Ch.223Chapter 223 – The King Was at a Loss for Words

We boarded the carriage prepared by the Kingdom of Tilasio and have now entered the capital of the Tilasio Kingdom.

“My dear, what are you thinking about?”

The person riding in the carriage with me was, of course, Cheon Hyeryeong.

She seemed curious about what was on my mind.

“I’m wondering why the king of this country summoned me.”

The king of the Tilasio Kingdom, Embrio XII, had invited me to his palace.

This meant that information about my arrival in the Tilasio Kingdom had reached Embrio XII.

Since I’m a titled nobleman from the Gelebrio Empire, a neighboring country to the Tilasio Kingdom, it would actually be strange if information about me hadn’t reached the king.

Moreover, someone in the position of a king would likely have some information about key figures operating in other countries.

Not to boast, but leaders of various countries are probably keeping a keen eye on someone like me.

Why? Well, for one, I’ve been officially recognized by the Great Goddess Order as a “Demon Sword Destroyer.”

Of course, it was more of a corrupted holy sword than a demon sword, but I was indeed the one who destroyed it.

After that, I cured the Prezmerine disease, which was considered an eternal incurable illness.

At the Autumn Festival, I performed a hair loss treatment demonstration that earned applause from countless people.

I didn’t just cure one person—I treated several people in succession…

‘Even the legendary elixir couldn’t accomplish something like this.’

For reference, the reason the elixir is called a legendary medicine is that only an extremely small quantity is released to the market.

When I looked into why, I discovered that elixirs are not only difficult to produce but are also designated as strategic resources.

Strategic resources are items that are strictly managed to prevent their free circulation in the market.

But it seems His Imperial Majesty took a few bottles just to treat hair loss…

‘Well, if an emperor can’t even do that much, the name “empire” would be wasted.’

Anyway, to summarize my self-assessment, I could be described as a “walking panacea.”

I heal people, cure diseases, fix objects—I’m basically an all-purpose repairman who can fix anything.

Plus, now I officially have the title of “Academy Certified Repairman,” so I can proudly say I’m someone who repairs things wherever I go.

“In this one’s opinion, the most likely reason the king of this country has summoned you is that he wishes to extend some hospitality to a high nobleman from the powerful Gelebrio Empire who is visiting his country.”

Hearing Cheon Hyeryeong’s words, I thought, is that so?

But I was slightly concerned that he only invited me to the palace after I had treated people.

“Do not worry. If anything happens, this one will surely protect you.”

“I’m grateful for that.”

“Halt! Only carriages with prior permission may enter the palace!”

It seemed our carriage had arrived at the palace gates, as I heard a guard stopping our carriage from beyond the door.

“This carriage carries guests personally invited by His Majesty the King.”

“Pardon me, but may I ask who is inside?”

“Count Patos Severio of the Gelebrio Empire, along with his fiancée.”

“My apologies. We were informed and have been waiting. You may proceed.”

I could hear the carriage driver and the guard exchanging words, and then the carriage began moving again.

After moving a bit further, the carriage finally came to a stop.

When the carriage stopped and the door opened, I saw someone who appeared to be the head butler or head chamberlain.

“Count Patos Severio. I am Dillon, the head chamberlain assigned to guide you today. Welcome to our kingdom. His Majesty the King is waiting. Please allow me to escort you.”

The person who opened the carriage door and waited for us was the head chamberlain.

Following his guidance, Cheon Hyeryeong and I walked through the interior of the palace.

The palace of the Tilasio Kingdom was surprisingly modest.

I had heard it was a country with a long history, but compared to its long history, the palace was quite small.

To be honest, compared to our empire’s imperial palace, this place seemed smaller than even the mansion of our Prime Minister…

“This is the place. Would you mind waiting a moment?”

Dillon had us wait in front of a large door, then approached it and knocked a couple of times.

“Your Majesty, I have brought the guests.”

“Let them enter.”

An unfamiliar middle-aged male voice came from beyond the door.

I presumed that the owner of that voice was Embrio XII, the monarch of this kingdom.

Head chamberlain Dillon opened the door for us, and through the gradually opening door appeared a man dressed in splendid attire.

“Welcome. I am the ruler of this country.”

With arms wide open to welcome us, this man was none other than the monarch of the Tilasio Kingdom,

Embrio XII.

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It was extremely rare for a country’s monarch to welcome someone with open arms.

However, for Embrio XII, Patos’s visit was an occasion worthy of such a welcome.

This was because an excellent opportunity had arrived to fulfill his ambition of turning the Tilasio Kingdom into an empire.

‘Through Count Severio’s abilities, we can make our kingdom’s strong ones even stronger.’

To Embrio XII, Patos was literally a walking miracle.

His deliberate hospitality toward Patos was also part of a plan to create a sense of indebtedness.

‘Hmm. This fellow seems to have some ulterior motive.’

And Cheon Hyeryeong noticed from Embrio XII’s welcoming demeanor toward Patos that he had some plan to use him.

She was able to perceive this because she herself was in a position of leading a large organization, the Heavenly Demon Sect.

When a leader of a large organization warmly welcomes a single person?

This typically happens when that person has either bestowed a favor upon the leader or possesses something the leader desires.

“Thank you for your warm welcome, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve heard that thanks to you, the people of our kingdom have been able to escape from suffering.”

“It wasn’t me; I merely assisted the Saint.”

In response to Embrio XII’s praise, Patos attributed all credit to Eterna.

“Modest as well, I truly like that.”

Seeing that Patos was not boasting but giving credit to Eterna, Embrio XII anticipated that this would not be an easy battle.

“Ahem, the truth is, I invited you because there is someone I hope you can heal.”

Embrio XII realized that beating around the bush wouldn’t work with Patos, so he directly stated what he wanted from him.

“Who do you want me to heal?”

“Our kingdom had a knight commander who reached the level of Sword Master. However, he has retired from active duty due to old age. The current knight commander still lacks sufficient skill. So, could you heal our former knight commander? At least enough so that he can pass on his teachings to the current commander.”

“Well…”

Patos looked visibly troubled by Embrio XII’s request.

This was because his ability was to fix things, not to turn an old person back into a young one.

“My ability is to fix things, not to reverse aging, Your Majesty.”

Embrio XII misunderstood, thinking that Patos was deliberately refusing his request to increase his own value.

“Please don’t be like that. Could you use your ability just once?”

So he put aside his pride and asked Patos if he could use his ability on the former knight commander.

“Why should I do that?”

Patos asked directly why he should use his ability for him.

“Because I have provided you with convenience. Without my permission, how could you have entered this land?”

Embrio XII’s words sounded reasonable at first glance.

He was saying that as the ruler of this country, how could Patos have entered without his permission.

“Well, that’s true, but my ability won’t work on a knight commander who has aged naturally.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s the natural order of things for a person to grow old and have their physical abilities decline.”

“Then isn’t hair loss also part of the natural order?”

“Doesn’t hair loss occur in young people too? Hair is meant to grow, not to fall out. If you think about it, hair loss goes against the natural order. I merely cured the disease of hair loss, which defies nature’s principles.”

Embrio XII was left speechless by Patos’s response.

He keenly realized that if he were to argue against this, he would face backlash from countless people suffering from hair loss.