Emperor of Steel

Once Luke was done talking with them,

Sebastian and Belfair concealed themselves in the dark when they felt a sweet fragrant smell close by.

“What are you doing here alone, Marquis?”

As Luke turned around, he saw a beautiful girl, who looked very bright and exposed to come close to him.

‘It’s princess Margareta.’

She had greeted Luke at the banquet hall, so Luke was able to recognize her.

“Everyone is looking for the Marquis who didn’t come back, you weren’t lost, right?”

“I stood there to enjoy the night’s cool breeze.” Luke answered.

“You must have felt a lot suffocated in there. It looks gorgeous but, it is boring.”

Margareta moved closer to Luke. When she went closer, the fragrance from her body turned intense.

Luke’s eyes went alert the very moment.

‘This is obviously… the perfume used by the Arachne witches?’

500 years back, there was a magic tower of female wizards only.

The magic tower, built by the wizard called Arachne, was known to be a medical researcher similar to a medical mage but in reality, that magic tower studied the magic of using the human weaknesses and extorting their mana.

The medicines and magic they developed gave power to the woman a rare gift of ‘youth’, and the weak minds got corrupted.

Thus, with that, they weren’t just favored by the powerful people, but soon turned into a nation.

‘In the end, when they moved out of the El Kassel denomination, they were called heretics and punished because of which, a few men went into hiding.’

When Luke was being the notorious Devil King Saymon, he approached the Arachne magic tower.

The Arachne magic tower tried to double-cross him by using the demon army, but Luke managed to outstand them as he wasn’t as corrupt as the weak or the young.

‘I thought that they disappeared, how did they manage to come here?’

When Luke was in his thoughts, Margareta took out a wine bottle and two glasses from her hand sleeve.

“It is a Bordeaux Chardonnay. I only present it to the dear national guests, and if you take a sip, you might feel a little less suffocated.”

‘No matter what, this is a triggering medicine.’

The poisons of the Arachne magic tower were very skillful.

First was the perfume, and then the alcoholic beverage. If the two components were absorbed by the body, the person could turn dull or could turn very passionate.

Once the drug activated, the drug lasts for a long time and has some symptoms.

And in that situation, if Luke was enchanted with the Charming magic, he would turn into nothing but a puppet.

‘I don’t know for what, but it seems like things won’t be working so easily for me.’

Luke was scoffing to himself and took the glass from Margareta.

Seeing him hesitate she smiled.

‘Yes, going according to plan!’ Thought Margareta.

But, even as he was drinking the wine, Luke wasn’t showing any different signs.

He thought that his eyes would turn blurry and get restless like a dog, but he was still able to see the night sky and the stars.

“The star in the chariot is shining very brightly. When the red star shines bright, warfare often takes place.” Said Luke.

“That, that so?”

“Yes, it isn’t just plain superstition, but the starlight changes because of the change in the mana. If there is a mana change, the weather will start to change… ah, can I have another glass?”

At the request of Luke, Margareta gave him another drink.

The drink wasn’t supposed to be given in huge doses. It was because too much drug could show the side effects.

Luke wasn’t showing any side effects, he wasn’t even showing basic drug effect.

He was able to hold himself because of the experience he had in the past.

When fighting with the army, there were times when assassins that were sent by the kings and the nobles from different countries were ordered to kill Saymon. Among them, there were quite a few attempts of poisoning him.

Which was why Luke found a way to neutralize the poison. And this was why he increased his knowledge about drugs.

‘If it is something that works by mixing, you’re just supposed to not let them mix.’

Luke realized that the princesses’ perfume was that of Arachne magic tower, so accelerating the magic circle, he began to release the magic which might enter his body.

Because of that, the drug which entered his body through the wine had no effect.

“Well, I need to go back now. Even if it is a little boring, you shouldn’t be away far for too long.”

“Ah, yes…”

Luke went back to the banquet hall, leaving Margareta alone waiting for the drug to take effect.

‘What the hell went wrong?’

Margareta, who had been thinking to herself, flicked her fingers lightly. The maid who was close to her went and asked.

“Called?”

“Are you sure you got the right herbs?”

At the question, the maids greeted and answered.

Honestly, there wasn’t the palace maid. They were the member of the Arachne magic towers dressed as a maid.

“Yes, just as the princess mama wrote…”

“Then why didn’t it work?!!”

Puck! Crring!

At the same time, the calmness left the face of Margareta. The bottle of wine and glass hit the maids’ head.

Blood was drifting down, but the maid didn’t dare to scream or let her balance go down.

If she did anything worse, she might have to be the next rat in Margareta’s experiment or a human sacrifice.

“To call such ones a wizard…”

In spite of the criticism, the wizards of Arachne magic tower shook their heads.

“I will find another way. I will make a special drug. Please follow me.” The princess said.

“Yes, princess mama.”

Even if they weren’t aware of what went wrong and if the things didn’t go her way the next time, she might enslave them.

Margareta was very determined, but she didn’t notice that there were two demons which were watching her move in the dark.