Ch.155EP.38 – The Knight Does Not Forgive the Bully (4)

What was happening defied common sense, but Salah was now planning to carry out a terrorist attack against Pendragon.

Assassin.

Moving those ominous crows meant exactly that.

Yet Salah didn’t hesitate for a moment.

If everything went according to plan, the sultanate he ruled would gain tremendous power.

And perhaps even…

-I might obtain the mysteries of transcendence.

The south was full of mysteries worth astronomical value, including Irene Windler.

If he could get just a few of them, he could endure even if war broke out.

-Shed some blood and gain power.

When thinking about the future, it was a sufficient gain.

It should have been that way, but…

“Irene, Irene Windler. Would you please become my concubine?”

“…?”

In the Sultan’s mind, mysteries and war were no longer priorities.

It felt like he had finally found his other half that he’d been searching for his entire life.

How could one possibly express such a feeling?

At this moment, even he who was called Sultan was just one of countless males courting a woman.

He had become completely enchanted, forgetting that he was supposed to kidnap her.

“Ah, was that an impolite proposal to you? Perhaps you’d like to become a Sultana (female Sultan)? Haha, certainly, with the power of Galahad that you possess, it might be quite possible.”

“Excuse me, but…”

Irene tried to say something.

Though she had a passive personality, shouldn’t one speak boldly when necessary?

Especially…

‘What kind of crazy person is this….’

When dealing with a madman who couldn’t be reasoned with.

Irene was planning to politely ask, “Would you mind leaving?” or perhaps, “Do you have some mental issues?”

But unfortunately…

Thwack.

“Sultan. I tried to be patient, but what do you think you’re doing? What rudeness is this toward Miss Irene!”

“Mage, what are you doing? How dare you lay hands on me…”

Before Irene could protest, there was a blonde-haired man aggressively confronting the Sultan.

Huey de Beyron.

He was the grand disciple of the Tower, and as he confronted the Sultan with an angry expression, Salah’s face hardened coldly.

“Mage. I am in the middle of a conversation with her. I don’t understand why you’re butting in without knowing your place.”

“Ha, conversation? From what I saw, you were just one-sidedly making a fool of yourself.”

“A fool? Did you just dare call me, a fool, mage!”

“Is that a problem?”

“You!”

Salah was furious.

Toward the lowly mage who didn’t know his place and was being impudent to the Sultan.

But his opponent was no pushover either.

“Place, ha! The Tower must seem quite laughable to you.”

The mage threw away his manners.

As if there was no more courtesy to be shown to such an arrogant Sultan.

The Tower was the ivory tower of mages.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the power of that ivory tower accounted for 40% of the vast central continent.

In other words, if they wanted to, they could easily handle two or three sultanates.

Therefore…

“Mage Irene is a treasure of the magical world who should become a valuable talent for the Tower. You should know that if you show a coercive attitude toward her and attempt such nonsense, the Tower will never take it lightly. Remember that, foreign lord.”

“You-!”

The title of Sultan actually meant king, yet being limited to a mere lord in such a statement made Salah more heated than ever.

Especially being humiliated in front of a woman he was attracted to?

This was an intolerable insult.

Grab!

Salah immediately grabbed Huey by the collar, and Huey didn’t hold back either, grabbing his collar in return.

A powder keg.

Two men ready to fight at any moment.

And watching this…

“This is amazing…!”

“A Tower’s grand disciple and the young Sultan of the West fighting over one woman… tomorrow’s news is decided.”

“Lady Irene has many sins too, hehe.”

People were simply enjoying the spectacle.

Where else could one get the chance to see such a drama of passion between powerful figures?

The nobles and young people hungry for excitement watched with sparkling eyes, excited by the drama of passion unfolding over one woman, while the girl at the center of it all…

“…I just wish they would all go away.”

[I agree.]

Irene very honestly expressed her feelings—that she would throw away such attention even if it were given to her.

* * *

“…Hmm.”

Meanwhile, a gray-haired boy watching this farce scratched his head.

What was this unfunny spectacle?

The more he looked at it, the more absurd the scene seemed, and the gray-haired boy Derrick turned his gaze toward the blonde-haired girl with a suspicious feeling.

Although it felt a bit apologetic and voyeuristic…

“…Status.”

One had to check, right?

Ding-.

━

Name: [Irene Windler]

Race: [Half-Fairy]

Traits: [Cradle of the Archmage(Lv.5), Child of the Fairies(Lv.4), Beauty That Could Topple a Nation(Lv.6), Sunfish(Lv.5), Sickly Beautiful Girl(Lv.3)]

Cradle of the Archmage: A trait that only those with the talent of an archmage can possess. Grants overwhelming talent in magic, and one is born with strong magical power and superior magical circuits.

Child of the Fairies: A trait that only those who have strongly inherited fairy blood can possess. Because of the strong inheritance of the mystical fairy race’s blood, one can handle mysterious powers and receive the love of nature.

Beauty That Could Topple a Nation: A trait that only those born with beauty that could cause a nation to fall can obtain. It is beauty that can captivate those in high positions, including those in power. If one has evil intentions, it is truly possible to cause a nation to fall.

Sunfish: A trait that can only be acquired by those who are so weak that their physical strength is worse than that of an elderly person. Due to extreme lack of exercise, one is incredibly frail (can be removed depending on effort).

Sickly Beautiful Girl: A trait that can only be obtained by those who have both the Sunfish trait and the Beauty That Could Topple a Nation trait. It is easy to gain sympathy from others, and easy to gain favor from wealthy magnates or royalty.

━

“…Now I understand exactly why those people can’t come to their senses.”

Derrick was dumbfounded as he observed the girl’s traits.

Unique traits like ‘Cradle of the Archmage’ or ‘Child of the Fairies’ didn’t even catch his eye.

That was because he had already predicted those.

Rather, what caught his attention were ‘Beauty That Could Topple a Nation,’ ‘Sunfish,’ and ‘Sickly Beautiful Girl.’

Those were traits that the developers had added as a joke, and those three traits were truly just made for laughs.

The Sunfish trait was for those with physical strength of 2 or less, a trait that only a baby who had just passed their first birthday would have, and Sickly Beautiful Girl was essentially a brainwashing-type trait.

It was particularly effective on the rich or powerful, as it was based on the sickly female protagonists that occasionally appeared in dramas.

And Beauty That Could Topple a Nation, that trait…

‘No wonder both the Sultan and the mage are falling for her.’

It enchants men.

Especially those who are arrogant and think highly of themselves.

“…What a truly terrible combination.”

How could she have such an extreme combination of traits?

Especially Sunfish—that was difficult to acquire even if you knew about it…

‘If you have Sunfish, you receive penalty judgments, and additional ability adjustments are given… but still, I definitely wouldn’t want it.’

Derrick decided to give up on understanding that girl.

She was armed with traits that one couldn’t possess even if offered, and thanks to that, she was keeping those two “villains” occupied.

Well, with the Sultan present, there was a high probability that Assassins would be around…

“…Moths to a flame?”

They’re entering a place guarded by a ‘Lv.8 Class Hero’?

This was just…

“Derrick! Stop daydreaming and dance already!”

“I-I’m sorry, Karin. But isn’t this already the fifth time…?”

“Are you trying to rest?”

“…No.”

“Then dance quickly.”

“…Yes.”

Unfortunately, Derrick couldn’t continue his train of thought.

It seemed he shouldn’t anger his partner any further.

*

*

*

Assassin.

The word that became the origin of “assassin,” and these people were closer to a religious group than an assassination organization.

In some ways, they were similar to Inquisitors, and they would immediately deliver death to those who violated their doctrine or believed in other religions.

Therefore, Assassins were objects of fear even in the West.

The reason even Sultans didn’t readily accept Assassins as subordinates was because their firm beliefs were too intense, and also because their methods were too cruel.

Once they took action, they didn’t just eliminate the target, but also massacred, kidnapped, and tortured everyone else involved.

Even Sultans threw up their hands at their cruelty, treating them like wild zebras that couldn’t be tamed.

In other words, they were troublesome.

If you couldn’t tame them, using them might result in getting bitten yourself.

That’s why Assassins were rarely used even in the West.

Entrusting them with a job was like inviting an unpredictable disaster.

However…

“-·-·2-.”

“-·-33-·-.”

“-2-·-.”

It was no exaggeration to say that their skills were among the best on the continent.

They communicated using codes they had created themselves, and most of them were humans whose bodies had been modified through the great methods passed down in the Assassin order.

A group equipped with not only combat abilities but also unique constitutions and abilities.

If they set their minds to it, they could kill anyone…

“Do you have an entry permit?”

“──.”

They froze…

The Assassins’ bodies stiffened.

How long had he been sitting there?

The man sitting on the roof, gazing at the moon, looked at the Assassins with a calm gaze, but the Assassins’ eyes were fixed on those rolling at the man’s feet.

They were clearly fellow Assassins who had infiltrated before them.

About ten of them, whose skills were certainly capable of easily slaughtering even a knight commander, but such skilled individuals…

“Ah, are you concerned about these guys? Are they your friends? If you want to take them, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

“……”

“…Not taking them? Disloyal fellows.”

Shing.

“It would be better not to draw those.”

Dozens of Assassins drew their peculiarly shaped knives.

Kukri (खुकुरी).

A machete-type blade that also symbolized the strongest mercenaries, the Gurkhas.

And with those blades drawn, the group-

“-·1-!”

Poured toward the man.

Showing their desperate determination to eliminate anyone who interfered with them.

Swish! Swish!

The dance of blades performed by dozens of Assassins was truly like iron bars of blades with no escape, and it was undoubtedly a crisis, but…

-Rustle.

“…?”

The plum blossoms that bloomed inappropriately for the situation did not acknowledge such a crisis as a crisis.

Swoosh!

As the petals of the plum blossoms dug into the Assassins’ blades and skin…

Splatter!

Along with the plum blossoms, fountains of blood erupted, appearing just like flower petals.

– Plum Blossom Blood Rain (梅花血雨).

As plum blossoms became a rain of blood.

“Let’s end this quietly. Don’t cause unnecessary commotion.”

It’s not good to disturb children at play.

It was a quiet reprimand from him, from Ihan.