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"What do you think of that boy, Allen Boreas Greyrat, Lord Darius?"
Royal Palace, First Prince's mansion.
Early in the morning, Darius and the First Prince were drinking on the balcony, both wearing bathrobes.
Darius's bathrobe was wrinkled, with many faint spots on it.
Darius would normally offer some beautiful maids to the First Prince's mansion, but the First Prince would often refuse them.
However, since the "Boreas Incident" a month ago, the First Prince's behavior had changed. Not only did he accept the various maids Darius offered, but he also brought out his own 'private collection' and occasionally invited him for a night of entertainment.
The intention to cater to his preferences was very obvious.
Look, there were still human-flesh cushions lying on the carpet in front of them, for the two to rest their feet on.
Darius's plump feet sank into the soft human rug as he chuckled.
"Your Highness worries too much. How can I be such a pedantic person? Allen Boreas Greyrat has strength and ability, so why shouldn't we accept him? Even if that old man Sauros comes back, what of it? A few years ago, I might have been willing to play with him again, but now, His Highness's great cause is more important. Personal grudges should be put aside."
"It's not too late to settle accounts slowly after His Highness ascends the throne."
First Prince Graviel stared intently at Darius's expression, then suddenly burst out laughing, patting Darius on the shoulder.
"It seems I was the one being petty. As expected of Lord Darius's magnanimity, you don't care about these small matters."
"It should be so."
Half an hour later, a beautiful carriage left the First Prince's mansion.
Inside the carriage, the plump figure leaned against the carriage seat, pulling back the curtain to look at the eastern sky.
The dawn in Asura was as beautiful as yesterday's, with its vibrant orange and red glow.
The loyal butler's voice came from his side.
"Master, the maid gifted by the First Prince... should we still kill her?"
Darius waved his hand casually.
"Keep her. The gesture has been made, but too much would be overdoing it."
"Yes."
Darius leaned out of the carriage, looked back at the First Prince's mansion, and smiled cunningly.
Graviel was worried about the enmity between himself and Sauros, fearing that he might find the growing Boreas influence a threat. He was afraid that if he got angry, he would remove the Boreas family from under the First Prince's banner, thereby giving this promising and increasingly famous young man away to others.
So although he had been quite interested in Allen Boreas Greyrat before, he always pretended to be indifferent in front of him.
Because of this, after receiving the letter, he couldn't inquire about it with Darius immediately, so he could only be secretly suspicious. In the end, Allen Boreas Greyrat took advantage of the situation that day to successfully kill James, forcing the First Prince to vouch for his actions.
While, in the grand scheme of things, Sauros's return to the royal capital and the further expansion of the Boreas family's reputation was indeed beneficial, the First Prince was honestly quite annoyed.
—The actions of the Boreas family, which were beyond his control, made him realize that this young member of the Boreas family was no ordinary person. This was why he showed favor to Darius after the incident, hoping to achieve a balance of power among his subordinates.
He was a poor judge of character.
This generation of royal candidates all had various flaws. Graviel was only the best of them, but he still had a long way to go before becoming a truly outstanding 'King.'
He was a far cry from the current King's younger self.
Darius narrowed his eyes, which were squeezed between his folds of flesh.
And a far cry from Allen Boreas Greyrat, even if the latter was much younger.
It just verified certain "facts."
Indeed, "Divine Oracle" would not deceive.
"Then Allen Boreas Greyrat is a threat. I heard Sauros has already reached Flowing Falls City. Once they meet, should we..." The butler whispered into his ear, making a gesture of a sword being swung.
Darius glanced at the butler.
"You want to die, but I don't."
The butler was so taken aback by Darius's reaction that he was speechless.
The latter only turned his head to look at the dawn outside the carriage curtain, silent.
Just then, rumble, rumble, a fast-moving carriage swept past them, turned, and blocked their way.
Darius pulled back the curtain and looked out.
—The carriage bore the royal crest of Asura.
A person stepped out, it was Lilfa.
He held the sword at his waist and spoke to Darius.
"Lord Darius, His Majesty has summoned you."
"Darius, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
At the top of the Silver Palace, in the 'King's Chamber' where the King worked, the summoned Darius was playing chess with the King.
Darius watched as the King's 'Queen' charged across his chessboard, but a smile remained on his face.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I've been busy assisting His Highness Graviel recently."
"Oh? The trouble the Boreas family caused a while ago? What do you think of that young man from the Boreas family?"
"He's a remarkable talent. He makes me faintly recall Sauros's vigor when he was young."
When the King heard Darius mention their younger years, he seemed to recall his own youthful ambition with a smile.
"Heh, Sauros didn't have such cunning then. Why do I see a shadow of your younger self in him? He talks about reclaiming the Sword Sanctuary, but if that were truly the case, why would he actively involve himself in the struggle for the crown? That boy's 'rise to fame' is not over yet."
"Your Majesty, are you not worried that his reputation will overshadow that of His Highness the Prince? And he also brought down Duke Pilemon. It seems the connection between the Notos and Boreas families, which I deliberately undermined back then, is on the verge of a resurgence."
"It's fine. Notos is not a real threat. It seems I worried too much back then. Look at this Pilemon, and that 'eldest son' who severed his ties with the Notos family to become an adventurer—is there anyone among them who can stand on the world's stage?"
"However, looking at it now, this boy from the Boreas family is indeed a stunning and outstanding person among those I've seen in the past few decades."
"If there were a war, this boy, with both military might and cunning, might indeed become a major power. But with the kingdom so stable now, he is ultimately just a talent for a royal adviser."
Darius had been a strategist for the current King during his own struggle for the crown, so the King didn't hold back in his words, even speaking with a teasing tone.
The man playing chess was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"That's true. Besides, there's Sauros to keep him in check. That old man, Sauros, may be a failure, but he's still loyal to Your Majesty."
The King laughed.
"By the way, I had a dream yesterday. I dreamt of you, me, and Sauros, thirty years ago, working together for the kingdom. Now, times have changed, but in the dream, everything was so clear that for a moment, I thought I was young again. When I woke up, I felt a sense of loss."
"When he was young, Sauros often looked down on you, relying on his status as one of the Four Great Noble families. But in middle age, you defeated him time and again, and he eventually returned to the Fittoa territory in frustration."
"I heard he arrived in Flowing Falls City yesterday, saying he needed to rest from the journey. I think he's just unwilling to face you."
Darius smiled without speaking. Although he was corpulent, he was as cunning as an old fox.
"What are you saying, Your Majesty?"
"What, do you still want to kill him?"
"I never wanted to kill him. Back then, the situation in the royal capital had already changed. He didn't work hard, and he always wanted to dictate how Your Majesty and I should act. He didn't realize that Your Majesty was already the King, and I was no longer the boy he could summon and dismiss at will."
Darius paused, and continued. "If he returns in that same state this time... if it comes down to it, I'll just have to kill him."
"All this fighting and killing, no old affection." A teasing tone.
"Isn't that just how Asura is?" Responding with a tease.
The person who truly had 'no old affection' captured Darius's 'King', reached out to caress the scepter beside him, a look of remembrance in his eyes, and said.
"I sent a letter this morning, telling him to hurry back. He should be docile for a few years, and after the struggle for the crown is settled, you can fight and scheme all you want."
"The ship should arrive in the evening. Go and meet him in the royal capital to reminisce about old times."
The King's laugh was hearty, the last word of 'reminisce about old times' rising in pitch, as if carrying a hint of youthful ambition.
But upon closer inspection, it was just an illusion.
Sometimes, when people reminisce about people and events of the past, they aren't truly thinking about the people and events that were around them back then.
They are merely using it to remember their own vibrant, youthful selves.
What 'old affection' could there be?
Times have changed...
The people of today.
Are no longer the people of back then~
See, thirty years ago, the valiant young man who could attract Reida with his charismatic personality is now just a corpulent, scheming person.
Darius's eyes narrowed, a playful smile on his lips.
"Yes."
Corlell Mansion.
"Then how will you handle Princess Ariel? She visited me privately... she seemed..."
"A little pitiful..."
Allen and Isolte turned to look at Sylphy, both with strange expressions on their faces.
And when Sylphy saw their expressions, for some reason, the word 'prince consort' suddenly popped into her head.
Her face froze! She quickly waved her hands.
"I-I-I-I!!! That's not what I meant!!"
Allen shook his head.
"Is it genuinely pitiful, or fake pitiful?"
Sylphy frowned and thought for a moment.
"...Genuinely pitiful..."
Allen raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, while Isolte frowned hard.
The former thought:
Ariel can maintain such a good facade even with Sylphy's talent for empathy. Has she really changed her nature?
In the original, the reason Ariel and Sylphy got along so well was largely because after the Great Teleportation, Ariel often had heart-to-heart talks with Sylphy on the bed to comfort her during her most helpless moments. This, coupled with their shared hardship while escaping the royal capital, created a strong bond of trust.
But in this timeline, Sylphy, who sees Ariel as a potential romantic rival, would naturally be more objective than in the original.
The latter, in this life's butterfly effect caused by Allen, had no good impression of Ariel at all. She felt that as a princess...
Why was she always so flirtatious?
What a sneaky cat.
She subconsciously reached for the hilt of her sword at her waist, but her hand found nothing.
It was then that she realized she hadn't worn her swordsman's uniform for an entire month because Allen's gaze clearly favored the long black dress with the slit.
Thinking of this, Isolte's thoughts suddenly wandered:
As for whether Allen liked her legs or the scenery beneath her legs, she still hadn't been able to figure it out with certainty in this past month...
When she finally figured it out, that would be the time to...
"Then you go and support Ariel."
Isolte was stunned. She suddenly snapped out of her rosy thoughts and looked at Allen in shock, but then Allen reached out and patted her back to reassure her.
"Uncle Paul is coming. Although he has Notos blood, he still lacks some 'justification' by his very nature. The First Prince's faction is not suitable for him to rebuild his power, because after this lesson, the First Prince will certainly not rashly associate with an Uncle Paul who has ties to me."
"Even if a Notos comes to pledge allegiance, he would choose the next family head recognized by the Notos family."
"The Second Prince's reputation has fallen recently. Plus, since he could sell out Pilemon, he could also sell out Uncle, so he is not a good choice."
"So, joining Ariel's faction, with the condition of helping him reclaim the Notos family headship, will be more beneficial for the future."
Sylphy's mouth was open, looking very cute.
"What about Allen? What about Eris? Won't we be on different sides then?"
Isolte, beside her, showed a thoughtful expression.
Allen, seeing Sylphy's face suddenly turn red, pulled her to his side and said with a smile.
"Not to mention 'friends,' isn't it normal for different direct lineages of the same family to have conflicting positions? Look, you were clearly touched by Ariel's reaction this time. She is a person who is skilled at handling interpersonal relationships. If it weren't for this assassination being so sudden that it flustered her a little, she would have performed even better."
Although he said 'friends,' the scoundrel-like actions of holding her hand and patting her back did not seem like he was genuinely 'making friends.'
Sylphy's ears twitched. "If we're against Allen, we're bound to lose."
Isolte took over her words.
"Senior Brother's goal is Darius."
"Huh?"
Allen nodded to the two of them, but still concealed some of his words.
There was another reason for supporting Ariel.
That was that Orsted himself was part of the Ariel faction. In the eyes of Orsted, who was constantly looping, Ariel's ascension to the throne was a matter that would be beneficial to the grand scheme of killing Laplace in the future.
This meant Allen couldn't truly join the First Prince's faction. Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to clear his name in the future.
Isolte held onto her hand behind her back and looked at Allen with a serious expression.
"I can cooperate with Senior Brother, but this time, we must know Senior Brother's plan. Senior Brother can't keep making us worry, can he?"
Allen was stunned for a moment.
Then he saw Isolte speak with a blush on her face.
Her black eyes, however, were incredibly firm.
"After all, Senior Brother is 'family' to us."
Allen stared at Isolte for a long time, then smiled.
He replied softly.
"Okay."
There were noises outside the door.
The three of them turned to look at the entrance through the window.
As the noble ladies, with a mix of fear and deep respect, curtsied and pulled on their skirts.
A luxurious carriage stopped at the entrance of the Isolte mansion.
Someone got out of the carriage and looked up at the window.
With shocked expressions on Isolte's and Sylphy's faces.
Allen raised an eyebrow, his gentle expression instantly vanishing, and he quietly met the visitor's gaze.
In the afterglow, their gazes collided.
The sun leaped over the sky of Asura, changing its position.
The dawn glow turned into evening glow.
In the adventurer's settlement, the Altiere River Dam on the hill was draped in a red veil.
"What a coincidence. I never expected that my meeting with Sir Allen would be to welcome Sauros."
Below the dam's foundation, Allen averted his gaze from Darius's narrowed eyes.
"You call me 'Sir,' but you call my grandfather by his name. Is that appropriate?"
Darius's smile was very cunning, with a hint of disdain.
"Why is it not appropriate? I was impressed by your scheme a month ago. Although you are young, your abilities are beyond reproach. As for your grandfather, what's wrong with calling him by his name?"
Not far in front of the two of them, a massive ship was on the waterway of the Altiere River Dam.
On the deck, which couldn't be seen from where Allen and Darius stood.
Sauros stood at the bow of the approaching ship, his brow furrowed into a frown, and he looked at the figures of Allen and Darius from a distance.
Behind him.
Philip, Hilda, Paul, Rorze, and Noda all had different expressions.
The evening glow stained everyone's figures red.
Zenith, Lilia, Norn, and Aisha's figures were nowhere to be seen.
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