Wizard Immortal

Chapter 347 Challenge

"Please come in."

Hearing the noise outside the door, Adir interrupted his thoughts, turned to look at the door, and then spoke.

As the voice faded, the wooden door creaked open, and a maid in a long red dress walked in.

The maid was very pretty and dressed in red. She looked at Adir, who was staring at her, and seemed a little lost.

"What is it?" Adir's voice rang out from the spot.

Looking at the maid who appeared to be quite young, Adir's expression softened, and he seemed approachable.

"Ah... Knight Adir..."

Looking at Adir, the maid said nervously, "Princess Elina wants you to go with her to the banquet."

"Attending a banquet..." Hearing this, Adir was somewhat surprised, and then it dawned on him: "Right, today is the day the royal family is holding a banquet."

The knighthood ceremony in the Maran Empire is a grand event held every five years.

After each investiture ceremony, as is customary, the royal family would host a banquet for many nobles from the country to promote exchanges among them.

As a Sky Knight and the runner-up in this competition, Adir is also included in the banquet, so he will be going to the palace with Alina this time.

These were things that Alina had instructed him to do some time ago, but Adir had been busy with his cultivation and had forgotten about them.

"You may go back." With that thought, Adir nodded gently at the maid before him. "Please tell the princess that I will go to see her later."

"Yes." The maidservant bowed slightly, secretly glanced at Adir, and then retreated with a slightly flushed face.

"It's so nostalgic."

Watching the maid's departing figure, Adir shook his head and walked back into the room.

Because he was going to attend a banquet, he changed into a proper black suit, put down the longsword he usually carried, and walked outside.

His residence was not far from Alina's; because they often needed to contact each other, they were practically next door, and he arrived at her place in no time.

On a platform, Alina stood with a few knights, including Anum. When she saw Adir approaching, she glanced at him a few times and then smiled and said, "Not bad, your clothes today make you look much better."

"Uh..." Adir didn't know how to respond to this, so he just stood there smiling, not saying a word.

"Alright, let's go." Looking at Adir, Alina stopped teasing him and mounted a horse beside her, ready to set off.

Seeing Alina's movements, Adir mounted a tall, black wildebeest beside him and followed Alina as she slowly walked forward.

The roads were wide and there were very few people; there was none of the crowded feeling that other streets had.

Adir was not surprised by this.

Nobles have their own noble status. This entire road is a road specifically set up for nobles. Apart from a few nobles, there is no one else along the way.

Along the way, whenever they saw Alina and her entourage, the surrounding nobles would make way for them, and some of their close friends would even stop to greet them.

Alina was very friendly to these nobles who took the initiative to make overtures. No matter who they were, she would stop and talk to them for a moment, showing no trace of her usual aloofness.

This situation began to change somewhere.

When she saw a group of knights galloping ahead, Alina's face immediately turned cold and indifferent.

The once wide road became noisy. Upon seeing the group of galloping knights ahead, the nobles in front made way for them. Some who couldn't make way in time were even pushed aside by the knights. Their style was extremely domineering.

Standing beside Alina on horseback, Adir frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased as he watched this scene.

"It's those guys from Kanado," Anum said from the side, his words laced with strong resentment. "That guy's getting more and more arrogant."

"There's nothing we can do about it," Adir replied calmly. "The champion of the Knights Tournament certainly has the right to be arrogant."

"If you had used your full strength, Adir, perhaps..." Anum looked at Adir with some resentment.

"Alright, there's no need to say that anymore." Adir smiled, appearing quite composed about it: "It's all in the past, there's no need to dwell on it anymore."

Let's leave this topic at that.

They continued walking along the road for a while and came to a magnificent palace.

This is a palace with a very large area. Even with Adir's current mental strength, if he were to spread his power out to the fullest extent, he would not be able to know the exact extent of this palace, which shows how terrifying it is.

Within this palace complex, nobles walked back and forth, each accompanied by their female relatives, heading towards one of the palaces.

"There are so many people."

Looking at the bustling scene, Adir sighed, "Wasn't it said that this banquet was for all the high-ranking nobles?"

"Katutan is, after all, the capital city, and there are many nobles qualified to attend the banquet," Elina said from the side. "These nobles, as well as those knights with considerable strength, are all within the scope of the invitation. Add to that their wives and daughters, and it's no wonder there are so many people."

"Of course, there are many people, but there are also quite a few impoverished nobles among them." She smiled and pointed out to Adir, "Some nobles have a long history, but now they only have an empty title left. In terms of strength, they are nothing."

"Speaking of which, Adir, you don't have a wife yet, do you?"

She changed the subject, bringing up Adir: "Interested in finding one here?"

"With your current strength and reputation, I believe many nobles would like to marry their daughters to you."

Hearing Alina's words, Adir was stunned for a moment, having never thought of that aspect at all.

For some reason, when he heard this topic, the image of Edith suddenly flashed through his mind.

That was his fiancée, who was probably still waiting in the Elf Capital for him to finish this experiment and come out to be with her.

"No need." He smiled and then said, "I already have someone I like."

"Really? That's a pity." Alina said with some regret, "I was planning to introduce you to a few noble girls of high social standing."

As they spoke, they continued walking forward and arrived at the palace where the banquet was being held.

Compared to the outside, the hall wasn't very large, but there were still hundreds of people sitting inside.

Among this group of people, Adir also saw many familiar faces.

Besides Angeli and Loris, who were members of the royal family whom they had met before, Claudius was also sitting in the hall.

As a prince of Gounod, despite his awkward status, he was indeed qualified to attend the banquet and was therefore invited.

At this moment, he was sitting in a corner, eating pastries alone, looking somewhat lonely.

The nobles around him walked past one by one, but they all passed by him as if avoiding a plague, and none of them dared to sit next to him.

Some nobles looked at him with a hint of disdain and mockery, seemingly not having much affection for him.

"Why are you drinking here all by yourself?"

Seeing Kradis's lonely appearance, Adir walked up to him and spoke to him.

"teacher!"

Kradis gently raised his head and, upon seeing Adir before him, was pleasantly surprised. He quickly stood up and asked, "Teacher, have your injuries healed?"

"There's still a minor injury, but it's nothing serious now," Adir said with a smile, sounding somewhat helpless.

"I will settle this score for you, teacher, sooner or later." As if he had thought of something, Claudius's eyes turned cold as he looked at Adir and made a promise.

Even after the competition ended, he maintained contact with Adir and often came to Adir's manor to train.

Under Adir's meticulous training, he has also made great progress. His internal strength changes almost every day, and now he is close to the threshold of becoming a Sky Knight.

This change filled him with gratitude towards Adir, and also filled him with confidence, making him unafraid of any challenge.

"It's good that you have the intention." Patting Claudius on the shoulder, Adir felt gratified as he sensed the other's genuine emotions.

Professor Cladius, although initially drawn to the other's status as the chosen one, believed he taught with equal dedication, revealing to him everything that was considered top secret by other knights.

Over time, he came to regard Claddis as his own disciple.

"You can stay here for now."

He glanced at Alina behind him, then looked at Cladis in front of him and said, "Remember to be careful."

"I understand." Claudius nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

After explaining a few things, Adir left Kradis's position and returned to Alina's side.

Before long, as time passed, the banquet began.

Throughout the hall, melodious music, accompanied by singing, echoed in the unique, deep, and raspy style of the Maran Empire.

Before my eyes, some carefully trained dancers were performing a mysterious dance. Many of their movements looked very beautiful, and combined with their graceful figures and appearances, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

In the four corners of the hall, other performances continued to take place, including magicians' superb magic tricks and circus acts.

A variety of programs were performed one after another, captivating all the guests and creating a lively atmosphere at the banquet.

After the banquet had been going on for a while, the host of the banquet appeared before Adir.

He was a middle-aged man dressed appropriately, with a gentle expression, holding a scepter, and explaining things on the stage.

The middle-aged man's name is Dillard. He is the only prince of the Maran Empire who remains in the royal court. He is the half-brother of the current Maran King and the uncle of Elina and others.

As the only prince left in the royal court by King Maran, Prince Dillard was naturally extraordinary, not only possessing outstanding talent but also remarkable knightly abilities.

According to Alina, her uncle was already a titled knight more than a decade ago, and now his strength is probably even more terrifying.

This level of strength, combined with his status and power, makes him one of the top figures in the entire Maran Empire. Even some of the top nobles with Radiant Knights must show this prince sufficient respect.

"Oh dear... Look who's here..." A low, awkward voice came from afar.

Adir looked up and saw a tall, imposing figure walking towards him from a distance.

Cannado, dressed in a loose knight's robe and holding a wine glass, walked over from a distance with a mocking smile on his face: "Come, come, we're rivals after all, let me toast you."

His tone was sarcastic, and his smile was awkward, making people feel uneasy at first glance and instinctively want to stay away from him.

Sitting silently in place, watching Cannado's appearance, Adir frowned inwardly, but still raised the wine glass in front of him and drank the fruit wine in one gulp.

"Not bad, not bad." Looking at Adir's actions, Kannado laughed exaggeratedly, "Speaking of which, we haven't even finished fighting the last battle yet."

"Perfect timing! We have this opportunity, why don't we try again right here?"

He looked at Adir, his mockery growing more pronounced: "Incidentally, this will also allow the nobles who have come this time to appreciate the heroic bearing of our knights."

Hearing this, even Adir, with his good temper, felt a surge of anger.

No matter who it is, they will get angry if they are provoked again and again.

Moreover, the person provoking him was nothing more than an ant that Adir could easily crush.

"Kannado, don't go too far," Alina's voice rang out from the side.

Looking at Cannado in front of Adir, Alina's face was cold, her gaze fixed on him as if he were a dead man.

"Oh···"

Hearing Alina's words, Kannado shrugged, looking at Adir with a hint of disdain: "Adir, is all you can do is hide behind a woman?"

"In my opinion, you should change your title of 'Swift Wind Knight'; wouldn't it be better to just call yourself 'Turtle Knight'?"

He laughed loudly, glanced at Alina whose face was growing increasingly ashen, and then walked away from where he stood.

Sitting there, quietly watching his back, Adir's expression returned to calm. He sat down silently, as if nothing had happened.

"Adir." Anum spoke from the side, looking at him with some concern in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Adir shook his head, his expression as calm as ever.

Silently watching this scene from the four corners of the banquet, the surrounding nobles moved around, and those who originally wanted to come and greet them retreated and sat quietly to one side.

(End of this chapter)