I attacked King Bari—because he had truly angered me.
"Guards!"
The king's face twisted in panic, while the quick-witted nobles immediately called for help. Several guards rushed in and surrounded me, and someone had already gone to summon reinforcements.
But they shouldn't assume numbers alone could handle me. I wasn't some reckless fool. Since a fight was unavoidable, I drew my sword and pointed it straight at the king.
"Watch your words. If I hear that again, you'd better prepare for your downfall. Lina has no wish that requires a country to fulfill, so she entrusted the decision to me. Don't assume I'm like you—someone who disrespects women."
I deliberately avoided hitting King Bari because it was meant as a warning. I couldn't tolerate anyone suggesting I disregarded Lina's wishes. What mattered most to me was her will. At this point, the king deserved no courtesy from me.
"My patience has limits! Kill him!"
At the king's foolish command, the guards charged.
Too slow.
In an instant, I closed the distance, cut a guard's spear clean in half, then kicked him away with my back leg. Another spear came at me—I sliced that one apart as well.
One by one, I took them down the same way. I didn't bother holding back, but with their armor, they should survive. I had no intention of killing them—they were only following orders.
Then reinforcements arrived—the knights.
I didn't wait for them to surround me. I charged first.
There were many of them, so I used both hands this time, striking them down in the same fashion. Every sword they held shattered the moment it met mine. Against me, their blades were no sturdier than tofu.
That was why I never used my beloved sword in sparring—once blades clashed, the outcome was already decided.
When the last knight fell, I turned and walked toward King Bari. Reaching him, I drove my sword into the armrest of his throne.
The blade was too sharp—it sliced through the armrest and embedded itself into the floor.
The tip stopped just millimeters from his hand.
"Father!"
"Your Majesty! …You useless fools! You couldn't even take down one man?!"
The king didn't dare utter a word. The princess cried out in fear, while some noble barked empty accusations at the guards and knights.
If numbers were enough to defeat me, I would've belonged to Aimebisalon long ago.
At this point, there was no turning back. It was time to vent everything.
I grabbed the king by his stubbled chin and forced his terrified face to look at me.
"You call yourself a king, yet you lack even basic judgment. Can't you tell when someone's in a bad mood? And yet you kept grinning and belittling women. Summoning me at night was already rude enough—but then you postponed it and refused to let me leave. And last night, your princess knocked on my door trying to set me up. Where do you get the nerve?!"
"W-What?!"
The princess froze in shock. She must've thought I was already asleep and hadn't heard her.
I ignored her and continued.
"And you refuse to spread storage magic? Is transportation the only way your country can survive?! You've already discovered electricity—why not develop other industries? You've built trains—why not expand railways in other directions? The unemployed could work there!"
That was why I said he wasn't smart. No foresight. New opportunities existed, yet his poor governance held the entire country back.
But what angered me most…
Was the fact that he didn't spread storage magic.
Because of that, we ran into one problem after another—wasting precious time.
"Because of your decision, I was suspected of smuggling drugs at the border and detained. I made enemies. I should've left this country days ago. Instead, the person who hated me hired a dangerous organization to capture me. I had to spend time and money figuring out who he was. Then I tracked him down—he wasn't home, so I lost another day. Yesterday, I was interrogated twice because of him. Do you understand how I feel?"
I threw his chin aside, then slammed my fist against the throne's backrest.
It hurt—badly.
But compared to the frustration that had been building up, the pain was nothing.
Still… it hurt too much. No point injuring myself over trash.
I stopped hitting the throne and instead let my emotions spill through my voice.
"What kind of impression do you expect me to have of this country? And you think you can recruit me as one of your people? Dream on! I was born in Aimebisalon—and I'll die as one of its citizens!"
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
Then I pointed at the nobles below, sweeping my finger across them in a firm, deliberate motion.
"Let me make one thing clear. Don't get any ideas about us. That path will only lead to ruin. If you want to avoid that, then do nothing. Don't sacrifice the whole forest for a single tree. You can still live peacefully."
I pulled my sword free, turned, and walked toward the exit without looking back.
"That's all. I don't want your reward. Let's hope we never meet again. Farewell."
Carrying my sword, I walked past countless hostile stares, stepping over conscious but unmoving knights, and exited the hall—closing the door behind me.
From inside, I could still hear the king's furious roar.
"You bastard!!!"
Let him rage.
It was nothing more than the tantrum of a powerless man. Whether he listened or not didn't matter—either he changed, or someone else would take his place.
Simple as that.
As for me… I felt lighter than ever. Days of frustration had finally been released. Even my steps felt easier.
I sheathed my sword and quickly left the place behind.