Chapter 120 - Have Any of You Seen A Peacock’s Butt?

Chapter 120: Have Any of You Seen A Peacock’s Butt?
Angora finished his first family banquet in months.
Unlike the earlier dispute at the gates, he was no different from invisible at the banquet: he basically wasn’t a part of any conversation and would only quietly eat his meal. Still, he shivered for some reason when he had his milk pudding dessert, with the nagging feeling he had forgotten something.
Horan did not pay his youngest son any heed at the banquet either, and instead had a lively chat with Kinley. Although a great duke like him wouldn’t curry favor where he’s not welcome, it was quite obvious that despite his typical high-and-mighty behavior, the duke valued Kinley who almost became his daughter-in-law and the apprentice of the greatest alchemist on the continent.
Angora’s brother Cecil was also eagerly showing off to the lady, diligently showing off his wealth and talent while not forgetting to use Angora as a comparison from time to time. He really looked no different like a peacock in heat and spreading its tail.
And like someone put behind a peacock, Angora who was the innocent victim of those snide remarks was forced to stare at the peacock’s butt in all its glory. The ugliness in attitude left Angora feeling a little disillusioned—was that the same brother whom he admired as the perfect noble in his younger days? Did his IQ drop or did his days at the unnamed town matured him?
Be that as it may, Angora also had the feeling that his eldest brother wasn’t the mastermind who was gunning for him. After all, Cecil never held back his hostility and persistently nitpicked at any little mistake Angora made, sinking so lowly that he was no different from those clown characters who would never survive past chapter 3 in knight novels. How could someone like him be able to control a leviathan like the Secret Eye Society while continuing to move against Angora’s town and Angora himself? Moreover, the mastermind had slain Angora’s second brother just to silence him and left so few traces that his very existence was dubious!
On the other hand, the mistress of the Ainsworth family was unusually interested in Angora, and she probably would have snuck to his side if not for Horan and Cecil’s persistent efforts in engaging her in conversation. Cecil was naturally not oblivious to that obvious attitude, and though his handsome face did not reveal any anger, there was a sinister look in his blue eyes that resembled their father’s.
After dinner, Angora was about to head back to the outer building and meet the Players.
It was a truly unusual experience—just months ago, he had still been living in this very castle and thought of it as his home.
And yet, after learning that someone was bent on assassinating him, this so-called home had become unfamiliar, even leaving him feeling uncomfortable. Almost by instinct, those Players whom he thought of as idiots were suddenly all very reliable to him at this vital moment.
Be that as it may, his eldest brother had suddenly overtaken him from behind before he had gone far, and in the single instant that their shoulders brushed, Cecil spoke with a hushed voice that only Angora could hear.
“I know your secret.”
“!!!”
Angora was stunned, and looked up at his elder brother who was still behaving like a peacock at the table just a moment ago.
Cecil naturally caught his stunned look, which certainly confirmed his guess—the ‘god-given treasure’ of the Faust family which their father mentioned must be in Angora’s hand!
‘Why?! I am the heir of the Faust family and the Silver Eagle Duke! Why would Father give that to a b*stard like Angora who he never even truly looked at once in his life!’
Meanwhile, Angora seemed to realize that his reaction was too obvious, and played nonchalance after a moment of reflection. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Should I have been clearer? It’s to do with a ‘god’.” Cecil said quietly with a dark smile.
Angora frowned. Could Cecil be talking about the God of Games?
Right now, Angora was aware that the God of Games was a heretical deity in the perspective of several other religions. It was what led to the fall of Tierra after all, and if news that the God of Games had returned was leaked, things would not end well for his town. After all, the Players were still too young and tender to square off against the major churches which had almost a thousand years of history.
However, if it was in the past, Angora would probably have become flustered and exposed himself in some way, but after having fed on his experience as an Overlord Player since his arrival in the unnamed town, Angora was no longer the coward punchbag Cecil remembered.
In a single split second, he planned for the worst.
There were still two or three years before Cecil would inherit their father’s title given Horan’s good health, and there was no way the experienced churches would mount an expedition with the word of a duke’s son as their only proof.
Angora was also very optimistic about how far those Players could develop in those two or two years. He had seen them start from zero—not only had their level increased continuously, their numbers were proactively increasing with the motivation from the weekly quest [The Lord’s Light Illuminates the Land].
Now, they were already more than two hundred and counting…
Be that as it may, all of that was dependent on Cecil not having proof. On the other hand, should his eldest brother have something that could prove the revival for the God of Game’s Church, it was foreseeable that those major churches would lay waste to the little town!
And there was only countermeasure to handle that.
Keeping a straight face, Angora opened his System which the others couldn’t see and then the Player forums to assign a task Gou Dan and the rest of the Players, instructing them to infiltrate Cecil’s castle to ascertain whether his elder brother had proof that could threaten the town.
Meanwhile, Cecil spoke arrogantly, believing that he had overwhelmed Angora given the latter’s long silence. “You would never get it (the divine relic) to work. It would be better if you give it up.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you don’t have to worry about my affairs (religion), brother.” Angora coldly answered his eldest brother.
They hence stood off each other while miscommunicating for a while, before parting unhappily.