Axel and the others began making their way back to the center of the camp.

Along the way, a few of them started to split off. These were the new faces whose homes were in the Residential District, spanning from the East to the North of the camp.

"Do they not want to join the festivities?" Axel asked lightly, curious but not bothered.

Beatrix, a few steps behind him, replied, "No, Sir Axel. It's because they don't really know you and might feel they don't deserve to come and celebrate your arrival..."

"Is that so?" Axel mused. "Then tell them I'd welcome them if they want to come. This could be a good opportunity to meet some new faces, after all."

The camp's population had surged from barely over thirty—including the rehabilitated bandits—to over a hundred. Even if Axel wanted to get to know everyone, it would certainly take some time.

Events like this feast would be a good chance to broaden their horizons and foster connections.

Beatrix smiled at his words and bowed. "Then I'll go and invite them."

Axel knew not everyone would show up, but he expected at least half would take the opportunity. They must realize this was a chance to meet him, one of the camp's leading figures.

"Welcome back, Sir Axel."

As soon as they arrived at the castle, Maria and Cherry greeted them.

"The table is prepared," Cherry said. "This way, please."

Axel let Arianne down by the entrance, handed a potion to Maria, and instructed, "Make her drink this when she's able. Also, there should be more joining us later, called over by Beatrix; let them in."

"Yes, Sir Axel."

Maria bowed respectfully, accepting the mana potion.

Arianne's eyes were still swirling; she was definitely not back to her usual self. While Axel wasn't certain if it was her first time, he knew she wasn't accustomed to having her mana used to the limit. But, well, she should be getting used to it soon enough.

With that settled, Axel followed Cherry inside.

After passing through a large hall, they turned down a hallway that led further in. They then took a right, entering a large room—one of the many ballrooms that served as a function space for the castle.

In the room, food was laid out buffet-style at one end, with tables scattered throughout. Axel feared he might be forced to dance at first, but with no music or space for it, he sighed in relief.

A few figures were already gathered ahead of Axel and the others.

"Husband! Over here!"

"Sir Axel!"

The two were already seated at a round table for four, alongside another familiar face—Nina. Even before Axel arrived, the three appeared to be engrossed in lively conversation, which made him smile faintly.

Although this made it more challenging for him to join their circle, Axel didn't hesitate.

"Great work, Princess Eve," Axel called out formally as he took a seat. "Your sniping skills have improved so much; you're now even better than I am."

Despite his praise, Axel had only shared basic knowledge about firearms with Eve initially. He wasn't an expert in guns; he simply had a general understanding of their operation. Given his current level, it was only a matter of time before Eve surpassed him in sniping expertise.

"Without Sir Axel's help, I wouldn't have even realized I had a talent for these kinds of weapons," Eve replied, smiling as she patted the large case leaning against her chair.

"I thought it was a strange weapon at first," Nina chimed in from the side, grinning. "But after witnessing its destructive power firsthand, I can confidently say it's even better than the fortifications on our frontline fortresses."

She then turned to Axel, her curiosity evident. "Sir Axel, couldn't you sell these weapons to Mother? With them, I think we could reclaim several more fortresses, even without Miss Fenrir or your assistance!"

"I mean, it's fine for me, but..." Axel pointed at the gun and cautioned, "The holy bullet, the only one effective against the demons there, costs 500 million Colts per shot. I don't think you can afford to use it for long..."

"W-What...?" Nina's face went pale.

She hadn't realized that firing the rifle even once would come with such a steep price!

"It's true," Eve commented. "And just to note, Sir Axel, the Holy Bullet clip I had is now empty. To ensure our little kingdom's defense later, I would like to request a few more clips."

"Sure. Later."

Axel nodded without much hesitation.

After all, to him now, anything in the millions range felt "cheap."

Given his auto-crafted items, their selling prices, and volume, he was effectively earning enough for one clip in about a minute on average.

However, Axel understood that he wouldn't be able to sell out his stock indefinitely. Eventually, he would run out of customers, causing demand to drop and leading to a market crash of sorts. Before that happened, he needed new products to sell.

And that's what the upgraded accessories, sword, armor, potions, and tonics were meant for.

Although selling the upgraded potions would be shelved for now, the original, non-dismantled ones were more than sufficient to make up for it. As for the rest, he would begin selling them after the results of the auction returned.

When the three girls resumed their conversation, seemingly ignoring him, Axel decided to get some food. He had high expectations for the recipes that Cherry and Maria had worked hard to create.

Thankfully, he was not disappointed.

The dishes were all unique and tasted blissfully delicious.

Axel couldn't help but devour everything he chose, wearing a wide smile on his face!

As time passed, more and more people arrived. Roughly half an hour after Axel's arrival, he felt it was time to take action.

"I'll go."

He announced to the three girls as he stood up and made his way to the stage at the opposite end of the hall.

There was no microphone or sound system, but given the size of the hall, his natural voice should carry well enough to reach everyone present.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! First, let me introduce myself. I'm Axel Walker, consort to both Princess Eve Shardrain Klint and Princess Teruria Hallbach!"

As anticipated, even without shouting, his voice resonated throughout the hall. Noticing that all eyes were on him, he smiled and continued.

"First of all, thank you for participating in this welcome feast." He said, then shifted his expression to one of seriousness—cutting to the chase. "However, we don't really have much time to celebrate."

"...?"

Everyone seemed puzzled by his words. He hadn't prepared a script or anything, after all. Even Eve and Teruria were hearing this for the first time.

Axel ignored their confusion and spoke without pausing.

"Right about now, the Alcott Empire should be marching towards us."

He... dropped a bombshell.

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