Chapter 65: It’s the engagement party, Miss Villainess! (3)

"B-but I didn’t even know how to swing a sword properly—"

Carole wanted to decline Ya’s offer—if it could even be considered as an offer—but the swordsman had made up his mind in this matter.

"No matter!" He interrupted Carole’s words. "You had potential. I know it!"

"B-but..."

Carole didn’t know what kind of expression she had to show at the moment.

The commotion drew the crowd’s attention. Curious and confused gazes were directed at them. Ivandel and Karr, who were accompanying Carole before, noticed it. They wanted to pull Carole away from Ya, but a glance from the strongest swordsman in the world was enough for them to feel freezing air engulfing their whole bodies.

Gyllena, who was watching from the side, could only look at Ya with a dumbfounded face, her lips hanged open.

Among the crowd, a pair of eyes in particular scanned them as if trying to extract every bit of information from their reflective gestures, words, and expressions.

They were of the wealthiest commoner in the Dungeon City, Marta Farcass.

"Gyllena Layver... What kind of secret were you keeping?" She muttered, her pink tongue licked her own lip suggestively, making some young men who accidentally saw that to blush.

Marta knew the truth behind Gyllena’s engagement with Jahreon. It was a forced betrothal. All started from Jahreon’s sudden announcement that he wanted Gyllena as his partner. The current Layver Family, which only had Gyllena as its pillar, couldn’t reject such ’seemingly’ beneficial proposal.

Jahreon’s true intention was unclear, but it was already talked amongst the powerful figures that he was after something from the Layver Family. Maybe it was its influence, power, or wealth, to attain something big. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

However, Marta didn’t think so. At least she didn’t believe that Jahreon was the one who wanted the Layver Family. It was someone bigger who was behind him.

Her close friend had told her about it, and after she pondered over the theory seriously, she found it could explain why Jahreon even came up with that idea in the first place.

The realization that followed after that was overwhelming. To think that even a royal family member could be controlled by someone. Marta felt cold whenever she thought of it.

Thus, before she attended the party today, she determined to get as much information about both Jahreon and Gyllena as she could. Not only to address the real player who was playing this game from behind the scene, but also to know more about a strong girl named Gyllena, this Noble lady who didn’t fall even after her parents disappeared, more.

She scanned the hall, trying to find any remarkable traces of something that might become the clue of what she was looking for.

Then her gaze fell on a butler. A short brown-haired butler.

He was still young. From her own estimation, maybe he was 18 or 19 years old. His height also quite ideal: more than 180 cm. He would be perfectly matched for her type if only his face was a little bit more refined. What a shame, she thought when she was about to look elsewhere and continued her search. But before she could do that, however, she noticed that the butler was approaching The World, Muste Verbezze.

Sensed something unusual, Marta moved closer to them while trying to appear as normal as she could. But then a group of noblewomen approached her, blocking her path toward the butler and The World. They seemed to have a quick conversation before they moved away from the hall. If only she hadn’t been blocked by the noblewomen, she would have chased after them.

Meanwhile, the butler in question, Theo, was leading Muste to a secluded room.

Once they were inside, Theo gestured him to sit on the sofa, which The World responded with taking the seat. Theo prepared a teapot and filled a cup for himself and Muste each before he spoke up.

"Then let’s start the transaction," he said, smiling lightly.

The air around his face still distorted when Muste looked straight at his eyes. "So you said you possess the information about the Lost Saintess?" He asked.

Theo’s answer was a slow, calm nod. "Yes."

The Lost Saintess.

In the game, it was a sub-plot involving Muste, and his childhood friend, a Saintess candidate of the Yulleim Theocracy, who had been disappeared mysteriously when Muste was still young, after she left a letter in his room.

"Where?" One question being thrown to Theo.

The World’s eyes sharpened. Theo could feel that the air was vibrating. One slip, and he would have to face the fury of the man who was born with the potentially the strongest magic ever known to humanity.

Theo masked his instinctual fear with his composed smile as he answered. "I understand that you are eager to reunite with your childhood friend, Lord Muste. However, this is a transaction."

The air shook violently, but Theo kept talking in a slow, composed pace.

"Which means you have to present something of equal value before I can give you the exact vital information that you wanted."

The air calmed down. Silence fell, eerily so. A drop of cold sweat flowed down Theo’s cheek. The curtain swayed gently along the gentle push from the cold wind.

One minute passed.

Finally, The World spoke.

"Alright," he said, learning back. "State your wish."

Theo sighed relievedly inside. Outside, he recomposed his calm mask.

Taking a deep breath, he raised one finger. "First, can I assume that it means I can request for anything, of course at the limit of your capability, my lord—from you?"

Muste didn’t immediately answer. He let the words settled, letting the silence return to the room.

Inwardly, Theo gulped. Outwardly, he kept waiting patiently.

Another minute passed.

"Correct." The World replied.

The tension left Theo’s shoulders. ’Alright, only one small request left, ’ he thought as he steeled himself again. Of course, only after he sipped his tea. His lips had begun to dry due to the intense pause.

Theo put his cup back on the table, taking a slow, relaxed breath.

"Then I will request," he said, looking at The World’s eyes. "A token to visit the Shrine of the Forgotten."

The air shuddered.

Almost cracked.

Sweet flowed down his face. But Theo was still maintained his calm mask.

The air didn’t calm down before Muste spoke this time. "Why?" He asked.

When Theo heard this question, he knew that he had to put his mask down. What The World wanted to hear now was a honest answer, a genuine reason from his heart, not a nice sounding, but false reason.

He looked at him, grinning. "Actually, I was going to go against the fate itself, my lord."

A joke. Others might think so when they heard his answer. But The World could tell. His emotion. The genuine fear, desperation, and strong desire—hope—for change in him.

The air stopped trembling.

A smile appeared on Murte’s face.

He raised his palm before Theo. "Place your palm above mine."

Theo complied obediently, his eyes solemn.

When he placed his palm above Muste’s palm, the room suddenly lost its light.

Complete darkness filled the room.

Here, Theo could only see his own hand.

No light,

No shadow,

Only darkness,

And a whisper of someone he couldn’t see.

The whisper sounded like a spell, but more profound. Akin to prayers, a choir begging for bless from a being who lived in a territory no mortal could dream to reach.

The time felt extended here.

Or it was only Theo who lost track of his time because of the absence of light.

He couldn’t even breathe.

Since the air felt frozen, as still as his own body.

But his lungs could still working just as normally as ever.

Odd place. Odd realm.

Then,

A minute passed.

Finally, the light returned to the room.

"Ha-aah!" Theo immediately inhaled a big amount of air, sweating profusely.

He looked down to his hand, and he found a golden eye-shaped symbol on it. He could feel an ancient power from it.

The World let his palm go. "You can only use it once. Think carefully before you decided to enter the realm."

After he explained and warned about it to Theo, Muste stood up. Ignoring Theo, who was still panting and staring at his hand in delighted surprise, he demanded his right. "Now, talk."

Theo finally recovered after he heard his words.

"R-right..." He stammered a little before he could finally calm his heart down. Looking up at The World, he smiled modestly. "Thank you, my lord. For granting my wish."

He first expressed his gratitude before he got into the vital information, his face turned solemn.

"She is currently being sealed in the shadow realm," Theo said. "You can find the door leading to the location she is sealed at the Great Cathedral of the Yulleim Theocracy."

The air around Muste’s face became even more distorted. "So you said..."

Theo nodded. "That’s right," confirming his suspicion.

"Those two-faced weaklings!" The World growled, his aura intensified at least four times.

Theo became pale when exposed to his aura, but fortunately, he didn’t have to endure it for long, as Muste immediately disappeared from the room right after that. He disappeared into the thin air, leaving no trace behind, as if he didn’t even there in the place.