Chapter 16 Sword vs Wind

Constantine was amused to hear the thoughts of his enemies. He respected their loyalty, but he also despised them for being tactless. In order to survive in this cruel world, one had to abandon some of their humanity, yet these knights were still holding onto their so-called chivalry code in a foreign country, and not just any foreign country, but their enemy's country. He could effectively kill them if he wanted to, but he resisted the temptation.

Sooner or later, he would conquer the vast land, but not now. If he moved here, everything he had tried so hard to build would crumble into pieces. His allies would turn their backs on him, and his enemies would raise their weapons.

Constantine had to act in this situation since there wasn't much choice. He simply raised his eyebrows and kept his temper inside of him, as he always did. "You are indeed brave knights. I applaud your courage. You can rest now. I have to meet with other guests," he said, gesturing for the soldiers to move the knights to their quarters. The soldiers obediently followed his order, even though they were staring daggers at the knights.

Marshal, who was watching by his side, showed a smile on his cold face. He had expected something might happen since they were tempest knights, but Constantine had managed to surprise him. He was being tactful and considering the possibility of their threat in this situation, which was pretty unusual for a hot-blooded youngster like him.

"You did well. The other royals would have struggled to keep their feelings inside, much less show them courtesy," Marshal said, placing his hand on Constantine's shoulder. Constantine looked at him and showed a bright smile, unlike before. He had thought Marshal was a strict man, but he was much like his teacher. He wasn't like a traditional Roxanian noble or general.

"Thank you for your cooperation. It would be troublesome if their prince comes here," Constantine said, placing his hands under his chin. He knew Karl wasn't a simple-minded fool like in the rumors. Although he was an honest person, Karl had a vision of the knight king. Therefore, Constantine didn't underestimate him in their first meeting, especially since that infamous Hakata was accompanying him in his country.

Marshal noticed Constantine's gaze and guessed his thoughts. He knew Constantine was scheming something again like Eldrich, but he feigned ignorance because there was no harm for the council.

"The envoys of the technology country, Crown, are here. They have brought their latest invention as your gift," the royal headmistress said, handing the hexagon gem to Constantine. The blue shimmering light of the gem caught the attention of Constantine and Marshal. As high-level mana users, they could sense the feeling of mana from the gem, which was surprising because mana gems were pentagon-shaped due to their nature of power. More than that would cause unstable energy deviation in it and cause a mana explosion, which was highly toxic and destructive.

"Fascinating, isn't it? This is the latest invention of our head professor, but he refused to release it to the public. He thought it would cause a catastrophe that man can't handle like the last time. He feared the gods would intervene in this research," the man with a striped shirt and suit came forward with a smile. He was the head of the Cerron family, which was the oldest family in the country. He was the closest ally of Roxan, and he liked to trade with them illegal items like weapons.

"You are in front of me, and you don't show any manner?" Constantine raised his voice, demanding respect from him. He wasn't like his father who tolerated things for the sake of power. He was more like a chess player, always playing smart and demanding respect from both his opponents and allies.

"The young cub is indeed a tiger. I greet the new king," the man said as he knelt on the floor, looking up at Marshal, who exuded a deathly aura. He felt like thousands of needles were piercing his body, causing him tremendous pain. Though he wanted to say something, the words were stuck in his throat, except for his stubbornness. He gritted his teeth and decided to beg for mercy from them.

"Duke, that's enough. He has received our meeting gift," Constantine said with a good mood as he laughed.