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“They say a messenger from Urgon has arrived.”

I grabbed Garlic’s shoulder and said,

“Next time, don’t panic and take the initiative.”

“Please tell me how.”

“The first strike wins. The one with the louder voice wins. If you’re in a staring contest, just shout first.”

Garlic nodded with a determined expression.

As I approached the main gate, the Urgon group was waiting.

Intimidating gazes converged on me all at once. Their disciplined postures and the aura naturally emanating from their bodies were on a completely different level compared to the Bayern guys.

“Oh.”

But I calmly looked around, assessing the situation.

They were all unfamiliar faces. Judging by their appearances, they weren’t from the Water Dragon Squad.

However, the one at the front looked familiar. It was the middle-aged man who had briefly passed by when the White Horse Squad members returned a few days ago.

I suddenly raised my head and looked at the carriage behind them.

A carriage pulled by two white horses.

The horses’ eye sockets were empty, and a bluish-green light flowed from them. Their skin was peeled off, leaving only bones. I could sense a strong mana fluctuation.

‘So I’m seeing skeletal horses here.’

Skeletal horses were magical beasts created by artificially capturing the spirits of horses using mana control.

They weren’t particularly threatening. However, due to their rarity, they were used in the past as a display of power to showcase a clan’s influence.

Behind me, Blair muttered with a slightly flustered expression,

“…A command carriage?”

The middle-aged man at the front smiled, seemingly pleased with Blair’s reaction, and spoke,

“It’s nice to see you again.”

Before I could say anything, Taylor stepped forward.

“What brings the External Affairs Manager of Urgon back to Samael?”

The External Affairs Manager was a position responsible for managing external affairs.

It was by no means a low-ranking position.

The External Affairs Manager looked back and forth between Taylor and Blair, then spoke gently,

“Please don’t look at me like that. I’m here with good intentions.”

The External Affairs Manager stated his purpose for the visit.

“Our eldest son has returned after conquering the 2nd-level Demon Realm. To celebrate this, Urgon will be holding a grand banquet. You might find it hard to believe, but Samael has also been invited to this glorious event. May I meet with the Clan Head?”

I inwardly admired the External Affairs Manager’s eloquence. It was truly befitting of his position. He had the skill to provoke others subtly without giving them any reason to find fault.

“…”

As no one refuted his words, the External Affairs Manager, with a victorious smile, was about to enter. At that moment, I swiftly blocked the entrance.

“Wait a moment.”

Intimidating gazes poured onto me all at once. The External Affairs Manager narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the commander of Samael’s Crazy Mage Squad.”

The External Affairs Manager, who had been looking at me with disdain, suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed,

“Oh, you’re the commander of the Crazy Mage Squad.”

“You know me?”

“Of course.”

“How?”

The External Affairs Manager replied with a welcoming expression, as if seeing a long-lost friend.

“The commander of the Crazy Mage Squad is also on the invitation list.”

It seemed my fame had spread.

Although my anger had subsided a bit, I wasn’t going to let the External Affairs Manager’s words slide.

He might have been proud of his smooth-talking skills, but he should know better than to use them on just anyone.

“Anyway, please wait for a moment.”

“Excuse me?”

“It will take some time to inform the Clan Head, so please wait.”

I turned around and looked at Garlic, who was waiting on the side.

“Patrol leader.”

“Yes!”

“Go and tell the Clan Head that Urgon is here. Don’t wake him up if he’s sleeping. He’s probably sleeping. He should be sleeping. You know what I mean?”

Garlic replied loudly,

“Yes!”

“Then go and tell him quickly. We can’t keep such esteemed guests waiting.”

The Urgon group looked at me in disbelief. As time passed, they started openly releasing mana fluctuations to pressure me.

“These crazy…”

While our side was flustered and their side was taken aback, I calmly blocked the entrance and sat down in a meditative posture.

The Crazy Mage Squad also positioned themselves around me in a triangular formation and began meditating.

Occasional curses could be heard, but that was all. The External Affairs Manager couldn’t use his eloquence against our unwavering spirit.

No one here had the guts to forcefully push aside the Crazy Mage Squad.

* * *

Suddenly, I felt a dampness on my lips. I opened my eyes, wondering if someone had played a prank on me, only to find it was my own drool.

I had dozed off while meditating.

I nonchalantly wiped my mouth with my hand and looked around, only to see the guards.

I stood up and looked at the patrol leader.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I believe you gave a strict order not to disturb you during meditation.”

“…Excellent. By the way, where did everyone go?”

The patrol leader pointed towards the manor.

“They’re going inside.”

I turned around and saw the Crazy Mage Squad and the Urgon group heading towards the main hall.

‘These disloyal bastards.’

I hurried over and naturally joined the end of the group.

As we entered the main hall, the butler announced,

“Please, only one representative may enter. The rest of you, please wait outside.”

While the External Affairs Manager naturally entered the main hall, I signaled to the Crazy Mage Squad.

The Crazy Mage Squad waited outside with the Urgon group, keeping a watchful eye on them, while only I and the White Horse Squad members entered the main hall.

Kazen, Norman, and Isaac were seated in order.

As I and the White Horse Squad members each took a seat, Urgon’s External Affairs Manager bowed to Kazen.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Clan Head. I am Bata, the External Affairs Manager of Urgon.”

“Greetings, External Affairs Manager.”

I tilted my head slightly in confusion.

They had clearly met a few days ago, so why were they acting like strangers?

As I looked back and forth between the External Affairs Manager and Kazen, I soon realized the reason.

So…

This was a kind of power struggle.

Kazen didn’t even offer the External Affairs Manager a seat and asked,

“So, Urgon is holding a banquet?”

“That’s correct.”

The External Affairs Manager added with a smile,

“The eldest son has returned after conquering the 2nd-level Demon Realm. Considering his age, it’s a rare feat even across the entire continent. A grand banquet will be held.”

While speaking, the External Affairs Manager glanced at Taylor, whose face had subtly hardened.

“That’s something to celebrate. But what does that have to do with us, Samael?”

“Our Clan Head wishes to share this joyous occasion with many people. It’s a grand gesture, hoping to create an opportunity for the various families in the East to unite. You can think of it as a gathering for harmony and exchange.”

“Harmony and exchange?”

“Although Samael is a clan on the outskirts, our Clan Head sees it as a clan with potential. You will be able to gain valuable experience.”

“It seems Urgon has finally decided to walk the path of righteousness.”

“Haha, we always have.”

I listened to their conversation with great interest and exclaimed inwardly,

‘Wow, this is intense.’

It was like a comedic dialogue with hidden blades in their mouths.

They were smiling and talking, but it was also a verbal duel where they were spitting out and dodging blades with their words.

A verbal duel was a battle of words, often employed by seasoned strategists. It was essential to have a thick skin.

If you failed to notice the hidden blades in your opponent’s words, you would find yourself entangled at some point. That was the thrill of a verbal duel.

‘Hmm.’

From what I had observed so far, neither of them seemed to be faltering.

The Urgon’s External Affairs Manager was expected to be good at this kind of thing, given his position, but it was quite surprising to see Kazen handling it so skillfully. He had another side that I didn’t know about.

* * *

Acknowledging his opponent’s skill, the External Affairs Manager called a truce to the verbal duel and approached Kazen, holding out an invitation.

“Due to limited space, we had to restrict the number of attendees. Please understand.”

“You’ve invited four people: Taylor, Blair, Arin, and Ruin. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

Kazen asked with a puzzled expression,

“If it’s a banquet, wouldn’t it be customary to invite the Clan Head or the elders first?”

“As I mentioned, this banquet is a gathering for harmony, celebrating the eldest son’s return. To be more precise…”

“Go on.”

“You can think of it as a gathering for exchange and harmony among the future leaders who will lead the eastern part of the continent.”

“You deliberately chose those four?”

“That’s correct. We’ve invited the three of them who returned from the Demon Realm together, and the commander of Samael’s Crazy Mage Squad, who has recently distinguished himself. Does that answer your question?”

“What’s the reason for seeking exchange now, of all times?”

Kazen looked at the External Affairs Manager, suspecting another motive, but found no clues.

“Our Clan Head has a grand vision. He hopes that the families in the East will develop through more exchanges in the future. You can consider this banquet as the first step. There’s nothing to worry about. Many families in the East have already responded. Moreover, distinguished guests will be attending to celebrate the banquet.”

After a pause, Kazen spoke, seemingly impressed by the eloquent response.

“I’ll think about it and decide, so please return for now.”

A faint hint of contempt flickered across the External Affairs Manager’s eyes.

“You must be aware that such opportunities are rare. I naturally assumed you would attend…”

Suddenly, the External Affairs Manager’s expression hardened as he looked around at Kazen and the elders.

“Our Clan Head specifically requested your attendance.”

Leaving behind a threatening remark, the External Affairs Manager smiled and left the main hall.

“I’ll take my leave now. See you later.”

* * *

Kazen looked at the White Horse Squad members and asked,

“What do you think?”

Blair replied with a stern expression,

“I’ve seen Urgon’s eldest son in the Demon Realm. He has a flamboyant personality, so it’s not surprising that he would throw a banquet. But there’s no reason for him to invite us.”

Kazen’s gaze shifted to Taylor.

“Taylor?”

“If we don’t know their true intentions, it’s better not to attend.”

Head Elder Norman looked at Kazen and said,

“They’re not the type to forget past grudges. I thought it was strange that there was no news from them for a while, and now suddenly a banquet? Moreover, I don’t understand their motive for inviting the young ones.”

Isaac, who had been listening silently, looked at Kazen.

“The pretext of fostering harmony among the future leaders sounds plausible. It’s probably not a lie. That’s why it’s even more suspicious. It’s unsettling. What are your thoughts, Clan Head?”

“I also find it unsettling. But even if we try to investigate, we won’t be able to uncover their true intentions.”

After a moment of contemplation, Kazen said,

“We should ask Ruin for his opinion.”

Norman and Isaac nodded in agreement.

“It’s better to ask the person involved.”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

Blair suddenly looked at Taylor with a hesitant expression.

There was no change in Taylor’s expression. However, Blair instinctively sensed that Taylor wasn’t pleased with the current situation.

“I wonder why he’s taking so long.”

“Indeed.”

Ruin, who had gone out to see off the Urgon group, hadn’t returned for quite a while.

“Surely he hasn’t gotten into trouble with Urgon, has he?”

Norman and Isaac’s expressions hardened simultaneously.

They thought it was entirely possible for Ruin to do something like that.

“Perhaps we should go check.”

Kazen shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Just then, they heard a commotion outside. It was the sound of several people talking loudly. The main hall was so quiet that their voices were clearly audible.

From what they could gather…

“Going to the banquet?”

“Take me too!”

“The business manager can’t miss the banquet.”

“Ehahaha, you idiots. Just keep meditating.”

“Is there a lot of delicious food at the banquet?”

“…”

As everyone blinked in confusion at the childish conversation,

The door to the main hall swung open, and Ruin entered with a cheerful expression, saying,

“When are we leaving?”

———