CH 56

Chapter 56 (I don’t love anyone)

Temple of Alteon. A man dressed in a splendid high priest’s robe proudly stepped out onto the carpeted hallway.

Despite his age, thanks to his enormous powers, his face did not have deep wrinkles, and he was tall and handsome, he had natural dignity.

The man, Gibralfaro, stopped suddenly while walking and rolled his blood-red eyes. He couldn’t see it, but he knew that someone was nearby.

Even if he didn’t want to know, he had to. Because there was only one person who could give such a sense of intimidation to the high priest Gibralfaro, who is evaluated for his unprecedented ability.

“High Priest Mikhail. Do you have any business?”

Mikhail Doha Bellion. A child born from the belly of a low woman.

Gibralfaro was the one who brought him directly into the temple. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he never for a moment did not regret bringing him in.

“Well…”

Doha, who was leaning against the wall in the corner, slowly turned his head to look at Gibralfaro. The voice that escaped through the gap between his lips was particularly cool.

“It seems that the one that has a lot to do with these days is High Priest Gibralfaro.”

His reddish lips curled slightly. He had a smiling face, but the atmosphere he gave off was dark enough to fear.

Illustration 

“High Priest Mikhail, what are you talking about?!”

“You dare to block Mr.Gibralfaro way, who has been through a lot…!”

The priests who followed Gibralfaro smirked and criticized Doha. It was not unreasonable because they were always looking for anything to provoke Doha.

Doha didn’t feel the need or even pay attention to the beggars, so he didn’t say anything. He only looked directly at Gibralfaro, as if urging for an answer.

It was a cold and ferocious gaze. But Gibralfaro, who faced it, opened his mouth with a leisurely smile as if he was rather happy.

“A business…. I don’t know what you’re talking about, High Priest Mikhail.”

It was a natural answer, as if he knew nothing. For Doha, that attitude was shameless.

Recently, as the Pope’s health deteriorated, the number of incidents in Doha has increased exponentially.

The building that was in good condition collapses, and if you skip a day, an assassin will come… Each event had a clear purpose. The death of Mikhail Doha Bellion.

Doha didn’t know the aura he felt when the building collapsed, but it was very clear who was behind it.

The person who will suffer the most when the Pope dies, and the person who will be most pleased with Doha’s death. Gibralfaro, the second candidate for the next Pope.

However, there was no evidence of any connection with him. As for the authority and connections he had in the temple, he was unparalleled in Doha, so destroying the evidence would be very easy.

He was the one who continued to send sloppy assassins as if playing a prank. This was not a threat to life, but rather a warning that if you don’t want to die, you must turn yourself off.

“Okay, that’s right, I have something to say.”

Gibralfaro narrowed his eyes and continued. It was a very pleasant voice.

“High Priest Mikhail. You go out a lot these days… Did you hide something delicious outside?”

Red eyes flashed strangely in the curved eyes. It was the eyes of a predator looking for prey.

It was not unfamiliar for Doha to wander outside the temple. He didn’t care about the temple, so he would disappear from time to time.

But today’s outing was something different. In the past, I would go out of the temple as if I was escaping in my spare time after digesting all my schedules, but recently,  Doha went somewhere whenever he had time, saying, ‘You don’t know about the recent busy schedule.’

What changed the most was his expression. In the temple, he was always wearing a pretentious mask on his face. It was only natural that if he showed his sincerity a little, rumors would spread everywhere.

However, according to reports, these days, Doha’s face changes just after returning from going out. Like…

“Or did you even have a lover?”

Like having a relationship.

Gibralfaro took a step closer to Doha and looked at him with a grin. The hardened complexion was really interesting.

‘Isn’t the feeling of not being able to manage one’s emotions the same as when he first entered the temple as a kid?’

Doha clenched his fists. He hid and hid information about Lariette as much as possible, but his skin became stiff in fear that she could be a target.

‘She must not be caught. My precious….’

Doha bit the inside of his lip without thinking about it. He was afraid of the words that came out regardless of his will.

Mikhail Doha Bellion was afraid of only one word. At this point, he would admit it, but his will was strong.

‘She’s a precious person because of her  power.’

Doha struggled to finish his thoughts and hurriedly put on a clever mask on his face. Oddly enough, it was difficult to pretend to be composure this time.

“You have a lot of imagination. It is said that people become more like children when they get older, but I don’t think it’s wrong.”

It was a smile that was beautiful enough to be called a god, but the words that came out of his mouth were more like arguing than sarcasm.

The priests who followed Gibralfaro tried to accuse him again of the thorny content, but when Doha’s gaze turned to them, they shut their mouths.

“High priest Gibralfaro, this is the final warning.”

“Warn this old man. Let’s see”

Gibralfaro responded with a smirk. However, there was a little anger in his voice that he could not hide. It was unbearably unpleasant to see the young man behaving carelessly.

Doha took one step closer to him, just like Gibralfaro did. Gibralfaro was also quite tall, but his gaze fell down because he was  smaller than Doha.

Doha bowed his head and smiled sweetly, whispering in his ear.

“It would be better not to provoke any more. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I turn my eyes.”

As he said, he was of very low origin. Doha added softly. His golden eyes were tinged with madness before he knew it.

Gibralfaro flinched for a moment, then regained his composure and faced the madness. Then he answered in a voice that only Doha could hear.

“Your mother is no different.”

“… What?”

“Drunken by pathetic love affair and acting like an idiot.”

Doha asked with a blank face. What did you say now? He was so surprised that the accident didn’t go right. His body trembled as if struck by lightning.

“Then I’ll take my leave…”

Gibralfaro, who spoke up, smiled naturally, as if nothing had happened, and bit his body.

“How dare you…”

“You have to be careful, High Priest Mikhail. Isn’t this the sacred temple of Alteon?”

Doha reached out towards Gibralfaro, who was leaving, as if he were about to grab him by the collar, but was blocked by his followers.

Even before he knew it, other priests came and watched them from afar. I couldn’t make any more fuss as long as the eyes gathered.

In particular, if they exchanged such a story, dirty rumors would soon be added. It was something he was familiar with, but Lariette might suffer.

In the end, Doha looked back at Gibralfaro who was moving away, biting only his innocent lips.

Joshua, who came to Doha’s room after hearing the rumors belatedly, approached him and checked his eyes.

“Sir Mikhail. Are you okay? what happened….”

Joshua was unable to finish his words and kept his mouth shut. It was because Doha’s eyes were so ugly. Doha is still sensitive these days, but he blamed himself for talking for nothing.

‘In this case, the instant medicine is…!’

Joshua shook his head quickly. In the past, it was best to step back without saying anything, but for Doha these days, something else worked better.

“Ah, I got a call from Duke Kandel. Rie…  seems to be looking for you.”

“… Rie?”

“Yes. I replied that I didn’t know as well as you asked. Shall I contact her again?”

Doha closed his eyes without answering. When he checked the energy of the bracelet, it didn’t seem like it was called because she’s hurt.

– Doha, it’s dangerous!

The sight of her approaching, looking straight at him, that desperate voice came to mind again, and his heart tickled.

However, Gibralfaro’s whispers, which he had just heard, continued in his memory, as if he would not allow even a momentary pounding.

-Did you even have a lover?

It was dangerous for him to discover Lariette’s existence. When he finds out that he has a loved one, he will immediately use her as a hostage. So, I had to refrain from meeting now.

In fact, he was not yet ready to meet Lariette again.

Doha hated it so terribly that he remembered the feeling of love. I was afraid that if I met her again, I would make such a foolish mistake again.

“No, don’t contact her.”

Doha responded calmly. Oddly enough, my throat was choked and my chest felt stuffy. He tried to ignore the feeling and took off the high priest’s clothes.

“Why are you changing clothes?”

“I’m going out for a while.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Then I will accompany you today.”

There’s nothing like getting air to change your mood! Joshua muttered brightly.

But after about 30 minutes after getting out of the carriage and reaching the city. Joshua cursed himself for encouraging him to go out, chanting that it was a good idea and a refresher.

“Mikhail, the blonde man over there and the woman who got cuddled…”

No, the most cursed thing was his own mouth. If he stays still, he can go easily, why did you even add an explanation of the situation without noticing it?

For that crime, he even threatened to shut up before he ripped his mouth. Joshua thought Doha was really going to tear his mouth, so he stuck his lips together as if he had glued them together.

Meanwhile, Doha couldn’t take his eyes off of her and looked at Lariette’s back. Halfway through, he turned his head and looked at the man next to her with hazy eyes.

Upon discovering it, an uncontrollable fire erupted from the depths of his chest. It was so hot that it felt like the intestines were melting.

I wanted to kill the guy standing next to her right away. I wanted to crush the hand on her shoulder at once.

But for what reason?

He couldn’t take a single step toward the one question that filled his head and only clenched his fists.

‘I’m not Lady’s lover.’

Whoever Lariette met and who she cheated on was none of his business. Doha was just her superficial friend, and even without such a name, he only needed to use her powers.

‘I don’t love anyone, I don’t.’

It was a whisper that sounded like a promise. The continuous denial was nothing more than proof that his heart was constantly shaking, but Doha knew it and ignored it.

“Tell Duke Kandel.”

“Yes? what…?”

Doha forcibly turned around and erased Lariette from his sight.

“I’m going to the mansion tomorrow.”

* * *

Erze was really good at conversation. They got along so well that it was so sad that Lariette came to know her now.

“Wow, Erze doesn’t like cucumbers?”

“Um, the smell is a little nauseous. You too?”

“Me too! Yes, it stinks!”

Lariette trembled and clapped her hands with Erze. Because Erze rented a private room at the restaurant, she was able to roam freely without noticing it.

Maybe he didn’t think that only Lariette was a good fit, but Erze also had another drink.

“Do you think our names are a little similar?”

“I know, right! ‘E’ and ‘T’ overlap!”

Oh my gosh! This is fate! Lariette held her hands together and admired it.

Erze chuckled, wondering if her spit was funny.

“I am so sorry that I only know you now. If it wasn’t for that child…”

It was quite obvious who the child she was talking about was. Erze’s former fiancée and the reason she stopped interacting with Blanche. It was Raon.

‘That bastard has nothing to do with my life!’

Lariette mumbled a harsh word in her mind and smashed the carrot on the plate with a fork. It was a rough act, as if it were Raon.

“Ah, I see… There are rumors about him these days. Have you heard of it?”

“No, not at all. What is the rumor?”

Erze was cautious about bringing up Raon’s story in front of Lariette, so she glanced at her eyes and spoke. Fortunately, Lariette didn’t seem to care much.

“It is said that he is stricken with a terrible disease and is left out of Blanche’s mansion. There are rumors that his appearance is horribly ruined, and there are rumors that he has become disabled in an accident.”

Erze was thirsty for a moment with wine. Then, as if talking secretly, she silenced her voice and continued.

“According to my source, he has a mana-related disease.”

“… What?”

“They said it was a disease that could suddenly explode and die due to a mana problem. If it’s short, you can die within two months…. So the Duke and Duchess of Blanche were not the only ones worried. This is the information I got a few days ago, but… Still, I think it’s polite to tell you.”

Erze continued to speak after that, but Lariette couldn’t hear it. A sharp tinnitus rang in his ears.

It was an explanation I heard again after a long time, but it was something I never forgot. It was about her own illness and death, so there was no way she could forget it.

I imagined the moment of death dozens of times a day, and drew the remains of my body that had exploded rolling down the floor.

‘Was it a genetic disease?’

Lariette thought blankly with her mouth open. Unlike himself, who had the same disease, he thought that my parents would be worried about him, it seemed like she would burst out laughing.

But Lariette couldn’t help but laugh. It was because the words that Erze had just spit out just kept buzzing in her ears.

-If it is short, he can die within two months.

It was pathetic to think that she would live longer than three months because she was regularly treated by Doha.

The fact that Raon has a mana problem,  and that he was destined to die, but in conclusion, Lariette was only firmly determined to leave quickly.