Chapter 235

Chapter 236. I Will Kill You (3)

The protagonist of the party, Keter.

The Lord of the West, Krona.

Princess Iris.

The center of the party where these three were gathered was packed like a mountain of people.

But not everyone had crowded in. There were still a few nobles who held their ground. Most of them were elderly nobles, but among them, one young noble stood out particularly.

“Tch, to think I’d be ignored like this.”

The man, whose very appearance screamed “I’m amazing,” was none other than Shumar El Oxford.

Famous as the youngest 6th-circle mage in the Lilian Kingdom, and the number one rising star mage that the four great magic towers were eager to recruit!

‘And they don’t even glance at me?!’

Gritting his teeth!

“I even wore the latest mage fashion popular in the Empire…!”

Normally, mages are known for their wide-brimmed pointed hats, robes, and staffs embedded with magic stones.

But the current trend is circlets made of magic stones, gloves woven from mana silk, and clothes made from Amantiir thread—a fashion that breaks away from the stuffy mage image while maintaining practicality. This was exactly what Shumar was wearing today.

Shumar’s reason for attending this party wasn’t to build a friendship with Keter. It was to receive more attention than Keter.

‘Father told me to check if there were any magic books in Sephira, but that was just a baseless worry.’

Sephira has nothing to do with magic. Keter’s archery, which seems like magic, is unique to him alone. Observing him, that much was clear.

“You have to drink this wine to talk? How childish.”

Shumar looked at the glass in his hand. It contained the wine of Kwonhwang, poured by Keter using telekinesis.

“Only fools get drunk from drinking.”

Slurp!

Since the smell didn’t seem poisonous at all, Shumar poured the entire glass into his mouth and swallowed.

‘Hmm? The flavor and taste are on a whole different level from any wine I’ve had before.’

A hint of lemon brushed his nose, and the sweet yet tangy taste of orange lingered on his tongue.

‘What a shame. This was a wine worth savoring. Well, if I want more, I can just ask. I can drink as much as I want.’

As a mage, Shumar could neutralize the effects of alcohol with mana. He always did so at drinking gatherings, and he had never been drunk even once.

Just as he was about to use mana to remove the effects this time as well—

‘Ugh? Why is the drunkenness hitting me so fast and strong? I need to get rid of it quickly.’

A 6th-circle mage, determined to remove the drunkenness, began to manipulate his mana. In such cases, no matter how strong the alcohol, it should be useless against mana—

“I-it’s not neutralizing? Ugh, my head!”

The wine of Kwonhwang couldn’t be neutralized.

This phenomenon wasn’t limited to Shumar, who used mana. It was also happening to knights who used aura.

“Ugh!”

Nobles clutching their chests and gasping for breath were those who had tried to detoxify the effects of Kwonhwang’s wine, only to be hit by a backlash.

On the other hand, the nobles who had accepted the wine as it was, though drunk, were happily intoxicated and didn’t understand what was happening.

“I’ve never tasted such delicious wine in my life.”

“Hic. Prince Keter! Just one more glass!”

Boom boom clap!

Ding! Ding! Diding!

The fast-paced, lively music and the effects of the wine melted away the tension.

Above all, with the party’s protagonist, Keter, personally ignoring the lord and princess and pouring wine, everyone felt at ease and enjoyed the party.

“Hahaha! There’s plenty of wine!”

Wine poured out of the barrel on its own, filling empty glasses. This was also Keter’s doing, using telekinesis.

The drunk nobles cheered, but Shumar saw Keter differently.

“W-what the… He’s using mana after drinking this wine? And manipulating liquid with telekinesis! Not just for one person, but for dozens simultaneously!”

Not a single drop of wine was spilled as the glasses were filled perfectly. How difficult and complex that was, no one else seemed to realize.

“These uncultured fools! What Keter is doing right now is something even a Great Sorcerer couldn’t do!”

But Shumar’s outcry was drowned out by the music and the cheers of the crowd.

“Grrr, this is unbelievable. There’s no way he can do something I can’t!”

For the first time in his life, Shumar was drunk, and his rationality was paralyzed. In the place of his emptied reason, only the desire for attention remained.

Gulp!

Shumar downed his second glass in one shot, staggered, and eventually collided with a passing waiter.

Clang! Splat!

The cheese appetizers on the waiter’s tray spilled all over Shumar.

“P-prince! Are you alright? Let me clean that up.”

The waiter hurriedly offered a handkerchief, but Shumar roughly brushed it aside and walked off. Like a zombie, Shumar walked straight to where Keter was.

* * *

“Keter! Do you remember me? We fought during the Southern Sword Tournament, the Battle Royal!”

“I don’t remember someone who lost in one hit!”

“That’s so mean!”

“Prince Keter! I am the next head of the Iwin family. I came to apologize for the crimes my predecessor committed against Sephira!”

“I forgive you!”

“Ugh, what a just and fair person! Thank you!”

“The bull that gallops through the western wilderness! Roan of the Darlington family challenges Prince Keter to a manly bare-handed duel!”

Wham!

“Next!”

Keter was handling the crowd surrounding him one by one. He was processing almost one person every five seconds, but with so many people gathered, it seemed endless.

That’s when it happened.

“Everyone, get lost!”

At Shumar’s shout, the nobles waiting their turn turned around. Hearing his voice, they could tell he was young and likely drunk, but if he was of lower rank or influence, they could scold him.

“Sh-Shumar?”

“The second son of the Oxford family.”

“But he looks like he’s lost his mind…?”

Though young, Shumar was a 6th-circle mage, a man on the verge of becoming a Great Sorcerer. Moreover, as part of the kingdom’s top magic family, there were few who could stand in his way.

Shumar, having cleared a path, finally stood before Keter. Keter also faced him.

“Hey!”

“What!”

“You think you’re so great?!”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You’re just good at archery, but I’m better at magic than you! I challenge you to a telekinesis duel!”

Boasting about the obvious, Shumar even challenged Keter to a telekinesis duel, something only mages could do.

There was no reason for Keter, an archer, to accept a telekinesis duel, something only mages could do—

“Sure! But how do you do that?”

Keter never backs down from a challenge. Even if it’s not his specialty, he’ll take it on.

“Keh, you don’t even know that? You’re an archer! A telekinesis duel is, well… it’s about showing off how amazing you can be!”

“Easy. You go first.”

“Keh, don’t fall over in shock! Hahp!”

Shumar’s cloak fluttered as he let out a shout. The unusual aura made even the drunk nobles step back.

Though Shumar couldn’t use mana properly when slightly drunk, being completely drunk was different. He could control mana more precisely than when sober.

“Behold! The secret technique of the Oxford family, Telekinetic Chanting!”

Four pairs of hands, materialized from mana, appeared around Shumar. They began forming hand seals.

“Quadruple Chanting?!”

“As expected of Shumar, hailed as a genius of magic!”

The nobles marveled at Shumar, who was simultaneously chanting four spells.

Shumar’s lips curled into a smirk.

‘Keh, how about that, Keter? I’m this amazing.’

Shumar openly glanced at Keter, expecting him to be impressed.

“Uh, yeah, is that it?”

“W-what?!”

“Is quadruple chanting not common? Even a stray dog could do it.”

“Grrr!”

Quadruple chanting is absolutely not common. But it wasn’t enough to impress Keter.

Feeling genuine boredom from Keter’s expression, Shumar felt the last thread of his rationality snap.

“Alright, watch this! I’m Shumar, the man who will become the greatest mage in this kingdom! Uoooh!”

Whoosh!

Shumar began forming hand seals with his own hands, bringing the total to five spells being cast simultaneously.

Quintuple chanting is a spell with an extremely low success rate, something even Shumar would risk his life to perform. Yet, in his drunken state, he attempted it just to win a duel.

“This is the quintuple fusion magic, Phoenix Bladeaaah!”

Kwaaaaaaaah!

An enormous magic circle appeared above his head. Overwhelming flames that could even melt iron overturned the party venue.

If the Lord of the West, Krona, hadn’t deployed a magic barrier, 90% of the people at the party would have died.

“Uoooh!”

Unaware that he had almost committed mass murder, Shumar sent the Phoenix Blade soaring into the sky.

The blade of destruction, capable of burning and cutting through everything, tore through the night sky.

For a moment, the party venue was as bright as day.

The 7th-circle fusion magic, Phoenix Blade.

For a 6th-circle mage like Shumar, it was too clean and perfect.

Whoooosh!

The Phoenix Blade, which had soared to the edge of the night sky, descended like sparks, resembling starlight. The nobles gaped at its brilliance.

“Ooooh! This is the power of the Oxford family!”

“Truly an 8th-circle level spell!”

Clap clap clap!

The nobles, unaware they had almost been roasted alive, clapped and cheered.

Shumar, having exhausted all his stamina and mana with one spell, panted heavily, but for this moment, he smiled smugly, satisfied that he had received more attention than Keter.

“So, Keter, what can you show with your telekinesis? If you’re not confident, just give up, heh heh.”

Keter, who had finally nodded slightly after seeing Shumar’s quintuple fusion magic using telekinetic chanting, spoke.

“Not bad.”

“Not bad? That’s all you have to say? Let’s see how amazing you can be!”

Swish.

Without a word, Keter extended his clenched fists.

And the moment he opened them—

Clatter clatter!

Various accessories fell from his hands. Brooches, earrings, necklaces—everything.

“……?”

The nobles didn’t understand what Keter had done. It was fascinating that accessories had fallen from his previously empty hands, but what did it mean?

“Wait, that brooch looks familiar…?”

One of the nobles picked up the brooch that had fallen from Keter’s hand and widened his eyes.

“W-what?! This is the brooch I was wearing on my chest!? H-how?!”

The noble frantically felt his chest. Then, the other nobles began checking themselves.

“That’s my earring!”

“My ring too?!”

The nobles hurriedly picked up the accessories Keter had dropped. Keter smirked and said to Shumar.

“You should pick yours up too, Shumar. Isn’t this yours?”

Keter bent down and picked up the circlet, handing it to Shumar.

“……”

Shumar, with bleary eyes, looked at the circlet Keter was holding, then felt the top of his head.

It was gone. His circlet, which should have been there.

“…You took this with telekinesis? When?”

“When did I take it?”

The so-called telekinetic pickpocketing.

“I-impressive, Prince Keter! I didn’t notice at all!”

“If you hadn’t told us, I wouldn’t have known until the party ended!”

While most nobles praised him, some trembled in fear.

‘I couldn’t sense anything when my necklace was stolen. That means if Prince Keter were an assassin, I would’ve died without knowing.’

‘Stealing from dozens of people at once… How terrifying!’

Though not as flashy as Shumar’s Phoenix Blade, Keter’s telekinesis sent chills down the nobles’ spines, making it seem even more impressive.

“It’s not over yet.”

Keter spread his arms. The nobles around him began to twist their bodies.

“Ah, ugh!”

“Ugh! T-that’s a sensitive spot!”

“T-too refreshing!”

Both men and women wore expressions of ecstasy. Keter smirked and said.

“Telekinetic massage.”

Shumar, feeling Keter’s telekinetic hands massaging his scalp, trembled violently. It felt so refreshing that his trembling made him look furious to others.

But Keter’s telekinetic tricks didn’t end there.

“Telekinetic sculpture!”

The decorative fruits turned into sculptures in the blink of an eye—

“Telekinetic knights!”

Dozens of knights in full plate armor appeared and lined up throughout the party venue.

“How’s this?”

Tap tap.

Keter flicked his hands, and all the telekinetic effects disappeared at once.

The nobles at the party began to praise Keter in unison, but the victory itself leaned heavily in Shumar’s favor.

“Prince Keter’s telekinesis was amazing, but in terms of flashiness, Lord Shumar was ahead.”

“I’ve never seen quintuple chanting in my life. And Lord Shumar isn’t even a Great Sorcerer yet, right? This should be considered his victory.”

“I feel bad for Prince Keter, but I think Lord Shumar was more impressive.”

The overwhelming brilliance of the Phoenix Blade that lit up the night sky made all the nobles declare Shumar the winner.

Thud!

“Everyone, shut up!”

Shumar, with his head bowed, slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

The nobles swallowed their saliva, tense. The intensity in Shumar’s voice was unusual, as if he was ready to start a fight.

Keter, as if expecting it, waited with his hand on his waist, and soon Shumar stood before him.

Thud!

“Huh?”

“What’s this?”

Shumar suddenly knelt down, pressing his forehead to the ground, and shouted.

“Lord Keter! Please take me as your disciple!”

* * *

Far from the party venue, in the pond garden.

Anis chuckled as he watched the Phoenix Blade soar into the sky.

“Good thing I got out.”

As soon as Keter brought out the wine of Kwonhwang, Anis quickly escaped the party. He could clearly see what was going to happen.

“If it’s wine brought out by Keter, it’s bound to be extraordinary. I don’t want to get drunk today.”

Sipping the wine Keter had dismissed as mere water, Anis looked up at the night sky. His eyes held relief and a hint of bitterness.

Then, a sudden presence made Anis turn his head.

“Oh my, what a coincidence? Prince Anis. I’m Aru from the northern Lazuli family.”

Seeing the woman holding the hem of her dress and greeting him, Anis sighed inwardly.

The party was filled with young ladies of marriageable age. Noble families sent them to form connections with Sephira. They were aggressively pursuing their goals.

‘Originally, their target would’ve been Keter.’

But with the lord and princess by Keter’s side, who would dare approach?

‘So they came to me, who seems easier. Are women’s hearts this fickle?’

Anis, though reluctant, didn’t show it on his face.

“It’s an honor to meet Lady Aru of the Lazuli family.”

“It seems like it’s just the two of us here, no need to be so formal. The Lilian Kingdom is the most open-minded country on this continent.”

“Open-minded, you say?”

“Ufufu, how cute. Playing dumb.”

Aru took a step closer to Anis with a bewitching smile.

Then—

Thud!

“Oops!”

As if her foot caught on a stone, Aru let out a short scream and leaned into Anis.

Contrary to her flustered expression, hidden in her palm was a sharp dagger.