Chapter 265: Make Do With What You Have (3)

Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock

* * *

The next day.

“Hooah.”

Lucion let out a long yawn.

—Hooah.

Ratta mimicked his yawn, revealing small, sharp teeth.

“Young Master.”

At the maid’s call, Lucion, who had been lost in thought, turned his gaze to her.

This was just a short meeting. If I revealed all the truths that Nevast had been hiding, he would have to withdraw. So why was everyone putting so much effort into dressing him up?

Swallowing those thoughts, Lucion responded.

“Alright. I’ll stay still.”

—Ratta can yawn and Ratta can move around.

Ratta, curled up on Lucion’s lap, giggled softly.

Lucion grabbed Ratta’s cheeks and stretched them out.

—Oww, oww.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

Now, she even knew how to pick fights.

—Really? Has Ratta really grown? Hehe! Ratta is so excited right now!

Her eyes sparkled with joy as she excitedly flapped her front paws.

Lucion was about to tease her again but ended up chuckling instead.

Well, she was cute, so it was fine.

* * *

‘White gets stains easily, so it’s not the best choice.’

Lucion stood at the entrance of the hall, which was Nevast’s castle and temple, where the meeting was to take place, looking down at his attire.

It had a slightly priestly appearance due to its predominantly white color, but the black cloak and carefully placed decorations and jewels prevented it from being too monotonous.

It was probably the brightest outfit he had ever worn.

[Don’t be nervous. Lord Lucion will do great.]

‘Bethel seems more nervous than I am.’

Lucion gave a slight nod.

“Don’t move your head. The maids worked hard on styling your bangs, and they’ll fall out of place if you do that.”

Shaela, who had been admiring Lucion with satisfaction, reacted sharply as a strand of hair slipped out of place.

“…?”

“Your appearance is a weapon. You need to capture attention first. Do you know how much effort the maids put into perfecting your look today? You can’t ruin it.”

“My… appearance?”

Lucion looked puzzled, making Shaela widen her eyes in disbelief.

“You didn’t know? Seriously?”

“You should compliment him more often.”

Heint murmured subtly, turning his head away when Shaela’s gaze landed on him.

“I used to compliment him. Before that incident… How many times did I call him pretty, lovely, smart…?”

“P-please stop.”

Lucion’s ears turned red in an instant.

He felt like his concentration had shattered all at once.

Lucion glanced at Russell, expecting his usual laughter, but Russell remained silent, lost in thought.

Unlike before, he neither laughed nor smiled.

Seeing how serious Russell looked, Lucion understood the gravity of the situation and quickly suppressed his emotions.

“There won’t be any problems,” Lucion assured him.

[I know.]

Russell glanced awkwardly at the door.

“Of course, nothing should go wrong. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve already stepped into the tiger’s den,” Shaela sighed deeply.

If only she had realized earlier that Hamel was actually Lucion, she could have prevented him from coming to Nevast.

Lucion gave a small smile and silently checked everything while Hume smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes before they entered.

‘Troy and Brillin are waiting outside. The other divine beasts are already inside. I’m wearing the ring Miella gave me, which reflects light, and Peter’s defensive magic ring. I also have all the relics with me.’

He shifted his gaze slightly.

Among the soldiers, Kran and Quate stood with their organization members, while among the priests who had accompanied them from the Empire, Florence and Yones were present.

Both the plan to expose the truth and the escape plan were set.

‘Brillin relayed through Troy that all the ‘marks’ have been destroyed. So everything should be fine. It really should be… but why do I have such a bad feeling about this?’

“Are you nervous?” Hume asked.

“A little.”

Lucion didn’t lie.

The truth was, he was afraid of the possibility of Veronia appearing.

What kind of traps had been set?

Would Ravid truly summon Veronia?

[Lord Lucion will do well.]

—That’s right! Ratta knows it!

Encouraged by Bethel and Ratta, Lucion exhaled.

“Sigh.”

Clearing his mind of distractions, he reminded himself why he had come to Nevast.

He had to expose Nevast’s deeds, prevent war, and thwart Veronia’s plans.

That goal would never change.

Could he not even put an end to the scheme Ravid had set in motion?

As Hume withdrew his hands, Lucion took a step toward the door.

“Proceed,” Hume instructed the priest standing guard.

‘Alright. It’s time to stab them in the back.’

Lucion lifted his head slightly, his gaze focused straight ahead.

The door swung open.

With the lights unusually dimmed in Nevast, the priests’ expressions wavered with unease.

‘My goodness, a saint rejected by the Light!’

Lucion ignored those gazes and simply walked forward along the long carpet.

Knights and soldiers weren’t permitted here, but what did it matter?

He brought everyone he wanted.

As his footsteps echoed through the hall, the heavy march of his guards soon followed. The sound alone caused the priests’ expressions to shift, their wariness deepening with each step.

—Ahem. Ratta already knew that Lucion was like a star—always shining, no matter how many times you look at him.

Sensing the change in the hall’s atmosphere, Ratta puffed up proudly.

Lucion couldn’t help but smile at her words.

That slight smile exuded the quiet confidence of someone with power, while his graceful stride reflected the nobility of an aristocrat.

Dressed in pristine white attire that radiated an air of serenity, combined with his strikingly captivating presence, he seemed to embody the very essence of a saint—at least, outwardly.

The phrase “the one rejected by the Light” had already begun to fade from their minds.

With every step, Lucion unknowingly demonstrated what it truly meant to possess refinement and the presence of a saint. The priests were left speechless.

Yet Lucion paid no mind to their stares.

“There’s the divine beast.”

In the corner behind Ravid sat a divine beast resembling a wolf.

Even though Brillin had regained some strength thanks to the holy relic, the divine beast still looked weak.

—Hello, divine beast uncle!

Ratta beamed but soon tilted her head in confusion.

—Lucion, the divine beast uncle… looks really sick.

Ignoring Ravid, who had lowered his head in greeting, Lucion walked directly to the divine beast.

Ravid’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Hadn’t he already informed Lucion about the proper procedures for this meeting through the butler?

“Saint.”

Ravid called out to him in a hushed tone.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucion Cronia.”

Lucion disregarded his words and lightly touched the divine beast.

-So it’s you. You are the beloved child we have been waiting for.

“Are you in pain?”

Lucion’s unexpected question made Ravid pale with shock.

“Saint! How could you touch the divine beast so disrespectfully?”

“Lord Ravid.”

Without hesitation, Lucion discarded the polite mask he had worn around Ravid all this time.

His gaze, now fixed on Ravid, carried an imposing intensity.

“I am the Saint.”

“Even if you are a Saint, you cannot touch the divine beast so carelessly!”

“Oh? And why not? Ah, are you concerned that my hands might be dirty? Don’t worry. My hands are already clean.”

Lucion’s gaze drifted to the golden bowl of clean water placed on the table, alongside a white towel with gold leaf trim.

He had heard about the procedure from Hume—but he hadn’t bothered to remember it. He had no intention of following it in the first place.

“Saint! This is Nevast! You must follow the proper procedures!”

Ravid raised his voice, unable to contain his frustration at Lucion’s blatant disregard for protocol.

“You say I’m being disrespectful?”

Lucion let out a soft chuckle.

[Lo… Lord Lucion?]

Bethel sensed something unusual in Lucion’s demeanor, a strange glint in his eyes that made her uneasy.

[Russell, don’t you think we should stop him?]

[Why stop him? Just let Lucion do what he wants. Let him run wild.]

Russell, his arms crossed, was clearly encouraging Lucion instead.

Hume’s eyes widened slightly. Was he serious?

‘Thank you.’

With Russell’s approval, Lucion no longer hesitated.

He intended to use the most effective method he knew to seize the priests’ attention.

Lucion strode toward the table, Hume following closely behind.

“No way, right?” Heint whispered to Shaela, keeping his voice low.

“It looks like it,” Shaela replied, sounding slightly excited.

Heint frowned. Could he really be…?

Lucion grasped the table and attempted to lift it.

‘Damn it. This is solid wood!’

His arms trembled slightly, but before he could struggle further, Hume discreetly pushed it with ease.

Boom!

The table flipped over with a deafening crash. Water splashed across the floor, and the golden bowl clattered and rolled away.

‘Yes. This is it.’

Only then did Lucion feel satisfied.

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

Wasn’t this something he had done countless times before—long before he even realized he was Lee Haram?

When a person becomes a dog, silence always follows.

“I!”

Lucion seized the moment and shouted.

“I can hear the voice of the divine beast!”

The shocking declaration sent a wave of disbelief through the hall. Even Ravid and the priests were left speechless.

Hearing the voice of a divine beast?

Could such a thing even be possible?

“And the divine beast has told me to correct the twisted order in Nevast. Isn’t that right, divine beast?”

At Lucion’s words, the divine beast raised its body.

-Did you come here knowing everything?

Lucion nodded.

-This place is dangerous. For you, it’s like poison. We don’t want to lose you because of us. No, we can’t lose you. We can be reborn after death, but you…

As the divine beast lowered its head toward him, Lucion wrapped his arms around it.

“I’m fine. Please don’t worry.”

At that moment, the scene before them truly resembled that of a saint communing with a divine beast.

The priests, struggling to process this overwhelming reality, found themselves wavering. At the same time, reverence for Lucion began to take root in their hearts.

Lucion patted the divine beast and took another deep breath.

Now was the perfect moment to strike—when everyone was caught off guard.

“There were once five divine beasts in Nevast. But now, only two remain. Do you know why?”

“Saint! What are you saying…?”

Ravid raised his voice, but the priests, still shaken by what Lucion had just revealed, hesitated to speak.

“What are you talking about? Five divine beasts?”

“The divine beasts sometimes took on different forms, but they have always been separate entities since Nevast was established.”

[Unbelievable.]

Russell could barely contain his frustration.

[Of course. They would only see one instead of four. Since they couldn’t hear the divine beast’s voice, they just assumed it was changing forms. How convenient. And that bastard Ravid took full advantage of their ignorance.]

Russell gritted his teeth.

“The temple must have vanished suddenly, didn’t it?”

“…”

At Lucion’s casual remark, Ravid’s expression faltered, his eyes trembling.

Could Cronia’s information network truly be this vast?

Or was this the work of the Empire?

“You were probably told that it was the will of ‘God.’ Some of you must have even heard those words spoken by someone disguised as ‘God.’”

“Watch your words! No matter if you are a Saint—”

“The balance between light and darkness has been broken.”

Lucion met Ravid’s gaze head-on, his voice unwavering.

“They must have whispered sweet lies to you, convincing you that the world could only survive if the Light was destroyed. And what did you do?”

“Enough of this nonsense! My patience has limits!”

Ravid stepped forward, his frustration mounting.

But before he could get closer, Shaela and Heint moved, standing protectively in front of Lucion. Their eyes burned with fury, as if ready to tear Ravid apart.

“Ravid Bahal, along with certain priests who spewed falsehoods about ‘restoring balance,’ killed the divine beasts and corrupted the holy relics! And they did it by using the warlocks secretly raised by Nevast itself!”

Lucion’s voice rang out boldly, exposing the dark truth.

Some priests were paralyzed with fear, their eyes wide with disbelief. Others stood frozen, their mouths slightly open, as if unable to breathe.

“Don’t let yourselves be deceived by this absurdity! Saint or not, you were once a man of the Tesla Empire! Did you come here under the Emperor’s orders to destroy Nevast?”

“Florence.”

Lucion scoffed at Ravid’s desperate attempt to divert the situation and called out a name.

“It’s all true!”

A voice rang out as Florence stepped forward, throwing off his robes.

Gasps rippled through the hall.

Who was he?

Wasn’t he the high-ranking priest of Nevast who had suddenly gone missing?

In an instant, the entire situation shifted.