As the guards reached closer to us, I slurred,

"Oy buddy, do ya got some fuckin' coin? Those stupid idiots... they kicked me out of the casino just because I lost some damn money."

I took wobbling steps toward them and leaned myself against the one at the center while placing my hands on the shoulders of the ones at the sides.

"Just give me fifty—no, not fifty, give me ninety silver coins. I have a feelin' I'm gonna hit a jackpot this time."

"Stay back, you drunkard!" the one at the center snapped, trying to push me away. "Why the hell can't I get him off?"

The ones at the sides were struggling with their feeble strength, trying to lift my hands off their arms.

"I can't move his arm at all," said the one on the left.

"How is he so heavy?" the guard on the right muttered.

"Idiots, I'm not even putting half of my weight on my hands, or your shoulders would've already dislocated," I chuckled inwardly before murmuring, pulling them all closer to me, "Mah head iz dizzy... hick-up... I think somethin's comin'... hick-up."

"W-wait, don't tell me..." the one at the center stammered, aggressively trying to get me off.

He realized what I was gonna do, but there was no way for him to protect himself.

His voice began cracking as he pleaded, "L-let me go, you bastard!"

"Here it comes!!!" I announced.

"Noooo—"

Ugh... Blagh... Blagh...

A stream of smoothie made of more than a hundred dishes I ate last night splashed on the soldier, turning his silver knight armor into a yellowish one.

"Time for the final touch," I snickered inwardly, pushed my body backward, and fell to the ground.

"Now, I'm feelin' better."

The guards glared at me, dripping with the sauce I had blessed them with. The one at the center drew his weapon, leapt at me, and shouted in fury,

"Forget about sending him there! I'll kill this drunkard right now!"

But before his anger could get the better of him, his fellow guards held him back—one stopping the hand that carried the spear while the other carefully grabbed him by the chest, being sure not to touch the filth on the armor.

"There are orders from higher up that we need to bring more people there. How would we explain it if you kill this drunkard when he looks only in his twenties?" one of them whispered.

"Also, he seems to be a troublemaker. He won't survive there for long. Just beat him to calm your anger," the other added.

The guard with my marking sheathed his sword, spat on the ground near my feet, and muttered,

"Tsk, you lucky bastard. If you kneel and beg right now, I'll spare your life and only break some of your bones."

Thanks to spending my life in the modern world, I didn't care much about these acts of reverence like kneeling or bowing.

I would've felt neither disrespected nor embarrassed to do it. Rather, it was in my favor that I could get the job done with just a mere bow.

"Oh dear knight, forgive me. I made a mess due to mah drinkin' habits," I murmured, wiping the drool off my face.

I pushed myself from the ground and was about to kneel when Vyaghra suddenly grabbed my arm and demanded,

"What do you think you are doing, Raj!? Where is your pride as a warrior?"

"Hey, I'm just acting," I whispered, trying to convince him.

His eyes gazed at me with disappointment as he declared further,

"You are the betrothed of the Goddess whom I—the God of Hunt and Stealth, Vyaghra—serve as the Queen. There is no one in this world or any other who is worthy of your bow. I won't let you bring disrespect to the name of Her Majesty."

His words rang like a thunderous clap in my heart. An overwhelming feeling that I had never experienced before swept through my very being. My heartbeat pounded like an intense drum. This... this was my pride!

"Forgive me, Vyaghra. This won't happen again," I announced, rising to my feet.

"What are these bastards on about?" the guard scoffed and spoke further, pointing at Vyaghra,

"Oy, pimp, since you're also with this red-headed bastard, you'll also kneel—"

"Shut your mouth, insect! I am not someone you deserve to even look at, let alone speak to!" Vyaghra drawled, momentarily sending a tremor down the guard's spine.

"Th-the alcohol has gone to his head," the guard shouted, his voice laced with nervousness. "Let's bring them down! I don't care if they lose a limb or two!"

The three guards drew their weapons, but the instant they lifted a foot, Vyaghra flicked his finger.

Three needles shot out, striking the centers of all three foreheads, followed by a thud as the guards fell unconscious.

Since I had met Vyaghra in the Forest of Gumiho, he had always talked to me respectfully because he felt indebted to me for saving him. Due to his courteous behavior, I had already forgotten what his true nature actually was.

Vyaghra's actions that day reminded me of the real him I had witnessed in the memories.

"Well... now that they're unconscious, who will take us to the place you mentioned?" I asked awkwardly.

"I know the location. We will enter from the front gate," Vyaghra replied and waved his hand at the bodies of the fallen guards.

A dark energy emerged from the guards' shadows, engulfed their bodies, and disappeared into thin air.

"Here, take this," Vyaghra said, handing me a small piece of paper. "Touch it with your Soulforce, and it will reveal all the necessary information and the role you will fulfill there."

"Wait a minute! When did you plan all of this?" I asked, flabbergasted. "Didn't I join you at the last moment?"

He gave me a crooked smile, probably laughing at my naivety, before declaring,

"Her Majesty had included your role in the plan from the very beginning. She deliberately made me enter her room while you were there so that you could join willingly, of your own accord."

I was stunned. Never in a million years would I have expected that it was all the plan of that innocent-looking Ume. Well, under all that innocence, she was a fox after all.

"Ume planned all of this!!!???"

Vyaghra chuckled before extending his hand toward me and spoke,

"I had left a shadow mark at the entrance of the location. It's time to go now."

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