Iver narrowed his eyes at Aymar Nur. His voice was just as gentle, yet he did not bow or salute. "Great Forgiver... I received the letter you sent me a long time ago. I was simply occupied with other matters at the time and unable to meet you at the earliest opportunity. It was a great pity."
What he meant was: I received your letter ages ago. I knew you wanted to invite me here—ah, but I didn't want to come. What to do?
"Now that everyone has gathered here for this great undertaking, planning to invite the Sea God into the Human World and turn this desert into an eternal oasis, freeing it from the fate it has inherited for thousands of years... I came here as well, intending to lend a hand with what little experience I have. Only now have I finally made up for this regret and avoided missing the chance to meet with all of you."
Iver spoke unhurriedly.
The meaning of this passage was: You traitorous rebels have violated the mission you've upheld for thousands of years, and you even plan to betray and murder your own guardian god! I have nothing to do with the Great Abyss; I'm only here to join in the fun... Don't forget, I've already killed two gods. If not for this, I wouldn't deign to sit at the same table with idiots like you.
The meaning was essentially the same—but the level of friendliness was rather different.
Contrary to their arrogant and belligerent image, the benevolent lords, being Taboo Mages, were actually fairly cultured. Thus, they basically all understood Iver's sarcastic insinuations, and their gazes became increasingly unfriendly.
At the same time, however, none of them spoke harshly to Iver.
The reason was simple: they were worried that