EFB Chapter 150 Russell Memorial Exhibition
Chapter 150 Russell Memorial Exhibition
Chapter 150 Russell Memorial Exhibition
West End, Kingdom Museum
A figure flickered on the stained-glass window on the wall, and then, in a moment unnoticed by everyone, two more people appeared in the hall.
Cyril glanced at the long, winding queue outside the gate and gave a small sigh of self-admiration for his choice to use his extraordinary abilities to skip the queue and enter the venue.
"As expected of Emperor Roselle, he has such high popularity even in Rune."
Clarice, standing next to her, chimed in somewhat half-heartedly:
"From the Fifth Age to the present, the most famous person in the entire northern and southern continents is Emperor Roselle."
Noticing that the other person wasn't taking it seriously, Xireen turned her head curiously and followed the other person's gaze to see a woman not far away looking in their direction through the crowd.
She wore an olive green long dress and an old-fashioned black soft hat, with a thin checkered veil hanging down to cover her face.
Xi Ruien frowned slightly; the other person gave him a very familiar feeling.
A series of figures flashed through his mind, and soon he locked onto a suspected target: the "mysterious queen" Bernadette, whom he had met once before.
He then examined it more closely a few more times, becoming even more certain of his guess.
...The Russell memorial exhibition did attract Bernadette, who was still in Backlund, but why was she looking this way? Did she realize that we had cheated our way in with our extraordinary abilities?
As his thoughts drifted, he heard Clarice beside him whisper a reminder that sounded like a coquettish remark:
"You have such a beautiful lady by your side, yet you keep staring at another lady. That's not gentlemanly behavior."
"Your behavior shows neither respect for me nor for her."
...Is this a subtle reminder that the woman opposite me is someone of the same social standing as her?
A thought flashed through his mind, then he looked away and nodded apologetically to Clarice:
"Sorry, she just seems familiar. I think I've seen her before."
"You've met her? Do you know her?" Clarice asked, sounding somewhat surprised.
Cyril shook his head slightly: "Of course... I don't know."
As the two were talking, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the woman who had been looking in their direction across the crowd had already left.
...I wonder if I can get rid of this witch by Bernadette's hand. Although being a kept woman is tempting, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist her.
Moreover, I really don't want to become the second person after Roselle to exclaim that the taste of a witch is really good!
As he sighed, Clarice took his hand and led him along the flow of people to the next exhibition hall.
He ignored the guide's explanation and stared intently at an open diary separated by a glass display case.
"March 17:
Are all the ladies in Intis this open-minded? Did I sleep with her, or did she sleep with me?
North... This is a very philosophical question, especially when the other bed partner is a witch.
As his thoughts wandered, he felt a tug on the soft flesh of his waist.
Clarisse looked at him, a smile playing on her lips, and said with a hint of scrutiny in her voice:
"I feel like you're thinking something very impolite."
He mentally criticized the witch's inspiration, then pointed to the diary in the display case in front of him and said:
"I'm thinking about what's in Emperor Rosell's notes. If it's impolite, then it must be Emperor Rosell who's impolite."
Clarisse was quite surprised: "You can understand this cipher?"
Cyril shook his head and said matter-of-factly, "It's precisely because we don't understand that we have to think about it."
He paused, then continued, "Have you ever collected any notes written in cipher by Emperor Roselle? I'd like to make a copy and study them."
"I remember there's a sequence called 'Decryption Scholar' in the adjacent path of 'Apprentice,' which suggests that 'Apprentice' should also have some decryption ability. Maybe I'm the chosen one who can decipher the cipher."
Clarisse looked at him with some surprise: "You even know about adjacent pathways? I'm a little curious where your occult knowledge comes from?"
"However, I do have some of these coded notes from Emperor Roselle. Keep an eye on the mirrors in your house, and I'll have someone—well, it might not be a person—deliver them to you."
"Really?" Sirion's expression lit up, his surprise evident in his eyes.
"Of course," Clarisse replied with a light laugh, while placing one hand on his side.
"So, have you thought about how you're going to repay me?"
Feeling the movement coming from her waist, Xiruien swallowed hard, experiencing both pleasure and agony.
Finally, the rational little man struggled to fly away from the little man of desire and impulse that had been whispering in his ear, "Why not give it a try?"
He then pressed down on the hand that was fidgeting around his waist and said righteously, "...that's a different price."
Clarisse's expression froze for a moment in surprise, then blossomed into a bright, captivating smile:
"You're really interesting with the other price...:"
"I can sense your sincerity. So, what's your expected price range?"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, like a furry paw gently tugging at one's heartstrings.
Before Sirion could answer, he heard the sounds of people swallowing and gasping for breath around him, and eager, almost piercing gazes that seemed to want to take his place.
He looked around and saw that almost all the men and even some women in the vicinity had been captivated by Clarice's smile and voice.
...As expected of the "ageless witch" of Sequence 3, this doesn't seem to be her active seduction.
Seeing the growing crowd that was about to cause a riot, Cyril decisively pulled Clarice to the next exhibition hall.
He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would end up like the protagonist in those pretentious, face-slapping stories.
In the next exhibition hall, he leaned closer to Clarisse's ear and whispered:
"I think you should tone down your charm a bit. After all, this is an exhibition organized by the Steam Church, and there are bound to be many extraordinary individuals belonging to the Mechanical Heart."
"Although they probably won't cause you any trouble, they will affect your mood."
Clarice leaned closer to him and chuckled softly in a voice only the two of them could hear:
Are you concerned about me, or about yourself?
Once again feeling the envious and jealous gazes around him, who wished they could replace him, Cyril was able to easily ignore them. He could even put his hand on Clarice's shoulder and provoke those around him who could only rage helplessly in their hearts.
Ignoring the piercing gazes that seemed to see right through him, he lowered his eyes to the witch beside him who was constantly tempting him, and whispered:
"For now, I feel that caring about you is caring about myself."
Clarisse's tone was somewhat dissatisfied: "Your sweet talk is neither sweet enough nor sincere enough..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly paused, then her expression turned serious as she turned her head to look in the direction of the Kingdom Museum's entrance:
"A clueless fellow has arrived, so I have to go first. Would you like to come with me?"
"That might not work."
Cyril shook his head and looked ahead. Carlson, disguised as a security guard, was walking towards him. Carlson had clearly seen him and was waving at him.
Not hearing a reply, he turned his head in confusion to look at his side. Clarice's figure had quietly disappeared without him noticing.
...So urgent? Could it be that the archbishop of St. Hillan Cathedral has arrived?
As his thoughts drifted, he saw an elderly man with a gentle and kind face, dressed in a white priest's robe and wearing a clergy hat, standing behind Carlson.
Holamick Hayden, head of the Backlund diocese of the Steam Church!
...That's really true.
Cyril sighed with mixed feelings, and for some reason thought of Bernadette whom he had just met. He suspected that she had reported the "ageless witch" beside him.
As his thoughts wandered, Archbishop Horamik of the Steam Church stopped in front of him, smiling and nodding.
"Good morning, Mr. Gray."
Cyril's hands reacted faster than his mouth, tapping three times on his chest to draw the shape of a triangular holy emblem.
Good morning, Your Excellency Archbishop.
Khoramik nodded slightly to him and said in a gentle tone:
"It seems like you haven't been to church to pray in a long time. It looks like you've had a very fulfilling life since graduating from university."
"If you encounter any unpleasant things, you can come to church to pray. God will protect every one of his believers."
"I will." Cyril nodded earnestly, then tapped his right hand three times in front of his chest, drawing the shape of a triangular holy symbol:
"Steam above!"
He understood the implication in the other person's words:
I know you're having trouble and want to resolve it, so come to the church to find me.