The Emperor's Banquet and the Moonlight Gentleman's Arrival

It was a familiar voice.

It was Rania, the Bodyguard Knight of the current Emperor.

She was both a Sword Master and a Sage who had surpassed the 7th Circle.

"[Kneel.]"

"Guh!"

He couldn't resist.

The gap in their abilities was still far too great.

The Sword of the Emperor.

The Sage of Word Spirit.

The method she had chosen to break through the 7th Circle was to imbue power into her words.

If runes imbue power into symbols, she imbued power into speech.

That was why everyone was stunned.

"[Explode and die.]"

Because Rania had just pronounced a death sentence.

"Yuri!!"

The Young Lady's scream rang out but was stifled before it could draw attention.

Count Vasello had covered the Young Lady's mouth and was looking at him.

Why?

That was the question written on his face, but there was no time to answer.

Pop, crackle!

Severe pain coursed through every corner of his body.

His blood boiled, his organs swelled, and an unknown pressure expanded within him.

Had it been his previous life, he could have easily nullified the Word Spirit, but he was weak now.

Snap, crack!

There was no more time to waste.

Though he had tried to conceal his power, he had no choice if he wanted to survive.

He muttered as quietly as possible.

"[Return to Original State.]"

His swelling body began to subside.

Due to the vast difference in their abilities, it wasn't restored but merely stabilized.

"[Reco―]."

Just as she was about to issue another Word Spirit.

"Stop, Rania."

"But―"

"Now!"

Someone appeared and issued a command. Rania obeyed her order.

"[Recover.]"

His swelling body began to heal.

Though the recovery came with severe pain, there was no time to dwell on it. Slowly, he rose to one knee.

"This humble one greets Your Majesty, the Emperor."

He wasn't the only one.

All the underlings knelt, and the high-ranking nobles bowed in respect.

Arista Leopold L Hyperion.

With fiery red hair symbolizing valor and mysterious silver eyes, she was the host of the banquet and the current Emperor of the Hyperion Empire.

She quietly asked him.

"…Did you see it?"

Her silver eyes gleamed.

To others, they might have seemed like beautiful eyes, but he knew the power they held.

The Light of Dawn.

Inherited by the Imperial Family, it possessed the power to see through everything.

The meaning behind her question, "Did you see it?" was, "Did you see the demonic energy clinging to him?"

But now was a time when the Demon God Cult was in hiding. If a twelve-year-old boy mentioned it, suspicion would surely follow.

After a brief moment of thought, he replied.

"It was a sinister aura."

He acknowledged sensing the demonic energy but implied he didn't know what it was.

The Emperor nodded.

"I will take you out of here."

***

They moved to the podium in the Emperor's banquet hall. Then, she addressed everyone.

"Due to an unfortunate incident, the banquet will be halted here."

Her voice was gentle yet commanding.

She alternated her gaze between the writhing Valentine and him before speaking again.

"As this is a matter that occurred within the Imperial Family, I promise to personally take responsibility for the investigation. Additionally, I vow to compensate the affected families."

Most of the nobles nodded in agreement.

The accountability for the incident and the promise of compensation were clear.

"Well, now."

But someone interrupted.

"Since it was us Northeastern nobles who were harmed, wouldn't it be right for us to conduct the interrogation?"

It was Duke Richmond. The crowd parted as he made his way forward.

"I agree with ending the banquet, but we wish to handle the interrogation of the culprit ourselves."

The Emperor turned to him and asked.

"A criminal, you say? Well, isn't it a bit too early to jump to conclusions?"

Richmond fell silent for a moment. Then, he slowly turned his body and spoke.

"This is a case of a commoner tearing off a noble's arm. And yet, you claim he is not a criminal…?"

Duke Richmond shifted his gaze.

"Could it be because that boy is a butler under the House of Salvatore?"

His eyes were directed at Vasselo Salvatore.

Vasselo shielded Frey and shouted.

"Duke Richmond! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Hoho, why are you so agitated?"

"You should know how to separate public matters from private ones!"

Even as he was scolded, Richmond's lips curled into a sly smile.

"I think so too."

Ah.

Only then did Vasselo realize it. That he had fallen right into the trap Richmond had set.

Just as Vasselo, realizing it too late, tried to add something, Richmond turned back to the Emperor.

"I repeat, Count Valentine is one of the key figures of the Northeastern Nobles' Union. Could it be that this boy, or those behind him, are aiming to dismantle the Northeastern Nobles' Union?"

The banquet hall buzzed with murmurs.

Richmond seized the moment.

"Count Valentine's injury is entirely my fault as the representative of the Union. Therefore, I promise compensation to the Imperial Family and to the injured nobles. However, I must claim the right to interrogate the culprit."

The Emperor's hand trembled slightly.

It pained him that, as the Emperor of the Empire, he couldn't even issue a proper command.

Yet, he couldn't back down here.

To root out the Demon God Cult that was sowing chaos in the nation, and to uproot those who had allied with them, he needed to become stronger.

"Well, in my opinion…"

A heated debate ensued.

Though the exchange was lengthy, its substance was remarkably simple.

-Who would hold the right to interrogate Yuri?

The balanced argument began to crumble with someone's intervention.

"Wasn't I the one attacked?"

It was Count Valentine.

Having had his arm restored by the Green Tower Master attending the banquet, he sided with Duke Richmond.

"Then, shouldn't the interrogation rights fall to us…?"

Just as it seemed the Imperial side was about to lose the debate.

"Your Majesty?"

Yuri, who had been quietly subdued, whispered just loud enough for the Emperor to hear.

"If I may humbly suggest, wouldn't it suffice to have Valentine reveal his demonic energy?"

Demonic energy.

For a moment, the Emperor's expression stiffened.

However, Yuri's suggestion was valid.

If it were revealed that he was part of the Demon God Cult, the criminal would be Count Valentine, not Yuri.

But it was practically impossible.

Those people already lived in hiding, so why would they foolishly expose themselves?

The Emperor lightly rebuked Yuri.

"Do you think that's as easy as it sounds?"

"Indeed, it is not."

"Exactly! It's not that eas—"

The Emperor suddenly trailed off.

Not that easy?

Could it be possible to make Valentine reveal his demonic energy?

Yuri posed a question to the bewildered Emperor.

"Have you ever heard of this phrase?"

"…What phrase are you referring to?"

Yuri smiled brightly.

"A thunderbolt from a clear sky."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Crash!

The ceiling directly above where Valentine stood collapsed in an instant.

Bang!

The edges of the fallen ceiling were uniformly smooth, as if cut rather than broken. From the opening, a man leapt down.

Landing atop the rubble that had buried Valentine, he turned to the gathered crowd and bowed politely.

"I am the Moonlight Gentleman."

Clad in black attire reminiscent of a suit, a fedora, and a white mask engraved with a crescent moon.

His appearance matched both the name of his group and the epithet he had just declared.

"I have come to deliver the Captain's message."

The gentleman pulled a sheet of paper from his inner pocket. He unfolded it and began to read aloud.

"Criminal, Goofy Valentine, hear this. For the crime of daring to ally with the Demon God Cult and threatening the world."

Rip.

The gentleman tore the paper apart.

"Pay with your life."

With those words, he gripped his cane like a sword. As he channeled his aura into it, it transformed into what appeared to be a solid black blade.

"Come forth."

Yet no one moved.

The startled gentleman cleared his throat politely.

"Goofy Valentine!! The time has come to atone for worshiping a false god!!"

Once again, there was no response.

After waiting quietly, the gentleman cautiously asked the gathered crowd.

"…Is he not here by any chance?"

Swish.

The nobles' gazes shifted downward.

Toward the rubble beneath the gentleman's feet.

"Ah."

Only then did the gentleman realize.

Just in case, he asked.

"Could he be… under here?"

Everyone nodded.

"What in the world…"

It was a moment that left both the intruder and the intruded upon feeling awkward.