Chapter 410: Guest of Honor
Rael should’ve expected it, honestly.
Instead of the usual throne room that emitted an air of fearsome authority, he was met with a simple church interior.
Rows of seats were scattered on the left and the right, and at the far end of the room, there was a golden altar with various symbols of a religion Rael couldn’t recognize.
Even so, the man behind the altar was just the man he was looking for.
—Tyrion Aurenthia [Grade 3 General Class | Level 1,255] – Vitality: Tier 8 [100% / 100% HP]
The fake king, huh? Rael mused and stepped forward. Eventually, he arrived in front of the king who stood behind the altar, looking at the two of them with curiosity in his gaze.
And right as Rael was about to speak, Theo stepped up and spoke instead.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” He bowed slightly. “I apologize for the sudden visit, but I’ve brought a special guest today.”
Tyrion smiled, turning to Rael. “Welcome to our humble kingdom. I would ensure you have a place to stay; however, as luck might have it, you have caught me at the wrong time. I was just about to start a ceremony for my subjects.”
“That’s fine,” Rael replied plainly. “I’m quite interested in this ceremony. Do you mind if I stay?”
“…You may do as you please,” Tyrion said skeptically and pointed at one of the seats in the front. “Go sit down, and during the ceremony, you must not utter a word.”
Rael agreed right away, and just like that, he sat down where he was supposed to. He waited for a few minutes, and that was when several dozen soldiers walked into the room.
Unlike the soldiers that had been wearing simple blue robes earlier, these soldiers each had strange etchings on their sleeves, and from their power alone, Rael was sure they were some kind of special division.
However, just as Rael was about to avert his attention from this group of people, he suddenly spotted a seemingly ordinary attendant amongst them.
He wore a blue butler’s suit, and he carried himself in a shy manner. But despite that, in a room of unordinary men, the one most ordinary was the one he should watch out for.
And thankfully he did, because when Rael inspected the man, it felt as if a wave of clarity had hit him.
—Silas Gernot [Grade 4 Duke Class | Level 97] – Vitality: Tier 11 [100% / 100% HP]
The attendant was none other than the ruler of Aurenthia, Silas Gernot.
He carried a pot of holy water calmly, and once he arrived by the golden altar, he bowed slightly.
“I’ve brought the necessary ingredients, Your Majesty,” Silas said, his voice cold yet soothing. “I have also done the necessary purifications, so you may start the ceremony whenever you wish.”
“Thank you, Silas,” Tyrion said, taking the holy water. “You may be seated.”
With another bow, Silas turned around, prepared to find a seat. That was when Rael suddenly tapped the seat beside him.
Silas raised a brow, but seeing that there weren’t many other seats remaining in the room, he went ahead and sat beside Rael.
He remained silent, and so did Rael.
After all, while he did want to take over this kingdom, he also wanted to know how it worked. And for that, he wanted to understand what this whole ceremony was about.
Tyrion took a few deep breaths, and then, he began the ceremony.
“I welcome you all once again. I hope everyone had a splendid time doing their duties as per usual,” he said softly, his eyes narrowing slightly. “However, by doing your duties, you’ve also committed a great many sins. For that, I shall grant you liberation so you are not overwhelmed by the crimson moon.”
He tapped the golden altar twice, and it began to glow. A moment later, Tyrion poured a single droplet of the holy water onto the altar.
In an instant, the glow intensified, giving a crimson hue to the golden light.
A faint minty aroma found its way to his nose, and a moment later came the distinct smell of blood.
But unlike the minty aroma, it only lingered for a few seconds before disappearing.
Yet when Rael turned to the side, he realized that Silas and Theo had covered their noses, a slight look of disgust on their faces.
And a moment later, Rael realized why.
<Ding!>
Rael finished reading it and let out a sigh.
Purification and forced loyalty? This kingdom doesn’t happen to be one giant cult… right? Rael thought, and a moment later, he felt his skin start to slightly burn.
[HP -20%! Vitality: Tier 7 [80% / 100% HP]
[HP +20%! Vitality: Tier 7 [100% / 100% HP]
“Hmm…”
This isn’t that bad.
Sure, he was burning slightly, but it wasn’t painful by any means. After all he just had to increase his heartbeat, and in turn, his healing speed would improve significantly.
But despite no one noticing that he was burning, Silas’s eyes were locked right on him.
It wasn’t out of wariness, but surprise.
And when Rael focused on Silas, his eyes widened.
—Silas Gernot [Grade 4 Duke Class | Level 97] – Vitality: Tier 11 [88% / 100% HP]
His HP was going up and down, which meant he was also a demon.
But as Rael was about to open his mouth and ask a question, Tyrion clapped his hands once, gathering the attention of everyone present.
“Now everyone, the ceremony has only just begun,” he said, tapping the pot of holy water and glancing at Rael with a smile.
“It has been a while since we’ve had any guests join us in this ceremony, so to celebrate such an occasion, why not let our guest come up first?”
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