As the party was about to begin, the guests arrived one after another and entered a special room where they were led to a huge venue that had been prepared for the festive atmosphere.
There were delegates from all the factions of the princes, and of course, the princess, but they did not receive attention because in a certain sense, it was a secret. There were guests from families in other regions, nobles from Fittoa, among other renowned individuals.
All of them held high status or influential positions. When they all entered the beautiful place decorated with exquisite details, it seemed as if this place came to life, emitting magical particles that adorned the place with great elegance.
The servants showed the utmost courtesy, asserting themselves as members of the house they served. In addition to that, powerful guards were stationed throughout the Greyrat mansion, and the best part was that there were golden swords in the garden that shone harmoniously, exuding notable authority.
It was a majestic sight, all created by Elijah himself, who had finally been hired by Gilgamesh. The five hundred guests who had come from all over the kingdom represented the prestige, nobility, and power that Gilgamesh would overthrow when he became king.
Gilgamesh's nine most powerful Spirits and guardians were alert with a strong sense of importance in this ceremony as they took up strategic positions to keep the place secure. They had to demonstrate that the guardian knights and the servants were not ordinary people either, that each of them could destroy an army if ordered to do so.
Except for the apostles, no other man in this land can even hope to fight against Gilgamesh's summoned Spirits. And since two Apostles had recently died at the hands of Gilgamesh's people, security had been increased for this ceremony to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh was witnessing this entire scene with Sauros. They stood on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Eris's parents and Eris herself were seated at a large table, but to be honest, most of those who had come from outside were here to see the prince they had heard so much about.
"This must be your first banquet, right?" Sauros asked Gilgamesh without looking at him.
"Yes, this is the first ceremony I've attended."
In fact, in this world, Gilgamesh had never attended an official event since he was born. He didn't go to five-year-old parties, and when he turned ten, he didn't even show a desire to leave his room. Months later, he was kidnapped and woke up in this new world.
Back then, every time a ceremony was held, Gilgamesh refused to participate, which is why he earned the title of the mysterious prince, the one who could change the tides and whom everyone had high expectations for, just as it was happening right now.
"I should apologize, even though I sincerely feel that this is natural because it's about me, I can't ignore the fact that this is your party, Eris..." Gilgamesh couldn't feel bad about this fact, but he was perceptive enough to be aware of it.
The way he believed he could remedy this was by giving Eris his full attention, which was more than enough to make her feel valued. There was no man in this room who could match his greatness, not even Rudeus who lived in the past was fit to tie his shoelaces.
However, Gilgamesh didn't express his feelings on the surface and simply waited for Sauros's announcement that would shake the kingdom.
"As you know, this is much grander than what we would have normally done for Eris..." Sauros had shifted his attitude to a more serious one.
"I understand..."
"My son decided to trust you, and I will support him with everything I have, plus I like the idea that your first wife as King will be my dear granddaughter. But you must know that if you plan to cleanse the entire kingdom, many will consider you the most audacious King of Asura."
"I'll be prepared for the repercussions, even if the whole world unites against us, they will fail miserably." Gilgamesh took a sip of a special wine that only he and Sauros were drinking.
Sauros placed his hand on Gilgamesh's shoulder and said, "Even if others come to believe you're a bloody King, I, my son, Eris, they will all know that you only want to lay the foundation for a better, stronger, and educated civilization."
Gilgamesh was taken aback by a man's words in this world for the first time. He had not been so close to anyone other than this family, who were either subordinates or servants, but these words certainly filled something in his heart.
"When will the cleansing of the Notos family begin?" Sauros asked in a cold tone.
"When this place is razed, my shadows will pave the way for your son to take power in the Ars family. I will slowly dismantle my brother's faction, and after that, the same will naturally happen in the other regions," Gilgamesh said emotionlessly.
Gilgamesh knew he didn't need to mince his words.
Sauros understood this, although he would certainly have preferred it to be done differently. There are so many branches of his family that such a cleansing, as Gilgamesh suggested, is necessary. If he hadn't considered it, they might have also perished without being able to lift a sword in defense of their lives.
"What bothers me are the other kingdoms. It would be so easy for my enemy to get into their minds and make them believe that we are the enemy, prompting them to send their armies and ignite a brutal world war. Although I will avoid this as soon as possible here, I cannot interfere elsewhere," Gilgamesh expressed some of his concerns.
Sauros maintained a harmonious smile and said, "But I'm sure you'd take care of it; those new servants are more powerful than a damn Sword Emperor. I can be certain they are Sword Gods in the special technique you taught Eris."
Gilgamesh nodded in agreement with Sauros's words.
His nine Spirits, because they were connected to his divine energy, were powerful guardians much stronger than a Sword God. When he thought about it, they could even match the powerful Apostles who existed on the side of the Human God.
But even among these Spirits, things could slip from his sight if the enemy was clever enough. However, they couldn't evade Gilgamesh's gaze.
"The only reason these smiling swine were invited is because they want to know what I'm doing in this place. What is a prince doing here? If I weren't ruthless enough, no one would take me seriously until I took the throne. Hiding is my thing." Gilgamesh could see the truth of those who lie, their past and future, what will happen now and later, but he liked not using that ability on inferior beings because it made things more interesting.
"Well, let's begin." Sauros smiled at this and took a step forward to say a few words.