The tension outside the coffee shop was thick enough to choke on.
Markil's hands were still clamped onto Sasha's fist and Roric's blade, but the air shifted the moment the door chimed.
Maren Walberd stepped out onto the cracked pavement, looking as casual as if he were taking a morning stroll.
Sasha and Roric were instantly repelled.
They didn't just let go; they were forced back in different directions by a sudden, invisible ripple in the atmosphere.
Markil immediately exhaled, compressing his Chaos Aura back into his core until the violet glow faded into a low hum.
Roric and Sasha stood their ground, their eyes widening as they looked at the white-haired boy whose face was now fully revealed.
"So it is you," Roric breathed, his voice a mix of shock and recognition.
Sasha brushed a strand of hair from her face, a sharp smile crossing her lips.
"So you are the one getting all of us wrapped up in this mess."
Markil stood tall, his red eyes scanning them both.
"So what do you want from me?"
Roric's smile turned cold and sharp.
"I want your death."
Before Roric could raise his sword again, Maren walked directly between them.
He stood in front of Markil like a living shield, looking at his former pupils with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Wooow," Maren said, his voice dripping with mock wonder.
"Is this my students reunion? I mean, it's not... but for two students..."
The silence that followed lasted only a heartbeat before a collective roar shattered it.
"MAREN!!!!!"
Markil, Sasha, and Roric all shouted in perfect, furious unison.
The surrounding knights flinched, but the three of them weren't finished.
They pointed at the legendary warrior, their faces twisted in identical expressions of disbelief.
"YOU PERVERT, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!!!!"
Maren froze, his hands mid-air, a look of genuine shock crossing his face before he doubled over, clutching his stomach as he erupted into a boisterous laugh.
Sasha was the first to regain her composure, pointing a trembling finger at Markil.
"Students? You mean... this is also your student?"
Roric stepped forward, his kingly aura faltering.
"Don't tell me, Master... this is your student?"
Maren wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and bounded over to Roric.
He didn't bow; he didn't even show respect.
Instead, he reached out and pushed Roric's head back and forth like he was playing with a toddler.
"Ooo, my little boy is now big!" Maren laughed, ignoring the King's dignity.
Wow, he really is their master, I guess, Markil thought, watching the "Strongest Man Alive" treat an SSS+ rank King like a baby.
"Stop, Maren!" Roric snapped, batting his hands away.
"I'm a King now!"
Maren just laughed harder.
"Oo, really?"
Sasha stepped in, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Markil.
My father said we have to get this creature on our side so we can take revenge on Roric, she recalled.
She forced her voice to soften.
"Listen, whatever you are... tell me, what is your name?"
Maren chirped in before Markil could answer.
"It's Markil. He is my student, like how you were, Roric."
Look at that, Sasha thought, her mind racing.
We were thinking we could have Sir Maren to take this boy, but he was already on his side.
"Markil, is it?" Sasha said, nodding toward the crater.
"I really want to thank you that you defeated Amano."
Maren blinked, tilting his head.
"What? Amano? Is that an acid's name?"
THWACK.
Markil punched Maren in the shoulder with an annoyed scowl.
"You pervert! There was a person who was really interested to kill you and I defeated him!"
Maren rubbed his arm, looking around at the devastation for the first time.
"What? Is that why there is a crater?"
"SO WHAT ELSE COULD BE, YOU PERVERT?!" Markil shouted.
Maren laughed it off, but Roric wasn't smiling.
"By the way, Maren... you were here. Why didn't you help this person?"
Why did she thank this guy? Roric wondered, eyeing Sasha.
She has a new plan in her mind... I should stay silent for this time.
The surrounding knights were whispering in awe.
"What? Is that Maren Walberd? The strongest man alive?" one asked.
Merlin sighed, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, it is him. That pervert."
The Rejected Proposal
Maren suddenly made a dramatic, pained face.
"Actually... I was proposing to a girl."
Markil, Sasha, and Roric all froze, their jaws dropping.
"What?!" they shouted.
Merlin rolled her eyes.
"This asshole."
She turned to the other knights, waving them off.
"The problem is solved now. We should go."
"What? Maren, where is that girl?" Roric asked, looking toward the coffee shop door.
A young woman stumbled out.
She was undeniably beautiful but looked utterly dazed.
She had been caught in the edge of the shockwaves and was clearly on the verge of passing out.
She looked at Maren, her eyes glazed over.
"Sorry... but I can't..." she whispered, before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
The group stared at her prone form.
Did she just reject his proposal after accepting it? Markil thought, a drop of sweat rolling down his neck.
Maren cleared his throat, looking away.
"I guess she is tired. That's why. She is... actually, just forget it. I don't wanted to propose this girl."
Sasha let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"You are pretty amazingly a pervert."
"Hey, stop!" Maren shouted, his face turning red.
"I swear she really accepted at first!"
The Decree of the 12 Kingdoms
Roric's expression suddenly shifted, the humor draining from his face as his duty as a King returned.
"Sorry for interrupting you, Master, but I have to... I mean, we have to take that boy."
Sasha flinched.
No! If he gets him, he will kill him because we made an alliance, she thought.
"I have to kill that," Roric continued, his voice devoid of emotion, "because we are here to get this calamity away."
Maren tilted his head, his voice dropping an octave.
"Which calamity?"
Roric pointed directly at Markil.
Maren let out a hum and stepped behind Markil, reaching out to pinch the boy's cheek.
"Look how cute he is! So you really think he is a calamity?"
Roric didn't flinch.
"Sorry, Master, but I can't. 12 kingdoms are against him. So please... stay out of it."
The air didn't just turn cold—
it stopped moving.
Maren ceased all movement.
The playful light in his eyes vanished, replaced by something ancient and terrifying.
He began to walk toward Roric, his boots clicking rhythmically on the stone.
He was the only thing in the world that seemed capable of motion.
"What did you say?" Maren asked, his voice a low, vibrating hum.
"Can you come again?"
Maren delivered a Deathstare.
Sasha gasped, her body locked in place.
I can't move! No... if Sir Maren is against us, it's impossible for us to get Markil.
"Master... please..." Sasha managed to choke out.
"I said enough," Maren replied.
The authority in his voice was absolute.
Sasha stopped talking immediately.
Oh no, Roric thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Sir Maren is really mad.
Markil stared at the scene, his own body refusing to obey him.
Fuck! I can't even move! How is he doing that?
He activated his Kareno Eyes and focused on his master.
Skill Identified: Fear of Eyes
Description: A high-level aura suppression skill. The user can halt the movement of anyone who harbors even a shred of opposition toward them.
In this skill, he can stop any movement of anyone who is against him, Markil realized.
No... what if he kills Roric? No, I mean, he isn't going to, but...
Maren raised his hand.
Roric closed his eyes, his breath hitching.
Is this my end?
Maren's hand reached out, but he didn't strike.
He simply touched Roric's hair, gently smoothing it.
Suddenly, the crushing force vanished.
The knights could breathe again.
Maren pulled his hand back, his voice calm but cold.
"Go now. Run. I don't want to get my old students to be defeated by their own master. And yeah... tell the 12 kingdoms' kings that with this boy... there is his teacher, Maren Walberd."
Roric fell back, coughing violently as he tried to get oxygen into his lungs.
Sasha stumbled, clutching her chest.
Wow, he really is the strongest, Markil thought, watching the two SSS+ rank legends crumble under a single look.
"After all," Maren said, his back turned to them, "they know how I [destroyed] two kingdoms without any fear."
"Master..." Roric whispered, but Maren didn't look back.
Maren walked over to Markil, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Come, Markil."
Markil followed without a single word.
I have first time seen him in anger, he thought.
How is he even doing this?
"Master!!" Roric called out one last time.
Maren didn't acknowledge him.
The air around Maren and Markil began to distort, and in a blink of an eye, they teleported away, leaving the crater and the broken legends behind.
(Chapter 52 Finished)