Chapter 555 – 45. Dezak Empire – The Rapidly Changing Situation (2)
“Hmm. The car is fine.”
“…Because it belongs to the imperial family.”
“Haha, is that so? Come to think of it, it was one of the imperial palaces. Here.”
“Did you come without knowing that?”
“That can’t be possible. Anyway, am I mistaken in feeling that your tone is sharp?”
General Escalor smiles cheerfully.
Valdez looked at her as if she was dumbfounded.
I never thought Escalor would have such a shameless personality.
I knew he had a maverick side, but I never imagined him being as sly as he is now.
‘This is really fun.’
While Valdez and the general were having a snowball fight.
In the end, they couldn’t stand it anymore and someone else got in between the two.
“Isn’t it normal for it to be sharp, Your Excellency?”
“Oh my. It wasn’t an illusion after all, Hero Kang Yu-ri.”
“No, that’s right…”
Yuri was taken aback by the unexpected answer and was speechless.
For her, who had rarely encountered anyone of this kind, including her experience on Earth, the General was a difficult opponent in many ways. The type of person who has no choice but to be pushed to one side, whether in an argument or a fight. Yuri also felt it and glared at her without saying a word.
“Now, why don’t you have that conversation with me? After all, you came to see me, right?”
“Haha, I’m welcome.”
The general nodded his head willingly.
And I glanced at the others around me.
Everyone in the hero party except Valdez.
I could feel that even the 1st Princess Wilhelmina, who was not staying here, was watching from afar, hiding.
‘The bond between colleagues is deep. I feel a strong sense of trust. Hmm. ‘No, isn’t it something like a bond or trust?’
Senses closer to those of a dragon than that of a human keenly examined the atmosphere.
I heard it at first glance through a passing rumor, but the five members of the hero party seemed to have a fairly deep relationship.
A deeper relationship that cannot simply be called that of colleagues.
‘Hmm? Five? I think there was one more person… What happened?’
The general, who was basically uninterested in people, decided to focus only on the five in front of him.
To be precise, there was one person hiding in her corner, but to her, it wasn’t much different from what was right in front of her.
“It’s not that I don’t have time, but I’m curious, so let me ask. What is the purpose of your visit to me?”
“Oh, that’s straight forward. Is it because you come from a commoner background?”
With that one word, the air suddenly became ugly.
It was an innocent question that seemed sarcastic to the general, but it didn’t feel that way to the listeners.
“Oh, my. I made a mistake. I apologize. Rather, I did it because I liked it. I also… Come from a commoner background.”
“…”
A depressive emotion rarely seen in the general.
It was only for a moment, but Valdes noticed it.
‘It may be the result of human experimentation, huh?’
Eleniak, the green dragon whom they had recently reunited with, said that he felt the dragon in the general, albeit slightly.
A dragon that wasn’t unfamiliar to me, and that I had probably encountered a few times in the past.
Valdes is the general’s unclear past and alien strength.
And based on the information she had researched and gathered so far, she determined that she was probably the result of horrific human experiments in her past. Of course, since nothing more has come out since then, he does not know how correct this conclusion is. There was no way to check in the first place.
Still, I was quite confident in my own judgment.
‘It’s not that important.’
“Huh? You’re from a commoner? But…”
Fiora expressed a small doubt.
General Escalor’s last name is Destrop.
Although it is not famous, it is a count family with a considerable history.
Although it has declined in the past and now only Escalor remains.
In any case, it was quite contrary to what she said about being from a commoner background.
Escalor also realized his mistake too late and waved his hand.
“Ah, it’s no big deal. By the way, this is the business that brought you to Valdez.”
The general thought he had changed the subject naturally, but of course it was bound to be awkward.
She may not have known it was a very long time ago, but ever since she gained power, she has never had to worry about anyone.
The slip of a tongue from earlier was also a long-time mistake that came by accident.
It was the first time the topic had been changed in this way, so the awkwardness stood out.
“Yes, please say so.”
But Valdez calmly let it go.
The other party members also respected him and did not ask him any more questions.
“I came to apologize.”
“…Yes?”
“Well, what is it? Didn’t I accidentally attack you a while ago?”
“…”
“I wanted to apologize for that.”
Everyone, including Valdez, looked at her in bewilderment.
They say it was a while ago, but don’t they know how many days have passed since then?
Almost fifteen days had passed, and there were many problems with the general’s words.
“Um, General? Do you know what day it is today?”
“Haha, you sure don’t know that either. Well, it’s been a while.”
In the end, Hero Yuri looks at the general with distrustful eyes.
Just to a lesser extent than her, Fiora, Sasha, and Vilma were not much different.
A woman who is more sane than I had heard through rumors.
Their review of Escalor was exactly like this.
“It’s an apple. Well, it’s okay. I don’t really care.”
“Hmm. For me, Ira. That’s a choice of words with deep roots.”
Valdez shrugged his shoulders as if there was a problem with her keen point.
“It doesn’t matter that you’re late. The timing is more unfortunate than that.”
“Speaking of timing…”
“Didn’t the general have an accident just two or three days ago?”
Valdez deliberately mentioned what happened with Eleniak.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t there to see it in person, but she did hear what she had to say.
It was not an impulsive surprise attack, but an attack that clearly felt intentional.
Eleniak said that although it was a sudden punch, it felt like he was controlling his desires, and that he accepted it in moderation because he sensed an impure intention to gauge his power. Those were quite interesting and enlightening words for Valdez.
‘If it wasn’t something I did without thinking, there could only be one reason.’
“Hmm. I’m not just saying this, but let me tell you that I realized something.”
“Is that so.”
“And I’m also curious.”
Escalor suddenly grinned and looked at every inch of Valdez’s body.
A very ordinary-looking knight of mixed race and demon race.
Of course, there are many reasons why it is wrong to say that it is truly ordinary.
First of all, it was a very special case because it was a mixed race of demons.
Moreover, he has the talent to become a knight due to his contemptuous bloodline.
It’s also a talent for swords that gives me confidence that I will reach mastery in the near future.
But to put it on the other hand, now I am just a half-baby who has not even become a master.
No matter how great the name Master is, to Escalor, it is still there.
Even now, she felt no threat or fighting spirit from Valdez.
‘But what is it? My sixth sense still tells me.’
Is it simply telling?
She was warning beyond that.
The boy in front of her is the lifelong enemy she has been looking for.
‘What on earth is this?’
The general looks at Valdes in a way that makes him feel burdened.
At this point, I even began to suspect that she might actually have noticed something.
“Stop staring and ask what you’re curious about.”
“…Is there some kind of hidden power?”
I flinch.
“…Yes?”
A question that I never thought of and that really hits the nail on the head.
Valdez was shocked for a moment because he never thought he would ask this out loud.
“No matter how I look at it, it seems like there’s something there.”
“Haha, how can that be possible?”
“Yes. I thought so too. But… If I think about it, there was something strange back then too.”
At that time.
Without even asking, he’ll tell you about the day Escalor attacked him out of nowhere.
Valdez was nervous at the sight of the general sowing suspicion so blatantly.
No matter how sharp her senses are, there is no chance of being caught.
Currently, due to the dangers of the system, he has sealed his power particularly deeply and cannot easily release it himself.
Because of that, Escalor’s surprise attack was also not handled properly.
Even though he suffered an injury, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and although there were some who gave thumbs up and no one doubted Valdez’s talent and luck. Except for the person in front of us who did it.
“Huh. I still have discomfort in one arm thanks to what happened back then.”
“Well, wouldn’t you be lucky that you got hit with my fist and that was the end of it?”
The general’s attitude is so shameless that it causes anger.
Finally, Wilhelmina, who had been hiding and watching, was approaching with great strides.
“We’re here”
“Everyone is quiet. Is there anyone there?”
“But I can feel a presence inside.”
“Hmm, that’s right. But this…”
“…General.”
“Yes. It’s just as Tessa said.”
Three people walked in calmly from the entrance.
Due to the nature of the Imperial Guard, which prides itself on its escort skills, the entrance to the guest palace is not locked.
There is no possibility of theft or trespassing as they do it themselves.
Maybe that’s why sometimes there were cases where people came in like this even if there was no answer from inside.
It’s not something I normally like, but the three people who came today were very happy.
“Natalie. Adele. Tessa.”
Valdez welcomed them.
Fortunately, the appearance of the three was enough to relieve the growing tension.
“I came to check on your health, but there was a customer who came first.”
“…I have something to apologize for.”
“Apology… Ah, that’s it. You don’t know how shocked I was.”
“You deserve that. It was my mistake.”
The magic tower lord Natalie is one of the few people recognized by General Escalor.
She was respectful to the prince, which was rare for someone who did not easily treat him with respect.
Moreover, she is one of the most important forces in the emperor’s plan.
She had to be careful, even considering the Emperor’s damn leash.
“Is that the end of your business?”
“No, but… I don’t think there’s any need for more.”
Anyway, the real purpose, confirmation, has already been completed.
She believes there’s something hidden about Valdez, but she doesn’t think it will be revealed that easily.
The general, who only said goodbye to Valdez and Nathalie, left the palace, leaving behind a firm presence.
As soon as Escalor disappeared, Natalie looked at Valdes with a worried expression.
“Are you okay? Did you do any damage?”
“Nothing happened. If you ask other kids, they’ll say the same.”
“His attitude was really annoying.”
Wilhelmina, who had already settled down next to Valdes, grumbled and drank her tea.
And then Natalie quietly sat down in the empty seat opposite her and shook her head.
“The great general is naturally like that.”
“…? Master? Then why are you sitting there?”
“…”
Natalie turns her head without answering Adele’s words.
She felt uneasy about the unspeakable attitude of her student’s teacher.
