Chapter 34 : Meeting

"Huek!"

The children vomited after arriving in the capital due to traveling at the speed of sound. Arthur was even still unconscious on the train. His soul had nearly left his body.

'Pathetic,' Van thought.

Van then looked around and realized that the attack by the [Gehenna Cult] had ended.

The stench of blood filled his nose as he gazed at the mountain of corpses before him. Van was certain that the impact of this attack would affect the Avalon Kingdom for decades to come.

The children, who had just finished vomiting, also saw the horrifying sight before them. Upon witnessing the pile of corpses, they threw up once again.

"What the hell is this?" Oliver muttered in disbelief at the scene before him. His hands clenched so tightly that they turned pale.

"This is the real world," Van said calmly.

Van then walked away, leaving the children who were still trying to compose themselves.

'I can't believe that crazy cult ended their attack this quickly. There must be something hidden,' Van thought.

Van sat atop a ruined building, lost in thought.

'What were they really doing? What was their goal? Even though attacking this kingdom certainly caused a lot of trouble, the losses were too great for that insane cult,' Van pondered.

*WHOOSH

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Van snapped out of his thoughts and replied without turning around, "I almost died."

Behind him, Grandpa stood covered in blood—whether it was his own or the enemy's was unclear.

"HAHAHAHA, you must be joking," Grandpa laughed as he patted Van's shoulder.

'Ugh, this old man has no mercy,' Van thought as pain shot through his shoulder.

Van then turned around and saw Grandpa smiling at him. In the distance, his father, mother, and several royal knights were evacuating the children.

"Let's go back," Grandpa said as he walked toward his parents.

Van simply nodded and followed Grandpa from behind.

- - - - -

Three days had passed since the attack on the capital. News of the incident spread across the world. The event became known as the [Gehenna Festival].

Inside the Royal Palace of Avalon, [Le Louvre de Versailles Palace], Van sat in a meeting room along with nine children, all six years old.

Oliver Black, Olivia Black, Adam White, Lancelot Gold, Noel Silver, Akashi Red, Wolford Green, Ronald Blue, and Vivian Elena von Avalon.

In front of them were the Royal Family of Avalon and the nobles.

'Since when did I become a babysitter, damn it?!' Van thought irritably.

As for the reason he was here? His parents had dragged him along to attend the royal meeting.

And what about the nine children with him? Their parents had done the same.

Watching the adults engage in debate, Van cursed them in his mind.

'Crazy old folks, making 11-year-olds and 6-year-olds learn politics,' Van thought as he glanced at Oliver, who was already half-conscious from listening to the nobles' discussions.

Unlike Oliver, who looked lost, Olivia paid close attention to the discussion with a serious expression.

'As expected from one of the smartest women in [Naive Hero],' Van thought proudly as the author.

However, reality often strayed from expectations.

'What are they even talking about? What language are they using? What does it mean to divert funds to development? What does it mean to focus on the economy?' Olivia wondered.

Van then turned to the red-haired, green-haired, and blue-haired children who were staring at him with intense hostility, as if he were a mortal enemy.

'What's up with these three? Are they mentally unstable?' Van thought in confusion.

Unbeknownst to him, the trio still remembered the incident at the Royal Banquet, where Van had thrown Oliver at them while they were approaching Olivia. That event had made them harbor a grudge against Van.

'This is the bastard who threw a human at me,' Akashi Red thought.

'He attacked when he saw us approaching his little sister. Is he a siscon?' Wolford Green wondered.

'How dare he humiliate me! I'll get back at him tenfold in the future,' Ronald Blue seethed.

'This must be the effect of [Villain Aura],' Van thought.

[Villain Aura: The Master is a villain. The Master will always appear evil. Can trigger emotional responses from other characters toward the Master. The Master's growth will always progress rapidly.]

Van then activated [Void Eye]. The three children suddenly became terrified as they felt the [Mana] in their bodies vanish.

Seeing Van's red eyes, they were overcome with fear. Eventually, they diverted their gaze from Van to the nobles who were engaged in debate.

'Don't underestimate your creator, naughty children,' Van thought smugly.

Unbeknownst to him, Lancelot Gold and Noel Silver had also witnessed his actions against the red, green, and blue trio. Already fearful of Van, they became even more terrified.

'Terrifying!' Lancelot and Noel thought as they exchanged glances.

As Van tried to focus on the meeting, he suddenly felt someone's gaze on him. However, this stare sent a shiver down his spine.

Van turned to the side and saw a white-haired, white-eyed child staring at him intensely.

'What's with this weirdo? He was strange before, but this is on another level. Don't tell me he likes boys?' Van thought, suddenly feeling uneasy.

Adam White, the magic prodigy. The eldest son of the White family, known for producing great wizards. Despite his talent in magic, Adam was more interested in swordsmanship.

Because of this, he was often mocked by the nobility, especially by the [7 Pillars].

'The Black family produces swordsmen. He's the eldest son of the Black family. So, he must be an incredible swordsman, right?' Adam thought.

Van then turned his attention back to the meeting, trying to ignore Adam's intense gaze.

However, Van once again felt a strange stare directed at him. This one also sent a shiver down his spine, but it wasn't from Adam.

Van turned and saw the princess of the Avalon Kingdom, Vivian Elena von Avalon, sneaking glances at him.

Noticing Van catching her staring, Vivian blushed and pretended to focus on the meeting, though her eyes continued to dart toward him.

'What is wrong with this generation?' Van thought as he considered the weird kids around him.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty. One of the Black family members returned with a carriage full of children kidnapped by the [Gehenna Cult]. We can assume that the purpose of this attack was to destroy the future of the Avalon Kingdom by killing the kingdom's next generation," one of the nobles stated.

King Augustus, upon hearing this, suddenly turned to the head of the Black family.

"Who in your family did this, Lord William?" King Augustus asked.

"It was my eldest son, Your Majesty. His name is Van Black," Van's father answered, pointing at Van.

In an instant, all eyes turned to Van. Some looked fearful, others curious, awed, or impressed.

"As expected from the son of the Black family."

"He truly is the number one genius of this generation."