Chapter 174

‘Right, with this, the ice flower can be ingested.’

Aria read that part without missing a word with a flushed face. She lost Hans, but it was still a great result. She is one step closer to hope.

“Vincent, this…”

Aria sprinted to his side and showed the book to the young man who looked at her complexion.

In a matter of seconds, he understood what Aria was trying to say, and his eyes twinkled with a bright face.

“Wow! I thought you were going crazy when you said you were going to get this book, but at the end of the day, you almost couldn’t get it and it almost disappeared into a handful of ashes! Of course, it’s a forbidden magic, so you have to think about the side effects, but I’m glad you found a way, really…….”

Vincent bit his lip, muttering in a watery voice that showed his joy.

“Are you crying?”

“Who, who’s crying, no one’s crying!”

“You.”

“No it’s not? No. Come to think of it, you found a way to save a loved one, so what if I cry!”

“As expected, you’re crying.”

“Because I’m not!”

When he tried to show his temper with red-hot eyes, nothing but laughter came out of Aria.

Aria left her laughter leaking out unattended, and she stroked the hair of the young man who had grown taller before she knew it.

Vincent, who had a grumpy expression, asked in resignation, obediently giving his head away.

“By the way, is the Holy Empire the main culprit in this situation?”

“It’s very likely. I met the wizard Hans.”

“If it’s Hans… he’s entangled in the Bruto Lab. It’s really a tough life…”

“I didn’t even know he was going to be alive.”

After the ‘God’s malice’ rampage incident, all the researchers who took part in the experiment died because of the ‘God’s goodwill’ that ran rampant at the same time.

But now that she looks at it, he almost lost his life. If it was because of ‘God’s goodwill’, those who did evil things were punished and died. Then,

‘Hans should be the one to die first.’

Considering the evil deeds he has committed since he was in the gutter, it would not be enough for him to fall into hell a hundred times already.

But he got out of that mess. Perhaps he used movement magic because he was a wizard.

‘But when he got out of there, he was still joining the Holy Empire…….’

Then, as expected.

“Garcia still hasn’t given up on chimera.”

Garcia would have countless wizards at Hans’ level. However, there is only one reason why Garcia took Hans out when the Bruto Lab was completely destroyed.

Hans is an unrivaled wizard in the field of chimera.

“And they stole not only books, but other auction items as well.”

“Other auction items? All items on the auction are supposed to be private. How did they know the items and steal them…”

Oh wait. Vincent sighed and added, not knowing what to say.

“They obviously made a commotion with the ‘Cursed Core’, which meant they knew that the Cursed Core would be on sale soon.”

Aria nodded her head, indicating that his guess was correct.

“Initially, except for ‘Cursed Core’ and ‘Book of Forbidden Magic’, all the stolen items were provided by Garcia.”

“Yes. It seems that Lord Norton was only involved in the ‘Book of Forbidden Magic’, so the other items were obtained from elsewhere.”

Like Norton, there was a high probability that they used nobles who were alienated from the Empire. So they could defect to Garcia.

Perhaps the intention was to plant a spy inside the Fineta Empire.

“Hmm… If you check the items that are missing from the list of items submitted for this auction, we can read their purpose.”

Vincent went straight to Tristan and Sabina. And he seemed to be discussing something with them with a serious face.

At that moment. She suddenly felt a gaze.

Aria automatically turned her head toward the direction where she had felt the gaze. And at the same time, her eyes were intertwined with the light blue eyes.

‘Gabriel.’

After a moment getting mesmerized, the people’s chatter could be heard in the distance.

He was staring at her very precisely. He had recognized Aria while wearing a wig and a mask as well. Aria immediately recognized him with his hood on too, but…….

The reason is,

“All of this is God’s will!”

“Glorious knights of God’s Kingdom, do not be shaken. What you are doing is only a process of purifying your soul!”

“Do not hesitate to kill them! They are already corrupted and irreversible. The only way to save them is to release the shackles of their tainted bodies!”

Because he was exactly the same as when he came to slaughter the people of Fineta. Same body, same facial features, same eyes, same sword…….

‘Well, he has grown over time, so it’s only obvious…….’

Can he be considered the perfect enemy now that he is in this place wearing the hood? It must mean that he has completely turned to Garcia’s side, the Pope.

Aria slowly hardened her face, which had been soaked with happiness.

Lloyd felt uncomfortable.

Every moment he could spend with Aria was precious, so why did he have to get out of his way and escort those who he didn’t care about if they died?

Yes, because it was Aria’s request.

‘If the things to be escorted go missing due to an accident…… There is no need to be an escort.’

Then he will be able to stay by Aria’s side. He suddenly had that urge.

But Aria’s request was absolute, so he had no choice but to persevere. However, he could not stop the flow of murderous energy from moment to moment.

“Where does the cold wind come from? The window is closed…”

In the carriage, the Nortons shivered with chills, but their comfort was beyond Lloyd’s concern.

“Hey.”

That was then.

Young Lord Norton suddenly spoke to Lloyd, who was riding a horse. He was on horseback, despite the knights’ persuasions to go in the carriage.

He didn’t know, but he felt like he was competing for something.

“I don’t like you.”

Of course, Lloyd didn’t listen.

The time he was not with Aria was just a time for him to grow old little by little and one step closer to death.

A mere flow of time.

And others are just a flying insect that pollutes his ears in the flow of time.

“For an escort, I’m just there to protect from external threats.”

“What? What nonsense is that?”

“It doesn’t matter if you fall on your own and never get up.”

Even Aria would tolerate that much. If the horse jumped and fell on its own, it was a matter outside the escort’s control.

As Lloyd had made a decision while weighing the circumstances.

Suddenly, Young Lord Norton’s survival instincts shone. He stopped his running horse and moved as far away as possible from Lloyd.

And he cried out.

“You, you punk! You know who I am and you dare to threaten me! Know that I will tell Father everything!”

“……”

“I, I didn’t avoid you because I was afraid of you!”

Is it because Lloyd doesn’t even have the will to deal with this?

“What the hell did you do with your wife?”

However, when Aria appeared as a topic, Lloyd’s gloomy gaze turned to the Young Lord like a knife.

It was an indifferent look. Still, Young Lord Norton felt stabbed through those eyes. Young Lord Norton stiffened in surprise, then blushed in shame.

‘Bastard who forgot his place just because he was a little bit strong.’

Lloyd’s eyes were horrifying. Young Lord Norton was suffocated in the distant emptiness just by meeting Lloyd’s dead gray eyes.

After a moment’s hesitation, he clenched his teeth again and began to talk freely.

“Having been away for half a year, and barely came back, did you follow me all the way here because of the good money? Do you think she deserves a husband who neglects his sick wife like that?”

Not a single word was worth listening to.

The reason Lloyd was here was purely because of Aria’s request. But his expressionless face suddenly turned harsh.

It was because of his own helplessness that he could not do anything for Aria, who was dying day by day. He has no doubts that Aria will survive. Because whatever he needs to do, he’ll make it happen.

‘If you can’t go against fate.’

In the worst case scenario, Lloyd was prepared to commit the worst of the irreversible. Already, long ago.

Even by killing God.

Even if he ends up blaming himself to death.

But sometimes he was out of breath. Aria has always said that he will shine more brilliantly than anyone else.

She said his burnt gray eyes are the only moonlight that illuminates the night.

The reason Aria decided to marry Lloyd and the contract in the first place was because she didn’t want him to be corrupted.

‘Because of those things…….’

He fears that Aria will give up her life.

He fears that she decides to leave his side.

He fears her despair as she sees him being broken and corrupted to save her.

He fears that he will never see Aria smiling brightly again.

In his nervousness, he wants to twist God’s neck right now.

But in the end, he had no choice but to choose but to go through the helpless and human path.

‘Not yet.’

Lloyd stretched out his hand without hesitation.

“Kuhk!”

And grabbed the fly’s neck with one hand. He hadn’t given any strength yet, but Young Lord Norton began to tremble.

More strength then it will just break.

The escort knights were startled by Lloyd’s sudden action, and then pulled out their sword.

“Are you crazy! Let, let go of the young master’s neck right now!”

“Mutiny will get you a summary judgment!”

But since they are knights, they will be able to know. The difference between them and Lloyd’s overwhelming skills. In fact, the tips of their swords while they were talking about the summary judgment were trembling.

‘Even if I don’t escort them, I can figure out their destination.’

Although it will take more time than planned. But it wasn’t too difficult for him.

Lloyd slowly tilted his head as he watched Young Lord Norton’s face changing color every few seconds.

Come to think of it, he’d never not crush an insect after hearing the sound of its wings flying.

‘Since when.’

Lloyd traced his memory. It didn’t take him long, but he could recall right away.

The moment Lloyd raised his sword, the little Aria shook her head to tell him not to.

That was the beginning. When he learned to be patient for someone.

‘Aria will be in trouble.’

Although she came to Attis to find a way to prolong her life, she seemed to enjoy her current life.

An ordinary house, an ordinary life, an ordinary hobby, an ordinary couple…….

A trivial but special thing. Meaningless, but shining.

It was part of her dream, which Aria had hinted to him in her childhood. If so, that was also Lloyd’s dream.

So Lloyd couldn’t break it.

‘Not yet’

He said so.

“There’s a fly.”

Lloyd let his palm go and continued on as if nothing ever happened. Only those who were left, stared blankly at his back.