Chapter 311

Chapter 311

* * *

That guy came back.

He placed a hand on Cadels back and felt a small flinch as he spoke. The arm around his flat stomach tightened, but Cadel jerked his head away. His eyes narrowed, taking in Kunra through his upside-down vision.

Yes. Hes back in the Knight Order.

Look straight ahead, halfling.

I thought it was a pipe dream, but then he said hed be Shin Yeohwans knight, not Cadel Lytos knight.

Well, thats a surprise.

Cadel, who tilted his head back and leaned his head on Kunras shoulder, began to chatter with excitement.

You know what? Van broke the barrier. He went above and beyond the systems rating! Hes really incredible, isnt he?

The system is not omnipotent.

Thats right. Now Vans favorability I told you this before, right? The system gives me a numerical representation of how much someone favors me, but now I cant see Vans favorability. Im not sure why, but its nice to see that the system is failing to measure it.

Kunra deftly maneuvered through Cadels tangle, which was like an unruly animal, and matched Cadels giggles with his own.

The berserker has definitely gotten stronger. The energy I feel is different.

Its a shame I didnt get to see Van breakthrough. Kunra, I wish you were there to do something about it. Come to think of it, youre only there when you need to be.

Are you suddenly turning your arrows on this one?

Is the barrier work finished? I have to go to the Empire in a couple of days, the Emperor has called me. I think hes calling me because hes almost finished with the search for the great magic circle, and he wants me to come back. So give me your power.

Ill be able to give it to you by then.

Kunra, who had successfully finished dealing with the wriggling Cadel, clicked his tongue and pulled his hand out from under Cadels clothes.

Youre acting more and more like a daredevil, and I told you to stay still when Im trying to infuse you with my energy.

You were the one who spoke first.

Then just move your mouth, not your body.

When did I move my body? How can I move my body when youre holding it so tightly in the first place? Youre always nitpicking.

Cadel grunted as he patted the hard forearms around his waist, and after spitting out a laugh, Kunra pushed himself to his feet. Cadels legs flailed wildly in the air, but Kunra ignored his ticklish squirming and continued on his way out of the cave.

What, youre going to throw me down?

Im thinking about it.

Why is your personality so mean?

These days, someone is seriously criticizing the nature of this one. For someone as small as a mouse, he is incredibly brave.

Was Kunra really trying to throw him down? As Cadel glanced at the cliff spread out in front of him with a slightly tired face, he heard an unexpected story.

The barrier work is slowly coming to an end, so Ill give you a few tips before you leave. Halfling, you need to utilize the power of this one properly.

This ones power can be divided into three main types: shields, fire magic, and pure mana. Human strength can only handle so much of all three, and since you halflings magical abilities are quite capable, youre better off focusing on defense.

He grabbed Cadel as he tried to run away and continued to pour knowledge into him. From Cadels point of view, it was just bullying in the guise of teaching, but the excited Scarlet Dragon could not fathom the mind of a mere mortal.

* * *

He was supposed to be traveling to the Empire in a few days. Kunra didnt seem to care about human schedules, and pestered Cadel day and night until just before he left.

Objectively speaking, of course, he was pouring his enthusiasm into the human, making him stronger. The problem was that it was too much. Asking him to focus on learning with minimal sleep and food was too much.

When Cadel couldnt sleep easily due to the rigors of his training, Kunra would come over and smack him on the nape of the neck to wake him up. When he complained of a lack of appetite, Kunra would force his mouth open and inject a mysterious substance into his mouth. The food gave him strength, but it was salty and unpleasant, to say the least, and if he got angry with Kunra, Kunra would get angry back.

/Halfling. I didnt realize it until now, but youre quite the adorable type. Lark. Mmm, yeah. Youre like a skylark when you find something pleasant to say./

He must have gone out of his mind due to the stress of working on the barrier.

Gosh, crazy bastard. Oh gosh!

His stomach burned with anger at Kunra, but he couldnt show it. Cadel crossed the hall in silence, feeling eyes on him from all sides.

I feel like every time I visit the castle, the number of people spying on me increases.

On days like today, when he came to the castle for a meeting with the Emperor, people would flock to the castle, curious to see the long-missing Knight Order Commander. Cadel understood their interest. While the armies of the Empire and the world were busy searching for the great magic circle, the elite Knight Order of the Empire had completely disappeared, and they must have wondered what he was up to.

Hed come up with a few excuses, but no one had ever questioned Cadel directly. Instead, they just stared at him from a distance. Sometimes they whispered in groups, other times they peeked in real close. At first, Cadel didnt mind, but as time went on, the growing crowd became a little overwhelming.

Id rather them ask me outright. I want them to spread the word about my excuses.

With a quick glance at a servant who happened to catch his eye, Cadel hurried to his appointment, and the corridors he passed were echoed with low shrieks and gasps from the scattered masses.

Did, did you see it? Did he just smile at me? Did you see that?

I dont know about you, but I saw him smiling. How can he smile so beautifully? You dont need flowers, you just need to plant one Sir Cadel in the garden.

I really want to hold on to him so he cant go anywhere and see him whenever hes having a hard time.

As more and more eyes turned to Cadel within the castle, it wasnt just because of his mysterious whereabouts; some simply sought to soothe the weariness of their labor by admiring his striking appearance.

Alas, in the end, I couldnt show him this time either. I really wanted to show Sir Cadel this new technique.

Oh, you fool, dont say that in front of the kids running right now. How could you lose this precious opportunity just because youre embarrassed.

However, if he finds it annoying to talk to.

Then you have to kneel down and beg to get a chance! And Sir Cadel is kind to everyone, so you wont get criticized for asking him to see a technique.

There were also people who admired the genius magician and were eager to seize the opportunity to learn.

It looks like he came alone today too, right? Where does he leave the other members?

As rumored, I guess they are training at a closed facility. Damn, how much stronger have they become? Im dying of curiosity.

Want to sneak a peek?

What and how do you ask? What if we accidentally make a wrong move and get dragged away and have a sparring match with him? At that time, we will just look like Nefelie. Its impossible to recover.

Some wondered at the accomplishments of the quiet Scarlet Scales Knight Order and compared them to their own growth.

The more time they spent in the Mountains of Silence, the more questions were raised about the Knight Order, which had always had little interaction with the outside world.

More recently, rumors had even spread that they had ties to the Scarlet Dragon, and their status within the castle had increased with each passing day. Of course, as the distance between them and the rest of the world grew, there was no way Cadel would ever find out.