Chapter 80: Chapter 80

Elin remained silent.

She simply stared at me with a blank expression.

That was as good as admitting defeat.

Just as I was about to press her further, a chamberlain entered, arms full of something.

It looked like a bundle of folded black fabric and parchment.

He handed the parchment to the Emperor and whispered something in his ear.

The Emperor let out a short laugh.

"So, in the end, it seems we are surrounded by liars."

The Emperor stepped forward, his voice carrying more weight.

"You are all aware, of course, that the palace runs its own covert intelligence unit, separate from the knight orders."

The Imperial Secret Investigators?

"By principle, information obtained by them is not disclosed to the public. However, this time, an exception must be made. It just so happens that the intelligence recently acquired is deeply relevant to this case."

If it was something recently acquired...

I casually glanced around as if surveying the room—until my gaze landed on Daedire.

She remained expressionless, but the flicker in her eyes when she met mine gave her away.

[Ah, so you’ve finished deciphering it.]

As expected, the chamberlain unfurled the black fabric, revealing a robe.

A Black Serpent cult robe.

He held it up for everyone to see.

Previously invisible writing, inscribed with a special solution, now gleamed in golden letters.

Though the letters were small, the message was unmistakable.

The Emperor turned to Cruello.

"Would you make it more visible?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

With a snap of Cruello’s fingers, the golden letters lifted from the robe and expanded midair.

"NIGELIA = ELINIA G."

The first set of letters rearranged themselves, merging into the second name, as if to emphasize their connection.

Most of the guests were too confused to react, but a handful of them inhaled sharply.

Even I was momentarily thrown off by the name.

Wasn’t that the author of The Resurrection of the Lion experiment logs from the cult?

The records were visibly ancient.

And yet, it was saying that Nigellia and that author were the same person?

The Emperor spoke slowly.

"Most of you likely do not know this name. Elinia Giltris was the High Priestess who led Black Serpent... two hundred years ago."

"Quite a long time ago, isn’t it? How strange, then, that she would be the same person as Marquis Somon, who is currently in his sixties."

"So, naturally, further investigations were conducted."

The Emperor unfolded the parchment with a sharp sound, scanning it with his eyes.

"And we found something peculiar about Marquis Somon as well. There are no records of his childhood. Is this true, Duke?"

"That is correct, Your Majesty. On paper, he existed, but he did not appear in any official capacity until the age of twenty."

"The same age as Elin Lullaby now."

Cruello’s voice was casual, yet his eyes gleamed with intrigue.

He hadn’t known this either.

For a moment, I recalled the young Roy, poring over occult books with fascination.

"There is one more oddity. Around the same time Marquis Somon appeared, a certain relative of his—then sixty-three years old—died without leaving a body."

"That is news to me, but it certainly raises an interesting question."

"Indeed. Does it not seem as though an old identity was discarded... and a person simply reappeared, young once more?"

That was all the explanation needed.

The eyes of ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the entire ballroom turned toward Elin, filled with suspicion.

She still showed no expression—but whatever composure she had was beginning to crack.

"Elin Lullaby, what do you make of this?"

"Perhaps this is simply false information left by the cult in an attempt to mock Your Majesty. How could an aged person return to youth?"

"That is a fair question. But given the unnatural occurrences within Black Serpent, it is difficult to dismiss outright."

"However, Your Majesty—"

"Remove your gloves."

For a brief moment, Elin held her breath.

The Emperor did not stop.

"It is said that Nigellia White Desert bears a scar in the shape of serpent scales on her hand. Coincidentally, the same mark is recorded on Elinia Giltris."

The imperial guards began closing in, their movements deliberate.

Their swords remained sheathed, but their intent was clear—Elin would not be allowed to escape.

"This is a royal command."

The weight of the Emperor’s words sealed her fate.

All eyes bore down on Elin with absolute certainty.

She lowered her head.

But her voice held neither fear, nor resignation, nor anger.

Instead, she murmured—

"Had things gone according to plan, this would have been such a splendid debutante ball. What a shame."

Elin lifted her head.

And in the next instant—darkness engulfed the ballroom.

The chandeliers’ flames flickered out all at once.

Screams erupted as shadows surged from every direction, black mana writhing like a living entity.

The shadow at my feet suddenly twisted—morphing into the shape of a serpent.

It sprang up, coiling around me, fangs bared as it lunged for my throat.

If this was enough to take me down, I would’ve gone home ages ago.

However, not everyone escaped as easily.

"Watch the shadows—ack!"

"Aaaah! Please, someone save me!"

"S-Saint! Please, help us!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Those who could wield mana fared better, but the ordinary guests were helpless.

The imperial knights remained motionless, bound by their duty to protect the royal family.

Mages conjured spheres of light as a temporary measure, but each time they flickered to life, shadowy serpents lunged and swallowed them whole.

Still, the brief flashes of illumination allowed me to assess the situation.

Mamic was under Ro Blue’s protection, as expected.

The imperial knights stayed frozen in place, the royals barking out orders that barely reached my ears.

"What the hell is that sound?"

Swords clashed, and spells flared.

Amidst the chaos, beneath the noise, was a deep, heavy rumble.

It was low—like the rush of wind, or the slithering of a massive serpent across the floor.

And then, gradually, it faded.

It felt ominous just listening to it, but I had to focus on the immediate crisis first.

There would be too many casualties if I didn’t act now—Mamic could at least pretend to gather divine power...

A sudden burst of light in the ballroom’s center interrupted my thoughts.

The source was a pure white sword—held by Ro Blue.

"I will keep the light from fading! Use this chance to deal with them!"

A proper holy knight, through and through.

The problem was, the shadowy serpents—furious at the light they could not extinguish—turned their rage upon him.

Ro Blue handled most of them with ease, but one managed to slip through his blind spot.

Mamic screamed his name.

Without thinking, she reached out—

—and light flared from her fingertips.

I blinked, thinking I had seen wrong.

It was faint, weak, barely enough to burn through a small serpent—but it was divine power.

Had Mamic been deceiving me all along?

I turned to her, but she looked far more dumbfounded than I was.

"See? I told you it would help to experience it firsthand. This knight has good instincts."

As long as there was light, those serpents wouldn’t be such a threat.

Even without my interference, the situation would soon be under control.

I shifted my focus and murmured a spell.

My senses sharpened, picking up the strange sound again.

It wasn’t just noise.

That massive slithering hadn’t been my imagination.

A trail of black mana, shaped like an enormous serpent, was still lingering—leading out of the ballroom.

I turned to follow the trail.

Cruello, I assumed, would follow on his own.

Just as I thought that, a hand grabbed my arm.

"What? Obviously, we’re going together! Who knows how much power that old hag has been hiding?"

"Darling... just stay here. If you move to the outer perimeter, you’ll be safe."

"This was my responsibility to handle."

"Oh, confidence is great and all, but how exactly do you plan to retrieve the key?"

"...I’ll bring her back right before she dies."

"Stop talking nonsense in a crisis."

I had expected some brilliant strategy, but apparently, this was all about his pride.

Either he was upset over botching this entire operation, or he thought I was too weak to handle it.

Or... maybe he was just worried.

"The mana trail is faint. Can you even track where she went?"

"If you’re unsure, then let’s think about our priorities."

Instead of shaking off his grip, I grabbed his arm and ran.

A stretch of silence followed—until he sighed.

"Just point me in the right direction."

His arm suddenly swept behind my knees, lifting me up.

I instinctively clung to his shoulder and neck.

"Hey! Keep your hands in check!"

"Left. Then two blocks straight!"

...Damn it, this was way too comfortable.

I could get used to this.

"...The young and old all return home. And I, too, return to my dark box."

A massive serpent, nearly a meter thick.

Perched atop it, Elin hummed an old folk song from her childhood.

The sound of the serpent’s movements gave the melody an eerie tone.

She had left the ballroom, but she had not yet departed the palace.

Rather than hide, she moved boldly, making no effort to conceal herself.

But no one dared to report her movements.

Because every person she encountered—

By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

The only living beings left in the vicinity were Elin and the young man dangling from the serpent’s tail.

Reaching her destination, Elin descended from the serpent’s head.