Chapter 28

### Extrasensory Perception (1)

His mind went blank.

Colton tried to understand this incomprehensible situation.

Layka, who was prostrate on the floor, remained motionless, bowing his head.

What did he just say?

'...Lord?'

Who? That man?

He wanted to believe he had misheard, but the situation unfolding before his eyes clearly denied it.

The Seventh Lord, seated in the chair, crossed his legs and scanned the hall.

The knights who had brought him in and stood proudly were now frozen, not even daring to breathe.

Gradually, Colton's face turned pale.

In the suffocating silence, it didn't take long for him to accept what he had done.

The new master of the Seventh Lord's seat, who had recently caused a stir throughout Caldric.

...That man standing right in front of him was the Seventh Lord.

Barros cautiously observed the Seventh Lord and asked,

"By the way, why are you here with the mayor of Vilpek?"

His tone was filled with pressure, as if demanding proof of his innocence.

If he couldn't, it wouldn't be strange for his head to roll right there.

Layka, feeling the overwhelming fear and terror enveloping him, swallowed hard and stammered,

"I was visiting the cities of the Fifth Lord's domain due to administrative issues. I was with the mayor because of a personal relationship... When he said he would bring those who had insulted his daughter to the mansion, I followed out of curiosity to see what would happen. I never imagined the Lord would be here. I apologize."

Indeed, Layka felt truly wronged. He was just as confused by the situation.

For him, who had been enjoying a brief respite in Vilpek, this was a bolt from the blue. No, it was a disaster.

He could only act quickly out of survival instinct because he recognized the Seventh Lord's face.

How could he have imagined that the Seventh Lord would leave the Lord's castle and be in this city, or that the person who had a dispute with the daughter of Denbry's noble would be him?

Of course, he couldn't ask the Seventh Lord about his doubts, so Layka had only one option: to prostrate himself to avoid being implicated.

Barros frowned and said,

"Regardless, you were just watching the situation unfold for your own amusement, weren't you?"

"That, that is..."

Cold sweat trickled down Layka's back.

"No... This... What...?"

Meanwhile, Denbry, still dazed, mumbled and turned to look at Colton.

Barros's gaze then shifted to the two of them.

Since the Lord had mercifully let it go, he could only watch Denbry's reckless words.

But how dare he call the knights to bring them here after the Lord had already shown leniency?

"Mayor, are you going to keep standing there?"

Suddenly coming to his senses, Colton grabbed Denbry's shoulder and made her kneel on the floor.

The mayor, who had enjoyed a smooth career for over 20 years, now faced his greatest crisis.

Denbry, who had never knelt in her life, instinctively frowned when forced to kneel. But seeing Colton's completely drained expression, she shut her mouth.

"I apologize... Lord Seventh."

The Seventh Lord tilted his head.

"I told you to speak. What are you doing on your knees?"

"I apologize. I committed a grave offense by not recognizing your greatness."

"Mayor."

The Seventh Lord's voice grew colder.

"I asked you to explain why you called me here. Are you going to keep repeating yourself like a parrot?"

Colton bit his lip.

How could he explain? He had intended to make the arrogant man who had insulted his daughter pay.

The Seventh Lord already knew everything; he was just making him say it.

'I'm going to die.'

He was really going to die.

His family could be wiped out right there and then. If the Seventh Lord decided to do so, no one could stop him.

What about the Fifth Lord, who would hear the news later? Would he be enraged that someone had caused a disturbance in his domain and killed the mayor?

No, he would probably just say, "Oh, I see," and not care.

In Caldric, a Lord was such an existence.

No one except another Lord could stand on equal footing with them. Anyone who tried to rise would be crushed like a bug, no matter how high their position.

Colton, instead of answering, repeatedly slammed his head on the floor.

"I have committed a mortal sin! It's all my fault for raising my daughter poorly! Please, let the punishment fall on me alone...!"

Bang, bang, bang!

Even as his forehead bled and cracked, Colton continued to slam his head. Denbry, standing beside him, trembled.

Seeing her father, who was like an emperor in Vilpek, in such a state, she finally realized the gravity of the situation.

Even though she had lived a life of luxury, she knew the status of a Lord in Caldric.

"Mayor, stop. How dare you... in front of the Lord..."

Barros, frowning, stopped speaking and stepped back.

The Seventh Lord gestured for him to be silent.

"Mayor."

"..."

"This is the third time. Explain why you called me here."

His voice was indifferent but terrifying, as if this was his last chance.

Only then did Colton realize.

No matter what he did, he couldn't evoke any emotion from this monster. The best he could do was follow orders and hope for a relatively peaceful death.

"...I heard that someone had insulted my daughter and intended to bring them here to make them pay."

The Seventh Lord asked,

"Did you get a proper report of the situation?"

"...Yes."

"Tell me what happened."

"The staff spilled a drink on my daughter's dress, and she was educating the staff... "

"Education. So, beating someone senseless over a stain on a dress is education?"

"..."

"Even trying to cut the wrist of someone who tried to stop her. If that's education, what do you think would be appropriate education in this situation, where a city mayor has knights forcibly bring a Lord here?"

Colton shuddered.

The Seventh Lord's gaze shifted to Denbry.

"You said you would make it impossible for him to walk without crawling on his knees. I found it amusing, as I had never heard such a phrase before."

The faces of the prostrate Colton and Layka turned even darker. Had she really said that?

Denbry, unable to contain her fear, began to cry.

"I was wrong, Lord. Please, spare me. Please, spare me... "

The Seventh Lord shook his head.

"You escalated a minor incident from another Lord's domain to this point."

"Truly, I have committed a mortal sin... "

"I haven't changed my mind. It's too troublesome to escalate such a ridiculous matter."

His words were incomprehensible.

But Colton's face turned pale at what followed.

"Since it happened in your domain, the Fifth Lord will deal with it as he sees fit."

...That was a death sentence.

What would happen when the news reached the Fifth Lord?

It didn't matter if the Seventh Lord and the Fifth Lord had a good relationship.

The mere act of a mayor insulting a Lord was unforgivable.

Even if the Seventh Lord didn't act, the Fifth Lord would demand retribution.

The Seventh Lord stood up.

Turning to the hall's entrance, he seemed to indicate that he was done speaking.

Barros glanced around, and the knights, who had been standing dumbfounded, hurriedly knelt.

The Seventh Lord paused, turned back, and said,

"If you lived by trampling others with your petty power, you should have been prepared to be trampled yourself. Don't you think?"

Colton had no response to the Seventh Lord's words.

The Seventh Lord and the other two gradually moved towards the exit.

***

Leaving the mansion, I completely lost interest in the mayor.

I had no intention of punishing them.

It wasn't out of mercy; I just found it distasteful to get my hands dirty over such a trivial matter.

And even without my intervention, once this incident reached the ears of the Fifth Lord, the mayor and Denbry would... whatever happened, it wouldn't be good. I didn't need to tell her myself.

Let their fear during this time be their punishment.

"Hmm..."

It was already late at night.

Back at the inn, I examined the map I had received from Teir.

With Barros's help, I compared it with the map of the Fifth Lord's domain to pinpoint the location more accurately.

"There's a forest at the northwest border of the Fifth Lord's and Fourth Lord's domains. It seems to be the place indicated."

It was a slight detour from my route, but if I could gain the secret, it wasn't a significant issue.

I stroked my chin and looked back at Teir's map.

'But what are these symbols?'

Strange, unknown characters were written on one side of the map. Were they a code?

They seemed related to the destination, but I couldn't understand their meaning.

I should have asked Teir, but I was too focused on the map to think about it.

Staring at the symbols, Barros spoke again.

"It says, 'In the forest, at the largest tree, when the twilight has completely sunk, the lifeless branch will guide the adventurers.'"

"..."

I turned to him, surprised.

"You can read this?"

"Yes. It's one of the ancient cipher scripts."

I looked at him with a questioning gaze, and he explained,

"I used to be an adventurer and had an interest in exploring ruins, so I know a bit about ancient scripts. It's a limited skill."

"..."

'He really can do anything.'

His knowledge of Caldric's geography must have come from his past.

'But... the largest tree?'

I pondered the meaning of the sentence.

The largest tree must be the largest tree in the forest, and when the twilight has completely sunk must mean night.

But what about the lifeless branch?

"Do you know what the lifeless branch means?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure..."

Barros also seemed unsure.

Turning to Ashel, who was standing dazed, she quickly pretended to think and then shook her head.

'...I'll have to see it myself to understand.'

So, my immediate goal was set.

To move to the forest marked on the map and find the largest tree.