"Is this... the legendary Mage Benjamin? We have long heard of your great name, and to finally meet you today is truly our honor."
In the dense forest at the northernmost edge of the Hori Kingdom, beside the Ghost Abyss, six nobles arrived in disguise and met Benjamin, who had come for the appointment. None of them looked particularly spirited, but the moment they met, they still brought out the flattering words they lived by, speaking while sizing him up from head to toe.
Benjamin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"When I lived in the Royal Capital, all of you must have seen me countless times. Don't say things like that." He truly had no mood for pleasantries and asked bluntly, "Tell me, why did you ask me here?"
Their flattery had struck the horse's leg, and the nobles were clearly somewhat embarrassed. However, after exchanging glances, Duke Colin quickly stepped forward and said, "We want to know the truth behind His Majesty's death."
Benjamin shook his head and asked in return, "Does the truth still have any meaning for you now?"
Duke Colin answered resolutely, "Of course it does. It is extremely important!"
"Very well." Benjamin sighed and slowly said, "It was Grant—your Pope—who followed me all the way from Koester and ultimately found the king's location. During my battle with him, he used a trick to kill His Majesty the King. I was too late to stop him, and so... things became what they are now."
"The Pope..."
Hearing this answer, the nobles looked at one another and drew sharp breaths in unison. Yet if one looked into their eyes, they did not seem all that surprised.
It seemed they had long anticipated this outcome.
"What is the situation in Havenlight now?" Benjamin asked along the