Lin Gui followed Elvia's instructions and arrived at the side hall where the wedding banquet was being held.
The situation was not as quiet as Elvia had expected.
The side hall was brilliantly lit, teeming with figures, and filled with the sound of clinking glasses.
A cursory glance showed that more than half of the important figures who had appeared at the auction earlier had moved here.
They gathered in small groups of twos and threes, chatting and laughing in low voices.
But when Lin Gui stepped through the hall door, almost everyone’s gaze shifted toward him in unison.
Those looks carried undisguised mockery and scrutiny, along with a playful sense of waiting for a good show to begin.
Lin Gui frowned, sensing an unusual malice aimed at him permeating the air.
But he was simply too tired, having searched for a day and a night without rest.
The double exhaustion of his spirit and mana made his brain feel as heavy as lead.
He didn't care to investigate further and simply walked in with somewhat unsteady steps.
As one of the protagonists of this wedding banquet in name, he was almost immediately led to the center of the stage by a servant.
The Master of Ceremonies, his face brimming with smiles, recited some grandiloquent blessings.
Then, he handed the floor over to Lin Gui.
The room fell silent instantly as everyone stared at him.
Lin Gui rubbed his drowsy eyes and, facing so many pairs of eyes below the stage, only managed to squeeze out one dry sentence.
"Uh... thank you, everyone. Eat well and drink your fill."
Having said that, he ignored the atmosphere that had instantly turned strange and the faint sneers rising from below.
He slipped straight off the stage and found a seat in the furthest corner to sit down.
Not long after he sat down, and before he could even catch his breath, he saw the Third Prince, Charles, pulling along Duke Joseph's daughter, Emily.
They walked onto the stage he had just stood on, looking spirited and triumphant.
Charles's face was brimming with a warm smile, which formed a sharp contrast to the cold reception during Lin Gui's speech.
He announced loudly that he would be marrying Miss Emily as his Princess Consort before long, and he affectionately put his arm around the young girl's waist.
The audience immediately erupted with thunderous applause and congratulatory shouts, as if the true protagonists of the night had finally arrived.
Many gazes, carrying undisguised mockery, turned toward Lin Gui in the corner once again.
Those looks seemed to say: Look at this poor wretch.
At his own most important wedding banquet, his thunder was completely stolen by someone else, making him the biggest laughingstock in the room.
They expected to see this outsider mage show anger or humiliation, eventually fleeing the banquet in embarrassment.
However, Lin Gui's reaction disappointed them.
Not only did he show no signs of displeasure, but he also clapped weakly along with the people around him.
His head kept nodding forward, and the heavy dark circles under his eyes made him look as if he would fall into a deep sleep at any moment.
In front of everyone, he even let out a wide, undisguised yawn.
He could certainly understand that the Third Prince was targeting him—or rather, targeting Elvia, wanting to embarrass her.
But he was just too tired; he felt like he could fall asleep standing up.
Besides, as an adventurer who had struggled on the edge of life and death for many years, could something like face be eaten? Could it increase his strength? Could it be sold for a few hundred gold coins?
Obviously not.
So, he simply crossed his legs and let his body sink comfortably into the soft back of the chair, squinting his eyes and preparing to take a short nap.
Charles had deliberately chosen the day of Elvia's wedding banquet to announce his own marriage alliance, originally wanting to humiliate the sister who had tripped him up.
But now it seemed it was useless; the other party's skin was thicker than a city wall.
On the stage, the Third Prince raised an eyebrow at this scene and let out a cold snort, though he didn't take any further action.
To continue bickering would be beneath his status.
However, Miss Emily beside him felt uncomfortable.
In her view, this was her glorious moment to declare her happy marriage and become the center of attention.
This rogue mage who had come out of nowhere not only stole the spotlight by announcing his wedding on the same day as her and the Third Prince, but now he was even showing such a lack of respect by openly yawning and sleeping during her "important" moment?
This was simply a slight against her and against the future Princess Consort!
She took the Third Prince's arm and whispered a few words, her face filled with grievance and indignation.
Charles frowned, but he was still pulled along by her as they stepped off the stage and walked straight to Lin Gui.
"Lord Lin Gui," Miss Emily’s voice was crisp, carrying a hint of deliberately heightened arrogance.
"To be so rude at my engagement banquet, do you have so little regard for the face of the royal family and the Duke's Mansion?"
Lin Gui gave no reaction.
His head was tilted, his breathing steady; he had actually fallen into a deep sleep.
Miss Emily's face instantly turned red with anger, and she raised her voice.
"Lord Lin Gui!"
Only then did Lin Gui snap awake, lifting his bloodshot eyes to look blankly at the radiant betrothed couple in front of him.
He blinked, seemingly not fully awake yet.
Then, he wrinkled his nose and, under everyone's watchful eyes, performed an action that left everyone dumbfounded.
He directly picked up the chair he was sitting on and dragged it across the floor with a loud scrape, walking behind a giant pillar not far away in the sudden silence.
It was darker there and harder for others to disturb him.
Then, he fished out a small piece of charcoal and a crumpled scrap of paper from the pocket of his old mage robe and scribbled a few lines.
He slapped the scrap of paper onto the pillar.
Curious people craned their necks and, with the help of the light from afar, managed to make out the writing on the paper:
【Piously reciting prayers for the great Goddess of Light. Critical moment, do not disturb!】
【Whoever dares to disturb this Holy Saint’s communication with the Goddess, I will report the matter in detail to the Holy Saintess tomorrow!】
【If you don't want the Light Crusaders to settle the score, stay away from me!】
After writing it, he acted as if he had completed a major task. He casually cast a low-level Light Magic spell, 【Glimmer】.
The soft white light was not piercing, but it shrouded his head just right, looking as if he truly were performing some kind of sacred ritual.
He adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, leaned against the pillar, tilted his head, and fell back into a deep sleep, even letting out a faint snore.
The entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone, including the ashen-faced Third Prince and the dumbfounded Miss Emily, froze on the spot as if a stabilization spell had been cast on them.
The unreasonable threat of reporting them on the paper, combined with that weak but undeniably real aura of Light Magic, was like a bucket of ice water that instantly extinguished all thoughts of watching a joke or taking the opportunity to make things difficult.
Except for the Third Prince, no one else knew the fact that Lin Gui could use Light Magic.
Being able to use Light Magic meant that regardless of his status, he was a Holy Saint of the Holy Church of Light.
This seemingly joking note now appeared exceptionally deterrent under the radiance of the light orb at Lin Gui’s forehead.
In the past, they wouldn't have cared about a Mid-tier High Rank Holy Saint.
But tomorrow was the day of the Holy Church of Light’s visit, and no one present dared to cause any offense.
The mocking gazes disappeared, replaced by a silence mixed with wariness, suspicion, and disbelief.
Lin Gui finally obtained the peace he craved, sleeping incredibly soundly in the bizarrely quiet atmosphere he had personally created.
Rate on N.U.
