Chapter 215. Grand completion ceremony (1)
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, look here. If you pull the lever like this, the water inlet of the lock opens and the water drains out.”
Less!
The lever was pulled along with the lock manager’s explanation.
The pulley inside the lock turned with a clanking metallic noise.
The spout was opened.
The water in the locks receded and the water level went down.
“What? It’s real. Are you running out of water?”
“oh my god. What kind of devices do you have?”
A small cruise ship waiting at the lock also went down along with the lowering water surface.
Passengers of the cruise ship each looked around the inside of the lock with curious eyes.
Inside the lock that looks like a huge square water tank.
As the water level went down, various pieces carved in relief were revealed.
A dragon that used to pick up a royal castle in the distant past.
Temporary king elected by dragon’s vote.
Ambitious people who showed their greed when the provisional king grew old.
The royal road engulfed in flames due to the civil war of ambitious people.
A knight like a hero who appeared then.
Saved the old provisional king.
drove out the ambitious.
It received enthusiastic support from the people.
That’s how he welcomes the temporary king’s princess as his companion.
Finally, he declared this place as the royal capital Magenta and opened a new dynasty.
“Isn’t that the founding tale of our kingdom?”
“Looks like Sir Michael, King of Heroes, founder of that knight over there?”
“Looking at the large flower on the helmet, it seems certain.”
“I heard that flower hero king was a token of the promise he made with the dragon when he was young?”
“Exactly. So, isn’t it a flower that is also used as a symbol of our royal family?”
A fragment of the founding story engraved inside the lock.
Pride flashed on the faces of the passengers who saw the unexpected spectacle.
They were proud to be citizens of a prosperous kingdom.
The patriotism of those passengers reached its peak when the ferry, which had traveled down the canal, reached the center of the garden.
“It’s a dragon….”
“Is that a real dragon bone?”
“It seems so. But that…Could it be a stone statue?”
“A stone statue? Where?”
“In front of the dragon skeleton prone.”
“…Oh, it really is!”
“I think that’s the appearance of His Highness the King.”
“It’s like kneeling a dragon.”
“awesome….”
The dragon bowed its head and prostrated itself.
A stone statue of King Alicia standing tall in front of it.
It was a masterpiece of grandeur and exquisite harmony.
I felt the scale and power that overwhelms the viewer.
The overwhelming feeling was all the more dramatic as a small cruise ship passed right in front of it and the waterway was laid to look up at the stone statues and dragon bones. No, I even felt like I was part of the scene where the dragon and the king were.
The feeling of experiencing great history.
A sense of unity, like being part of a dramatic moment.
Cruise ship tours instilled a sense of patriotism among passengers.
Passengers in that state disembarked at the dock.
The dock was directly connected to the banquet hall for the completion ceremony.
In other words, the royal capital’s aristocratic passengers attended the banquet with the utmost pride in their country.
Of course, Lloyd’s gukppong (?), which was sneaking into the gap, was also at its peak.
‘What a delicious food buffet. Long live the Magentano royal family. Long live the King’s sister.’
A spacious banquet hall prepared in the garden’s central space, ‘Magentano’s Shelter’.
It was more luxurious.
From Lloyd’s point of view, he had attended quite a few banquets in this world.
It felt like the captain of the end of luxury.
‘It’s worse than when I was making money in Ahinsha, but this?’
They really had all kinds of food.
It was all delicious.
Like the triple plus top-grade Korean beef I bought with my monthly salary.
As soon as any food was placed on the tongue, it melted gently, presenting the mysteries of mother nature to the taste cells.
Even it was all free!
“So, Lloyd-sama, do you like this type of food?”
“Oh, of course not.”
Lloyd replied, inhaling the incredibly delicious seafood pasta he didn’t know the name of.
Then, he asked back to Xaviel, who had thrown a question.
“Of course it is good. Why do you hate it?”
“….”
“What are you doing. Eat quickly. memorize it if you don’t know At times like this, there is nothing left to eat.”
“not really….”
“You don’t like it?”
“yes.”
“why?”
“To be honest, I’m skeptical about wasting money on such luxurious food.”
The plate Lloyd is putting in front of him.
Looking at the plate full of food, Xaviel said.
“It is too valuable. It’s unnecessarily luxurious. Inefficiently expensive. I could have bought far more grain and bread with the money that would have provided the food on that plate.”
I could feel the faint dissatisfaction in Xaviel’s eyes.
A smile formed on Lloyd’s lips.
“aha. You mean that if you give up a little on these lavish meals, many people in the capital will be able to eat more, right?”
“yes.”
“Well, what you said is not wrong. But what?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t eat anyway, there will be leftover food here and it won’t go back to the commoners.”
“….”
“We didn’t even spend our money. It was a banquet prepared and conducted by the royal family. It’s food prepared for the status of this place.”
“Still, such an extravagant event….”
“It is absolutely necessary.”
Xaviel hesitated.
Lloyd looked around the banquet hall.
“Would you like to see me there? Aren’t those the nobles of the royal capital?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Then what about the people over there?”
“It looks like a foreigner.”
“that’s right. You look like a diplomatic ambassador to a neighboring country. That’s it.”
Lloyd’s words continued.
“An event like this is absolutely necessary. Especially right after a huge and magnificent construction by pouring state funds.”
“Why?”
“Because this place itself is no different from a thoroughly planned grandiose show window.”
Lloyd looked around the vast, meticulously crafted garden.
Xaviel frowned slightly.
“If it’s a show window….”
“Yes, just to show off.”
“Are you saying this is an act of showing off national power both at home and abroad?”
“of course.”
Lloyd grinned.
“Can anyone build a garden like this? Carrying out a construction of this scale without difficulty in itself means that you have that kind of capital, it is proof that there is an abundance of materials, and it is an act that proves to everyone that you have the ability to mobilize and support a prosperous army. ”
It was true.
In other words, this construction was never ostentatious or extravagant, contrary to appearances.
Because such a large-scale construction is an indirect and clear measure of the actual national power of the royal family.
It was the same in the actual history of the Earth.
This was the case at the Palace of Versailles in France, similar to the Great Garden of Terrmina.
The Peterhof Palace of the Russian emperor Peter the Great and the Sanssouci Palace of the Prussian Frederick II, which were modeled after that example, were also the same.
So, this is kind of like a showcase.
It is a big event that informs the power and potential of the royal family both at home and abroad.
“So enjoy. It is an event held out of necessity, and it is a luxury.”
“Whoa, but….”
“uh? This is Ahinsha’s specialty palm fruit.”
Startle.
Xaviel, who was about to bring out the voice of shame, hesitated.
The special palm fruit that I tasted in Ahinsha.
The sweet and savory taste immediately came to mind.
An evil smile bloomed on Lloyd’s lips.
“Did you catch it?”
“….”
“Look at that. If you have a favorite food, you will inhale it without hesitation.”
“no. It was just that I almost sneezed, so I strained my body to hold it in.”
“really?”
“yes.”
“sincerely?”
“yes.”
“Then can you swear that you won’t touch that palm fruit if it lies in front of you?”
“of course….”
“Oops, the real thing is here.”
Lloyd quickly grabbed the plate of a passing attendant.
On the plate, there were really a lot of Ahinsha specialty palm fruits.
Lloyd’s smile grew even more sinister.
“Then I will eat well.”
“….”
Xaviel’s face hardened.
Seeing that made me smile again.
Because you were able to bully him?
It wasn’t.
‘The reactions I just showed are definitely Xaviel’s.’
A knight who always stands on the side of the weak.
A hero who pursued more distant righteousness than immediate power.
Suddenly, while reading the novel Iron Blooded Knight, the images of Xaviel he had seen countless times came to mind.
‘okay. that’s right. It’s a fact that I forget because I hang out with him every day, but originally, Xaviel was this kind of guy.’
A conversation in front of a bonfire rather than a luxurious banquet.
The act of buying dozens of bags of bread with money to provide rare food and distributing them to people.
He was a guy who would choose without hesitation and would not regret it.
It is said that such an appearance did not change even after becoming a grand master in the novel.
‘If he wanted to, he could have had as much wealth and power as he could. No, really, if I was going out openly, I could have built at least one kingdom.’
But Xaviel didn’t do that.
‘Anyway, he’s a great guy.’
Lloyd smiled and picked up the specialty palm fruit.
He reached out to Xaviel.
“What are you so serious about? eat.”
“….”
“I won’t do anything. You want to eat?”
“….”
“Hey, eating is more important than an oath, right?”
“I never swore.”
In the end, a bitter smile bloomed on Xaviel’s lips.
I handed him a palm fruit.
But that was the moment.
Quirky Kuaang-!
“…!”
All too suddenly there was a loud, heavy roar.
Surprised, I turned around.
“omg.”
The skeleton of a dragon lying face down as if decorating the center of the garden.
The skull of the bone, which had been assembled like a dinosaur fossil on display in a museum, was separated and fell to the floor.
‘what.’
It was absurd.
It’s not something that can be easily separated and dropped.
I saw the installation myself.
It’s a lot of iron chains and supports.
‘At least it’s fortunate that no one was crushed.’
An accident like that at an event that is supposed to be a showcase.
Lloyd clicked his tongue inwardly and watched the scene there.
No wonder the whole banquet hall was agitated.
I could see King Alicia, who was sitting in the seat of honor, standing up and giving orders to the left and right.
Soon, I saw the sight of the two being called to the table of honor.
A sculptor who was in charge of installing stone statues and dragon skeletons.
And it was Viscount Nord, who was in charge of the garden construction.
‘Ehh. Good viscount, I’m sure you’ll write properly.’
Seeing Viscount Noort’s restless back when he was called to the seat of honor, he felt sorry for himself.
It had to be.
‘That man was a bit strict, but he was good to me.’
The viscount voluntarily took over the design and construction of most of the garden. Thanks to this, he only had to pay attention to the construction of waterways and locks.
Thanks to that, how comfortable was he during the construction period?
‘Besides, when this project was finished, that man was so moved that he even cried.’
Did you say that this garden was the greatest masterpiece of your life?
It is said that it has finally left its name in the history of the kingdom’s construction.
He said he cried out loud, saying that even if he died right away, there would be no regrets.
But I never thought an accident like this would happen at a banquet celebrating the completion of that masterpiece.
‘Tsk tsk tsk. This is why people shouldn’t carelessly wear a gun.’
Lloyd was saddened on the one hand, but relieved on the other. I thought it was really good not to be in charge of the garden project again.
But that was then.
“Mrs. Lloyd.”
“uh?”
Xaviel tapped my shoulder.
“I have something to tell you.”
“What. Do you want more palm fruit?”
“no. That dragon skeleton.”
“skeleton? Why?”
“It’s a bit strange.”
“….”
Xaviel’s expression and eyes were hard and serious.
It was an unfamiliar situation and atmosphere.
When did you experience this
After thinking about it for a while, it immediately came to mind.
‘Oh right. in Cremo. It was a completion ceremony even then.’
The maritime completion ceremony commemorating the construction of the mermaid statue.
Giga Titan attacked the banquet hall for the completion ceremony.
Even then, did Xaviel sense the danger for the first time?
When I thought about it, I felt a sudden tingling sensation.
“What else? You don’t mean to say that the dragon skeleton is suspicious because it’s strange, right?”
“That’s exactly what you meant to say.”
Xaviel was more serious than ever.
So my heart sank.
“….”
Oh really.
Seriously, the completion ceremony is a problem.
If you think about it, the last time the king was killed during the suspension bridge completion ceremony in the capital.
It’s too nasty to see it as just a coincidence.
Isn’t this enough that the completion ceremony is the root of all evil?
While thinking such nonsense, Xaviel’s words continued.
“I felt it a little while ago, but the mana is moving little by little inside the skeleton.”
“what? Mana?”
“yes. Originally, dragon bones contain a large amount of mana.”
“yes. But since it’s dead, it’s mana that has stopped flowing.”
“yes. Until recently, that was definitely the case. But since the moment the skull fell off….”
“It started flowing?”
“Let’s check.”
“….”
It’s a fact that comes to mind.
Asurahan Simbeop is a skill specialized in detecting, absorbing, and managing mana. Also, Xaviel is the creator of the dark mind method and is the best expert.
However, there is no way that he misunderstood the flow of mana.
“….”
Lloyd rotated the three-pronged circle as he felt the rising heat.
Kiyiying…!
As the dark simbeop operated, the flow of mana around him began to be felt.
The king’s intense mana felt from the other side.
The mana of people who are agitated by unexpected situations.
Natural mana permeated by the passing wind.
and….
“shit.”
The moment he sensed the flow of mana inside the dragon’s skeleton.
Lloyd was seized by a chilling goosebumps.
It is certainly.
Xaviel was right.
I could really feel the flow of mana inside the dragon skeleton.
Even while I was sensing it, it was clear that the flow was rapidly intensifying.
It was a very blatant and explosive flow.
gulp.
So this is something.
An unsavory thing that no one in this place could have predicted is about to happen.
The moment you foresee that fact.
The moment when I was certain beyond my premonition.
‘Oh, this bastard’s completion ceremony to freeze to death is real!’
Lloyd moved immediately without hesitation.
I don’t know what is about to happen.
But first, you have to avoid people.
If not?
I was sure I would regret it greatly.
So it was.
He immediately put his hand into his pocket.
A threat that people still don’t know about.
to send everyone away from that threat.
I took out the beebeong.
“Are you squeamish?”
“Smile?”
“Wasn’t it stuffy to have to live in a smaller place after this construction was over?”
“Beep? Do you laugh?”
“No, you would have been cramped. So let’s eat this.”
“Smile?”
Bibeong had to eat blue sunflower seeds every day because he was living in the royal capital. I held out a red sunflower seed to that guy.
“Do you believe me?”
“…Do you laugh?”
“Or do you believe in bells?”
“Byeom!”
At the word “drop,” he nodded wildly.
“Okay. Then, after eating this, do as I say.”
I fed him sunflower seeds.
It was immediately thrown into an uninhabited space far away.
yet.
Puff!
“Byeom-!”
A beaver with a body length of 100 meters appeared in an instant.
Standing tall on one side of the banquet hall, he roared.
I started to dance the kung-ku-kung can-can dance.
The effect(?) was clear.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!”
A lady’s shrill scream was used as a starting whistle.
All the frightened banquet invitees began to show a rapid evacuation, reminiscent of a great movement of the people.
