Greek Feast (6)

Whispering so the Duke wouldn’t hear, the Crown Prince glared at El with a flustered face. Then he quickly looked at the Duke. But the Duke was engrossed in eating the Palenque.

Confirming this, the Crown Prince, with a serious face, looked at the dish again, then at Greek, and finally back at El.

The Crown Prince’s curiosity about who this man was exploded, and he began to feel bewildered.

A man who not only figured out his true intentions but also went further to advise him to care for the people.

Thinking that there’s such a guy like this, his inner expression was rotting.

But his position was still weak. If the Duke found out his true intentions at this point, he could be deposed from the position of Crown Prince.

Interfering with the Duke must be done naturally, as if it were a game.

If this man spoke wrongly, everything would be in vain, so he couldn’t help but be flustered regardless of the man’s identity or status.

However, he couldn’t continue to appear flustered.

The Crown Prince forced the Palenque into his mouth. And he forced a smile. Because it was in front of the Duke.

“Hahahaha!”

The Crown Prince started laughing heartily and began to ravenously tear into the Palenque as if acting. Watching him, the Duke only thought he was vulgar, as before.

Though he appeared to be eating ravenously, the Crown Prince was actually too shocked to taste the Palenque.

He had harbored great ambitions in his heart to correct the imperial power being toyed with by a few nobles. But he was still as fragile as a leaf. Moreover, to be honest, he had never thought of the people.

“But ultimately, I like this clay. Because it has infinite possibilities. If the peace of this city is maintained, I will continue to like the clay.”

While eating, he continued to watch the man, and once again, a line that shook him came out.

Ha-

At this point, the Crown Prince laughed.

Thinking about what he was thinking now. It felt like he was naked.

The first bet he made was to walk around Greek City naked.

This was equivalent to defeat. No, he was already defeated.

He had intended to help Greek and check the Duke as a favor until the very end.

The Crown Prince began to laugh. Although laughter was originally his concept, for the first time in his life, he was laughing sincerely.

Who is the protagonist of this game?

The Duke?

No. He is the most thoughtless existence.

Greek?

No.

Nor was it himself, the Crown Prince.

The commander directing the current battlefield is this man in front of him.

It can’t be helped, the Crown Prince thought. For now, he had to escape this situation too. He couldn’t kill the Duke and Medlinne, who was guarding him, to shut their mouths.

“Alright, Greek! I lost this bet! I admit it cleanly. How can I say I won after eating such a delicious dish? Hahahaha!”

Then the Duke, who had been silent, intervened with a frowning face as if he’d been hit on the back of the head.

“Your Highness, what are you saying? Even if you lost, such a bet cannot be valid. You walking around naked!”

“No.”

At the Crown Prince’s words, the Duke replied with a bewildered face.

“Yes?”

“The conditions of that bet have been changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I promised that if I lost, I would leave Greek without making any demands! But this is legendary meat, right? It’s delicious, isn’t it? It’s a legend, so I have to acknowledge it. What can I do? A legend is a great thing! This is an interesting banquet. It’s fun, so I lost, didn’t I? So I’m sorry, Duke. Don’t be too disappointed. How much tax can this kind of territory yield anyway!”

“It was indeed delicious. But Your Highness, cooking and politics are separate matters.”

“I don’t know about politics. But the important thing is that I already said with my mouth that I would bet, so I can’t take it back. I am the Crown Prince!”

The Crown Prince laughed, stood up from the table, and left the banquet hall. Then the Duke, unable to hide his face red with anger, followed the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness! I didn’t hear this!”

“Master! I’ll follow the Crown Prince too!”

Greek also disappeared, chasing after the Crown Prince.

As a result, only El and Medlinne were left at the table. Just the two of them.

“You pamper me and then interfere with me?”

The Duke’s anger boiled inside. But it was true that he couldn’t openly pressure Greek anymore. Thanks to the Crown Prince’s capricious bet. To interfere for such a trivial reason as fun.

If he hadn’t planned to make him a puppet emperor, he would have deposed him from the Crown Prince’s position long ago. There were plenty of other princes aiming for the Crown Prince’s position.

But as long as he was the Crown Prince, his declaration had absolute effect.

He couldn’t reach out to Greek City right now. Moreover, because the Crown Prince said he would leave immediately, he couldn’t even attempt anything else. He had to follow the Crown Prince.

The eyes of the world watching. Even if he is the real power, the delinquent Crown Prince is still higher in rank. He can’t be ignored.

“Hey! Where’s Medlinne?”

Thinking it wouldn’t be fun if he didn’t use Medlinne’s magic to do something to Greek City, the Duke called for her.

“Did you call for me?”

Medlinne walked slowly into the study occupied by the Duke, responding to the call. Very slowly. So slowly that the Duke’s anger was about to erupt.

Moreover, the disliked chef from before came in with her. In the end, it was this chef that ruined his plan. Priority one is the Crown Prince. And priority two is this chef.

Thinking that, the Duke glared at El.

“You, you bastard! Do you even know where you are?!”

The Duke trembled, but El walked calmly into the study, looking around.

“Your Grace, the Duke of Taemuran. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

El stopped in front of the study window. Then he opened the window. The wind blew in.

“Medlinne, make this bastard kneel immediately!”

At the rudeness, the Duke’s neck veins bulged as he shouted. Already angry, a mere chef showing such an attitude towards a Duke like him was unacceptable.

But Medlinne spoke as if such an attitude was natural.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”

“What?”

“That man is a Dragon Slayer. Even dragons dare not act rashly towards him. How can a human make such a being kneel?”

The Duke looked back and forth between El’s back and Medlinne. A Dragon Slayer. There was only one person in the world with that title.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said. Ah, now that I think about it, didn’t we talk about this yesterday?”

“What, what?”

The Duke uttered a short word.

And looked at El’s back again. Medlinne was trembling on her knees.

In fact, Medlinne had wronged El in the last war. So, they were never on good terms.

But running away wouldn’t solve anything. It was also impossible to safely escape from El. So she just trembled.

She was the Empire’s top mage.

A high-ranking mage who even nobles had to bow to. She had actually shown she could speak her mind to the Duke.

Seeing her trembling unilaterally, the Duke began to get goosebumps. Because he recalled what kind of being she was talking about.

“Your Grace? Let me say one thing. I’ve retired. Whether it’s the central region, power, or civil war, it has nothing to do with me. No matter what Your Majesty and you do. But if you touch my haven in Greek City, you will see dragons rampaging in the capital again. And, don’t expect me to help you then. If you don’t want to lose that petty power you’ve struggled to maintain all your life, you’d better behave yourself. Including the fact that you met me here, erase the word Greek City from your brain.”

“Th-that…!”

El silently stared at the Duke.

And released his mana.

Soon the study was engulfed in darkness. Pitch black darkness. At the end of it, a giant inferno raged.

“The path to hell is near. Your Grace. Keep that in mind.”

El left those words and disappeared into the darkness.

After the 9th-class magic disappeared, El vanished. Only Medlinne, still kneeling, was visible.

What the darkness she saw was.

Realizing that fact, Medlinne’s teeth chattered.

The Duke stood blankly, blinking. Cold sweat kept dripping down.

Peace is important.

If anyone tries to destroy my peace, the Duke will taste hell. Because I showed him the edge of that hell.

I had no choice but to threaten him because it seemed like he wouldn’t give up and would bother me, but I didn’t like the process at all.

I managed to scare the Crown Prince with my cooking, but Medlinne was the problem.

I retired because I hated this dirty and petty life.

If I hadn’t declared to build a lair here, I might have just left.

Returning to the restaurant with such mixed feelings, the night was deepening.

Since I didn’t wake her, Rurin was still rolling around in bed, purring. She could have woken up and come to find me, though.

But it’s rather fortunate.

As I approached and sat on the bed, Rurin wriggled as if she sensed my presence.

“How long are you going to sleep, my dragon?”

“It’s you.”

Then she pushed her face out from the blanket, with half-closed eyes.

“You? Why does your face look like that?”

Then she suddenly sat up straight. The blanket flew up into the air and fluttered down to the floor.

In that state, Rurin crawled over and grabbed my arm.

She’s quick-witted at times like this. A remarkable dragon.

“I just had a tiring day.”

“A tiring day? Who made you tired? I can’t allow such a thing!”

“Yeah. It can’t be allowed.”

As I patted Rurin’s head, I felt a bit better.

Rurin suddenly got up from the bed as if she remembered something and grabbed my shoulder.

“Now that I think about it, that woman said to give a massage to a tired man who comes home.”

Thinking of my colleague, Rurin began to knead my shoulders. It’s more like a soft kneading than a firm massage.

It felt good.

It felt like the tiring day was being forgotten.

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

“Really! Hehe, if you feel good, I feel good too.”

Rurin started laughing as she said that. Why is this dragon touching my emotions like this today? I suddenly felt like hugging her.

“But I’m hungry.”

Rurin puffed her cheeks up.

That line barely brought me back to my senses.

Fortunately.