Chapter 280: You Said "Anything," Didn't You? (2)
Chapter 280: You Said "Anything," Didn't You? (2)
They say great minds think alike...
The knights were struck with disbelief when they heard the news that Patrick Schneider would be leading the diplomatic mission to the Holy Kingdom.
"Wait, Young Master?"
"What is it, punk?"
"Is it true that you’re going as the head of the delegation to strengthen ties with the Holy Kingdom?"
At Oliver’s question, Patrick squared his shoulders and spoke.
"My father has entrusted me with a grave responsibility."
"Young Master, please think this through."
"Think what through?"
"What if you go there and get... purified? Gack!"
Oliver, who had been genuinely worried, was sent flying by a swift kick from Patrick.
"That guy’s condition has been getting worse lately."
At this point, Patrick wondered if Oliver truly believed he was a demon crawled up from hell.
Patrick turned to Sanson.
"As for the size of the delegation, use the budget provided by Count Krupa to organize it."
"Yes, I understand, Grand Duke Schneider."
"There’s no need to fill it with overly expensive things. Just make it look decent enough. Get it ready as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
"Oh, and where are the Sages?"
"They are likely in the newly built tower."
"Right. Got it."
And a few days later.
The diplomatic mission, led by Patrick Schneider, departed for the Holy Kingdom.
The roster included Patrick and the Double Dragon Knights.
It also included Chandler, the administrative official; Matthew, Patrick’s friend; the Three Sages from the Tower of Truth; and dozens of Magic Swordsmen to escort them.
* * *
A few months later.
"Young Master, we’ve arrived. That is Promise, the capital of the Holy Kingdom."
"Yeah, I see it too."
Riding at the head of the line, Patrick let out a long sigh.
That was long. Seriously, way too long.
After leaving the Schneider County, they had passed through the Atronia Kingdom, where he met the King. While he was at it, he stopped by the Royal Academy to play the part of the "nuisance" senior to his juniors...
After that, they crossed the Denver Sea Area by ship and arrived at the Atronia Kingdom's direct territory, which had been reclaimed from the Harbor Kingdom.
The person who greeted Patrick there was...
[Hahaha. It’s been a long time, Patrick.]
[Professor. You’re looking well.]
The Indomitable Knight, Justin Late.
Once the head professor of the Knight Department when Patrick was a student, he was now serving as the administrator in charge of this territory.
After a brief reunion with that familiar face, they had to continue their slow journey by carriage.
Along the way, they met Derius Michael Harbor, who had become the Grand Duke of the Harbor Duchy. Patrick applied just enough subtle pressure to ensure the man wouldn't even dream of having second thoughts...
Then, they entered the territory of the Holy Kingdom, where he had to deal with every local lord and high-ranking priest they encountered along the road.
"I am never doing this again."
Nobles subtly trying to push their daughters onto him.
Priests preaching the word of God while urging him to join the Holy Knight Order.
And knights challenging him out of a greedy desire to make a name for themselves by defeating him...
Compared to traveling light and alone, this was a mountain of exhaustion and annoyance.
"If I... ever lead a diplomatic mission again, I’m a dog. A dog."
Oliver, riding his horse alongside him, chimed in.
"Hahaha, Young Master, really..."
"What, you think I’m just saying that?"
"No, it’s just that you were already famous as a 'Mad Dog' back in your Academy days—"
Whack!
He knew that was coming.
"Ugh... Why did you hit me? Why? I was only telling the truth!"
"You’re getting hit because you’re telling the truth, punk."
"Ah, I see."
Why are you accepting that so easily?
Regardless, Patrick’s delegation finally arrived at the capital of the Holy Kingdom.
As they were an official diplomatic mission, a unit of Holy Knights was already waiting at the fortress gate to receive Patrick and his party.
"Welcome to the Holy City of God, members of the Schneider Duchy. I am Yorjin Collinoe, and I will be your guide."
A man who appeared to be in his fifties, wearing the robes of a 1st Class Priest, greeted the delegation.
Behind him, dozens of Holy Knights stood in a solemn formation.
They didn't show open hostility, but their dignified presence was a clear display of the Holy Kingdom's might.
Patrick dismounted and spoke politely.
"I am Patrick Sky (天) Schneider of the Schneider Duchy."
Patrick Sky Schneider.
When the Schneider family was elevated to a Grand Ducal House, he had to create a middle name.
Thus, Patrick had chosen the name 'Sky' for himself.
Well, strictly speaking, he hadn't come up with it himself.
He had simply taken the name his Master had given him in his previous life.
After the brief introduction.
Priest Yorjin smiled at Patrick and said, "You must be exhausted from your long journey. We have prepared a modest banquet this evening as a welcoming gesture. Please rest comfortably until then."
"Thank you for your kind consideration."
At that moment, just as the perfectly normal conversation was flowing...
"It has been a long time. Young Master Schneider—no, I suppose you are a Grand Duke now."
A Holy Knight with a build as solid as an iron tower stepped forward and addressed Patrick.
The moment Patrick saw the man...
"Oh... You are... Uh... Who were you again?"
The man fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Do you not remember? It is I."
"..."
I still have no idea.
As Patrick maintained a face that clearly said he didn't know, the man struggled to suppress his anger.
"I competed in the same Arcana as you and made it to the semi-finals..."
"Ah... That guy from back then..."
"Do you remember now?"
"Michael?"
Twitch.
"It is Antorius Denar."
"Ah, right."
"..."
"Sorry, the names were so similar I got confused."
How are they similar? In what way?
Antorius let out a deep sigh.
Is such a frivolous and undignified human truly stronger than me?
He couldn't understand it.
In truth, even when Patrick won the Arcana, Antorius hadn't acknowledged Patrick as being above him.
Of course, reaching the Supreme Realm was impressive, but Antorius himself was a 6-Star Swordsman on the verge of that level, and above all, he was a Holy Knight who could perform miracles through divine blessing.
His loss to Sierion was merely because he had been flustered by the sudden appearance of an Aura Blade.
He believed that if he had known the possibilities and prepared beforehand, he could have easily won. However...
The feats Patrick displayed afterward were a series of wonders that reached even the Holy Kingdom on the other side of the continent.
He had gone on a knight's pilgrimage and won every official duel against fellow 7-Star Knights.
He had emerged victorious in a battle against the regular army of the Caesar Kingdom.
Even the Overlord, who had defeated Antorius in the Arcana, had to drink the bitter cup of defeat in a duel against the Double Dragon.
Later, he defeated the demons threatening the elves in Evergreen, earning their recognition, and ended the civil war in the Harbor Kingdom by participating with only a small elite force of a thousand.
Each of those achievements seemed to scream:
I am on a different level from other greenhorns.
From Antorius's perspective as a contemporary, this was incredibly grating.
"It is a pity you do not remember my name. I suppose it cannot be helped, as we did not cross paths back then."
"Hmm..."
This was how Antorius's words sounded to Patrick's ears:
—You didn't fight me back then, right? That's why you don't remember. You lucky bastard. If you had run into me then, you'd be dead. You know that?—
Patrick thought with a pleasant smile.
Should I wreck him?
No, he knew better.
He was here as an official diplomat, so it was right to stay quiet if possible and focus on searching for the Dark Mage.
But if someone was going to pick a fight so blatantly(?), wasn't it only polite to respond?
It was then.
"Sir Denar."
The 1st Class Priest who had introduced himself as Yorjin Collinoe intervened with a stern voice.
He turned to Antorius and said, "Grand Duke Schneider must be tired from his long journey. Why don't you quietly escort them to their quarters?"
"...Understood."
Antorius looked reluctant, but he followed the order obediently.
Considering that Antorius himself was a high-ranking Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom...
He must be more powerful than I thought.
Patrick gazed intently at Yorjin Collinoe.
A 1st Class Priest in the Holy Kingdom was a rank just below a Cardinal.
While it was a high-ranking position, the way this Michael or Antorius kid treated him suggested he wasn't just an ordinary high-ranking priest.
There was a high probability he held more actual power than his rank suggested.
He might be in a position like the Head of the Zhuge Clan in the Murim Alliance...
Back then, the Alliance Leader was the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple, and the Vice Leader was the Head of the Namgung Clan.
However, the one who actually decided the direction and handled the affairs of the Murim Alliance was mostly the Head of the Zhuge Clan.
Watching that from the sidelines, Patrick had thought:
Ah, so that's what a power player looks like.
Regardless of official rank, there are always those in an organization who hold more actual power. If that was the case...
"It’s a pleasure, Priest Yorjin Collinoe. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Patrick Schneider."
"Uh..."
Suddenly?
Yorjin was momentarily flustered as Patrick reached out for a handshake.
But since there was no reason to refuse the gesture...
"Yes. It is a pleasure, Grand Duke Schneider."
He took Patrick's hand.
Patrick held the handshake for quite a long time. Then...
"Tsk, a dud."
"Pardon?"
"It’s nothing."
Patrick let go of his hand and spoke.
"I’d like to rest. When can I meet His Holiness the Pope?"
"If you are referring to His Holiness the Holy Emperor..."
For reference, there were two titles for the leader of the Holy Kingdom: Pope and Holy Emperor.
There wasn't much difference, but he was usually called the Pope outside the Holy Kingdom and the Holy Emperor within it.
Regardless, he was undoubtedly a titan who served as the religious pillar for all humanity across the continent, beyond just the Holy Kingdom. However...
"Regrettably, His Holiness has not been in good health recently and is being cautious with public activities. Therefore, he may not attend the banquet."
"Oh, that is a pity. Then, who will be attending the banquet?"
"I and the Cardinals will be there."
"I see. Then, I shall see you then."
With that, Patrick was guided to the villa where the Holy Kingdom hosted its distinguished guests.
"Woooow... How did they paint that on the ceiling?"
"Sanson-hyung, do you think the jewels decorating these statues are real?"
Chandler and Oliver, who had followed Patrick into the quarters, looked around in awe.
Patrick watched them and let out a sigh.
"Country bumpkins."
The two snapped back.
"Hey, can't we be impressed?"
"Are we the only country bumpkins? You were born in the same place as us, Young Master!"
Looking at them, Patrick thought:
That Chandler kid, he’s been hanging around Oliver so much lately that his sassiness is starting to sprout.
As they say, "He who touches pitch shall be defiled." Who you associate with is important...
Tsk, tsk. This won't do. I'll have to give him a good scrubbing and turn him back into a blank slate soon.
Whether Patrick was thinking that or not, Chandler continued to admire his surroundings.
"I didn't know the Holy Kingdom was this luxurious."
The Schneider Duchy had also developed beyond comparison to its past.
By exporting food produced in the Moana River basin to the entire continent, they had amassed immense wealth, and through their partnership with the Elvador Merchant Group, they had gained exclusive rights to sell silk and elven specialties, building a fortune.
However, that was wealth accumulated in a short period; the current Schneider Duchy was more like the "nouveau riche" of the world.
It was on a different level from the "old money" that had naturally accumulated wealth over hundreds of years.
Every statue and painting in this villa was likely an ancient work of art from centuries ago, with value beyond measure.
A luxurious villa lavishly decorated with such art was a subtle arrangement to boast of the Holy Kingdom's power to its visitors.
Though Patrick usually loved expensive, rare, and shiny things more than anyone...
"Stop acting like peasants and get some rest until dinner."
Now was not the time to be distracted by such things.