Chapter 94. Another Storm Rises
He looked at Duke Carden.
“Send the Sixth through Tenth Battalions of the Royal First Monster Legion, together with the three noble Legions you have just formed, to the Western Frontier for defensive deployment.”
“The old king of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom just fought a war with the Dwarf Kingdom. Their national strength may not be enough to support another great war right now. I do not believe he would truly dare to start one so easily.”
“But, Your Majesty, that is an army of one hundred and thirty thousand pressing against the border.”
Duke Carden spoke urgently. “Those Battalions of the First Monster Legion may be powerful, but they may not be able to withstand—”
“That is enough.”
Kroll II cut him off, his voice sinking.
“My mind is made up. You may all withdraw. William stays.”
Duke Carden still wanted to argue, but Duke Lane beside him quietly tugged at his sleeve and shook his head.
The three Dukes exchanged a glance. In the end, they still bowed and withdrew from the Royal Study.
The moment the hall doors closed, the tension in Kroll II’s shoulders eased slightly. He rubbed his brow and said to William, “Sit.”
William sat down across from him.
“I did not expect something like this to happen at such a critical moment.”
Kroll II picked up the secret report.
“If the old king of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom truly intended to start a war, he would never have sent only one hundred and thirty thousand troops, nor would he have kept the First Prince’s delegation stranded in his Royal Capital.”
“This feels more like pressure. He wants to force me to do something.”
He paused, his tone grave. “And what they want to force me to do most likely has something to do with you.”
William’s heart stirred. “You mean...”
“The First Prince’s conduct in the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom is highly suspicious.”
Kroll II said, “The marriage alliance was meant to stabilize the border, yet he has delayed his return again and again. There are even reports that he has become extremely close with the princes of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom.”
“I suspect someone is fanning the flames behind the scenes, hoping to use the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom’s hand to draw you out of the Royal Capital, and then seize the chance to...”
He did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
William fell silent for a moment.
“Father King, what if I call over the Dragon Mother and have her wipe them out directly?”
Kroll II shook his head. “Eliminating them would be easy, but then the war against the Kadiya Kingdom would be delayed, and the variables would become too great.”
“William, you do not need to concern yourself with this matter.”
“I will ask the old king of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom exactly what he is trying to do. You may withdraw for now.”
William nodded, bowed, and left.
At that very moment, deep within the royal palace of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead.
The old king, Odyssey V, sat upon a gem-encrusted throne, his gaze dark as he looked at the Second Prince, Madelai, standing below the dais. His graying brows were tightly knit.
“Why did you place the First Prince of the Kroll Kingdom under house arrest in the Royal Capital and cut off all contact between him and the outside world? Do you realize this will only intensify the conflict between our two kingdoms?”
Madelai stood there with a respectful bow, but there was not the slightest trace of panic on his face. Instead, there was a hint of concealed excitement.
“Father King, the reason your son acted this way is because I obtained a piece of information capable of changing the balance of the continent.”
“Kroll Kingdom’s Fourth Prince, William Kroll, possesses a talent that allows him to see through human aptitudes.”
“What did you say?”
Odyssey V shot to his feet from the throne, his scepter slamming heavily against the ground with a dull thud.
“He can see through aptitudes? Such a gift... Are you certain this information is true?”
“Without question.”
Madelai nodded, his tone incomparably certain.
“The First Prince of the Kroll Kingdom told your son this with his own mouth. During this period, I mobilized every agent we planted inside the Kroll Kingdom, and all the intelligence they sent back matched.”
“Over the last three years, William Kroll has been frantically purchasing slaves, recruiting commoners, and secretly training two elite Knight Orders. It is said that every member of those Orders was personally selected by him as someone with ‘high aptitude.’”
He stepped forward, and a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes.
“Father King, if this child is not eliminated, then in a few more years, the Kroll Kingdom will surely produce a great number of top-tier combatants. When that time comes, they will inevitably expand outward, and our Silver Oakleaf Kingdom will be the first to suffer.”
Odyssey V remained silent, his fingers tapping against the armrest of the throne over and over. The crisp clatter of gemstones echoed through the hall.
Only after a long while did he slowly speak, his voice carrying a trace of sinister chill.
“Haha, what a precious treasure. Since that is the case, let the Kroll Kingdom deal with it themselves...”
Madelai froze. “Father King means...?”
“You have done well. This information is extremely important.”
A cold smile curled at Odyssey V’s lips.
“If it is a secret capable of changing the balance of power, then our kingdom should not be the only one to know.”
“Send word to the neighboring kingdoms, especially the Kadiya Kingdom, which has long been at odds with Kroll. Tell them that Kroll has produced ‘a prince who can see through human aptitude.’”
He paused, and a calculating light flashed through his eyes.
“Once the various kingdoms learn of this, they will certainly become wary of the Kroll Kingdom’s potential. Then they will join forces and attack, forcing Kroll II to cut off his own arm.”
“The life of one prince in exchange for the kingdom’s peace. I do not believe Kroll II would fail to understand such logic.”
Madelai instantly understood his father’s intent, and a fawning smile spread across his face.
“Father King is wise. In this way, not only do we remove a mortal threat, but our Silver Oakleaf Kingdom does not have to openly offend the Kroll Kingdom. It is truly brilliant.”
“You may go. Carry out the plan.”
Odyssey V waved a hand and sat back down upon the throne, his eyes turning toward the direction of the Kroll Kingdom beyond the window, unfathomable and deep.
The hall doors slowly shut, and Madelai’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Over the next half month, the winds across the continent shifted abruptly.
The Kadiya Kingdom, Dragon Kingdom, the Barbarians, and the Orc Kingdom, who had originally been locked in constant conflict, suddenly agreed to a ceasefire. Each of them drew back its front lines, changed direction, and faintly began forming a ring of encirclement around the Kroll Kingdom.
At last, Kroll II uncovered the root of the problem.
The Silver Oakleaf Kingdom had detained the First Prince’s delegation not for the sake of border interests at all. It was because the First Prince had used William’s secret—that he could see through aptitude—as a bargaining chip and had told the Silver Oakleaf Royal Family everything.
The news spread through the surrounding seven kingdoms like wildfire, leaving every monarch both shocked and afraid.
A genius capable of screening and cultivating top-tier combatants in large numbers was a potential catastrophe for any kingdom.
In just a few days, envoys from all seven kingdoms gathered in the Royal Capital of Kroll. Under the pretense of “maintaining continental balance,” they all pressured Kroll II, both openly and in secret, demanding that he “deal with” William.
Inside the Royal Study, Kroll II looked at the harshly worded letters of state from the various kingdoms and trembled with rage. Suddenly, he clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood, which splashed crimson across the bright yellow desk.
“That unfilial fool.” He growled, his voice hoarse. “How did my Kroll Family produce such an idiot?”
Prince Kande hurried forward to support him, his expression grave.
“Your Majesty, quell your anger and take care of your health.”
“Quell my anger?”
Kroll II shoved him away, his eyes bloodshot.
“The pressure from seven kingdoms, the crisis on all four frontiers—this is all thanks to him! Kande, pass on my decree—”
He drew a deep breath, his voice cold and vicious as ice.
“Place the Queen under house arrest in her Residence. Without my order, she is not to step beyond the palace gates by even half a step.”
“Immediately mobilize the Royal Guard and surround Duke Carden’s manor on all sides. Confiscate every bit of their property. I want the Carden Family erased completely from this continent, cough, cough...”
The violent coughing nearly left him unable to breathe. Seeing this, Prince Kande ordered people to carry out the decree while urgently saying, “Your Majesty, the priority right now is stabilizing the situation. The Carden Family is tied to many different factions. Perhaps—”
“No matter how far those ties reach, they must still be dealt with.”
Kroll II cut him off, his gaze resolute.
“Carden is the maternal clan of the First Prince. If I do not kill one to warn a hundred, I will never quell public fury, nor will I be able to suppress those vermin already beginning to stir.”
Blood dripped through the gaps of his fingers, making him look more than ten years older in an instant.
He knew that placing the Queen under house arrest and purging the Carden Family was not only an outlet for his fury. It was also a gesture for the seven kingdoms to see, and a warning to the wavering forces within the Royal Capital.
But that was far from enough.
He looked out the window. The sky above the Royal Capital was so dark and heavy that it seemed ready to collapse.
William’s secret had been exposed. It was like hurling a boulder into a tranquil lake, and the ripples it stirred had already become towering waves.
And as king, he no longer had any room to retreat.
“There is one more thing...”
Kroll II caught his breath, his weary voice rough and hoarse.
“Have William remain within his own palace. Without my order, he is not to leave.”
Prince Kande’s heart tightened, but in the end, he still bowed and answered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The doors of the Royal Study closed once more, sealing out all the noise beyond.
Kroll II sat alone behind the bloodstained royal desk, staring into the empty hall, and for the first time truly felt the devastation that a fool could bring.