"It's taking longer than I thought."
I expected a simple ceremony since it was during the festival and a party was planned, but the king was conducting a full formal audience on the fifth day.
"The Marquis went in today, right?"
"Yes. He went in this morning, so he should be out soon. Our territory didn't have any major issues anyway."
Peru smiled gently, as if there was nothing to worry about.
"I hope so, but they might make an issue out of monsters like the Sea Serpent or Sharkrai King appearing in the first place."
"Come on, no way…"
In life, unfair things happen all the time. If someone wants to find fault, they can always find one. Even if I did nothing wrong, I couldn't let my guard down.
Knock knock.
"Yuren, are you there?"
Speak of the devil. It was the Marquis's voice, instantly recognizable.
"Yes, I'm here."
I immediately got up and opened the door.
"Did you rest comfortably?"
"I did, but you look like you've lost half your face, Marquis."
The Marquis's dark circles were twice as dark as when we were in the territory, and his face was so gaunt his cheekbones were visible.
"I couldn't sleep while preparing the report for His Majesty. But it ended much simpler than I expected."
"Really?"
"It probably finished twice as fast as the other territories. All thanks to you."
The Marquis grabbed my shoulders, pulled me into a hug, and patted my back.
"Hahaha! To think I'd be bragging about you in front of His Majesty. I feel like I'm dreaming."
"Thanks to me?"
"His Majesty knew every detail of what happened in our lands. He even clapped and smiled when I talked about your achievements."
"Is that so?"
"The report itself took less than 30 minutes, but talking about you took nearly an hour. Hahaha!"
"Ha…"
I could already imagine the Marquis acting like a proud parent in front of the king.
"You brat. I'm joking. Just joking."
He said it was a joke, but his expression didn't look like one.
"Ah, the party starts tomorrow evening, so prepare in advance."
"Understood."
"This guy is still clumsy with etiquette, so Peru, take good care of him."
"I will do my best, Marquis."
"Then I'll go rest. I need some sleep."
"I'll escort you."
I followed the Marquis to his room, watched him enter, then returned to mine.
"Tomorrow, huh…"
**
The Marquis and I stood in front of a massive door decorated with a red dragon pattern on a white background.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
The Marquis nodded to the guards in front of the door. Eight guards began pulling it open.
Kugung.
As the door opened, the first thing that caught my eye was dozens of chandeliers densely covering the ceiling. They emitted a sacred, mystical light, probably due to some magic treatment.
"Let's go in."
"Yes."
Many nobles were already seated inside the party hall, watching us.
The women wore colorful dresses and dazzling jewels, while the men, like me, wore noble formal attire embroidered with their family crests.
"Marquis Wilington Rox and Young Master Yuren Rox entering!"
The moment we stepped into the hall, the servants inside loudly announced our names to the nobles.
"Everyone seems to be looking at you. I must be getting old."
"No way."
"Look. They're all staring at you."
I lightly replied to the Marquis and sat at our assigned seats. Looking to the side, I saw Marquis Rayen Marcus, Ilia's father, waving at us.
"It's been a while."
"You've become even more handsome."
"Of course. Whose son do you think I am!"
"Here we go again. Bragging about his son. Sigh…"
Marquis Marcus shook his head at Marquis Rox.
"Is Ilia not coming?"
I thought it was strange I hadn't seen her at the lodging, but it seemed she hadn't come at all.
"It's because of you."
"Huh?"
"Thanks to your achievements everywhere, that girl says she has to catch up to you and has locked herself in the training ground. She won't come out."
"Haha…"
She has a strong competitive spirit along with her good traits. She's probably too busy training to care about the party.
I'll have to watch out when I see her later.
"Duke Roper Elion and Young Master Kyle Elion entering!"
Duke Roper, who had already met the marquises earlier, gave a simple nod and walked straight up to me.
"Yuren! Thanks to your performance at the northern wall, His Majesty didn't scold me too harshly. I'm truly grateful."
"It was nothing. I didn't do much…"
"Hahaha, we're still in the middle of entrances, so let's talk more later."
The Duke wanted to keep talking, but the next person was ready to enter, so he moved to his seat.
"Duke Tanius Thorn and Young Master Ken Thorn entering!"
When the Thorn Ducal Family entered, everyone held their breath. Duke Thorn's eyes were the complete opposite of Duke Elion's lively ones — cold as the north wind in midwinter.
They didn't look at anyone and went straight to their assigned seats.
"They'll be coming soon. Get ready."
"Yes."
Since lower ranks entered first, only the royal family remained.
Kugugugung.
About five minutes later, the door opened with tremendous force, as if it would break.
"Everyone, show your respect! His Majesty the King is entering!"
At the servants' voices that seemed to pierce the ceiling, all nobles, including me, knelt on one knee and bowed our heads.
"Hm."
The king entered, received everyone's respect, and slowly walked to his highest seat.
What?
It made sense the princess didn't come after what happened, but I didn't expect the king to come alone without the prince.
"Everyone, raise your heads."
I lifted my head and looked at the king sitting on the second floor. His short golden hair and broad shoulders made him look more like a knight than a king.
[Creator's Eye has activated.]
[Name: Egesis Briard]
[Traits: Majesty, Insight lv4, Charm lv4, Sword Authority, Bloodline Subspace]
[Affinity: 51 (Considerable Favor)]
[Current Mood: Proud. Slight doubt.]
I thought the marquises and duke might have exaggerated, but the king really held considerable favor toward me.
"It worked."
Plus, the slight doubt in the king's mood showed my plan had succeeded.
"This is one of the few formal royal parties of the year, so I hope everyone enjoys themselves."
"We are deeply grateful!"
Everyone bowed and spoke in unison.
"Huh?"
When I raised my head and looked at the king again, our eyes met. He smiled warmly at me.
"Young Master Yuren."
"Hello, Young Master Yuren."
When I tried to check the king's status again, young nobles began crowding around me.
"Young Master Yuren. Nice to meet you."
"Young Master Yuren."
"I am from the Felt Baron family…"
"Just a moment…"
**
"Tired?"
"Ha… yes…"
After finally escaping the crowd of people, I went to the Marquis's side. I kept giving him pleading looks to save me, but he pretended not to see and moved to another table.
"You'll have to deal with this often from now on, so get used to it."
"It's really not my thing."
"Hehe."
Dealing with nobles was tiring and annoying. Their status made it even harder because I couldn't treat them carelessly.
"Are you all enjoying yourselves?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty, we are having a wonderful time!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The king, who had been watching from his seat until now, stood up.
"As you all know, many talented individuals have emerged this year. Outstanding knights appear every year, but this year there are especially many with special talents, so I am very pleased."
The king descended from the second floor and raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"There were those with outstanding skills who subjugated special monsters, those with bravery who helped other regions in crisis, and even those who accomplished both. Therefore…"
The king paused for a moment and looked at me and a few young nobles with a generous smile.
"I have decided to open the royal treasury for the invited heroes."
"Ohh!"
"The royal treasury? It's been years."
"We are deeply grateful!"
"Your Majesty's grace reaches the heavens."
While everyone praised the king, I was watching Veil Fabien, who was erasing his presence in the left corner.
The moment Veil heard "royal treasury," his eyes changed noticeably. Moreover, he wasn't looking at the king but at someone else.
That person…
The one Veil was looking at was the invited archer Dar Castein. He wasn't at my level, but he had gained quite a bit of attention for subjugating a main boss.
Veil and Dar made eye contact for a very brief but clear moment.
"Ah."
Now I understood exactly. What their relationship was, what they were thinking, and what I needed to do.
"Everyone, follow me."
The king came down to the party hall and headed toward the entrance we had come through. The nobles followed his back as if entranced.
"Yuren, this is an incredible opportunity."
"Huh?"
"The royal treasury is filled with treasures from ancient times — weapons, armor, magic books, and technique manuals you've studied."
The Marquis, who had seen the royal treasury before, looked extremely excited.
"His Majesty probably won't set an order, so run and grab the best one."
"What's the best one?"
"Hmm…"
The Marquis began unnecessary pondering at my question.
"You don't use swords, so maybe a dagger? Or armor…"
While the Marquis was thinking, the king had already reached the large, antique entrance we had come through.
"Hehe, this is the royal treasury."
The king who said he would open the treasury was simply standing in front of the entrance we had entered through. Nobles who understood the meaning smiled lightly, while those who didn't looked confused.
"Siloka Laphek Illuin…"
The king smiled and placed his hand on the door, chanting a spell.
Uuuung.
The door touched by the king began to change shape as if enchanted.
"The royal treasury normally exists in subspace and only appears in this world with His Majesty's permission. In other words, even a bathroom door can become the entrance to the treasury if the king wishes."
"I-I see."
I already knew about the king's trait, Bloodline Subspace, being the royal treasury, but I pretended to be surprised and opened my mouth at the Marquis's explanation.
Creak.
When the king lightly pushed the door that had turned completely golden, brilliant light poured out.
"Wow!"
"Ohh…"
"Amazing."
"It's still beautiful."
The revealed royal treasury wasn't just weapons. Piles of jewels, magic books, strange materials, and items whose value couldn't even be guessed were stacked like mountains.
The weapons overflowed with sharpness that could cut steel, and nameless jewels sparkled like stars in the sky.
On one side were stacks of antique books — all rare magic tomes and spell books that most people would never see in their lifetime.
"Only twelve people may enter: Yuren Rox, Ken Thorn, Kyle Elion, … Berit Reben, Dar Castein."
"We are deeply grateful."
At the king's words, those whose names were called stepped forward. I also lined up with them at the entrance of the treasury.
"Each person may choose only one item."
At the king's command, everyone entered the treasury with anticipation. But I kept my cool and stayed one step behind, watching Veil and Dar.
Move if you dare.
**
'It must be here.'
The moment the royal treasury door opened, Veil Fabien began searching the treasury, even using his abilities.
For two years he had worked to get his subordinates invited to the royal party, but this was the first time the royal treasury had been opened.
'I must obtain it this time no matter what.'
Only the king could open the royal treasury. If he missed this chance, he didn't know when it would open again. Veil's heart grew urgent.
His gaze wasn't on famous renowned swords, beautiful jewels, or ancient magic tomes.
He searched every corner of the treasury that no one else paid attention to.
"Found it…"
Veil unconsciously spoke out loud. Behind a splendid sword in the left corner was a red "fang" that looked like an elephant tusk doubled in size.
That fang was the reason Veil had stayed in the palace for two years.
Veil looked around, but fortunately no one else was interested in the fang.
'As expected, these lowly fools know nothing. Even if they gave me every weapon in the treasury, I wouldn't trade this.'
The only ones here who knew the value of that fang were him and his subordinate Dar. Hiding his trembling heart, he calmly signaled Dar.
"Hm."
Dar, who read the signal, understood Veil's intention and put down the bow he had been examining.
When Dar tried to head to the left corner where the fang was, someone moved ahead of him.
"Huh?"
Dar thought the man would naturally pick something else, but the man grabbed the fang without hesitation and lifted it.
"Huk!"
Veil let out a scream, shocked out of his mind.
"Ah…"
Similarly stunned, Dar stared at the man's back with bloodshot eyes, wondering who had taken the fang.
The man who grabbed the fang — Yuren — smiled slyly and muttered.
"I'll go with this. I don't know what it is, but I like it."
Pretending to know nothing, Yuren's eyes clearly saw all the information on the fang.
[God-Slaying Beast Gladio's Fang]
The fang of Gladio, the beast of the realm that fed on divine beasts, spiritual creatures, evil spirits, and spirits. The fang contains Gladio's killing intent. When made into a weapon, it gains the god-slaying property that deals fatal damage to divine beasts, spiritual creatures, evil spirits, and spirits.