Chapter 533: Julius Novachrono, Is that you?
I watched as Eric approached the third Screener, his hand trembling slightly as he raised it toward the surface. The guild held its breath, and I could feel the weight of a hundred pairs of eyes pressing down on us.
[Please break, please break, please break!] [Benjamin praying to the glass gods].
He promptly set his hand on the surface, and shortly a beautiful, green and white flower bloomed from within, lively and enchanting in its form.
The petals unfurled slowly, each one a masterpiece of light and color, delicate veins of silver tracing through the white like rivers on a map.
The green stem pulsed with a gentle glow, and the flower seemed to sway as if caught in an invisible breeze, its beauty hypnotic in its perfection.
The receptionists let out a collective sigh of relief, their shoulders dropping as the artifact hummed contentedly beneath Eric’s palm.
That signified a rather high level flower class… and the confirmation that THIS artifact worked perfectly fine.
Yeah, they trapped me.
Now if it breaks it will be clear I’m the anomaly, then they’ll chase me out of the city with pitch fork and torches, like the time of the witch hunts?!
Inconceivable!
I was also heavily suppressing my power as well—I’d been very careful, making sure that Sys was draining everything she could, keeping my energy levels at a bare minimum.
I should be undetectable, a whisper in a hurricane, nothing that could possibly overwhelm an artifact designed to measure the spirits of ordinary mortals.
Wait, since when was suppressing my power so difficult?!
I knew it increased a bit after the Khairkhan tribe incident, but c’mon!
This shouldn’t be happening…
I raised my hand up and, with fear and trembling, I touched the surface.
SIGHHHHH!!
Luckily, nothing broke.
The screen just made a deep boom, like a massive drum being struck in the heart of a mountain, the sound vibrating through the floor and up into the bones.
The water went pitch black and still—no swirling colors, no dancing lights, no signs of life at all. Just a void, dark and empty and utterly silent.
And soon, black liquid started dripping off the artifact.
Thick, viscous droplets fell from the bottom edge of the device, splattering against the wooden floor with a wet, heavy sound that echoed in the sudden silenc—Huh…?
Wait…. Isn’t this worse than the thing just breaking?
I stared at the dripping artifact, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing.
Breaking was one thing—a malfunction or a defect, a simple accident. But this… this was something else. It was…unnatural for an object to bleed like that.
A receptionist started examining the artifact as everyone present were silent, save for Heka’s gulping of ale in the background. The sound of her drinking was obscenely loud in the quiet, a rhythmic glug-glug-glug that seemed to mock the tension in the air.
She was completely oblivious to the drama unfolding around her, lost in her own world of liquid refreshment.
“Th… The spirits are all dead…” Her eyes dilated and she stepped back in fright, her face going pale as she stumbled away from the artifact. “They were turned to mush… and are bleeding now.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, her hand flying to her mouth as if to stifle a scream.
As all eyes suspiciously turned to face me, Eric immediately started:
“I must confess, Benjamin is cursed!” His voice was loud, dramatic, ringing across the hall with the ease.
His face was a mask of concern, his eyes wide with worry, his hands raised in a gesture of helplessness.
[…Uwah… It didn’t take him much to throw me under the bus, huh?] Was what I thought as I looked at him with a defeated smile.
I’d expected loyalty, or at least a moment of hesitation before he sold me out. But no—he’d jumped on the opportunity like a starving dog on a bone.
However, he continued:
“I was supposed to help him get rid of this curse here in Thaad, but I did not know it would express itself like this.” He shook his head sadly, his expression a perfect blend of regret and determination. “I take full responsibility for bringing him here, but I swear I did not know it would affect the artifact so severely.”
“What he says is the truth,” Oh no, Heka probably thinks I’m in on the lie as well, and has stood up to second Eric.
She rose from her seat, her ale forgotten, her face set in an expression of solemn sincerity. “Benjamin has a deep curse that makes her sexually aroused at all times! This has been a scar on her body, as she sometimes turned to monsters and beasts for relief! The spirits probably sensed the extremely lewd energy and died from shock… It certainly is a gray fate for my beloved, but that is why we are here, and we will certainly help her.”
Heka…
You idiot…
Now, Eric was fidgeting from the overexaggerated curse, sending me apologizing glances as people murmured.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes darting away from mine, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. He looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor, to escape the mess he’d just created.
The receptionists soon started pitying me, their faces softening with sympathy as they looked at the poor, cursed boy who couldn’t control his own desires. And everyone seemed to nod in recognition of my fake curse, looking at me like some sex addict who’s doing everything in their power to maintain self-control. The whispers had changed tone—from suspicion to pity, from fear to understanding. I was no longer a threat; I was a victim.
And why was Heka referring to me as “her?!”
I wanted to scream the question, to demand an explanation for why she kept gendering me incorrectly; she probably thinks it’s funny.
Ah, now she’s given me a thumbs up and a wink!
She grinned at me, her expression bright and unrepentant, clearly proud of herself for coming up with such a “brilliant” lie.
She had no idea how badly she’d just made things worse; I should be expecting a lot of Octavius’ now, and a lot of penis-ripping as well.
“Eric…” A deep voice rose from up the stairs, as all eyes went to him.
The voice was commanding, authoritative, the kind of voice that had been issuing orders for decades and expected them to be obeyed without question.
He wore a brown, slightly militaristic garment, with a red outer cloak over his back, held by a brooch.
The brooch was intricate, a golden symbol that caught the light and threw it back in scattered rays.
His red eyes were stern, his face wrinkled with age and experience, and his blonde hair curled and short.
He stood at the top of the stairs like a king surveying his kingdom, his presence filling the room even from a distance.
…Yeah, he looked like the Wizard king from Bl*ck Cl*ver.
[Author’s Note: Any resemblance to Wizard Kings, real or animated, is purely for comedic purposes.]
But this wasn’t my first time seeing that face. He was the—
“G-Guild Master!” Eric bellowed locking eyes with the man.
His voice cracked on the title, and I could see fear flickering in his gaze.
[Get him up to my office now!] [Guild mas]
[O… Of course, immediately!] [Eric]
The telepathic message they shared slipped right into my mind, due to how unguarded it was.
The words were clear, distinct, carrying the Guild Master’s authority even in thought. He wanted me brought to his office, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.
And as Eric gripped my hand and we took off upstairs, I wondered if maybe I was the thief who found it easy to eavesdrop on telepathic messages, rather than them being sloppy about the defense.
The thought nagged at me, a persistent itch in the back of my mind.
I pushed the thought aside as we climbed the stairs, Eric’s grip firm on my wrist, his pace quick and urgent.
The main guild faded behind us, the whispers and stares growing distant as we ascended into the upper levels of the building.
The wood was darker here, the air cooler, the sounds of the crowd muffled by thick walls and closed doors.
Eric pulled me down a narrow corridor, past several doors, until we reached a massive oak door at the end of the hall. He knocked twice, a sharp, precise rhythm, and waited.
“Enter.” The Guild Master’s voice came from within, calm and measured.
Eric pushed open the door, and we stepped inside.