Episode 163
EPISODE.82
Knock!
The door opens to reveal a spacious banquet hall.
It was an unpretentious banquet hall with no flashy aspect compared to its size.
It was difficult to find ornaments or chandeliers made of gold and silver, and most of the ornaments were carved out of stone or wood.
The most splendid among them was the stained glass made by stacking colored glass.
The light was reflected on the opaque glass with various shades, enhancing the atmosphere of the banquet hall.
Other kings and nobles did not. Even compared to that of a typical aristocratic family, it was quite easygoing.
Although it is said to have been stockpiled for the purpose of public goods, the Count is so popular that he opens the barn without hesitation for the difficulties of the territory.
“It seems to be a banquet hall where you can get a glimpse of the count’s usual personality.”
Alan murmured softly, as if thinking the same thing.
“The Magicians of the Royal Capital, including Count Raymond Shin Seong-gong, are entering!”
At the roaring cry of the attendant, which burst out half a breath late, all eyes in the hall turned toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
Earl Reinkel, the only territory with a large city among several nearby territories.
Is it because
Quite a number of nobles were present at the banquet hall.
Of course, it was hard to see that they attended this banquet simply with a pure heart.
Outwardly, they must have gathered to celebrate the victory and safety of the Reinkel county, but-.
‘More than half of them must be hiding their intention to establish connections with the central political world.’
Perhaps it was because he had the opportunity to encounter the nobles of the central political world over and over again through his long life as a king.
Compared to those who were good at hiding their true feelings, the transparent eyes of the local aristocrats seemed rather cute.
When I turned my head, I saw the figures of those who came with those nobles.
‘Probably Gasol-.’
-Most of them are daughters or nieces. Russell laughed lightly at the appearance of the girls dressed up to the fullest.
‘Anyway, Sir Alan and the young wizards must be in trouble.’
No matter how daring he was, he wouldn’t do something like that even to himself, a member of the royal family and the king’s sire.
Their first target would be Alan, and there was a strong possibility that their next target would be the wizards of the lower circles.
Although not as good as Russell or Alan, the fact that they entered the Mage Tower at a young age in itself was a testament to their potential.
Countess Reinkel greeted Russell and his party, who grasped the situation in the banquet hall in a short moment.
“The heroes of the county are here!”
Smiling brightly, he turned to Russell and the other wizards and asked.
“I don’t know if you’ve had a good rest.”
“I had a good rest thanks to your consideration.”
It wasn’t empty words, Count Reinkel really did his best for the rest and recovery of the wizards.
Not only did he get some fruits and medicines that were said to be helpful in restoring his energy, but he also took great care of the slightly injured wizards.
“I’m glad you had a good rest. I was worried that there might be some insufficiency…”
I wonder if he had been talking about this and that with Count Reinkel for a while.
A group of people approached them, feeling the atmosphere ripen little by little.
First of all, a group of people approaching like a seungnyang looking for prey with Gasols bitten.
“Count Reinkel. If it’s okay, would you like to introduce us to the heroes of the county?”
The nobles of the nearby estates were the main characters.
.
.
It wasn’t a place that I liked very much, but that doesn’t mean I can’t break the atmosphere of the banquet.
“This is Russell Raymond.”
Hiding his shy feelings, Russell slowly exchanged greetings with the nobles nearby.
“haha. Count Raymond. I’ve often heard rumors about the Shinseong Gong…”
“More devotion than I’ve heard…”
“…I’m always worried that I won’t become someone in the name of the royal family because there are still many shortcomings. However, it is fortunate that many lords say so. Thank you for your words of praise.”
A skillful response that can’t be found at the time when he first set foot in aristocratic society.
Russell laughed at his reflection in the wine glass.
‘They say you’ll get used to it over time.’
Apparently, it wasn’t just magical achievements that increased.
Russell was freed from the lords only after tens of minutes had passed and he had greeted 14 lords.
Perhaps because of the rumors that Russell and Alan were attending, there were lords who attended from far away besides the six nearby estates.
Of course, the withdrawal of the lords was also not arbitrary.
It just happened naturally as time passed and the ball started.
????-???? ???? ♬─ ???? ????──.
After all, prom was the time for young men and women.
As I moved my gaze slowly, I saw the sight of the magicians and women of the royal capital enjoying a ball in pairs.
Except for Alan Page, who is good at this kind of situation, most of the faces are red.
‘It’s no wonder.’
In other words, entering the King’s Magic Tower at a young age was no different from being a study worm.
It was said that both men and women were equally sukmaek.
the problem is-.
‘Those gentlemen…’
Russell let out a long sigh at the sight of the lords glancing at him.
As explained earlier, it is said to be a prom, but she is the daughter of the royal family. No one bothered to ask her to dance.
Is it because The gaze of the lords looking at him who was left alone was unusual.
‘If I keep going like this, I’ll definitely get involved with them again.’
Thinking so, Russell secretly raised his mana.
It kills the presence by assimilating the raised magic power into the surrounding shadows.
It’s not to the point of disappearing right in front of your eyes, but as your presence has clearly decreased, those who show interest in you will also decrease along with it.
Take a break while feeling the eyes of the nobles scattering.
For an instant, Russell’s face hardened.
I feel a strange yet heterogeneous gaze somewhere.
‘This is…’
Russell turned his head at the sensation. I checked where I could feel the gaze.
What Russell met there was a man with a special appearance as much as a foreign gaze.
‘Black long hair…’
Aside from the all-black outfit, her hair is also black, which is rare on the continent.
If there was a difference, unlike Russell’s, the man’s black hair was a bit more muddy.
Not only that, but somehow I felt an ominous energy. All of them come together to create a strange beauty of decadence.
Is it because
Unlike his handsome appearance, the man’s appearance gave off an aura of reluctance to approach somewhere.
At that moment, the man who met Russell’s eyes raised the corners of his mouth.
“—!!”
Russell’s body trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.
The feeling of having the entrance of the bottomless pit in front of you.
What was surprising was that no one in the banquet hall was aware of the man’s existence, despite his presence.
It was as if only the space for Russell and the man was separated.
And besides…
‘This familiar gaze must be—.’
Wasn’t it the same gaze that followed her back several times while fighting the hydra?
‘Besides that…’
Those were the eyes of familiar beings who had been through it a few times.
Unbeknownst to me, my eyebrows go deep.
Feeling the change in Russell’s face, the man turned.
Leaving the banquet hall with slow steps, I slowly moved the model toward the terrace.
In Russell’s eyes, it was like -.
‘….’
– It seemed like he was telling me to follow him.
.
.
rattle-.
When the door to the terrace opened, a cool night breeze blew through her hair.
“….”
The man was standing on top of the railing of the terrace, and he was standing on top of it as if it were flat.
The pale falling moonlight.
The sound of the county’s festival coming from far away.
On a night where everyone is having fun, there is only the man and Russell in this silence.
The cool night wind and silence strangely distorted, heightening the ominous atmosphere in the company.
Amidst the heavy silence, Russell opened his mouth.
“I will ask you one thing.”
——?
“Are you a dragon?”
Although it was a little different, the man’s gaze had a lot in common with the silver dragon and the fire dragon he met the day before.
If such an existence exists, it should be called a black dragon or a demonic dragon.
Besides, if this man was the one behind him that Hydra was talking about, then everything was explained.
‘With the power of the dragon, it would be possible to forcibly grow the hydra.’
To Russell’s question, the man neither affirmed nor denied.
—Well…
I just tilted my head at the dry and dry story.
Suddenly, the man kicked the railing.
Hwaaak!
It spreads its wings as black as the night sky and soars.
The gust of wind that began with his flapping of his wings greatly shook the terrace and the lower garden-!
Quagwagwagwa-!
When the wind finally died down, the man’s figure was no longer there.
Only the voice left behind by the man was dissipating into the chilly air…——
It was definitely called that at one time.
A notification was heard.
[You have completed the mission. A reward will be given.]
[As a reward for defeating the Hydra, you will receive the highest grade magic stone (edible) x5.] [
You have confirmed the secret behind the Hydra and the truth behind it.]
[The highest grade magic stone (edible) as a reward…. ]
It was a notification that proved that Russell’s guess was not wrong.
* * *
The place where the man who escaped from the banquet hall reappeared was in a remote mountain hundreds of kilometers away from Reinkel.
The foot of the mountain where thorns and conifers entangled randomly and cast shadows everywhere.
Swoop-.
The darkness at the foot of the mountain seemed to distort, and then a man in black slowly appeared through the distorted space.
widely-.
The man who came out of the darkness like that moved through the thorny bushes.
It took some time to move the new model along the foot of the mountain with thick shadows as if it were used to it.
Soon, the man’s steps stopped in front of a huge rocky cave hidden between dense coniferous trees.
──I
don’t know how others feel.
Even on this ominous and damp day, this rocky cave, where no sunlight shines, was the only comfortable dwelling place for the man.
Suddenly, the man shook his left arm.
Knock!
“Knock-!”
Along with him, a man clutching his neck struggled as he came out of the darkness.
“Kkuk kuk kuk-.”
A cultist man who sprays red eyes viciously.
—Since it smells filthy, I should have warned you not to come directly to me if you have something to say.
The man in black glared at him with impassive eyes and muttered.
-Do you want to die? Hypnos.
dragon-swallowed wizard
