Chapter 82
The guard post in the First Holy District was packed with guards. The place was so grand—more like a glamorous banquet hall for show—that I found myself wondering, "Is this really just a waiting room?" Hundreds of guards were gathered there.
Pitchers of water and fruit juice sat on the tables, and everyone was free to help themselves. Some guard teams had casually brought over chairs lined up along the walls and formed circles with them.
It had already been about an hour since I arrived. Captain Maxim and the others were gathered together taking a break, but I spent the time wandering around and observing the guards.
There were no crisp, uniform outfits like those worn by the Holy King's Knights. Knights from individual houses, like Captain Maxim, were at least somewhat uniform, but there were also people who made me do a double take and think, "Wait, is this person really a guard?"
I mean, come on—red hair and a mohawk?
"The drinks here are delicious, hyahha."
I overheard that and nearly snorted. Is "hyahha" a sentence ending? A dialect? The guy assigned to disinfect filth?
"Guard from House Slyries."
"Hyahha?!"
Someone suddenly put a hand on my shoulder, and "hyahha" came out of me before I could stop it. A little snot came out too, so I hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped it away.
"Hyahha...?"
"Ah, wh-w-what is it?!"
When I turned around, I found Lord Etan's guard there—the halfling guard.
She wore the same armor as at the dinner banquet, along with a cape embroidered with House Ebenyu's crest across her back.
The six great ducal houses were easy to recognize, since their equipment was expensive enough to set them apart from other noble houses. Honestly, it was incredibly cool.
(Whenever I see a female halfling, I think of Mimino-san...)
That was what I was thinking.
"I'm Lelenoa, one of House Ebenyu's guards, y'know. Mind if I ask your name?"
"Ah—yes, I'm Reiji. As you know, I'm serving as a guard for House Slyries."
"Oh, right, yes, yes—you really are Reiji-kun, after all~"
Come to think of it, she'd waved to me during the briefing too.
We couldn't have met somewhere before. If she were a halfling, I would definitely remember her because of Mimino-san. And if I had 【All Creation】 equipped, there would be no way I could forget her in the first place.
"Do you know me, by any chance?"
"Yeah. Actually—"
She was just about to continue when—
The room suddenly went dark, as if the power had gone out. Everyone looked up at the ceiling, but it was still morning, so the magic lamps weren't being used. We relied on natural light from outside.
It brightened again immediately—but in other words, the sky had darkened right at that moment.
"What was that just now, I wonder... Hm, Reiji-kun, what's wrong?"
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
The darkness had been far too unnatural. It should have been clear today, as though yesterday's rain had been a lie. So there was no way a huge rain cloud had covered the sun.
A restless feeling stirred in my chest.
Come to think of it, the Berserker Margrave had said something too...
—Today, somehow, my blood is stirring.
An animal's instincts were usually right—especially when one's life was at stake.
When I ran over to the windows, several guards were also checking outside. One of them was Lord Artur.
"Lord Artur, what was that just now?"
"..."
When I called out to him, Lord Artur remained silent, glaring outside. His gaze was fixed on the Holy Palace.
"Do you have any idea what it might be?"
"...No, surely not..."
"Lord Artur!"
Startled by my voice, Lord Artur finally realized that I was the one addressing him.
"Y-you were the cleaner—"
"Could something have happened at the Holy Palace?"
"What's going on, y'know?"
Lelenoa-san came up behind us, but Lord Artur merely covered his mouth and offered no information.
The only event scheduled for today was the Talent Gem bestowal ceremony. It was supposedly a religious rite, but it was held every year. If something special were going to happen, even our count would have told us beforehand.
(—Something special?)
It wasn't an event, exactly, but there was something special.
—As for the Talent Gem to be bestowed upon Lord Kurvshrat, it seems highly likely that it will have seven stars or more.
A special Talent Gem.
I knew how powerful a six-star Talent Gem was—the power Lark had wielded at "Six Heavens Mine." Power that, even though he was at death's door, could sever a dragon's head with a single stroke.
What if it had seven stars or more?
"Lord Artur... could it be the Talent Gem to be bestowed upon Lord Kurvshrat?"
"!?"
Lord Artur's expression changed to one of astonishment so obvious that anyone could see it.
"Y-you... how did you know that...?"
"What's going on? What kind of Talent Gem will Lord Kurvshrat be given?"
"...If Lord Kurvshrat receives it, this should end without incident. That is how it is supposed to resolve the matter..."
"W-wait a moment. What will happen if Lord Kurvshrat receives a special Talent Gem? Will it cause darkness like that just now?"
"I don't know..."
A deep rumble shook the ground.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Even the guards began to sense that something was wrong and grew restless. I exchanged glances with Lord Artur and Lelenoa-san.
"—Lord Artur, you don't know what's going to happen?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then is it possible that something unforeseen has gone wrong?"
"That is..."
Lord Artur's eyes darted around, but then—
"...It could happen."
He turned sharply toward the guards.
"Everyone, listen up! I'm Artur, captain of the Holy King's Knights' Second Squad!"
The restless hall fell completely silent.
"I can't give you the details yet, but it is possible that some kind of problem has occurred during today's Talent Gem bestowal ceremony. It is something His Majesty the Holy King and Lord Kurvshrat are supposed to suppress, but we cannot let our guard down. Be ready to act immediately!"
Huh.
No, wait a second.
"—Lord Artur, what do you mean by 'suppress'?"
"No... That was a slip of the tongue. Forget I said it."
"So you already knew something dangerous might come out?"
The guards began murmuring at my words.
"That's not it. That shouldn't happen."
"The darkness outside just now, and that rumbling—something obviously dangerous is happening!"
It was then that—
Boom...
I heard something being destroyed in the distance.
(The direction was the Holy Palace.)
By then, I was already running.
"Ah, wait, cleaner!"
There was no way I was going to wait. I jumped out through an open window and began considering the shortest route to the Holy Palace.
"This way, y'know."
"Lelenoa-san?!"
Lelenoa-san, who had come out right behind me, beckoned to me.
The two of us started running.
When we came out from behind the building, the wall dividing the Holy Palace grounds from the First Holy District was right in front of us.
"Look at that!"
A hemispherical darkness had appeared within the grounds of the Holy Palace.
It was difficult to judge the distance, but it was probably about the size of a huge shopping mall. It was at least fifty meters tall.
There was not the slightest reason to conclude that this was anything other than an "abnormal situation."