noveldrama
Chapter 94
Chapter 94
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 94
The banquet hosted by the king proceeded in a lively atmosphere.
“Saintess, please conduct an inspection of all the royal family members.”
“Understood.”
At King Kaitan’s request, Saintess Theresia examined the royal family to check for any traces of marionette magic...
Fortunately, none of them were related to it.
Additionally—
“There are a few individuals with lingering traces of dark magic in their minds. I shall purify them.”
With the saintess cleansing even the remnants of dark magic, the royal family members could attend the banquet with ease.
Although the disappearance of the First Prince without even leaving a corpse behind was an unfortunate incident for the royal family...
“From now on, do not mention the First Prince’s name again. He was a traitor who followed the demons.”
With King Kaitan's stern command, no one dared to bring up the First Prince again.
“Sir Stein, I truly appreciate your help in this matter.”
Drunk and with his face flushed red, King Kaitan slurred his words as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
“But despite being a Sword Master, you're surprisingly young and handsome.”
As Kaitan gazed at Stein, who had removed his helmet, his eyes drooped lazily.
Given the extraordinary level of skill Stein had displayed, it was only natural to assume he was middle-aged or older...
But with such a young and strikingly handsome knight sitting before them, the banquet attendees couldn't take their eyes off him.
‘How can he be that good-looking? And his skin... it's flawless.’
‘Wow... He could rival an elf in appearance.’
‘I heard becoming a Sword Master makes you look younger... is that why?’
Since his face was originally that of Eldir, it was only natural for him to draw attention.
“Hahaha! The princess keeps stealing glances at you.”
“Y-Your Majesty...”
At King Kaitan’s remark, the young princess blushed with embarrassment.
“What do you think? And I’m not just saying this because she’s my daughter, but isn't she truly beautiful? If you're interested, I wouldn't mind giving her to you.”
Kaylen glanced at the young princess.
She looked no older than eleven or twelve.
She was far too young.
‘And beautiful? Who, exactly?’
With Kaylen’s imperial standards, she appeared quite ordinary to him.
“I apologize, but I am already married.”
“Hahaha! What does that matter? A hero like you should have multiple wives and concubines.”
“I have vowed to devote myself to only one woman... I am truly sorry.”
At Kaylen’s polite yet firm refusal, King Kaitan smacked his lips in disappointment.
“Well, it can't be helped. We can talk about this another time.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“By the way... we must reward our benefactor. How about a title and land in our kingdom? There’s some decent land within the royal demesne. Bellos, over to the east... What was it called again?”
“Are you referring to the former Heinrich County?”
“Ah, yes. Heinrich’s land. The count’s heir was having trouble with the dungeon portal, so he sold the land to the royal family! Hahaha!”
A noble selling their territory to the royal family...
During Kaylen’s days as emperor, such a thing would have been unheard of.
However, in this era of rampant dungeon portals, it wasn’t all that uncommon.
Especially for nobles with solid business foundations in the capital, many were willing to sell off their lands.
The Heinrich family was well-known in the capital for their mana shoot business.
It seemed they sold the land to focus on their business rather than maintaining the territory.
“Sir Stein, the former Heinrich County may have many dungeon portals, but it’s still highly valuable due to its proximity to the capital.”
Beside King Kaitan, a muscular man spoke politely.
He bore a striking resemblance to the king, both in build and facial features, but with a somewhat friendlier expression.
‘That must be the Second Prince.’
Second Prince Bellos.
He had once been a rival to the First Prince, Diether Hart, in the struggle for the throne.
His powerful supporting faction, the Oblaine Ducal House, had recently suffered greatly due to an invasion of dungeon portals, putting him at a disadvantage...
But now, the situation had completely reversed.
His former rival, Diether Hart, had self-destructed and disappeared earlier today.
‘He can't even hide his smile.’
Even though it was the day his half-brother died, he shouldn't have been so openly pleased.
Yet, Bellos couldn't stop smiling.
“Well then, Sir Stein. I shall grant you the title of Count and bestow upon you the lands of the former Heinrich County. Quite a generous reward, don't you think?”
“Indeed, Sir Stein. Once this dungeon portal crisis is resolved, I will personally support you. With your abilities, you’ll settle in quickly.”
The reward promised by the king was substantial.
With the Second Prince also offering his support, there seemed to be no obstacles for the Sword Master Stein in establishing himself.
However, Kaylen immediately declined the offer.
“I appreciate it, but I must decline, Your Majesty.”
“Haha. No need to be shy... Hm?”
“I said I will not accept the title.”
“...Why not?”
King Kaitan's face turned even redder.
When Stein rejected the marriage proposal earlier, it was understandable since he was already married...
But now, he was refusing a count title and territory?
The king glanced towards the saintess.
Could it be that he plans to join the Sanctuary?
“If I accept the title, I would have to swear allegiance to Your Majesty…”
Kaylen spoke with a subtle smile on his lips.
“I have no intention of tying myself down just yet.”
Having the title and land would certainly make things easier in the future.
However, Kaylen had no desire to swear loyalty to King Kaitan.
It wasn’t because he had once been the emperor of the continent in his past life.
He had no intentions of building an empire like before.
Respecting the authority of the king was something he could do without issue.
But King Kaitan was different from other monarchs.
There were signs that he was somehow connected to Black Skull.
“Hmm…”
Kaitan huffed in displeasure at Stein’s rejection.
So he doesn’t want to swear loyalty to me, after all?
‘The king is going to throw a fit again...’
‘He becomes even more violent when drunk.’
The attendants, expecting the king’s wrath, watched him nervously...
“Hmph... well... if that’s what you want.”
King Kaitan, his face flushing red and blue in turns, barely managed to suppress his anger.
No matter how short his temper was, he couldn’t afford to lose it in front of a Sword Master.
Unlike usual, he seemed to have better control over his anger.
“Sir Stein, then... are you planning to leave the kingdom?”
“No. I’ll be staying a while longer, as I'm currently engaged in some intriguing experiments at the Myorn Workshop.”
“Experiments, you say…?”
“It’s related to mana suits for knights.”
Shiiing.
When Kaylen activated his mana suit, white armor materialized and enveloped his body.
“Prince Bellos, do you know why no Sword Masters have emerged in the past few centuries?”
“Isn't it because the teachings of the Sword Masters have been lost?”
“No. It’s because the amount of mana in the atmosphere has decreased compared to the past.”
At Kaylen's words, the knights attending the banquet perked up and listened closely.
“To become a Sword Master, accumulating a certain amount of mana is essential. In the past, mana was abundant in the atmosphere, making it easier to accumulate, but that’s no longer the case in the present era. That’s why knights can only advance to the Expert level at best.”
“I see.”
“However, if the experiment being conducted at the Myorn Workshop succeeds, much of this issue can be resolved.”
Clang. Clang.
Kaylen tapped his mana suit with his fingers.
All eyes were drawn to his helmet.
“The mana suit aids in mana accumulation.”
Murmur. Murmur.
The knights were shaken by the unexpected revelation.
“The mana suit helps accumulate mana?”
“What kind of place is the Myorn Workshop?”
“Is that even possible...?”
Listening to their reactions, Kaylen smirked.
‘Of course, it’s not possible.’
Mana suits, by their very nature, consume mana.
That’s why mana stones were essential.
If Myorn heard this claim, she would be aghast.
But Kaylen had his reasons for making such a statement.
‘Now there's no need to promote the Myorn Workshop any further.’
Myorn had produced two models of mana suits—Normal and Expert.
While the Expert model still required further development...
Even the Normal model boasted significantly superior performance compared to previous knight mana suits.
If previous knight mana suits increased output by 50%, the Normal model boosted it by 200%.
That was comparable to the output of mage mana suits, which were exclusively used by Meisters.
The performance was leagues ahead of anything that had come before.
It wouldn't be surprising if every knight in the kingdom eventually switched to the Normal model.
‘The only problem is that it's designed for knights.’
The world favored Meisters.
Instead of investing in a knight mana suit, it made more sense to add a little extra and purchase a mage mana suit instead.
So, no matter how groundbreaking the Myorn Workshop's new mana suit was, the fact that it was for knights meant it wouldn’t attract much attention.
‘But things will be different now.’
The fact that a Sword Master, appearing for the first time in centuries, was wearing it and even mentioned the Myorn Workshop—this much should be enough promotion.
“Myorn Workshop… Ah, isn’t that the place where the Dwarf Queen Myorn resides?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“To think such an intriguing experiment is being conducted there… I sincerely hope it succeeds. Then, does the mana suit you’re currently wearing have that function as well?”
“This mana suit primarily focuses on performance. It can enhance aura output by up to 400%.”
“400%... That’s truly an incredible item!”
Prince Bellos was astonished.
Most knight mana suits had a maximum enhancement of 50%.
At that level, its performance was comparable to that of a B-rank or higher Meister mana suit.
And now, such a thing was being developed for knights?
“We've been struggling with the monster horde that invaded the Oblain Duchy… This is excellent news. I must get in touch with that workshop.”
While Prince Bellos spoke, King Kaiten simply sipped his drink beside him.
He appeared uninterested despite the astonishing revelation.
“Sir Stein, even if you refuse a title, since you’ll be staying in the kingdom… you’ll still need a place to stay, won’t you? As a token of appreciation for this matter, I would like to grant you a fine estate in the capital…”
Though Kaylen had declined a title and territory, Bellos still wished to offer him something.
After all, Kaylen had saved the royal palace from being overtaken by demonic followers—how could they not reward him?
It was a matter tied to the dignity of the royal family.
“In that case… There is a place I have in mind. Would it be possible to grant me that instead?”
“Of course, just name it.”
Glancing briefly at King Kaiten, Kaylen spoke to Prince Bellos.
“The lodge on Mount Melzrek. It seemed like an excellent place for sword training.”
Mount Melzrek.
Located on the western outskirts of the capital, it offered breathtaking views, making it home to several lodges.
If the estate Kaylen had purchased was at the far end of the East River District...
Then the lodge on Mount Melzrek was at the far end of the West River District.
The two locations were so far apart that one would have to cross the entire capital to travel between them.
It was an inefficient choice, considering he already had a base on the eastern end.
But Kaylen had a reason for choosing this place.
‘According to Black Skull's memories, that lodge was another one of his key bases.’
The lodge on Mount Melzrek had been nothing less than a storage facility for Black Skull Cesar.
It housed a considerable amount of wealth stockpiled for offerings to the demons.
However, everyone who knew this secret had long disappeared from the world...
“The lodge on Mount Melzrek?!”
King Kaiten, who had been drinking idly, suddenly froze and stared at Kaylen in shock.
Since Kaylen had refused a title and land, the king had simply been listening to their conversation from the side—
But at the mention of the lodge on Mount Melzrek, he reacted with clear alarm.
“…Well, if you believe it will suffice… Then I shall grant you the lodge.”
He tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but Kaylen noticed it.
A subtle tremor in King Kaiten’s eyes.
‘As expected… he knows.’
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]