NOVEL NEXT Chapter 136: Angry
Everyone waited for the Lord of the Crimson Veil's response, but he remained silent for quite some time.
That silence made people suspect the answer wouldn't be good news.
Even if the Lord of the Crimson Veil were to say that the Second Grand Ancestor was still alive and well, it would still be difficult for them to believe it.
The King swallowed hard. The longer the Lord of the Crimson Veil stayed quiet, the more nervous he became.
The Queen was no different. After all, she too was of royal blood—though from a side branch of the royal family.
"Your Second Grand Ancestor is still alive," the Lord of the Crimson Veil finally said after a long pause, "but he has nearly reached his limit. Unless he can advance another step into the Ancient Sovereign Realm, the next time he appears may very well be the last day of his life. Several battles have already drained his vitality and lifespan."
The hall fell silent upon hearing those words.
First of all, though Magi had long lifespans, they were not immortal. Usually, powerful Magi would seal themselves within special places to prolong their lives.
They might be confined, but at least they could continue cultivating.
However, during extreme battles, they sometimes burned their life force to unleash great power—shortening their own lifespans.
If someone had lived for so long and still roamed the world freely, that person must be extraordinarily strong—either far beyond most Ancient Sovereigns or already nearing the power of a Grand Sovereign.
"Ahem…" The Lord of the Crimson Veil cleared his throat, for even the King had fallen silent.
"My apologies…" The King quickly spoke up.
"Lord of the Crimson Veil, please, I've prepared an excellent wine for you," the King said politely.
The Lord of the Crimson Veil nodded and followed the King to the most prestigious seat in the banquet hall.
"By the way, Lord of the Crimson Veil, I imagine you must have a special purpose for coming here. May I know what it is?" the King asked carefully, curiosity evident in his tone.
"I do have a purpose—two, in fact," the Lord of the Crimson Veil replied.
"Oh…" The King was slightly surprised to hear that.
However, a hint of worry formed in his heart—he feared this man had come to help his disciple propose to Lilith.
After all, Prince Charles had already proposed to Lilith more than once. It wasn't that the King disapproved, but he had no control over Lilith's personal choices or whom she wished to be with.
Now that she had clearly not rejected Richard, the King had no choice but to accept their engagement.
If the Lord of the Crimson Veil came to help his disciple pursue Lilith, things could become quite complicated.
"First, I wish to recruit that boy genius named Richard into the Order of the Crimson Veil. Our elders have shown interest in him," the Lord of the Crimson Veil continued.
Upon hearing this, the King's expression remained calm.
To him, it was only natural for a great organization to want to recruit Richard.
It was even good for the boy—so long as he was smart enough to use their protection and influence to his own advantage.
This posed no problem for the kingdom. What mattered most was that Richard was from their realm and indebted to their nation. If he truly became a powerhouse in the future, the kingdom would benefit greatly.
"I'm not sure if he'll agree or not. So far, I suspect he already has a powerful backer," the King replied. "Then, what is your second purpose?"
The King was far more concerned about the second one.
Even if Richard joined the Order of the Crimson Veil, the Lord could still be biased toward his disciple.
If Richard refused, then the Lord would likely lose interest altogether.
"I seek your assistance," said the Lord of the Crimson Veil.
The King was stunned upon hearing that.
Since the man was asking for his help, it likely had nothing to do with helping his disciple propose to Lilith. If that were the case, he would've said it directly rather than frame it as a request for help.
Still, the King couldn't help but wonder—what kind of assistance could this man possibly need from him?
"What kind of help?" he asked again.
"One of our Grand Ancestors wishes to borrow the Clone Artifact owned by your daughter. He promises to return it and is willing to bind his oath with the World Magic Aether. Of course, he will pay your daughter handsomely," the Lord of the Crimson Veil explained.
"This…" The King's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that.
No one in the hall knew that he was already Lilith's slave, bound by a Slave Seal—and he was not yet prepared to die resisting it.
Given that situation, the person he feared most in the world right now was his own daughter.
How could he possibly dare to make such a request of her?
"Lord of the Crimson Veil, perhaps you should speak to Lilith directly," the King finally said.
"I know your daughter doesn't like us much. If I speak to her personally, I'm afraid she'll refuse without hesitation," the Lord replied calmly.
The King opened his mouth but found himself speechless. Just as he was trying to think of what to say next—
BANG!
A loud crash echoed through the hall as one of the tables shattered into pieces.
"What?" The King was startled, turning toward the source of the sound—only to see that the table in question was the one where his daughter sat with Richard.
And it was Richard who had smashed it.
"What's wrong with him?" the King muttered in confusion. No one had approached that table.
He wondered why the boy suddenly looked so furious—until he noticed Richard's flushed red face and wide, burning eyes.
Looking closer, it became clear that Richard was glaring straight at Prince Charles.
"What are you looking at? Why are you staring at me like that?!" Richard suddenly shouted at Prince Charles, sounding like a drunk thug provoked by someone's gaze.
But in truth, Charles's glare wasn't exactly pleasant either—it was filled with murderous intent. So it wasn't strange that the heavily intoxicated Richard took offense to it.
Charles was utterly stunned. He hadn't expected Richard to yell at him so brazenly.
Even if the boy was drunk, such courage was beyond what he imagined.
"What? Are you upset that I'm engaged to Lilith? So what if you are? You can't change our fate. Lilith belongs to me. You think this is a joke, but she herself told me I'm her type—and that she wants to make me her lover once I'm grown!" Richard went on ranting at Charles.
Every word he said shocked everyone again and again.
His body might have seemed weak, but his voice carried loud and clear.
"You should've learned to give up after being rejected over and over again by Lilith, instead of holding a grudge against me—her chosen one! And now, what? You brought your teacher here to help you? Hah! If he dares, I'll make sure he returns home without his hands and feet!"
BANG!
Richard slammed his cup down, shattering it into pieces after finishing his outburst.