The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 1053: Knowing the Targets

The moment Aldrian made his entrance, all gazes instantly directed at him. For most of the nobles, this was the first time they had seen him directly.

Many of them had only heard about Aldrian from the stories that spread, so the moment they finally saw him, they were taken aback.

His strikingly handsome face was too difficult to ignore, as it always attracted attention. His face was perfect without any blemish. His long red hair was tied in a ponytail. He wore noble attire that elevated his charm to the heavens.

Even without saying anything, his charisma already exuded naturally, making anyone who looked at him feel that they should follow behind him.

Truly like a human that the heavens had spent their time creating.

Many wondered how someone this perfect could exist. He still looked young, handsome, and powerful.

The young masters could only sigh in defeat. With a man like that, they doubted any of them had a chance to compete. Even if they compared the most genius of their generation, they were still far apart.

For the young ladies, looking at Aldrian made them unable to look away. Their faces blushed, and a sudden desire rose in their hearts.

How could they not be attracted to him after seeing him right in front of them?

Aldrian walked toward a vacant space, and although his expression was calm, he was actually observing all the nobles in the hall. With this place already inside his domain, he could check everyone here much more easily.

He wanted to see if his suspicion that there were more situations like Marquess Beruin was correct. He needed to confirm it at this moment.

Because the devils used a possession technique on their targets, he could not check them using normal means like the system. The easiest way he could think of was to detect them using karma laws.

He looked for those who had a strange karmic thread that should not be there, a karmic thread connected to the void, and he knew that thread was connected to the one who controlled the body here.

He had already seen Marquess Beruin, and he could still see that karmic thread, which meant that the devil was still controlling him despite the devils’ defeat in the Gardum Kingdom.

He then looked at the others, and he finally saw it. His suspicion was confirmed, as there were a few nobles here with the same karmic thread as Marquess Beruin. The number was small, as there were only four, including Marquess Beruin.

Aldrian did not find it surprising that the number was small, as the possession technique was not easy and not anyone could use it.

He did not know whether these people were connected to the same devil or if each of them had their own devil. The most important thing was that he needed to get rid of the devils’ control over them.

Aldrian then stood alone while the surrounding nobles glanced at him. They wanted to start a conversation with him, but before they could, they saw movement from the balcony on the second floor.

A royal staff member stepped forward onto the high balcony that overlooked all the nobles below. The nobles who saw him gradually fell silent, knowing that the banquet was about to start.

"Thank you, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, for taking your time to attend this banquet," the staff member said.

"Now that the time for the banquet to begin has arrived, without further ado, let us greet our great king."

The staff member then took a few steps back, and a few seconds later, King Darius made his appearance on the balcony.

"We greet the chosen one, Your Majesty!" everyone shouted as they slightly bowed to the king.

"Rise," King Darius said, which made them straighten their bodies.

"Thank you for coming all this way to attend this banquet. I know that some of you have been questioning why I am holding a victory banquet at this moment when the devils’ threat has not entirely disappeared from this world. This banquet may seem insensitive toward other nations that are still engulfed in war," the king continued.

"That is fine if you think that way, but for me, I believe it is acceptable for us to celebrate, even if only for a moment. We have just experienced a war that devastated our kingdom, and we lost many things. This celebration is our right as the people of this kingdom."

"Also, one of the reasons I held this banquet is to strengthen our bond with each other. This banquet is not only to celebrate but also to be a place for us to finally gather together, to interact with one another after such a tiring war."

"As nobles, each of you must have different interests and opinions toward one another, yet the war united us all. I want to keep it that way. I want us to remain united, and I hope that this banquet can at least become the means that keeps us united."

The king then looked at Aldrian with a smile.

"And on this occasion, I would like to introduce someone whose name you must have already heard. He is His Excellency, Sir Aldrian, the one who greatly helped us in the war. It is not an exaggeration to say that we were able to win this war because of his help."

The others looked at Aldrian, and Aldrian himself smiled and slightly nodded his head in greeting. Although that gesture considered arrogant, especially in the presence of the king, they did not say anything.

King Darius also did not comment on it and instead continued.

"Sir Aldrian came from a faraway place that you will come to know in the future. He has already become our friend, our ally, so treat him well."

He then took a glass of wine from his side. The others also received their own glasses of wine from the butlers.

The king lifted his glass. "This is for all of us, for our victory, for our new friend, for our future."

"For our future," the others shouted before all of them drank the wine.

After drinking, King Darius showed a smile. "Please enjoy the banquet, ladies and gentlemen. We have prepared the best feast for you." He then took a step back, and soft music played by the royal music corps began to resound across the hall.

As expected, the moment the king left the balcony, the nobles near Aldrian instantly rushed toward him and introduced themselves. Aldrian interacted with them amicably and spoke with anyone who approached him.

He also glanced at the ones he had already marked as targets. They seemed careful and did not approach him immediately like the other nobles. Aldrian smiled as he continued to entertain those who wanted to speak with him.

The nobles who brought their daughters also introduced them to him, and he was quite overwhelmed by it. There were tens of them who tried to matchmake him with their daughters, from duke-level families to much lower-ranking nobles.

After a few minutes, one of his targets finally made a move as a noble approached him. It was a middle-aged man, and he brought along his daughter.

Some of the nobles made way for him, which made Aldrian realize that this man must be a high-ranking noble. The moment he reached Aldrian, he smiled.

"Your Excellency, my apologies if I disturb you, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Duke Vareden, and this is my daughter, Vanesa."

His daughter gave a respectful gesture to Aldrian with a smile. She was truly among the best in regard to beauty compared to the other young ladies here. Her long blue hair was like waves on the sea, and her blue eyes gave off a serene aura.

However, Aldrian focused on something else, as he was quite surprised that a devil had even possessed a duke-level noble.

As a middle pseudo immortal stage cultivator with great influence, he might be the most important devil’s puppet in this kingdom. Duke Vareden was the strongest among the targets, and Aldrian decided to start with him first tonight.

Aldrian smiled at him and nodded. "Duke Vareden and Miss Vanesa, it is nice to meet you."

"Your Excellency, my daughter said that she wanted to discuss something with you—" Before Duke Vareden could finish his words, a commotion was heard behind them. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As he and some of the nobles looked toward the source of it, they saw that King Darius was already on the same floor as them with his family.

King Darius, his wife Queen Radena, and their three children. The first child was, of course, Prince Martis. The second was another son, the second prince, Prince Ribelin, and the third was Princess Xena.

Aldrian had already met all of them.

The first time he saw the queen was in the palace, as she rarely got out of it.

It was the same for the second prince. As he focused more on becoming a strategist, he spent most of his time reading compared to his two siblings. That was why Aldrian did not see him on the battlefield, as he remained in the palace instead.

The king and his family walked toward Aldrian, which made the others step aside for them.

All of them were truly dazzling.

King Darius looked authoritative and strong. The queen was a mature beauty who was difficult to ignore. The first prince looked truly handsome and gallant. The second prince looked wise and intelligent with his glasses. And Princess Xena?

Every man gulped when looking at her, as at this moment she was truly beautiful. Even without dressing up, she was already beautiful, but if she did, her beauty was unlike any other. Moreover, the faint blush on her face was something they had never seen before.

She was truly like an angel.

Even Vanesa, Duke Vareden’s daughter, had to admit that the princess was superior to her in every aspect.

King Darius and his family reached Aldrian as he spoke to him with smile.

"Your Excellency, I hope that you are enjoying the banquet."

"Oh, I will, Your Majesty. I will. There is nothing lacking here," Aldrian replied.

"So, does Your Excellency already know who the spies are?" King Darius asked through voice transmission.

"Yes, I already know them. I will inform Your Majesty later," Aldrian replied.