Chapter 89. Settling the Matter, Departure for Dragon Island
The candlelight in the Royal Study flickered, casting Kroll II’s shadow onto the wall in shifting light and darkness.
He looked at William, and there was a trace of weariness in his voice.
“The personal maid of the Second Prince’s Wife committed suicide in her own room. She left behind no final words before her death, and the trail ends here.”
William remained silent. He knew this was no accident. The maid’s death had clearly been arranged to silence her and force this matter into a complete deadlock.
“This matter... will end here for the time being.”
Kroll II’s voice dropped a little lower.
“I have already issued the transfer orders. Prince Kande will take over as Commander of the Royal Guard, and Marquis Peter will be transferred to serve as Legion Commander of the Royal Eighth Legion.”
“Both of those are positions with real authority. Consider them... benefits I secured for you.”
William raised his eyes to look at his father, his gaze sharp.
“Father King, have you already discovered who the true mastermind is?”
Kroll II’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. His fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, and only after a long while did he nod.
“Yes. I found out. It was someone from the royal clan, and there was also the Queen’s shadow behind it.”
He paused, his tone grave.
“This kind of matter cannot be handled openly. Their roots run too deep. A forced purge would only cause unnecessary turmoil and delay the war against the Kadiya Kingdom. That would only hold you back.”
“I have already made arrangements. They will die of illness without anyone noticing, and as for their families, I will arrange for them to go to war alongside you.”
He looked at William, his eyes filled with unquestionable resolve.
“William, you are my son. I will never allow you to suffer even the slightest grievance. Go back and rest.”
William looked at the newly added white hair at his father’s temples, and a complicated emotion suddenly rose in his heart. He bowed. “Your son understands. Father King, please take care of your health as well.”
Kroll II nodded, and William withdrew from the Royal Study.
When he returned to his palace, Vivian and Zoe were still waiting under the lamplight. The moment they saw him come back, both of them let out a sigh of relief.
William smiled. “It is all right now. Father King has already made arrangements. Everyone should rest early. It is very late.”
Vivian could tell that William did not wish to say more, so she nodded and left with Zoe, who had wanted to stay behind. William then glanced toward the entrance of the palace.
“You should all go back and rest as well. You still have to continue your training tomorrow.”
Outside, Aila, A'gu, and the others looked at William, their expressions still carrying a trace of worry. In the end, however, none of them said anything more. They bowed in unison and left.
That thrilling assassination attempt was like a stone cast into a lake. Though it had once stirred towering waves, it was ultimately smoothed over by the undercurrents of the royal palace, and calm returned on the surface.
For the next month, William’s life became orderly and full, almost moving along a fixed three-point routine.
Every morning, he would take Zoe, Aila, and the other five to the camp of the Royal Ninth Legion.
They helped him handle the legion’s affairs, especially since Marquis Peter had now been transferred to the Royal Eighth Legion.
During this time, he moved with swift decisiveness, removing several nobles who had occupied their posts without doing any real work, while promoting a group of commoner knights he had personally brought in. The entire atmosphere of the legion was revitalized.
In the afternoons, he often went to the Slave Market and auction houses in the Royal Capital to purchase slaves.
Aside from that, the academies of the Royal Capital had also become places he visited frequently.
He looked only at their commoner status and background. Any commoner with Gold Aptitude or above was directly taken under his command and trained separately from the slaves.
The slaves needed to have their edges ground down, while the commoners needed to cast off their timidity. These two entirely different methods of training were both carried out at the manors outside the city.
Every three days, William would visit those manors outside the city so that the commoners and slaves would know exactly whom they were serving, who was giving them cultivation resources, and to draw closer to them.
Within the manors, the number of instructors was steadily increasing as well. Their presence could now also be seen in several commoner manors, where they worked day and night to shape these slaves and commoners for William.
If William found a commoner who simply could not be reformed, he abandoned him outright, crippled his Dou Qi or mana, and had him thrown out.
The slaves were much simpler to deal with. They simply vanished.
Just as dawn was breaking, William had only just finished breakfast and was preparing to head to the Slave Market as usual when a thunderous dragon roar suddenly came from outside the window, tearing through the quiet of the royal palace at dawn.
He strode quickly to the front of the hall and saw a giant dragon with scales like red copper landing steadily in the palace square, with Daenerys standing upon its back in dark robes that whipped in the wind.
Unlike last time, when the dragon descended on this occasion, aside from the nearby patrolling Palace Knights who rushed over at the sound, not a single Legendary Combatant in the royal palace appeared.
“Stand down.”
William waved a hand at the Palace Knights gathering around. Though their faces showed shock and suspicion, they still obeyed and retreated to stand guard at a distance.
The moment he stepped forward, Daenerys raised her hand and waved it. A gentle current of mana lifted him lightly into the air and set him firmly on the dragon’s back.
At that moment, Prince Kande hurried over after receiving the news. Seeing that the dragon was just about to take off, he quickly called out, “Lady Daenerys, the Fourth Prince is an extremely important member of the royal family. If you intend to take him away, then please...”
“Commander of the Royal Guard, tell Kroll II that I am borrowing little William for a few days.”
Daenerys’s voice was as clear and cold as an icy spring, carrying unquestionable authority.
“In a few days, I will naturally return him unharmed.”
Before her words had even fully fallen, the giant dragon let out a soft cry, beat its wings, and its enormous body shot into the sky like an arrow loosed from the bow, carrying the two of them straight into the heavens.
Prince Kande watched as the dragon instantly became nothing more than a tiny speck at the horizon. He could only shake his head helplessly before hurrying off to report to the Royal Study. Who would dare refuse the Dragon Mother’s wishes?
On the dragon’s back, fierce winds roared around them, yet William was shielded by an invisible layer of mana and did not feel the biting air in the slightest.
He lowered his head and looked down. The Royal Capital had already shrunk into a hazy silhouette. The distant forests and rivers wound across the earth like ribbons of green and silver.
“Where are you taking me?” William turned to Daenerys beside him.
She looked toward the distant horizon, where the sea of clouds churned, and a faint smile curved her lips.
“To Dragon Island, to find you a few powerful backers.”
The giant dragon pierced through the clouds and flew toward a more distant stretch of sea.