Chapter 77. Royal Family Secrets
Tos frowned deeply and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, it was indeed that boy with extremely strong magical talent.”
“When we caught him, he was dragging two teachers from the manor toward a temporarily carved altar, intending to use a Soul Sacrifice to make up for the lifespan he had lost.”
“Two court mages were also caught off guard and were sacrificed by him as well…”
“Heh.”
William laughed out of anger, his fingers trembling slightly at his side.
“Good. Very good. He certainly has guts.”
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger in his chest. His eyes turned cold as ice.
“Tos, keep a close watch on him. He must not die. After the banquet ends, I will meet him personally.”
Tos bowed. “Understood. A Sky Knight from the Slave Manor has already been assigned to guard him to ensure nothing goes wrong.”
William waved for him to leave and turned to look toward the center of the banquet hall, where a false prosperity filled the air.
Under the swaying candlelight, the Queen was chatting and laughing with several noble ladies, while the First Prince moved among the nobles with a wine glass in hand. Everything appeared normal.
But William knew that a blade had already been drawn in the shadows—its edge coated with poison and aimed directly at his back.
He slowly straightened his robe and returned to the crowd.
When Mary saw him return, she blinked. “Your face looked terrible just now. Did something happen?”
William forced a faint smile, hiding the coldness in his eyes. “Nothing. Just a small matter.”
The two resumed their previous conversation. Mary continued chattering cheerfully about interesting stories from the Northern Frontier. William listened patiently and occasionally replied, though his mind had already calmed.
In the banquet hall, Kroll II withdrew his gaze and clinked glasses with Duke Tuso as they continued discussing the Northern Frontier’s defenses, as if the brief interruption earlier had never happened.
The celebration banquet gradually came to an end amid this seemingly harmonious atmosphere.
When the guests dispersed, Mary hopped happily into the carriage with Duke Tuso and his wife.
Before leaving, she leaned out of the carriage window and waved toward William.
“Your Highness! When you have time, you must come to the Northern Frontier and visit me!”
William smiled and nodded. “Alright. I will go if I have the chance.”
The carriage slowly departed under the escort of knights. William watched it disappear into the distance before turning and walking quickly toward his father’s Study.
When he arrived at the door, he knocked lightly.
“Come in,” Kroll II’s steady voice came from inside.
William pushed the door open and entered. Kroll II was seated behind the desk, reading a parchment scroll. A steaming cup of black tea rested on the table beside him.
When Kroll II saw William enter, he put down the parchment and pointed to the chair opposite him.
“Sit.”
After William sat down, Kroll II spoke slowly.
“In a few days, Lord Xilan will take you to the Royal Family Secret Realm. You will select all the children inside who possess outstanding Aptitude.”
William nodded. “Yes, Father.”
Kroll II looked at him, then suddenly changed the subject.
“I heard that you ordered an investigation of the Slave Manors. What did you find? Are you angry?”
William nodded honestly.
“Yes, I am angry. I do not understand. I gave them a chance to escape their slave status. They have food, clothing, and the opportunity to cultivate. Why would they still do this?”
Kroll II laughed. There was a trace of world-weariness in the laughter.
“William, you still underestimate human nature. Those slaves have long struggled at the edge of life and death. In their eyes, there is only ‘seizing opportunities.’ They do not necessarily understand ‘cherishing them.’”
“You want to train them into your own Knight Order. Your intention is good, but you must remember—most of them can only serve as cannon fodder.”
He paused, his tone growing more serious.
“I am not trying to discourage you. Many nobles throughout history have tried the same thing. But most of them failed.”
“When you form a legion or Knight Order from commoners and cultivate them wholeheartedly, they often feel gratitude and rarely rebel.”
“But slaves are different. Deep in their bones lies resentment from oppression. Today they may risk their lives for you because the benefits you give them are sufficient. But if those benefits disappear one day, or someone offers them a greater temptation, their backlash will be far more vicious.”
William fell silent.
He thought of the boy who used forbidden soul magic to break the contract, and the slaves who secretly possessed forbidden books. A heavy feeling settled in his heart.
“Of course, there are exceptions,” Kroll II added.
“After such a long period of development, the royal family has found a feasible solution. However, this method requires the support of a divine artifact.”
“That is also why I asked you to select slaves and send them to the Northern Frontier Secret Realm.”
He lifted his teacup and took a sip.
“Enough about them. William, some of the children inside the Royal Family Secret Realm come from royal collateral branches or the descendants of meritorious families. They have proper backgrounds. If you polish them well, they can become your right and left hands.”
“As for the others, you should choose them carefully as well. Consider it a form of compensation.”
“As for your slaves… letting them charge into battle and earn their freedom through military merit will be sufficient.”
William looked up at his father in confusion. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.
“Your son understands.”
Kroll II looked at William and spoke in a heavier tone.
“The Royal Family Secret Realm is not peaceful either. You will understand once you go there.”
“Lord Xilan belongs to the royal family and can be absolutely trusted. Just focus on selecting people carefully and do not give anyone an excuse to criticize you.”
“Although we may not care about idle gossip, the marriage alliances built over so many years cannot be severed so easily.”
William became even more puzzled.
“Aren’t the people inside the Secret Realm all members of the royal family?”
Kroll II gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“This was a mess left behind by our Ancestor. Back then, during the war for the throne, the Kroll family fought fiercely. Our population dwindled to the point where the bloodline was nearly severed.”
“To preserve the bloodline and strengthen the family, the Ancestor established a rule: recruit talented individuals with high Aptitude and marry them into the Kroll family. Their families would also move into the Secret Realm and share its resources.”
“At the beginning, those highly talented individuals who joined the royal family were indeed remarkable.”
Kroll II’s voice grew heavier, filled with a trace of reminiscence.
“In the early years after the founding of the kingdom, surrounding nations were eager to seize a share of the spoils. Those people led their family legions into countless battles and firmly defended the territory.”
“They suffered enormous casualties during those years. To be honest, without them, there would be no Kroll Kingdom today.”
His finger tapped lightly on the desk.
“Out of gratitude for their contributions, the Ancestor usually turned a blind eye to the small tricks of those families.”
“But something happened recently that forced him to suppress them.”
At this point, Kroll II paused, as if choosing his words carefully. In the end, however, he shook his head.
“Saying more would only disturb your mind.”
“You only need to know that your trip to the Secret Realm to select people also serves as a form of appeasement.”
“After all, outside the Northern Frontier Secret Realm, eight Legends fell. Six of them came from those families.”
William’s heart trembled.
So those eight Legends had been deliberately sacrificed?
But what kind of matter could anger the Ancestor enough to sacrifice eight Legends?
Kroll II took eight gray-black crystals out of his Spatial Ring. The surfaces of the crystals were dull and faint patterns flowed across them, emitting a heavy chill.
“These are the physical forms of Soul Contracts,” he said calmly.
“Killing that slave with Domain Aptitude would be a waste.”
“Keep him alive. This Soul Contract can lock his soul. Unless you personally release it, he will remain under your control for the rest of his life.”
He paused before adding, “But remember—once the Soul Contract is released, the soul imprisoned inside will instantly collapse, and the person will die.”
With a flick of his finger, the eight Soul Contracts wrapped in faint Dou Qi and landed steadily in front of William.
William reached out and caught them. The icy touch of the crystals against his fingers made his heart tighten.
This Soul Contract was far more ruthless than the Slave Contract. It practically placed the other person’s life and death completely in his hands.
William bowed deeply toward Kroll II.
“Thank you for your concern, Father.”
Kroll II waved his hand.
“Enough. Go take care of whatever you need to do.”
William bowed again and left the Study.
The hand holding the Soul Contracts tightened slightly, the cold sensation seeming to seep into his bones.
He knew that his father was not only giving him a tool, but also teaching him a lesson—
Mercy toward enemies was cruelty toward oneself.
At the end of the corridor, the candlelight flickered, stretching his shadow long across the floor.
William lowered his head to look at the Soul Contracts in his hand, then stored them in his Spatial Ring and quickly walked toward the palace exit.
Some debts had to be settled personally.