Chapter 63: 63

I looked back at Hugo, puzzled. Hugo was as surprised as I was, as if he hadn’t heard anything about it.

Gradually, those who felt the seriousness raised their voices.

“What kind of…”

“Does this mean that there are evil spirits among the members of the Bauner family?”

“Who is that?”

Alan gazed at the clamoring nobles and spoke quietly. 

Wait, no way…

“Benimus, the gladiator who played under the pseudonym ‘Benibeni’ in the carnival is the culprit.”

‘…Are you trying to reveal that in that way?!’

I was confused. 

Of course, if Benny’s identity was revealed, he would not be able to avoid the charge of destroying the stadium.

I thought Alan would bury the matter in moderation. But now, Alan was openly admitting the charges.

“What do you mean, Duke?” 

The confused ballroom roared.

“Isn’t the evil spirit that the organizers had prepared the reason why the barrier of the stadium broke?”

“Does it mean that the slave gladiator is part of the Bauner family?”

“That slave wasn’t an evil spirit, he was a human!”

“Quiet.”

Alan raised his hand.

Even that simple gesture contained undeniable dignity.

The clamoring nobles shut their mouths in unison.

“You don’t seem to understand what I’m saying. So, I will start with the conclusion.”

Alan shut his mouth for a moment, then spoke softly.

“Benimus is a weapon that House Bauner has secretly studied to be used against evil spirits.”

What kind of nonsense was this? 

There was a loud commotion again, but Alan’s next words made the surroundings quiet as if cold water had been poured.

“10 years ago, I lost my daughter once. It’s a story everyone knows.”

The atmosphere became one where no one could say anything recklessly. Because Alan put his wrath in his mouth.

“The criminal who kidnapped my daughter fled to the Western Continent. To a land ruled by evil spirits.”

Alan continued the story at a pace that was neither slow nor fast.

“While crossing the Western Continent, my army found a boy with the power of evil spirits.”

‘Guess he’s talking about Benny… What do you mean you found him?’

It was the first time I had ever heard of this, except for the fact that he possessed the power of evil spirits.

“To find my daughter, it was necessary to subdue the evil spirits that constantly attacked me. So I brought Benimus, to study him.”

I wondered if it was true or not, but it was difficult to dismiss it as a complete lie.

Not only for the people gathered here, but also for all the people of the empire, no one knew more about the Western Continent than Alan.

“But I failed.”

Alan raised his eyebrows slightly.

“I led the knights in a search, but it was too late. It was after the bandits who had already wandered the Western Continent sold Benimus into slavery.”

‘What else does this mean?’

As for me, I was confused, but the people seemed to be persuaded.

“Although I lost his whereabouts once.”

Alan spoke seriously.

“I got the boy back a while ago. He was being abused at the gladiator training camp.”

At first glance, it was a story of a fateful meeting.

Then a brave nobleman asked a question.

“Why… why did you send such a person to a gladiator match?”

He could have had such a question. 

If it was as Alan had said, he wouldn’t have let Benny go to a bloody gladiator fight.

Then the stadium would not have collapsed.

As Alan shifted his gaze, the questioner gasped.

“I, I, I was just curious…” 

“When we met again, I didn’t know if Benimus was the child I found back then.”

Alan continued the story he had made up calmly.

“But because of their very similar faces… I sponsored him because of the old affection.”

What did Alan mean about affection? It was the most inappropriate word in the world. 

“It was the day the stadium collapsed that I found out they were the same person.”

It was a clever excuse. This obscured the responsibility of House Bauner, contrary to Alan’s assertion.

Then a fat man boldly intervened in front of the crowd.

“Uh, isn’t it true that the boy broke the barrier anyway?”

Alan made eye contact with the man. The fat man turned white, but he clenched his fists as if he wanted to hear an answer since he had already said it.

Alan hesitated for a moment, then calmly but firmly agreed.

“That’s right.”

There were murmurs, the people’s confusion was increasing.

“And yet, that monster is a member of the Bauner family…!”

“It’s Benimus’ fault that the barriers of the stadium were broken. However, it was not intended.”

Alan added before people raised their voices further.

“What do you…?”

“The gladiator side dared to illegally airlift an evil spirit and make it a spectacle.”

Alan raised his chin, not caring whether people were anxious or not.

“The more evil spirits gather, the stronger they become. Benimus had absolutely no intention of doing that, but somehow he opened up a rift in the barrier that was weakened just because it was there.”

It was reasonable logic. 

The people still looked dissatisfied, but their sharp demeanor had softened.

“Bu, but… the stadium has collapsed. Many commoners died there.”

“Yes. It’s unfortunate. Also, this implies a different truth.”

Alan acknowledged it again and spit it out.

“Benimus has that much power.”

With that one sentence, the atmosphere became eerie. The nobles trembled in fear, but they licked their lips as if they had found a coveted golden apple.

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I think the word ‘power’ seemed attractive to some extent.

As if Alan had been waiting, he began to resolve the remaining doubts.

“Some of you may be wondering why I didn’t tell the press about this. Please note that it was all for your safety. From the standpoint of protecting my territories and, furthermore, the empire, I could not cause confusion.”

It was strange. Although Alan’s confession was shocking, the fact that he was endangering the empire was growing fainter.

“How did he get the power of an evil spirit?”

“Did such a disease spread to the western continent?”

“Is it contagious?!”

A flood of questions poured out. Alan ignored the people and beckoned to Nike.

Nike, whose mouth was open blankly, took a breath and opened the door on the central stairway.

Benny walked out of the waiting room. 

As soon as I saw him, I doubted my eyes.

‘Is that really Benny?’

The boy in the silver uniform looked like a hero in a fairy tale.

His well-trimmed silver hair shone brilliantly under the light of the chandelier, and his purple eyes were clear from afar.

Benny nodded his head towards the nobles under the stairs. His greeting was as dignified as that of a noble of good blood.

It was not reminiscent of a violent and cruel evil spirit at all.

“Let me introduce you again. This child’s name is Benimus.”

Alan stood on the terrace and declared to the speechless public.

“He is the guardian of House Bauner who will end the war against the evil spirits.”

A different noise from before filled the hall.

Benny’s appearance was completely different from what everyone had imagined.

“I can’t believe it. That young boy…?”

“He looks too normal to be a monster.”

“There must have been a mistake.”

Everyone didn’t seem to easily believe Alan’s words.

Benny looked at the people in a calm manner.

It was hard for even an adult to be resolute if he suddenly received attention, but I couldn’t feel any tension in his attitude.

“……”

Benny took off the glove on his left hand and raised his hand.

Under the bright light of the chandelier, the boy’s hand was transformed.

What was like a lump of mud soon turned into a black rake-like hand.

The noisy crowd immediately shut their mouths.

The people who were watching Benny closely even took a step backwards.

“…I, I have business to do… I’ll just go back.”

“Me too.”

Things were not going well. As people began to run away one by one, a storm of fear engulfed everyone’s sense of reason.

“Hey, get the carriage ready!”

“Cancel the hotel reservation. I should stay as far away from the Duke’s castle as possible.”

“Damn, what’s going on?!”

All together, people were scattering. 

If it goes on like this, the ballroom would be empty, leaving only bad rumors about Benny.

But Alan looked down from the terrace without panicking. His eyes were contemplative, as if looking at a picture rather than people.

It was the moment when he blinked at Benny.

“…If you believe in me!”

Benny clenched his fists to his chest and shouted loudly.

“I will bring back the Western Continent that was stolen by the evil spirits!”

The boy’s loud voice filled the entire hall.

I couldn’t help but be amazed. In that upright and decisive attitude, it was difficult to find the dry appearance of the past.

The people who were running away all turned to look at Benny.

After confirming that the attention was focused on him again, Benny said,

“We are only giving back to the empire a place that was originally a sanctuary. So, the land reclaimed should be returned to those who deserve it.”

From that remark, the atmosphere of the nobility completely changed.

A new wind suddenly blew into the hall where only fear had occupied.

Hugo, who was sitting quietly, whispered in my ear.

“I think I understand why Father is like this. The nobles gathered here want to be parasitic to those with strong powers.”

“To be feared means you’re strong.”

“Even if he gets insulted right now, later on, they’ll praise Benibeni. Isn’t that something that happened often?” 

Suddenly, Pedro’s words ran through my mind.

Even I could guess what the nobles were thinking now.

‘If the Bauner family recaptures the Western Continent, and if they line up with such a Bauner family… They may be able to obtain and get the land of the Western Continent that has been reclaimed.’

This meant that by just supporting Alan’s decision in this position, they could easily gain enormous wealth and fame even if they sat still. 

“I can’t believe what a monster says!”

Then the fat man who had been scrutinizing Alan roared loudly.

Alan looked down at him with cool jade eyes.

Those eyes weren’t even looking at me, but I felt numb.

The man did not step down and punched his chest like Benny.

And he bowed his head politely. 

“So I… I trust you, Duke.”

It was a gesture of loyalty.

Following the man, the surrounding nobles cheered for Alan one by one.

“…Me, me too.”

“I believe in the Duke!”

“Long live the Duke!”

Shouts and applause spread throughout the spacious ballroom.

It was nothing more than a cry to throw a single piece of land at them.

Fear was a powerful force.

But there were things in the world that were easier to control than fear.

That was a huge benefit.

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