Chapter 234

Chapter 235. I Will Kill You (2)

“So, what brings you here, sister?”

At Keter’s calm question, Krona opened her mouth but soon closed it again.

“There are too many interruptions.”

The nobles, sensing the tension, slowly began to gather around.

She didn’t even have time to go to the tent. Krona clapped her hands together and raised them, then brought them down from top to bottom.

Then, the space separated.

A space that enveloped only Keter and Krona. The outside world was completely dyed gray.

Keter looked around with an intrigued expression. It wasn’t just the people who had stopped. The world had stopped.

“Did you stop time?”

“Not exactly, but the effect is similar, so it’s not entirely wrong. At least here, we can have a cozy time together.”

Swoosh.

Krona gently brushed Keter’s hair with her fingertips. The strands of hair touched by her hand instantly turned white, then turned to ash and scattered.

“Hmm, it’s a shame, but you’re not my type, sister.”

“Hoho, men always dislike women taller than them, don’t they?”

“It’s not about height. It’s just that you seem like the type to enjoy things one-sidedly, sister.”

“Isn’t it the natural right of the strong to do as they please with the weak?”

“Don’t you know that the opposite is more thrilling in bed?”

Snap.

Keter grabbed Krona’s wrist with force. She was taken aback by the pressure she felt on her wrist.

“Are you seriously trying to hug me right now?”

“You looked like you wanted a new experience.”

“You’re not just bold, you’re insane.”

Krona took a step back and fanned her face with her hand. She then glanced at Keter and noticed that his gaze was directed elsewhere, not at her. She turned her head.

And then, Krona’s brow furrowed.

In a stopped world, nothing should move, but there was a moving presence. Keter was looking at it.

The only being in the gray world that maintained ‘color’. She emitted a pink aura and was heading straight towards Krona’s domain.

“Is that the princess?”

At Keter’s innocent question, Krona nodded with a displeased expression.

“I guess she didn’t like me monopolizing you.”

“Do you dislike the princess, sister?”

“……”

Krona answered with silence.

Meanwhile, the princess crossed the gray barrier and stood between Krona and Keter.

Long wavy hair in a soft pink hue. A glass mask that only revealed her lips, just like Keter. A loose, light blue dress that didn’t reveal her figure.

“Princess Iris. I am Keter.”

Keter placed his hand on his chest and gave a slight nod of greeting.

It was a greeting too casual for royalty, but Iris accepted it without a word.

“I’m Iris.”

“If you’re done with the greetings, why don’t you leave? This is a space for just me and Keter.”

Krona snapped at Iris. Her tone showed not a trace of the loyalty a lord should have towards royalty.

“…Krona Tyl Elias.”

“Did you just call me by my full name, Iris?”

“……”

The two women at the pinnacle of the kingdom glared at each other. Their clenched lips and crossed arms showed a strong determination not to back down.

* * *

Princess Iris of the Lilian Kingdom.

Her ‘charm’ ability, which she was born with, was so powerful that just her existence caused endless incidents.

“This child is mine!”

An old woman assigned as her nanny tried to kidnap Iris—

“Ooooh! Princess Iris! Please accept my heart!”

A master-level knight cut open his own chest, took out his heart, and offered it to the 7-year-old Iris—

Bark bark! Growl!

Even passing animals went into heat and attacked Iris.

Because of this, Iris had a horrific childhood. There weren’t many who could handle her.

Usually, after such a childhood, one becomes one of two things: an extreme tyrant or, like Iris now, a reclusive loner.

Still, things have improved somewhat now.

Thanks to the cursed mask that makes the wearer feel ugly, suppressing her charm as much as possible, and the dragon knight Lexus, who has a diminished libido, acting as her guard and friend, playing with the princess.

But she was born into a status that attracts attention even when she’s doing nothing.

“Why has the princess come to the sea?”

“She’s here to warn the lord who couldn’t subdue the troublesome pirates!”

“Ooooh, the queen is watching over us!”

…She just wanted to see the sea.

“The princess has started knitting?!”

“This must be a signal from the queen! It’s a warning against our arrogance, the needle is a punishment! The queen’s warning against our laziness!”

…She just wanted to try it.

Thus, even breathing caused those around her to overinterpret it as the ‘queen’s’ will, making Iris’s life endlessly exhausting. So, she usually stayed in the castle, playing alone.

Attending Sephira’s party was also without any particular meaning. She just wanted to go because Baiga, who played with her, was hosting it, and it was at an outdoor party venue.

Interest in Keter, the hot topic these days? None. Whether he became the Southern Palace or a sudden illegitimate child appearing in Sephira, Iris had no interest.

But then, she met Krona there.

‘Krona. I don’t know why you want Keter, but I’ll interfere.’

Once, Krona and Iris were close. They traveled together like sisters.

But after a certain incident, their relationship soured.

No one knows why their relationship fell apart. Only the parties involved know, and no one in the kingdom has the guts to ask.

After glaring at each other for a while, Krona and Iris spoke almost simultaneously.

“Keter.”

The two women’s gazes turned to Keter. Then they spoke again in unison.

“Who goes first?”

“You choose.”

The arrow pointed to Keter.

Suddenly faced with the trial of choosing between the lord and the queen, Keter knew that no matter who he chose, his relationship with the other would be ruined.

Would he incur the wrath of the Lord of the West, a mage who controls space-time?

Or the princess, a timid loner but with the immense backing of being the queen’s daughter?

Faced with a painful choice where either option meant loss, anyone would hesitate—but Keter opened his mouth without a moment’s hesitation.

* * *

‘Barely safe!’ must feel something like this.

‘That bear. I never thought his teaching skills would be the worst in history.’

Learning Ain from Hyperion took much longer than expected.

I know the concept of Ain is difficult. But the real reason was something else. It was Hyperion.

He could have just taught what he learned, but Hyperion unnecessarily added his own thoughts, complicating simple things.

‘Vague, talking nonsense… I had to interpret it myself.’

I wanted to dig deep into the fusion method of Ain, but Hyperion was too much of an idiot, so I gave up and just grasped the core before returning to Sephira.

At least Six Hundred was versatile, so that was a relief. Long-distance teleportation, presence concealment, and even invisibility—I successfully cast the triple magic.

And luckily, without intending to, I landed right above the party venue, so I could take a look around.

There were familiar faces and unfamiliar ones. It was amusing to see Hisop, who was extremely nervous but pretending not to be.

‘But what’s that?’

Among the many people, one stood out incredibly.

A woman who looked almost 2 meters tall. No one noticed me, but she looked up at me and winked.

…Looking closer, I remember.

‘The Lord of the West, Krona. Why is she here?’

If it were a past life, I would have fought her once, but in this life, it’s the first time I’ve seen her. I’ve never been to the West, and I don’t know any Western nobles.

‘If I had to guess, it must be Eslow’s doing.’

Only the queen or another lord could move a lord.

‘Did she send her to protect me from the princess? Thinking positively, that might be the answer.’

In conclusion, a nuisance as troublesome as the princess had arrived, but it wasn’t all bad.

‘The party atmosphere will liven up.’

But first, I need to teach Vector, who dares to beat my brother Taragon like dough, a lesson.

‘He’s quite fast and unconventional? If I had found him a bit earlier, it would have been fun.’

If I had fought him before meeting Hyperion, it would have been quite entertaining—

‘But after fighting Hyperion, he seems slow and weak to the point of making me yawn.’

I don’t even need to use archery. I easily subdued him and avenged my brother.

Then, I thought I could finally have an adult conversation with Krona, but what’s this?

Princess Iris suddenly intervened.

‘Seeing her up close, I understand why everyone fears the princess so much.’

The princess’s scent tickles my nose. It’s the fragrance of cotton dried well in the sunlight.

I’m fine, but even the most disciplined monks would blush in front of the princess.

‘If she took off that mask, how much stronger would she become?’

The ‘Mask of Orpheus’ I brought to counter the princess’s charm. I was sure it was worth the risk.

Then, the two women who were glaring at each other suddenly looked at me. Surely, it’s not that cliché development, is it?

“Who goes first?”

“You choose.”

It’s the situation I expected, as cliché as it gets.

So, who will you choose?

“I dislike both of you.”

Literally, I dislike both of you, you bitches.

“……?!”

“……!”

Why so surprised? Is it the first time you’ve been rejected? Both of you look clueless, so I have to explain.

“What kind of place is this? Isn’t this a party to celebrate me becoming the Southern Palace? But because of you two, what’s with this atmosphere? Look at that. Do those look like faces enjoying a party?”

I point at the others with my finger. They all have stiff expressions.

“Sister, can you lift this curtain? It’s suffocating.”

“…I’ll lift it for now, but don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just curious about what you’re trying to say.”

Snap!

Krona flicked her finger, and the curtain of time lifted. The people, unaware they had been stopped, were startled by the sudden appearance of the princess.

“Why are the lord and princess standing around Keter?”

“Could it be…?!”

No matter what others say, that’s not important right now.

“Shall we change this gloomy atmosphere?”

Snap!

Using telekinesis, I forced the musicians, who were just watching, to start playing again.

Boom, boom, clap!

The party venue, filled with silence, was now filled with lively music. Yeah, this is what a party should be like.

Next, I tasted the wine on the waiter’s tray, but it was just plain water.

“Pfft, this is just water! Six Hundred!”

I called out Six Hundred, who was hiding with an invisibility spell, and pulled out a large barrel of alcohol from my pouch.

This is the barrel of alcohol that Kwonhwang, Hyperion’s teacher, used to enjoy.

If a transcendent being like Kwonhwang enjoyed this alcohol and even got drunk from it, saying it’s just strong would be an understatement.

So, since Hyperion doesn’t drink, he said I could take as much as I wanted, and I took it all.

“Looking at everyone’s pale faces, it seems you’re not enjoying the party properly. Let me, Sephira’s troublemaker, show you how to really enjoy a party.”

Whoosh!

I stretched out both hands and used telekinesis to gather empty glasses, filling them with Kwonhwang’s alcohol and handing them out one by one.

Men, women, regardless of status, everyone got one. Even the lord and princess were no exception.

Snap!

“Anyone who wants to exchange even a single word with me must drink this alcohol. If you don’t want to, then leave.”

Gulp, I downed the drink in one go.

As soon as the alcohol entered, a strange, hot yet cold sensation swirled in my mouth. I could feel the alcohol going down my throat and into my stomach in real-time.

Ugh, this is really strong. Even I, called the god of alcohol, feel tipsy after just one glass?

Clink, clink, clink!

I held the empty glass upside down above my head.

These country bumpkins wouldn’t know what this means, so I have to explain.

“The first glass is a shot, got it?”