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Chapter 56
"You want so too? Here, eat."
As I let go of the at in my hand, Muyeong snatched it up in an instant and disappeared into the shadows.
Seeing how he kept popping up whenever he wanted and demanding food, I started to doubt whether this guy was really just an undead—specifically, a wraith wolf.
"Normally, undead don’t have such strong self-awareness."
I had never experienced this before.
A line of text from the Librarian appeared in response to my doubts.
[The manifestation of souls in Labyrinthos may differ slightly from here. While the difference isn’t significant, there is a high possibility of variations in self-awareness.]
So, in simple terms, the souls over there were fake, while the ones here were real, which could explain the difference?
In reality, it’s not easy for undead to develop self-awareness.
The original soul has to be strong for that to happen.
The undead I controlled were similar to skeletons and banshees, but they followed a slightly different lineage.
If you look at the structure alone, they were closer to banshees, but in precise classification, they were sothing else entirely.
It was an experint I attempted in order to overco a certain barrier, and thanks to this, I did manage to surpass it.
That must be why.
As Muyeong repeatedly poked his head out, I continued feeding him before anyone else could notice, slipping him back into the shadows.
Luckily, even though I attended the banquet, no one really paid attention to .
Before long, the head of the Mielephon family arrived at the banquet hall.
"Lady Misha, is that person the head of the Mielephon family?"
"Yes, that is Lord Catsey Mielephon, the head of the Mielephon family."
The first impression I had of Catsey Mielephon was that she exuded a truly fierce atmosphere.
With her crimson short hair and cold-looking eyes, she appeared to be in her thirties, but her actual age was likely much higher.
She was not originally from the Mielephon family.
She had married into the family through her late husband, who had passed away due to illness, and upon his death, she took over as the head of the household.
There must have been significant challenges for an outsider to take up the role of family head.
But she rose to that position purely through skill and achievents.
No wonder she was called the "Iron-Blooded Lady."
"Still, it’s fascinating. It’s rare for an outsider to beco the head of a noble house."
"Our Mielephon family values ability above all else. Because of that, our lord took up the sword again to protect the family and to uphold the seat of the late family head."
She was originally known as soone who never wielded a sword.
But it seed she had always possessed an extraordinary talent for swordsmanship.
From what I observed, her level was beyond reach for anyone here.
Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon was said to be at the upper tier of Sword Masters—or perhaps even beyond.
She was at least a mid-tier Sword Master.
Considering her relative youth compared to the Sword Saint, her sheer talent alone was unparalleled.
In other words, she was stronger than most so-called "strategic weapons" among Sword Masters.
With that level of strength, she could certainly impose her will.
A woman who took over the vacant position of family head through sheer strength, all to protect her child and her late husband’s place.
I found myself thinking that she was truly remarkable.
lissa, as a young and still inexperienced head of her own family, could probably learn a lot from her.
Amidst the crowd of nobles engaging in conversation, her gaze suddenly landed on .
Her emotionless, icy stare t mine.
There wasn’t any particular emotion in her gaze.
It was rely a neutral, assessing look, as if she was simply evaluating what kind of person I was.
Of course, since I wasn’t truly engaged to the Mielephon family, her opinion of didn’t really concern .
Then, it happened.
—Leon Cascadia.
A voice resonated in my mind.
I turned my head to look back at Catsey Mielephon.
She had just spoken to using a telepathic thod.
The distance between us was quite large—so she could do this too, huh?
—So we finally et. I’ve heard about you from my father-in-law. You won’t be able to respond, so just listen.
Her voice was polite but carried an undeniable pressure.
I could also use telepathic communication, but even for soone of high rank, it wasn’t easy to employ such techniques.
Telepathy was, in a way, a special skill.
It wasn’t sothing one could use just by being skilled in aura or mana.
Even as she conversed with other nobles, Catsey continued sending telepathic ssages.
—I’ve heard your request. The Mielephon family does not forget kindness. If you have shown great kindness to my father-in-law, then it is only right that Mielephon repays that debt. So, stay here comfortably until you leave.
On the surface, she seed considerate, but I could clearly feel the boundary she was setting.
Honestly, I liked her approach.
That old Sword Saint kept subtly trying to push forward this fake engagent, and I was starting to find it annoying.
—However, I ask that you do not cause any trouble. I do not think you are foolish enough to act recklessly, but rember this—if you cause an incident in a gathering of so many people, I will not be able to help you.
Enjoy yourself moderately without drawing too much attention, and don’t expect Mielephon’s assistance if you arrogantly cause an incident.
She hadn’t explicitly said it, but the tone of her words made her aning clear.
I responded with a faint smile, then shaped my aura into a wave and fired it like a bullet.
—Don’t worry, Lady Mielephon. I’m already grateful enough for the consideration you’ve shown .
She hadn’t expected to send a telepathic ssage in return, and she flinched in surprise, turning to look at .
In her gaze, I could see the faintest trace of disbelief.
Perhaps it was a technique she had developed on her own, but once one reaches a certain level, picking up such tricks is inevitable, whether they want to or not.
Seeing use it so effortlessly, it was only natural for her to be surprised.
—And happy birthday. I should have prepared a proper gift, but giving it here would be crude, so I’ll visit you separately in the future.
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Of course, I bowed my head slightly in greeting so that no one else would notice, then turned my back on her.
At the sa ti, words from the Librarian appeared in my vision.
[She is observing you.]
‘Good. I only returned the favor because I felt like I was being subtly ignored.’
A birthday present for her?
I could just pick sothing appropriate and have Misha, the head maid, deliver it on my behalf.
As if nothing had happened, I found a quiet seat again and focused on tasting the various dishes.
The scale of the Empire was truly vast; there were rare delicacies here that I had never even seen in the royal palace of Bata.
Behind , Misha, the head maid, tilted her head slightly as if sensing sothing unusual but soon took her place nearby, sitting with impeccable posture and silent composure.
“Head Maid, have you had your al?”
“Yes, I have eaten sufficiently.”
“I see. So, while you were making sure I didn’t get to eat anything, you went ahead and had your fill?”
“There are certain privileges to being a head maid.”
The way she calmly responded to my teasing ant we must have grown quite close.
I chuckled and popped a small piece of bread into my mouth.
* * *
Catsey Mielephon.
The daughter-in-law of the Sword Saint and the wife of the forr family head.
An outsider by birth, but through overwhelming skill and accomplishnts, she had beco the current head of House Mielephon—a woman of iron will.
She found herself slightly taken aback by an unexpected turn of events.
‘That boy will certainly be worth investing in. Maybe not now, but before long, he will stand out. After all, no matter how much you try to hide a sharp needle in a pouch, it will always poke through, my dear.’
When she first heard about the fake engagent and the family heirloom being handed over, she had thought, Has Father finally gone mad?
But she was not cold-hearted enough to outright refuse her father-in-law’s request.
Besides, she didn’t underestimate his insight, either.
If nothing else, playing along with the engagent as a formality was manageable.
The real problem was the heirloom sword.
It wasn’t until after hearing that Osberg, her father-in-law, had broken past his limits that she started to give the situation a more positive review.
Even so, she couldn’t be sure whether handing over such a prized sword to an unknown boy from another kingdom was truly the right decision.
That’s why she called him to this banquet.
She could have t him separately, but she had been busy, and this event provided a convenient opportunity.
Upon eting him for the first ti, Leon Cascadia gave off a peculiar impression.
For a boy his age, he seed far too composed.
Still, she couldn’t make a judgnt until she saw for herself.
So, as a test, she sent him a telepathic ssage.
As expected, the boy flinched slightly before looking at her.
She had assud that a boy praised even by the Sword Saint himself would be extraordinary, but when she examined him up close, she could hardly sense any power within him.
At first glance, she even wondered if he had truly trained with a sword at all.
Perhaps he wasn’t as remarkable as she had thought.
Even so, he was quick-witted, well-mannered, and carried himself with dignity—hardly soone who would leave a completely negative impression.
Then, at that mont—
She heard an unexpected response from him.
He had returned her telepathic ssage with a smiling expression.
She had never seen anyone else use this technique before.
It wasn’t just a simple skill.
While it didn’t require an incredibly high level of mastery, it demanded extrely precise aura control.
For a boy with seemingly no detectable aura to use it so effortlessly—it was hard to believe.
“Lady Mielephon?”
One of her knights, who was guarding her side, cautiously spoke up.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Coincidence?
No, this was no coincidence.
That boy was hiding sothing beyond what she could perceive.
What was he concealing?
Catsey Mielephon’s gaze briefly lingered on him once more before drifting away.
“Ugh…”
“Lady Mielephon, are you experiencing headaches again?”
“I’m fine. More importantly, inform imdiately if there is any new report on that damned octopus—Kraken.”
Recently, she had been so occupied with troubleso matters that she barely had the ti to focus on Leon.
* * *
The banquet hall was filled with countless people, engaging in conversations, forming connections, discussing business, and exchanging idle chatter.
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