Wonderful news! Elated, Elric knew this meant he was free to sample the delicacies in front of him as long as he minded his manners.

That excitement faded away almost instantaneously as princess and subject began to hear two voices identical to theirs echo their words from the other sides of the table. From the sidelines, the Karthian aristocrats—even Hecaris III could be seen with a smirk—began to chuckle while the Sovereignian envoys looked on in horror.

The only one with a straight face was Myron. 

“This place is called the Hall of Truth and is the pinnacle of ancient Karthian architecture. Voices spoken at a normal sound level will remain unchanged, but whispers will be amplified and heard by everyone. As such, we have traditionally used this place as a banquet ground to foreign guests to demonstrate our sincerity and honesty.”

Indeed, this place truly did resemble that of a valley where sound echoed easily and everywhere. The princess was aghast at the smiling Karthian aristocrats and her subjects trying their best not to laugh behind her. Her hatred for Elric was at an all time high now and she was already planning multiple ways to best punish Elric later.

The crimson-red coloration on Flania’s face and her trembling white hands told Elric all he needed to know about his bleak future. It was also just a little nostalgic. He remembered seeing such an angry glare at another dining table long ago back in Crazy’s laboratory, when Crazy first learned he was the student of Victor. The days after that were pure agony and unforgettable for Elric. Thinking about those days made him shudder again.

Maybe he could ask Hecaris III for political asylum? Living the life as a fugitive didn’t sound as bad compared to facing the princess’ wrath.

He had more than enough gaffes now that Elric wasn’t particularly worried about making any more now. It was time to live in the present and eat his fill since he’d be getting yelled at by the princess later anyhow. 

And thus, a transformation.

At the dining table, Elric spoke and laughed with the other dignitaries with poise and grace. In fact, many of the Karthians had already revised their opinion of the man. This wasn’t some whipping dog of the princess or the royal jester, but a seasoned veteran of diplomacy! 

The skillful manner of how Elric maneuvered himself through the conversation during the banquet astonished not only the Karthians, but also the princess and her other subjects.

By now, the Sovereignian envoys knew more than enough about Elric to have a few words about his person. He was, in their opinion, a magus of strange magic and with huge potential. But other than that, he didn’t have a noteworthy background, education or personality traits that’d make him stand out. As such it came as a surprise to see Elric flaunt his diplomacy skills here.

Flania sat there in her seat with a thought formulating in her head. Elric, she decided, was a treasure to behold, but an unpredictable one at that. He’d need to go through a more comprehensive education later on to see just how much he could learn. Perhaps he was a gem that required just a little more polish? Regardless, that didn’t mean she’d forget about the humiliation served by him to her. His next education would only come after the price was paid.

Charle was similarly surprised. He never 

knew

 Elric would have a skillset like that. Despite generally playing the part of a slacker, Charle was still a patriot for his country. Rather than mire himself in politics, however, he preferred to help his nation by finding people of potential. Many of the knights, in fact, were commoners Charle found and cultivated. It was because of this specialty of his that Elric was given to him to teach.

Even now, Charle was trying to think of ways to best prevent Elric from a painful death. That didn’t meant to say he was opposed to Elric being punished; his punishment was immutable given how hard-headed both Crazy and Flania were. But Charle had principles of his own. 

Life is precious, health is priceless, and freedom is a fundamental right. 

That was why Charle always sympathized for Elric after hearing him becoming a slave for Crazy.

As sympathetic he was to the boy, however, Charle also had to admit he was having a blast watching Elric from the side. If he had to describe it, Charle would say it was watching a tragedy. He’d freely cry over the tragedies that’d befall Elric, but he wouldn’t do much to help Elric reclaim his freedom from Crazy.

Thus, the man was stuck in a state of conflict of wanting to save Elric’s life while also ensuring he didn’t interfere too much. Personal growth was something that required hardships. Saving Elric and letting him sail through his punishment too easily would be counterproductive to that growth. So Charle decided to think of ways to prank the boy and have him suffer just a bit more.

Every single person at the table had plenty on their plate and mind. Elric, for example, was far too busy mentally prostrating himself to the delicacies in front of him. Now it made sense why the entire continent called Waldsk the Gourmet City! Karch outdid themselves with their advancements on the field of gastronomy in ways Elric could never imagine. The table had to have over a hundred different dishes and yet he could clearly see that no dish repeated the same star ingredient. Somehow, these dishes were aesthetically pleasing, delicious tasting, and unique from the oyster soup to the butter-fried wyvern wings. Every dish was meticulously prepared by skillfully preparing each ingredient and cooking them with a cooking method to best bring out their flavor. 

A new world of flavor was opening up to Elric, especially the dishes revolving around dragon meat. Elric particularly liked the delectable sea dragon meat, the tender but crisp wyvern meat, the sweet and sour cloud dragon slab, the not-at-all-greasy and yet sweet wind dragon slice, and even the spicy thorn dragon stir-fry, though he regretted that last dish a bit. Had he known about how delicious thorn dragons were he would’ve eaten the ones in Crazy’s laboratory a long time ago. Truly, it had been a squandered opportunity. Crazy probably wouldn’t have noticed if he killed one or two of them perhaps.

The banquet was over and everyone cordially invited to rest within the palace. Elric knew it to be an opportunity for Hecaris III and Flania to meet informally for once—and that was proven true when he saw the two enter a small room while the other dignitaries wander around the plaza and chat idly with one another.

Without something to do, Elric, Kite, and Jerry followed Myron south of the temple to where the Archiereus’ personal laboratory was.

A strange feeling ran up Elric’s spine the moment he entered the laboratory. He looked around, trying his best to see where that feeling was coming from, but saw nothing. “This location was once a bridgepoint where humans and the supernatural could communicate to one another.” Myron explained upon seeing his reaction.