Chapter 81.1: Neutral Nations Conference (2)

Tair couldn’t help but be taken aback by the actions of the Seventh Lord.

Even though they knew each other, he didn’t expect that the other would not pretend to recognize him in a place like this.

Of course, it wasn’t just Tair who was surprised.

King Longford widened his eyes at the incomprehensible situation unfolding in front of him, and Seri was half stunned.

It’s only natural to be so. Why the hell was the Lord of Calderic saying hello to Tair out of the blue?

How did they know each other?

Under the focus of attention, Tair hesitated, not knowing how to react at the moment.

The Seventh Lord opened his mouth again and asked.

“When did you return to the kingdom?”

“…Ah, yes. I just returned today.”

Tair replied in a bewildered voice.

The Seventh Lord nodded and moved on again, but not before saying one last thing.

“See you later.”

It was only a few words of conversation, but it caused the atmosphere to turn into a calm storm.

The Overlord and the Seventh Lord went inside the castle, and there was a chaotic commotion with the people who remained.

What is that, really…

Tair looked at their backs as they walked away, then turned his head at the gaze he suddenly felt.

Jordan and Olivica were staring this way, unable to close their gaping mouths, as they stood on Kajor’s side.

“Oh, Brother. What the hell was that? Huh?”

Seri, who came to her senses belatedly, asked in an urgent voice.

Tair sighed lightly without answering. That was also the most confusing thing for him right now.

***

As soon as we arrived, I ran into that guy.

As we entered the palace following the King of Earth Hill, I thought about Tair.

‘Go back to your place’—those were the words I told him before.

It was just something I said that could easily be ignored with little thought, so it wouldn’t be strange if nothing had changed. But in the end, he still came back.

“Seventh Lord, if it’s not a bother, could I ask how you know Prince Tair?”

Then the king of Earth Hill opened his mouth.

He seemed to be very concerned since earlier. He’s probably curious about my relationship with his son.

I answered without hesitation.

“It’s nothing special. It’s just a chance meeting in the Fifth Lord’s territory.”

And I owed a debt that I was very grateful for.

Thanks to the map Tair gave me, I gained the mystery of super sensory. Something that I probably would not have been able to get originally.

“…Is that so?”

The King nodded with a strange expression and did not ask further.

Come to think of it, it would probably be absurd from his point of view.

Maybe he would think that his son went around Calderic to meet all the Lords and that the other might be planning something.

I was walking through the halls of the palace, thinking about this and that, when I saw a group of people approaching from the other side.

A young woman, an elderly man, and a small old man standing in the middle of them, looking a little older.

A few attendants and knights followed behind the three.

“…”

As soon as I saw them, I immediately guessed their identities.

The old man in the middle is the emperor of Santea – Grandios.

The man standing to the left was General Cayden, one of the Five Stars of Santea.

And the woman on the right… was probably one of the princesses, but I didn’t know who exactly.

The steps stopped for a moment, and the Overlord looked at them, facing the front with a smile.

After a brief silence, the first to speak was the emperor.

“Long time no see, Overlord. It looks like you just arrived.”

A low, cracking voice echoed through the hallway.

He had a level that could not be said to be high, but he certainly exuded a strange sense of intimidation that was difficult to describe.

I couldn’t help but feel that it was like the time I arrived in this world and met the Overlord for the first time.

Not that the emperor himself felt as powerful as the Overlord, but for other reasons.

For one, he was the emperor. He was the leader of the faction where the hero belonged.

The hero who was the most important part of the main storyline of the RaSa worldview.

“Yes. Long time no see, Emperor.”

The Overlord answered in a voice mixed with laughter.

She used honorifics with minimal respect for the King of Earth Hill, but not for the Emperor.

And the emperor didn’t seem to pay much attention to that either. His gaze fell on me.

“…You must be the new Seventh Lord of Calderic. Nice to meet you.”

Apparently, he recognized my true identity at a glance.

No surprise. Of course, the emperor must have found out information about me, and right now I was standing right next to the Overlord.

Naturally, the conclusion that I was the new Seventh Lord was inevitable.

“By the way, didn’t the hero come to this meeting?”

“That’s right. She didn’t come.”

“Ah, that’s too bad. I couldn’t see her face last time, so I was looking forward to it this time.”

The Overlord grumbled like that with a sign of genuine regret.

“Then I’ll see you again at the meeting.”

And there was no further conversation.

It wouldn’t have been a chance meeting. The emperor’s purpose was just to meet the Overlord for a moment.

The woman standing next to the emperor lightly bowed her head to me and the Overlord, while General Cayden glanced at Asher standing behind me.

Then they passed by and went on their way.

“…”

I slowly looked back.

Asher’s expression hardened. It was an expression I had never seen before.

Her clenched fists were trembling, and I could feel that she was barely suppressing the seething anger that was about to explode at any moment.

Her gaze was fixed on the back of one of the three walking away. I followed her gaze and looked at their backs.

The General…

I knew why she reacted this way.