Within a week of Buford’s journey from Antik to the capital, rumors spread like wildfire and the capital was quickly occupied.

Thanks to that, Buford and his companions faced numerous roadblocks from the procession of people who came out to greet them even before the carriage entered the walls of the capital.

“Hail to the Kingdom of Akan!”

“We have been waiting for Prince Buford!”

“Please, share some cream with us too!”

Buford generously sprinkled cream towards the desperate hands reaching out to him.

As they hurriedly received the cream, the group from the palace quickly came out to welcome them.

Although they had been waiting since morning, they were slightly delayed by the sudden crowd.

“I am Brik Ukraa, serving as the temporary commander of the Knights. I have come to accompany Prince Buford Adio of Akan.”

Brik Ukraa, a man as huge as a bear with an imposing and rugged appearance, politely bowed his head in front of the prince.

Behind him were more than 20 knights following him.

His appearance momentarily halted the movements of the excited crowd.

Buford’s crimson eyes moved like a snake, observing the scene.

An armed commander and his knights, the Empire’s citizens in awe, and in the midst of them, a prince from a foreign land with a rescue in hand.

‘…Should I stimulate them a little more?’

He smiled, as if it could be seen, and responded politely to Brik’s greeting.

“Thank you for coming to greet me, despite not being able to inform you of the exact timing due to the urgency. I traveled slowly, like on a journey, as my body is weak, so the delay was more than expected.”

“No, it’s no problem. I will do my best not to cause inconvenience to the honored guest who arrives during this tumultuous time.”

Despite his rough appearance, the commander smoothly interacted with Buford.

His unwavering expression and straightforward manner of speaking were both courteous and weighty.

In comparison, Buford truly appeared as nothing more than a delicate and frail prince.

There were times when this contrast worked in his favor.

Buford gently brushed his eyebrows and spoke with a pitiful voice.

“But… upon arriving, I noticed that the Empire’s citizens are not ordinarily distressed. The situation seems quite serious.”

Buford amplified his voice to its fullest.

He wanted everyone who had huddled together to hear his words.

“As the leader of a country that holds the only remedy, my heart aches tremendously. Damon, distribute all the cream that is on the carriage.”

Brik’s eyes widened at his sudden proclamation.

The heads of the quietly huddled Empire’s citizens shot up in response.

There were several individuals who couldn’t contain their joyful exclamation.

Damon, who was by Buford’s side, replied in a sweet voice.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

She swiftly turned around and gestured towards the procession of dozens of carriages following behind the prince’s carriage.

The trunks of the carriages opened smoothly.

The entire area erupted with cheers.

“Wait a moment, please.”

Brik, who belatedly regained his composure, stood in their way.

Upon seeing him, the cheering Empire’s citizens turned their eyes upside down.

Driven by urgency, they started rushing towards the carriages without hesitation.

“Protect the procession of honored guests!”

The knights moved swiftly in response to Brik’s gesture, but it wasn’t easy to stop the excessively excited citizens.

“Be careful to avoid casualties!”

It was difficult for just around 20 knights to prevent the people from reaching out to Akan’s carriages, engaging in physical confrontations.

Furthermore, the palace’s knights couldn’t use force recklessly.

Fortunately, it was the armed knights who were at risk of getting hurt, not the rushing citizens.

Brik looked back at his knights, who were being struck by the desperate hands of the citizens, with clenched fists and a grimace.

“Oh, no.”Buford, who had been observing the situation from a step back, murmured with a pitiful tone.

“…I didn’t expect it to be so desperate. It truly pains my heart to see this.”

As the carriages of his country were breaking and swaying, he spoke as if they were indifferent to the chaotic scene.

Brik, unable to target Akan’s prince, tightly clenched his fists and fixed his gaze on the chaotic scene without saying a word.

There was no doubt that someone would be injured if this continued.

They needed to quickly wrap things up and return to the palace.

‘The situation isn’t good.’

Brik, who sighed, took out a massive morningstar weighing close to 7 kg from his shoulder.

Although it was a weapon with a deadly destructive power, he usually didn’t bring it out unless it was a combat situation. However, these days, due to the ominous situation, he carried it around even for display purposes.

He had never wielded it within the palace before, but the circumstances were different now.

He gathered his power and infused it into the morningstar.

Normally used as a sword, but since it wasn’t his main weapon, its form was slightly altered.

Brik struck the ground forcefully with the power-infused weapon.

Crack!

With a loud noise, the surroundings trembled, and the ground sank in deeply.

The destructive force was strong enough to cause faint vibrations spreading to nearby buildings.

“…!”

Some people who were caught off guard collapsed on the spot, as if crumbling.

Their eyes were filled with fear.

‘I didn’t want to resort to this method…’

Brik’s mouth felt bitter.

In this situation where he had to instill fear in those he had to protect, he truly felt uneasy.

Taking advantage of the moment when the frenzied crowd paused, Brik quickly gave instructions to his knights and looked at Buford.

“…Please, follow me.”

Buford, who had been smirking, followed him into the palace.

* * *

It was the first time for Buford to officially enter the Empire.

During the six years since he seized power, he strictly enforced a policy of isolation and rarely ventured outside himself.

Well, officially, that is.

Of course, unofficially, without making it publicly known, he had visited the Empire countless times, but this was the first time he set foot inside the palace.

“…Well, nothing special.”

Buford murmured absentmindedly as he surveyed the vast palace.

Despite being called the Great Empire, it didn’t seem particularly remarkable when viewed from the inside.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an impregnable fortress?

There were defensive walls protecting the entire capital, and there were separate magical barriers guarding the palace.

The magic barriers, which had been layered for years, were said to be powerful enough to withstand even a strike from the gods, as Damon explained.

“It’s almost impossible to bring down the castle with magical attacks, Buford.”

Magical attacks were countered by the magic division and its leader, the Archmage Simon, and the actual attacks were firmly repelled by the Crimson Knights.

It was undoubtedly a difficult place to attack in various ways.

However…

“In that case, we just have to bring it down from the inside.”

Like when they entered the capital before, it was a good method to pit them against each other.

If they could add a little more chaos to the mix…“…It’s easier than I thought.”

Brik, who was guiding him, turned around at the sound.

“What did you just say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Buford smirked and casually retorted.

With that smile in front of him, what could Brik possibly say?

For a brief moment, Brik stared at Buford with an emotionless gaze, then continued walking silently ahead.

Soon, they arrived at the reception room where Crown Prince Louismond was waiting for them.

“Announce them.”

At Brik’s command, the soldiers guarding outside informed that they had arrived.

After a slight pause, the grand and magnificent door of the reception room opened.

Buford entered slowly with leisurely steps.

“Welcome. Thank you for your long journey. Please come this way.”

Crown Prince Louismond, with his blond hair and bright blue eyes, greeted Buford with a warm smile as if meeting an old acquaintance.

“Despite the short distance, I apologize for being late. Have the other countries already arrived?”

“No, they haven’t. The one we’ve been eagerly awaiting always arrives fashionably late. Did you have a comfortable journey?”

“It was smooth. I’ve seen many things while leisurely traveling.”

Buford also stood before the Crown Prince with a relaxed smile.

The sight of the future leaders of a nation facing each other under the dazzling afternoon sunlight was stunningly beautiful.

They both wore smiles as enchanting as a painting, perfectly concealing their true intentions.

Even though they were aware of each other’s hidden motives, they didn’t show a hint of it.

When Damon saw Buford displaying himself perfectly as a prince, her heart burned with fervor.

Her mouth felt dry as if swallowing sand, and her throat was parched as if on fire.

‘That prince is mine, from the first time I saw him until now. And until the very end.’

A desire bubbled up inside her, wanting to laugh and shout it to the whole world.

How exhilarating it would be.

She licked her dry lips and lowered her eyes, which were trembling with greed.

Now was the time to adapt to Buford’s rhythm.

“Damon, bring it.”

Coincidentally, Buford reached out his hand to her.

With a smile as enchanting as a painting, she brought forward a long wooden box she had carried.

“I thought it wouldn’t be proper to greet you empty-handed, so I prepared a small token of sincerity. I hope Your Highness will accept it.”

“What is this…?”

“It’s a wine made from the rare black grapes, a specialty of Arkan. Only ten bottles are produced each year, making it a precious liquor.”

As Buford explained, Damon assisted by opening the wooden box to reveal its contents.

There were a long wine bottle and two beautiful wine glasses neatly arranged inside.

Without hesitation, Damon swiftly poured the wine, without even giving a moment’s pause.

With a pop, the cork was removed.

“There’s a special way to drink this wine. Since I’ve presented it as a gift, allow me to demonstrate the decanting process.”

“No, wait.”

Before Louismond could speak, Damon tilted the wine bottle and filled the glass in an instant.

A chill rose on her palm, and frost quickly formed on the surface of the wine glass.

“After rapidly chilling it, if you swirl the glass and savor the aroma while drinking, the flavor intensifies twofold. Please have a taste.”

Following Buford’s gesture, Damon courteously placed the glass in front of Louismond.

It had only been about 10 seconds.

Louismond glanced back and forth between the wine glass and Damon, slightly surprised.

Damon, who had already magically altered her appearance, gave a seductive smile and pretended to be polite.

“Well, did I go too far? It’s quite embarrassing to have placed the glass like that. Haha.”

Pretending not to notice, Buford also picked up his glass first and sipped from it.

Louismond slowly reached out his hand and grasped the glass in front of him.

The sweet aroma of the wine, tickling his nostrils, seemed to numb his sense of smell.