Volume 5 Chapter 45 An Important Character That No One Knows, That is Already the Malice of the Creator God
Around the time Luke made a promise with Livia, Randy was in a room at the Church with a man who introduced himself as Julius, despite Randy's futile resistance.
In the not-so-large room, the two sat facing each other across a table, both smiling.
...Though Randy's smile was a bit forced.
Of course, they weren't alone in this room.
After all, the man before him was a former imperial prince.
Two men and women, likely Julius's guards, stood behind each of them, 2 on either side.
For Randy, the tension was incredibly uncomfortable, but more than that, he felt a strange sense of unease.
He understood the need for heavy security, but even so, it felt like they were being overly cautious.
(Sure, he's a former prince, but...)
As Randy tried to figure out the source of his unease, Julius smiled at him.
"Sorry for asking so much of you."
──"If you thought it was too much, you shouldn't have invited me."
Swallowing those words, Randy simply smiled back in silence.
Though they might be around the same age, the man before him was still a figure from a major nation.
It was safer to stay quiet.
"I've heard about you. I've been interested in you for a while now."
Julius smiled as he sat in his chair, while Randy gave him a resigned look and muttered, "Is that so?"
Randy had repeatedly dismissed the man's claims as nonsense, but even without the guards, it was clear from his demeanor alone that it was true.
His way of speaking and his attitude were arrogant, but not in an irritating way.
It was the charisma of someone born to be a leader, you could say.
His natural demeanor made it clear that he was, indeed, a former imperial prince.
This wasn't the kind of charisma one could develop overnight.
For Randy, who had been a commoner in his past life and was now a poor noble, it was a talent he could never hope to achieve, no matter how hard he tried.
But Randy wasn't the type to be overwhelmed by something like that.
When it came to natural charisma, both Lucian and Cedric had more than enough of it.
Julius was a different type of charismatic, but to Randy, it was just another way to measure the man's position.
The only thing he couldn't figure out was why a man like Julius would be interested in someone like him.
(The rumor has grown so much, it's like it's climbed a waterfall. Did I turn into a dragon or something?)
Randy let out a small sigh as he thought about it, then opened his mouth.
"I don't know about the rumors, but meeting in person might be a letdown, right?"
Randy shrugged, but Julius didn't seem to lose interest, "No, not really."
"Honestly, your presence is so ordinary, it's hard to believe you're the person from the rumors. I'd almost mistake you for a regular person."
Julius leaned forward on the desk, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, "But..."
"Your movements are flawless. Like a seasoned warrior."
At Julius's remark, Randy clicked his tongue.
Even if he could hide his presence, it seemed he couldn't hide his ingrained habits.
If Keith were here, he'd probably laugh and say, "Young master, you're slipping."
"I'd really appreciate it if we could get along."
"Get along, huh?"
Julius smiled, but the guard behind him had been scowling the whole time.
The two behind Randy were probably the same.
After all, Randy had been feeling a gaze on his back that was almost like hostility.
Yes, a gaze that was almost like *hostility*.
To be precise, it wasn't hostility.
The closest thing Randy could compare it to was the way a beast looks when it's on maximum alert.
From the guards' attitude and gaze, Randy finally realized the source of the unease he'd felt since meeting Julius.
And it might even be connected to Julius's interest in him.
(Well, what should I do? Personally, I'd like to just go home now.)
If Randy were being honest, he'd prefer to end the conversation here and now.
But the other party was, in some way, connected to the empire.
And not long ago, he'd been attacked by a group that seemed to be tied to the empire.
If Randy's hunch was right, it might be worth probing Julius a bit.
Caught between annoyance and a sense of duty, Randy wavered as Julius spoke again.
"We're the same age. I wonder?"
Randy glanced back at the guards behind Julius, who was still smiling, then looked at the guards behind Julius again and sighed, "Getting along, huh?"
Randy had made up his mind.
He decided to poke at it.
"Your guards don't seem to agree, though?"
Randy grinned lazily and pointed behind himself.
The atmosphere around the guards grew even more tense at Randy's attitude and words.
"About them..."
Julius's face clouded over for just a moment, but he quickly replaced it with a bright smile.
"Don't worry. They're just cautious."
The guards' tension eased slightly at Julius's perfect smile, but Randy just shook his head, still grinning.
"Lying's no good. If you want to get along, you've gotta tell the *truth*."
Randy's mischievous smile brought tension back into the air.
"Or what? Is it something you can't say here?"
Changing his tone, Randy leaned back with a smug look, making Julius widen his eyes in surprise and sit up straight.
"...That's an interesting joke. What do you think I'm hiding?"
Julius, who had been leaning forward earlier, now leaned back completely into his chair.
Randy snorted at the contradiction between his words and actions.
"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? Scared?"
Randy propped an elbow on the table.
Leaning forward while Julius leaned back, Randy showed his most mischievous grin yet, "Your face is twitching, pretty boy."
For the first time, Julius's face twitched at Randy's grin... and then,
"You! You've been disrespecting Sir Julius──"
One of the guards cut in, breathing heavily.
The other guards were clearly agitated too, and the two behind Julius looked like they were about to draw their swords.
(Well, that's it. Totally busted. Thanks a lot.)
Randy sighed inwardly, but the guard, annoyed by Randy's exasperated look, raised his voice even more, "You──"
"Enough. All of you."
The guards backed off after hearing Julius' words, but the other four were still not convinced and continued to look at them with hostile expressions.
Also Randy and *Julius*.
Seeing that exchange, Randy's suspicion turned into certainty.
They weren't exactly Julius's guards.
The unease he'd been feeling all along.
The wary glances weren't just directed at Randy──they were aimed at Julius too.
What confirmed it was the guards' rash behavior just now.
Even if they were former guards, it was unthinkable for them to threaten a guest without their master's permission.
No matter how low-quality the guards were, the most they'd do was glare with killing intent.
Even if Julius was a member of the imperial family and Randy was the son of a minor noble.
And even if Randy's attitude and mouth were terrible.
Randy was a guest invited by Julius.
Threatening the master's guest was nothing but an insult to the master himself.
In other words, their real master wasn't Julius.
Their role was probably surveillance.
The source of the unease was that the guards were watching Julius.
(When we entered the Cathedral, I thought they were watching each other with the dark side...)
The atmosphere of surveillance──it wasn't directed outward, but inward.
It was hard to notice because the dark side was there.
After all, it was natural for the dark side to keep an eye on Julius and his guards.
(A former prince under surveillance. That doesn't align with the homeland's intentions. So, he's probably unrelated to the attack.)
As far as Randy was concerned, he'd mostly figured out what he wanted to know.
Now all he had to do was wait for them to let him go, but he didn't sense any sign of that from Julius in front of him.
On the contrary, Julius seemed even more interested in Randy.
(Hey, hey. Sorry for the trouble...)
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