The final one was Morgana, wearing a brown dress. She stood talking to some people, and close to her was a boy wearing a brown suit and trousers; he had black hair and brown eyes similar to hers. He was Morgana's brother, Michael.
Leonard, however, wasn't looking at Morgana. Sweat was almost forming on his forehead. He briefly glanced at Melissa, who stood there unbothered by what was happening. No one else seemed affected apart from Leonard. Although from another person's point of view he might have seemed calm, he was anything but.
His hair stood on end; every instinct in his body was telling him to run.
'Gazes.'
Leonard could feel numerous gazes landing on him, as if inspecting goods. It felt as if every detail of his life was being scrutinized. This feeling made him intensely uncomfortable.
'Alexander.' He knew the cause. The moment he had looked into Alexander's eyes, the feeling of those invisible stares had fallen upon him.
'Does he know something?' Leonard questioned why Alexander was spying on him; unless he sensed something odd, he wouldn't have done this. Leonard had been confident in his secrets remaining hidden—after all, a Witch gave him his powers. But now, Alexander seemed to be onto him.
'Calm down. It doesn't necessarily have to do with me; maybe he's curious about something else.' Leonard tried to reassure himself. After all, the idea of someone transmigrating into the body of another was absurd and hard to believe. But there was never a zero probability. As long as it *could* happen, it was possible.
"I'll take my leave now," Leonard said to Garrett. Melissa gave a short curtsy, and the two left, walking toward where Morgana and her brother were. After talking for a while, Leonard and Melissa were served red wine. The room was filled with white decorations, which contrasted sharply with the black suits most of the men wore.
'Finally, you've stopped.' Leonard let out a sigh of relief. He could no longer feel the invisible stares. It seemed Alexander was satisfied with whatever he had found. Leonard felt sure his secret wasn't exposed; if it were, he would most likely be without a head by now.
On the top platform, a middle-aged man with short black hair and brown eyes, wearing a black suit, walked up and looked at the crowd below. As he approached the edge, the room went quiet; a pin falling could probably have been heard. With a smile, he spoke.
"Thank you for attending my minor party." He looked around, his gaze stopping on Elizabeth and Alexander. "I know some of you have busy schedules." He then turned toward Morgana. "So, I'll be quick with what I wanted to say."
He finally looked at Leonard. "About a week ago, my daughter, Morgana, encountered a corrupted individual who belonged to a sub-branch of the Valerion family. Unfortunately, he had already reached a state of insanity and had to be killed." He paused, listening to the gasps in the room.
Most people looked between Morgana and Leonard, who were standing not far apart. Lillian also spared Leonard a glance.
"Now, why do you think I am telling you of this matter?" he asked, looking at everyone in the room.
"Is it because of how special the body is?" Alexander spoke before Richard could. Upon hearing Alexander's words, everyone immediately placed immense importance on the matter. After all, he was a Rank seven in the Scientist Class; if anyone knew the truth of such things, it was him. Leonard was sure Alexander likely knew the situation already.
"Of course, the body is indeed special." The man stopped, inhaling to build suspense. "Once Morgana killed him, he was at Rank Two. As of today, he has officially become a Rank Five."
!!!
'A Rank Five?'
'How?'
Such thoughts ran through the minds of the crowd. Murmurs began to spread like wildfire. A corpse that continued to rank up—everyone in the room looked at the man, their eyes now holding both suspicion and envy.
'Rank Five already?' Leonard himself was shocked, and the same went for Melissa. They both knew the corpse was increasing in rank, but to reach Rank Five so soon felt like an absurd lie. Leonard's envy, just like the rest, intensified.
Tsk.
Lillian and Richard looked at Leonard for a long time. Garrett seemed to be deep in thought. Leonard was quick to catch the glances; he simply looked back with an annoyed expression. He could guess what they were thinking.
"Are you saying the corpse continues to rise in rank despite being dead—and at an extremely fast rate at that?" Alexander asked.
"Yes. It was a shock to us as well, but it seems to be the case for now," the man said. He added, "I arranged this party to announce that our family will soon possess a new weapon. Possibly... a Weapon of Calamity."
!!!!
"A Weapon of Calamity?" Leonard heard the murmurs rising around him. Even he was shocked.
Weapons of Calamity were said to be capable of causing catastrophic damage to entire continents. Some say these weapons can permanently change the climate—like the Southern Continent, which was once temperate but is now buried in ice and snow because of such a weapon. If a family were to possess one, their status would increase tremendously. The Astra family would be second only to the King's family.
"Excuse me, sir, but as a member of the family where the corpse originated, I never gave my consent." At that moment, a soft feminine voice was heard.
Looking toward the source, a blonde lady was seen. Lillian.
Just as the man was about to speak, another voice cut through the air. "I gave them my consent. You currently belong to the Agnes family; matters of the Valerion family do not concern you."
The speaker was a youth with long blonde hair and enchanting golden eyes. Leonard smiled, then faced Lillian directly. His golden eyes reflected her figure as a sharp grin found its way onto his face.
"Don't try to interfere with this matter. Just focus on your own family affairs, Lady Lillian Agnes."