7
Minhyeok arrived at the castle gate with the group.
The castle gate was wide open.
The castle was surrounded by a swamp infested with venomous snakes and insects.
And the swamp was surrounded by a forest teeming with monsters.
Therefore, there was no chance of invasion by outsiders.
Furthermore, this place was the ‘territory of Kaho,’ so even the monsters couldn’t invade.
So, it didn’t matter if the gate was usually open.
‘What the heck is the territory of Kaho?’
A question mark popped up in Minhyeok’s head.
Just then, someone’s voice was heard.
“The princess has arrived!”
It was the cry of a soldier on the castle wall.
Hearing his cry, someone rushed out of the castle.
He was a middle-aged man with graying hair, but he had a very muscular build.
He was Asdel’s general and the princess’s swordsmanship teacher.
“Your Highness! You’re safe! Thank goodness! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. But…”
The words that she had barely survived after losing all her soldiers couldn’t easily escape the princess’s mouth.
The general understood her feelings.
“We can talk later. For now, please come into the palace!”
After greeting the princess, the general bowed his head to the old man.
“Professor Raymon, you’re safe too! I’m relieved!”
Since earlier, the general had been concerned about the red-haired giant that had entered his field of vision.
In his eyes, Minhyeok looked like a ferocious beast.
‘What an extraordinary man!’
In fact, Minhyeok also found the general unusual.
It was because he saw a message that he couldn’t see from the princess or the old man.
＜Swordsmanship User Discovered.＞
＜You can learn swordsmanship from the Swordsmanship User and raise your combat power.＞
I wonder if I really need to raise my combat power by learning swordsmanship.
So far, rocks and maces have been enough to deal with the monsters I’ve encountered.
But maybe I’ll need it if there are much stronger monsters deep in the forest.
“Who is that man who came with you?”
“He’s the one who saved the princess and me! According to him, he has tremendous combat power and high-level magic…”
At the general’s question, the old man began to talk about Minhyuk at length.
Then the princess interrupted.
“We can talk about that later. Let’s go into the palace first. We need to see His Majesty the Emperor quickly.”
“Understood! I’ll have a carriage brought!”
***
Throne room of Asdel’s Imperial Palace.
The old man lying on the bed opened his eyes.
He was Lumen, the Emperor of Asdel.
“Mina, are you nearby?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
At the Emperor’s call, a young woman came running.
A beautiful woman with pale skin.
She was Mina, the Emperor’s personal physician and alchemist.
“Help me up.”
“Yes, I understand.”
With the woman’s support, the Emperor raised his upper body.
“I had a very strange dream.”
“What did you dream about?”
“I dreamt that Asdel’s castle was on fire.”
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Well… The castle was burning fiercely, so it was definitely a nightmare… But strangely, I felt good.”
“What?”
The woman tilted her head.
“The Emperor, a human being, feels good when his castle is on fire… Is it not only your body but also your mind that is failing?”
Lumen was a brave and virtuous monarch who was admired by his people.
However, there was a major accident several years ago.
His body was completely ruined because he failed to use a recovery potion in time.
He could barely carry out his daily life, let alone oversee state affairs.
Since then, the alchemist Mina had been by the Emperor’s side, taking care of him.
“It’s just a dream. Your Majesty will surely recover and regain your former self.”
The woman offered the Emperor a cup.
The Emperor took a sip of the liquid in the cup and frowned slightly.
The liquid reeked of something incredibly bitter and foul.
“The better it is for you, the more bitter it tastes. Drink it all at once.”
The emperor emptied the cup of its contents.
The woman smiled softly as she watched him.
The emperor asked the woman,
“Is there any news from Christina?”
“There is no news yet.”
“Why would she go to such a dangerous place? Why didn’t anyone stop her?”
“All the ministers are worried about the princess’s safety. But who dares to defy her stubbornness?”
Then, a subject outside the bedchamber called out to the emperor in a loud voice.
“Your Majesty! The princess has returned!”
The emperor’s face lit up at the news.
“Really? Where is she now?”
“She has passed through the east gate and is on her way to the palace now!”
***
Rumble, rumble-
Minhyuk was riding in a carriage with the princess on the way to the palace.
There were only the two of them in the carriage.
The old man had set off for the palace ahead of them on horseback with the messenger.
Rumble, rumble-
It was the first time he had ever ridden in a carriage in his life.
The ride was incredibly bumpy since the carriage had no tires or shock absorbers as it traveled over the rough road.
From Noble mtl dot com
But Minhyuk found it rather amusing.
＜You have safely escorted the princess to the fortress.＞
＜As a reward, 10 minutes of return time has been credited.＞
＜Return time in your possession: 12 minutes 22 seconds＞
10 minutes of return time had been credited at once.
It felt like money had been deposited into his account.
Now, he could visit the supermarket once more whenever he needed to.
But to be honest, he didn’t really want to go back to that store.
The items were overpriced, and the owner had lied about her card reader being broken, which had upset him.
He would only use it if he had no other choice, but otherwise, he would use the large mart at the intersection of the main road.
If he could accumulate about 30 minutes of return time, he could easily go there and back.
He would buy a ton of necessities and have them delivered by taxi or van.
‘I need to accumulate 30 minutes of return time as soon as possible!’
Once he arrived at the palace, he planned to pack only the necessities and leave immediately.
He would return to the forest, hunt monsters, and accumulate return time.
‘But what should I ask for?’
He didn’t need treasures to hunt monsters.
If there were any good weapons or armor, he would take them.
And I’ll get plenty of food, too.
He was still incredibly hungry.
There was no way that giant, muscular body could feel full after eating just one loaf of bread.
Minhyuk slightly opened the curtains and looked outside the carriage.
The castle was densely packed with buildings.
There were also a huge number of people walking around.
‘The population density is quite high, huh?’
After the flood, the population inside the castle had actually increased.
That was because the people who had been living outside the castle had all come inside to escape the flood.
Minhyuk had no way of knowing that fact.
“It’s Her Highness’s carriage!”
“Oh! Her Highness has returned!”
People bowed their heads and greeted the carriage that Her Highness was riding in.
Minhyuk looked at the princess.
Having suffered in the forest, her appearance was terrible, but her eyes still retained their dignity.
However, her heart was burning pitch black.
She was blaming herself and feeling sorry toward her people.
This expedition had been her insistence, despite the dissuasion of her retainers.
And it had only resulted in the sacrifice of precious soldiers’ lives.
The soldiers were someone’s husband, father, and son.
.
.
.
As soon as they arrived at the palace, Minhyuk said to the princess.
“Let’s get this over with quickly, give me what you owe me, and take what you want.”
“I’m sorry, but please wait a little longer. I’m very busy right now. I have to meet with the ministers and quickly go see His Majesty the Emperor.”
When she spoke like that, he couldn’t throw a tantrum.
“Then come back quickly.”
“Do you want to come with me? His Majesty the Emperor will be happy to see you.”
Minhyuk had no desire whatsoever to go to such a place.
“What would I go there for? I’m not going!”
“Okay… then I’ll go by myself. Please wait here while you eat.”
When she told him to eat, it was music to his ears.
He had been hungry anyway.
The princess went inside the inner palace, and Minhyuk was left alone.
A moment later, a man came out from the inner palace.
He ran toward Minhyuk and greeted him.
“It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Alfredo, the handmaiden who serves Her Highness!”
He was the handmaiden the princess had sent to take care of Minhyuk.
He was short in stature, but his neatly trimmed goatee was impressive.
“Follow me!”
Minhyuk followed the attendant and arrived at a certain place.
Steam was rising profusely from a large marble bathtub.
It was a bathroom.
Minhyuk asked him, bewildered.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Cleansing oneself is the basic etiquette of the Imperial Palace.”
“So you’re telling me to wash here?”
“If the princess’s guest walks around the Imperial Palace looking dirty, it will damage the dignity of the palace. Please wash yourself.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Then I shall wait outside.”
The attendant disappeared, and Minhyuk looked at the bathtub.
A herbal scent wafted from the clean bathwater.
It wouldn’t be bad to wash himself, covered in sweat and mud from hunting monsters and crossing swamps.
Splash-
He took off his pants and stepped into the bathtub naked.
Come to think of it, it seemed to have been a long time since he had been to a public bathhouse.
It felt good to soak his body in hot water after a long time.
But after a while,
Rumble-
The maids rushed in.
Minhyuk was flustered.
Anyone would be if they were suddenly surrounded by fifteen or sixteen women while naked.
The maids, seemingly unfazed, approached Minhyuk with expressions devoid of any shame and began to wash every nook and cranny of his body.
Since they were so bold, he couldn’t back down either.
‘I don’t know.’
Minhyuk simply surrendered his body to the service he was receiving for the first time in his life.
.
.
.
He finished washing and came out of the bathroom.
The attendant had prepared clothes and shoes for him.
“I prepared the size based on my judgment. Please try them on.”
“Are you giving them to me for free?”
“It is a commemorative gift for visiting the Imperial Palace!”
There was no reason to refuse something free.
He tried them on, and the size fit perfectly.
The feel of the fabric against his skin wasn’t very soft.
However, it was much better than the rags he had been wearing before.
Minhyuk looked in the mirror and tidied up his appearance.
At the same time, he clearly checked his own face.
He was a bit far from being considered handsome, but he was a Honam-style man with bold and strong features.
‘Not bad.’
Minhyuk moved to the VIP restaurant guided by the attendant.
“Please wait here for a moment. Food will be ready soon.”
Bored while waiting, he looked around the interior of the restaurant.
The wall decorations were gorgeous.
There were beautiful paintings, as well as weapons such as swords and spears.
Colorful glass bottles were on display in a built-in glass display case.
As he looked at them, information appeared before his eyes.
＜Green Intermediate Recovery Potion＞
– A healing potion made by mixing herbs and mineral ingredients.
– When consumed, abnormal conditions caused by poison are recovered.
＜Yellow Low-grade Enhancement Potion＞
– A physical enhancement potion made by mixing herbs and animal ingredients.
– When consumed, movement speed increases for a certain period of time.
＜Pink Intermediate Enhancement Potion＞
– A physical enhancement potion made by mixing herbs and mineral ingredients.
– When consumed, you can see in the dark for a certain period of time.
They weren’t just pretty decorations, but all special potions with unique effects.
Movement speed increased, and you could see in the dark.
They were things that could be used very usefully when hunting in the forest.
What would they turn into if I put them in the refrigerator and took them to the real world?
Peach?
Plum?
Or a ping-pong ball?
Anyway, I decided what to take in exchange.