The Tyrant's Wager
The carriage came to a halt with a slight jolt. The entrance to the royal castle was suffocatingly strict. Guards clad in full plate armor gripped their razor-sharp spears with menacing vigilance, leaving no gaps in their formation.
"We will need to inspect you. State your affiliation and identity..."
But when Yvelin extended a gold-embossed invitation bearing Garon V's royal seal out the window, the inspection was waived without question.
"You may pass!"
One invitation skips the entire checkpoint. It was a moment that made Garon V's overwhelming authority palpable. A single scrap of paper took precedence over the castle's ironclad security.
The interior of the banquet hall glittered dazzlingly under countless chandeliers. Nobles adorned in expensive silk dresses and lavish jewels mingled, enjoying their own exclusive world.
"This way, my lady."
I led Yvelin toward a secluded terrace pillar tucked away from prying eyes. Standing quietly there, we sipped champagne offered by a passing waiter and observed the hall with indifferent gazes.
Bam-bam-bara-bam-!!
Soon, a resounding fanfare echoed through the hall, plunging it into sudden silence. Garon V strode across the red carpet, his arrogance dripping from every step, and ascended the dais. With a haughty wave of his hand, the massive cloth covering the center of the hall was pulled away.
"Ooh...!"
"Good heavens, all of that..."
Inside lay mountains of gold, silver, treasures, and rare elixirs pillaged from the Elf Forest, the Witch's Swamp, and weaker neighboring nations through threats and coercion.
Garon V pressed an amplification orb to his lips and bellowed.
"This is the price we have finally extracted for the blood Garon has shed protecting you all these years! With the money from those incompetent, selfish foreign scum, I shall make Garon great once more!"
It was absurd. The sheer audacity of dressing up blatant plunder and robbery as legitimate collection. Yet the nobles lined up before the dais applauded fervently, veins bulging in their necks.
Drunk on the atmosphere, Garon V pounded his chest with his fists and launched into a passionate tirade.
"The blood of Garon V carries the genes of history's greatest conqueror. My health, my intellect, my decisiveness are more perfect than any king before me! The kingdom's finest physicians were stunned upon hearing my robust heartbeat. I shall rule this nation effortlessly for another two hundred years!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
"O great sovereign!"
The nobles' blind cries of praise reverberated through the hall. Watching the spectacle, I was certain. Demon King revival? Black magic? Minions? This man was simply lost in pure self-intoxication, devoid of any sense of reality.
At that moment, Garon V raised his hand imperiously to silence the crowd. A sinister smile crept across his lips before he dropped his bombshell.
"None of you know what lies beyond the northern demon lands. My secret investigation team has discovered a new continent beyond! I shall conquer that new continent and transform Garon into an eternal empire!"
A new continent beyond the demon lands?
The mere mention of a new continent sent the nobles' eyes gleaming with visions of fresh territories and immense wealth. They roared in excitement, chanting Garon's name.
"But to dispatch an expeditionary force to such distant lands requires enormous supplies and absolute stability in the rear. Therefore, I shall erase the petty borders of this continent. The surrounding kingdoms must submit at my feet as forward bases and supply depots for the glorious conquest of the new continent!"
Having concluded his fiery speech, Garon descended from the dais. Passing through the cheering nobles, he made his way toward our secluded corner.
"Head of the Golden Fox Merchant Guild. Congratulations on your victory. Your husband is nowhere to be seen, so I suppose the baron finally kicked the bucket."
"....."
A mocking greeting. As Yvelin bit her lip and lowered her head, Garon V's gaze naturally shifted to me standing beside her.
"And... the sturdy escort knight beside her. Or should I say, Hero Sian? You tried to sneak in, but you couldn't fool Garon's perfect intelligence network!"
"H-hero?"
"Why would the hero who defeated the Demon King be here...!"
The fact that the continent's strongest warrior had disguised himself as an escort knight and infiltrated the heart of enemy territory left the surrounding nobles pale with shock, stumbling backward. It wouldn't have been strange if the knights had drawn their swords and charged immediately.
But Garon V showed no sign of panic. Instead, he leisurely sipped his champagne with his characteristic arrogant smile. He had known I was here from the beginning and had set this stage accordingly.
"How about it? Quit playing lapdog for the church and serve under me. Together, let us complete this great Garon Kingdom. Whatever you desire, I shall grant it. Money? Power? Or perhaps that scheming widow beside you?"
Yvelin's face twisted at the vulgar remark. Even she, who usually maintained a flawless poker face, seemed unable to control her expression before a king who treated her as spoils of war.
I lightly tapped her trembling shoulder to calm her, then spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"I'll pass. The Demon King is dead, and the continent has found peace. Is there any reason to shed blood in meaningless wars? You would do well to abandon such nonsense about continental expeditions even now."
Garon chuckled derisively at my warning.
"Peace? Such a tedious and unprofitable word."
The king's eyes flashed like a viper's.
"Besides, the Demon King's army was pathetically weak. If I had led the troops myself, it would have ended in a single year. You were merely lucky."
His bravado was unmatched across the continent. Garon lightly snapped his fingers in the air.
Click.
At the signal, three knights exuding a menacing aura emerged from behind the dais and lined up behind the king.
"Behold! These are the most perfect knights in Garon's history! Truly magnificent!"
They appeared to be the continent's strongest knights on the surface, likely enhanced by elixirs and equipped with exorbitantly expensive gear.
"Very well. Since you desire peace so much, let us make a wager. Duel these three of my royal guards. If you win, I shall withdraw my great army from the border for one month. You can enjoy a month of the peace you so love. But if you lose? You shall watch from my side as I conquer the continent."
Just as I was about to burst into incredulous laughter at the absurd terms of the bet—
"Your Majesty."
One of the royal guards stepped forward, his voice thick and metallic.
"I alone am sufficient."
The man looked down at me with bloodshot eyes, a cruel sneer on his lips.
"That bubble of a hero is nothing. I alone am enough!"
The arrogant provocation of a drug-addled fool. I let out a dry chuckle at the sight.
"Bubble? Even after swallowing expensive elixirs, your brain remains the same, I see. You can't even grasp your own limits."
The knight, enraged by the mockery, growled and radiated a murderous aura. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Yvelin standing beside me. Clad in a high-class dress that accentuated her curves, Yvelin drew the knight's bloodshot eyes as they greedily scanned her figure from head to toe. Licking his lips with a filthy tongue, his blatant desire to claim her as his prize was unmistakable.
How dare this bastard...
Having instantly noticed the unpleasant stare, I decided to thoroughly provoke him. I reached out and pulled Yvelin firmly by the waist.
"..!"
Yvelin gasped in surprise and pressed against me. Not stopping there, I slid my hand upward and firmly squeezed her ample breasts over the dress.
"S-Sian...?"
Though I could feel her flinch in embarrassment, I kept my hand in place and smiled brazenly at the knight.
"Don't get any ideas, you drugged-up bastard. A man like you could never have a woman like her."
The knight lost all reason and exploded.
"Y-you damned hero bastard!! How dare you in front of His Majesty!!"
He roared and drew his greatsword with a metallic scrape. A menacing aura tore through the banquet hall's air. I withdrew my hand from her breast and gently pushed her aside. Then, with calm and leisurely movements, I drew my own sword and assumed a combat stance.
"Dieee!!"
Brute strength erupted from muscles enhanced by drugs. The massive greatsword cleaved through the air and slammed down toward my head with lethal force.
BOOM-!!
CLANG!
The knight's sword wind shattered innocent banquet tables and gouged spiderweb cracks into the solid marble floor. It was a terrifying display of destructive power, but my body was no longer there.
He's just ridiculously strong—about mid-level demon tier. Like that one from Sub Village? Similar.
"Where are you!"
As the knight, thrown off balance by his missed swing, desperately tried to swing his greatsword again with bloodshot eyes, I closed the distance like a ghost and struck down hard on his blade.
CLAAANG-!
"H-huh?!"
The fool blinked stupidly, realizing I was stronger than expected. Since he seemed to need a proper lesson, I drove a kick into his jaw at a speed too fast to see.
CRACK-!!
The sound of bones shattering.
"Guhhh!"
The knight vomited blood like a fountain and was sent flying dozens of meters. With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the banquet hall wall before tumbling to the floor like trash. Judging by his convulsing, rolled-back eyes, he had passed out.
A clean takedown in under a minute.
"....."
Silence fell over the banquet hall. Garon V's face, which had been arrogantly raised, hardened like stone. Hundreds of nobles who had been frenziedly cheering moments ago stood pale and breathless, as if doused with cold water.
I lightly shook the blood from my shoes and looked at Garon with ease.
"Garon."
The continent's greatest tyrant flinched at my call.
"I didn't leave you alone because I was afraid of the likes of you."
My voice, laced with chilling mana, weighed heavily on everyone in the hall.
"Cease your wars and strive for peace."