Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Duke Garviti
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"What? That bastard disappeared?"
"Yes. They say he suddenly vanished during the ball."
"Damn it!"
The news of Kayer's disappearance reached Omer's ears while he was deep in conversation with the nobles.
A look of realization flashed across Omer's face.
"Go catch him. I've given orders to the hangar. He's probably there."
"Understood."
Viscount Farkes bowed hastily and hurried out of the hall.
"That fox-like bastard..."
Duke Omer ground his teeth.
Young in age, yet cunning like a seasoned noble.
He was a headache that absolutely needed to be dealt with.
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"Take it with you?"
After paying respects to the emperor and dancing a few rounds, the outside had already grown dark.
Sorinbet flew low over the imperial palace.
It skimmed just past the mana interference field overhead and the ground guards.
The security wasn't as tight as expected.
There were many guards and knights around the Hall of Glory and on the inner castle walls, but not so much elsewhere.
Dodging the knights' eyes with Fly magic, it reached my private chamber in Isabel Palace.
Thanks to the thick clouds and black clothes, it evaded the knights' sight.
Click, click.
I equipped the Air Plate armor and sword I'd taken off.
Then, setting aside the clothes Isis had gifted me, I fell into thought.
"She'll be upset if I leave them behind."
I'd left without proper goodbyes, but Isis would understand.
The reason I was sneaking away like a thief.
I made up my mind and packed the clothes.
It absolutely(?) wasn't because I wanted to get my money's worth from the elf armor I'd offered to the emperor.
"Time to go."
The imperial hangar was very close to Isabel Palace.
A place only for royals or those invited by the imperial family.
I bundled the clothes tightly and headed out.
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"Where are you going?"
"Good work."
Knights blocked the way at the door connecting the imperial hangar to the inner castle.
'These guys, can't you tell? I'm going home.'
"The imperial hangar is closed at night. Please use it after sunrise tomorrow morning."
'Eh? There's a rule like that?'
A hangar rule I didn't know about.
This was a real pickle.
"There's an urgent matter in my territory. I need to ride my wyvern back. Step aside."
"Impossible."
The knights blocked my firm advance even more resolutely.
Even after getting one over on the princess, their strong stance clearly meant they'd received orders from above.
'Sweep them away?'
But that wasn't easy.
Unlike the lax inner castle security, the imperial hangar entrance was guarded by over twenty knights and more than a hundred soldiers.
'Can't ruin a sure thing.'
I regretted not bringing Isis along.
Step, step.
"Halt."
'Hm?'
While I was stuck pondering my dilemma, regular footsteps approached from behind.
"Haha, good work."
"Uh, ugh! Your Excellency!"
'Eh? Your Excellency?'
"Your Excellency" was a title for dukes and above.
I turned my head.
'Eh, isn't that the bald old man from earlier?'
One of the four pillars of the Bazran Empire, the first to meet the emperor.
The white-haired bald Duke Garviti approached the hangar.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Count Kayer de Neruman."
"Ah, the Count Kayer who received a title from His Majesty. Haha. I'd wanted to meet you once for a drink, but here we are."
"It's an honor, Your Excellency Duke Garviti."
'Jackpot! This might get me through smoothly.'
"C-Count?"
The knights were stunned at the word "Count."
Rumors must have spread among them about the arrogant half-baron who landed a hybrid wyvern in the imperial hangar.
'Look at them freak out.'
"But what's the matter?"
"Well... There's an urgent issue in my territory, so I need to leave, but the knights are blocking the way, saying the hangar closes at night."
"Closes?"
Duke Garviti repeated "closes" at my words.
"Who's in charge here?"
He quietly called for the person in charge.
"Baron Ponein de Kubes greets Your Excellency."
One of the dazed knights stepped forward.
"Sir Ponein, as far as I know, there's no such rule. Am I mistaken?"
"N-No, it's just..."
The baron couldn't respond to the duke's low voice.
'What? These night bastards screwed me over?'
"So, must I, who wishes to return to my territory, wait here until sunrise tomorrow? Or do I need direct permission from His Majesty?"
'Whoa, rank is a thug, huh.'
Duke Garviti showed why one doesn't lightly claim the title.
With just a few quiet words, Knight Ponein de something-or-other's face turned deathly pale.
"N-No, Your Excellency. It seems my subordinates misunderstood."
'What? His subordinates?'
What a shameless guy.
Not some Korean back-alley clinic doc living off lies, but an imperial knight spouting them without hesitation.
"Is that so? I was startled, thinking I'd need His Majesty's permission."
'Is this political savvy too?'
Duke Garviti must have sensed something off.
I was deeply impressed by how he threatened the knights by invoking the emperor.
Subtle power play and intimidation, not overt.
A great skill to learn and observe for the future.
"Then, may I go as well?"
"....."
I casually hitched a ride on the duke's passage.
"Y-Yes, Count. You may proceed."
With his lie exposed, the knight had no grounds to stop me.
No matter how imperial a knight he was, he couldn't casually block a count.
"Count Kayer, what's so urgent that you're leaving so early?"
"As Your Excellency knows, my territory Neruman isn't a place where the lord can leisurely play with enemies all around. His Majesty's decree called me urgently, and now that it's done, I'm heading back."
"Haha, you're in a similar boat to me. I haven't slept easy with monsters invading day after day."
Sharing the same plight, Duke Garviti looked at me warmly.
"Your Excellency feels the same as I do. Why wouldn't I know it's great to live comfortably flattering by His Majesty's side in the capital? But as a noble and knight called by the nation, I think sweating for His Majesty and the people is a hundred times better than such politics."
"Oh! It's been ages since I heard such noble words from a noble. Young, yet honorable thoughts. Excellent!"
As we passed through the gate the knights cleared, I racked up points with Duke Garviti.
Most empire nobles and knights knew this duke had been pushed out of politics to dance with monsters in the countryside.
"No matter what, how can I compare to Your Excellency, who devoted your life to the empire, or the ducal house?"
Verbal humility.
Costs nothing, effect perfect score.
"Sir Kayer."
Duke Garviti called quietly.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Come to my territory sometime. It's been ages since I shared a drink with a knight like you."
"Once my territory stabilizes, I'll definitely visit."
"Come for sure."
The old duke sent me a fervent gaze.
A toothless tiger, but his hide alone could shake the empire.
I could feel head to toe he was thoroughly pleased.
'Better than nothing.'
No need to make all empire nobles enemies.
Especially this one, a duke.
His straightforward, lion-like personality appealed to me.
"Your Excellency's wyvern is over here."
A soldier who'd followed us across the hangar runway pointed out Duke Garviti's wyvern.
"Until next time."
"Go safely. And visit me for sure."
"I will, Your Excellency."
Old as he was, Duke Garviti showed warm, next-door-grandpa vibes.
Kuooh!
As the duke stood before it, a mighty cry echoed from inside the hangar, recognizing its master.
Creak.
Wyvern handlers opened the door, and a large gray wyvern strode out between them.
Whoosh.
Without even wearing Air Plate, the duke lightly leaped onto the wyvern.
"Let's go, Frangel!"
Kuooh!
Flap, flap, flap flap flap.
At its master's command, wyvern Frangel vigorously flapped its wings and kicked off the ground.
It looked quite aged, but its muscles were in fine form.
'Bye bye, Duke Grandpa.'
Duke Garviti, with whom I'd unexpectedly bonded.
As he pierced the dark night sky and vanished, I moved my feet.
"Where's my wyvern?"
"Uh, well..."
I asked a soldier standing nearby after sending off the duke.
Excluding royals, few wyverns parked in the imperial hangar on imperial orders.
And I was so memorable, they'd know my wyvern Bebeto.
"Speak properly!"
"Over, over there in that hangar."
Startled by my mana-infused low growl, the soldier pointed with one hand.
'A warehouse?'
Fit to be beaten to death, they'd shoved Bebeto into the shabbiest warehouse building in the imperial hangar.
"Who ordered it there?"
Isis had clearly asked nicely, so they wouldn't have dared on their own.
"H-His Highness the Crown Prince ordered it."
'Crown Prince? That Crown Prince fucker!'
Crown Prince Poltviran, entangled with me in bad blood from the start.
Steam boiled from my head.
"Where's the Crown Prince's wyvern?"
"Pardon?"
"If I have to say it twice from my mouth, you'll pay with your life."
Imperial soldier or not, before a noble, his life was flyswatter.
With my slightly horned expression, he'd feel deep fear.
"O-Over there."
The soldier pointed the direction.
"Scram."
My low rumbling voice.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Shocked enough to bark orders like a commander despite not being one, the soldier fled.
'Bebeto, sorry.'
Poor Bebeto, mistreated in the palace due to its bad master.
Like "leave home and suffer," the most comfortable place in the world for me and Bebeto was only Neruman.
Dash, dash.
I ran to the warehouse-like hangar where Bebeto was.
Kuooh!
As I approached, it cried out, recognizing my footsteps.
"Let's go! Bebeto!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Boom!
No sooner said than done, Bebeto blasted the wooden door outward and emerged.
Fortunately unharmed, with lively eyes.
'I'll make sure from now on you get treated like me always.'
No more bowing heads.
No matter the emperor's orders, I vowed never to drag Bebeto to such a dangerous place again.
The emperor was blood-unrelated, but Bebeto was family sharing memories with me.
Flash!
I lightly landed on Bebeto's back as it burst out.
Shoooo.
Even just one day deprived of freedom.
Bebeto flapped its wings fiercely toward the open sky.
'If I just leave like this, I ain't Kang Hyuk.'
No matter how I thought, this moment pissed me off.
I yanked Bebeto's reins, turning its body.
Shrieeeek.
Then charged straight at the imperial hangar.
Whiiiing.
It broke through the mana interference field spread wide over the palace.
"Fireball!"
I conjured a fireball.
Mana packed full into the burning lump of rage in my chest.
Roooar.
A 5-meter-diameter fireball formed, big enough to swallow a house.
"Euaaaah!"
"A-Air raid!"
Knights and soldiers defending the hangar and inner castle screamed at the sight.
'Die, you unlucky bastard!'
The Crown Prince's wyvern, vicious like its master.
I hurled the fireball straight at its stone hangar.
Shiiiiiing.
Trailing a long fiery tail, it plummeted into the hangar.
Kaaaaboom!
Stone roof or not, it couldn't block the fireball of fury from the sky.
With a massive roar, the roof caved in, and the fireball dropped inside.
Boom!
Like a bomb, it exploded with a bang, shards scattering everywhere.
Kueeeeeek!
The wyvern, struck by lightning in sleep, let out a wretched scream.
"Huu..."
My stuffy chest cleared with sweet relief.
"Bebeto!"
Kuooh!
Not knowing what, but answering vigorously as its master called.
"What're you doing! Run!"
Now, we needed neither bravery nor stupidity.
Just the speed to bolt straight to Neruman.