Chapter 75.2

Oswald interjected, "Forget it. This brain is hopeless. Take him outside and hang him on the city wall overnight to dry."

Heartbroken, Mi Ao let out a sorrowful howl.

Kevin grabbed a fist-sized fruit from the nearby fruit plate and shoved it into Mi Ao's mouth in a somewhat bullying manner. "Enough with the wailing. If you want to talk, I'll take you seriously," he said.

Members of the legion were skilled at these interactions, and as soon as Kevin played the bully, Mi Ao fell silent and looked at him sadly.

Finally, Kevin took the fruit out of Mio's mouth and placed it in his arms. "Here's a sweet fruit for you. Don't hold back and hesitate to ask your questions. That style doesn't suit you and hurts the eyes," Kevin commented.

Mio appeared dazed and asked, "I saw a Sirius. Was it the one you brought to the Old Rose Castle last time?"

Kevin nodded in affirmation. "Yes."

Mio's gaze then turned to Oswald once more as if in a trance. "How did the Sirius transform into His Majesty? This is unimaginable! How did it happen?" he wondered bewilderedly.

Oswald replied, "The way the Beastmen change is the same way I change. You can use your imagination and make comparisons."

Mio's brain, which had recently been buffered, froze once again.

He stared blankly for a while before slowly starting to process the information. "So, you're saying... my God, are you saying you can shapeshift like the giant beasts?"

After a brief pause, Mi Ao's eyes widened in realization. "Your Majesty, are you a member of the Giant Beast Human Race...?"

Oswald responded, "I'm half of it. My mother must have had this bloodline."

He then recalled the lively and enthusiastic beauty of his mother, as well as the blurry image of a tall man in his dreams, and felt a twinge of regret. "Help me remember to assist when the troops are stationed in the west... Oh, forget it," he added.

Midway through his sentence, Oswald shook his head and said, "Never mind, it's fine to have paintings. We can discuss it later."

Mi Ao looked at him in a dazed manner before shifting his gaze to Kevin.

"Did you witness all this too?" Oswald asked, changing the subject. He eyed Mi Ao up and down.

"Yes," Mio replied absentmindedly. "Is there anything else? It's all gone."

For a brief moment, Mi Ao felt a deep, regretful expression on Oswald's face, as if he wanted to be seen.

However, he brushed it off as an illusion, as when he blinked, Oswald's demeanor instantly tensed up again.

The emperor nodded solemnly, released the chain from his hand, raised his chin at Mi Ao, and said, "You're free to go. When you return, make sure those drunkards keep their distance from me until they sober up."

The Golden Leaf Festival was a day of celebration and getting drunk was the norm, with two more days of revelry to come.

The emperor's resentment likely stemmed from being placed under a password restriction, leaving him unable to fully partake in the festivities.

Sensing the emperor's frustration, Mi Ao feared being on the receiving end of his anger again, so he silently removed the iron chains from his body.

However, as he was about to speak, he paused and raised a perplexed expression. "Your Majesty, did you tie me up to prevent me from revealing the secret of the giant beastmen's bloodline?

"I understood it the moment you spoke, so there was no need to go to such lengths," he said sincerely, his face displaying a pang of regret.

Oswald replied nonchalantly, "Who stopped you from talking about it? If you didn't, I would have revealed it myself after the Golden Leaf Festival. There's no need to hide the fact that I have mixed blood."

Mio questioned further, "Then why did you tie me up?"

Kevin chuckled foolishly from the side and said, "It was just to help you sober up. His Majesty himself got tied up for a day, and it was quite a bitter experience. You brought it upon yourself."

Mio responded with a dry laugh.

The deputy commander had grown tired of dealing with these two wicked individuals, not even the emperor and the commander.

In his desperation, he yanked on the iron chain three times, then five times, and finally two times before rolling towards the door.

To his surprise, the two wicked individuals suddenly realized their conscience and followed closely behind him, almost as if they wanted to see him out the door.

Just as Mio reached the door, ready to leave, he suddenly turned his head as if remembering something. "Eh?" he questioned.

Oswald, with a simple gaze, signaled him to keep quiet.

Under the influence of the remaining alcohol in his system, Mio blurted out, "Kevin, were you lying on His Majesty's bed just now?"

Kevin remained silent, leaving Mio with a momentary pause. Shortly after, Deputy Commander Mi Ao Scott was swiftly packed up and thrown out.

He stood there, watching the bedroom door slam shut, his expression dazed. As he made his way down the corridor towards the outer courtyard, the last scene he witnessed kept replaying in his mind.

Oswald let out an exclamation, looking at Mio as if to say "you finally asked," before casually admitting, "Well...it's what you saw."

Mio tried to decipher the meaning behind these words, feeling as if he might faint at any moment.

The thought of his superior and brother-in-arms, Kevin Fassbender, having involvement with the emperor seemed unimaginable and terrifying.

Rather than giving a rebuttal, Kevin simply shrugged and leaned against the doorframe, watching Mi Ao with indifference. "Almost," he conceded.

To make matters worse, the emperor raised his chin and added, "Oh, by the way, you don't have to hold back on this matter, because I plan to talk about it as well."

Mi Ao swam his way back to the hall along the corridor, disoriented by the noise and bright lights.

Slowly, his lost soul returned to him. Leaning against the wall, he muttered to himself, "Damn it! They're serious!"

In the emperor's bedroom within the inner courtyard of the palace, the emperor reinforced the door even further with the removed iron chain, effectively sending away the unfortunate soul.

With his arms folded, Kevin looked at Oswald and questioned, "Have you lost your mind? I haven't even left yet. It's pointless to put so much effort into blocking off all these paths. You'll have to undo them later."

Oswald finished securing the last bundle, dusted off his hands, turned towards Kevin, and finally did what had been interrupted by a torn book: he leaned in and kissed Kevin's mouth.

Finally, he spoke the words that had been hanging in the air, "Who said I was going to let you go back? Your Excellency Kevin Fassbender, after all the wine you've given me, don't you think it's only fair I settle the score?"