As the conflict was resolved, the atmosphere at the banquet returned to being cheerful, and Wayne and the Skellige envoys were playing the Gwent game enthusiastically.

As a professional Gwent master, Wayne, who has experienced no less than a thousand Gwent battles of all sizes in the past few years, did not defeat these Skellige men with a crushing attitude right from the start.

Through drinking and arm wrestling before, Wayne had proved his strength and courage to these warriors on the sea. Now, when Wayne plays the Gwent game with them, he will deliberately control his strength. Often after winning two or three games, he will cleverly lose a game. While gaining experience and gold coins, he will also let the opponent experience the joy of defeating a strong enemy.

Such performance aroused the interest of these Skellige strongmen, and they joined the game of Gwent one after another.

After all, most of the members of the Skellige delegation before them will become important figures in the major families of the archipelago in the next twenty years.

Although Wayne was not afraid of them, it was definitely better to be friends than enemies.

In fact, it was not just Wayne who thought so. The Skellige strongmen on the opposite side also thought so. Although the previous competition had caused them some setbacks, it did not prevent them from recognizing Wayne's abilities.

In the era of cold weapons, people with great strength tend to be more powerful in combat.

This means that you can have more physical strength, wear heavier armor, use heavier weapons, and exert greater power.

Soon, with the intentional matchmaking of both parties, Wayne integrated very harmoniously into the cheerful atmosphere of the Skellige delegation. They drank and ate meat together, boasted, and played Gwent. It didn't take long before they seemed to have become good friends.

Even King Easter and the Sea Boar Kratz showed goodwill towards Wayne. After all, the two sides were not enemies, and Wayne was not Kratz's competitor. It was always better to have one more friend than one more powerful enemy.

This disappointed many nobles who were paying attention to them. As the Skellige delegation was the biggest competitor in this marriage selection meeting, everyone wanted to see them suffer a defeat rather than see them gain a powerful helper.

However, the joyful atmosphere at the banquet did not last long. Just as Princess Pavetta was influenced by the cheerful atmosphere of Wayne and his friends and was playing a teaching game of gambling with Wayne like a novice in the card game, a guard in golden armor walked in from outside the banquet hall.

This was a strong guard. He walked around the people at the banquet table, walked quickly to the side of Queen Calanthe, and whispered something.

Then, with Queen Calanthe's expression slightly changing as she promised, and accompanied by the guard's loud announcement, a knight dressed in neat iron plate armor, a spiked helmet, and a face shaped like a dog's mouth, walked in from the gate.

Urcheon of Irenwald was the name of this knight.

With the arrival of this uninvited guest, the atmosphere at the banquet changed subtly. Wayne clearly felt that Princess Pavetta, who was sitting opposite him, trembled all over, her eyes fixed on the figure wearing full body plate armor, and the chaotic magic emanating from her body became more and more.

Seeing this, Wayne chuckled and gave the princess a meaningful smile. When everyone else's attention was drawn to the armored man, he leaned over and whispered, "Princess, is this the person you are waiting for?"

"Fate is so amazing that you fall in love with someone who lies to you from beginning to end."

Originally, Princess Pavetta's attention was all focused on Ucheon who had just walked in, but after hearing Wayne's words, her attention was immediately diverted. She couldn't help but tremble all over and looked at the handsome young man in front of her with surprise.

Wayne winked at her, then stretched out his finger and made a hushing gesture to her, and whispered mysteriously, "After today's banquet, I will tell you some truths that you don't know."

"A kind and simple person like you shouldn't live a lie."

After saying that, he did not look at Princess Pavetta again, but like everyone else, he looked at the armored monster who walked into the banquet hall.

With the clinking sound of armor colliding and the dull thud of iron boots stepping on the ground, under the gaze of everyone at the banquet, the man wearing the spiked dog-head mask walked to the throne of Queen Calanthe and shouted loudly: "My dear queen, respected gentlemen, please forgive me for interrupting your grand banquet."

"I am Ucheon of Irenwald. Please forgive me for coming here without notice."

Queen Calanthe, who was sitting on the throne, changed her sitting posture and looked at the armored man in front of her with sharp eyes. After a few seconds, she spoke, "Since you are here, you are also a guest. There is also a seat for you at the banquet. Go find a seat and sit down."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty."

However, the man who called himself Ucheon did not retreat to the banquet as the queen wished. Instead, he clenched his gloved hands into fists, pounded his chest hard, and said loudly:

"But I am not here to attend the banquet. In order not to waste your and the adults' time, I would like to explain the situation directly."

However, his attitude angered Queen Calanthe. The beautiful queen raised her eyebrows and scolded him directly: "How rude! You dare not show your true face to me, the host of my banquet, when you attend my banquet."

"Take off your helmet so I can give you time to explain the situation. Otherwise, I will have the guards throw you out."

However, after a few seconds of silence, the armored Ucheon said in an apologetic tone:

"Please forgive me, my noble queen, and my distinguished gentlemen, but I cannot reveal my appearance to the public for the time being, because I have taken a knight's oath not to take off my helmet before midnight. I hope you will grant my permission."

As he spoke, many people at the banquet immediately shouted in anger, thinking that his knight's oath was just an excuse and that there must be something shameful hidden under his mask.

However, Wayne noticed that as people's anger grew, Princess Pavetta's expression became very nervous, while the Archdruid Mossak, who was sitting in the corner of the table, moved his lips slightly and silently recited a spell. A special magical power permeated the entire banquet, and even the badge on his chest began to tremble slightly.

Unfortunately, with Wayne's current knowledge of magic, he is unable to tell what kind of magic this great druid is releasing.

Queen Calanthe stared at Urcheon for more than ten seconds. The knight's oath was still a very respected oath in the Middle Ages, and few people dared to violate it. Finally, she nodded and gave him time to explain.

With the queen's permission, Ucheon, who was wearing armor, seemed to take a deep breath, and then continued in a resonant voice: "Fifteen years ago, your husband, King Rognar, lost his way while hunting in Irenwald. While wandering in an uninhabited place, he fell off his horse and injured his leg."

"If it weren't for the help from others, he would have died long ago."

Queen Calanthe frowned and said, "I know this. If you know this, I guess you are the one who saved him."

Ucheon responded loudly:

"Yes, it is because of my rescue that King Rogna can return to you safely."

Queen Calanthe had no expression on her face. She simply said, "I thank you for your help. Although my husband has passed away, my gratitude has not diminished."

"Tell me, if your assistance is not free, how can I thank you?"

"Fiefdom, title, wealth, I can satisfy you."

Ucheon looked at Queen Calanthe who was pretending to be stupid on the throne, and immediately said loudly: "You know very well that my assistance is not free."

"You know very well that I am here today to collect the reward that King Rogna promised to give me."

Queen Calanthe was silent for a few seconds, then she stared at Ucheon with sharp eyes. Her dark green eyes seemed to be burning with green flames. She said in a mocking tone, "So, you found a wounded person who has no ability to protect himself at the bottom of the canyon."

"Faced with such an injured person, will you help him only if he promises to reward you?"

"Your actions must be in line with one of your knightly vows, right? You are truly a noble knight."

As Queen Calanthe uttered these sarcastic words, the noise in the entire hall immediately became louder. The guests at the banquet looked at Urcheon in front of the throne with contempt, thinking that a man of his character was not worthy of being called a knight.

Seeing that her words had worked, Queen Calanthe looked at Urcheon with an even more angry smile and said:

"It has been fifteen years, and you have come to my banquet to ask for your reward. Do you want to get it back with interest?"

As she spoke, the queen revealed a hint of a sneer, and said in a sinister tone, "Since you said that Rogner wants to give you a reward, then fine, I will send you to another world to meet him and let him give it to you personally."

"I love my husband dearly, and the thought of you bargaining with him when he was seriously injured fills me with disgust."

"You know what? In my kingdom, you are as close to death as Rogner was at that time, like a lamb to be slaughtered."

"If I allow you to leave alive now, should you also give me the same reward?"

Queen Calanthe's words, which were filled with death threats, immediately caused the temperature in the entire banquet hall to drop by several degrees.

The guests present also noticed that something was wrong with the queen. Logically, even if a knight with bad character came to ask for a reward from the person he rescued, the master would give some compensation even if he hated him instead of threatening him with death.

Among all the people present, Archdruid Mossak was the one who knew part of the inside story. He was worried that the stubborn Queen Calanthe would really ignore the accident rate and take the initiative to kill Ucheon who came to ask for reward. Such behavior was tantamount to the maximum blasphemy of the ancient law of accident rate.

From the perspective of human history, anyone who does not follow the accident rate will often be retaliated by fate and suffer an extremely tragic fate.

This is not a fictional story. In a world where gods exist, fate is a real and powerful force that ordinary mortals have no ability to resist.

As spellcasters seeking the truth of the world, they understand this better than the ignorant commoners or nobles, and are more in awe of the power of fate.

Thinking of this, the Archdruid first looked at Wayne beside him. Although he didn't know Wayne, he could guess that this young man with amazing strength was probably also a member of the Demon Hunters.

However, Wayne did not notice the druid's gaze at this time. Instead, he looked at the scene in the banquet hall with a smile on his face, as if he was an audience enjoying a drama.

Seeing no response, the Archdruid immediately turned his gaze to the witcher Geralt beside the throne.

The two old friends made eye contact and immediately began to communicate implicitly with their eyes. Mossak hoped that Geralt could come down to protect Urcheon. He didn't want his good friend Queen Calanthe to act on her own and end up being bitten by fate and meeting a tragic end.

However, at this time, Geralt, who had accepted the commission from Queen Calanthe, was in a mixed mood. Before he understood the full picture of the matter, he had not decided which side he should help.

In the banquet hall, facing the accusations and threats from Queen Calanthe, as well as the whispers from the guests around him.

Ucheon did not become nervous. He said loudly:

"You know very well whether you are telling the truth or not."

Queen Calanthe laughed in anger and said, "Are you accusing me of lying?"

Ucheon did not answer directly, but said loudly:

"You should be very clear about what happened in Ihlenwald."

"After King Rognar was rescued by me and returned home safely, he discovered that his beautiful queen, you, had given birth."

"Yes, I have waited fifteen years, and today I will receive my reward."

"The purpose of everyone here coming here is in vain."

"Because according to the oath, Princess Pavetta has been mine since the day she was born."

"This marriage selection banquet was a wrong decision from the very beginning."

Ucheon's words immediately caused an uproar among the guests, and some nobles shouted:

"That's impossible. It's unheard of."

Another person said: "This is ridiculous. What evidence do you have to prove this?"

Facing the scolding and questions from the crowd, Ucheon was not at all flustered. He opened his hands and said loudly to everyone: "The queen's expression has said it all. This is not an empty promise."

Upon hearing this, the guests all looked towards Queen Calanthe. As expected, as Urcheon spoke, the queen, who was always confident and arrogant in the past, now looked very unhappy. She pursed her lips with a complicated expression, looking at Urcheon under the throne, but she was slow to give any orders.

If Ucheon was telling a lie, given the queen's character, she would have definitely ordered someone to chop off the head of this rude man.

However, this strange silence also made the guests present realize the truth, and they began to whisper to each other and discuss in low voices.

As the noise in the banquet hall became louder and louder, Wayne, who was standing next to Princess Pavetta, noticed that although the princess was still sitting there quietly, the chaotic magic surrounding her had begun to distort continuously. It was obvious that the owner of the ancient blood must be feeling extremely complicated at this moment, so complicated that her mood had affected the chaotic magic in the entire banquet hall.

Although Princess Pavetta is a natural source sorcerer, she has not learned any magical knowledge nor received any spell training. The way she mobilizes magic power is almost instinctive.

There was silence for nearly two minutes. Queen Calanthe suddenly waved for a servant to come over and lowered her head to give an order in the servant's ear.

Then, the servant took the order with a look of surprise and confusion and ran out of the banquet.

King Easter, who was standing behind Wayne, also stood up. He left his seat, walked to the center of the banquet hall, and calmly asked Queen Kalan: "Is what he said true, Calanthe?"

Queen Calanthe, who was standing in front of the throne, no longer had the calm demeanor she usually had. She bit her lower lip, looked towards the Kingdom of East with a rather pitiful look, and asked:

"Even if it's true, so what?"

Although King East felt pity for his beloved, he still frowned and said, "If this is true, then the promise must be fulfilled."

"Otherwise, I would think that you take your promise so lightly. As a person in power, if you do not value your promise, then for his allies, will this covenant be kept?"

(End of this chapter)