The greatest satisfaction of a dog beastman
The greatest satisfaction of a dog beastman
"What did we just see?"
"The edge of his hand turned white, and then I saw a streak of light?"
"Did you see that flash? Sparks flew when Senior Knight Lauritz-nim blocked it!"
"Captain-nim, do you know what exactly the Archduke-jeonha did?"
Nod. Nod.
Marina understood Saklasi's situation, but she didn't have the mental capacity to explain it. She was too busy focusing on every single move Saklasi made. She had to take him in with her eyes as much as possible.
"Captain-nim?"
"Even a high-level reinforcement ability user, a lion beastkin, couldn't withstand a single blow."
Just then, Albrecht, who had smoothly approached the Offenser members, added as if talking to himself.
'?'
Albrecht ignored the questioning looks of the knights at his sudden appearance and continued.
"The Archduke-jeonha, the Transcendent of Water, possesses power that far transcends the inverse correction of the Soi tribe."
Regardless, the knights listened attentively to the explanation of Albrecht, a Seongwi ability user.
"Because he swings with such tremendous power, a burning light bursts forth from the trajectory of his fist, and a flash of light erupts at the point of impact."
"So that's why such a phenomenon occurred because of the Archduke-jeonha's immense power! I didn't understand it, but thank you for letting us know, King Albrecht-jeonha!"
The knights expressed their gratitude purely. As those who followed Marina, they had no jagged edges. While they hadn't been fond of Albrecht's past actions of keeping the Empire in check, there was no reason to exclude someone who was praising the Empire's Archduke and volunteering to serve under him.
"Although the beginning was an unexpected connection, from now on, our [Raigen] Kingdom wishes to follow the Archduke-jeonha with all our might."
Albrecht solidified his thoughts even further as Saklasi created massive chunks of Elixir in mid-air. It was as if he had erased the memory of his initial attempt to assassinate Saklasi; he was acting like a subject who had sworn loyalty for generations.
The Elixir that tens of thousands of mid-level ability user elves would take 100 years to produce, Saklasi created so simply.
Saklasi poured the precious Elixir toward Lauritz as if it were nothing.
"Uaaaaah! I'm dying!"
Lauritz, who had fainted, woke up screaming. As Saklasi poured a massive amount of Elixir onto him, his broken arms recovered in an instant, and he came to his senses.
However, he had only woken up; he hadn't regained his sanity. He let out a strange scream, unlike himself. The dignity Lauritz had built up as a high-level ability user had been shattered, just like Albrecht's.
"Lauritz. Was the insight sufficient?"
"Ar-Archduke-jeonha! Thank you so much for overlooking this humble servant's rudeness and sparing my life! I, I think I have realized more than enough now!"
Even while out of his mind, Lauritz hurriedly knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
"Does anyone else want some insight?"
Saklasi turned around and said to the people watching. There might be someone who wanted to experience it more directly. However,
"It was an infinite honor to be able to look up to the Archduke-jeonha's absolute martial prowess!"
"It is a great blessing that the Archduke-jeonha is in the Empire!"
"We will engrave the Archduke-jeonha's benevolence, as deep as the sea, into our hearts!"
"Please lead our [Raigen] Kingdom! Archduke-jeonha!"
"Reverence to the Archduke-jeonha!"
The enthusiasm of the Offenser knights, who had a strong tendency to worship the strong, was understandable, but the ministers of [Raigen] were doing the same.
This was because the ministers had experienced Saklasi's [Wish] 'Blood is also water' and had completely tucked their tails.
'Huh? Did I focus too much on the threat?'
Saklasi had intended to imprint the hierarchy once more, but seeing their reaction, he thought, 'Was that a bit too much?'
The knights joined in on the admiration of the [Raigen] ministers, and soon Albrecht joined in as well.
"""Infinite reverence to Archduke-jeonha Stan!"""
'No, I heard that beastkin would try to bite your throat just by you turning your back, and that they'd attack even if they knew they'd die if they were looked down upon even a little? Why are they like this all of a sudden?'
A badger attacking an elephant is one thing, but if the elephant rides a tsunami and crashes into it, even that badger would run away. Saklasi did not realize that he was a being far more distant than that.
"Then, assuming no one else wants more insight, I will conclude here. Princess Marina-jeonha?"
"Yes!"
"I'm sure you're busy with Offenser matters, so thank you very much for coming. Hoping to see you again next time, I will return to the Empire now."
"Yes! ...Yes?"
The first 'Yes!' was literally a yes, and the latter 'Yes?' was a yes of bewilderment.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
At Saklasi's words that he was leaving, Marina wanted to say she didn't want him to. However, she couldn't bring herself to do the embarrassing thing of grabbing Saklasi and saying, "I don't want you to."
The only reaction a broken Marina could manage was to repeat "Yes!" like a broken machine, the exact opposite of her true feelings.
As Saklasi kept hearing Marina repeat "Yes!", he started to get a strange feeling and quickly ran away.
"Then, Princess-jeonha! See you next time!"
For a brief moment, Saklasi seemed to fade, then disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.
"I don't want you to...!"
Only after he had completely disappeared could Marina speak her true heart, but it was a word that could no longer reach the departed Saklasi.
"Is there something you forgot to say? Captain-nim?"
"No."
As soon as Saklasi left, Marina's breakdown was immediately fixed. She hurriedly picked up the clothes Saklasi had left behind.
"I will keep them safe, Captain-nim."
"No."
Marina desperately thought of an excuse. A member was looking at her with a puzzled face.
'What excuse can I use to get these clothes into my hands?'
She could never let them fall into someone else's hands. She had to have these clothes. Marina hurriedly made an excuse.
"Archduke-jeonha Saklasi is of higher status than me. Since he promised to meet me again, as a Princess, I am simply trying to respect him by taking care of his clothes personally."
Just by calling him by his name, Saklasi, instead of the surname Stan, she felt good, so she just said whatever came to mind. It didn't matter anyway.
'Because I'm the Captain. What are they going to do if they don't understand?'
Soon, Marina showed the same attitude in an official setting as she had when she arrived in the [Raigen] Kingdom.
"It was a good time to personally gain insight from the Archduke-jeonha. Everyone. Especially King Albrecht, you experienced it yourself, didn't you?"
Despite Marina's sudden arrow of bringing up the assassination talk again, Albrecht said without any panic.
"Infinite reverence to Archduke-jeonha Stan!"
Saklasi had worried about how to show his dignity, but in the end, overwhelming martial prowess itself was the most certain dignity.
Shed was currently drenched in an immense sense of fulfillment.
'Kuaaaak! What is this feeling!!!'
A single, trivial note that Saklasi had left behind before leaving for the [Raigen] Kingdom provided him with more satisfying value than all the Drevo medals he had collected so far.
Even an order contained in such a simple note was the greatest honor for a dog beastkin whose cognitive dissonance had been resolved.
The content of the note was nothing special.
It was to go to the Koopong camp in [Busanosk], become the deputy manager, and take charge of the safety management of the Soi tribe.
From Saklasi's perspective, it was in the vein of 'I'll keep an eye on them for now.' In reality, it was treating him like a guard dog.
However, this was a blessing for Shed, who was a Rottweiler even among dog beastkin. He had been feeling a thirst for not having a designated territory of his own. Catching the 'Azure Slug' was fine, but it was too far from his dwelling.
To him, a territory to settle in and defend, and a clear mission, had been handed down.
Following the Princesses and marching had given him a sense of fulfillment until now. Because the Princesses were all strong.
Catching Azure Slugs like a veteran warrior had also suited his aptitude well. Because it was a clear mission.
But for some reason, the 'safety management' duty he was about to take on made his blood boil even more.
Shed stopped neglecting worldly affairs. While looking into his master's current situation, he learned about Count Bruno's affair.
'If he's a fellow dog beastkin, could he empathize with my feelings right now? No, is it right to keep someone who dared to try and harm the master alive?'
It wasn't his place to judge. From now on, everything in this world was just under the master's will.
Shed went to visit Count Bruno, who was imprisoned. Having a conversation before killing him would be fine. If the master ultimately wished for his death, then it was just a life that had to end.
Visiting the Imperial Palace, he felt so proud saying, "Master, I am Shed Wildler, knight of Saklasi Stan."
The knights of the Imperial Defender stationed at the Imperial Palace also recognized Shed, and upon hearing the purpose of his visit, no one stopped him.
It was because they knew that Archduke-jeonha Saklasi had called him 'Knight Shed'.
Shed barely held back his face from relaxing with joy, maintained his usual heavy and taciturn expression, and headed to the prison. Leaving one word for Count Bruno, he boarded a plane bound for [Busanosk].
In the <Water Ability Gallery>, after Saklasi's post asking for the location of the [Drevo] River near the Imperial Palace, he hadn't appeared, so they were waiting for him anxiously.
Then, hearing the news of the Imperial family's official announcement of the Archduke, the gallery exploded with stories about him, whether he was there or not.
<Water Ability Gallery>
Title: Gallery Leader-nim, when are you coming?
Title: I'm anxiously waiting for the Gallery Leader-nim!
Title: Upvote if you want the Gallery Leader to come!
Title: The Gallery Leader is here!
Title: Gallery Leader-nim's Archduke ascension, doong!
Title: The Gallery Leader-nim is the King Emeritus of [Minos] and the Archduke-jeonha of the Empire, hehe
Title: I'm writing a post for the first time instead of a comment. I respect you. As a fellow water ability user, I'm so proud of you. Should I call you Archduke-jeonha from now on?
Author: WaterGall-er
Content: I'm proud of you.
WaterGall-er1 - Don't write the whole content in the title!
WaterGall-er2 - Looks like you're the otter beastkin from last time, hehe
ㄴWaterGall-er - No! How did you know?
WaterGall-er3 - I'll find out too
ㄴWaterGall-er2 - You're the thousand-year-old elf, right? hehe
ㄴWaterGall-er3 - No? How on earth do you know that?
Title: Is this for real? Archduke-jeonha?
Author: WaterGall-er
Content: I thought he was about a Marquis?
WaterGall-er1 - Our Gallery Leader-nim is the best!
WaterGall-er2 - I thought he was a Duke, hehe. I didn't know he'd become an Archduke, hehe
ㄴWaterGall-er4 - There was the Elixir incident in [Minos], so it's not completely unbelievable
WaterGall-er3 - Upvote if you're surprised by the Gallery Leader's news every day!
WaterGall-er4 - The Gallery Leader is here!
WaterGall-er5 - Is it okay for us to just call him Gallery Leader? It's not the <Imdang Gallery>, we really should show some respect now
ㄴWaterGall-er1 - I'll do whatever the Gallery Leader-nim tells us to do!
ㄴWaterGall-er2 - Me too, hehe
ㄴWaterGall-er3 - I will follow too
Even though the events of [Raigen] hadn't spread yet, it was to this extent. Also, before he had even received the Imperial family's surname 'Drevana' as the male version 'Drebin', the heat in the gallery showed no signs of cooling down.