Chapter 153: The Knight Won’t Forgive the Golden Sun (2)

Unlike Lee Han, most people looked at the two men walking in with admiration. Aside from their appearances, the fact that they had acquired power, fame, and might at such a young age was bound to make them attractive to others. Among the noble girls who attended the ball, there were quite a few whose faces turned flushed, meanwhile the boys were clearly displeased by the sight.

When the awkward atmosphere began to escalate more…

“Young talents of Pendragon! My name is Salah! I am one of the 17 Sultans of the West, but right now, I’m not here as the sultan, but as someone who wants to meet the young talents of Pendragon!”

The sultan continued his sudden greetings. Since it was completely sudden, he hadn’t told anyone about it before, others were quite taken aback by it.

“This is but a gift, as a greeting for all of you who came here today. Unfortunately, I only brought enough for the cadets, so I hope the others will not be upset. Today’s main characters are the students attending this academy after all.”

Then, he started the ‘gift attack’ as if he was trying to push even harder.

Snap-!

As he lightly snapped his fingers, dozens of servants dressed in foreign attire moved in unison and laid out the items he brought for the cadets.

“Wow…”

They were golden bells that could make anyone easily exclaim in admiration.

The golden bells lined up in rows, making an amazing spectacle. Watched from afar, they were already beautiful enough, but the elaborate craftsmanship when watched up close made them look even more splendid. It wasn’t hard to figure out that these bells were made by the dwarves. The students realized that this was by no means a minor gift.

“Cadets of Pendragon. I hope you like the gifts that this sultan gives you! Ahahaha!”

A hearty laugh rang out as he said so. It was as if the awkward atmosphere that enveloped the place had nothing to do with him.

“What a peculiar person.”

“In a sense, he’s an outstanding figure.”

“His spirit is quite good…”

The nobles who attended the ball were impressed by him for several reasons. One, the way he brought gifts for the cadets, though in a way, could be dismissed as him bragging about his wealth, it didn’t diminish his dignity at all. Then there was also the extraordinary spirit that he naturally exuded. Though it didn’t seem like he had learned any Combat Techniques, his spirit was no less than that of a knight.

The qualities of a king.

All the nobles here caught a glimpse of that quality from him. At the same time, they also realized that Sultan Salah wasn’t someone that they could easily deal with.

However…

“…”

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“…Everyone seems to think of that sultan highly, but he looks quite clumsy to me.”

“Sorry?”

“How should I explain it? He’s like a fox pretending to be a tiger?”

“…?”

“After all the ‘higher-ups’ I’ve seen, he definitely gives out that kind of aura.”

“???”

The knight shrugged lightly.

Of course, the higher-ups he referred to were the crown princess of Pendragon who seemed to have clairvoyance, the duke and the archduke, who could overwhelm others just by their sheer presence alone, and a lot more.

Everyone left a strong impression on him, while the sultan wasn’t so. It was to the point that he wondered if they really had the same standing.

Are my standards just too high?

He just looks so small though…

Like a puppy.

Salah sneered.

“How simple. I won their favor so easily.”

“Compared to the West, the nobles here are sloppy. Seems like the South has been experiencing peace for too long.”

“It’s probably because they don’t have talented guys anymore. The God of War’s eye might be potent like that of a God when it comes to discovering talents, but he’s gone now.”

Salah said to his beloved bodyguard with a smile. Since they spoke in a rather rare language even in the West, no one here understood what they were talking about.

“As expected, Pendragon without God of War is not even a threat.”

“…”

“Haksan, do you have anything you want to say?”

“…As you said, Sultan, Pendragon has lost its former glory. However, their [Mystics] and [superhumans] are still there. Please don’t just look at one tree. Try to look at the entire forest.”

“You dare to lecture me now?”

“I apologize.”

“…Tsk.”

Though he acted that way, Salah wasn’t an incompetent brat who’d ignore the words of his loyal subjects. In fact, inwardly, he felt the envy that he tried hard not to show.

What an enviable land they have…

A land blessed with Mystics…

In that one aspect, Salah’s envy towards the Pendragon was genuine.

Of course, there were Mystics in the West too; even his proud bodyguard, the warrior, had a mystic ability.

However, even when it came to Mystics, there were levels.

The most powerful Mystics in the West was at best at a level 2 or 3, merely at a mid-level. Meanwhile, Pendragon had plenty of level 1s, the highest-level Mystics.

In particular, the [Galahad’s Demon Sword] and [Lionel’s Black King] were both at a level that was immeasurable. They were even passed down as legends in the West, and many children grew up listening to their stories like fairy tales.

But that wasn’t all. In Pendragon, apart from these ‘Transcendental Mystics’, there were also the [superhumans]. They were monsters that one couldn’t even afford to touch—monsters who’d gladly face the sultan’s entire army if he dared to cross paths with them.

That was why Salah envied Pendragon. More specifically, their Mystics.

“I wish I could have their Mystics…”

For a second there, he showed a glimpse of his burning hidden desire.

It was greed made of malice; it made his face look so fierce and dark, making his confident and spirited appearance look like an illusion. Hence why, he tried hard to suppress his desire from coming out and opened his mouth.

“Haksan, what is ‘that guy’ doing?”

“Don’t worry, Sultan. I’m keeping a close eye on him.”

“Really? Don’t let your guard down. Mages aren’t the types of people you could afford to overlook no matter what. The moment you think he’s doing something—”

“I will execute him immediately.”

“Please.”

“As you wish, Sultan.”

Satisfied with his loyal subject’s words, he lightly moistened his throat with the champagne in his hand before turning his gaze towards the crowd again with a good-natured smile.

I’m looking forward to it.

Salah was excited.

The stage was ready, the flow had begun to circulate. It was something which couldn’t be stopped even if someone tried.

However, if he were to think of an obstacle, a variable…

…The Magic Tower.

It had to be the existence of the Magic Tower.

The presence of outstanding mages always created variables whenever they went. Even though he had deliberately made the mage accompany him to the South and kept on talking nonstop, the guy still did not reveal his true feelings at all.

As expected, mages are all arrogant and unpredictable.

However…

“That’s why it is even more surprising. I never thought our goals would overlap.”

Though he couldn’t read the Magic Tower’s intention, he knew that they shared the same objective. This fact stimulated his competitive spirit for some reason, and a smile grew on Salah’s lips.

“Irene Windler, huh? I want to meet her.”

The mysterious jewel that Salah wanted to personally confirm.

They said that one’s talent in magic was also considered as Mystics, in that sense, her talent was the most tempting Mystics of them all. Even if only half of the rumors circulating around were true, it was still worth investigating for.

While Salah was so excited like that…

“Oh, it’s Young Lady Irene.”

“Young Lady?”

“O-Oh my God…”

A commotion broke, and the name Irene was being thrown around. He immediately turned his gaze and…

“Finally, I’ll be able to—”

Thud-!

“…”

Rustle-!

He saw her. A ‘goddess’ who was walking through the flower garden.

Her appearance was mystical. Dreamy. Perhaps, ‘fairy’ would be appropriate to describe her.

However, one thing was clear. Her appearance took his breath away.

“…”

Salah was left speechless.

Like all sultans of the past, he had his own harem, and it was full of peerless beauties whom he could embrace whenever he wanted. So to him, women were nothing more than jewels in a closet, nothing more than collectibles.

But…

Wooosh-!

The moment he saw her, he felt an incredible shock that made his heart race. He felt like the word ‘beauty’ existed solely for her.

Her beauty and atmosphere was dizzying. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind while her blue eyes shimmered, as if they contained all the diamonds in the world.

She even created an illusion that flowers were blooming whenever she passed by.

“Irene… Irene Windler…”

The sultan quickly realized the identity of the intense shock and emotion he felt as he softly called her name.

Yes, this is it!

“I-I met my destiny today…”

If only he knew that fate was playing tricks on him…

And that he was in for a cruel awakening…

[Arin, that person is sending you a passionate gaze!]

“Really? Why does he look so creepy? Look at him! He looks like a total parasite!”

[Not a pimp?]

“No, he’s just a parasite! Why is a guy wearing so much makeup anyway?”

[Arin, that’s gender discrimination.]

“…Hmm, alright then, that person’s makeup is bad! I hate it!”

[Agreed!]

Feeling the pervert’s intense gaze, Irene Windler trembled.

Why are they staring at me so intensely like that…?

Irene felt uncomfortable with the gazes of others who looked at her every time she passed by. She had an appearance that easily attracted the gazes of others, but today, the gazes were even more numerous than usual, so much so that she even started to let out cold sweat.

She was a gorgeous and proud young lady on the outside, but inside, she was just a young girl. An extremely introverted girl at that.

However, this was just a given. After all…

[You are the one who decided to dress up today!]

Irene usually didn’t dress up at all; she just washed her face lightly. These days, she had someone who she wanted to look good for, so she washed her hair and looked in the mirror, but in the past, Irene was a total sloth who just used her magic to keep herself clean.

But today, she decided to dress up for the first time.

Now that she, who was already considered the most beautiful girl in the Academy without putting any effort, decided to dress up…

[You’re pretty, Arin. It would be nice if you dressed up like that every day.]

It was like seeing raw jewels being transformed into a splendid crown.

If she really wanted to, she could seduce any men she wanted, just like the Dream Demon.

Though, she herself was not interested in such things at all.

“It’s not like I wanted to dress like this, the maids forced me to wear it. It’s annoying…”

The dress, makeup, and jewel accessories she wore were all for the sake of maintaining the duke’s prestige, and they were all nothing but annoyances to Irene.

She kept grumbling as she went on. Fortunately, no one approached her first. Mages had unique magic that could act as a shield to prevent others from approaching, and Irene, who had particularly strong magic, always radiated water-colored magic and displayed an intense aura that prevented people from approaching her without caution.

Even if they had learned Combat Technique, it would still be difficult for them to approach her without them being as strong as a knight first.

As the girl walked, people naturally opened the way for her like a river before Moses. This way, the girl could approach those she was familiar with without any hindrance.

Was she trying to look for the cadets from the Magic Department?

Of course not.

The one she was trying to look at was…

“There he is!”

A member of the Swordsmanship Department.

The man with a noticeable presence was quite a distance away from her, but that didn’t stop her from wishing to run quickly towards him. Sadly, because she wasn’t used to the shoes she was wearing, she could only approach him slowly.

She let out a bright smile and was about to call out to him, but…

“Excuse me, Mage Irene. May I ask you to dance with me?”

“?”

Why is this blondie blocking my path??

A man with the same ecstatic expression as the copper-skinned man she just saw blocked her path. What made him different from the other man was the considerable amount of strong golden magic flowing from him.

At first glance, it seemed like he had the same amount of magic as Irene.

Normally, it would be natural for a mage to be attracted to other mages, so it should be normal for her to have even a little interest in that man with his eyes full of wisdom.

However…

“I’m busy.”

“…”

Unfortunately, Irene didn’t care whether he was a mage or whatever.

Irene, who had turned away with a serious expression as if avoiding salesmen who sell religion on the street, finally stood in front of those she was familiar with.

“Hehe, Instructor~!”

Gone was the girl who had just chased away the blond guy while emanating cold wind from her entire body, replaced by a girl who looked so excited that one could imagine a tail attached to her. Looking at her, the knight…

“…Chick, this instructor is seriously worried. You really need to be more careful with men.”

“?”

“You seem like the type that’ll get easily tangled with bad men.”

“Pardon?”

“…If you don’t get what I’m trying to say, then forget it…”

The knight let out a wry laugh. He just witnessed a scene of her making a villain fall for her in real time.

Is this why she’s called a villainess?

She barely even did anything, and all those villains are already going crazy.

It was the moment when he realized that her appearance definitely made his thoughts plausible.