Chapter 72: Goodbye, Little Aeron (Waves)
"...Listen, little Aeron."
"What's up? And what kind of address is that?"
"Did you already prepare for this kind of situation?"
Brant spoke while pointing at the tightly shut door before them.
At this moment, the small meeting room located in the Montelli district had gathered an illustrious assembly of talents, both young and old.
Cartethyia, the core of the plan, a young girl seeking Aeron's help for her other half currently battling the Dark Tide.
Zani, chief employee of the Averardo Vault.
Ciaccona, the (self-proclaimed) famous bard of Ragunna, the last inheritor of Toccata who knows the truth about the "Golden Anthem."
Cantarella Fisalia, current head of the Fisalia Family, undoubtedly an apex predator (to Aeron), the true Blessed Maiden, pharmacological conceptual deity—nothing you can imagine that she cannot create.
Carlotta Montelli, next prospective leader of the Montelli Family, is a potato.
Rover, savior of Jinzhou, leader of the Black Shores, tuner of the stars, Ragunna's laureate, Solaris' top escort, three strikes without death counts as failure—probably more titles will be added to this list in the future.
And this is Roccia, she's adorable.
Brant stood at the doorway, looking at this gathering inside, feeling his stomach already beginning to ache.
"....Don't ask too much, otherwise why do you think I called you here."
"I thought you only won over the Montelli Family's second young lady and were set for a life of luxury... Never expected you to be playing such big games behind your brother's back."
Well, it seemed Brant had misunderstood something since arriving at the Montelli residence.
But fortunately, Aeron knew how to handle him.
"Come in with me, and I'll get you a bottle of Montelli's finest afterwards."
"Hah, Montelli's finest may be worth a fortune, but the bond between us brothers is priceless."
Brant instantly changed his expression, patting Aeron's shoulder with grand enthusiasm as if the guy with stomach pain moments ago wasn't him. It felt like he might challenge the Leviathan single-handedly the next second.
But with his support, the mental pressure on Aeron lessened considerably.
"Let's go! With us brothers joining forces, who could possibly stand against—"
Then Aeron's hand rested on the doorknob.
Then the door was pulled open from inside.
"Oh~"
Then the two saw a golden-haired girl in pure white Order attire revealing her face from within.
Sunlight streamed from behind her, gilding her blonde hair with a golden halo. The hem of her priestly robes swayed gently, her face adorned with a sweet yet warmthless smile.
She blinked, her purple eyes reflecting Aeron and Brant's instantly stiffened faces.
"Senior Aeron, Captain Brant, what are you doing standing at the doorway?"
Her voice remained as gentle as ever, her smile as sweet as always.
If one ignored the suddenly eerie silence from the reception room behind her, and her own deliberately or accidentally lowered tone.
"Ah, we were just about to—"
"Senior Aeron."
Phoebe softly interrupted Brant's explanation, her gaze never leaving Aeron's face for even a moment.
"Everyone's waiting for you inside." She took half a step forward, nearly pressing against Aeron's chest, her voice softening further. "I even specially brought your favorite tea from the Order."
Though the words were directed at Aeron, that tone, that gaze, that smiling expression that sent chills down one's spine—
Brant slowly retreated sideways.
Then took another extremely slow step back.
"I just remembered I haven't fed the pigeons in the square yet."
"Didn't you just fucking say—"
"Good luck, brother!"
Brant gave Aeron's shoulder a firm pat, so forceful it made Aeron's knees buckle.
After saying this, he fled.
He didn't even use the stairs—just vaulted over the corridor railing and jumped down, leaving Aeron standing there dumbfounded.
"Senior, come on in~"
While mentally cursing the captain's heartlessness, Aeron was pulled into the room by Phoebe clinging to his arm.
Upon entering, Aeron endured numerous gazes from around the room, feeling like a fish slowly roasting over gentle flames, just waiting to be served.
Aeron was "pressed" into a chair by Phoebe, with Phoebe and Cartethyia sitting on either side of him. Directly opposite, Carlotta stood with crossed arms, smiling ambiguously, while Cantarella beside her elegantly held a teacup, her eyes containing unfathomable mirth.
Zani leaned back in her chair with crossed arms, Ciaccona fiddled with her lute, and the Rover stood quietly against the wall, their gaze never leaving him.
Roccia sat quietly on a chair slightly farther away, the large suitcase resting on her knees, her eyes never straying from Aeron.
Feeling thorns in his back and needles in his seat—he finally understood what these expressions truly meant.
"Speaking of which... Phoebe, why are you here?"
"Me? Miss Cartethyia just 'kindly' mentioned you were preparing for Carnevale, so I came in my capacity as an Order Priest to check on the situation~"
Hearing Phoebe's words, Aeron turned to look at Cartethyia, who guiltily averted her gaze.
...She gave me too much of that laurel salad.
Regarding Cartethyia's explanation, Aeron couldn't help but inwardly marvel at how right Leviathan was about judging people.
Ahem, alright, since everyone's here... perhaps someone should first explain what new scheme he's concocted."
Carlotta broke the silence first. After all, as the head of household, she at least needed to maintain some semblance of order... and ensure someone wouldn't be whisked away by unseen hands afterward.
"Of course there's a plan..." Aeron began, trying to project some reliability, but was interrupted before he could finish.
"Before we start," Zani spoke first, her red pupils sweeping over impassively, "there are still a few people here unaware of your previous exploits. Care to enlighten them?"
"Uh... I didn't really do anything, did I?"
"Well, Zani's concern is understandable. After all, someone returned last night in quite a disgraceful state, and apparently had accomplices too."
Carlotta immediately supplemented Zani's words, her meaningful gaze drifting toward another direction.
Meanwhile, a certain red-haired poet turned his face away without a word, while the stats monster who had beaten Aeron to his knees last night revealed a smile that suggested she was ready to enjoy the show.
"Though I don't mind, I still think things like 'nighttime activities' should be reported beforehand~"
Wait, how does even Cantarella know about this?
"Mr. Aeron, next time, please be more careful."
"Roccia, showing concern at a time like this will only backfire.... Phoebe, aren't you being a bit... forceful?"
"Ah... So senior went off to do dangerous things alone again without me knowing, how disobedient... Truly... 1kds
Finally, Aeron turned his gaze toward Cartethyia beside him: Help!
"If you brought this on yourself, I can't do anything to help either..."
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