Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 1233 - 1233: Leoniel's Investigations [Bonus 6]
There had been multiple occasions where Evan revealed crucial pieces of information to his companions in the most casual, almost unserious manner, completely at odds with the gravity of what he was actually saying.
Recently added to that growing list was the revelation that Rosaline, the Second Finger of the Demonic Hand, was the same person he had spent an entire night speaking with during the celebration party hosted after the Demonic Hand’s defeat in Tarse.
Eliza, curious, had simply asked Evan why Marquis Leoniel Franco was one of his targets, and Evan’s response left her standing there, staring in stunned silence.
The ‘Basilisk’s Stone Festival’ was the next Disaster planned by the Demonic Hand to feed the World Formation, targeting the nation of Isolon, a country with the largest population in its region of the Beta Continent.
The objective of that disaster was to have the empowered Basilisk turn the entire nation of Isolon to stone… literally.
With that knowledge, Eliza had assumed the Basilisk would be some kind of dungeon monster, similar to how the Lizard Lords’ Outbreak had intended to weaponise the boss monster of the Lair of the Lizard Lord.
But Evan had just casually informed her that one of the planet’s Sovereign Level existences, the highest-ranked noble in Isolon who wasn’t part of the ruling royal family, was the Basilisk in question.
Eliza’s surprise and confusion were completely understandable.
Any of Evan’s other companions would’ve reacted the same way if they’d been there to hear what he’d just stated so casually.
Leoniel Franco was considered human by virtually everyone who knew him.
No one could have imagined that he was actually a Basilisk, assuming a humanoid form, as Evan’s words had just suggested to Eliza.
She turned back to the man, eyes still wide with surprise, and aside from the powerful life signal she could sense from him, she couldn’t detect anything that seemed inhuman.
Noticing her scrutiny, Evan looked at her and said, “He’s maintained that disguise for over fifty years. You’re not going to see through it in a single night.”
Eliza turned back to Evan, eyes narrowing as she asked, “He’s working with the Demonic Hand? And you’re just letting him be?”
“Huh? No. Perish the thought,” Evan replied, shaking his head.
“Leoniel’s no friend of the Demonic Hand. He’s as much of their enemy as we are.”
“But you just said he’s the Basilisk…”
“I never said the Basilisk was a Demonic Hand asset, did I?”
At Evan’s question, Eliza went silent, her brows furrowing deeply. Evan was clearly hiding more information about Leoniel Franco, his relation to the Demonic Hand, and his identity as the ‘Basilisk’.
And from the looks of it, he wasn’t about to reveal anything anytime soon.
Eliza, on the other hand, didn’t have the patience to wait for him to share this information when he felt like it.
She stepped forward, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along as she said,
“You’re going to explain everything from start to finish. NOW.”
“That’ll take out all the fu—”
Evan’s words caught in his throat as Eliza turned to him with a cold glare, making him immediately realise that joking around now would be the worst possible choice.
Clearing his throat, he spoke in a low voice.
“I’ll explain everything.”
◇ ◇ ◇
Unnamed Restaurant, Deck Level 5.
The ‘Voyager’
Divider Ocean
January 14th
Year 1056
“Have you heard any updates regarding the investigation into last night’s incident?”
That was the first question Evan asked Leoniel after their greetings and after they’d ordered their food from the very excited waitress who seemed to have won a game of rock-paper-scissors with her co-workers to be selected to attend to the two men when they stepped into the outdoor restaurant.
The terrace decks of the Voyager were arranged in descending order, starting from Level 6 up to 0.
Evan and Eliza had a suite on Level 3, which was the same Level where Leoniel’s suite was, just in a different wing of the ship.
Because of this, it wasn’t difficult for them to meet around noon, and they made their way down to a restaurant Evan had been wanting to visit all the way on Level 5.
The two of them were famous in their own right, and with phones spreading quickly across Aidos, information transmission was much faster, making it easy for news of their presence to circulate alongside the news of the attempt on Princess Sharon’s life the night before.
As a result, there were quite a few fans hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the two, and by the time they reached Level 5, they had gathered a noticeable crowd.
Still, no one approached them thanks to Leoniel’s Guard Knights, who ensured they weren’t interrupted.
“No,” Leoniel replied to Evan’s question. “I haven’t been informed of any new developments so far. If there’s anything, it’s likely the Princess would have someone notify us.”
“That makes sense,” Evan said, leaning back in his seat and picking up a menu. “I still wonder who would target the Princess’s life, considering the level of manpower involved in the attempt.”
“There are numerous reasons a princess’s life might be targeted. Even more so if it’s a Princess of a great nation like the Aelum Kingdom,” Leoniel said, and Evan nodded in agreement.
“Hopefully, the assassins have some useful information.”
“We can only hope,” Leoniel replied, shrugging lightly.
Evan flipped the menu to the next page, his eyes scanning the items as he spoke. “They’d better know something. I was forced to reveal my presence earlier than I had planned because of them.”
Hearing this, Leoniel raised an eyebrow. “Reveal your presence, you say?”
“Mhmm,” Evan nodded. “My original plan was to not reveal my presence on the Voyager until we reached the Zeraxes Archipelago. I didn’t want the people of Zeraxes to know I was coming beforehand.
But because of the events last night, I had no choice but to step into the open.”
“Ah, I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“Very.”
Evan fell silent after that, and Leoniel, picking up his own menu to glance at other items, posed a question.
“I’m curious, though. What business did you have in the Zeraxes Archipelago?”
“A dungeon there has something I’m interested in.”
“A dungeon, huh?”
Leoniel repeated the word, and Evan nodded silently, pausing mid-thought and lifting his gaze as he murmured, “It’s been a while since I’ve entered a dungeon. The last one I remember entering was…”
Evan trailed off, recalling his time on past Aidos during his misadventures 10,000 years in the past, and in that moment he paused, Leoniel spoke.
“Let me guess, Lacertilia?”
“That’s…” Evan began, about to say ‘not correct,’ but remembering how long ago the Lizard Lord’s Outbreak had been, his eyes widened.
“It’s been almost 3 years already…”
Evan chuckled softly, setting down the menu as he thought back to the events of May, Year 1053.
“White Dragon Faldo used to feel like an insurmountable wall. But to me now…”
He trailed off, scoffing and shaking his head. Seeing his reaction, Leoniel also smiled wryly.
“That’s how it always is,” Leoniel said. “An insurmountable foe eventually becomes so weak you begin to ask yourself if you really suffered against them.”
Leoniel could definitely relate to Evan’s feelings, given that the man had gone through his share of hardships and defeated powerful opponents to reach his current Level of 879.
Evan nodded without a word, returning his gaze to the menu before asking.
“I’d like to express a bit of my own curiosity. What brought you to the Alpha Continent?”
“I came to investigate certain enemies of yours,” Leoniel responded.
Immediately, Evan understood exactly who he meant.
“The Demonic Hand?” he asked, and Leoniel confirmed with an instant nod.
“They’re quite bold,” Leoniel said. “But considering the scale of their operations, I suppose that makes sense.
If they had the audacity to strike at the GWE, Tarse, and even the Beast Kingdom, the home of a Transcendent, what’s stopping them from deciding that my dear nation of Isolon would be their next target?”
Hearing Leoniel’s words, Evan couldn’t help but sigh.
‘They’ve already decided you’re their next target.’
Leoniel was investigating the Demonic Hand to protect Isolon, unaware that he himself was the key component they planned to use to destroy his country.
Evan didn’t voice the thought, instead commending Leoniel’s approach.
“I like your mentality, Marquis Leoniel. Now if only the rest of the Beta Continent’s rulers would share this view of yours.”
Hearing Evan’s comment, Leoniel blinked in mild confusion.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Evan exhaled, drumming his fingers lightly on the table as he explained.
