radicalducati Page 57
Page 57
Lach adjusted his glasses, which reflected a cold light, and nodded, saying:
"Under such harsh conditions, it seems... that the goddess could never have descended to this world."
Since that's the case, he doesn't need to spend time verifying it. He can wait a few more days until the blessing inscription in his hand is completely altered, and then observe it.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, "Darkness" spoke again:
"That's nothing. The first two conditions are at least theoretically possible... but the third condition for the goddess's descent has never shown any signs in my long memory."
"Oh? What is that?"
"A miracle..."
At this point, the voice of "Darkness" became somewhat obscure, as if it had not yet grasped the specific meaning. It emphasized: "A miracle that is absolutely impossible to achieve when it violates all laws and is completely locked by cause and effect!"
“A miracle? What’s that?” Lak frowned, puzzled.
"Hmm... if I had to say," Darkness thought for a while, finally coming up with a suitable hypothesis, and let out a relaxed laugh:
"If the strongest hero in human history were to escape from the Demon King's castle guarded by the nine demons and the Demon King himself—that would probably be considered a miracle..."
Lak understood now.
Thinking of the pitiful screams that Mino had heard at the round table when she was being tortured by the demons, a weight was finally lifted from her heart.
A human whose powers are sealed, reduced to an ordinary person, imprisoned in a cell, deprived of freedom, and forever unable to see the light of day... even if all the sacred power in this world were exhausted, it would be impossible for him to escape the Demon King's castle.
In the darkness, Lak's expression shifted restlessly with the shadows:
"Humans and demons are once again at an impasse, which will be... a golden opportunity for us like never before."
……
Demon City.
Sensing that the arrival of the "goddess" would bring about a long period of silence between the demons and humans, all the plans they had prepared turned into nothing more than a mirage.
The demons present were not discouraged, clearly aware that the next step, conquering the human race from within, would be crucial.
"Lady Kletina, I think it's time to activate the pawns we've planted within the human camp."
The Demon Sword Apophis broke the silence at the table with a proposal.
"You mean, the sixth demon lurking within the capital?"
Pale pink rosebuds slowly bloomed on Kletina's fingertips, as if she were considering the feasibility of the proposal.
“That’s right,” Apophis analyzed.
"Although the Sixth Demon is still recovering after its battle with the Hero, its most important value is not its combat power, but its status within the kingdom!"
Swell snapped out of his daze and nodded in complete agreement:
"Now that the border forces no longer pose a threat to us, our influence will inevitably extend further into the interior of the kingdom."
"During this time... with the help of the Sixth Demon, our attacks on humanity will reach a new level."
In the darkness, Swell's voice was as sinister as a viper:
"After all, that's a corrupting demon capable of eroding and disintegrating the Kingdom of Kur from within..."
……
Daytime.
The Kingdom of Kur, capital city, inside the royal palace.
In the solemn and spacious conference room, numerous nobles, scholars, and priests gathered together, their faces showing varying degrees of nervousness... They wore brand-new formal attire, and it was clear that some of them were attending such a large-scale conference for the first time.
The Sacred Round Table Conference!
Or, as it's called now, the "Minox Conference"!!!
This top-secret high-level meeting, which is said to be convened only when a disaster shakes the foundation of the kingdom, has been held three times in just one month!
This time, it was unprecedented, expanding the scale of the participants to an unprecedented level!
Some of the lesser nobles were uneasy, some wondering why they had been nominated to attend this meeting... It wasn't just people from within the kingdom; even high-ranking adventurers from the Adventurers' Guild who resided in the capital and the librarian of the kingdom—people outside the royal system—were involved.
There's still some time before the meeting starts.
Prince Ota's only confidant, Minister Tus, maintained order in the meeting room with meticulous care, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
Only he knew that those newly summoned to this meeting today were basically figures of "high prestige" within the capital.
As Prince Ota's right-hand man, he immediately sensed the undercurrents and murderous intent swirling beneath the surface of the meeting. His Highness... is he already prepared to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free?
Minister Tuss felt a chill run down his spine.
Compared to Tus and the newlyweds, the dukes around the round table seemed much more relaxed. Before Prince Ota appeared, they started chatting about interesting topics.
"Duke Moss, I heard you lost a thousand gold coins not long ago?"
On his seat, Duke Moss's face darkened instantly. He turned around with difficulty, giving the troublemaking nobleman a vicious look.
"What do you mean by losing? Can you call gambling a loss? I'm investing! Investing! Do you understand?!"
Duke Moss stubbornly retorted, "Don't you know that behind every qualified hero, there needs to be a generous noble patron!"
The gambling at the Hero Awakening Ceremony involves the Rote Merchant Guild, which acts as the bookmaker and will give 10% of the profits to the newly minted hero. Duke Moss was not wrong about this.
However, he overlooked the fact that most of the money he lost gambling ended up in Prince Ota's treasury, becoming brand new beautiful girl figurines.
"The Duke of Moss is so generous."
The nobleman who had spoken up clapped his hands in admiration and said with a sigh, "Someone like me who hoards things for a year would probably only earn a thousand gold coins, unlike Duke Moss, who can just throw them away whenever he wants."
Duke Moss was furious, his beard bristling and eyes bulging. A thousand gold coins was almost his life savings! "Easy for you to say! It's not like you're losing your money!"
But having already said what he had said, he angrily turned his head away and decided to ignore the other party's provocation.
The nobles exchanged smiles. No wonder he was Duke Moss… He always managed to be the most dazzling person at any party, just like the star of a circus or the two great kings of the Lunt brand.
At the table, Duke Clyde, who had always been at odds with Duke Moss, chuckled, glanced at the empty seat next to Moss, and showed no intention of letting Moss end the conversation as he wished.
"Speaking of which, I recently heard rumors about that Dane hero candidate. It seems he left the hero training camp early with outstanding results."
He tapped the edge of the table and raised his voice slightly, attracting the attention of the nobles.
"Dain? Hmph, that thing doesn't even deserve to be on our desk!"
Thinking of the guy who made him lose money, Moss snorted angrily.
The other nobles also shook their heads casually. After the hero awakening ceremony, they had long forgotten about the blond hero candidate... Even if the other party was remarkable in both ability and temperament, a commoner was still a commoner, and was not in the same class as them at all.
"Heh, Dane is no longer an ordinary civilian."
Clyde smiled. "I heard that not long ago, a nobleman took a liking to him and was preparing to adopt him as his son..."
"Oh? Which nobleman is so kind as to take notice of that loser?" This time, the other nobles also showed some interest.
In the capital, it was common for nobles to value commoners and take them in as guards or servants. Many commoners and nobles even regarded this as a favor and an honor. But taking someone in as an adopted son was different; it was almost a disguised way of elevating them to the noble class.
If it were about becoming a hero, that would be understandable, but after failing to awaken... in the eyes of these nobles, Dane was just an insignificant nobody.
Duke Moss revealed a mocking smile:
"To value a hero who is all bark and no bite, the nobleman you're talking about adopting, you wouldn't happen to be some countess from some remote place, or some mentally challenged nobleman with some kind of disability, would you...?"
The smiles of the nobles gradually faded.
Silent footsteps drew closer, and behind Duke Moss stood a dignified middle-aged man draped in a luxurious cloak, his demeanor so profound it was almost frightening.
"Before confirming that you have insulted my adopted son, let me ask you this..."
The middle-aged man extended a strong, calloused hand from his cloak and gently placed it on Duke Moss's shoulder:
"That idiot nobleman with some functional deficiencies you mentioned—could it be me?"
A familiar voice came from behind him, and Duke Moss's body trembled violently. His fat, ball-like body fell off the chair, and he scrambled away from the shadow behind him, his voice trembling with terror.
Duke Moss felt an instinctive fear of the voice's owner and couldn't help but scream.
"Tanaus... Thanaus?! What are you doing here?!"
As he spoke, the nobles around the round table stood up and looked at the tall nobleman in front of them, whose clothes were even more luxurious and exquisite than theirs, and whose imposing and solemn aura was even more impressive.
That is Grand Duke Thanaus of the Kingdom!
Chapter 78 Brainstorming at the Round Table
Around the round table, a group of nobles all turned their attention to the newly arrived Thanatos.
This is a courtesy second only to His Highness the Prince, and only Grand Duke Thanaus, the sole ruler of the kingdom, is entitled to receive.
Grand Duke Thanaus was a nobleman who followed the old King Cour I in his youth, achieving numerous legendary military exploits and whose reputation has endured to this day.
More importantly, Thanaus was also deeply loved by the people in the capital. He was never harsh on the common people and often sent warriors from his territory to fight off wild beasts for the people in the surrounding areas. He also helped the poor and destitute during the cold winter and years of natural disasters. He was the embodiment of selflessness and fearlessness.
It can be said that as the Grand Duke of the Kingdom, Thanaus possessed power and prestige that none of the nobles present could match.
Needless to say, the Duke of Meuse was even more so.
To him, Thanaus was like a father to everyone else! — Whenever the residents of his territory spoke ill of him, they would always mention this "Glorious Grand Duke Thanaus"!
He could tolerate people talking badly about him, since it was all the truth, and ordinary people only dared to say it in private.
But these people are openly and constantly mentioning the name of "Grand Duke Thanaus the Glorious"! What's the difference between that and insulting him?!
For a time, the Duke of Mess would eat fewer bowls of rice whenever he heard the name Thanaus.
"Today is the most important roundtable meeting. Even if it's just for His Majesty the King, I should probably make an appearance."
"Thanaus said in a deep voice."
Grand Duke Thanaus had an extremely close relationship with the old king, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a confidant. Over the years, Thanaus had been assisting in taking care of the old king during his critical illnesses, and even Prince Ota had to show respect to this Grand Duke.
Thanaus hadn't appeared during the previous kingdom's upheavals, staying by the old king's bedside without leaving his side. Unexpectedly, he appeared today.
Moss trembled slightly, and following Thanaus's trail, he saw a familiar yet detestable figure.
"By the way, today is also a good opportunity to introduce my adopted son, Dane Brando."
A blond, gentle-looking man in a formal suit stepped forward and gave a standard aristocratic bow: "It's been a long time, Your Graces, and... Duke Moss."
He smiled politely at Moss, as if he hadn't heard Moss's previous slander at all... The meeting room was only so big, and as a candidate for hero, Dane's hearing was obviously not dull.