The Arrogant Negotiator
The first thing Pride felt upon entering the capital was that the city was just as dazzling as it had always been. Among the four nations on the continent, the Ellemental Kingdom was the most technologically advanced. And its capital, Raymond, stood at the very heart of that cutting-edge magic engineering.
Automatic carriages, which were rarely seen even on the outskirts of the kingdom, operated as public transportation here and could be spotted everywhere. The city lights never went out, even at night, and the streets pulsed with the vibrant energy of people constantly on the move. 'Now I understand why Master chose to settle here.'
It was an environment that could easily feel harsh or desolate, yet it was equally convenient and efficient. As Kain himself had put it, if you had money, this was the most comfortable and luxurious place to live on the entire continent. And Kain, the undisputed ruler of the underworld that governed every shadow across the continent, was unofficially the richest man alive.
'I will gladly grind this body to dust if it means Master's happiness can continue.'
He was already so busy he barely had time to sleep, yet he constantly scolded himself that even that wasn't enough. The man lightly closed his eyes, the deep wrinkles around them tightening.
'To do that, I must first conclude this negotiation properly.'
He opened his eyes. His gaze swept across the surroundings. The second impression he had upon arriving in the capital was that the kingdom's entire intelligence network was moving with frantic, almost excessive urgency. By now, the king had surely been informed of his arrival.
Was his visit truly enough to throw the country into something resembling a state of emergency? If someone had asked him that, Pride would have shaken his head firmly in denial.
'It's because of Master.'
Sawang Heokcheon. After the Grant Department Store terrorist incident, the fact that the Majoan had mobilized the intelligence division after deducing that Sawang Heokcheon was the one who resolved the matter was already well-known even in the underworld. However, since Master rarely left the house, there had been almost no opportunities for the intelligence network to catch any information or his location, so no further action had been taken.
After all, without any activity, how could they gather even the smallest clue?
'As expected of Master.'
Most people would feel stifled staying indoors all the time and would eventually step outside at least once. Yet Kain lived a completely rotten life where he could eat and sleep well for the rest of his days without ever leaving the house. It was enough to remind one of Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Even in that pathetic sight, Pride displayed the utmost respect. He nodded calmly.
'It seems I won't need to deal with this country's princess.'
The only potential problem was Marily Raymond, the princess of this nation. With her perfect memory, she might have been able to deduce, just like the Majoan, that Kain and Arina had been at the Grant Department Store during the incident. In fact, she had already figured out that Arina was there.
If she had told the king or anyone else, things would have become complicated. No matter how much Kain avoided going outside, it would have been incredibly simple for the Majoan to track him down.
That was why the underworld had been keeping a close eye on her, wary that Kain's peace might be disturbed. Fortunately, the princess had been wise. More precisely, her decision not to tell anyone what she had discovered—because she didn't want to cause trouble for the benefactor who had saved her—had saved her life.
Had she spoken, Pride would have immediately kidnapped the princess, erased her memories again, planted a curse of divergence so she could never meet Arina again, or, in the worst case, completely shattered her mind.
Of course, that would have enraged King Raymond and prompted the Majoan to actively hunt for the culprit. But without evidence, they couldn't identify the perpetrator. For Master's sake, he was willing to act as radically as necessary.
The greatest fanatic in the underworld and the most loyal servant of Sawang Heokcheon. That was exactly who this man—Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins—was.
"......"
Pride stared at the firmly closed castle gates. Sharp, piercing hostility emanated from all directions, clearly meant to intimidate him. The meaning was obvious: vigilance.
Pride snorted at the sight. There was no honor guard. He had even taken public transportation like a bus on the way here. Standing in the middle of what might as well be enemy territory, he showed not the slightest tension. He stood leisurely before the gates of the Ellemental Kingdom.
Clatter.
Then the gates, inscribed personally by the Majoan and reinforced with numerous spells that even an 8-star superhuman would struggle to break, swung wide open.
"We have been expecting you."
Beyond them, the one who bowed his head in greeting was Enoch Sevranthis, the chief steward of the royal palace. With precise, disciplined movements, he bowed, then stepped aside and gestured with his arm to guide Pride inside.
"His Majesty the King is waiting."
"He's seeing me right away, huh."
The position of king was not one that could be met simply because someone wished it. Even envoys from other countries were usually made to wait—both to uphold royal dignity and to allow them time to recover from the fatigue of their journey. Yet King Raymond had been unable to hide his impatience and had requested this meeting immediately.
It was proof of just how heavily the name of Sawang Heokcheon—or rather, the one standing behind Pride—weighed on him.
"Very well. Lead the way."
He stepped through the gates of the Ellemental royal castle with such confidence that it was hard to believe he had come to make a request, let alone negotiate. His stride was the very embodiment of arrogance, perfectly befitting the name Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The Seven Deadly Sins. They were the executives of the underworld who communicated directly with its absolute ruler, Sawang Heokcheon, and served as his direct subordinates. Every one of them possessed 8-star, superhuman-level power. And the man now entering the Ellemental royal palace was, in terms of influence, the second-in-command of the underworld, standing right behind Sawang Heokcheon himself.
"......"
The doors to the audience chamber opened. Seated at the highest position was Alex Raymond Ellemental, the king of this nation. Beside him sat the Majoan, Ern Benedict. Lined up next to them were the ministers responsible for governing the country, all staring sharply at the man walking in.
It was an attempt to suppress him with presence before negotiations even began—a standard preliminary step. For an ordinary person, the sight would have been enough to make them falter unconsciously.
Step.
But Pride walked through their midst with the same serene confidence he had shown when first entering the castle gates. He held his head high, staring directly at King Raymond ahead of him.
This was blatant disrespect. He looked straight at the king's face. He did not kneel. He did not even bow his head. There was not a single ounce of courtesy toward King Raymond to be found.
Yes. He was arrogant.
But that was only natural. After all, he was Pride. The only being in this world before whom he would bow his head and kneel was Sawang Heokcheon.
"It is an immense honor to meet Your Majesty, the great sun of the Ellemental Kingdom, King Raymond."
The only courtesy he could offer King Raymond was to use polite speech. At this, the ministers looked ready to explode, yet they all remained silent. An intangible aura pressed down on their bodies. From the moment Pride had entered the audience chamber, the entire space had been completely dominated by his presence.
Speaking even a single word was not permitted. Even breathing felt laborious. Every single action, no matter how small, required his permission. Their minds went completely blank, thoughts frozen as if in a vegetative state.
It was charisma pushed to its absolute limit.
"As expected of someone from the underworld. You have no manners at all."
In that frozen eternity where a single second felt like ten years, the one who granted them freedom was not Pride, but the Majoan, Ern Benedict. With a simple snap of his fingers, he dispelled the mental restraint Pride had spread. It was undoubtedly magic, yet not even the slightest trace of a spell formula could be felt.
As expected of the pinnacle of modern magic. It had been nothing more than a light trick, yet it displayed the tremendous skill befitting one who had reached the realm of an absolute being like Master.
"My apologies. Since it is an Ebon ability, there are times when it is difficult to control as I wish."
"What a ridiculous excuse. If it were truly an uncontrollable power, the entire capital would have already been thrown into chaos on your way here."
You took the bus here and you dare speak like that? At the retort, Pride only shrugged his shoulders even more shamelessly.
"I suppose I must have been nervous. Having so many people glaring at me like this."
You started it first. I simply responded appropriately. I did nothing wrong.
"How brazen."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Ern Benedict frowned. The man wouldn't yield even an inch. Standing before an absolute being like himself, he showed not the slightest sign of shrinking back. He knew it. He knew that the other party could do nothing to him. Because if they touched him, it would immediately trigger a war with Sawang Heokcheon.
He was making far too effective use of the weight behind the name Sawang Heokcheon. Because Sawang Heokcheon stood behind him, he could act with more arrogance than anyone else. The near-religious belief that no one in this world could harm or defy Sawang Heokcheon. It was a display with not a single flaw in earning him the title of Sawang Heokcheon's greatest fanatic in the underworld.
Completely played.
He had tried to seize the initiative from the start, but instead had his momentum stolen. An aggressive style of mental warfare that refused to play on the opponent's board—if anything, it would rather smash the opponent's board entirely. Truly, that temperament suited the name Pride perfectly.
This negotiation is going to be much harder than I thought.
Even though he had come to make a request, his attitude was like this. He looked like he had nothing to lose. Thanks to that, drawing the line had become even more difficult. If they tried to take too much, he would simply flip the table and leave. And if that happened, the situation would spiral into the worst possible outcome.
Even if the negotiations broke down, Sawang Heokcheon would never abandon what he had decided to do. He would probably push through with brute force, just like he had in Yggdrasil. And the moment anyone tried to interfere, even slightly, it would turn into war—just like with the Empress.
A being who usually remained a dark sovereign but transformed into a tyrant the moment he wanted something done. The worst possible leader, yet with loyal subordinates like these propping him up, there was no more terrifying opponent.
And Pride understood their situation perfectly—and was using it to his advantage. In the blink of an eye, the positions had reversed from the weak to the strong. They hadn't even begun the real conversation yet, but he was no ordinary man.
The silver lining is that the other side seems to have at least some respect for the fact that this is a negotiation.
Even when he had released his Ebon earlier, he had not let its effects reach the king. For an Ebon user, whose control was generally weaker than that of other ability users, it was an impressively precise display. And that also meant the other side did not want to break this board either.
"That's enough from both of you!"
The one who stepped in to stop the clash of auras crackling like sparks in the air was King Raymond, who had been sitting quietly until now.
"Duke Benedict. Please restrain yourself."
"My apologies, Your Majesty."
"And Pride. If you have come seeking negotiation rather than war, adjust your attitude."
"If I have caused discomfort, I apologize."
And here was one more piece of evidence that he did not wish to break this board. When the king had intervened to protect his own authority and stop their fight, if Pride had truly wanted to sabotage the negotiations, he would not have needed to play along with such an obvious charade.
Along with his polite speech, it was the minimum consideration he showed toward King Raymond.
"Then, since it seems none of us have time to waste, shall we begin the negotiations promptly?"
Yet even to the end, he refused to relinquish control, seizing the initiative before King Raymond could. King Raymond swallowed a small groan, clearly aware of what was happening. And so, under the arrogant leadership of Pride, with the corner of his mouth curled up, the negotiations between the Raymond Kingdom and the underworld began.