King Nalvon took a slow breath and adjusted his sitting position.
"That is true, Lord Duke Elgard." King Nalvon answered in a very formal tone, intentionally maintaining his dignity before all the other kingdom officials who were now listening intently. "Since the first day they met me at the palace, Kazien did not even hesitate to be very firm with me in the throne room. He directly asked me to seal all information and keep their identities secret from the public after asking me to arrest every member of the Delfilian family."
That boy... he even dared to command a king to cover up his identity? King Nortvan thought as he eavesdropped from the next chair, cold sweat starting to bead on his forehead.
"But..." King Nalvon continued in a tone that suddenly turned casual, as if the foreign kings surrounding him were of no consequence. A proud smile formed on his face. "It was because of that great secret that all the movements of the dirty rats and corrupt nobles in our kingdom could be eradicated to the root, thanks to the direct help of your son, Duke Elgard! As a king, I am very grateful to your third son."
Hearing the shocking statement from the King's own mouth, Duke Elgard's eyes widened slightly.
"So... the wild rumors spreading in the border regions about my third son being the mastermind behind the massive arrests across the kingdom are true?" Duke Elgard asked to confirm the news he had heard from his subordinates' reports.
"It is entirely true!" King Nalvon answered again with a suppressed laugh. "Kazien is very firm in his actions, and I truly acknowledge his extraordinary leadership. He shows no favoritism and judges all who are guilty without mercy. Even Felix, the crown prince of our kingdom, was left speechless when facing him in an argument. Hahaha."
Hearing his name mentioned, Felix, who sat not far from his father, leaned forward.
"What my father said is one hundred percent true, Lord Duke Elgard!" Felix interjected suddenly, his eyes radiating deep sincerity. "I truly admire and respect Kazien. It was thanks to his guidance and the 'harsh slap' of his perspective that I managed to gain the absolute courage to rise and prepare to carry my father's title and burdens as king in the future."
Duke Elgard fell silent, still trying to process how his third son, whom he thought was just having fun at the academy, had actually cleaned up the entire central government of the Garveon Kingdom. Feeling the need for more confirmation, the Duke spontaneously looked toward his younger sister sitting in the back row.
"Did you also know about all these crazy plans from the beginning, Elisa?" Duke Elgard asked.
Elisa, the beautiful purple-haired woman serving as the central Guild Master, only smiled elegantly on her seat.
"Of course I knew, Brother!" Elisa answered without a second thought. "The four of them even asked me directly to create their adventurer license cards, but on the condition that the Altavis family name would not be included after their names."
Elisa stared straight at her brother with eyes full of pride.
"As a central Guild Master of the Garveon Kingdom, and of course as a mother to my son, Allen, and an aunt to my nephew... it was only natural for me to do so to smooth out their plans, wasn't it?" Elisa continued in a lower but emphatic tone. "Besides, you really don't need to worry about those kids, Brother. Don't you already know that the four of them are the group of adventurers who reached S-Rank faster than anyone in the history of this world? You truly don't need to worry in the slightest about their safety."
Hearing the last words spoken by his own younger sister, Duke Elgard was stunned for a moment. But a second later, a burst of laughter exploded in the VIP stands.
"Hahaha!" Duke Elgard laughed heartily, an immense pride swelling in his chest until his shoulders shook. "It seems that as a father, I have been overthinking their safety far too much. I almost forgot that those standing in the arena are adventurers who have already reached S-Rank!"
The proud conversation occurring between the Altavis family and King Nalvon in the VIP honorary stands immediately caught the attention of all the high-ranking officials from various kingdoms around them. Terrifying information after terrifying information hit their minds like a storm.
Especially the information regarding the status of the four academy students representing the Garveon Kingdom as S-Rank Adventurers. In an instant, the rulers and kingdom nobles, who were usually skilled at hiding their expressions, suddenly stood frozen. Their breath seemed to catch in their throats.
S-Rank?! King Nortvan screamed in his heart, his eyes widening as he stared blankly at the arena. His head suddenly throbbed from the shock. These four representatives from the Garveon Kingdom are a group of teenagers who have reached S-Rank at such a young age? They are still even first-year academy students. This truly surprises me!
King Nortvan turned his gaze, looking back at King Nalvon, who appeared remarkably relaxed.
And that silvery-white-haired teenager... what is truly on his mind? King Nortvan screamed again internally, starting to feel a slight chill at Kazien Altavis's calculations. Not only is he physically and magically strong, but he even possesses absolute political intelligence and courage. Daring to move a king from behind the scenes to arrest all the corrupt nobles in his kingdom, to the point where even the king and his crown prince openly acknowledge the youth. The Garveon Kingdom has truly given birth to a hidden anomaly!
Slowly, King Nortvan turned his face and looked at Kazien and his three fiancés standing calmly in the center of the arena. He swallowed hard.
Just how strong are they if their magic limits are released? he thought, beginning to feel pity for the participants from his own kingdom and the others. It seems... this year's tournament won't last long. This is completely one-sided.
While a staggering conversation that changed the kingdom leaders' views on the power map of the Azvel Continent was taking place in the VIP stands, the situation remained just as heated down below, right in the center of the arena.
"I am only reading the information already written in the profile papers from the registration committee, Young Master Arken!" the host replied from the podium, defending himself while showing a piece of parchment in his hand for everyone to see. "Besides, since the beginning of registration, absolutely no one from your academy or the tournament committee gave instructions that I should hide the identities of the four of you during this opening ceremony."
"What did you say?!" Arken exclaimed, his emotions flaring up again. His voice grew louder, laced with a threat. "Do you not feel that with your insolence right now, you have—"
However, before Arken could finish his threatening sentence that might have made the host faint from fear, a hand landed gently on his shoulder.
Spontaneously, as if a calming magic had been channeled, Arken's anger immediately receded. The brown-haired youth fell silent as he turned and realized it was Kazien who had tapped his shoulder.
"Stop this useless debate, Arken." Kazien requested in a very soft voice that nonetheless carried an undeniable firmness. "There is no use wasting energy arguing and blaming someone for something that has already happened. Time won't roll backward just because you shout at him."
Hearing the gentle persuasion of his future husband, Arken's shoulders, which had been tense, slowly relaxed. He let out a long sigh to vent the remnants of his annoyance.
"If that is what you say and want... then I will obey." Arken answered quietly, completely surrendering his ego before his beloved fiancé.
After calming his aggressive fiancé, Kazien nodded slowly. He then looked straight at the host, who was still standing tensely on the podium. To everyone's surprise, the silvery-white-haired youth immediately bowed his body deeply and gracefully.
"I represent my team, sincerely apologizing for his rude behavior and threatening words to you." Kazien said, his voice flowing calm and sincere, echoing throughout the arena. "He only felt indignant and lost control of his emotions because you leaked something that has been my personal request for a long time. Because I am the one who told and asked the three of them to keep our identities hidden from the outside world."
Seeing their beloved fiancé lower his head and bow to take responsibility for a mistake he did not commit, Alvin, Allen, and especially Arken could not stand still. Without a second thought, the three of them spontaneously bowed their bodies alongside Kazien.
"I... I also apologize for shouting at you in public and causing a commotion before this tournament began!" Arken said, his voice now sounding sincere and full of regret as he remained in a bowing position. "I am truly sorry for my uncontrolled emotions."