Chapter 124 : Chapter 124

Chapter 124: The Festival (2)

A silence fell.

The entire audience froze without a murmur, everyone swallowing hard, doubting their own eyes.

“Uh…?”

Linda, watching from the crowd, stood petrified, her eyes wide.

The potato stick she was about to eat slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

“What… what’s happening?”

Declan, beside her, muttered under his breath.

He secretly hoped his sister would explain the situation, but even Linda seemed out of sorts.

Whoa, I couldn’t even see it. Who’s that guy?

Declan narrowed his eyes.

The figure was cloaked in a long robe, their face obscured, just like him and his sister.

Of course, some recognized him.

Bonnie and Clyde, the couple watching from seats far from Linda and Declan, were among them.

“Bi…hen?”

Clyde mumbled instinctively, only for Bonnie to swiftly slap his lips.

“Ow!”

“Darling, watch that mouth.”

As Bonnie drew a finger across her lips, Clyde clamped both hands over his mouth, nodding frantically.

Whooosh!

The shockwave from the clash of Bihen and Deganelo’s swords scraped the arena floor, spreading toward the stands.

A thick cloud of dust rose, enveloping the two swordsmen.

“Well, well, I finally get to see that face, Bihen Benkou.”

“What?”

“I did this because I wanted to see you. It’s much easier and faster than asking around a hundred times.”

“You old fool… are you insane?”

“Heh, this is what you call the wisdom of life.”

Bihen had been quietly observing the evaluation from the stands, with no intention of drawing attention.

That last strike was real killing intent.

If he’d done nothing, Joel would undoubtedly be dead.

There was no time to think or hesitate in the face of such a reckless intrusion.

“Do you even know who I am?”

Deganelo asked, his tone playful.

“Do I need to?”

Bihen already sensed this was no ordinary opponent.

Now wasn’t the time to weigh the details.

His eyes gleamed through the swirling dust.

King—!

With Zahara held horizontally to block the opponent’s sword, Bihen drew Toxeed as well.

Toxeed’s blade traced an arc toward Deganelo’s chest.

“Heh.”

Deganelo stepped back lightly, dodging with ease.

His unhurried steps carried a relaxed confidence.

“More spirited than you look, old man.”

“Naturally.”

The moment Bihen aggressively stepped forward, something charged with fierce energy crashed down like a meteor.

Two figures.

“That was too far, Right Camp Leader.”

“…”

Ludsilla and Noser stood with their backs to Deganelo, facing Bihen, each with their sword drawn.

“Too far?”

Bihen spoke curtly.

He knew the two blocking his path held no hostility, but he couldn’t help feeling irritated.

“Bihen Benkou, I apologize on his behalf. We were eager to meet you, but your whereabouts were unclear. The Right Camp Leader got carried away and acted excessively…”

“Not you.”

Bihen wasn’t one for empty formalities.

He pointed Toxeed at Deganelo behind Noser.

“You. Apologize.”

“…”

Noser’s jaw tightened.

His brown eyes grew fiercer.

He’d been completely ignored.

Not just any knight, but the head of the Sharon Faction, acknowledged by all.

A figure worthy of representing the honor and pride of the Kingdom’s knights.

Bihen’s attitude and demand were nothing short of an insult.

“I am Ludsilla Lenafel, Knight Commander of the Imperial Capital.”

Ludsilla quickly interjected.

If Noser acted rashly, the situation would spiral out of control.

Her father had repeatedly warned her: the whims of warriors with both strength and status were more troublesome than a summer squall.

They were people who barely restrained their power.

The moment something went awry, they’d toss aside decorum and procedure, flipping the board like the back of their hand.

Clank!

Ludsilla sheathed her sword and bowed to Bihen.

Both Bihen and Noser’s eyes narrowed simultaneously.

“Commander, what are you doing…?”

“Sheath your sword and speak, Left Camp Leader.”

It wasn't a submission.

It was about maintaining balance and curbing the excesses of both factions.

The duty of the Lenafel family.

Ludsilla never forgot her role.

Thus, conveying sincerity with such courtesy was the only way to resolve the issue while upholding the Knight Commander’s dignity.

“Bihen Benkou, I understand you’ve been absent for your own reasons. I know I shouldn’t ask, nor am I entitled to know why.”

“…”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to show some leniency here?”

Ludsilla turned her gaze to the VIP seats.

“For the sake of the Duchess of Conwell.”

Clank!

Only then did Bihen sheath Zahara Toxeed.

* * *

This was the reception room of Conwell’s administrative office.

Despite my long stay in Conwell, this was my first time here.

The spacious, ornate interior reeked of ink.

Not for nothing—the dignified officials of the envoy had all gathered just to see me.

It wasn’t arrogance.

The atmosphere genuinely felt that way.

“Your reputation precedes you, Bihen Benkou. I am from the Ministry of State of the Imperial Capital… This visit is to assess the restoration of law and order in Conwell post-civil war and the overall stabilization of its governance…”

“I, too, am from the Ministry of State… Here to evaluate the new Lord’s administrative capabilities and public sentiment, and to take appropriate measures if coordination is needed…”

“…As for the Treasury, we’re reviewing Conwell’s tax revenue and fiscal structure…”

My eyelids were getting heavy.

Why was I sitting here politely listening to their introductions?

…

I shook my head to shake off the drowsiness.

Get it together, Bihen. Since it’s come to this, I might as well memorize their faces.

Why the sudden shift?

Orlen and Cecil.

I didn’t show it, but their deaths hit me hard.

Perhaps…

Their deaths led me here for a reason.

“I apologize again, Bihen Benkou, and Your Grace. For causing an unfortunate incident due to an individual’s recklessness before the coronation, I, as Knight Commander, take full responsibility and will ensure the Knights take firm measures.”

It was Ludsilla’s turn again.

She’d already apologized to Adeline multiple times and still seemed to feel it wasn’t enough, bowing once more.

She didn’t forget to apologize to Joel either.

“You must’ve been startled. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Joel answered reflexively. Incident aside, he’d ultimately been recognized as a High-tier Expert.

Whiit, whiit.

The culprit of the commotion, meanwhile, was acting like a clueless child, whistling carelessly.

His half-hearted apology felt more like a taunt, as if he meant to provoke me to the end.

I was ready to demand a duel on the spot, but Adeline vehemently stopped me, so I had to grit my teeth and swallow my anger.

Deganelo, head of the Langster Faction.

He was supposedly over a hundred years old.

Naturally, the most senior among the Knights and all the capital’s officials.

Add his eccentric personality and refusal to retire, wrapped up in a veneer of loyalty to the imperial family, and even the King couldn’t treat him lightly. He’d become an untouchable oddity.

In the status- and lineage-driven capital, he was the only one treated as an exception.

“Well, I suppose it’s time to go. My patience is wearing thin these days.”

“Right Camp Leader…”

“Noser, enough with the nagging. I might just piss on your face. Heh.”

I’m no paragon of decorum, but this guy was on another level. Not just senile—he was fundamentally deplorable.

Press.

A light pressure on my arm made me turn. Adeline was looking at me with anxious eyes, pleading for restraint.

…Fair enough.

Acting on emotion here wouldn’t gain me anything.

It’d be laughable for me to step in when no one else was stopping him.

Hoo.

I let out a soft sigh.

I wasn’t sure what expression I was making, but my facial muscles definitely relaxed.

Fine.

“Enough chatter. So…”

I stood, opening my mouth.

I could feel every eye in the room turn to me.

I spoke clearly, with emphasis.

“Let’s hear it. Why have all these esteemed figures of the Kingdom gathered here, causing such a ruckus just to see a lowly ronin like me?”

My gaze fixed on one person in the room.

Chief Attendant Ternien.

I’d noticed it earlier—the cautious way she observed me.

Thanks to that, I barely held back from blurting out: *Are you all doing this because Chancellor

Zisair ordered it?*

It’s not an entirely baseless guess.

Hadn’t Ternien herself tried to contact me first? And in the process, Orlen and Cecil became casualties.

Likely to Zisair’s assassins.

I scanned the envoy’s officials, some sitting comfortably, others standing.

As I did, my head tilted slightly to one side.

They’re probably Zisair’s lackeys.

Their loyalty might vary, but still.

If my instincts are right…

Zisair is trying to pull me into his game.

A leap? No.

Orlen’s words echoed.

“Zisair is always at the center of chaos. No, he is chaos itself.”

He probably didn’t know the full weight of what he said.

But it was too chilling to dismiss as coincidence.

Chaos.

It clicked too perfectly.

I couldn’t just ignore it after hearing that.

The Eight Demons of the Empire.

The Blood Devil was a self-obsessed maniac, the kind who’d show himself openly.

But if there are demons truly driven by chaos…

Wouldn’t they slink in, cloaked in deception?

That’d be far more dangerous. Far more lethal.

Chancellor Zisair, one of the Eight Demons.

My instincts were fully convinced.

It didn’t matter if I was wrong.

What mattered was that this wasn’t like last time.

I wouldn’t be caught off guard again and the situation wasn’t bad. He and I were on equal footing. How did I know?

“What’s that? Curious, so someone answer me.”

Their body language was screaming at it.

They’d approached me because their master was curious, but now they looked like they didn’t know what to do next.

Zisair only heard my name and got vaguely curious.

And he must’ve told these lackeys heading to Conwell:

Find out everything you can about him.

“…Tch, what a foul-tempered brat.”

It was Deganelo.

Unbelievable.

“Shut it, you deranged old monster. Know your place.”

I couldn’t hold back and snapped.

Two women sipping tea—Chief Attendant Ternien and Knight Commander Ludsilla—choked simultaneously, spraying what they’d been drinking.

“Pfft—!”

…

Well, at least I confirmed those two aren’t lackeys.

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