The Prelude to the Banquet (Part 2)

The slanting winter sun slowly sank lower. Rosa Kevin, once the Demon King, now stared blankly at the bread in the shop. A faint burnt smell drifted from the oven, while the sweetness of sugar filled the air.

"Little Auntie~ It's been a long time. How is your Labi Village revitalization plan coming along?" Eliyi asked faintly beside Rosa Kevin. "Do you need me to lend you a hand?"

"Ho ho ho—then what?" Rosa merely glanced at Eliyi and immediately saw through his scheme. "What do you want? Let me tell you, a few loaves of bread won't be enough to sway me."

Eliyi said, "As your junior, I simply felt a bit uneasy seeing the former Demon King reduced to the point where she can't even afford a loaf of bread..."

"Oh~ Then goodbye."

"Wait, Little Auntie." Eliyi's tone remained unruffled. "Name your price... As long as it's within my capabilities, I'll do my utmost."

"Is that so... Let me think..." Rosa's greedy side finally revealed itself. "That plan you mentioned before, rebuilding Labi Village—I thought about it for a long time and suddenly realized that money alone isn't enough. I also need people to develop it. You understand, without a sufficient population, you can't build a village."

"Oh~"

"Oh, and I hope you can leave the people on this list to me..." Rosa pulled a parchment scroll from her pocket and tossed it to Eliyi. "Whatever you do, don't eat them. That would put me in a difficult position."

"Ah~ Yetara, isn't this the lord of Canfor..." Eliyi opened the scroll Rosa had thrown to him. The first name on it was unmistakably that of Canfor's lord. "Isn't he a lackey of the Old Gods? Are you sure you want to spare him?"

"A snake cannot live without a head. Whether it's a good head or a bad one, we'll use it for now..."

"Looks like you've been to quite a few places these past few days..." Eliyi fully unrolled the scroll in his hand. "There are certainly a lot of names on it."

"Please don't pay too much attention to me. I merely went to chat with some old subordinates... After all... I was once the Demon King for a while... That's all..." Rosa said with narrowed eyes.

The setting sun finally disappeared, dyeing the entire sky above Canfor a dark brown. Tiadam, utterly exhausted, was returning to the hotel where he and Denolan were staying. A gentle breeze from the Upper District blew over him, easing some of the weariness in his body.

"I hope that guy bought a decent weapon. He'd better not waste all my hard work..."

As the only district in Canfor protected by magic, the entire Upper District remained warm and peaceful like spring throughout the year. It suffered neither Rosa Kevin's Curse nor the Bikasoya Empire's invasion. The people of the Upper District lived prosperous, tranquil lives, though such lives belonged only to a select few.

"Tiadam—I've been waiting for you!" Denolan stood beside the inn and waved at the approaching Tiadam. A warhammer weighing around twenty kilograms lay at his feet. "It's almost time for the banquet. Hurry over—"

"Is this guy an idiot?!" The moment Tiadam saw the warhammer at Denolan's feet, he rushed over at full speed. "You idiot, why did you buy something like that?!"

"The owner of that weapon shop said it was the only weapon immune to elemental magic, so... I bought it..." Denolan replied.

Tiadam said, "Then how exactly are you planning to bring it into the banquet hall?"

Denolan said, "We have to bring it in...?"

Tiadam said, "Then why did we go to the weapon shop? Banquets hosted by mages usually don't restrict guests from wearing decorative weapons such as longswords and daggers, but they do restrict weapons like shields, spears, and hammers. It's a banquet, not a boxing match. Are you bringing a hammer because you want to start a fight?"

Denolan said, "Can I return it now...?"

"Do you think you'll still make it to the banquet if you return it now?" Tiadam grabbed Denolan around the waist and carefully searched him.

"Y-you... What are you doing?" Denolan asked in alarm.

"I'm checking whether you've hidden anything. Knowing that goblin blacksmith's personality, when he sells heavy weapons like that, he usually throws in some little knife, dagger, or something as a free gift..."

At last, Tiadam pulled a Mithril dagger from Denolan's chest.

"Just as I thought... You're not very honest..." Tiadam tucked the dagger into his clothes. "Looks like you wanted to keep this dagger all to yourself..."

"Um... I didn't!" Denolan immediately denied it. "The weapon shop owner gave it to me... It was a gift. I... I forgot to tell you..."

"Do you think I'd believe a lie like that?" Tiadam ignored Denolan's explanation and merely seized him by the collar. "As future partners, I hope we can be honest with each other. If you can't manage even that, then we should part ways as soon as possible..."

Tiadam pressed the dagger against Denolan's throat before finishing the rest of his words. "I've already been stabbed once by a traitor. I won't be stabbed a second time. If... I ever discover that you've betrayed me in any way, I'll use this knife... to slit your throat. Do you understand?"

"U-understood..." Denolan swallowed.

"Good—then we're partners." After idly twirling the dagger, Tiadam tucked it back into his clothes and said brightly, "The letter behind your backside is already getting restless. Open it, and it'll take us to the banquet venue."

"Um... You're not angry anymore?" Denolan asked cautiously.

"I was angry because you deceived me, but..." Tiadam leaned against Denolan's shoulder. "People have to look forward eventually... After all, we're partners now."

"I-is that so..." Denolan turned to look at the letter, which had completely transformed into the shape of a dove.

"Is this... magic too?"

Denolan released the dove. It fluttered twice on the ground, then its wings turned into horses, its claws became wheels, and the feathers of its tail became a carriage.

When Tiadam saw the dove turn into a carriage, he immediately grabbed the reins and mounted the white horse using the stirrup. Then he said to Denolan, who was still standing on the ground, "Well? Don't I look handsome riding a white horse? Don't I look like a prince?"

"Uh... I still think... sitting inside the carriage would be safer..." Denolan, a farm boy, mounted the other horse as well. "But this horse is surprisingly gentle..."

"Ho—" Tiadam teased Denolan on his left. "You look pretty handsome riding a white horse too. If you'd been born into royalty, plenty of girls would probably like you."

"But... I'm just a farmer's son..."

"Just kidding~" Tiadam shook the reins, and the white horse began to move forward with a neigh.

Tiadam said, "By the way, kid, why aren't you sitting in the carriage? It looks rather luxurious. It'd be a shame not to use it."

"Luxurious carriages like this are for wealthy gentlemen... I'm afraid I'd dirty it." Denolan said, "What about you? Why aren't you sitting in the carriage?"

"Me?" Tiadam laughed. "Occupational habit. Those doing the robbing ride horses, while those being robbed sit in carriages. I don't want to be the one getting robbed."

"Oh, I see..." Denolan said in sudden realization.

At that moment, in the home of Canfor's lord Yetara, Yetara's butler Ivena was busy preparing for the upcoming banquet.

"Remember, tonight's menu must follow the rites for worshipping the Old Gods. All tableware must be fine bone china with gold trim. Replace all silverware with gold. Hurry—hurry—change the tablecloths to the style used exclusively in the royal capital. And you goblins, clean the cushions on the chairs. Today's guests are all distinguished—"

Knock, knock, knock— Just as everyone was frantically busy, a knocking sound came from outside the manor gates.

"The guests have arrived—" Ivena shouted. "All goblins, withdraw! The maids will welcome the distinguished guests with me."

Creak— The heavy doors opened, and Tiadam and Denolan entered the villa together. They were the first guests to arrive for the dinner banquet.

"Wow—how impressive."

The moment Tiadam entered, he saw the crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the house. It cast a dazzling light, making the marble floors and walls shine as transparently as water. The redwood staircase was covered with a carpet woven from golden thread, while the portraits on the walls looked lifelike.

"So this is... how rich people live..."

Dozens of maids knelt halfway to the ground to welcome Tiadam and Denolan. Beside them, the butler stood to the left of the doors, holding fine clothes and leather boots.

"Please come with me, gentlemen. We have prepared clean clothes for you both. We hope you will bathe and change before meeting our master."

"A bath?"

"Change clothes?"

Tiadam instinctively touched the dagger hidden in his clothes. "I've already bathed, and these clothes are newly bought. I don't think that's necessary..."

"Is that—so?" Before the butler could finish speaking, the dozens of maids who had been kneeling all drew their swords. In mere moments, they surrounded Denolan and Tiadam completely.

"It's only a bath... There's no need for you ladies to draw weapons, is there?" Tiadam glanced at the blade held above his head. "They're all fine Mithril blades. Looks like the owner of this house is quite wealthy..."

As he spoke, Tiadam took the dagger from his clothes and tossed it onto the floor. "Miss Maids... Can you take the blades away from my brother's and my necks now?"

"Please forgive us..." The butler picked up the dagger from the floor and placed it on a duck-down cushion carried by a maid. "Our master holds an eminent position, and countless people wish to harm him, so the necessary security measures must be taken..."

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