Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 62
As the sun rose higher and the direct sunlight on the skin began to heat up, the balcony became less comfortable. The Duke squinted at the light spots jumping among the branches and, after a moment of silence, planned to return to his room.
However, Charlie stopped him.
Dwight turned around and, surprisingly, saw a peculiar, conflicted expression on the rabbit-headed shopkeeper’s face, which was rare.
He always thought of the other as a quite reserved person, rarely showing his emotions openly, which was one of the reasons Dwight often provoked him. Despite being a cold and boundary-conscious individual, he pretended to be outgoing and approachable, which easily gave others the illusion of a growing closeness, an illusion the Duke detested.
As for what he was conflicted about, Dwight could somewhat guess.
The shopkeeper flicked his fingers, spinning the slender pipe between them as he searched for the right words. He wasn’t adept at initiating conversations that were bound to be unpleasant.
“What did that woman in the study tell you?” The Duke, uncharacteristically understanding, gave him an opening.
Charlie put away the long pipe, leaning tiredly against the balcony railing. “Do you remember the ‘Lamp Bearers’ we encountered?”
Dwight’s expression immediately became more focused, sensing that what Charlie was about to say was important—for both him and Charlie.
“I might understand why the ‘Lamp Bearers’, who should have vanished, appeared at that manor.” Out of consideration for Charlie’s emotions, aside from the Duke, no one else had followed upstairs, yet Charlie still instinctively lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. “Someone is enticing them to appear in this world.”
“Oh, are you now willing to tell me what they are looking for?” The Duke had always kept this matter close to his heart, but it was information not even the higher-ups at the Fox dared to trade, and if Charlie was unwilling, probably no force in the world could compel him to speak.
But when the other was truly ready to open up, he restrained his urgency just in time, maintaining his usual nonchalant demeanor, even keeping his tone measured.
Charlie paused briefly.
This was a secret worth taking to the grave, but thanks to the woman embedded in the wall, it seemed to have become shared information touched by many in Doran, and the King of Mokwen’s peculiar actions had thus become clearer.
As Miss Priscilla was a royal family member, unless Dwight suddenly decided to abandon all actions and return home, he would eventually uncover this secret with his capabilities, but by then, it would be passive.
He sighed deeply in his mind.
“They are not looking for something. Actually, it’s the opposite. Humans have always been searching for them. Even from their names, key clues can be derived. The doctrine’s interpretation of them is wrong, but the outcome is correct.”
“I don’t understand.” The Duke frowned.
“They are ugly yet carry exquisite candelabras, and only they can walk before God.” Charlie recited the exact words of the doctrine. “’For they light the path at God’s feet.’ This phrase is wrong unless it’s changed to: ‘They can light the path for humans to become gods.'”
This statement was so shocking that even Dwight couldn’t maintain his composure anymore. He straightened his body from the wicker chair, his eyes wide as he stared at the rabbit-headed shopkeeper.
Charlie met his gaze without flinching.
“How can humans become gods?” The Duke stared into his eyes, as if looking for traces of madness or loss of reason.
“Humans indeed cannot become gods. You don’t need to look at me like that,” the shopkeeper said calmly. “I’m just repeating the wishes of those who enticed the Lamp Bearers to descend.” He told the Duke about the uncontrollable experiments of the mage in Mistress Daisy’s study before her death.
“Before Mistress Daisy inherited it, that castle had hosted many nobles. She not only opened Pandora’s box herself but also planted the seeds of blasphemy in others’ hearts.”
Blasphemy… Mortals attempting to obtain power to dominate the world was indeed akin to blasphemy.
“The church’s rule over the continents has lasted for thousands of years,” Dwight suddenly said. “After a long time of indoctrination, reverence for God has become an instinct for humans. Such blasphemous ideas cannot arise from nothing. That woman must have known something.”
He suddenly looked up. “The Holy Grail indeed exists.”
The Duke stated this as a fact.
The shopkeeper closed his eyes.
It was known that the Holy Grail was born through a mother, so the so-called Holy Grail was actually a person.
But why it was born, how it was born, and even how it became a power to manipulate the world after its birth remained unknown.
Just as reverence for God was an instinct for humans, so was the desire for power.
When mortals inadvertently glimpsed the path to godhood—even if just a few scattered clues—it could drive even a saint to go mad.
Thus, even after the woman trying to create the Holy Grail lost control, people continued to follow in her footsteps, deludedly attempting to create miracles themselves.
The Lamp Bearers were the door to the path of becoming a god, and only they could discern the authenticity of the Holy Grail.
But not just anyone could compel them to verify this. It could be seen that these blasphemous experiments didn’t cease with her death ten years ago but even achieved some results: they had seen Lamp Bearers at the Thorn Manor, meaning that at least a semi-finished product of the Holy Grail was completed there.
And more failed products silently disappeared, along with their unfortunate mothers, in various bizarre news stories.
Even now, there were new forces constantly trying to wedge into this forbidden game, like hyenas that smelled blood. Eugene once accidentally witnessed such a scene, and if not for his alertness, only silence awaited him.
“Foolish.” After listening to Charlie’s words, Dwight immediately said, “Utterly foolish.”
Charlie watched him without blinking.
“I don’t believe in the so-called Holy Grail’s power to manipulate continents, nor do I believe that humans can become gods.” The Duke of Brandenburg frowned. “But the current issue is exactly what that fool Tifa has done. It’s foolish enough that he hasn’t harmed his own wife, but believing in such things is enough to prove he’s a madman. Priscilla should know to keep her distance…”
He looked up and noticed the rabbit-headed shopkeeper was still watching him.
“What?” he raised an eyebrow.
“What if the legends are true?” Charlie said calmly. “What if the Holy Grail does exist and does possess that power?”
“Only those who doubt themselves chase after illusions as elusive as the moon reflected in water. I only believe in the power I hold in my hands.” The Duke of Brandenburg’s expression gradually became menacing. “Whether you’re testing me or tempting me, you’d better stop right now. Otherwise, I will take it as contempt and provocation.”
Charlie suddenly laughed, relaxing the somewhat tense atmosphere.
“Only those who lack security seek power beyond their limits. You clearly aren’t that kind of person,” he said. “But Tifa is.”
That statement precisely hit Dwight’s concerns.
They both remembered Kurt’s prophecy.
Priscilla had two extremely dangerous people around her, and based on the clues they’d pieced together, it was very likely that they were the King and her husband Lestrop.
The royal secrets provided by the Fox, although seemingly absurd at first glance, had been bought by Dwight for a handsome sum. Concerning family honor, Yitzfa wouldn’t sell false information.
Tifa’s relationship with his queen was strained, the Queen had a past relationship with Lestrop before their marriage, and Priscilla’s resemblance to Tifa’s deceased elder sister meant Tifa was exceptionally kind to her… What a chaotic situation, so typically aristocratic.
Tifa’s popularity wasn’t high before he ascended the throne. It was normal for him to be concerned about his position, but his abandonment of the Queen’s family as a support to instead seek the birth of the Holy Grail likely indicated not only a lack of affection between him and the Queen but also that his ambitions were probably much greater than he had shown.
Priscilla had married into such a country—the young Duke felt a headache coming on.
No, the situation in the kingdoms of the Doran continent was much the same, and Mokwen was relatively wealthy. Some countries ravaged by war were worse off than Mokwen.
Would it be feasible now to kick Lestrop out and have her return to Pennigra?
After all, noblewomen (especially wealthy ones) had no trouble marrying. He now had the ability to have his sister stay in Pennigra to marry and have children, or perhaps it would be okay if she chose to stay in Lemena for life.
Charlie could roughly guess what Dwight was thinking.
As a foreigner from another continent, no matter how powerful he was in Pennigra, stepping into Doran meant he had to act discreetly and keep a low profile.
This wasn’t just because a strong dragon can hardly suppress the local snake. His unique status made it easy to trigger political conflicts between the two continents.
The young Duke was still very young. The rabbit-headed shopkeeper felt the need to tactfully remind him. “You’d better have another talk with Miss Priscilla.”
Dwight turned to look at him, his pale pupils almost transparent in the sunlight.
The shopkeeper sensed that what he was about to say next would not be pleasing to him.
“The experiments related to the Holy Grail have spread, and Tifa is almost certainly one of the participants. As Count Lestrop is Tifa’s own brother, it’s hard to assert whether he is aware of this matter.”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Dwight understood.
Could Lestrop possibly be one of the experiment participants too?
The Duke stood up abruptly, his face looking very unpleasant.
He turned and strode across the room, his boots striking the stone steps in an angry rhythm.
“Shivers! Shivers!” he called out loudly.
The Knight Commander, who was talking with Eugene in the smoking room, came out at the sound of the call, just in time to see the Duke walking down the last step, looking displeased.
Had he argued with Mr. Charlie?
Shivers pondered as he approached, about to speak, when the Duke sternly dropped a sentence.
“Contact Erica immediately. Have her arrange… No, I want her to personally confirm something.”
Dwight’s jaw and the curve of his lips were tense, and his gaze was stern. “I need to know if Priscilla is pregnant.”
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