Chapter 97

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"Ah, yes, Your Excellency the Marquis!"

"I heard my ugly son owes you a favor. Thank you."

"Oh, no!"

"No, no. It's not a simple thank you."

Marquis Aris took Raymond's hand.

"My son told me in a letter that, thanks to you, he feels he can finally break through the wall of fear. You've made a man out of my ugly son, and I thank you."

His voice dripped with love for his son.

'He doesn't know that Elmud has sworn an oath of loyalty to me, does he?'

He guessed so.

He asked him this.

"But he told me he had a dream he wanted to fulfill. Have you heard anything about it?"

Raymond's heart sank - he was referring to the Pledge of Loyalty!

"Uh, no."

'Help me. I don't want to die by Marquis Aris's sword!'

Anxiety surged through him.

Just then, a new figure appeared.

A cold-eyed, gray-haired middle-aged man in sturdy armor.

The scar across the corner of his eye gave him away.

'Heuk. Duke Leif!'

Duke Leif, the greatest noble in the south!

The commander of the kingdom's southern regular army, and has been involved in many conflicts with the Drotonians on the borderlands.

The de facto head of the military.

More importantly,

'Along with His Majesty, one of only two Sword Masters in the Kingdom of Houston.'

Raymond swallowed hard.

More importantly, he was related to his nemesis Seitil.

To be precise, Seitil's biological mother, the Fourth Queen, was close to Duke Leif.

'He's not going to do anything about Seitil, is he?'

Luckily, that didn't happen.

Duke Leif didn't even look at Raymond.

"And His Majesty?"

"He'll be here soon. Ah, there he is."

King Odin arrived, accompanied by several escorting knights, so it was King Odin, Duke Leif, Marquis Aris, and Count Dorton.

Four of the five strongest knights in the kingdom were now in one place.

"We will begin the ceremony now."

"Yes, sir."

Marquis Arrys stepped forward.

But Odin shook his head and then said something unexpected.

"No, I'll perform this victory ritual alone."

"...!"

"Do we really need a whole bunch of people to take down a Shabel Tiger?"

Count Dorton, vice leader of the Royal Knights, frowned.

"That's a bit of a stretch. There are many other monsters in the Gir Mountains besides the Shabel Tiger."

"So?"

"Because it could be dangerous..."

"Dangerous? For who?"

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