You Are the One Blaspheming the Gods!

"Is this Denise?" Anger asked. "No wonder you can't stop thinking about her."

Denise wore a black veil and sat in a chair beside the coffin. Though she did not move at all, she had already become the focus of the entire hall.

She wore a black silk dress. The light, soft material clung to her legs, perfectly accentuating their full curves; the hem fell below her knees, and beneath the lace trim were black stockings that reflected an enticing sheen.

Her legs were pressed together, and only the arches of her feet in high heels were visible, yet that alone was enough to stir one's imagination.

Most lethal of all was her status as a widow. Combined with the sorrowful, slightly bewildered gaze beneath her black veil, she resembled an exquisite, fragile porcelain doll that made one almost want to gather her into one's arms and cherish her tenderly.

Boom.

The doors closed, and Raven inclined his head to the people present.

At the same time, footsteps sounded, and a graceful figure appeared in the hall.

It was Laxus.

Compared to the previous times, she was dressed more formally today, her golden hair wrapped in a white headscarf.

White clothing usually made a person's skin appear duller, but Laxus's skin made even the plain white headscarf seem dim. Her sapphire-like eyes shone brilliantly.

She wore an undyed linen Priest Robe. It was a cheap fabric, yet on her it looked exceptionally noble and captivating. As she walked, her body pressed against the cloth, and the cloth outlined her figure. Though she was not deliberately enticing anyone, she drew the eyes of every man present.

Under everyone's gaze, Laxus walked before Donald's coffin and held an infinity-shaped wooden object, about the length of a phone, before her chest with both hands. One half was painted gold, the other silver.

This was a Holy Artifact of the Church of Light. Its two circles represented the Lord of Light's dominion over the sun and moon, while their interlocking form symbolized His boundless divine power.

Everyone was solemn, but Raven's expression became somewhat strange.

The shape of the Holy Artifact was simply too odd. Raven had the sudden urge to add a stick to it.

Laxus thought Raven was grieving inwardly. She sighed quietly and said,

"Today is Baron Donald's funeral. Please join me in praying for him..."

Donald's funeral proceeded in an orderly fashion.

It was nothing like the extravagance currently in fashion. There were no magical lights and projections, nor had various "celebrities" been invited to offer blessings. Laxus alone presided over it, and it could even be called rather simple.

Yet that was precisely why the nobles present were quite satisfied.

For one thing, it fit their fixed impression of the Griffith Family—after all, a family that had fallen into the hands of a thug was never supposed to prosper.

For another, none of them wanted to remain in this castle for long.

Nowadays, any noble with a bit of wealth would install temperature-controlling magic arrays in their own castle. Though expensive, they made the sweltering summer pleasantly cool.

The Griffith Family clearly lacked such funds. Those seated in the front rows could even smell a faint trace of Donald's "body fragrance" through the cover of the incense.

After the prayer, Laxus looked at Raven. "Today is a special day. It is both Baron Donald's funeral and Baron Raven's succession ceremony."

"He is a devout believer, an upright gentleman, and a kind lord."

Denise, seated beside the coffin, nearly crushed its lid.

Devout? Upright? Kind?

Was she talking about Raven?

Her gaze cautiously shifted between Raven and Laxus.

The former looked calm, even sorrowful, without the slightest embarrassment; the latter's tone was equally composed.

Denise shook her head helplessly.

Either Laxus was in league with Raven, or she had been deceived by this seemingly handsome man.

Denise was more inclined toward the latter.

"Next, please come forward, Lady Denise, widow of Baron Donald."

At Laxus's call, Denise came back to herself, rose elegantly, and walked to Laxus's side.

Raven nodded to himself. It had to be said that even standing together, the two were evenly matched.

One was a mature widow, the other a pure and innocent female Priest.

"Lady Denise, may I ask whether you are willing to allow Baron Raven to inherit your husband's nobility title?" Laxus asked.

"Of course. Raven is our nephew. Thanks to him, my husband was able to peacefully complete the final journey of his life." Denise paused and used all her strength to keep her tone calm. "He is devout, kind, and upright. He respects his aunt and treats his brothers with courtesy. There is no doubt that he is a qualified heir."

Laxus smiled. She was delighted to hear someone else praise Raven, because it meant her judgment had been correct. "Then, please come forward, Baron Raven."

Raven straightened his formal attire, rose, and walked before Laxus. "Priest Laxus."

There was a smile in Laxus's eyes. "In this solemn place, before Baron Donald, and under the witness of the great Lord of Light, are you willing to fulfill the duties of a baron?"

"Yes." Raven's voice echoed through the hall. "I am willing to take up the duties of the Griffith Family's baron and care for my aunt and my brothers with the utmost attention."

"I am willing to uphold the noble virtues that began with the knights: humility, integrity, mercy, courage, justice, sacrifice, honor, and soul."

His voice was clear and pure. The oath sounded like a performance in an elegant opera, moving the nobles present and prompting them to whisper among themselves.

"This is truly unexpected. Those words don't sound like something a thug could say."

"They were prepared in advance. Anyone can recite them."

"It's different. Listen to his voice—so magnetic. And listen to the emotion in it, so full and impassioned! I can hardly believe he never received a noble education."

Hearing those voices, Raven felt secretly pleased.

Yes, I never received a noble education, but in my previous life, I fought my way out of millions of people. I received far more education than you lot!

Do you know how many times I practiced reciting in front of a mirror just for a few extra points in a special skill?!

Laxus turned around, opened a wooden box, and lifted out a hat with both hands.

The hat was woven from deep crimson velvet, topped with a brass crown. A silver thread divided it into two at the two-thirds mark, while beneath it was a carefully polished brass band set evenly with six silver beads representing the rank of baron.

This was a baron's coronet!

Raven knelt on one knee with one hand on his sword hilt and lowered his head slightly, until he felt a faint weight settle atop it.

Baron Raven Ota Griffith was crowned at that moment!

Laxus said, "May you walk a path worthy of kindness and integrity."

Raven struck his fist against his chest. "May the Lord of Light guide my path ahead!"

Anger watched it all, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain.

It was like a monkey dressing itself in human clothes. Letting someone like this wear a baron's coronet was no different from insulting every noble!

The wooden doors on both sides of the hall opened, and maids in black-and-white uniforms entered one after another. Carrying trays, they went to the wine table, poured Red Wine from glass bottles into goblets, and distributed them to the guests table by table.

Anger looked at the Red Wine in his glass, and a mocking curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

You claimed to respect your uncle. You claimed to be upright and kind. Then I'll use this to destroy you and see what excuse you can find for serving inferior wine at your uncle's funeral!

"Devout believers, let us use this sacred wine bestowed by the gods to conclude this ceremony together, console Baron Donald's spirit, and celebrate Baron Raven's new beginning!"

At Laxus's words, everyone raised their glasses. Anger calmly did the same, brought the glass to his nose, and lifted his brows disdainfully.

He did not smell the distinctive sourness of Flowing Amber.

Heh, it seemed he had overestimated Raven. He was even too stingy to use Flowing Amber.

His gaze swept over the other guests. Sure enough, after the wine entered their mouths, every one of them changed expression, their faces filled with surprise and disbelief!

Smash—

A goblet was hurled viciously to the floor. Glass and wine splashed everywhere, immediately drawing startled looks and cries.

Raven frowned. "Baron Anger, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing!? I should be asking what you are doing!" Anger's nose reddened with agitation. "This is the funeral of the esteemed Baron Donald, the funeral of an elegant, outstanding, true noble! Yet you use such inferior wine to defile him. This is simply an insult! It is deception and blasphemy against the Lord of Light!"

Raven's heart skipped a beat.

Did this man taste the Glycerin and discover that I had tampered with it!?

That panic was quickly replaced by calm. Holding up his glass, Raven asked in confusion, "My apologies, Baron Anger, but I do not know what you mean."

"You don't know what I mean!?" Anger laughed loudly. "You truly are shameless, Baron Raven!"

"I believe everyone here originally thought as I did. So long as you sincerely apologized to us, this matter could have been brushed aside. Yet you chose to betray our goodwill!"

Triumphantly, he turned around, spread his arms, and shouted, "Honored gentlemen and ladies, let us tell him what this Red Wine tastes like!"

The many nobles present looked at one another, unsure what to say.

Viscount John in particular, intimidated by Anger's forceful attitude, even suspected that something was wrong with his own sense of taste and lowered his head to take another sip.

There was nothing wrong.

Sweet, mellow, exquisite wine!

Following his lead, the nobles present began tasting it again, and the looks they gave Anger grew increasingly strange.

This gave Anger a sense of foreboding.

Seeing this, Raven's heart finally settled. Raising his glass, he asked in a clear voice, "Baron Anger, this is not a classroom. You are not a teacher, and we are certainly not your students."

"Could you please explain exactly what is wrong with this wine?"

Viscount John stepped forward as well. "Yes, Baron Anger. This wine is clearly extremely mellow. What exactly is the problem?"

Anger froze where he stood, unable to believe what he had heard.

Mellow!?

This wine, which looked so utterly inferior, was mellow!?

Yet the gazes around him left him no choice but to believe it.

Especially the gaze of his eldest son, Judra, which held confusion, embarrassment, and... pity!

"Give it to me!" Anger strode forward, snatched the wineglass from his son's hand, and drained it in one gulp. Then he froze in place.

This was the smoothest, finest wine he had ever tasted. It was sweet without being cloying, while its faint acidity perfectly brought out the unique fragrance of the grapes. Compared to it, even Congealed Fire, his favorite wine at eighty Silver Coins a cask, seemed worthless.

Unable to bear seeing his elderly father endure everyone's gazes any longer, Judra stepped forward and took his arm. "Father, let's go."

Yet those words only further provoked Anger's foul, domineering temper. In his eyes, this was not concern, but a naked challenge to his authority!

He had spent his entire life winning—winning his nobility title, winning respect. He would never allow himself to lose his prestige and reputation here. "Address me by my title in public!"

Then he turned to Raven. "No, wine should not taste like this!"

"This is not wine... Yes! This is not wine, but demon blood!" He pointed at Raven and roared, "It must have been Donald! Donald made a deal with an Evil God and obtained evil spices, which is why this wine is so sweet!"

The moment those words were spoken, the nobles present all changed expression.

Donald's past obsession with "magical experiments" was common knowledge among the nobles of Nord Province, and the deaths of his children and first wife had been even more mysterious. However, Donald's wife had merely been a commoner with no influential backing, so no one had been willing to investigate deeply.

Now that the matter had been raised again, it immediately stirred everyone's memories. Some people even smashed their glasses to the floor in fear!

Raven's face darkened. "Does Baron Anger have any evidence for saying that?"

Seeing the surrounding nobles' reactions, Anger felt he had seized upon the key point. He shouted, "Evidence!? What evidence is needed! This wine of unknown origin is the evidence!"

Raven said, "I improved it myself."

"Improved it? Ha! That is the most ridiculous joke I have ever heard in my life!" Anger retorted loudly. "Who doesn't know that the Griffith Family has never had a tradition of winemaking? And you, Raven, are nothing more than a bastard raised in an Orphanage, a rat that scurried through garbage heaps! Improve wine? You?"

Hearing this, Raven laughed, but it was a laugh of anger. "Baron Anger, I respect your age and your status, but that does not give you the right to insult me! You are defiling me and defiling the honor of the Griffith Family!"

"I now demand that you apologize immediately—to me and to the Griffith Family!"

Anger's nose reddened furiously. He bared his teeth and said, "No, you are the one who should apologize—to the Lord of Light and to the royal family!"

"Because at this sacred ceremony, you used evil wine brought by an Evil God. You should kneel and repent now. If you do, I can send you on your way for free, so you will not have to end your sinful life in agony at the stake!"

"Very well." Raven's expression calmed. He turned toward Laxus. "Priest Laxus, please render a judgment."

Laxus had long been left helpless by the sudden upheaval. She truly lacked social experience, and only after Raven spoke did she come back to her senses. Her expression turned serious as she said,

"Baron Anger, please apologize to Baron Raven."

Anger said, "Priest Laxus, you must have been deceived by him. Such wine should never appear in the mortal world..."

Laxus said, "That is correct. This wine truly is not something mortals can brew..."

Anger's face lit up with delight. "Ha ha, I knew it! Raven, why don't you confess your guilt!?"

But Laxus's next sentence made him feel as though he had fallen into an ice pit. "Baron Raven need not confess any guilt, because this is a gift from the Lord of Light."

"W-what!?" Anger froze on the spot.

It was not only Anger. Everyone present was stunned at that moment!

Even Denise looked at Raven with astonishment. She truly could not imagine what method Raven had used to persuade Laxus!

Laxus said, "Baron Raven is an upright noble and a kind lord. He always keeps his people in his heart. Therefore, the Lord of Light bestowed His gift upon him, allowing Baron Raven to discover a method of improving fine wine."

"And this improved wine, the kind all of you are drinking now, is called Angel's Tear!"

One stone stirred a thousand waves!

The nobles looked at one another, all deeply shocked.

Viscount John was naturally no exception.

That nonsense about Raven's kindness and integrity moving the Lord of Light was just that—nonsense.

What truly shocked him was one fact—the Priest of the Church of Light was publicly supporting Raven, publicly endorsing Raven's wine!

This was absolutely not something a Priest from a small town could decide alone.

Could there be some hidden story behind Raven inheriting the nobility title? Could he be the illegitimate son of some important figure in the Holy See!?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Anger roared like a madman, his beard and hair disheveled like a crazed magical beast.

He pointed at Laxus. "I understand! I understand now! You are no longer a Priest of the Lord of Light. Raven seduced you, and you have fallen too, which is why you defend him like this!"

Laxus's face instantly turned pale. Her white teeth bit tightly into her pink lips, and her eyes reddened in panic. "Y-you are making a baseless accusation!"

Anger seemed to have grasped his final lifeline. "You say you have not fallen, then where is the proof!? If Raven had not..."

His voice caught in his throat.

Light blossomed at Laxus's fingertips, brighter than any candlelight in the world, as though she had summoned the sun upon her fingers.

It was undoubtedly a gift from the Lord of Light, light that only the most devout and pure Divine Spellcaster could summon!

At this moment, no one could question Laxus's purity or the devoutness of her faith any longer!

Anger's face immediately turned ashen. Even his large nose seemed to shrink considerably. His fists clenched tightly, his lips trembled without stop, and he said in a daze, "No... impossible... impossible!!!"

"This is the truth, Baron Anger." Raven walked before Anger and looked down at him. "Not only have you insulted me and the Griffith Family, you have also insulted a Priest of the Lord of Light!"

"You are the one blaspheming the gods!"

A buzz of discussion erupted.

"Ha, Baron Anger is still as impulsive and stubborn as he was in his youth. This time, he kicked an iron plate."

"Back then, he refused to suffer even the slightest loss and offended everyone around him, yet he somehow earned a reputation for being blunt and hating evil. Well, now his true colors are showing!"

"This is getting interesting. Do you think Anger will tie himself to a stake?"

"Him? Forget it. He talks as if he is magnanimous, but he is both vain and afraid of death. I think he is just looking for a way out now!"

Anger was a Third-Order Warrior with keen senses. Every word of the discussion reached his ears clearly, making his heart pound as all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

He wanted to defend himself, but could find no excuse. He wanted to take responsibility, but did not want to face death.

Admit fault? That was never an option available to him. Rather than make him admit fault, they might as well kill him!

"My father was wrong." Judra stepped before Anger and bowed deeply to Raven and Laxus. "Baron Raven, Priest Laxus..."

He turned to face everyone. "And all the distinguished ladies and gentlemen present."

Anger guessed what Judra was about to say. He wanted to stop him, but he could not move a muscle.

Judra said earnestly, "My father spoke excessively harsh words without investigating the matter. The Worton Family will bear responsibility for this."

"For disrupting this solemn and serious ceremony, I hereby offer, on behalf of the Worton Family, our deepest regret and apology."

He straightened and faced Raven directly. "Baron Raven, the Worton Family will never evade responsibility. But for now, please allow me to take my father away. I will personally visit you another day to discuss compensation."

His words were impeccably appropriate, leaving no room for criticism. Raven turned to Laxus. "Priest Laxus, what do you think?"

Laxus wiped the tears from the corner of her eye with her little finger. "I leave it entirely to Baron Raven's decision."

"Thank you." Raven inclined his head slightly, then turned back. "Mr. Judra, I accept your request. However, I want a concrete pledge, not empty words."

"Then let all the guests present, as well as Priest Laxus, bear witness." Judra considered briefly. "There are currently two plots of land in Eagle Territory still under the Worton Family's name. Here, in the name of the Worton Family, I make this pledge—these two plots will be returned to Eagle Territory as compensation from the Worton Family!"

"You—"

Anger's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. The two prized parcels he had painstakingly wrested from John were being given away just like that!

But what burst from his mouth was not a rebuke, but a mouthful of thick, salty blood.

Clad head to toe in armor, Anger crashed to the ground.