Volume 6 Chapter 51 Interlude - The Knight and the Young Lady V
In the dimly lit corridor where Luke had vanished, the sound of Conrad's knocking echoed.
"Your Excellency, it's an emergency──ah──"
Almost in tandem with his words, Conrad's voice trailed off as the door swung open.
It was Alfred, dressed in his knightly gown, who had opened the door.
He couldn't have imagined that someone would open it from the other side, let alone so promptly.
Yet, after recovering from his surprise, Conrad conveyed the urgency once more.
But Alfred, showing little haste, merely told Conrad that he was "already aware."
"Luke's missing, isn't he?"
"You knew?"
Conrad's expression once again betrayed his astonishment at Alfred's words.
"Somewhat. In any case, come inside──"
Alfred slightly nodded his head and gestured towards the inside of the room.
His casual demeanor, a shattered noble facade, was the friend Conrad knew well.
This meant that what would be spoken now was not as noble and knight, but as friends confiding in each other.
Nonetheless, it was quite the hour to enter a lady's chamber.
It was not a matter to be taken lightly.
Prompted by Alfred, Conrad entered the room, where he was greeted by the worried faces of Cecilia, who looked downcast, and Katarina, who was comforting her.
Seeing the two of them, Conrad sighed and turned back to Alfred.
"What's wrong with Lady Cecilia, and Luke too..."
In a fragmented tone, Conrad listened as Alfred recounted the bits of conversation he had overheard from the corridor.
Though the figure Luke spoke to was a phantom, his words had carried into the room.
"I see. A mere knight confessing his feelings to the lady... certainly not something the lord can simply nod to."
Alfred shook his head at Conrad's bitter expression, "It's not like that."
"Still, it's odd that we could hear such an exchange."
Despite his sighing, Conrad was right; normally, the hypnosis should have extended into the room as well.
Yet, there was a reason why Luke's voice could be heard.
"Perhaps it's due to the amulet against magic that Lady Annabelle prepared."
What Alfred showed was the pendant-shaped charm that Annabelle, along with the Church's staff, had brought.
Forged in Holy Magic, it had the effect of deflecting evil curses.
That's how Horace managed to escape from the thin, spreading sleep magic, but... as a result, Cecilia overheard Luke's monologue and kidnapping, and her joy turned to worry.
"As expected of the Grand Archbishop."
Conrad, with a sigh mixed in his voice, pulled out a pendant of a similar shape from his chest.
Everyone accompanying them on this journey has one.
Of course, that includes Luke and Cecilia too.
They had only been told it was an amulet.
Regardless, thanks to this, the Hartfield family had heard Luke's monologue.
"As the head of the family, it would be proper to lodge a complaint with the other party immediately, but..."
Alfred let out a small sigh, and Cecilia gave him a puzzled look.
It seemed as if she was wondering why he wasn’t immediately going to search for Luke.
Seeing Cecilia like that, Alfred patted her head and said, "Don’t worry."
"Did you really anticipate this when you pushed Luke aside?"
With Conrad giving him a sharp look, Alfred shook his head and said, "I didn’t push him aside."
But the truth was that Luke had been left in the dark, and now he had been taken away by Horace.
"If we had anticipated that this house would be invaded by the Pilgrim of Truth, we should have shared the information with Luke."
Alfred shook his head slightly at Conrad's gaze, which was filled with reproach.
"That's impossible. I haven't told Cecilia either. If I had told Luke, he might have figured it out."
Shrugging, Alfred continued, saying the Pilgrim of Truth was not the main focus of their trip.
"That said..."
Alfred nodded slightly, acknowledging Conrad's unspoken sentiment, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.
"I understand, but... is he really a man worthy of entrusting my daughter to? And as for the struggles to come, I feel bad for Luke, but he needs to shed a layer or 2 first."
While saying this, Alfred offered Conrad a weak smile, filled with guilt.
"Do you think it's cruel to use a young man like that?"
"Not at all. The only real error you've made was allowing that fool to be a candidate for the young lady's fiancé."
As Conrad sighed heavily, Alfred settled onto the bed, muttering, "That stings a little."
"I might be hopeless when it comes to rough business... but there's no way that old man could match up to Luke."
Despite his own doubts, Alfred pressed on as if convincing himself.
"Lord Alan said, 'That boy's true worth will only be revealed when he understands the meaning of his sword.' So..."
* * *
Meanwhile, as Alfred and Conrad struggled to grasp the situation, Luke found himself face to face with Horace in a mysterious void.
The concept of walls, ceilings, and floors was lost here, with Luke and Horace enveloped in a swirling blend of black and purple hues, creating an otherworldly sight.
"What a grotesque place."
Luke sniffed disdainfully, prompting Horace to smirk slyly.
"This dimension belongs to me."
Emphasizing its otherworldly nature further, Horace received a slight show of interest from Luke, who simply replied, "Oh really?"
When it came to other dimensions, Luke couldn't help but recall the Void Walker he encountered in that old school building, the [Tower of Time].
Both situations had been resolved by Randy, and Luke felt it was time to confront such phenomena himself.
"You wouldn't understand, but I have dashed through the endless epochs, existing alongside the Void Walker──"
"Hmph!"
Ignoring Horace entirely, Luke stomped his foot down hard.
The resulting impact only confirmed one thing: this place was solid.
"...What are you doing?"
"Well, if I can break this, I might become stronger myself."
Grinning, Luke slowly drew his sword.
"Come, old man. It's time for you to finally rest."
With a snort, Luke caught Horace's attention, who responded by conjuring countless shadowy hands behind him.
"I am Horace, one of the Four Saints of the [Pilgrim of Truth]. The Ruler of the Void, Horace."
The multitude of shadowy hands that appeared was indeed more than the Void Walker could summon, living up to his title as Ruler.
Their overwhelming presence threatened to suffocate, yet Luke remained unfazed before them.
He merely crouched slowly, readying his sword.
"I'm Luke... the man who will one day be called the strongest swordsman."
The moment Luke flashed a haughty grin and said, "Nice to meet you," the shadowy hands behind Horace lunged at him all at once.
The shadowy hands stabbed towards Luke's position, but he sliced right through them as he charged at Horace.
A sweeping strike from Luke.
The sound that echoed through the air was a high-pitched clang, like metal colliding with metal.
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