Along with them were many familiar faces, including Knight, the owner of the town's magic item shop, as well as the owners of cafes, restaurants, bars, and many other businesses.
Together, they blocked Kabe's path.
"Kabe, you bastard. Your luck is so good that it's making people jealous!"
"By next year, you'll already be the kingdom's Regent Prince and the king's son-in-law."
"So while we still have the chance, you aren't allowed to go anywhere today."
"You're drinking with us until the very end!"
Looking at the men whose eyes had already turned red from alcohol, Kabe knew that tomorrow's wedding ceremony would probably be quite difficult for them to survive.
However, he was a proud Saiyan.
Even if he knew he would lose, he would never retreat when someone challenged him.
"Come at me, losers. Before every single one of you falls, I won't admit defeat!"
"Good! That's the spirit! Everyone together, let's take down this bastard!"
Seeing that a great battle was about to begin, many people voluntarily joined the support team, bringing over barrels of strong liquor one after another.
Some spectators even began cheering for both sides, fanning the flames and making the atmosphere even more intense.
Kabe lifted a barrel and started drinking directly.
That heroic display immediately made the watching crowd jealous and amazed.
Meanwhile, Macau and the others refused to show weakness.
They took turns launching fierce attacks against him.
...
After the Grand Magic Games ended, the representatives of the various countries returned home.
They spread everything that had happened during the Magic Games throughout their nations, and Kabe's name once again became famous through their mouths.
Those kings and nobles were all deeply wary of his exaggerated and almost unbelievable perception ability.
Privately, an absurd rumor even started spreading among them:
"Never let this young Saint Mage set his eyes on you."
"Once he notices you, death is certain."
For a time, some cowardly nobles even developed severe paranoia.
They feared that an invisible eye was watching them from the shadows, and that Kabe might assassinate them at any moment.
Even the nobles within Fiore itself became extremely cautious after learning about this.
The previous dissatisfaction toward Kabe, a mage who was going to marry the princess and become the royal consort, completely disappeared.
Because of this, the nobles did not dare to express even the slightest opinion regarding Thomas's decision to step down.
They silently allowed everything to continue developing.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the year X784 arrived, the year when the original story was supposed to begin.
That year, King Thomas officially announced his abdication.
The kingdom was handed over to his grown daughter Hisui and his son-in-law Kabe, who would jointly rule the nation.
As for Thomas himself, it seemed that he had finally found his true desire.
After hastily attending their wedding and his daughter's coronation ceremony, he left the country under the excuse of conducting diplomatic visits.
In reality, he took only a small number of attendants and went traveling abroad.
The newly crowned Queen Hisui had no choice but to brace herself and begin learning how to manage the massive kingdom of Fiore.
Kabe also temporarily stopped all guild activities and moved into the royal palace.
As the Regent Prince, he began assisting with government affairs.
As for what practical things he actually did...
"Your Majesty, after observing the various nobles throughout the kingdom, I have noticed that although they do not have the intention of rebelling, they already possess the means to do so."
"My humble suggestion is to issue a decree granting them permission to divide their territories among all their children."
"In this way, without spending a single soldier, we can split apart the noble factions and strengthen the royal authority."
Inside the royal study, Hisui listened as Kabe confidently explained what he called the "Inheritance Decree."
She was so shocked that she almost spat out her tea.
"Wait, are you serious?"
"I just became queen, and you already want me to weaken the nobles and centralize power?"
"Are you trying to make sure my throne doesn't last?"
Hisui was not a complete beginner when it came to politics.
How could she not understand the trouble that forcing the nobles to submit too early would bring?
Although this so-called decree was indeed very tempting, it was absolutely not something she could consider right now.
Thankfully, there was nobody else in the study.
Otherwise, she had no idea what kind of chaos Kabe's words would cause if they spread.
Leaning back against her chair and rubbing her aching temples, Hisui spoke helplessly.
"Kabe, I beg you, please stop causing trouble for me."
"Even if you do nothing, simply staying in the royal capital and keeping things stable is already the greatest help you can give me."
"Please, please, don't mention those other policies of yours again."
"At the very least, wait until I establish enough authority and gain control over the kingdom before we discuss them, alright?"
Hearing the almost pleading tone in Hisui's voice, Kabe, who still had a pile of "brilliant strategies" he wanted to present, could only click his tongue regretfully.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
Only then did Hisui finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She felt much more at ease.