Chapter 209: The Welcome banquet (3)

[ Name: Ren Arken

Age: 14

Race: Human

Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana])

Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana])

Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana])

Mana: ~~~

Spiritual: ~~~

Intellect: 700, 000

Unique Skills:

-Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight’s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas]

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Looking at Alfred sticking out his hand, offering a handshake, Hero Lian doesn’t have any choice but to accept the handshake even though he’s wary with the person before him.

He couldn’t read any of the Grandarian heroes, but for Alfred, his presence alone had made him wary. His smile that obviously just a mask and the way he’s not trying to hide the fact of it’s just a mask is making him restless.

As a swordsman, Hero Lian picture himself on a battlefield with Alfred. But even though they’re on a battlefield, Alfred is still full of smiles, but yet he still couldn’t find any opening.

Is it confidence?

Is it a farce?

Is it a feint?

Is it a double feint?

(It’s too difficult) (Hero Lian)

Hero Lian soon gives up on figuring out Alfred’s intention and accepts the handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, hero,” At the moment Alfred’s and Hero Lian’s hands met.

!?!?

(M-Murderous intent!?) (Hero Lian)

!!!!!!!

“Y-You, guys…” (Hero Lian)

(Excluding the saintess, it’s three, huh… But-) (Alfred)

At the moment when Alfred unleashed his murderous intent, three figures immediately rushed to Hero Lian’s side. One of them pulled him, one of them grabbed Alfred’s hand and the last one points her knife on Alfred’s neck.

“W-What was just…” Muttered Hero Lian in confusion.

Alfred unleashed his murderous intent in just a moment and immediately retrieved it back.

“Ah… Please forgive me, It seems I chose the wrong joke to use. But well, it’s a good performance. As expected of the hero party of the Holy Empire, you react- I mean, some of you reacts quickly,” Alfred unleashes his usual sarcastic joke.

“Please forgive my companion’s behavior. He tends to make an overboard joke, you see,” Sera apologized with a slight bow.

“I-It’s fine, your highness. No one’s hurt anyway. But…” Hero Lian looked at his surroundings. The nobles and soldiers didn’t seem to sense the murderous intent that Alfred unleashed for a moment before since they’re looking at the group with an expression filled with questions.

(Just how did he…) (Hero Lian)

“Well, isn’t it time for you to withdraw that knife of yours, Holy Empire’s best assassin, Anne Corla?” Asked Alfred without having his smile disappeared.

“You’re dangerous, Alfred the darkness. Your presence risked Lord Lian’s life,” Muttered the Holy Empire’s most renowned assassin, Anne Corla.

Alfred had finished his research about the Holy Empire’s hero party members’ information before he arrived at the welcome party banquet, with the intel from his mercenary group that he sent to search for the information about the hero party, he managed to roughly grasp the information of all of them.

(Anne Corla. She’s a former criminal captured by the Holy Empire. But her life that should be ended by a death sentence got saved by the Hero Lian, and ended up serving him and protecting him by entering his party… Her skills are great, as expected of the Holy Empire’s best assassin, but well-) (Alfred)

“I recommend you to buy a new piece of knife, Miss Anne. It seems that your knife is broken, you see,” said Alfred as he leisurely turns around and faces Anne the Holy Empire’s best assassin even though her knife is pointed right in front of his neck.

As an assassin, Anne that got startled by how Alfred suddenly turned around strikes his neck in reflex.

(Shit! I killed him!) (Anne)

But even though she’s sure she had killed him, she felt something is strange. She didn’t felt her strike got connected.

(Did he dodged it?) (Anne)

“Well, I would be more than glad to give you one of my knives if you want, though,” (Alfred)

“Knife?” (Anne)

(Eh!? Since when did he do this!?) (Anne)

Anne couldn’t hide her shocked expression when she saw her knife had turned into dust, leaving just the handle. No one saw what really happened except for one person.

“It seems that your skills are even more exceptional than what the rumors said, Lord Alfred. It would be very reassuring to fight together with you,” (Saintess Elvira)

(It seems that the honorable saintess is my natural enemy, huh… Well, even our element attribute is the opposite of each other… But then the Hero Lian is my natural enemy as well, I guess) (Alfred)

Alfred’s element is a dark attribute, even though people tend to mistake dark element and undead element as the same attribute, it’s actually two different elements.

While the undead element comes from the realm of the undead and has summoning as one of its strongest points, the dark attribute enhances the wielder with powerful strength and unique abilities.

But unlike the other elements, the dark attribute that is the same as the undead attribute is considered as a forbidden element to cultivate. But in Peter’s era as a king, that kind of forbids has already been removed.

In the first place, dark attributes got forbidden by the world because of their limitless strength. The dark attribute has the ability to manipulate the other attributes except for the light attribute, it has the ability to manipulate the space, and there are still lots of mysteries concerning the magic as well.

“And you seem to have a wonderful pair of eyes, lady saintess, while for the others…” Alfred shifted his gaze towards the remaining two people who didn’t move even though they sensed his murderous intent.

(Their strength should be at the same level as the others…) (Alfred)

There are three people who make a move when Alfred unleashed his murderous intent. The first one is the woman that just got her knife destroyed by Alfred, Anne Corla, the Holy Empire’s best assassin. The second one is the one who pulled the Hero Lian, their mage, Luciana Estella.

(The rumors about her reason for following the guy called Lian are vague. But judging from how she pulled him without giving another thought means she’s not an enemy, huh… While for the last one…) (Alfred)

Bruce Liamborg. The one who is called the strongest spear-wielder in the Holy Empire. He’s the one who grabbed Alfred’s hand before.

(His nickname is the Blazing Spear, he looks plenty rough and slightly sharp, but he’s giving an aura of a musclehead as well, so there’s no need to worry about him, I guess… Now for the other two…) (Alfred)

The Holy Empire’s hero party has 7 members. With the Hero Lian as the leader, 6 left. The ones who make a move to aid the Hero Lian are three people, while even though Saintess Elvira didn’t look like she’s making any move, she’s ready to chant a barrier to deflect any attack Alfred unleashed.

Two left.

(The first one is the idiotic holy knight that made a ruckus at the castle… I will be more than glad to behead his head myself, but I can’t take a reckless decision since the opponent is the Holy Empire) (Alfred)

(That idiotic holy knight is obviously the Holy Empire’s brainwashed minion, while for the remaining one is…) (Alfred)

Ludicia Trudica. The last member of the Hero Party. She’s wearing holy knight attire as well, but her eyes are vacant. As if she had given up on the world.

No.

(As if she’s brainwashed… If Ren’s words are true, then the two of them are the ones that I need to be aware of, I guess…) (Alfred)

“The others seem to have wonderful abilities as well. It would be my honor to be able to fight together with powerful figures such as all of you. Once again, please forgive my overboard joke before…” Said Alfred with his usual smile.

Of course, the Holy Empire’s hero party noticed how insincere his smile and his words are as he’s not even hiding his insincerity.

“And for miss Anne, please forgive me about your knife. Do you like to take one of my knives to replace it instead?” Asked Alfred, but of course.

“Thank you for your consideration. But I have enough spares,” Anne refused.

“I see, then that’s good but yet a shame,” Replied Alfred ambiguously.

(A-Alfred… You’re ruining the mood that I had painstakingly made… But he’s right) (Sera)

Sera silently curses how unexpected Alfred’s course of actions is, but at the same time, his actions made her realized.

(This is not the time to act friendly, this is a beginning of a battle itself) (Sera)

“Forgive for my lateness, even though I’m the host and this party is made for you, it seems that I got too absorbed with my conversation with the ministers. And it seems that my best friend has bothered you as well, please take these special wines made by our kingdom as a token of apology,” said Peter as he approached the group together with Sen and Albus.

“Your Majesty,” (Hero Lian)