Chapter 47

Сlор. Сlop. Сlор.

Тhе continuous sоund оf multiple hоoves suggеstеd thаt thе Сеrberus Subjugatiоn Forcе, рromisеd tо bе sеnt frоm Eldridаs, the сapitаl оf Еldridа, had likelу arrivеd.

Howevеr, Кail had no intentiоn оf greeting the guests and instеаd pressed Delion еvеn harder.

“Dеlion! Dоn’t stор tаlking, speak up! I nеed to hеаr thе rest of thе stоrу beforе our estеemed guests entеr!”

“…Surеly not. Аrе thosе esteеmed guests the highlу skilled Sir Маge and Sir Knight sent from Еldridas…?”

“Yеs! Sо sрeаk up quicklу! Wеrе those bаstards whо dаrеd tо lаy hаnds оn mу daughtеr аnd even had the audacity to try to kill her really strong?!”

“…They were strong. Stronger than any Mage I have ever seen. The others dining with him also seemed to be considerable talents.”

“You’re not just being modest? They were truly stronger than you? To the point you could feel it without even clashing?”

“Embarrassingly… yes.”

Delion readily admitted it.

He was the most skilled Knight in Selenad.

He wasn’t on the level of Brente, Eldrida’s Guardian Knight, but he possessed skills that reached his feet.

“Is that really true…?!”

“…Yes.”

At Delion’s answer, Kail also made a considerably flustered expression and asked again.

“Mayor, I have a somewhat ominous feeling….”

“Surely not…!”

By this point, both Delion and Kail were having all sorts of ominous thoughts in their heads.

Selenad was a fairly large city for one located on the frontier.

In a way, it could be called a rural city, and as such, there were few opportunities to see skilled Mages and Knights like Delion here.

Of course, due to the characteristics of the entire Eldrida region, surrounded by mountainous areas, Monsters frequently appeared, so Knights or Mages could occasionally be seen.

‘But it’s the first time I’ve seen a heavyweight Mage like that….’

Delion also clearly remembered the appearance of the Knight dining with that heavyweight Mage.

It wasn’t certain, but that Knight must have been a Knight on par with him or even more skilled.

His eye for judging people was excellent, so he didn’t doubt what he had seen.

“Hoo, wait a moment…. It can’t be. It can’t be.”

“Dad! What do you mean it can’t be! I almost died! Hurry up and catch all those bastards and teach them a lesson!”

“…Maya, my pretty daughter. Go to your room and rest for a while first. Guests have arrived now, so it seems we can’t resolve the matter immediately.”

“Tch… Fine! But hurry up and catch those guys and bring them before me! I’ll make them kneel and bow their heads in front of me and receive an apology directly.”

“Alright, I’ll catch them soon and bring them before you. So calm your anger a bit and go to your room.”

“Fine!”

Maya, being the daughter Kail had spoiled, displayed speech and behavior unbecoming of a Noble.

As Maya left the room, shortly after, a Knight knocked and then entered the room, shouting.

“Mayor! They have arrived from Eldridas for the Cerberus Subjugation!”

“Alright, I’ll come out right away.”

“Yes!”

“Delion, you come too. We must greet them together.”

“…Understood.”

Kail left the room with Delion and descended the mansion’s stairs to greet the guests.

As the two descended the stairs together, they were thinking the same thing.

‘Surely the Mage and Knight who came for support aren’t…’

‘The ones who tried to harm Maya…?’

They hoped not, but how many in this vicinity could be more skilled than Delion?

As the Mayor of Selenad, Kail had hardly seen anyone stronger than Delion.

Then, Kail, who had been quietly descending the stairs, opened his mouth.

“Delion, do you remember the appearance and clothing of those who tried to harm Maya?”

“Yes. And to tell the truth… the Princess was the one causing a disturbance in the restaurant first, and that Mage stepped in to help the restaurant owner. They didn’t actually try to harm her. The Princess ordered me to cut off the restaurant owner’s hand, and that Mage used some kind of Magic to stop my movement and then issued a warning.”

“…What did they look like?”

“That Mage… had pale skin and was quite handsome. His ash-gray hair was his most distinctive feature.”

“I see. Hoo, ash-gray hair…. We must hope the guest we are about to greet doesn’t have ash-gray hair.”

“That’s right.”

For some reason, an ominous feeling kept poking at his body.

Thud.

As the two left the mansion and went outside, quite a few Knights were lined up in rows in the spacious courtyard.

At the very front stood a Knight with a robust build; he was Brente, Eldrida’s Guardian Knight.

“Long time no see, Sir Brente! Thank you sincerely for coming all this way for our Selenad!”

“I have merely come under the orders of Viscount Buttner. Mayor Kail, you must have had a hard time all this while.”

The reason Kail, the Mayor of Selenad, did not treat Brente condescendingly was because Brente held a Baron-level Title of Peerage.

Skilled Knights could receive Noble Titles, and Knights who were truly exceptional and achieved great merits could receive Titles up to the Count level.

Of course, for a Knight to receive a Count Title, they would likely need to save a city on the verge of collapse.

“Haha, now that Sir Brente, Eldrida’s Guardian Knight, is here, our hardships must be over!”

“Fortunately, individuals far more skilled than I have offered their helping hands, so it seems we can defeat the Cerberus.”

Brente spoke confidently and walked directly towards the carriage.

Upon reaching the front of the carriage, he, Eldrida’s Guardian Knight, personally opened the carriage door.

“Sir Khan, please disembark.”

“Alright.”

Khan disembarked from the carriage first, followed by Byutek and Sharin.

From a distance, Delion stared at Khan’s face, his eyes wide open with a horrified expression.

Similarly, Kail was also shocked.

“These are the individuals who will be the main force in this Cerberus Subjugation. The Subjugation Force Commander will not be me, but Sir Khan here. He is a tremendously skilled Mage.”

Brente brought Khan’s party before Kail and introduced them one by one.

“Ahh… Haha! W-welcome, Sir Khan!”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Since the Mayor of such a rural Territory would be a Baron-level Title anyway, Khan also greeted him casually using informal speech.

In the game, Mages often used informal speech with most Nobles, and Khan also found this strangely comfortable.

“This is Byutek, a Knight of Kilpheon.”

“And this is Sharin, Sir Khan’s first disciple!”

Byutek and Sharin also exchanged greetings. Upon hearing that Byutek was a Knight of Kilpheon, their eyes widened in surprise once again.

“Haha… Thank you all sincerely for coming for our Selenad! A small Banquet has been prepared, so let me guide you to the Banquet Hall…!”

Kail tried his best not to show his fluster, laughing awkwardly as he guided the guests to the Banquet Hall.

And at the same time, Delion had disappeared without a trace.

The moment he saw Khan’s face, he had dashed into the mansion at lightning speed and was now slumped before a door.

“It’s really them…! Why of all people…!”

If Delion or Maya were to encounter Khan or Byutek, he didn’t even want to imagine what might happen then.

‘They came to help Selenad, of all things…’

He wanted to blame the immature young Princess, but in fact, that wasn’t really her problem but the fault of Kail, who had raised her that way.

“Hoo, I’m really going to go crazy….”

Delion got up from his spot and headed towards Maya’s room.

From now on, his duty was not to go to the Banquet Hall, laugh and chatter, and greet the guests.

He had to somehow prevent Maya from leaving the mansion, from going to the Banquet Hall.

‘Come to think of it… Princess Maya has been looking forward to today’s Banquet since yesterday…!’

Yesterday, she had even asked him to look at the dress that suited her best, saying she was worried about which dress to wear.

‘I must find some excuse to prevent the Princess from attending the Banquet!’

Delion’s footsteps gradually quickened. He could soon reach the front of Maya’s room.

Knock. Knock.

Delion, who had knocked rapidly, called out in a loud voice.

“Princess Maya, it’s Delion! May I come in?”

“……”

No answer came from Maya, who should have been in the room.

He called again, but it remained as quiet as a mouse.

‘Is she asleep?’

Delion carefully cracked the door open slightly.

Normally, this would be something he should never do, but given the situation, he needed to properly confirm if Maya was inside this room.

Creeeak….

Peeking through the slightly opened crack into the room, Delion’s eyes widened, and he flung the door open.

“Huh, she’s not here…?! Princess Maya!!!”

Maya was nowhere to be seen in the room; she had vanished.

“Surely not…!”

Seeing the wardrobe open, it felt like she had put on a dress and gone to the Banquet Hall.

“No…!!!”

Delion began running towards the Banquet Hall at lightning speed once again.

* * *

The Mayor of Selenad, Kail Odrik.

He was now facing the greatest crisis of his life.

‘If we get caught by that Mage who looks utterly ruthless… we could even end up dead.’

The person his immature daughter had asked to be killed was none other than that Mage, Khan.

Why, of all people, did she have to pick a fight with such terrifying individuals?

Although Kail loved Maya dearly, today he felt a bit resentful towards his daughter.

‘But it doesn’t matter as long as we don’t get caught…!’

After entering the Banquet Hall, the Knights from Eldridas were drinking along with all sorts of food.

Khan’s party and Brente were the same, and Kail was personally attending to them.

A short while later, a servant brought steaks and placed one each before Brente and Khan’s party.

“Haha! This steak is very delicious! Guests have exclaimed that it disappears the moment they put it in their mouths.”

Looking at the steak placed before him, Khan recalled the steak from his previous life, which he hadn’t had in a long time.

‘It reminds me of Hanwoo after a long time.’

Recalling memories, he cut the steak with a knife and put it in his mouth; it was truly delicious.

It was delicious enough to surpass any steak he had ever eaten in his life.

“It’s really delicious.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste!”

Thinking he had scored points with Khan, Kail smiled as if genuinely pleased and exclaimed.

But then.

“Daddy!!!”

Suddenly, from far away, Maya in a splendid rose-pink dress was waving her hand and approaching Kail.