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Chapter 38.1: Stars, Moon, and the Night Garden Part 1

"What...?"

My sudden bombshell declaration left everyone in the audience chamber speechless.

Well, there weren\'t that many people present to begin with.

I quietly observed their bewildered blue eyes.

Neria was the first to break the silence that hung in the air.

"That\'s a… rather outlandish claim, Young Master Lishite."

Her words dripped with skepticism.

Or rather, it was closer to, \'What nonsense is this lunatic spouting now?\'

It was an expected reaction.

It was too sudden a revelation to accept blindly.

"The Cult as the mastermind… That\'s a strange accusation, Young Master Lishite."

Seon, who was standing next to Neria, also frowned at me.

Lucy remained silent, but she seemed to share their sentiments.

Everyone except one person was looking at me with distrust.

Yes, everyone except one.

I turned my head slightly and looked at that person.

"......"

My gaze met the Emperor\'s oddly bright blue eyes.

Milliam\'s face was a mixture of surprise and intrigue.

I smiled inwardly.

\'As expected, he had an inkling.\'

\'Bingo.\'

The Emperor was hailed as the wisest in the history of the Empire.

Milliam von Lietro.

With his insightful nature and ability to see through the world, I had a hunch he might have sensed something was amiss.

And it seemed I was right.

"That\'s a very intriguing story, Young Master Lishite."

"You were aware of this, Your Majesty?"

"Chuckle… You\'re treading on dangerous ground. I have no desire for conflict with the Cult."

His answer was evasive, but he didn\'t deny it.

He simply stated that he wished to avoid conflict with the Cult.

In other words, his statement implied, \'It\'s a sensitive topic, so I can\'t comment, but I\'ll hear you out.\'

It was practically a tacit agreement.

"Your Majesty...?"

"Fa-Father...?"

Neria and Seon looked up at the throne in response to Milliam\'s reaction.

Unfazed, the Emperor stroked his chin and smiled.

"Adventures are dangerous. Especially without adequate preparation."

= I haven\'t taken any action because there\'s no concrete evidence. The Cult is too powerful to confront based on mere suspicion.

"Wise words. Stirring a hornet\'s nest carries its risks."

= I understand. It\'s a matter that could plunge the Empire into chaos once more.

" Young Master Lishite, I never thought you\'d be interested in such things."

= It\'s a matter known only to a handful within the Imperial family. How did you come to know about this?

"I had the opportunity to learn by chance, over someone\'s shoulder."

= I happened to learn about it during this recent attack.

"Oh? You must have been taught by quite the expert."

= Are you certain about this information?

"I was fortunate enough to meet a skilled mercenary."

= Yes, I heard it directly from a high-ranking member of the Seekers I encountered during the attack.

Milliam, who had been listening intently, paused at my final answer.

His expression turned serious.

"Can you take responsibility for your hypothesis?"

"I uncovered this information while interrogating the attackers we subdued. Considering all members corroborated the same story, I believe it\'s safe to assume its veracity."

Of course, that was a blatant lie.

The only conversations I had with those guys were along the lines of, \'I\'m going to kill you.\'

The only reason I knew the Cult was the mastermind was because of my knowledge of the original story.

Since it\'s a fact that the Cult is the mastermind, it shouldn\'t matter, right?

After all, if you mix one truth with one lie, you get two truths.

"It\'s not an easy story to believe… but if what you say is true, the age of adventure will soon be upon us."

= If what you say is true, a bloodbath will soon engulf the Empire.

Milliam muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Even the slight narrowing of his eyelids exuded an inexplicable charisma.

"However, Your Majesty… even with the Young Master Lishite\'s assurance, there\'s no evidence, is there?"

"Exactly, Father! How can you believe such an absurd claim?!"

"Neria, show some respect to His Majesty."

"But it\'s true! Brother, you think the same, don\'t you?!"

Seon and Neria still seemed unconvinced.

Milliam nodded as if acknowledging the validity of their concerns.

"It\'s an intriguing topic, but… your words lack any concrete basis."

"That is correct."

"Furthermore, there\'s no one but you to corroborate the claim that you extracted this information through interrogation."

"That is also correct."

As Milliam pointed out, my argument was not flawless.

It would be difficult to prove conclusively that the Cult was the mastermind.

But this was enough.

My goal was simply to grab their attention.

This much was enough to heighten Milliam\'s vigilance and suspicion towards the Cult.

\'I\'d consider this… a success.\'

I had piqued Milliam\'s interest and drawn him into the game.

From now on, the Cult would have a hard time trying to outsmart the world\'s greatest intellect.

Their activities would naturally be hampered.

"It\'s a bit audacious of you to try and manipulate me like a chess piece, but the story is intriguing enough for me to let it slide."

"......"

…Damn, he saw right through me.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Milliam waved his hand dismissively as if telling me to relax.

"No need to be tense. Consider it a compliment."

"I am honored."

"By the way… you seem quite invested in this matter. The way you\'re approaching it so proactively."

"Wouldn\'t that be natural?"

I met Milliam\'s gaze directly.

The Seekers, and the Cult…

"They are my mother\'s enemies."

Milliam was momentarily taken aback by my calm tone.

He coughed awkwardly as if realizing he had touched a sensitive subject.

"Ahem… I apologize for my insensitive remark."

"It\'s alright."

"I will keep your words in mind."

"I am grateful."

Milliam chuckled at my curt response.

"You\'ve changed so much… I heard you\'ve even stopped your awkward delinquent act."

"Yes, that is correct."

"How does it feel? To shed that mask?"

"It… wasn\'t as refreshing as I thought it would be. I lost too much in the process."

I said, glancing at Lucy and Neria standing a short distance away.

They had been lost in thought since the middle of my conversation with Milliam.

Neria frowned when our eyes met, while Lucy averted her gaze and turned her head away.

I gestured towards them with a slight shrug.

Milliam smiled wryly.

"Please take care of them… They\'re good children, you know."

"Of course."

"Do you know how much Lucy grieved when you suddenly disappeared?"

"Huh...?"

I was taken aback by his unexpected words.

Milliam chuckled.

"It was a mess… She shut herself in her room, refused to eat, and cried for days…"

"Yo-Your Majesty…!"

Lucy quickly intervened to stop the embarrassing revelation.

Her cheeks were flushed crimson.

I couldn\'t help but feel a surge of confusion.

It had only been about half a year since Raiden\'s disappearance.

Did that mean she still cared about Raiden until recently?

Surely, Milliam was just teasing… right?

As I was drowning in a sea of doubt, Milliam smoothly steered the conversation back on track.

“Well, we can talk about that later… We\'ve strayed quite a bit from the original topic. We were discussing your reward.”

The Emperor stroked his beard as if in thought.

"What is it that you desire? I doubt there\'s anything the eldest son of a Duke\'s family would lack… but tell me nonetheless."

"I have something in mind."

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