The sudden scene caught everyone present off guard; even Gunko, who had always served Saint Ian and knew his temperament well, was caught unawares, her beautiful eyes wide.
In an instant, the originally festive and joyful palace hall fell into dead silence as Otluk III collapsed from his chair to the ground. Whether it was the King of the Goa Kingdom, the princess, or the other ministers, their hearts stopped in that moment. One by one, they looked at Saint Ian with pale faces, and many shivered at the gradually spreading scent of blood.
As Otluk III's adopted son, Stelly was so frightened that his body trembled uncontrollably. His brain had briefly frozen due to the suddenness of the event, and he stood rigidly beside Saint Ian, staring blankly at his adopted father, who lay on the ground, eyes wide open in death.
"Just eat. What's with all the nonsense!"
Just as everyone was silent, almost suffocating from the oppressive atmosphere, Saint Ian took a napkin from Gunko's hand, wiped his hands, and then, as if nothing had happened, a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Sorry, This Young Master isn't usually like this. It might be due to the long journey and fatigue, causing my emotions to get a bit out of control. Come, let's continue eating."
Saying this, Saint Ian raised his hand again, took a new steel fork from Gunko, and continued to enjoy the delicacies as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, a royal family member seated opposite Saint Ian dared not delay. Trembling, he picked up his steel fork to cut the steak. Due to extreme fear, he tried several times but couldn't cut the steak, and the friction between the fork and the plate produced a harsh, grating sound.
"Oh, you're actually eating!"
Just as this noble minister's fear reached its peak, and he was about to cry because he couldn't cut the steak, Saint Ian's devil-like voice rang out again.
Immediately after, a golden-glowing pistol appeared in Saint Ian's hand. As the muzzle aimed at the noble minister, crisp, piercing gunshots instantly echoed through the hall.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
Amidst the extremely explosive gunshots, the noble minister seated opposite Saint Ian fell to the ground without any suspense, and the spraying blood splattered everywhere.
"Saint Ian, why are you doing this?"
Unexpected that Saint Ian would kill two people at the dinner table, one of whom was Otluk III, who had a close relationship with him, the King of the Goa Kingdom could no longer hold back and spoke with a trembling voice: "The Goa Kingdom is one of the World Government's allied nations, and the tenryūbito tribute has never been short these years. Saint Ian, isn't it too much to shoot and kill a noble minister without a word? If there's anything wrong with this welcome banquet, Saint Ian, just point it out!"
"Impudent!"
Before Saint Ian could react, Gunko, standing nearby, suddenly let out a cold shout. Her gaze fixed on the King of the Goa Kingdom, she said in a deep voice: "Do you know who This Young Master is? This Young Master is Manmaya Gunzogū of the Manmaya Family, a member of the God's Knights. Even This Young Master doesn't have the qualifications to dine at the same table as the Young Master. The Young Master allowing you to sit at this dining table is already giving you the greatest honor, yet you dare to speak to the Young Master in a questioning tone here? I think it's time for the Goa Kingdom to get a new King!"
Before her words finished, an arrow wrapped in bandages shot out, coiling around the King of the Goa Kingdom's neck, lifting him up and suspending him beside the dining table.
"Father!"
"Your Majesty!"
Almost simultaneously, the Queen and Princess, seated on either side of the King of the Goa Kingdom, both stood up. The Queen rushed forward desperately to embrace the King, while Saly Nandcernet fell to her knees before Saint Ian with a thud, pleading tremblingly: "Saint Ian, please calm your anger. My father was not questioning, but rather hoped to make this welcome banquet even better."
"Saint Ian!"
Stelly, whose mind had gone blank after Otluk III's death, also sobered up at this moment. He took a step forward and knelt beside Princess Saly Nandcernet, trembling as he said: "My father, Otluk III, deserved his fate for interrupting you during your meal, but His Majesty the King is innocent. I beg you, in your great magnanimity, to spare His Majesty the King!"
As he spoke, Stelly scrambled forward to Saint Ian's front, then quickly said: "Princess Saly Nandcernet is my fiancée. If your anger hasn't subsided, I can have Princess Saly perform a dance for you to amuse yourself."
Stelly didn't have much affection for his adopted father. Now, he only wanted to save the King, because only by saving the King could he successfully marry Princess Saly and thus become the heir to the Goa Kingdom's throne!
Therefore, let alone an adopted father for whom he had no feelings, even if it meant sending Princess Saly to Saint Ian's bedchamber, he would make the sacrifice without hesitation.
In his adopted father's words, if This Young Master from the Nerona Family in the Holy Land truly favored Princess Saly, it would not be a disgrace to him, but a very honorable thing.
Among nobles, so-called chastity was worthless. If chastity could be exchanged for a higher status, let alone a small adopted noble like him, even the King of the Goa Kingdom would probably not hesitate in the slightest.
Looking at Stelly, who had come before him, Saint Ian's lips curved into an evil arc, and his gaze shifted to Princess Saly Nandcernet, who was kneeling beside him.
Just as in the original work when she first appeared, Princess Saly Nandcernet was wearing a court gown, with a feather adorning her wavy golden hair. Although her beauty couldn't be described as peerless, and she was even less attractive than the three maids he had brought with him, her innate noble temperament, combined with an orange-yellow dress, made her exceptionally dazzling.
"It seems you understand This Young Master very well!"
After a brief silence, the curve of Saint Ian's lips became even more evil. He took a step forward, raising his foot to step on Stelly. "Since you know This Young Master is very angry, why aren't you getting out of here!"
Before his words finished, Saint Ian suddenly yanked the tablecloth off the table, sending all the delicacies crashing to the floor.
Immediately after, he casually pulled Princess Saly up and pushed her down onto the dining table.
Never expecting Saint Ian to push her onto the dining table in front of everyone present, Princess Saly, who had already resolved to save her father even at the cost of her body, suddenly panicked and instinctively struggled, resisting, "Saint Ian, don't... don't here!"
Similarly, Stelly also hadn't expected Saint Ian to be so arrogant and tyrannical. The moment he saw his fiancée being pushed onto the dining table, he almost couldn't hold back from erupting and fighting to the death.
Fortunately, Gunko, standing nearby, spoke up in time to scold: "What are you all staring at? Everyone, get out of the palace!"
At Gunko's reminder, the noble ministers, palace maids, and guards, who had long been terrified by Saint Ian's methods, dared not delay in the slightest. They all fled from the palace hall as if escaping.
As Gunko, the last to leave the palace hall, closed the door, the symphony inside the hall began to play.
—