Chapter 371 Poet
Roland felt as if a mountain had crushed him. His protective magic tools couldn't withstand the terrifying force and shattered. He struggled to breathe, his heart nearly turning to pus, and he couldn't even move a finger.
Maybe it was an illusion, but he always felt that although his other brothers and sisters were also pale and their eyes were full of fear, they were not as painful as he was about to die.
"...I don't understand." Lionel supported himself on the table, barely standing up straight, and slowly said, "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"
He actually seemed genuinely puzzled.
"Those test subjects who seem so miserable to you all volunteered. Before working for the company, their families couldn't even afford to eat. But after joining the company, their families received compensation that they could never earn in their entire lives."
"The 'Protector' company is willing to pay a higher price than the market price to the workers in the mining area who are protected by the People's Party. As for the plague of decay that has spread throughout the mining area, it is not my intention. I can do nothing about what the workers think. After all, even I have contracted this damn strange disease."
"My children are very filial. They know that if someone like me lives on, we will create greater value. They love me as a father, so they volunteer to sacrifice for me—" Lionel paused, looking at his children with a look of deep sorrow. "Are you going to harshly criticize even your children's filial piety towards their father?"
The professor calmly watched him defend himself until he was thirsty and had to stop. The black-haired young man clapped his hands nonchalantly and said, "A very wonderful speech, Mr. Moni."
"There's just one thing you can't get over. You knew full well that coal was the culprit of the disease, yet you never did anything for your workers, your subordinates, your customers, or even your children."
Those smoky grey eyes seemed to be able to pierce through all the false facades and confront the bleeding truth: "Coal spirits make a lot of money, right? But the thought of delaying production for so-called 'safety' or 'risk', or even just spending money to provide some protection for workers and subordinates, is heartbreaking."
He paused, observing Lionel's slightly changed expression with indifference. "Even though Dusk Star Manor was originally designed with a protective array powered by jet, the interior decoration lacks even a single jet lamp. It relies entirely on the most basic oil lamps and candles—isn't that suspicious? Jet lamps are a must-have for the upper class throughout the empire. They're bright, convenient, and expensive, effectively creating a gap and class between them and the poor... For someone like you who enjoys ostentation and enjoyment, I don't think your lifestyle would be so retro and simple."
The information extracted from Roland Mony along the way also strongly proved this point.
"Of course, you can say I'm just speculating." Perhaps tired from holding the same position for so long, the black-haired young man tilted his head lazily. "But I'm not the judge who will judge this case, nor am I the priest who will hear your confession. Whether it's evidence or excuses, please speak to the people who deserve an answer."
The expression on Lionel's face shifted unpredictably. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "So you're going to kill me tonight, Mr. Ghost?"
"Go ahead." He suddenly stretched out his arms towards the black-haired young man. "I know the gentleman behind you must be a saint. All the people present combined cannot possibly compete with a saint. I was the one who was outplayed. I only ask that you spare my children. They are still young, and I forced them to do it."
"Father!" Roland couldn't help but exclaimed.
Lionel ignored him. He even took a step forward, a look of longing on his face. "Please do it. I've had enough of this disease. Let me be free."
"Why would I kill you now?" The professor looked at him puzzledly. "I'm not some psychopathic killer."
Lionel's expression twisted for a moment: "Wha—"
"Killing you in public tonight, or even killing everyone here, would only bring unnecessary trouble to the People's Party," he explained earnestly, seemingly having no idea what he was saying. "Besides, doing so still wouldn't destroy the Protector Company's research or halt the mining of the coal concentrate. After all, its true owner is the royal family of the Silver Iris Empire, isn't it?"
Everyone: “…”
So why did this guy go to all that trouble to sneak into Dusk Star Manor? Just to take a walk and relax?!
…
In the end, the ghost disappeared silently from its spot, leaving only an empty, tilted armchair beside the dining table - but for a moment no one even dared to step forward to straighten the chair that no one was sitting in.
Lionel turned his back to his children and remained silent. The others didn't dare to even breathe. Roland hesitated for a moment, then timidly stepped forward and said, "Father, I..."
The man slowly turned his head to look at him, then without hesitation, slapped him hard in front of everyone. The sound was exceptionally crisp and loud, echoing throughout the banquet hall. Roland covered his swollen face, not daring to speak. He could only watch helplessly as his father's gloomy gaze swept over Ethan, who was standing in the corner, but he eventually slowly moved away.
Ethan is the person I have decided to protect, the ghost announced casually before leaving, because he owes a debt to the gentleman next to me, and he needs him to be healthy and mentally clear and work hard to repay it.
How could the favor of saving his life—meaning the dragon knight didn't kill him on the spot—not be considered a debt?
The ghost said this, so Lionel didn't dare to do anything to this "son" for a moment. He just left the banquet hall with a gloomy face and Victoria, who kept her head down and said nothing, leaving the other children looking at each other in bewilderment.
Lesia glanced at Roland, whose cheeks were red and swollen and who looked in a state of disarray. This boy who always looked up to the sky was now as listless as a drowned dog with its tail tucked between its legs. She wanted to sneer at him with gloating sarcasm, but in the blink of an eye, she found that the mysterious bard she brought with her had disappeared from the spot without her knowing.
On the other side, the professor, who was almost sneezing from being talked about by everyone, poked his head out from his lover's arms and rubbed the person's shoulder very skillfully, brushing away the messy hair caused by the high-speed movement from his eyes.
At this time, they were in the black pine forest far away from the Dusk Star Manor. The Savior was as light as a dead leaf, standing lightly on a slender treetop, looking up at the pale and huge moon hidden by the shadows of the trees.
He suddenly moved his fingers, and a fierce wind blew up from behind him without mercy, rushing towards a shadow somewhere with a sharp roar -
"Ouch, ouch! Stop hitting me, I don't mean any harm—Ouch!"
The bard tumbled out of the shadows of the trees, clutching his neck and groaning. His hat had fallen to the ground, and his hair was covered with dead branches and leaves. A bloody wound appeared on his neck, and blood oozed out and dripped slowly. If it had been any deeper, he might have severed an artery.
"Really? How can such a beautiful person be so violent and start a fight without saying a word..." Magnus picked up his hat, dusted it off, and muttered with a bitter face.
Seeing the man looking down at him condescendingly, one hand pressed the curiously raised head of the person in his arms into the socket of his shoulder, protecting him tightly, while the other hand made a gesture to attack him again. He quickly put on his hat and raised his hands in surrender, saying solemnly and earnestly: "Respected God of Resistance and Change, Eternal Banner, Unyielding Lord who protects those who blaspheme against fate, please allow me to speak with you for a few words."
Nova: “…”
He felt strangely... strange. Who could have imagined that this god, with a string of impressive-sounding titles, would have still not cleaned the toothpaste foam off his nose this morning when he was washing up in the bathroom and about to kiss him.
The professor couldn't help but try to pull his head out of the man's arms again, and then he heard the savior's cold voice: "The last time we met, you were just a high-level apostle, but now you are a saint."
"Just good luck," Magnus shrugged, but after a moment's thought, he added hesitantly, "Well, bad luck, too?"
Azuka had no interest in listening to this man's ramblings. He remained expressionless and silent, so the bard continued his monologue. "You made a wise choice not to kill that old man. There's something wrong with that little girl next to him. If he dies, he'll probably be resurrected in her body or something... Anyway, it's disgusting."
Upon hearing this, the professor immediately ripped someone's hand off and stared at Magnus with such interest, his eyes so bright that he almost fell out of the tree. "The 'Shelter' company actually has this kind of technology?"
A hint of helplessness flashed in the savior's eyes. He hugged his nemesis' waist tightly and simply jumped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground. After releasing him, he continued to closely monitor the bard's every move, ensuring that he would be killed immediately if he made any unpleasant moves.
"Of course, my Lord, or so he believes he does," Magnus said mysteriously and pointedly, "From ancient times to the present, all those in power have pursued the same goal. Isn't this the resurrection that the gods long for? It's a pity that none of them will succeed. They will all end up in the most miserable of circumstances—because the world and fate won't allow them to do so."
The professor narrowed his eyes slowly and asked sharply, "Lionel is involved with the gods—the God of Light and Glory... No, are the other three gods involved?"
...Sure enough, his guesses and speculations were still correct, and he was right not to rush to deal with that guy.
"I didn't say anything." Magnus blinked, keeping that mysterious smile on his face.
The professor stared at the face covered in oil paint for a while, then suddenly asked calmly, "Who are you?"
... Considering that this person was the first to show goodwill, he swore that if the other party dared to act crazy and mysterious again, Azuka would catch him, hang him up and beat him. Sometimes simple and rough methods are also a good way.
"Magnus," the bard seemed to have foreseen something. This time he took off his big hat solemnly and bowed to the black-haired young man in front of him: "Captain Magnus greets you, Your Majesty."
"--Besides that, I seem to be the successor of the goddess of fate, Lamodo." He straightened up and scratched his cheek, looking a little shy. "The future god of fate or something like that."
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