Chapter 16: support and progressing scheme

"Who dares to challenge my brother?" a female voice resonated, drawing everyone's attention. All eyes turned to her, captivated by her breathtaking face—a striking blend of beauty and elegance, exuding both fierceness and authority.

"Huh? Isn't she supposed to hate me like the other girls ? Or… does she like me that much? Is that why the author kept her from meeting me? But now that I've disrupted the time flow, everything's changed," Kai thought as his gaze fell on his stunning sister.

"My lord… that… that is the War Queen," a guard whispered to Lucian, his voice trembling as if a chill had pierced his heart.

Host: Valthera Stormbane

Position: Firstborn of the King of Eryndor, the revered War Queen, and eldest princess.

Realm: Martial Grandmaster, Stage 5

Luck: 10,000 (Forsaken Deity)

"This… this… a Grandmaster? A forsaken deity? She's overpowered!" Kael thought, his face frozen in shock.

The hall fell into a tense silence. Some stood frozen in disbelief, others visibly shaken by fear. Among them was Selena, her expression betraying her inner turmoil.

"Damn it! No, no, no… she came back now? What's happening? If I'm caught, not even Father can save me. Lucian won't be able to do anything either. I gave my body to him for this?" Selena's thoughts spiraled in chaos, her fear gradually giving way to anger, all directed at Kael.

"Hahaha! I wouldn't dare challenge you, War Queen. You see, Kael and I were just… chatting. That's all," Lucian stammered, forcing an uneasy laugh as he quickly tried to diffuse the situation.

A wise man knows when to retreat.

"Better," Valthera said coolly, before turning her attention to Kael. Her icy demeanor melted away as she approached him. "And you, little brother… Hehe, you've grown more handsome."

The crowd was stunned as they watched the fearsome War Queen's cold facade shift into a warm, affectionate smile.

"Sister, I…" Kael began, but his words were muffled as Valthera pulled him into a tight embrace, his face pressed firmly against her soft, ample chest.

Kael was utterly stunned, and he wasn't alone.

"Didn't I tell him to keep her at bay? Why would she do this to her own brother? They're adults! People will definitely misunderstand. Another headache. Is the world telling me it's time to step down?" the King thought in frustration.

"Ah, no, stop! She's so strong—I can't pull away! Damn it, even in my past life on Earth, no girl ever treated me like this. If you weren't my sister, I'd show you why they called me the Dragon King," Kael thought bitterly, struggling in vain to free himself. It was like trying to stop a river with a pebble—a completely futile effort.

"Brother, tell me, which girl are you f*cking now?" Valthera teased, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

The room collectively gasped, some even spitting blood in shock. Kael, however, was the most mortified.

"My image… ruined. Again. I don't need her help—she should leave now. Who needs a Grandmaster expert anyway? My plans are going just fine without her. Damn it, I'm not even a man anymore," Kael lamented inwardly.

"Child, can't you see me sitting on the throne?" the King finally spoke, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

Hearing her father's voice, Valthera immediately released Kael, who stumbled back, gasping for air.

She walked to the center of the throne room and saluted her father. Her cold demeanor returned instantly, and the room collectively exhaled in relief. Her terrifying presence as the War Queen was unsettling, but her affectionate side was even more unnerving—especially for Kael.

"Great work, Father. You saved me," Kael thought as he adjusted his disheveled robes. "What would people think if they heard a hundred-year-old man like me was molested by a twenty-eight-year-old girl?"

"Greetings, Father," Valthera said, bowing respectfully.

"At ease. I'm proud of you, Valthera. Your exploits have brought honor to our kingdom," the King said warmly.

"I'm glad to hear that, Father. So, what's going on here?" Valthera asked, a hint of confusion in her tone.

"Sit first. All will be explained in due time," the King replied.

Valthera nodded, taking the seat Kael had been occupying moments earlier. No one dared to object—this was the War Queen, after all. Who would challenge her?

"Lucian, you're right about one thing—I lack the crest. But I have a confession to make. Whether you're responsible or not… well, we'll find out soon enough," Kael said with a smirk.

Leaning in close, he whispered into Lucian's ear, "Your kingdom will soon be destroyed. As for my sister? You'll die together. Just wait for Seraphim to find out. You and Selena will pay."

Lucian's eyes widened in horror as he glanced at Selena. Though she remained silent, her trembling betrayed her fear.

"Father was right. This girl's venomous—she must've told him everything. If I'm going down, I'll take her with me," Lucian thought, gritting his teeth.

Kael turned his gaze to Selena and smirked. "So, I was right. It was you," he thought, amused.

Yet inwardly, he was elated—things were progressing better than he'd hoped. Still, he wanted to avoid direct conflict between their kingdom and the Fin Land Kingdom. That was why he'd acquired the Drunken Warlord Token.

Turning to the King, Kael bowed. "I pledge my allegiance to you, my King, to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"I will. I never go back on my word. And as for the Williams family, justice will be served," the King declared firmly as the day's meeting came to an end.

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At the Crown Prince's Room...

Kael sat on his bed, deep in thought, strategizing his next move. By now, the Jimi Kingdom would have discovered the Crest of the Drunken Warlord on the dead guards, along with the warriors the assassin had taken to frame them. All the evidence would point directly at them, leaving them scrambling to figure out the truth.

"They must be panicking by now," Kael thought, his lips curling into a cold smirk.

He knew it was only a matter of time before they came to Eryndor, but their actions would depend entirely on the Drunken Warlord's next move.

"Let's see if your promise or word holds any value," Kael muttered to himself, his eyes glinting with an icy sharpness. "And even if you deny it, who will believe you?"

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At the Jimi Kingdom...

The throne room was in chaos. The king, his ministers, and other high-ranking officials stood in anxious clusters, their hushed conversations dripping with fear.

At the center of the room stood a man, silent and still, exuding a quiet but dangerous energy.

"Do you think he did it?" whispered one minister.

"I don't know," another replied nervously. "But if he did, he's doomed us all."

"Yes. Imagine what the Eryndor Kingdom will do if they believe it was us!"

"We'd be at war. And we'd lose."

"But they might hesitate—after all, the Crown Prince's bride is here," someone else suggested.

"Silence!" the king thundered, his voice booming through the hall.

The room fell silent instantly, all eyes turning to the throne as they awaited the king's next words.

"Let the accused speak," the king declared, his tone sharp and commanding.

All gazes shifted to the man standing in the center of the room. He was once a revered general of the kingdom—a man of great respect and honor. But the loss of his family years ago had left him a shadow of his former self, reduced to a haggard, drunken shell. Now, he stood accused of attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince of Eryndor.

"Why did you do it?" the king asked, his voice steady but laced with a quiet fury.

The Drunken Warlord raised his head, his sharp, attentive eyes meeting the king's.

"Do what?" he asked, his voice cutting through the tense silence.

"Attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince," the king replied calmly, though his gaze was as piercing as a blade.

"Where's the proof?" the Drunken Warlord asked.

The king tossed something toward him. Catching it , the Drunken Warlord inspected the object. It was his crest—stained with blood.

"This was found covered in the Crown Prince's blood. What do you have to say for yourself?" the king demanded.

The Drunken Warlord stared at the crest in his hand, his thoughts racing.

"So this is what you've used my crest for," he thought bitterly before tossing it to the ground.

"Yes, I tried to kill the Crown Prince," he admitted, his voice dripping with venom. "Though I failed, at least I've achieved my goal."

"And what goal is that?" the king asked, his face twisting with confusion.

"To implicate you," the Drunken Warlord replied, his laughter echoing through the hall, his face contorted in a mix of rage and mockery.

"You...!"

"How dare you!"

"You're a traitor!"

The ministers erupted in outrage, their voices overlapping in anger and disbelief.

"Enough!" the king bellowed, silencing the room with a single gesture. His eyes burned with fury, but his tone remained calm.

"Why?" the king asked quietly.

"Why?" the Drunken Warlord repeated, his voice rising with emotion. "You're asking why? You knew! You knew that if I had stayed that night, my family would still be alive. But you chose to send me to defend that other city, sacrificing my family so the enemy wouldn't breach the kingdom!"

The room fell deathly silent.

"If you had stayed, thousands would have died," the king said firmly.

"Ten thousand died in that city," the Drunken Warlord retorted, his voice shaking with grief and anger.

"Hundreds of thousands would have perished before we could stop them," the king countered, his tone unyielding.

"And yet, none of their lives are worth even one member of my family," the Drunken Warlord spat, his words filled with venom.

"You dare—!"

"One life can't outweigh hundreds of thousands!"

"This kingdom has given you everything!"

"We fed you, protected you, made you a general!"

"Enough!"

The Drunken Warlord's voice thundered over theirs, silencing the ministers once more.

"You gave me everything?" he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "And yet, you couldn't protect my family! After fifty years of service—fifty years of loyalty—this is how you repay me?"

He turned, pointing a trembling finger at each minister in turn.

"You! I saved your daughter!"

"You! I rescued you when you were kidnapped!"

"You! I protected your family from certain death!"

Finally, his finger leveled at the king, his voice breaking with anguish.

"And you… I saved your life, your daughter's life, and you repaid me by killing my family!"

The hall remained silent, the weight of his words hanging in the air like a storm about to break.

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