Chapter 50

“This is the first time we’ve gathered like this,” Aneta began, breaking the silence.

“Well, we don’t have any other connections besides being the head of the Glory family,” Serce replied, steering the conversation.

Meanwhile, Carlos remained silent, looking elsewhere. He decided to ignore Erez as usual, knowing that any deviation from his typical behavior might raise suspicion.

“I often see Carlos and Serce, but Erez Bauter, the last time we met was briefly at a recent banquet,”

Aneta said as if a sudden memory had struck her.

“I remember you were in some trouble at that event. Fortunately, you weren’t hurt.”

As she subtly brought up the incident, Erez’s eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity.

“I’m fine. But I was so surprised that you, My Lady, had also discovered your Glory. I’m glad you found it, even if it was late.”

Erez replied quickly, revealing his true intentions before Aneta could continue.

“Handling someone else’s Glory is fascinating. Could you show it to me again?” Erez tilted his head, pleading slightly. Aneta, seeing Erez react exactly as anticipated, nodded.

“It’s not difficult.”

Erez’s smile widened with expectation, believing his goal was within reach. However, Aneta had no intention of allowing his genuine joy to remain unchecked.

“Then, could you lend me your Shine for a moment?”

Whether Erez complied or not didn’t matter. Aneta was already certain of his abilities and felt confident manipulating his response regardless of his choice.

Aneta sent a calm, patient gaze his way, while Erez’s eyes darted nervously.

Aneta recognized this behavior from the first time they met. It was Erez’s habit when he was trying to find a way out.

“Ah… Well, you see…”

Failing to find a suitable excuse, Erez furrowed his brow, seeming distressed. Declining the request would leave him unsure of what to say, but agreeing would risk exposing the lie about his ability.

Seeing his discomfort, Aneta decided to offer a lifeline.

“Oh, I recall you mentioning that Shine’s ability only manifests in rare circumstances,” she said.

“Yes. That’s why it would be difficult to use Shine to demonstrate your abilities,” Erez responded, seizing the excuse.

“Seeing the future is an incredible ability in itself, so it makes sense,” Aneta remarked.

Her words seemed like a ray of light in the darkness, brightening Erez’s expression. He took the bait Aneta subtly offered, clinging to the hope that his secret might remain undiscovered.

Everything was going according to Aneta’s plan.

“I would like to see the power of the Miracle with my own eyes. Would that be possible?”

“There’s no reason it wouldn’t be.”

Aneta turned her head towards Carlos, who had been watching her intently. Carlos knew exactly what that meant and, ignoring Erez’s expectant gaze, untied the Glorious Sky from his wrist.

“You’re going to do it with the Glorious Sky?”

“It’s the one I’m most familiar with. Is there a problem?”

Aneta subtly glanced at Erez as she slightly turned her body to accept the Glorious Sky.

Sending him a look that said ‘Don’t even think about objecting,’ she saw him shake his head in denial.

“No, no problem at all.”

Despite his words, his awkwardly forced smile revealed his dissatisfaction.

It was clear that Erez was unhappy about Aneta borrowing the Glorious Sky instead of the Avatar, but she paid him no mind and fastened the Glorious Sky onto her wrist.

Though she had claimed familiarity as her reason for choosing the Glorious Sky, that wasn’t the whole truth. She couldn’t use Serce’s Avatar because if its power was triggered, it would be impossible to conceal. Therefore, she opted for the Glorious Sky.

Masterfully concealing this fact, Aneta mumbled to herself, “What should I do…”

Given the location, it was important not to damage anything or make loud noises. Aneta scanned the surroundings for an appropriate object.

Her gaze eventually settled on a flowering tree with red leaves and green blossoms, which stood out from the other flowers in the garden.

“Ah, that looks good.”

All eyes followed as Aneta extended her slender finger to point, and all eyes turned to the indicated spot.

“Watch closely.”

Assured that neither Russell nor the palace gardeners would object to this, Aneta compressed the air around a branch and released it in a burst.

The thick branch shed its green petals and leaf-like structures with the impact, but surprisingly, they remained firmly in place.

The cascade of red hues was a magnificent sight. Aneta couldn’t help but recall the memories of her covert mission with Carlos.

‘Who would have thought I’d be recreating this scene with his ability?’

Life was full of unexpected turns.

Lost in these thoughts, a leaf carried by the wind landed in her teacup.

Erez let out an admiring exclamation, and Aneta lightly tapped the leaf with her fingertip.

Pretty, but not something she’d want to drink. Aneta wiped her damp fingers on a napkin on the table and met Erez’s eyes.

“It’s impossible to demonstrate more power in this setting. As you know, causing a commotion in the palace is not permitted.”

“Could you at least show us that again?”

Before Erez could finish his sentence, a heavy sensation, likely emanating from the power of Control, pressed down on Aneta.

Aneta discreetly observed the reactions of Carlos and Serce. They seemed unaffected, as before.

Erez’s request to try exercising his power was likely an attempt to test whether his ability could influence them.

Even though she had anticipated this moment, Aneta hesitated, tapping the tabletop with her finger as if reluctant to comply.

Tuk, tuk.

As the tapping sound on the smooth table surface continued, Erez struggled to conceal his growing impatience.

“…Alright.”

After some hesitation, Aneta reluctantly agreed once more. Simultaneously, she envisioned an image in her mind of unleashing the Miracle’s inherent power to break through the barrier of Control, rather than using the Glorious Sky.

Thanks to her mastery over controlling the Miracle, the barrier crumbled much faster than before, but she still couldn’t see any barriers surrounding the others. She could only feel the pervasive control power enveloping them.

“This will be the last time I grant such a request.”

With those words, Aneta subtly tapped the feet of the two men under the table. This was a prearranged signal they had established before Erez arrived.

Serce, pretending to be unaware, received the signal and activated his power simultaneously with Aneta. However, no power emerged, and he returned the signal by tapping her foot twice, indicating that the Gloryt’s power was sealed, just like during the attack.

Fortunately, Aneta’s situation was different.

Taking advantage of Erez’s gaze being fixed on the flowering tree, she subtly released a faint thread of power elsewhere.

The result was the same as before.

The flower she targeted silently scattered its petals and fell.

Even though Erez knew about the Miracle’s power, Aneta was still able to use it. However, she had to conceal this fact. Aneta furrowed her brows, feigning confusion.

“My power won’t manifest. It worked fine earlier, but now it’s suddenly not.”

“Let me see that again.”

Carlos took back the Glorious Sky to check, and Erez hastily deactivated his power.

Judging by how quickly he withdrew his power, indicated that he still lacked fine control over his abilities.

‘Is it that he can do it, but doesn’t put in the effort, or is it simply impossible for him?’

Aneta didn’t know the answer. In the original story, Erez rarely used the ability of Control.

“It works for me. What about you, Lord Raphaeli?”

“It works for me too.”

Now that his power of Control had been lifted, it was only natural that the Glorious Sky and Avatar would regain their power. Looking at the two of them manifesting their abilities, Aneta had a look of confusion on her face.

“Is my ability still unstable?”

“No, it seems there’s something with those imprisoned in the Imperial Palace’s underground instead.”

Carlos matched Aneta’s evasiveness as he carried out Russell’s instructions. He skillfully altered his speech to introduce the false information, while also subtly checking if anyone else was around.

“Given the seriousness of the matter, the captains of each knight order are taking turns interrogating them.”

Since there had never been such a thing before the Assassins appeared, it was clear that they were hiding the cause. Convinced of this, Carlos noticed a slight curl at the edge of Erez’s lips as he quietly observed the situation.

Erez seemed quite at ease now that no one was suspecting him.

“Any progress?”

“None at all. Even under severe torture, they just keep repeating that they have nothing to do with it. But who would believe that?”

“It is certainly hard to trust them. Even if Count Gaston offered tens of billions, they wouldn’t have risked their lives on that alone, would they?”

Although the assassins had carried out such an attack, they couldn’t reveal the truth.

Aneta speculated aloud, saying they must have had some hidden support to challenge the Glory owners. and that this mysterious power was likely the one suppressing their ability manifestation.

Her words flowed so naturally that she felt like she had planned this.

She wasn’t the only one who thought so; even Serce’s fleeting glance seemed curious.

Having eased his worries, Erez no longer paid attention to the conversation about the assassins. He had abandoned his previously anxious demeanor, now seeing it as an irrelevant matter.

However, it wasn’t that Erez had completely turned his attention away from Carlos. While disregarding the content of his speech, Erez focused on Carlos’ moving lips, expressions, and tone of voice.

‘No, it would be more appropriate to say that he was mesmerized.’

Aneta couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance at the strange fervor directed at Carlos.

She had intended to use Carlos as bait, but watching the scene unfold stirred a murky sensation within her.

‘What is this feeling?’

Though she couldn’t identify the emotion, it was certainly not a pleasant one.