บท 34: Chapter 34: Expedition Leaves (1)
Chandeliers and paintings, spread out like leaves on an autumn day, adorned the walls and the ceiling of the palace of the emperor. In the grand chamber with the teleportation circle, the team fifty for the expedition had gathered.
Twenty knights, ten wizards, ten adventurers, and scholars doubling as porters for the rest. A team handpicked by the Imperial Knights had assembled, and addressing them at the front was the leader of the knight order, Kalyufis von Sauer.
A broadsword rested in his hands, plunged into the ground of the podium. Court wizards dashed about the room, lighting up the mana stones and making the final adjustments to the magic circle.
"Is that… lord Isaac?"
"The genius wizard? I thought he retired…"
Whispers surrounded Isaac and Valeria as they stood at the front of the group. Lofty like their status, neither of them bothered with chatting up the others and none of the others dared to chat them up.
Well, it wasn't as if the man himself had any remaining brainspace for anyone else.
"Valeria, do I look odd. Is my hair neatly combed back to an obtuse of thirty-five degrees?"
"I have no idea."
"Great. I am presentable."
His gaze would keep turning to the side on its own, but he tried his best to maintain his propriety. He couldn't affect the expedition for his personal feelings. Not like he cared about the expedition, but he did care about what lady Kristine would think if he did so.
Lady Kristine herself was no better than this man.
Even though she was surrounded by knights, six of which were her own, but her eyes kept fluttering to the front of the room. Unlike Isaac that was like an untouchable flower, the other knights noticed the lady's gaze well.
"Oh my," said Silkpan, the leader of the Rice Knight order, son of Ricepan. Rice being the only thing they consumed. "Are you looking at Lord Isaac von Episteme Athenus? I am surprised to see him here too."
"Silkpan, she's probably not curious about that," said Dame Kelly Guitar, of the String knights, daughter of Kelly piano, which was also a stringed instrument. "It's not about Lord Isaac as much as it about Athenus, is it not?"
The knights around nodded in understanding, they all knew of the long history of animosity between the Kaiser and Athenus family.
"I thought he had become a researcher, why is he here now?"
"Do you think the lord wanted in after hearing it was a big event? Wizards are all greedy after all."
Johan's jaw dropped as the mood suddenly shifted toward badmouthing Lord Isaac. With Reley not here, no was around to assist him in controlling his lady.
And he had seen enough of his lady to know that all of these guys were going to lose their heads.
"My lady," he whispered in as low a voice as he could. "With tact, please—"
"Indeed," lady Kristine said before Johan could finish his words. "But well, it is a relief he is here too."
"What do you mean?" One asked.
"He can most certainly blow us all away with a single attack. There is no doubt that Lord Isaac is in a league of his own as a wizard."
The knights bit their lips.
Some of them wanted to argue, but before they could, someone else intervened on their conversation.
"It is surprising to see Lady Kristine praise a wizard," A blonde haired man with a lopsided grin stepped in front of the knights. Instead of an armor, he wore just a tunic, instead of a great sword, he carried just a thin sword, and instead of righteousness and honor, he displayed just craftiness, and absolute strength.
Behind the handsome blonde were a group of four more, a robust man with a battle axe, a young redhead with a bow in her hands, another blonde in robes of indigo and white, and lastly a young woman holding a staff not dissimilar to the ones all the wizards held.
"If it isn't, the hero Hermes and his party!"
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