Chapter 36: Divine Power
The Infernoclaw Scorpion crept with incredible speed, hiding himself well in the darkness of the night. Lighting torches shone brightly along the wall leading to the Imperial Palace.
The guards watched the surroundings vigilantly but did not notice the Infernoclaw Scorpion creeping on the other side of the wall.
It continued to move cautiously until it arrived inside the Palace. Gris's orders were related to the imperial prince, so it ventured deeper into the Palace.
"Have you heard the rumors? Prince Lux is said to have a melodious voice."
"Isn't that the prince who lives in the small northern Palace? I heard the budget for that Palace is so low that very few servants are working there."
"Prince Lux used to live well. But since his father died, he became isolated."
"Shhh, don't talk too loudly. What if someone reports us talking about the imperial family?"
Infernoclaw Scorpion hid behind a pillar, eavesdropping on the conversation of the servants who had just cleaned the dining chamber.
The Northern Palace...
Recalling the servants' words, Infernoclaw Scorpion hurriedly crept in the intended direction. The light grew dimmer as it entered the northern Palace.
Unlike the previous place, this Palace only had a few torches lighting up the outside.
"The prince requested dinner in his room. Did something bad happen again in the dining room?"
"I'm not sure. But his brothers did treat him badly. Maybe that's why he feigned illness and didn't attend the dinner together."
Infernoclaw Scorpion watched the two servants pushing the serving cart. It crept in the opposite direction to them, arriving at a room whose door was not locked.
Taking a chance, it entered the room through the crack in the door. A brown-haired boy was sitting on the sofa with dinner in front of him.
"What is this? Diminution? If I'm affected by the target's words, the skill's effectiveness will be reduced depending on how much I'm affected..."
Lux did not glance at the dinner that the maid had served wholeheartedly. His focus was instead on the transparent blue screen that explained about Diminution.
Too focused, he did not notice the Infernoclaw Scorpion. It lurked at the foot of the sofa before him, connecting its mind with Gris.
[Infernoclaw Scorpion has found a target. Is this the target you're referring to?]
Gris was walking lightly around the Silverth Mansion when the notification appeared. The transparent gray screen displayed the figure of Lux, who seemed to be contemplating.
Examining the protagonist, Gris paused for a moment. He had dedicated his time to reading Rise of the Low-class Hero.
While Griswalden was his favorite character, he could not help but notice Lux, who appeared frequently throughout the story.
There was an unexplainable connection between him, as the reader, and the protagonist. However, he failed to shake off the annoyance that Lux did not grant an epic death to his favorite character.
"I don't know how Griswalden ended up in other plot versions. But I'm annoyed because you instantly killed him in the version I read. If he has to die, at least show me an impressive fight..."
Gris spoke as if Lux was in front of him. What he wanted was an epic death. A memorable final battle that would leave a lasting impact on the readers would be incredibly moving.
"Let me see if I can't touch you like that girl said!"
[You have confirmed the target. Infernoclaw Scorpion will bite the target.
You need time to break the mind connection! If you insist on cutting it, your mind could be messed up for several hours before returning to normal.]
Getting the order, the Infernoclaw Scorpion crept toward Lux, unaware of its existence. But before its sharp claws could inject poison, the bronze teapot fell from the table and fell on it.
[Warning: An unknown divine power has destroyed your Infernoclaw Scorpion! Your body will receive 25% impact from...]
Gris did not fully read the notification as his body collapsed to the ground. He gasped, feeling his internal organs constricting tightly.
"Damn it, why did the teapot just suddenly fall?" he muttered, his voice strained.
The pain gradually faded as if a high-level healer had restored his malfunctioning internal organs.
[Your Infernoclaw Scorpion has perished by an unknown divine power! It will soon leave the Soul Room.
Would you like to mourn and pray for it? You will obtain some Dark Energy if you do.]
Gris frowned, then clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Mourning? Well, may you rest easy in hell. So be it," he muttered.
[Infernoclaw Scorpion departed from the Soul Room, feeling disheartened, asking, "Why would Master have the heart to wish me into hell?"]
"I will go to hell for my great sins. Let's meet again there someday."
[Infernoclaw Scorpion departed happily. You got +10 Dark Energy!
Your Dark Energy: 73 >>> 83.]
Staggering, Gris brought his body to lean against an oak tree. A reddish mist flew around him before vanishing into the thin air.
"What the hell is divine power? Damn, Author. Did you just give the main character an absurd buff?"
Gris gritted his teeth. The anger he initially felt when reading Griswalden's death scene came flooding back to him.
That feeling did not linger for long. There was no point in getting angry unless Lux or the entity with such divine power appeared to validate his emotions.
"That girl is right. Don't even think of touching Lux in the slightest. I was curious, so I tried to hurt him. No wonder she got so upset when I asked about Lux."
Gris recalled his brief encounter with Solnisca, speculating Lux could not be killed by any means until he reached adulthood and could protect himself.
"Too bad I lost the Infernoclaw Scorpion," Gris said, looking up at the stars in the sky.
When he successfully carried out the killing mission for the first time, he took the target's earring to make it into his secret collection.
The Soul Room was like a gallery room to him. Since Infernoclaw Scorpion had gone to hell in peace, he decided to look for a new collection while reducing his Dark Energy in preparation for purification tomorrow.
In the magic tower of the Imperial Palace, three archmages moved quickly through the Palace once they detected low Dark Energy.
Unlike out there, where many people died every day, the Palace was a safe place, so it was rare to die there.
The archmages quickly sensed the presence of Dark Energy and hurried northward. They broke open the unlocked door to Lux's room.
Lux, who was picking up the shattered teapot, was startled by the arrival of the archmages. "I-Is there a big problem?"
"Your Highness, we detected low dark energy in your Palace. But it has disappeared now," Elden, the tower master, replied as he looked around.
His gaze fell on the bronze teapot still covered in remnants of dark energy. "What happened to that teapot?"
"I don't know," Lux answered nervously, worried that the magic tower would accuse him of practicing black magic. "This teapot suddenly fell by itself. Maybe the base was uneven, so it fell because it was unbalanced."
[Rhetoric Dominance affects the target: Elden, Caspian, and Finnian.]
[+2% suspicion gained!]
[+1% skepticism gained!]
[+0.5% suspicion gained!]
Lux was upset by the notice. The magic tower suspected him. That was not good. Nervousness clouded his mind, making it difficult for him to come up with a more convincing explanation.
But even if he gave a reasonable answer, the archmages of the magic tower would still suspect him. He really did not know what had happened to the teapot since it suddenly fell.
When he picked up the remains, he found nothing. The clues just disappeared.
"Apologies for the interruption, Your Highness. We will begin surveillance of the Palace immediately. There is a possibility that a black magician sent by the Doomsday Committee is present here," Finnian explained softly. He was the one with the lowest percentage of suspicion compared to the others.
Lux smiled. "Indeed, that's the purpose of the magic tower. Consider the consequences if someone were to use black magic on the Empress and we were late in detecting the dark energy."
[+1% irritation gained from Elden!]
"We will take our leave, Your Highness," Elden bowed his head before leaving the northern Palace.
That night, the activity at the magic tower intensified. Irritated by Lux's critique, Elden raised his voice at the mages, demanding them to work harder.
Lux tossed the shattered teapot into the barrel. His eyes flashed with determination as he murmured, "The mages in the magic tower, just wait. I will ensure you become obedient servants, following my every command in the future."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone