I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 72

Who’s coming where?

My jaw dropped in disbelief.

No, why is that person coming here? And even revealing his identity?

“I will summon the royal guards immediately…”

A knight, presumably the captain of the royal guards, bowed before the king and spoke. However, the king stopped him and spoke slowly.

“Sir Cherk, did the Master of the Magic Tower mention his purpose for coming here?”

The reply from the chamberlain was utterly absurd.

“He said it was to attend the ball…”

A nameless gentleman beside me burst into laughter.

Yes, it was absurd. But at the same time, it was very Keene-like. What is this crazy man planning again?

“How many people came?”

“The Master of the Magic Tower came alone.”

The king, deep in thought, looked seriously at the chamberlain. Soon, an order that would stir the entire ballroom was given.

“If he doesn’t seem to have any hostile intentions, let him in.”

“Your Majesty!”

“This is unacceptable! It’s too dangerous. Isn’t he the one who blew up the Grazia palace?”

The captain of the royal guards, as well as the silently standing queen, were shocked and tried to dissuade him, but the king was resolute.

“No matter how powerful the Master of the Magic Tower is, he wouldn’t come here alone to commit terrorism. If that were his intention, he wouldn’t have attempted to enter so courteously.”

“But…”

It was evident that many people were feeling uneasy. Staying inside made them anxious about getting caught in an incident, and going outside was not an option with the Master of the Magic Tower out there, leaving them in a dilemma.

Biting my lip nervously, I looked around for Lindsey. It seemed wise to find her first and plan an escape from this chaos.

Whatever he was planning, it was certain that it wouldn’t be beneficial to me.

“As you are concerned.”

But before I could find Lindsey, the door to the ballroom swung open, and someone entered.

“Terrorism is not my intention.”

As the familiar deep voice echoed through the hall, every living being inside froze.

In the unnatural silence, the sound of men’s shoes slowly reverberated. The closer he got, the more whispers began to spread among the stillness.

“……”

Unconsciously, my jaw went slack. I stared blankly at the approaching figure.

I knew he was handsome. The audacity he showed on our first meeting, heading towards the bed, was partly due to alcohol but also significantly influenced by his looks. Beauty standards are subjective, but his features, which played on one’s preferences, had the charm to make even those indifferent to appearances become infatuated.

“Crazy…”

But dressing up with that face was cheating.

I was used to seeing him in dull hoods or stolen priest robes, so seeing him in a splendid tuxedo was quite an adjustment. Despite wearing a plain black formal suit without any decorations, he looked exceptionally elegant, perhaps because of his striking face.

“That man is the Master of the Magic Tower?”

“No way…”

Listening to the murmurs around, it seemed most people shared the same impression. They were all doubting their eyes. Even I, who was somewhat familiar with him, was momentarily stunned, so how much more so for them?

“I came to enjoy myself too, but it seems I unintentionally ruined the mood.”

“……”

His nonsensical talk didn’t change even in the royal palace. Feeling dumbfounded, I looked at him, and suddenly, our eyes met. Recognizing me, his lips curled into a smile.

“In that sense, how about we discuss a truce?”

“A truce?”

The word was as shocking as his presence here. Naturally, the first to react was the king. After exchanging whispers with the chamberlain, the king urgently spoke to Keene as soon as the chamberlain hurriedly ran off somewhere.

“I will prepare for a conference immediately for the agreement. If you need a guest room…”

“The envoy will arrive tomorrow morning. The reason I came early is…”

After a brief pause, he repeated the same nonsense as before.

“It’s really for the ball.”

His purple eyes turned to me. His lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“There’s a priest here who bested me at the ruins, and I’d like to have a conversation with them.”

“……”

“Priest Duna Valorem.”

I let out a hollow laugh at his direct words. What is this man up to?

At that moment, Viscount Lesprey stepped in front of me.

“Step back.”

“Huh?”

“I will protect you.”

“……You?”

Who are you to do that?

“I graduated from the academy. Don’t worry.”

“No, that’s not…”

“I am not so shameless as to stand by and watch my fiancée in danger.”

“Fiancée…”

When did we ever get engaged! Moreover, even a current officer would struggle against the Master of the Magic Tower, wouldn’t they?

Before I could correct him, knights from the royal guards rushed over and stood behind me.

“Are you the priest the Master of the Magic Tower mentioned? Please stay behind us.”

“No…”

In a situation where I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, a low chuckle broke through. Keene, who had burst into laughter, swept back his hair and narrowed his eyes into crescent shapes.

“I didn’t realize that speaking to a lady at a ball would be considered so dangerous.”

“Aren’t you here to harm us because you couldn’t obtain Liche’s relic?”

When the king asked sharply, Keene nonchalantly picked up a wine glass from the tray held by a nearby servant. The royal servant, startled by the sudden move of the Master of the Magic Tower, fell back, causing several people behind him to collapse as well.

Crash! The sound of glass shattering on the floor echoed comically. Keene, completely unfazed, sipped his wine slowly and then responded with a smile.

“I am not so petty as to come all this way to take revenge on a single priest. I genuinely came for socializing, so Your Majesty need not worry.”

“……”

“Let the music play again. What is a ball without music?”

He raised his wine glass towards the string quartet that had stopped playing and was holding their breath since the intruder appeared. Making eye contact with me again, Keene began to walk towards me. As the infamous Master of the Magic Tower approached, the royal guards and Viscount Lesprey tensed up and braced themselves.

“Clear away the riffraff.”

When he moved his hands to the sides, those who were protecting me parted like waves. Forced by an invisible power, they fell to the floor and couldn’t get up as if they were pinned down by a heavy object.

“Would you speak with me, priest?”

“……”

I could feel all the gazes in the ballroom simultaneously fixate on me. It seemed everyone wanted me to take this man and leave this place.

I hesitated for a moment. Did I bring the life stone? Of course, it was a foolish question. Naturally, I didn’t. Why would I bring it here?

Not having the life stone meant I had no means to protect myself…

Could I really trust this man?

“Master of the Magic Tower. While I appreciate your intention to declare a truce, I cannot condone threatening a priest of the Holy Kingdom.”

At that moment, the king stepped in front of him, lowering his voice.

I was even more moved because it was unexpected. When I had an audience with him a little while ago, he didn’t say a word, so I thought he was a cold person. But he was still the king, looking out for his subjects.

However, I felt uncomfortable, thinking I might have contributed to the nearly shattered atmosphere of the ball. If this man was causing this scene because of me, I couldn’t just ignore it.

Well, he wouldn’t kill me, would he? Unlike the ruins, killing me in front of the royal family would certainly escalate into a diplomatic issue. Whether he was serious about the truce or not, I believed he wouldn’t act so recklessly.

“Your Majesty, I will speak with the Master of the Magic Tower.”

The king’s gaze turned to me. His eyes seemed to ask if I was really okay, and I slowly nodded.

Confirming my intention, Keene smiled and extended his arm to me.

“Shall we go then?”

I glared at him, acting like a gentleman escorting a lady, and walked ahead of him. After a brief chuckle, I glanced back at him following me and led him to the balcony farthest from the center of the hall.

As soon as we stepped outside into the slightly chilly breeze, I grabbed the railing and took a long breath. I needed a moment to process the surreal situation of the Master of the Magic Tower coming alone to the royal ball and singling me out.

Keene, who had approached in the meantime, leaned against the railing beside me. With my eyes closed, I asked coldly.

“What is this, really?”

“What do you mean?”

“……”

This man was always like this.

He acted as if he would never see me again, then reappeared and behaved nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

“You tried to kill me, and now what is this about?”