MONSTER MMORPG: Mayhem Online

"Long live his Majesty the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor!"

As soon as the handsome young man with silver hair entered the banquet hall, everyone started chanting praises for the emperor.

'This dude is the emperor?'

~~Bow your head, he's looking at you.~~

Just when I was thinking how such a young guy can be the emperor, Song's voice brought me back to reality and I immediately bowed in courtesy.

"Haha! You guys, settle down. I have just come to partake in our dear duke's happiness."

The emperor said with a smile, his eyes curved in amusement.

I looked at his name and couldn't help but be taken aback. Unlike the other named NPCs, his name stood out like nothing else. It was written in golden and red that shines as brightly as diamonds.

[Tobias Zuk Sahhan]

[Level: ???]

"!!!"

An NPC whose level was open for everyone to see. But I wasn't able to get to know his level due to a devastating gap in levels between us.

Only NPCs or monsters that had a level gap of more than 200 from the player had this kind of question mark on their level.

'So I can safely assume he's at least level 344. I am sure he's way past that.'

A monster that ruled over an entire continent without any competition. That was the emperor of the Sahhan Empire, Tobias Zuk Sahhan.

"So this must be the rumoured legend, heir of my grand teacher Dulwak."

The silver-haired guy, Tobias said as he came near me.

'How is he so young?'

`People in power are blessed with divinity. Don't you have a measly amount in yourself too? That keeps them healthy and young, giving them a lifespan that stretches far more than ordinary humans.`

Prolus, my part-time encyclopaedia, replied.

"Yes, your majesty. This is my daughter's fiance, Shura. Shura, this is his majesty the emperor, Tobias Zuk Sahhan, the ruler of the Sahhan empire."

Harold introduced delightfully. He had never thought that the emperor himself would show up at his daughter's engagement. It seems like the goddess of luck and prosperity had befallen the Wenselm household.

"I greet his majesty the emperor. I am Earl Shura of the Sahhan Empire, it is a pleasure to meet you."

I put a hand on my chest and bowed slightly as I introduced myself elegantly, according to the lessons that Joseph had conducted. If he saw me now, I am sure he would be proud.

"Hahaha! So you're already an earl of my empire? I assume that Harold must have used up his authority to promote you. I see he's still as keen as ever, not wanting to lower the empire's name by marrying his girl to a commoner."

Tobias said openly, making quite a few people from the crowd take in a cold breath. The only person who can be so brazen in the Sahhan empire was the emperor himself.

"That is true your majesty. I hadn't had the time to officially register the earl at the empire's court yet, but I am planning to do so after this engagement is over."

"It's fine, it's fine. I acknowledge Earl Shura to be an earl of the great Sahhan empire. I am sure nobody would want you to show official documents after I have decreed it myself."

Tobias said and walked towards Ena.

"Uncle Tobi!"

"Ahah! I see my child still remembers me. I thought you'd forget me if you got your husband."

"Don't jest, uncle."

People who knew about Ena's relationship with the emperor just watched this scene with a warm smile, while people who weren't aware looked at this scene with a flabbergasted expression.

I was included in the latter.

"Don't be surprised, earl. Ena has been like my own child since her childhood and she had spent her childhood days at the royal castle amongst every other royal prince and princess. That's why, if you ever harm her, remember that you have harmed a piece of my soul."

The emperor said cheerfully, but the end of his sentence sounded more like a threat than a cheerful declaration. Everyone shuddered just thinking about the meaning behind those words.

"Uncle, stop scaring my husband."

Ena pouted as she lightly punched the emperor on his hand.

"Oh? Calling him husband already? Ah! Children grow up so fast! My little Ena doesn't love me anymore!"

"Uncle!"

"Okay, okay. I am just kidding. Haha."

Ena shouted embarrassedly and the emperor stopped teasing her.

I couldn't help but feel weirded out by the situation. Tobias looked so young that he was definitely not in an uncle category, at least not for someone as grown up as Ena. But their relationship did seem like that of a father and daughter rather than just any ordinary uncle-daughter relationship.

'I'll make sure never to let any harm come to Ena! I don't know what this creep might do to me if I fail to do so.'

I pledged to myself as I shuddered just thinking about it.

"I guess I am a tad bit late. The engagement is already done. My apologies, earl."

Tobias apologised politely.

"No, no. It's fine. I am sorry if there is a lack of hospitality from my side. Take it as my ignorance as a young one."

I immediately changed the topic so as to not end up committing some sort of unknown blasphemy.

"Not at all, not at all. Everyone, no need to be so stiff. This is a happy occasion! Let's celebrate it."

And so, the engagement function proceeded. The guests were served various types of wines and delicacies and people did classic dances in the middle of the hall with their partners. I danced with Ena as we talked about sweet nothings to each other.

After all that, Harold organised some fireworks. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful scene of the knight sky being lit up by various kinds and colours of fireworks.

After around 12 O'clock at night, the guest slowly started leaving the location. Most of them went back to their respective fiefdoms while some went to the Wenselm guest area where they would stay for the night.

In the end, only a few guards, the duke, Ena, the princes and princesses, the emperor and me were left.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Earl Shura. I am Lorcan."

Lorcan, who had kept his distance from me since the start of the event, finally came near me and introduced himself to me after the emperor whispered something to him.

'There is truly an old fox inside that young skin.'

I clicked my tongue subconsciously thinking about how the emperor managed to get this demon hater to talk to me.

"The pleasure is all mine— TOBIAS WATCH OUT!"

I shouted as I sensed a really dangerous situation approaching Tobias due to my insight and wisdom stats, which started ringing warning bells in my ears.

Just as I shouted towards who was sipping on his wine glass, the fabric of space split open and a being that can only be described as a devil appeared from it, jumping straight for Tobias's neck in one fell swoop.

"Fucking devils."

Tobias cursed and crushed the wine glass in his hand as he made a fist and punched the assailant's face.

The assailant, a bald, violet rotten-skinned devil whose skull was showing from his jaws, immediately crouched downwards, successfully avoiding the punch.

—-BANG!

A fist made out of violent air and aura burst through the walls of the duke's castle, as an after-effect of Tobias's punch. One can only imagine what would have become of the assailant if he took the punch head-on.

Just then, the skinny assailant got back on his feet and attacked Tobias again, and as soon as Tobias turned towards him to face him, multiple threat alarms started ringing inside my heart.

"He's just a bait! There are more!"

[Congratulations! Due to your high intuition, your insight stat has increased by +20.]

Just then, like before, multiple ripples tore off the fabric of space and many different types of devils jumped out of it.

Harold, Lorcan and James also prepared themselves to fight off against the assailants just then I suddenly felt something amiss.

Due to there being so many enemies, I ended up missing one important detail.

"Ena!"

"Shura!"

Ena, who was standing behind me the whole time, was in the hands of a slender and snake-like devil woman. She pointed a dagger at Ena's throat and hissed with her mouth.

"Surrender or I'll slit her throat open."

As soon as the devil woman said that, everyone including Tobias himself stopped fighting. The devils, who were almost two dozen, started killing off the guards who were trying to resist.

"Good, goo–"

—-Pachak!

Before the devil woman could end what she was saying she stopped in her tracks, a hole planted on her forehead as she fell back and Ena ran towards me getting herself out of the devil woman's hold.

"Who the fuck are you to take my woman as a hostage."

I said slowly as I spat in disgust.

As soon as she started talking, I punctured her head with an Ether bullet.

—-Phkk!

"Shuraaa!"

[You have been struck!]

[You have lost 57,689 health!]

[You have died.]

My vision blurred before I even got a chance to know how I died.

[A legend can take rebirth immediately after death, with 10% of their total health. You'll be revived in 3 seconds.]

[You won't lose any experience or items due to rebirth.]

[Rebirth is on cooldown, if you die again within 24 hours, it will be counted as death and you'll be penalised.]

'Oh well, guess I'll find out soon.'

***

///DreamNote///

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