The friend he had just met left without saying goodbye, and Rhaegar felt an indescribable emptiness in his chest.
He hadn't even had the chance to talk a little longer.
"I was hoping to ride it around a few more times,"Rhaegar joked to Elric.
"If fate allows, we might meet again."Elric chuckled softly in response.
After making sure the little prince's mood had stabilized, he rose to deal with the pheasant's carcass.
Watching Elric's white robe flutter slightly as he moved, Rhaegar pursed his lips, picked up a nearby waterskin, and took a long gulp.
"Ha~ finally alive again."
His throat soothed by the water, Rhaegar suddenly recalled the faint system notification he'd heard before losing consciousness.
"Was that… just my imagination?"
With a thought, the system panel appeared before his eyes.
[Rhaegar Targaryen]Talent: Dreamer (Gold), Long Life (Green)Bloodline: Ancient Valyrian Dragonlord (+10%)Skills: Valyrian Tongue (Mastery)…Relic: Blood of Fire and Blood (Fire Resistance +50%)Evaluation: "Lucky boy—you've made a very generous friend."
Rhaegar's eyes widened at a line of small text.
"A new talent… Long Life?"
He blinked, checked it again and again—there was no mistake.
"There really is a new talent!"
His heart pounded violently. He pressed a hand against his chest, unable to contain his excitement.
"Long Life—does that mean… I can actually live to be a hundred?"
Rhaegar knew his body better than anyone. "Broken" would be an understatement—it was more like half-dead.
His little heart thudded faster and faster, and though his hands and feet went cold, joy surged within him.
His frailty had always been due to organ failure.
That was why a few steps left him breathless, why a surge of emotion made his heart feel starved of blood.
But now—his heart was racing as if it might burst out of his chest, yet he only felt a bit winded.
Even his limbs didn't tremble.
"Haha! I can live to be a hundred! Damn this cursed frailty—I'm free from you forever!"
After suffering sickness for so long, Rhaegar couldn't contain the flood of emotion. He burst into wild laughter.
Elric, who had just finished plucking the pheasant, jumped in fright at the sudden outburst.
When he turned around, he saw the little prince rolling on the ground, laughing uncontrollably—arms flailing, scattering dirt into the air.
Overwhelmed by joy, the young boy had no idea how to release it except by laughing himself breathless.
Otherwise, he would have gone mad holding it in.
Though to Elric's eyes, Rhaegar already looked like a little madman.
"Seven hells… spare me this torment."
Elric sighed helplessly, abandoning his half-roasted bird to check on the prince.
The boy had only just awakened from a coma—if he lost his mind now, Elric would be doomed.
Sneaking the prince out was already enough to get him executed by the king.
If he returned with a mad prince on top of that, his head would roll for sure.
"Dear brother, may you not be dragged down with me,"Elric murmured a silent prayer that his younger brother Alric would be spared if he lost his life.
As it turned out, Elric's fears were unnecessary.
After letting Rhaegar's frenzy run its course for about ten minutes, the boy collapsed in exhaustion and lay still on the ground.
When asked what had made him laugh so much, he simply replied:
"A cripple who throws away his crutch—how could that not be worth celebrating?"
Elric didn't understand, but he could tell the little prince's condition was stable.
No sign of madness, no fainting spells.
"My head's safe then,"he muttered, shaking his head. He'd never understand the way Targaryens thought.
Best to focus on finishing the roast. Dinner was more urgent.
Rhaegar lay quietly on Elric's white robe, staring at the sky in a daze.
So many thoughts flooded his mind.
The system's line—a generous friend…
The red fruit the white stag had fed him…
The ever-increasing percentage in his Valyrian Dragonlord bloodline…
He opened his system interface again.
It showed that the white stag had been identified as a rare magical creature, fulfilling exploration conditions.
While Rhaegar had been unconscious in its arms, the system had automatically completed the exploration.
And that red fruit had been the exploration reward.
[Magical Creature: White Stag]Exploration Progress: 100%
"Relic automatically retrieved… scanning…""Scan complete. Item classified as Epic-grade Relic — Blessing of Auspice.""Activate relic?""Relic automatically activated.""Congratulations! Blessing of Auspice activated successfully. You have gained…"
[Long Life]Grade: Good (Green)Effect: A blessed creature's gift to a new friend—fulfilling the truest wish of the heart.Evaluation: "Red grapes are too sweet. The tang of an orange suits the taste better…"
Reading that strangely personal evaluation, Rhaegar couldn't help but laugh sincerely.
The disappointment of his friend's silent departure faded away.
"Thank you, my good friend,"he whispered softly, sending silent gratitude to the white stag.
Then he noticed something odd.
The Blessing of Auspice had been Epic-grade, yet the talent he received, Long Life, was only Good-grade.
Compared to the Legendary-grade relic Blood of Fire and Blood, or even his Excellent-grade Valyrian mastery, it was far inferior.
After some thought, Rhaegar understood.
It was the nature of a "blessing."
Deep down, what he had most desired was a healthy body.
So the blessing had granted exactly that—a sound body and a long life.
Looking up at the crescent moon hanging over the night sky, Rhaegar's eyes held a calm he'd never known. Even the dark circles beneath them seemed to fade.
"From this night on, from this moment forward—I am no longer a sickly child."
"A Rhaegar Targaryen free from the shadow of early death… will bring forth a legend sung for a thousand years."
He raised a fist to the sky, his heart burning with resolve.
He would make the world remember his name!
A few steps away, Elric sniffed at the pheasant's golden-brown skin, frowning in confusion.
"Strange… it's not even burnt?"
The next morning.
Half-asleep, Rhaegar was hoisted onto a horse's back, mumbling "Dracarys" in his dreams.
As they followed the narrow trail back to camp, Elric chuckled, "As expected of a Targaryen's child—still dreaming of dragons."
The morning dew faded, and the sun climbed higher.
Around eight o'clock, a rider on a black horse appeared at the camp's entrance—it was Alric.
"Elric! You're finally back!"
Before they even entered camp, a figure dashed from a corner, voice full of relief.
Rhaegar, already awake, turned his gaze and saw a face almost identical to Elric's.
Of course—it was his twin brother, Alric Cargyll.
Alric's expression was anxious. He grabbed the reins before Elric could speak and demanded,"Where were you yesterday?"
Facing his brother's anger, Elric dismounted with Rhaegar in his arms and sighed helplessly."What do you think?"
Alric's fury only grew. "The king ordered you to bring Prince Rhaegar before him, and instead you snuck him out of camp! That alone could have you hanged!"
Elric's lips moved, but he could only sigh again.
Yesterday's events were too strange—he hadn't even fully processed them himself, let alone explain them to his stubborn brother.
Sensing his discomfort, Rhaegar stepped forward to mediate.
"Ser Alric, it was I who asked your brother to take me out. It wasn't his idea."
Alric looked down at the boy who barely reached his thigh. "Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but the king waited for you and the princess for hours yesterday. His wrath was… considerable."
"Do you understand what that means?"
Hearing the warning beneath Alric's words, Rhaegar nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. I understand your concern for your brother. I will do everything I can to speak on Ser Elric's behalf."
"This began because of me. Whatever consequences come—let them fall on me."
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