Chapter 107

Chapter 107 – Chapter 17: Test #6

Knight Saga often had tea party events .

Zephyr, the protagonist of the Demon World, could hold them himself or he could accept the invitation of the other royal children .

The function of the tea party was a social meeting . As it wasn’t an official event like the court gathering, it was smaller in size, but a greater degree of socialization was available .

The tea parties were for collecting and exchanging information, discovering new talents, maintaining their reputation and various media play .

‘Sometimes the “haha” and “hoho” along with the tea and cakes makes it seem far from a meeting . ’

Although it wasn’t a court gathering, In-gong was dressed formally when he climbed into the carriage that Flora called . Felicia, Silvan, Caitlin and Chris were already on the carriage as they had decided to go together in order to show that a new faction had formed .

Felicia was wearing a white dress that contrasted beautifully with her brown skin . Among the members here, she was the most experienced with tea parties . She was well aware of the ‘correct meaning’ of the tea party .

On the other hand, Caitlin accepted the tea party at face value and was laughing . Her rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes showed that she had high expectations for this .

She had on a subdued blue dress, and Chris was looking out the window with a scruffy face . He was dressed in a black suit similar to what he had worn to the court gathering, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to participate in the tea party .

Silvan was looking more colourful than usual, looking like a sailor wearing a dress suit .

Chris looked at Silvan who had shifted to make room for In-gong . It seemed like it was burdensome for Silvan to sit directly opposite Chris .

Once Carack and In-gong took their places, the carriage started moving again . Five of the royal children and four aides were on board, but it didn’t feel crowded because it was a large carriage .

Baikal’s mansion was located in the eastern part of the Demon King’s Palace, and it looked more like a military fortress than a mansion .

The overall impression was sharp and pointed, while the dragon sculptures in various places created a sense of oppression .

Baikal’s troops were draconians . The blood of a dragon ran through them, so the people in the mansion would have considerable combat power .

'Indeed, the 1st Prince . . . ’

Even if the order of birth was unrelated to succession in the Demon World, the eldest son was still the eldest son . As the first born and child of the demon king that had lived the longest, he received more expectations and support than the other children of the demon king .

It was one year ahead of Knight Saga, so In-gong wasn’t sure of the current situation, but Baikal should be getting more support than Zephyr from the draconians .

If he had to estimate the ratio, it would be 3:2 .

With only 60%, it wasn’t a species-wide support, but the draconians were so fearsome that it was more than the support that some of the other royal children received .

They were guided to the reception room where the organizer of the tea party, Baikal, welcomed them .

"Everybody came together . "

Baikal was a young man with neatly brushed hair who gave off a pleasant impression .

The pair of horns on his head, which could be called the symbol of the draconians, pointed straight to the sky and seemed to reveal Baikal’s straight-lined heart .

He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his muscles weren’t big like Chris and Carack .

The eldest one was Silvan, but he was Felicia’s escort, so he allowed her to greet Baikal first . It was a bit ambiguous since they were twins, but due to the female centered nature of the dark elves, Felicia was always the first to say hello .

Felicia bowed elegantly .

"Thank you for inviting me to the tea party, Baikal orabeoni . ”

"Thank you for accepting my invitation . ”

Baikal embraced Felicia and Silvan lightly, then turned to Chris and Caitlin .

Chris greeted him first,

“It is great to see 1st Prince . ”

He didn’t kneel down, but the greeting was reminiscent of the court gathering . Baikal gave an embarrassed smile at Chris’ distant attitude .

“Chris, don’t be so stiff . ”

“Thank you for your consideration . ”

Chris still answered formally, so Baikal couldn’t help frowning . However, that only lasted for a moment . He greeted Caitlin with a bright expression,

"Isn’t this the first time I’ve seen you outside of a court gathering? It is great to see you, Caitlin . ”

“Yes, Oppa . ”

Caitlin responded shyly . Baikal laughed at how Caitlin’s reaction was completely different reaction from Chris’ and hugged her .

Finally, it was In-gong’s turn .

This time, Baikal greeted him first .

"Shutra, it has been a really long time since I’ve seen you face to face . ”

"Yes, Hyung-nim . ”

In-gong responded smoothly as he looked into Baikal’s eyes .

It was because there was no information about the original relationship between Baikal and Shutra .

'Maybe there weren’t any exchanges . ’

The draconians, Baikal’s mother’s side, and the Gandharva, Shutra’s mother’s side, were enemies .

However, Baikal then said words that In-gong couldn’t imagine .

“Isn’t it your birthday pretty soon? The gifts this year are insufficient . I will send it to your mansion on your birthday as always . ”

In-gong panicked . Birthday? Did this mean that he sent a birthday present every year?

In-gong was reminded of the Day of Massacre .

Baikal had held the bodies of his siblings and sobbed . He had been furious at Zephyr and had gone crazy .

If it was Baikal, he might actually be interested in Shutra .

Baikal would know roughly when In-gong’s birthday was . Perhaps he had sent a couple of gifts a year . As the oldest, Baikal would care for Shutra, who was the youngest son . Despite not being children of the same house, they were still children of the demon king . However, no one else had cared about Shutra .

"Thank you . ”

There was sincerity in In-gong’s voice . Clearly, In-gong’s reaction had pleased Baikal as he then said in an affectionate voice,

"It is natural between siblings . I should pamper you a bit more . ”

His bright smile matched his tender voice .

Baikal led the party towards the reception area . There was already a guest who had arrived first .

“Zephyr came first . Zephyr, say hello to your younger siblings . ”

Just like the others, Baikal treated Zephyr as a sibling .

At Baikal’s words, Zephyr looked at In-gong’s party and bowed slightly .

Felicia and Silvan laughed like they had expected this, while Chris sneered .

. . . And In-gong was convinced .

If Baikal was the light, then Zephyr was the darkness . It would have been awkward if Zephyr laughed and welcomed them like Baikal .

Zephyr, who had long blood red hair, didn’t reveal his feelings but gave off an enormous presence just by sitting there .

Baikal sighed like there was nothing he could do and assigned a seat to each of the party members . Silvan, Felicia, Chris, Caitlin and In-gong were all seated opposite Zephyr .

They didn’t wait long since the time had already been set . After finishing the seating arrangements, a bell sounded to announce the arrival of 3rd Prince Victor and 4th Princess Anastasia .

Baikal also greeted Victor and Anastasia with a bright smile . The two of them were seated beside Zephyr, with Anastasia naturally being a considerable distance away from him .

Finally, all nine of the demon king’s children had gathered . Baikal, who sat in the organizer’s seat, started the tea party with some prepared tea and cookies .

As Felicia had predicted, Baikal led the conversation into a friendly chat . However, he avoided topics that seemed somewhat sensitive, such as In-gong and the sword duke . It seemed as though he was going to avoid all topics that would stimulate competition .

Chris kept silent, while Silvan only occasionally participated in the conversation as he concentrated on eating the cookies and drinking the tea .

The conversation flowed primarily between Baikal, Anastasia, Felicia and Caitlin .

Whenever Anastasia pulled out a topic about In-gong, Felicia would cut her off and Baikal would change the subject . Caitlin mostly listened, but she occasionally helped Baikal with the transitions .

In-gong tried not to be conscious of Zephyr, who had remained silent since he first greeted them . His attitude was similar to the court gathering .

Victor kept a watchful eye on In-gong throughout the conversation . It seemed like he was trying to look for something .

In-gong consciously took a step back . When looking at it on the surface, Baikal’s tea party proceeded fairly cheerfully . Most of the siblings didn’t participate in the conversation, and Zephyr was sitting at the table .

The demon king didn’t want his children to harm each other . There was competition between the royal children, but there were to be no attempts on each other’s lives .

After all, they were siblings . Even Victor, who was staring at In-gong, didn’t have the slightest intention of provocation .

The one who changed this atmosphere had been Zephyr .

He had heightened the sense of crisis and made them do serious things to each other . Zephyr had planted the idea but hadn’t suffered .

The lycanthrope subjugation had been the peak . The demon king’s children no longer believed in each other and had even hated each other . The minimum safety line had collapsed .

Then the Day of Massacre began .

The children of the demon king hadn’t been able to gather together and every one of them died at Zephyr’s hands .

That was why In-gong wanted to become the demon king . He didn’t want such a future .

Anastasia suddenly turned to In-gong . In-gong smiled politely at her and Anastasia smiled back . There was an intense light in her eyes but no sense of hostility .

Baikal’s tea party was completed . Victor had looked disgruntled as the tea party continued on, but that was all .

Baikal was satisfied with this alone . The important thing was that they had a face-to-face conversation .

Victor and Anastasia left first, then In-gong’s party stood up to follow .

Just as they were about to leave the reception room . . .

“Shutra . ”

A low voice captured everyone's attention . It was Zephyr who had stayed silent so far .

He reminded In-gong of the demon king at the court gathering . Zephyr made everyone nervous just by talking to In-gong .

“Give my regards to General Vandal . ”

The sentence was short, but it had many implications .

In-gong replied with a blank expression,

"Yes, Hyung-nim . ”

Zephyr didn’t say anything more, and Baikal, who sighed as if he had seen something unbelievable, hurried In-gong’s party out .

&

As soon as they climbed into the carriage, Felicia slumped down and complained,

“Hah, I’m tired . Exhausted . Tea parties with Anastasia unni are always hard . How about Caitlin?”

Felicia was exhausted after her conversations with Anastasia throughout the tea party . She had been fine until she entered the carriage, so it was a truly impressive performance .

Caitlin smiled at Felicia’s question and replied,

"It was difficult but fun . ”

Caitlin was like a field of blooming flowers . She was also a child of the demon king, so she used the things that she saw and heard . This meant her expectations had been low in the first place, making her satisfied with how it actually went .

“Silvan oppa?”

When Caitlin asked, Silvan pondered for a moment before responding with a very serious expression,

"The cookies and tea were delicious . ”

Felicia sighed at his heartfelt appreciation .

"Aigoo, I hope you were comfortable . All of you just left it to me . I didn’t expect much from Silvan in the first place, but I thought that Chris would help at least . ”

Felicia cried out, and Chris just snorted .

"Noonim did very well alone . I didn’t feel the need to interrupt . Well done, Noonim . I can always rely on you . ”

Felicia pouted at Chris’ words . It was a sight that could never have been imagined a few months ago .

Caitlin glanced between Chris and Felicia with a huge smile, then Felicia hugged Caitlin like she was a doll .

"Anyway, tomorrow is the tea party where the concubine children are invited . It is different from today since they are people we want to introduce to Shutra and our faction anyway . Relax and play games . Then after that, we will leave on our missions . You should have a good sleep today and tomorrow . ”

In-gong had always left right after the court gathering, but this time, there was a lot to do .

However, there was still tomorrow . As Felicia said, they would have to leave for the missions the day after tomorrow .

“Shutra, it is good that you chose Evian . ”

Chris said suddenly . It was clear that he was thinking about Zephyr’s last words .

Felicia nodded in agreement .

"Does Zephyr orabeoni also want to strengthen ties with General Vandal? General Vandal is very popular . ”

If In-gong hadn’t chosen Evian, Zephyr would have .

Why did Zephyr speak at the end?

Was it a simple strike? Or was revealing that he was aiming for Vandal a diversion? Maybe it was just a ploy to confuse In-gong .

Anyhow, like Chris said, it was good that In-gong had chosen Evian . In-gong would use this opportunity to take Vandal away from Zephyr .

As the topic moved to Evian, Caitlin narrowed her eyes . She spoke with a face and expression reminiscent of Felicia a few days ago,

“Shutra, will you really go to Takar?”

How should he answer?

In-gong stayed silent instead of talking, and Felicia and Caitlin started murmuring to each other .

&

The next morning, In-gong’s party gathered early in the morning before the second tea party .

"This Amita has finished!”

Amita, who had been stuck in the workshop for a few days, ran into the parlour and shouted,

Silvan stood up excitedly .

“Ohh, my sword?”

"No, your sword isn’t finished yet . The readjustment of White Eagle is what was completed .

Amita answered coolly and Silvan’s shoulders slumped as he sulked . In-gong held back his laughter and asked Amita,

"Earth Quaker?"

"Sooner or later, sooner or later! I will stay up all night and finish it by tomorrow morning! And shouldn’t your reaction be, ‘Ohh, show me?’”

"Ohh, please show me!"

In-gong instantly cried out along with Caitlin .

Amita shrugged like they felt better and said,

"Huhum, follow me to the workshop . ”

Their tail waved in the air, and In-gong’s party hurried after Amita .

&

“Master, I have become great . I think that you should compliment me . ”