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I couldn’t just ignore the monkeys who had recognized the true value of the Crazy Mage.

Moreover, having deeply realized the true taste of the banquet, I wanted to check if my enlightenment was correct.

Treat a monkey like a monkey.

‘Enlightenment… successful.’

Feeling like the Monkey King, I entered the annex.

Opening the door, the three people gathered inside looked at the Monkey King with disdain.

Feeling embarrassed, I said whatever came to mind.

“Such unsociable guys.”

Blair replied,

“What are you talking about?”

“This is when you manage your reputation. You guys don’t know the true taste of a banquet.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”

“Same here.”

Taylor suddenly asked,

“Was it circle magic again this time?”

“Of course.”

Taylor seemed to have a lot of questions for me, but he didn’t voice them.

Instead, he asked something else with a hardened expression.

“What are you going to do now?”

I dropped the Monkey King act and replied,

“I’ll participate in the finals.”

“More than that, I’m worried about the private dinner.”

“It smells fishy, that’s for sure.”

“It feels like it was planned in advance. The excuse for the dinner is so plausible that it’s even more unsettling.”

I replied with a smile,

“I agree.”

After a moment of consideration, Taylor said,

“How about refusing?”

“You naive guy. There you go again.”

Blair carefully intervened.

“I agree with Senior Brother. I don’t think we need to attend such an unsettling event.”

“Both of you are naive.”

I pointed to Arin and asked,

“What about you?”

“I think it’s better to attend. It doesn’t seem like anything will change if we refuse.”

I nodded and pointed at Taylor and Blair in turn.

“You guys worry too much. Even if you’re smart, it’s meaningless if you don’t act. This is a crisis, but it’s also an opportunity. The stage is set, and you won’t attend?”

Taylor replied with a serious look,

“Do you have a plan?”

“You’ll find out when we get there. That’s my way. Even if we refuse, Urgon must have already thought of their next move.”

“…”

“As I said, this is an opportunity for us too. It’s also a chance to properly experience Urgon’s culinary skills. Anyway, what they can do at the dinner is limited. Whatever it is, we’ll know their intentions if we go. Let’s see what kind of tricks they’re trying to pull.”

I looked at Blair and Arin and said,

“There’s no need for all of us to go. You two stay here and be prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

“Today is the last day, so if there’s anyone suspicious, they’ll definitely stand out. Look for the one who doesn’t act like a monkey. I think that’s the spy.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? A spy?”

Recalling the conversation with the Azure Dragon Squad Leader, I said,

“I think there might have been someone watching us.”

Blair, who usually considered various possibilities, pondered to himself and nodded.

“Now that you mention it, that’s possible. If there’s a spy…”

“It’s likely someone familiar.”

“Got it.”

As I went down to the first floor with the three, the attention of the crowd gathered at once. A drinking party was already in full swing among the monkeys.

I went around again like the Monkey King and responded to them, but I didn’t even touch a drop of alcohol. There was nothing worth drinking.

“I don’t see that guy.”

Suddenly, I missed the cold liquor that the attentive servant brought me.

It wasn’t as good as moonshine, but it was a decent drink. While I was walking around, licking my lips, the main gate of the annex flung open.

Thud—!

The External Affairs Officer, who entered with a few members of the special forces, looked around and called out to me with a welcoming voice.

“Sir Ruin!”

“The External Affairs Officer has arrived.”

“I’ve come to escort you.”

The External Affairs Officer approached and said,

“I apologize for the other day. I made a slip of the tongue because I didn’t know your skills, Sir Ruin.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course. This is why you have to experience someone to know them.”

It seemed like the External Affairs Officer was about to start his eloquent speech, but I wasn’t in the mood to play along. I started walking and said,

“Let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Yes. But what about the others?”

“I’ll go alone.”

The External Affairs Officer stopped walking.

“That’s difficult.”

“What’s difficult about it? It’s fine.”

“The Patriarch ordered me to bring everyone.”

“Then I’ll go and explain it to the Patriarch.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why?”

“We prepared the seats assuming all four of you would attend.”

“Everyone’s feeling a bit under the weather, so I’ll attend alone today.”

“I said it’s difficult.”

I turned my head and glared at the External Affairs Officer.

“I don’t understand why you’re being coercive when it’s supposed to be a gathering for harmony.”

“That’s not the case.”

“Did the Patriarch order you to bring us by force?”

“He wants everyone to interact together.”

“I appreciate the Patriarch’s intention. As the eldest son of Samael, I can interact sufficiently on my own.”

The External Affairs Officer looked momentarily flustered.

“Why that look? Is there another reason?”

The External Affairs Officer suddenly sighed and replied,

“You can’t go alone. It’s a meeting with both the Patriarch and the Eldest Son.”

“How unreasonable.”

As I approached the entrance of the annex again and beckoned, Taylor, who was waiting inside, followed.

“The two of us. That’s my final offer. If you try to coerce us one more time, I’ll refuse the dinner and everything.”

The External Affairs Officer shook his head.

“…Let’s go.”

It was my victory. There was no problem since I intended to have two people attend from the beginning.

I followed the External Affairs Officer, traversing the outskirts of the Western Lake for a long time, then headed to the main building of Urgon, passing by the familiar manor.

* * *

“Wow, is this a magic barrier?”

As soon as I entered the main gate, I let out an exclamation of admiration, pretending to be unaware.

“This is really splendid.”

I continued to exclaim as I walked, as if I were visiting the main building for the first time. Upon reaching the top floor, the special forces were stationed throughout the hallway, just like last time.

The External Affairs Officer left a message asking me to wait for a moment, then opened the door to a room and went inside.

Feeling bored, I tried to strike up a conversation with the Special Forces Commander standing guard at the door.

“Hello.”

“…”

The Special Forces Commander didn’t answer and only glanced at me with his eyes, so I expressed my admiration innocently.

“What a great motionless stance. Did the Patriarch tell you to do that?”

There was no reaction, so I suddenly felt competitive.

“Tsk, what’s with your attire?”

“…”

“Woof woof?”

The Special Forces Commander involuntarily widened his eyes and glared at me. As I grinned and pretended to be oblivious, the door burst open, and the External Affairs Officer reappeared.

“Please come in.”

I made eye contact with Taylor, then collected myself and stepped inside. I immediately rolled my eyes and scanned the room.

‘Hmm.’

It was more spacious than I expected, but somehow it felt suffocating. It was like stepping into a secret chamber.

A large round table was placed in the center, and four people were gathered around it in a circle.

Urgon’s elite mages were stationed around the perimeter.

‘What kind of combination is this?’

I was a little surprised as I examined the faces.

I had expected Balkan, Libre, and Elder Parin, but there was one more person I hadn’t anticipated.

The Ardehain man I saw last time was also there.

Hiding my unease, I approached the table, and Balkan rose from his seat and extended his hand.

“Welcome, Ruin Samael.”

Since I was curious about Balkan’s intentions, I hid my identity and said politely,

“It is an honor to be invited, sir.”

“…”

As soon as Balkan and Libre gave me a strange look, I realized my mistake.

It had been a while since I spoke politely, so both the formal “sir” and the informal “yo” came out at the same time.

It seemed servile, but it was alright. I could just correct it.

“It is an honor.”

As I shook hands with Balkan, I observed his mannerisms. As a man, he should be able to guess the opponent’s nature through a handshake. As expected, I felt the strict, stern, and serious strength of his grip. However, it made me feel quite uncomfortable that his palm was sticky.

‘Is he sweating?’

After the handshake, I quickly assessed the atmosphere. In these situations, you have to grasp everything quickly.

First, Libre.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Judging by his perverted frown, he seemed quite upset that Arin didn’t come. This guy still has a long way to go.

Next, Elder Parin.

Besides seeming quite interested in me, there was nothing particularly unusual about Elder Parin either.

Then, the mysterious man.

I couldn’t figure out this guy’s identity at all. He didn’t even show up at the arena, so why was he suddenly taking a seat at the dinner table?

I abruptly offered the man a handshake and asked,

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ruin Samael. What’s your name?”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

This guy had zero social skills. It’s common sense to introduce yourself after I’ve given my name, but it was so obvious that he was preoccupied with other thoughts. He seemed completely uninterested in us.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Balkan spoke.

“Have a seat.”

After Taylor and I sat in the empty seats, Balkan began,

“Thank you for coming. What happened to the other two?”

“They seem to have upset stomachs, perhaps from eating something that didn’t agree with them. We ask for your understanding.”

Balkan nodded.

“I see. It’s understandable that food might not suit your taste in a foreign land. It’s alright.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Balkan sipped the teacup on the table and then changed the subject.

“By the way, that was truly amazing. I didn’t know Samael had such talented individuals. I was truly impressed by both of you, Taylor and Ruin, especially you, Ruin. To think that someone who could defeat a swordswoman from the Death Sword Guild would emerge.”

While Balkan was giving his customary compliments, I tilted my head inwardly.

‘This is the dinner?’

It was too simple. It felt more like a place to have a private conversation than a dinner.

There were no servants, no food, no music, no alcohol, and the atmosphere was gloomy.

The guards standing around the perimeter made me feel like they were there to prevent me from escaping this secret chamber.

As if reading my mind, Balkan suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha, there’s no need to be so wary.”

I looked around the empty table and said,

“It seems the preparations for the dinner aren’t complete yet, Patriarch.”

“Of course not. You can be a little more honest.”

When I didn’t say anything, Balkan continued,

“Then let me speak first.”

“…”

“You must have sensed it. You must think this situation is strange. It’s not just now. The banquet, the duel, there must have been more than a few strange things.”

Taylor and I made eye contact. We hadn’t expected Balkan to bring it up first. I gestured to Taylor to remain silent and then looked at Balkan.

“It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel anything strange.”

Balkan nodded with a serious expression.

“Actually, this banquet didn’t have any grand meaning. Of course, I’ve already explained this to Elder Parin here.”

“…”

“Exchange? Harmony? As you’ve seen, it’s difficult to expect anything from the neighboring clans. If it were possible, I would have pursued it long ago. In the end, it was all just an excuse.”

“It sounds like you have other intentions.”

“Of course I do.”

Balkan smiled faintly.

“This banquet…”

“…”

“…was for you.”

Libre and Taylor tensed up, each with different implications.

I slowly met Balkan’s eyes and thought, ‘He’s revealing his intentions just like that?’

When I didn’t react and just stared into Balkan’s eyes, he declared,

“Let me be blunt.”

“…”

“I want our Urgon and Samael to form a secret alliance.”

As we made eye contact, I forced myself to suppress a laugh that was about to burst out.

I tried to be polite, but since the opponent was treating me like a fool, I had no choice. I had to respond in my own way.

———–