As Encrid and his two companions entered, the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly seemed narrow, and for a moment, the room felt full.
Some of the nobles saw an aura around them, while others felt a sense of foreboding.
Couldn’t that person right there kill everyone here in an instant if they chose to?
Moreover, wasn’t one of them known as the Noble Slayer?
Of course, the unease was only felt by a few. The majority were too busy being astonished and admiring them.
Would it be an exaggeration to say that power could be felt with each step they took?
No, it wouldn’t. Many things would change with just a single step of theirs.
Perhaps this was the demeanor of a hero who had shifted the balance of the continent.
In truth, that wasn’t the case. They were merely walking, but knowing they were already exceptional people made them seem even more impressive.
Encrid, Rem, and Audin had simply walked in as usual.
‘They’re here.’
One of the nobles clenched his fist as he looked at Encrid entering.
Perhaps this was a moment that required some resolve.
His head was completely bald, his body thin yet muscular, his skin darkly tanned, and the tips of his nails blackened. If it weren’t for the clothes, he could easily be mistaken for a farmer rather than a noble.
And yet, the fact that he was here, wearing an old but well-kept tailcoat, proved he was indeed a noble.
The noble felt the rough texture of the fabric and adjusted his collar once.
‘The Mad Knights, huh?’
He couldn’t help but be surprised again at the name of their Knight order.
This bald noble had been one of those who denounced Encrid in the Royal Court, and he had strongly argued for restraining their excessive power, including demanding loyalty oaths.
Since Encrid entered, the noble hadn’t been able to take his eyes off him even once.
In fact, it wasn’t just him. Everyone else was the same.
Particularly among the ladies who were yet to be married, some of their gazes grew hazy.
Was that to be expected?
Of course.
The moment Encrid stepped inside, he captured the attention of everyone in the room.
Appearance can also be a weapon, and this was the moment when Encrid’s greatest weapon shone.
His black hair gleamed in the light of the lamps that illuminated the banquet hall, as if he had applied oil, and despite being pitch black, it shimmered brilliantly.
Different people have different standards of beauty, but when faced with someone exceptionally beautiful, most opinions tend to converge.
And right now, Encrid’s face was exactly that.
With a sharp nose, sparkling blue eyes, and perfectly proportioned lips, everything about him was harmonious.
It was as if God had briefly descended to earth, personally shaped him, and blessed him with divine looks.
The bald noble thought the same thing as he watched.
How handsome.
"Ah."
A lady holding a wine glass two steps away from the bald noble let out a small gasp.
The group opposite her had the same reaction, their eyes clouded, and if left alone, they might even drool.
"Is that a sculpture moving?"
Some even muttered such things.
Some simply stared, forgetting to speak altogether.
At least half of the ladies in the hall were likely experiencing that once-in-a-lifetime moment of love at first sight.
It was as if they had been enchanted by a bewitching spell.
"Is it a spell?"
The words slipped out naturally.
Even those who hadn’t fallen in love at first sight found it difficult to look away.
The noble thought the same.
He had known Encrid had exceptional looks when he saw him in the Royal Palace, but now that he had gone all out, groomed, hair slicked, and wearing a tailcoat—it was impossible to tear one’s eyes away from him, regardless of gender.
Some were jealous, but most of the male nobles didn’t even feel a sense of competition.
Among them was a female Frog, who, bold and confident, stepped forward to speak.
"Do you know any Frogs?"
Her bold action seemed to break the collective illusion cast over the room.
The silence was replaced by murmurs.
"Who is that?"
"Isn’t that the Mad Knights?"
"Ah, the Demon Slayer."
Conversations flowed from all corners. In the Capital, the title of Demon Slayer was more well-known than the Knight of the Iron Wall.
It seemed everyone was more accustomed to calling him that.
If an actual demon were hidden in the hall, it would have been an absurd situation. After all, Encrid had never actually slain a demon.
Of course, even if a real demon appeared to challenge him, Encrid would probably brush it off.
He hadn’t asked people to call him the Demon Slayer, so what did it matter to him?
"A Frog named Luagarne, once part of the Royal Palace."
The reply to Frog’s question came from the gray-haired man next to her.
The bald noble recognized him despite some differences from what he had heard. Gray hair wasn’t exactly common, after all.
‘The Noble Slayer.’
Seeing the indifferent way the gray-haired man casually spoke and stared at Frog, he didn’t seem to have the violent tendencies of someone who would punch a noble on sight.
In fact, the noble didn’t fully believe the rumors.
What? He punches any noble he sees and regularly beheads them?
While it’s true many had died by his hand, none had been killed without reason.
If he were truly a murderous maniac who hated the aristocracy, he wouldn’t be standing next to a hero like Encrid.
Still, the nickname was not without reason, making him the most dangerous person in the room.
Even with the Knight Captain, blessed by the Gods in appearance, standing right next to him, he didn’t fade into the background.
Even the tastiest potato can’t be the same as a sweet potato, just as he didn’t lose his own charm beside the Demon Slayer.
Half of his gray hair was tied back while the other half flowed freely, neatly combed.
Though his jawline was angular, in terms of looks, he wouldn’t be outshone anywhere.
It was just that the person beside him was too exceptionally handsome.
Still, he could be described as a ruggedly handsome man with bold features.
"Sister, there are already too many rivals. Please restrain yourself."
Next to him, a man much taller than the others added.
His forearm looked thicker than the waists of some women corseted for the evening.
In fact, it was thicker than the waists of most of the women who had tightly cinched themselves into corsets.
Just standing there, he gave the impression of being a towering mountain.
‘Bear Beastkin.’
Rumors are just rumors. There wasn’t even a trace of any beast-like features, so it was clear he was human.
His speech suggested he had strong religious convictions, but with shoulders too broad to seem human, a neck that looked as if it had been carved from a log, and a chest so massive it seemed his shirt would burst, even his fingers looked muscular, giving off an impressive presence even with the simplest of gestures.
There were even those in the banquet hall who preferred not just good looks but a physically imposing, almost destructive body, and they had been eyeing him after Encrid.
"I want to be held by him."
"I could hang from his arm."
"What’s with his thighs?"
Though they tried to speak cautiously, standing right next to him meant he heard everything.
Though his demeanor was cautious, the power he exuded remained undeniable, so he didn’t fade into the background, even standing next to Encrid.
Each of them had distinct characteristics.
As the three entered the hall and found a suitable spot to stand, the noise, silence, and murmuring followed.
The bald noble, who had been watching them since they entered, looked at Encrid and found himself lost in old memories.
In truth, from the moment he had opposed Encrid, he had thought that today might be his last day.
Perhaps that was why the memories were flooding back.
"What’s the most important thing in the world? Land."
That was his father’s teaching. He had agreed with that philosophy and managed his fief in the same way.
‘Why is land the most important? Without land, the people in the fief would have no way to survive. Do Knights not eat or go to the bathroom? Aren’t they human?’
In this regard, he had hoped that the kingdom’s protection would shield both him and his land.
That was all. There were no other ulterior motives. He knew Encrid was the hero who had ended the civil war.
‘So if I say I meant no ill will, will he accept that?’
He hadn’t seen the Knight in person before, but he knew enough about people.
No one could possibly like someone who rejected and shunned them.
If there were no resentment, that would be fortunate enough.
Setting aside ignoring or pushing someone away, was there not a person with a different character? He had seen only one such person in his life.
It was the King he now served. That’s why he had sworn loyalty.
The noble reached into his chest. His hand grasped something hard, and he quickly hid it in his sleeve as he approached.
It wouldn’t do to let anyone else see it.
"This is cheating. If you’re good at fighting, your face shouldn’t be that good-looking. At the very least, you should look rough and have small eyes with a snub nose."
Marcus, the King’s close aide, grumbled loudly, and while others glanced over, the mood of the banquet soon returned to normal.
People resumed their chatter, drinks flowed, and laughter filled the air.
Of course, people still gathered around the so-called Mad Knights, and all eyes remained on them.
The bald noble approached, no longer just a spectator, and quietly stared at Encrid.
The hand in his sleeve stayed put. Encrid noticed the gaze and turned to look at him.
It was the face of a man who had openly denounced him in the Royal Palace, so he hadn’t forgotten.
"I have something for you."
The noble spoke as he approached. Marcus and the others turned to look.
"Viscount Harrison."
Andrew Gardner, a close aide to the King, recognized him and spoke. His gaze was sharp, as if to question why he was here.
Ignoring Andrew’s look, Viscount Harrison took another step closer to Encrid. Then, swiftly, he drew his hand out of his sleeve and thrust it towards Encrid’s chest.
For an ordinary person, the movement was incredibly quick.
* * *
"Don’t hate him too much."
"Who?"
This was what Krang had said just after the vow had ended. Encrid opened his eyes wide and asked back.
"That noble earlier. He didn’t have any malicious intent."
"So, who are you talking about?"
Encrid had no malice or ill feelings.
Nobles? He just thought of them as they were. He understood their situation to some extent.
Even though they called him the Demon Slayer, it was only natural that they wouldn’t believe it without seeing it firsthand in this era.
If one believed every rumor, they might as well believe in priests who wrestled giants.
Such stories always had a degree of exaggeration.
Of course, Encrid’s actions had been witnessed by many, so they weren’t entirely baseless.
Facing him recklessly was not something most would do.
It would take immense courage to even try.
Standing against Encrid now meant standing against not just his supporters but potentially even the King himself.
Despite this, they had spoken out about the dangers of Knights and stood against Encrid.
Was it simply because they found him unpleasant?
It didn’t seem that way. While some were fools, others had a purpose for standing in that place.
Dreams, ideals, and pursuit of light—if anyone embodied these more than anyone else, it was Encrid.
So some of them stood there, willing to risk being stabbed by a blade or falling out of the King’s favor because they felt compelled to speak.
When Encrid continued to feign ignorance with half-joking remarks, Krang laughed and said.
"You’ve been remarkably lucky to survive this long. With that way of speaking, you’d have been killed dozens of times over."
Encrid nodded in agreement. He hadn’t died because of his manner of speech, but he had been killed thousands of times.
"Why are you nodding? Anyway, one of them is the person who most wants to work with the Border Guard."
He wants to open a safe route with the fortune he’s accumulated.
The safe routes that Krais created split into two paths.
One led to the Capital, Naurillia, and the other passed through Martai.
If the route passing through Martai extended downwards?
Everyone with a fief in that area would benefit.
And who would benefit the most? Perhaps a fief that included a trade city? Certainly, but even more than them, there was someone else.
There was a noble who had long desired to cultivate the land outside his city. His name was Harrison.
Having made land cultivation his life’s goal, he fell in love at first sight when he saw the strategy of building outposts and deploying troops to ensure safety.
Encrid had sensed Viscount Harrison approaching ever since they entered.
Having seen him in the palace and now seeing him again, nothing much had changed.
His shabby, worn-out clothes and stern expression stood out.
However, despite being old and frayed, his clothes were clean and neatly worn, so he wasn’t dressed inappropriately.
He was a man accustomed to living frugally.
Encrid didn’t know where Krais’s safe route would extend or what the man in front of him wanted. They made eye contact, and Encrid just looked back.
The gaze of Viscount Harrison reminded Encrid of solid stones.
Is a person’s will useless if they cannot use it?
If someone said that because of a lack of talent, the end was already decided, should they really stop?
Should one abandon everything they are doing just because it seems impossible?
Just because others deem it impossible, should one really give up?
Should one stop simply because it’s not a personal decision but someone else’s evaluation? Is that truly how it should be?
As Harrison stepped closer and slipped something into Encrid’s chest, it wasn’t a weapon or an assassination attempt.
Encrid’s reflexes identified it immediately. It was a small glass bottle, its mouth sealed with a cork and tightly wrapped with a string.
So he let it be. Harrison finished slipping the glass bottle into Encrid’s chest and spoke.
"I apologize for earlier. It’s a token of apology."
Encrid didn’t ask what the bottle was. Instead, he asked a different question.
"Do you want something?"
Because of his bald head, he looked at least twenty years older than Encrid.
Harrison blinked a few times at the question before opening his mouth.
"As a bribe—no, yes, it’s a bribe. Can you have the safe route lead towards our fief?"
Harrison spoke without any trace of shame. His long life had given him a stubbornness of its own.
Normally, one would ask ‘why’. If not, they would demand something in return. But Encrid didn’t even ask what had been placed in his chest.
"Alright."
He simply nodded.
Encrid’s response far exceeded Harrison’s expectations.
"…You’re not going to ask why?"
Harrison asked in surprise.
"If you tell me, I’ll listen."
In other words, this was a decision made purely by reading the man’s character.
Judging by his eyes, demeanor, and attire, this was Encrid’s conclusion. If this turned out to be a mistake? Life was full of choices, and not every one of them could be correct. Encrid knew that truth well.
Therefore, there was no fear in his decisions. Being too afraid to choose would mean staying still.
And if that were the case, he would have been stuck in the ferryman’s tale of a blissful ‘today’ long ago.
Encrid saw a similar quality in the man standing before him.
Despite being flustered, it was something he had said many times before, so Harrison managed to answer calmly.
"I want to cultivate the land."
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔