“Yes, Your Majesty. I thank you for your concern regarding my second son.”
William Douglas, the Imperial Prime Minister, bowed slightly to the Sage King and spoke in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the Sage King’s calm eyes swept over William’s expression. “Thank you? You do not resent me?”
William bowed again. “I would not dare.”
“‘Not dare’ means you do.”
The Sage King turned his gaze to the portrait of the late king and said peacefully, “Even so, it is only natural for you to harbor resentment toward me.”
“I placed your second son in a dangerous land shrouded by the gray mist, commanded you to use only Silver rank forces for his protection, and forbade you from withdrawing him from Solainem early.”
“It is common for you to feel resentment toward my orders because of this.”
William did not speak, merely keeping his eyes lowered.
“I did not expect that second son of yours to be so capable,” the Sage King continued, indifferent to his reaction.
“He not only disrupted my plans and exposed the vampires hiding in Solainem prematurely, forcing me to order Clyde to find an excuse to leave Solainem early...”
“...but he also worked with Miles to repair the Gray Mist Barrier, resolving the crisis. Even the tragedy I had originally planned lost some of its intensity because of him.”
“Fortunately, he took Miles away, allowing the explosion at the cathedral to occur, which made up for it.”
“William, do you think I should reward or punish your second son?”
William looked up and said, “Your Majesty, you have already rewarded and punished him.”
The Sage King glanced at him, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.
“You saw through it.”
“Indeed, I have shaped your second son into the hero who saved Solainem—this is both a reward and a punishment.”
“He will stand at the center of the storm as a hero of the Empire. This glory is also a shackle, making him the bullseye for everyone’s gaze.”
William replied, “And more importantly, a tool in Your Majesty’s hand. Should he meet with an accident, Your Majesty can manipulate public opinion and turn his death into a flame that inspires the entire Heron Empire.”
The Sage King chuckled and shook his head.
“The world calls you, William, the Iron-Faced Prime Minister, not only cold and strict regarding imperial affairs but also heartless toward your own offspring.”
“But in my view, William, you spoil your children far too much—so much that you have failed to see your second son’s true talent.”
True talent?
William’s expression did not change, but a seed of doubt sprouted in his heart. What true talent could that second son of his possibly have?
However, the Sage King did not elaborate. He turned and walked toward the door at the end of the Royal Gallery corridor.
William quickly kept pace with him.
As they were about to exit the Royal Gallery, William could not help but ask, “What is the talent Your Majesty mentioned?”
The Sage King’s lips curled into a smile, as if saying, “See, you finally couldn’t help but ask.”
“If I were to summarize that talent in one phrase, it would be a ‘sense of destiny,’” the Sage King said slowly.
“Your second son is exactly the kind of person who truly possesses a ‘sense of destiny.’”
“Such a person will not perish easily.”
“Furthermore, he is accompanied by a guard whose fate is elusive—heh, perhaps she will even become your daughter-in-law in the future.”
William fell silent upon hearing this.
The King had once appraised another person as having a “sense of destiny,” and that person was none other than the current Guardian Knight of the Heron Empire, known as the “Final Blood Knight,” Magnus Hyde.
“Come, let us go meet your hero of a son who saved Solainem.”
The Sage King waved his hand, and the heavy doors of the Royal Gallery opened silently on their own.
He led William outside.
...
“Look! The Imperial Capital is right ahead!”
A priest from Solainem pointed forward and shouted.
In the direction he pointed, a massive capital city lay quietly on the plains like a prostrate dragon.
Its silhouette was defined by countless towering palaces, high spires, and the domes of grand cathedrals, together forming the dragon’s spine.
As the convoy gradually entered the Imperial Capital, the scenery became even more magnificent and bustling.
Alicia pushed open the glass window of the ox-steed carriage, looking at the capital with a sense of novelty.
Broad, smooth imperial avenues crisscrossed the city, wide enough for several royal carriages to pass side-by-side.
On both sides of the avenues were continuous, majestic marble buildings, and between them were countless bustling markets and lively squares.
Crowds of people in various styles of dress converged—from nobles in fine silks to patrol guards marching in unison, to merchants and craftsmen from all corners of the Empire.
“Finally back in the Imperial Capital.”
Old Hunter looked at the familiar streets, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
“The air in Solainem was too dry. Every breath felt like an effort, as if I couldn’t get enough air.”
“The capital is better. The air is moist and cool; it feels refreshing just breathing it into my lungs.”
Leon smiled and looked at Alicia.
A day ago, when they crossed the Cloud Mountains, Alicia had made a similar remark, though her perspective was the opposite.
Having always lived in the northern part of the Empire, Alicia felt the moisture of the south made her skin feel sticky. She had frowned and said it was “like living inside water.”
Well, of course, her original words hadn't been quite that fluent.
“Priest Leon.”
Miles’s voice came from outside the carriage.
Leon stepped out and nodded to Miles.
For some reason, the way Miles had been looking at him lately carried a strange meaning. Furthermore, the way he addressed Leon had changed from the affectionate “child” used by an elder to “Priest Leon.”
Leon didn't quite understand the change. He simply assumed his performance in the gray mist had caused Miles to see him in a new light, granting him a status close to that of a peer.
“Alicia, you and Old Hunter head to the manor first. After Bishop Miles and I meet with His Majesty, I’ll be back soon.”
Alicia nodded and said, “Leon, Priest, you, be careful.”
Leon laughed. “I’m going to see His Majesty, not to repair a Gray Mist Barrier. There’s no danger.”
Alicia nodded again and said seriously, “But, still, be careful.”
Leon could only nod helplessly at her earnest expression.
Although Alicia seemed dim-witted and blank, her ability to perceive emotions was unnervingly sharp.
Yesterday, while chatting with the other priests, the Sage King was mentioned. Leon felt he had managed his expression perfectly, but when he returned to the carriage, Alicia asked if he disliked the Sage King.
Leon had been so startled he quickly covered her mouth.
Upon questioning her, he learned that Alicia had noticed a slight change in his demeanor the moment the Sage King was mentioned.
The priests Leon had been talking to face-to-face hadn't noticed a thing, yet Alicia had sensed the anomaly instantly. This led Leon to wonder if Alicia’s apparent lack of wit was because she had put all her attribute points into intuition.
After saying goodbye to Old Hunter and Alicia, Leon and Miles boarded another royal carriage to go to the palace to see the Sage King.
The palace was located in the center of the Imperial Capital, built from expensive and hard sparkstone. Every time the sun set, the lingering glow would dye the sparkstone a deep crimson, as if a fire were burning fiercely within it.
The outer walls of the palace were carved with reliefs of the Empire’s past sage kings and heroes, solemn and dignified.
On both sides of the wide jade steps stood royal guards clad in jade armor. Their eyes were like eagles, and they generally radiated the aura of Gold rank power.
The royal guard captain at the front even carried the pressure of a Diamond rank.
Using Gold and even Diamond rank bloodline warriors as guards could only be described as obscenely wealthy and terrifying!
Leon and Miles stepped onto the lustrous jade steps together and entered the main hall of the palace.
At the end of the towering hall, atop a high platform, the figures of the Sage King and the Imperial Prime Minister, William Douglas, stood still.
The two of them bowed their heads in greeting, their voices echoing clearly in the solemn hall.
“Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Lord Prime Minister.”
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