Seven men in tight black attire. It was clear why they were hiding in the ceiling without anyone needing to say a thing.
“…E-enemy!”
When the assassins jumped down, the princess and the knights shouted. They had been on guard this whole time, but the enemies had already invaded the main room. If Yoon-seok hadn’t come just in time, they would never have noticed it.
Cl-clang!
The knights pulled out weapons a beat later, as did the assassins. They formed up in ranks opposite each other. Count Perton, the direct guard of the princess, took the lead. Outside being a count, he was a 15th-floor mission challenger, so he could tell at a glance.
“…Be careful, everyone. All of them are skilled people on my level.”
Every assassin couldn’t be looked down upon. His warning lit the eyes of the knights. Both the knights and assassins raised their concentration in the tense air. It was then-
“Oh, by the way.”
Yoon-seok spoke as if he had forgotten something, his calm voice stark against the atmosphere. In Count Perton’s eyes, he felt like Yoon-seok was living in his own world.
“Do you want to interrogate them before they die? To see who’s behind this.”
The princess was so surprised that she couldn’t even speak and expressed her intention by shaking her head hurriedly. She didn’t need that, she just wanted to get rid of them. Count Perton shared the same opinion.
「Register the target on the list.」
As soon as permission was granted, Yoon-seok registered the assassins on the list. What happened next was a single flash of a blade.
Thud, thud, thud.
The assassins’ heads rolled on the floor.
‘Is this real?’
Even though the situation was resolved instantly, Count Perton and the other knights couldn’t lower their swords. No, they couldn’t believe it. They were determined to risk their lives. But that was it? Their honest feelings were that they didn’t know Yoon-seok was this powerful, albeit knowing he was stronger than them.
Count Perton bit his lip.
‘Who the heck is this guy…?’
Seven assassins on his level, dead in one strike. He didn’t even see Yoon-seok’s sword move.
When he came to his senses, everything was already over.
‘The person I met by chance on the boat is this kind of monster?’
Count Perton closed his eyes. Perhaps Yoon-seok was a rope given to them by the gods. They mustn’t let him go.
There were three things gained by killing the assassins. First, the trust of the princess’s companions. Next, Asura’s growth due to the murder of targets registered in the list. Lastly, Demon Body and Soul Cleanse were triggered due to the overlap.
‘I have to kill this much just to get the strength up by one….’
He thought the growth rate was too slow, but… when he considered it, it wasn’t that slow.
‘Indeed, nothing happened since then.’
Although he had fought a few strong enemies, he hadn’t experienced a large-scale battle since the 14th-floor mission. If that happened someday, not only Asura but his abilities would grow quite a bit…
Suddenly Yoon-seok smiled. He thought that his mentality wasn’t normal.
“…That’s a relief.”
“What’s a relief?”
“Since they sent people of that level, everyone would think I was dead by now. You bought us time.”
First, they moved to the next room. Surprisingly, the princess moved on quickly, perhaps because she had been through several assassination attempts before, and she continued to prepare for the meeting. For reference, the preparation was meant for grooming herself.
She moved to another room and had maids help do her makeup and help her dress under Yoon-seok’s watch. Her white-blonde hair was tied up, and she wore a dress that emphasized her chest. While she changed clothes, he tried to leave, but the princess refused.
“It’s better than dying.”
She was more tenacious than he thought. However, in the end, Lee Su-yeon stood watch and was entrusted with escort duty while Yoon-seok waited outside the door.
“Wow, so this is how you wear a dress. It’s so inefficient.”
“That’s why the ladies here have to prepare for hours.”
While she was changing, he could hear Lee Su-yeon and the princess speaking. It might sound like a natural conversation, but Yoon-seok quickly realized that Lee Su-yeon was intentionally trying to get on the princess’s good side. It took hours to change and put on makeup, and so the sky began to darken by the time she was done.
It was almost time for them to leave.
‘Arriving on the day of the meeting? Did she purposely arrange it because of the assassins?’
Come to think of it; it was a pretty tight schedule. The other envoys were said to have arrived at least a few days ago.
“Am I okay…?”
Soon, the princess appeared. He thought she was flashy earlier, but the way she looked now blew that out of the park. When Yoon-seok nodded, the princess gave him a little smile and asked carefully.
“Can you both pretend to be my knights during the meeting?”
“Is it because of your identity?”
“Ah, it’s not like that…”
He could guess why. If she had strong people at her side, it was probably hard for the others to look down on her. Well, it wasn’t a difficult request.
“Okay, let’s do that.”
When Yoon-seok readily agreed, Count Perton brought out silver armor. Later, it turned out that it belonged to the passionate knight who was similar in size to Yoon-seok.
“Oppa, you look better than expected, though?”
“You too.”
“This is also a valuable memory. Let’s take a picture!”
After equipping all the armor, Lee Su-yeon took out her smartphone from her subspace bag. He wondered why she was carrying it around when she couldn’t even make a call, but it seemed she used it sometimes for this purpose.
“…”
After taking a photo, their prepared carriage arrived. Knights on horseback guarded the wagon as Yoon-seok and Lee Su-yeon climbed in with the princess. The wagon rolled down the boulevard and stopped in front of a quiet mansion.
“It’s smaller than I thought.”
“Because the banquet isn’t the main purpose.”
“Come to think of it; I didn’t ask you this. What kind of meeting is it?”
When Lee Su-yeon asked nicely, the princess explained.
“The leaders of the seven countries decided to gather to form a union, and this is the formal meeting. We’ve already reached some agreement.”
Of course, as for this meeting, Lee Su-yeon already knew the reason. The reason why she asked was probably for her next question.
“Oh, I see. Then why were you so desperate?”
“…This is because, after the talks, my country’s position in the union will be reduced.”
“Why?”
“The Crown Prince called it a union, but he’s just trying to do things his way. This decision will jeopardize our country, so my brother and His Majesty sent me here.”
Even Yoon-seok, with no political insight, could imagine the hierarchy of the empire with her explanation. The Crown Prince seized most of the country, and the Emperor tried to borrow foreign power to stop it. It was a decision that would jeopardize her home country.
It sounded good, but after all, it was a political fight.
‘Well, it’s none of my business.’
The door of the wagon opened.
“We sincerely welcome you to Levan. Please enter.”
Stepping on the red carpet laid on the garden, the princess walked toward the meeting site. Her gaze was looking up, not down to the ground, and her shoulders stretched out as she stepped confidently toward the manor.
‘She looks like a different person.’
Yoon-seok had that sudden thought as the princess spoke quietly.
“I don’t think there’s anyone here who wants to kill me… but please stay with me as much as possible.”
Her voice trembled. Looking closely, her fingertips were also shaking slightly. She was afraid and nervous, but that was the only thing Yoon-seok could do.
“I will.”
Soon after passing through the garden and entering the mansion, a luxurious banquet hall greeted them. It was a place where the envoy’s companions, who had already arrived, waited until the end of the meeting.
“Is she the fourth princess…?”
“She’s way too pretty, like a doll.”
The eyes of those who enjoyed alcohol and food gathered on the princess, and their murmurs spread. The princess walked past them while pretending to be fine and tried to stand in front of the stairs to the second floor.
“From here on, only one escort can pass through. The remaining guests, please wait on the first floor.”
The princess looked at Yoon-seok, and Yoon-seok looked to Lee Su-yeon. Then Lee Su-yeon winked and nodded. She would look for the b Planet Guardian}, so he should follow the princess.
Yoon-seok went up to the second floor with their ward. A barrier appeared to be set in place because as soon as they reached the second floor, the noise from the first floor died off. And…
“…?”
He could feel the powerful energy radiating from the meeting room. There appeared to be a ranker, though that made sense for a gathering of world leaders. However, the problem was the number. There were as many as ten people who radiated similar energy.
“…what’s wrong?”
When Yoon-seok suddenly stopped walking, the princess anxiously turned to him. Perhaps she couldn’t feel the energy blooming beyond the door.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Yoon-seok followed the princess without hesitation and stood behind her. Soon, the door was opened by their guide, and a simple room with disk-shaped tables and simple chairs was revealed. All seats were already occupied except for two.
“It’s Princess Orlene.”
The guide called out her name and closed the door. At the same time, the eyes of those sitting gathered on her.
“I can see how insincere Kartan is.”
A dark-haired man dressed all in the black spoke. Still, she was the envoy of the empire, so did she not expect to be so directly rebuked? The princess stiffened. However, despite the disrespect, nobody stood to say something. They merely watched with interest.
‘Is she already being rejected?’
Yoon-seok, sensitive to malice from his experience in school, noticed that fact. The princess soon came to her senses and smiled at the black-haired man.
“Looking at the costume and scar on your face, you must be the Geronian’s Duke of Carpaine.”
“But you do have a good eye, Empire’s doll.”
If she stood still after being disrespected, the prestige of the empire would be reduced. However, the princess saved her words and sat down. Then the black-haired man burst into laughter.
“Seeing how you’re trying to join us even though you didn’t plan to, did you come here for information?”
“No. His Majesty took this meeting more seriously than anyone else…”
“Aha, so it’s not information. It’s to beg.”
His words were radical, but he wasn’t wrong. There was no one here who didn’t know that the person in charge wasn’t the Emperor but the Crown Prince. While the princess was trembling with contempt, someone else opened their mouth. To be exact, he laughed loudly as if he couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Pffthahahaha! Keuhehe, kkkhahahaha!”
It was the laugh of a man with a large build overflowing from the small chair he sat on. He was wearing pure white robes, and his chest was elaborately engraved with a pattern representing the Holy Trinity Church. The black-haired man frowned.
“Cardinal Nephren, what’s so funny?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. But you have to be able to stand it. The duke needs to widen his perspective. How can the Kartan Empire show more sincerity here?”
Then, Cardinal Nephren turned his eyes, not to the princess Orlene, but Yoon-seok, who stood behind her. The direction was similar, but the black-haired man wasn’t so clumsy that he could not feel the subtle difference.
‘What is special about it?’
He looked at Yoon-seok. Then, he realized two facts. Even before Cardinal Nephren mentioned it, most of the escorts who were already seated or standing were already fixed on Yoon-seok, and…
He was the only one who didn’t know that they were conducting a secret battle under the surface.
Whoooosh-!
Various kinds of magic powers with their characteristics gathered toward Yoon-seok. Some were soft, some were gentle, some were arrogant, and some were even aggressive as if they were fighting. The corners of Yoon-seok’s lip, hidden by the helmet, rose.
‘Interesting.’
As he said before, showing magic was the same as revealing who you are. In other words, they were asking him, ‘I’m this kind of person, but who are you?’
‘It would be polite to return it if you received a greeting.’
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