Huh? Are they all real?...

"Hurry up and go to our new master to apologize and ask for her forgiveness. Of course, remember to explain the reason clearly. I think the Grand Duke will be able to understand the misfortune you have encountered."

As he spoke, he raised his glass and said:

"And you'd better hurry, or the wine we just warmed will get cold."

After saying that, he deliberately burst into laughter, and the others naturally understood what he meant and laughed along with him.

They wanted to minimize the impact of this incident.

Thus, no matter what happened, Claude's delay in arriving on time was simply due to an accident on the way.

This is not disrespect or dissatisfaction, but simply an unfortunate accident.

But Claude raised his head and stared straight at Ayl, saying:

“My boat is not damaged, and I have not encountered any accidents. I just arrived now.”

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

The nobleman who had just tried to smooth things over for him also turned cold and stood up, saying:

“Claude, we are friends, so I advise you to apologize immediately, before the Grand Duke and before the throne of our old master.”

"Do not."

When asked about this last chance, Claude simply said one word to express his refusal.

Following his statement, a large number of Southern Knights poured in from outside the door.

The nobles, who had just been sitting in their seats with serious expressions, also stood up abruptly.

"Claude, now, immediately, at once, apologize!"

Despite his companions' attempts to stop him, Claude continued to look at Al and said:

"I will not apologize; I did nothing wrong."

The demigod beside Er could no longer contain himself and rebuked:

"Claude, have you forgotten your oath? It was right here that you swore to your old master that you would be forever loyal to Westeros!"

Looking at the throne the other person was pointing to, Claude said calmly:

“I am loyal to Lord Trajan Westeros, not her.”

"presumptuous!"

The demigod Hadley, who brought El back to the Southern Territory that day, drew his sword and jumped over the dining table.

Before the conflict fully erupts.

Air said coldly:

"Stop!"

Hadley stopped immediately.

He looked at El, and Prince Adela also looked over with great interest.

At the same time, Constance also cast his scrutinizing gaze upon Ayl.

All eyes in the room were on him.

Aier mentally adjusted her breathing.

When telling Moen that someone hadn't arrived on time.

Moen then told her about the current situation.

Just as Moen predicted, the demigod Claude stepped forward to express his dissatisfaction.

However, this is not true dissatisfaction.

Aier stood up and got off the table.

He walked past Hadley, the demigod.

"Owner."

Seeing that El was about to step forward, Hadley wanted to stop El from doing such a dangerous thing.

That's a demigod; if he really went berserk in front of El, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Don't worry, Lord Hadley. This is the Southern Territory, and I am its master."

At this point, Er added something that was somewhat puzzling:

"hostess."

Hadley wanted to try to dissuade him further:

"That's why, Master, you must not put yourself in danger."

Aier countered:

"What do you mean by risking one's life, Lord Hadley?"

"Owner?!"

Before Hadley could continue, El looked directly at Claude and said:

"This is the Southern Territory, do you acknowledge that, Lord Claude?"

“Of course, this is Qazadoom, a fortress built by my true master. It is certainly part of the Southern Territory.”

"So you acknowledge yourself as a vassal of the South, Lord Claude?"

Claude squinted and said:

“I will always acknowledge this.”

"Then I am out of danger, Lord Hadley."

After turning back to the speechless Hadley and saying this, El stepped forward.

As she moved, more and more nobles from the Southern Territory left the table and slowly approached, leaning on their sword hilts.

They were still worried about unexpected events.

He looked at Er, who walked right up to him.

Claude suddenly felt that this little girl, who was a head shorter than him, was far more intimidating than he was.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Aren't you afraid?

To be honest, Er initially thought he would be very scared, after all, this was a demigod.

These are living demigods. Although they call themselves masters, it doesn't change the fact that they can slap themselves to death at any time.

But the result was that I didn't feel any fear at all, and even after I came up, I didn't have any extra emotional fluctuations.

After thinking about it, Aier realized that she wasn't actually fearless.

I simply trusted Moen's judgment.

I trusted the other person more than I trusted myself.

Aier raised the corners of his mouth slightly and looked up at the other person, saying:

"Why should I be afraid, Lord Claude?"

“I do not acknowledge your identity. You are nothing but a person with noble blood. You are not qualified to be my master, the master of the Southern Territory.”

"Claude, I told you to shut up!"

Hearing the demigods' fury behind him, Er raised his hand to stop them.

“Lord Claude, if you don’t acknowledge my identity, then this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense, and Claude looked intently at the girl in front of him.

Suddenly, Aier made a move that surprised everyone.

She simply reached out and drew Claude's sword.

Looking at the sword's edge reflecting his face, Claude asked curiously:

"What are you trying to do? Deliberately provoke me so they'll kill me?"

Aier, struggling to hold the sword, tried to smile easily:

"Of course not, I never intended to harm you, Lord Claude."

"Then why did you take my sword?"

"Just to prevent you from doing something foolish."

Upon hearing this, Claude couldn't help but laugh:

"To prevent me from doing something stupid? You don't think that just because you took a demigod's sword, that demigod won't be able to kill anyone anymore, do you? My God, that thing is just a symbolic toy for most people here!"

A sudden remark interrupted the demigod Claude.

“I’m afraid you’ll do something foolish, Lord Claude.”

"what?!"

Claude paused for a few seconds, then asked this question in confusion.

“Lord Claude, you don’t need to worry about anything, nor do you need to do these things to help me solidify my identity and authority.”

“You are my father’s vassal, it is enough that you stand by my side.”

"I don't understand what nonsense you're talking about."

Claude laughed, but then he couldn't laugh anymore.

"You deliberately arrived late, then publicly provoked me, forcing me to step forward and establish authority with the blood of a demigod. Lord Claude, you underestimated me and belittled your loyalty to my father."

“Every one of them is as loyal to my father as you are to the South.”

"But there's no need for that, because I have already witnessed your loyalty."

Claude felt his mouth was a little dry, but he still forced a smile:

"What you said is so stupid, it makes absolutely no sense."

"Lord Claude, just as you said, if you really wanted to harm me, why hasn't a demigod done anything by now?"

Claude fell silent.

Aier also threw the sword in his hand behind him.

Hearing the heavy thud behind him, Air felt a little embarrassed.

She intended to throw the sword to Hadley, but it was too heavy and landed directly behind her.

Damn it, it's just a ceremonial sword used to symbolize status, do you really need to carry something so heavy?

Fortunately, no one will notice this.

After a brief silence, Claude knelt on one knee.

"Please forgive my foolishness, master."

“Please rise, Lord Claude. This is not foolishness; you simply did what you felt you should do.”

"This is loyalty and dedication, so don't take it to heart."

Claude lowered his head deeply and said earnestly:

"Master, I have offended your authority in any way, and I must be punished. Therefore, please cut off my hand!"

These words sent chills down El's spine.

'El, you must stop him from doing something foolish.'

This was a sentence that Moen had repeatedly said to him before he came back.

At first, Aier didn't take it seriously, but I never expected it to actually develop like this.

He looked at Claude kneeling in front of him.

Aier said softly:

"Lord Claude, what do you think my father would do if he were in my shoes?"