear glass swayed gently.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Azariel. And you are..."
"Lumia. Simo. Olbern. Durel."
The Grand Duke's demeanor was strangely gentle. He slowly scanned our group, his lips moving slightly as if committing our names to memory. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"To be honest, I'm a bit flustered. If you'd revealed you were guests from the elf royal family—no, purebloods—I would have welcomed you as honored guests... yet you chose this roundabout method..."
For a brief instant, our group exchanged glances. We couldn't comprehend a word coming from the Grand Duke's mouth. Elf royal family? Pureblood? What was he talking about? I checked Simo's face, wondering if he knew, but he looked just as baffled.
"No, there seems to be some misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding... So you came here in a personal capacity?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. We're not connected to either of those things you mentioned..."
"Feel free to speak casually. The daughter of the elf royal family holds rank equal to mine. You, born of noble blood yet faded one—you're the same."
Our words had been cut off twice now. Rather than anger, sheer absurdity left us speechless. Unless one lacked perception, it was clear where this misunderstanding stemmed from.
The Grand Duke's gaze lingered on the Grace of Nature draped over me like a cloak.
'He said he stole it from home when he left... It was royal property?'
"I fully understand your intentions. However, my position as Grand Duke doesn't allow for personal friendships without political considerations. If you'd come quietly to avoid notice, that would be one thing. But to reveal yourselves so openly and claim it's a misunderstanding—it's quite perplexing. Are you perhaps rebuking me for failing to recognize you at a glance?"
Something irreversible was unfolding. Fine, red wings—I could chalk that up to my ignorance of the details. But arriving in elven form, wearing what was clearly an elven royal treasure, and denying any blood ties? Who would believe that?
Revealing my human form and explaining everything now was out of the question. Dracain despised humans. We might get exiled from the country—or worse, depending on the circumstances.
The Grand Duke's reaction proved the rune magic's camouflage was performing flawlessly.
'Gotta play along just enough and bail...'
This misunderstanding might actually be a stroke of luck. If I leveraged the opportunity it presented, I could achieve my goal with ease. Clearing my throat, I slowly opened my mouth.
"Rebuking? Hardly... And it seems the misunderstanding is deepening. We truly have no connection to either of those you mentioned."
"If you're going to insist to the end... Very well. Now, if you would tell me the purpose of your visit. I know you've come to lend me strength, so I'll accommodate as much as possible."
As the Grand Duke's question ended, I glanced at my companions. Durel and Olbern shot me looks laced with concern. I knew what worried them. But I couldn't pass up this golden opportunity. Besides, I'd only spoken the truth.
'It's not even a tough request...'
I decided. Nodding, I spoke.
"I'd like to witness your blood magic, Grand Duke."
"My blood magic...? That's no difficult request. Any other wishes...?"
"None."
The moment I nodded, the Grand Duke's form melted into blood and reappeared atop the arena. Could he go anywhere as long as a single drop of blood flowed? It was a form of teleportation utterly unlike Blink.
'Similar to Golden Wind's movement spell...'
The Golden Wind School had a similar spell. One assimilated their body with the wind, letting it flow freely to a desired location for swift travel. Frost Breath had something akin too.
'Different, yet somehow...'
A sudden inspiration suggested a possibility. Perhaps all magic shared a single root.
'They say ancient scripts were once universal too.'
Once this meeting ended, I should gather info on that. As that thought crossed my mind, the Grand Duke raised both arms, and red mist began emanating from his body.
Shaaa-
Facing the spreading mist, I felt an instinctive threat. My Gentle Wind barrier activated to its limit, contracting its range. Even though it wasn't a direct attack on me, the pressure was immense.
'As expected...'
I frowned at the red mist. My hunch was right. From this high-ranking blood mage, I perceived things I'd never seen before. The world contained within the blood faintly revealed itself.
Blood flowed as a cascading moon and river. Over an ancient castle on a cliff, swarms of bats took flight.
That was the moment. The blood-red mist quivered faintly, and from the mansion within the blood, an intense gaze pierced me.
'What...'
I stepped back, staring at the Grand Duke. No, it wasn't him. The blood itself held a will and gazed at me. While I puzzled over the sensation, an infinitesimal portion of the mist pierced my Gentle Wind barrier, rode my breath, and slipped into my body.
It happened in an instant. An amount too tiny to see moved. Even the caster, the Grand Duke, seemed oblivious, still focused on emitting the mist.
If the caster was like that, what of his disciples? They stood entranced, staring blankly at the Grand Duke's mist.
'What the hell.'
I blinked, patting myself down. Coughing or scanning my body with mana yielded nothing unusual.