Sword of Salvation-Chapter 70: - To Hunt Dr. Lergen (4)

When Mariel matched his pace with Delphia’s, the woman quickened her steps as if wanting to avoid being close to him. And soon, they arrived at dining room.

"Please sit," Delphia said, pulling out a chair for Mariel.

However, Mariel didn’t sit immediately. Instead, he stopped in front of her. Delphia instinctively tried to step away, but Mariel held her back. Both of his hands grasped hers, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Did I do something that made you not want to be near me?" Mariel asked with a regretful expression. "I’m happy to see you again, Delphia, truly. But should I not have come?"

"No, it’s not that." Delphia’s face remained formal. "You’re more dangerous than the typical definition of ’dangerous’. I must be extra cautious. So, can you release my hands, Mr. Mariel?"

"Oh, I see. I didn’t know your assessment criteria." Mariel nodded in understanding but then curved his lips into a mysterious smile. "Sit beside me. We’ll talk about how you’ve been and what’s been happening in Norania this past week. If you agree, I’ll let go of your hands. So, how—"

"Mariel."

The sudden voice interrupted Mariel’s attempt, though he wasn’t surprised.

"What are you doing with Delphia?"

Lasyana’s gaze moved between Mariel’s face and his hands holding Delphia’s. Her eyes shifted back and forth twice before settling on Mariel’s eyes. Her stare grew sharper with each passing second.

"Nothing special, Lasyana. I was just trying to convince Delphia to befriend me, but she’s insistent on refusing. I even held her hands and put on a pitiful face, but she wasn’t moved."

"That’s correct, Your Majesty," Delphia confirmed, just as Mariel had expected. "Mr. Mariel insists that I call him Mariel and stop speaking formally to him. But I refused. I don’t see any reason why I should be friends with him. So, Mr. Mariel, can you release my hands?"

Mariel sighed deeply and released Delphia’s hands.

"Is that so? Very well. For now, I’ll believe you." Lasyana nodded, then gave Delphia an intense look. "You may rest, Delphia. If Mariel pressures you again, you have my permission to ignore him."

Delphia nodded at Lasyana, who stood several feet away, then nodded at Mariel before walking away without another word.

Mariel immediately pulled out a chair beside the one Delphia had drawn for him. "Please sit, Your Majesty. Or would you prefer the chair opposite me?" he asked, flashing a charming smile at the empress.

Lasyana looked as perfect as ever.

"That chair is fine," Lasyana said as she approached Mariel and handed him a high-quality custom game board. "And here’s the three-player chess set you requested."

Mariel accepted the item and thanked her, though he also apologized for not exploring Iresvilea to bring her something.

"That’s not a problem."

Lasyana sat down immediately, and Mariel followed suit.

"So, what made you come much earlier?" the empress asked, her eyes fixed intensely on the young man. "Before you answer that, I want to know what you want from Delphia. She already told me, including the part where you kissed the back of her hand."

The empress uttered the last half of her sentence with a different tone—one that carried a murderous intent.

"I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t involved with Great Human Council," Mariel said. "Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that members of World Order showed up when Shin and I were fighting and stole your scythe? So, I thought Delphia might be connected to them. But since she told you what I talked about with her, I’m convinced she’s truly loyal to you. Now I don’t have to worry about her being by your side."

"I appreciate what you tried to do. It also makes me happy. But let me make it clear: I trust Delphia one hundred percent. There’s nothing for you to worry about regarding her. She’s been with me since we were kids." Lasyana paused, her eyes locking onto Mariel again. "Then, why did you kiss the back of her hand?"

"From the books on nobility I’ve read, kissing a woman’s hand is normal. It’s a form of respect. Was I wrong?"

"You were. That doesn’t apply in Neiracia."

"Since when?"

"Since now."

"...🤨"

"So, why did you come early?" Lasyana asked, ignoring Mariel’s look—her hand already reaching for food.

"Oh, right. I come early because there was trouble in Iresvilea. I also want to discuss something important with you. But since it’s a serious matter, we should talk after we eat."

Lasyana nodded in agreement. They filled the silence of their lunch with light conversation.

About four and a half hours later—after Mariel discussed an alliance with the Kingdom of Mangolla and the possibility of a major war instigated by Great Human Council, after accepting Lasyana’s invitation to spar, after agreeing to meditate together, and after saying yes to an afternoon stroll behind the palace—Mariel left Norania through his dimensional portal.

Mariel didn’t return to Iresvilea right away. He first visited the cave where he lived with Lukhiel. He lit a fire and placed the three-player chessboard on the floor. He didn’t immediately fill it with chess pieces, leaving the board empty for now. The pieces were positioned next to each game area.

The chessboard consisted of two colors: red and black. Meanwhile, the pieces were red, black, and blue.

Mariel picked up the red king piece. "Nessthanovla," he murmured, placing it on one of the game areas. He also placed several strong red pieces to the right, left, and front of the king.

However, he didn’t place the red queen among the red pieces.

The young boy then picked up the blue king and placed it on another part of the board. He set the red queen right next to the blue king. Beside the queen piece, Mariel placed a blue knight—the most unique piece. Next to the knight, he placed a rook. He then positioned a blue pawn at the far edge of the third game board. That pawn symbolized King Maggio.

Mariel hadn’t decided which piece Lasyana would be, so he left her out for now. For the moment, he only had four pieces to move (excluding the king).

Mariel’s attention then shifted to the black pieces. He arranged nearly all of them, leaving out only the king and queen. Those two pieces remained a mystery. He could assign the queen to Romero, but he felt the man was nothing more than a rook. The queen would be reserved for the leader of Great Human Council, and the king for the leader of World Order.

"Shin and the others think Great Human Council controls World Order, but my intuition says otherwise. But for now, I’ll set these two pieces aside."

Mariel placed the black king and queen behind the black pieces.

"Well then... let’s start the game."

Right after saying that, Mariel moved two black pawns forward simultaneously.

-----oo Iresvilea oo-----

The sun had just set, but Celinee felt a mix of excitement and frustration. Of course, it had nothing to do with the sunset.

Celinee was excited because she had just heard from Master Nea’s messenger that Iresvilea branch of Ultores had mandated all Ultores members in the city to assist Sterminatore and the royal soldiers in hunting down Doctor Lergen. The pay was ten thousand escal per day, per person.

She was frustrated because Mariel had not returned yet. True, the time after sunset allowed for some leeway, but Celinee wanted to act immediately. This was their chance to limit the doctor’s movements. Especially since Master Nea’s messenger had emphasized that they had several leads to follow. Celinee didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

She was also annoyed that Mariel hadn’t spoken to her directly. Instead of leaving a message with the queen, he should have told her personally. Still, the ninja’s priority at the moment was hunting down Doctor Lergen, so she wouldn’t dwell on it. Besides, she understood his reasoning.

Celinee’s frustration only grew as time passed, and finally, Mariel’s portal appeared in their room almost an hour after sunset.

"Let’s go," Celinee urged as soon as Mariel stepped out of the portal.

She certainly wanted to vent some of her frustration, but her anger toward Doctor Lergen was much greater.

"What’s going on?" Mariel asked, a little confused.

"I’ll explain the details on the way, but in short, we’re hunting Doctor Lergen."