But there was no sign of emotion.
Auden just sat there, listening to them talk and sipping his cloudy drink.
"I'm surprised to hear there's such a man in the Houston royal family."
"But I thought you said he was a bastard and not a prince?"
"Who cares if he's a bastard or not, he's a hell of a lot better than all the other real princes who've come and gone and made a mess."
"Yes, he is a real prince, Nabal, and there is no one more worthy of the title than he."
They spit out stories that would make anyone else cringe if they heard them.
"Anyway, I feel like I'm living thanks to him these days."
"Yes, Sir Raymond is our hope."
"It would be nice to have someone like Sir Raymond running the Bay District instead of the boar we have now."
After a while, the men raised their glasses high.
"A toast, all, in the name of Sir Raymond!"
"Cheers!"
They raised their glasses, chanting Raymond's name with glee.
"Hey, brothers, where's your mohawk? Don't you want to join in the toast?"
"Les, a toast to Raymond."
"Raymond? How dare you?"
"Long live Les and Raymond."
It was the Duke of Galman who joined in the toast.
"...I'll leave you to it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Every table had a similar story to tell, so there was nothing more to hear.
"So this is why the atmosphere in the Bay Area has been so different.
Galman could see it now.
Why the air in the Bay Area was so subtly different.
It was because of Raymond.
His presence was having a warming effect on the poor of the Bay Area.
"I thought I was lucky to get by, but he's doing so well.
No, good doesn't even begin to describe what Raymond was doing.
It was awe-inspiring.
"Raymond's got a great reputation."
Galman cautiously considered Auden's reaction.
"...."
Auden was silent for a moment, then spoke up.
"Well, he's just a therapist."
Galman arched an eyebrow.
He felt that was too cold an answer.
"As if you don't realize how extraordinary what Raymond is doing is.
Of course, it's just a therapist's job.
But has anyone else in the Bay Area ever done anything like that?
"No one.
I felt like he was being extra harsh on me because it was Raymond.
Feeling a little peeved, Galman replied.
"That's because, as you say, a mere healer is doing a better job than anyone else."
"...."
"As a great king, shouldn't you praise your servant for doing a great job?"
A vassal. I mean Raymond.
With the honorary knighthood, Raymond was now King Auden's vassal.
He suggested a visit to Raymond's healing center, but Auden didn't respond.
"Does the king really not consider Raymond to be his own flesh and blood?
Galman shook his head inwardly.
He was confused by the lack of response.
"But judging by the way he looked the day you first brought him here, I don't think so.
At the time, Auden's face was as heavy as anyone's in the world as he looked at Raymond's dying body.
But that was more than 15 years ago.
Maybe the passage of time has faded Raymond's presence in Auden's heart.
"It's getting late, so let's get back."
"..., Your Majesty."
And just like that, they were on their way.
Suddenly, a desperate scream came from the alley.
"Help, help... suck!
"...!"
Hearing the scream, Auden frowned.
"Muggers, perhaps. Or worse."
Robbers, or worse. Here in the Bay Area, they could strike at any time.
"You shouldn't go out there, it's dangerous."
"Who?"
"...."
Galman kept his mouth shut.
Unless the bad guy in that alley was a Swordmaster felon or something, he couldn't threaten Auden.
"I'm bringing the Royal Knights.
In the end, Galman couldn't stop Auden.
They shouldn't have gone out alone like this if he was going to bother with security in the first place.
"You're in danger, stay here. I'll be right back."
"...I'm a wimp, if you'll excuse me."
As Auden walked into the alley, he saw the sight of the wooden dog.
Three men were trying to rob a girl who couldn't have been more than 15 years old!
"Hey, bro. Don't interfere and go away."
"Or are you going to join in on the fun?"
Auden's eyes narrowed as he heard the giggling.
He wasn't worth saving.
His hand flashed.
Pow!
Blood spurted, and the neck of the man who had just pulled down his pants jumped.
"Huh!"
"Knight?!"
Their faces turned white.
"Now, wait! If you move, this bitch's life will be forfeit!"
They scrambled to take the girl hostage.
But at that moment, another one of them was stabbed in the neck.
"Kaaak! Help me!"
The girl screamed frantically as blood spurted out and ran toward Auden.
"Get behind him."
Like a king of knights, Auden focused on protecting the girl.
He fired a sword blow to keep the one remaining rogue from reaching her.
The unexpected happened!
Pow!
The girl who had fled to Auden's side was suddenly stabbed with a dagger.
"Assassin?
Auden was stunned by the unexpected attack.
It was a sharp attack, as if the trembling he had just seen was a lie. The distance was right next to him, and the direction was at an angle that made it difficult for him to react.
The dagger was even coated in dark mana.
An assassin of the highest order.
'It was a trap set for me from the beginning.
Auden took a moment to assess the situation.
The rogue was in cahoots, throwing off his disheveled form and charging at him with great force.
He was a knight, not an assassin, and he didn't usually charge with such force.
Moreover, the assault did not end there.
As if waiting in the wings, a blow came from a building down the alley.
A sneak attack from a top-notch assassin, a knight's charge, and a memorization.
It was a close call, but Auden smirked.
"You think I'm funny.
Or so he thought.
Auden's sword flashed once more.
"Argh!"
Auden's sword sliced through the wrist of the girl who had thrown the dagger!
The sword didn't stop there.
Auden's body twisted exquisitely, his memorization slicing through the air in vain.
He sliced through the charging rogue from top to bottom.
"Freak, freak...."
Unable to react properly and facing death, the rogue collapsed with a lone groan.
"Profit!"
The girl tried to strike again with her one remaining arm, but the attack was lightly deflected.
Pfft!
Auden kicked the girl in the stomach. There was a sound like a drum bursting, and the girl coughed up a gurgling stream of blood before slumping to the floor.
Now it was time to make light work of the last remaining assassin.
Fishy!
Suddenly, a mist rose up and enveloped the entire alley in the blink of an eye.
It was a smoke spell!
'What a meaningless trick.'
Auden furrowed his brow slightly.
It had to be his opponent's intention. It was a meaningless trick, using the smoke to obscure his vision and then trying to sneak up on him somehow.
Pow!
The girl and the assassin leapt.
Auden stood still, sensing their movements.
"This is it.
He was about to plunge his sword into the exact spot that would incapacitate his opponent, for he would not kill to find out what was behind it.
The unexpected happened.
"Kuluk."
A coughing fit suddenly erupted!
He had been holding his breath, but the tiny particles had irritated his airways. It wasn't just smoke, but a mixture of airway irritants.
"Did they know I had a cough and use this smoke on purpose?
It could have been.
Auden coughed hastily and held out his sword.
Boom!
The sword swung wildly, decapitating the assassin and piercing the girl's chest.
The unexpected coughing fit could have been fatal, and he couldn't afford to take her alive.
Even with his enemy destroyed, Auden's face hardened.
"Oh, no.
His wrist was cut.
He'd gotten it when he'd been momentarily distracted by a coughing fit.
It was a small cut, more like an abrasion, but that wasn't the worst of it.
"Poison."
The area around the wound was turning blue.
It was definitely poison. A deadly poison.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?!"
Just then, from outside the alleyway, Galman ran in, his face pale at the sight of the chaos.
"What happened?!"
"Assassins. We'll have to see who sent them, but that's not important right now, we need to get back to the castle."
"Your Majesty, no?"
Galman's eyes widened at the sight of Auden's pale complexion.
Auden had been poisoned!
Something monumental had happened.
"Oh, no! Are you all right?"
"I think I'll be fine once I get Count Helien's heels."
The good news is that Auden is a Sword Master.
His physical strength was much stronger than most, and with the help of Count Helien's heals, a Triple-A healer, he would be able to overcome even the worst of the poison.
"The problem is time.
Auden bit his lip hard.
His wounded arm was turning blue.
"If I don't treat it now, I may have to amputate it.
He didn't think the poison would kill him. But it was my arm that was starting to necroticize.
It was clear that if I didn't treat it right away, the tissue would be severely damaged. In the worst case scenario, it would have to be amputated.
"I need to get to the castle as soon as possible. The problem is time, it's a long way to the castle.
Just then, Galman spoke urgently.
"Your Majesty! Your arm seems to be in bad shape, and I think you should seek first aid nearby."
"It would be good to get medical attention, but there is no place to get it here in the Bay Area, is there?"
"No, there is one place."
"No, there is one."
The words sparked a flash of recognition in Auden's mind.
There was one here in the Bay Area, too.
"Pennine Clinic. Raymond's clinic is around here."
* * *
dot. Exactly.
"Yes, I'm coming out."
Raymond opened the door and looked in surprise at the figures that appeared.
There were two of them, and one of them was obviously in bad shape.
Because of the magic, Raymond couldn't recognize their identities, so he put on his usual patient face and spoke kindly.
"Are you all right, please come inside."