Chapter 76. Protect the Saintess

“Go.”

“Yes.”

Like someone who had received an order from Theo, the man obediently turned around and left.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall began to grow even colder.

The nobles who had been desperate to speak with Theo began watching each other’s reactions again.

“So, did His Highness really come just to attend the festival?”

“That’s what I’m saying… Could he be looking to pick a fight?”

“That makes sense. If the ‘Murderer’ rumors are true, he must be itching for action.”

“Look at that body… He could eat people and still have room for more.”

The noble men who had been desperate for investment whispered to each other with fearful eyes.

As they confirmed each other’s anxieties, Theo became more than just a potential investor to them.

Their desire for the latest magic stone facility systems and the ability to process magic stones kept diminishing.

It was Theo’s gaze, scanning the surroundings while standing at the drink table, that made them feel this way.

Of course, Theo was actually waiting for Ulysse to come tell him he could leave.

But to the nobles, Theo’s eyes looked like those of a beast hunting its prey.

It had been a while since he’d gone to war, so he must be getting restless.

The ‘Murderer’ who reveled in bloody slaughter had been holding back, so how hungry must he be?

Just watching Theo standing still made the nobles think their imagination quite reasonable.

Every time their eyes briefly met with Theo’s as he looked around, their bodies trembled.

This must be how powerless herbivores feel.

“Your Highness.”

Just then, Ulysse approached Theo.

For the first time, a spark appeared in Theo’s eyes, which had remained expressionless while sipping his drink.

To the noble men, it just looked like a gleaming expression.

They held their breath while glancing between Ulysse and Theo.

Ulysse tilted his head at the sudden silence around them. Moreover, some were looking at him with pitying eyes.

Pushing aside his uncomfortable feelings, Ulysse looked at Theo.

“Have you greeted enough people?”

“Yeah. I was just talking to someone.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know.”

Ulysse sighed deeply at Theo’s response.

“Priest Percos has arrived. Shall we go now?”

“Of course.”

“If you stay longer, you could see higher density magic stones. Are you still going to leave now?”

“Yeah.”

Theo put down his glass, ignoring Ulysse’s pointed look.

He didn’t want to stay any longer in this boring banquet hall. The North wasn’t in such a desperate situation that they needed to covet the South’s magic stones.

“I’ll stay longer then, Your Highness, .”

Ulysse said after some consideration. He couldn’t ignore the nobles showing interest in Theo.

“Do as you wish.”

Having received Theo’s permission, Ulysse turned his attention properly to the nobles in the banquet hall.

He needed to at least hear what they wanted!

That way they could invest in promising businesses or join profitable proposals.

Ultimately, it was a way to make the principality’s future even brighter.

Theo shook his head watching Ulysse’s eyes shine.

The business proposals the nobles brought today would end up completely in Ulysse’s grasp.

“Don’t stay too late.”

“Yes! I’ll leave soon after the work is done.”

Theo quickly left the banquet hall and headed to the Bios villa.

* * *

Fortunately, the distance between the banquet hall and the villa wasn’t far.

Upon arriving at the villa, Theo flung open the door to the second-floor reception room.

Percos had just finished a cup of tea.

He opened his eyes wide in surprise at seeing Theo.

“I thought you’d be later. Didn’t the festival just start?”

“I didn’t come here to enjoy parties.”

“I see.”

Theo sat across from Percos while unbuttoning his shirt collar that had been choking him.

Percos sat perfectly straight and smiled faintly while looking at Theo.

“I heard you visited Lady Camilla.”

“Yes.”

“I was a bit surprised, since I heard you weren’t on good terms.”

“Did she tell you?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Then speak.”

Percos picked up the teapot on the table and filled the empty cup.

Just like the steaming teacup, Theo’s insides were also burning hot.

A face whose thoughts couldn’t be read. The expression of someone who had seen it all.

These were the kind of people Theo was most wary of.

“If you want to hear from me, you must make a precise promise.”

“I think I conveyed my intentions clearly enough.”

Percos lifted his head and stared into Theo’s eyes.

“You must make an unbreakable promise.”

An unbreakable promise…

The words felt familiar.

Theo quickly understood what he meant.

“You mean a divine oath.”

Percos nodded at Theo’s words.

He handed Theo a cord twisted with gold and red threads.

“You’re well prepared. Must have been hard to get.”

“It’s a necessary item for a priest.”

What Percos had prepared was Daphne’s Cord, a divine object used in making divine oaths.

Daphne’s Cord, being imbued with divine power, was difficult for ordinary people to obtain without being a priest.

You wrap the cord around your wrist and recite the oath. Then your souls become bound to each other’s promises.

If the oath is broken, it must be paid with one’s life.

The process and conclusion were simple, but its effect was heavy.

Since it required Daphne’s Cord, it couldn’t be broken by anyone except a god, so one had to be careful.

So this was a matter worth betting one’s life on.

Theo watched Percos’s actions. He first wrapped the cord around his own wrist.

Percos pushed the other end of the cord toward Theo and spoke.

“Swear that you will protect the Saintess.”

“Protect?”

Percos nodded. His eyes were resolute.

“The promise to protect includes the meaning that Your Highness will not harm the Saintess.”

“……”

“Is it difficult?”

Theo had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

How could it be difficult?

To swear to protect that small and precious Grand Duchess, his wife — how could he not?

And who would dare try to harm Yuelina?

If by any chance Yuelina got hurt, it would be equivalent to a death sentence for Theo.

Of course, he would eliminate anyone who tried to harm her before they could hurt Yuelina.

Theo willingly wrapped the cord around his wrist just as Percos had done.

Soon after, the golden thread began to emit a brilliant light.

Theo frowned for a moment.

The cord wrapped around his wrist began to constrict his entire arm more tightly.

“It will hurt a bit. It’s an oath made with blood.”

As Percos said, the red thread turned dark red. It was becoming soaked with Theo’s blood.

The blood spreading from the cord wrapped around his wrist and began to stain the entire cord.

Theo felt like all the blood was draining from his body. His head was dizzy and his body tingled.

“!”

He urgently clutched his left chest. Though the cord was only wrapped around his arm, it felt like his heart was being bound.

Soon after, the cord that had been binding him began to disappear. Theo’s pain gradually subsided.

Percos removed his hand from the table and smiled at Theo.

“Well done.”

Unlike Theo, his face was calm. Theo roughly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“You seem to handle this pain well.”

“Ah, only the oath-taker experiences the pain. I just need to add a bit of holy power.”

Theo’s brow furrowed, displeased by Percos’s words.

Percos awkwardly smiled and drank the tea in front of him.

“So, are you ready to talk now?”

Percos looked at Theo while putting down his teacup.

Though he said he was twenty-five, he was a priest with eyes that seemed to see through the world.

The longer they stayed together, the deeper the unpleasant feeling would likely grow.

Percos placed and opened the forbidden book on the table, the same one he had shown at the inn before.

Though it was written in the common language, the grammar was so complex that the meaning couldn’t be understood at a glance.

“As written in the forbidden book, the ‘Saintess’ is a messenger who delivers Goddess Daphne’s messages. Those messages aren’t in language form.”

“I know that. You told me the holy water disappeared, and that the Saintess can fix it.”

Percos grinned.