Chapter 162: The Seventh Prince and the Third Prince

Zanoba seemed to think of something, suddenly slapping his thigh, and said to Roa, "This prince has seen this person; she is that court magician who just arrived not long ago! What was her name again? Oh, Roxy."

After saying that, Zanoba looked at Roa with a strange expression and said, "The so-called Roxy cannot be Roxy, right?"

Even when exposed, Roa showed no signs of embarrassment; instead, he put on an angry expression and said to Zanoba, "How can you directly say the name of the Roxy?"

Seeing Roa angry, Zanoba quickly apologized and promised he wouldn't do it again.

Roa nodded, forgiving the other party's mistake.

After all, the Roxy would not be petty.

Zanoba hesitated for a moment but still spoke, "However, if the Millis Church's temple knights find out about possessing such a statue, it would lead to an inquisition, and you would be executed as a demon worshiper." As he spoke, Zanoba observed Roa's expression; if the other party's face changed, Zanoba would immediately change his words.

Zanoba cautiously added, "Of course, this prince is not questioning the identity of the Roxy; it's just, um, you know, her hair is blue. If others find out that this statue is of the Roxy, they will definitely think it's a demon!"

Roa thought for a moment and felt that Zanoba's reasoning was quite valid, saying, "Is it that serious?"

Being executed…

But thinking about it, it made sense; after all, the temple knights were religious fanatics.

Zanoba nodded, "Indeed, even as the third prince of the Shirone Kingdom, if they find out about this, I would also be put on the cross."

Their conversation ended there.

Zanoba still held onto the Roxy doll, expressing reluctance to part with it.

Zanoba was not a pervert like the seventh prince; it was clear that he genuinely loved this piece of art. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Zanoba, "I can feel your devotion. The statue of the Roxy is a gift for you. Oh, by the way, remember to recite the prayer every day."

Upon hearing Roa's words, Zanoba's cheeks flushed with a strange redness, and he quickly nodded, but then curiously asked, "Prayer?"

Roa organized his words and said to Zanoba, "May the great Roxy bless us, embracing the earth with the dignified form of a deity, illuminating the heavens with the azure eyes of a god, inspiring all things with the gentle visage of a deity, purifying the soul with the soft words of a god, and now, may we rest peacefully in your love. Thus, I pray, in the holy name of your beloved child, my lord Roxy, Amen!"

Zanoba fell into deep thought. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at the exquisite Roxy doll in his hands and finally nodded with difficulty.

Although it was somewhat hard to swallow, it was not shameful for the sake of art.

Roa solemnly handed the statue to Zanoba, who received it with both hands, a look of reverence on his face.

Roa nodded; even he couldn't find fault with Zanoba's devotion, and he felt optimistic about him.

Zanoba carefully placed the doll aside. Since he was still soaking in the bath, if it got wet or accidentally fell, it would be quite troublesome.

However, just having an art piece was not enough to satisfy Zanoba; art pieces were more of a collectible type, and Zanoba was not a collector. He wanted to learn how to create such finely crafted dolls.

So, the moment Zanoba set the doll down, he tightly grasped Roa's hand, pleading for Roa to accept him as a disciple.

Roa pondered whether it was worth accepting a disciple like him. After thinking it over, he felt that taking on such a disciple seemed to have no downsides.

After all, he was a blessed child.

In this world, some children are born with extraordinary traits. When talking about abnormalities, one might think of deformities, but most of those children appear quite ordinary on the outside.

However, conversely, these people can only be considered ordinary in appearance.

They are born with special abilities.

For example, they might be exceptionally fast, possess immense strength, have sharper hearing than others, weigh as light as a feather, or conversely, be particularly heavy, capable of freezing everything they touch, breathe fire, shoot poison from their fingertips, teleport short distances, emit beams of light from their eyes, be immune to all poisons, not feel tired after a whole day without sleep, and even not lose stamina after sleeping with hundreds of women, etc.

Children born with such extraordinary abilities are referred to as "blessed children" in this world.

And without a doubt, Zanoba is a blessed child; his superpower is an uncontrollable immense strength and a strong resistance to physical attacks.

Although Zanoba's way of thinking is extremely peculiar, once he sets his mind on something, it is hard to change.

In other words, as long as you earn his trust, he will unconditionally help you in the future.

He has the potential for growth and can be taken in as a henchman, though nominally he must become a disciple.

Seeing Roa agree, Zanoba was naturally very happy. He grasped Roa's hand, the flush on his face becoming more pronounced, combined with his watermelon head and slightly thin cheeks, giving Roa a creepy feeling.

Breaking free from the other party's hand, Roa said sternly, "Disciple, you can't grab your master's hand like this in the future!"

Zanoba tilted his head, his watermelon head filled with question marks, and asked, "Why?"

Roa replied seriously, "A master's hand can only be held by the master's wife, and besides, your expression is too… you know."

Zanoba nodded, looking as if he understood.

The two fell into silence. Roa planned to quickly finish his bath and then get close to Roxy, while Zanoba continued to lie on the shore, gazing at the Roxy statue.

Seeing the other party's infatuated posture, Roa thought for a moment and said to Zanoba, "No strange things are allowed to be done to the Roxy."

Zanoba, who was studying the Roxy statue, was taken aback and turned to look at Roa, asking, "What do you mean by strange things?"

Roa put on a serious face and said, "Like the perverted things your brother does."

Zanoba thought for a moment, then suddenly understood, nodding with a serious face. He patted his chest and said, "I won't desecrate the Roxy. Master, trust me; I will treat this piece of art with the utmost respect."

Roa smiled, looking at him with optimism, and continued, "By the way, please take good care of Roxy for me and don't let her be bullied."

Zanoba nodded again.

An unspoken silence fell, with only the sound of water flowing.

After soaking for about ten more minutes, Roa stood up to bid farewell to Zanoba and then left the bathhouse dressed in his clothes.

Roa's mood was quite good; after all, he had resolved matters while bathing, so there was no need to waste time seeking the other party out again.

The clothes Roa was now wearing were no longer the rough linen garments but a slightly loose bathrobe.

After all, he was going to have a big night, and wearing his usual clothes would be somewhat inappropriate.

He dried the moisture on his head with a towel and walked directly from the inside to the outside.

Skillfully heading towards the room where Roxy was, he unexpectedly encountered an interesting person along the way.

The seventh prince was actually standing at the door of Roxy's room, looking rather sneaky.

Naturally, he saw Roa swaggering down the corridor.

Pax, a person who could not be considered handsome at all.

His first impression was greasy; he had the same watermelon head as the seventh prince but always wore a somewhat lewd smile on his face.

Pax snorted coldly and said to Roa, "Hey, which side are you a guard from? Why are you dressed like this? Has my Royal palace become like this now?"

Roa pointed at himself and said, "Do I look like a guard?"

Pax frowned, sizing him up for a moment. It seemed he realized that the other party was not easy to mess with and couldn't help but say to Roa, "Get lost, and don't let me see you again."

Seeing the little brat in front of him being so arrogant, Roa looked around and noticed that there were no guards around him. He said to Pax, "Oh, by the way, I just saw Zanoba over at the bathhouse; he seems to be looking for you."

Pax scoffed, "That useless prince? What could he want from me? Shouldn't he be pondering over his broken doll instead of bothering me? Hey, you little brat, you aren't trying to trick me, are you? Forget it; I have serious business to attend to; we'll talk later."

Roa smiled and said, "That doesn't depend on you."

However, Roa was also somewhat puzzled; judging by the other party's tone, it seemed that Zanoba's status in this country was not very good.

Even though he was a blessed child.

He stepped forward, grabbing Pax by the collar and directly dragging him towards the bathhouse.

Not wanting to be discovered by the guards and cause a commotion, Roa moved quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they were already in the bathhouse.

Pax wore a bewildered expression, feeling as if he was caught in an iron grip, a force he could not resist surged through him, and at that moment, he realized something was wrong.

But unfortunately, he realized it too late.

In the bathhouse, Zanoba, who was about to get up, was slightly taken aback when he saw Roa return and curiously asked, "Master Roa, why are you back again?"

But upon seeing the person Roa was holding, he nodded and said, "Oh, I see. Did my brother get into trouble again?"

Roa pointed at Pax and said to Zanoba, "He was just about to desecrate the Roxy, and I caught him red-handed."

Zanoba's eyes widened in disbelief. He usually wore glasses, but due to the steam, he wouldn't wear them while bathing.

Without the glasses, Zanoba's facial expression appeared even more terrifying.

Zanoba didn't waste any more words. He stepped forward, grabbed Pax's arm, and shouted angrily, "I just pledged to my master that I would ensure no one bullies or insults the Roxy, and you, as my brother, come here to ruin my scene. You really are asking for it! Master, please let me handle this criminal; I will definitely teach him a good lesson."

Roa nodded and threw Pax to Zanoba, watching how he would handle the situation.

Zanoba's expression was extremely grim. He grabbed Pax's arm and said, "Why would you do such a thing?"

Pax's expression was quite twisted; his chubby face was wrinkled in pain, and his arm was twisted into a strange shape by Zanoba.

Pax cried out in tears, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Stop! Stop, brother!"

Zanoba continued to grip Pax's hand expressionlessly, "To desecrate the deity who is my master, do you want to die? Just now, I boasted that I would never let the Roxy be desecrated, and you go and do this, and it's you, my brother."

The grip tightened, and Roa heard a crack as he saw Pax's arm completely dislocate. Pax let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, "Aaaahhh!"

Zanoba continued, expressionless, "Shut up, Pax, you're so noisy."

Then he directly grabbed Pax's head, applying slight pressure with both hands.

Roa raised an eyebrow, wondering if Zanoba's disciple was this fierce. Was he really planning to end it all in one go?

And soon, the commotion attracted the knights from next door.

A knight who looked quite handsome knocked on the door and lifted the curtain, rushing directly towards the position where Zanoba was located. The other party spoke up, "I heard screams. Um, do you need any help?"

The knight was bare-chested, hurriedly running out with a towel hanging from his waist.

It was evident that he was quite anxious, after all, as a knight of the kingdom, being involved with the Royal family was no small matter.

However, the current situation was already beyond his ability to intervene.

The knight hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Stop it! Zanoba! Let go of Pax!"

Unfortunately, the knight's words did not reach the other party's ears. Zanoba's grip tightened, and at the same time, blood began to seep from Pax's neck.

Pax struggled and shouted, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't dare again, please let me go, dear brother."

Roa frowned. It was still too early to deal with the other party, and a guard had already surrounded them. If this escalated, even Zanoba's identity wouldn't help him.

Moreover, he vaguely guessed that Zanoba's status was not as good as he thought.

Originally, he believed that as the son of a god, his status, while not as high as that of the crown prince, should still be sufficient to handle someone like the seventh prince.

But he didn't expect the seventh prince to openly call the third prince a useless prince.

However, a villain must be dealt with by a villain, just like the current situation; wasn't Pax still kneeling obediently?

At this moment, Roa spoke up appropriately, "Let it go, Zanoba. After all, he is your brother."

If Zanoba were left unchecked, Roa had reason to believe he would act ruthlessly.

If it came to that, it was likely that the Shirone Kingdom would no longer have a place for him, and even Roxy might suffer.

Upon hearing this, Zanoba's hand paused slightly.

The words "younger brother" had an effect.

Zanoba, with a cold expression, released his grip on Pax's head and let him fall to the ground.

Zanoba turned to the knight beside him and said, "Go, take him to get treated. It's just a broken arm; there's no need to whine."

The knight wiped the sweat from his brow, hurriedly picked up Pax, and quickly walked out of the room.

Roa glanced at Pax's expression and thought that if the other party had ill intentions, it would be better to deal with him directly.

Roa was never one to show mercy; he had his own ways of handling problems.

If this little brat showed even a hint of resentment or malice, Roa wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him to avoid future troubles.

However, Pax's face was twisted in pain, his eyes filled with fear and dread.

Thinking about it, from his perspective, he had encountered this bizarre situation out of nowhere.

Having escaped a disaster, Pax cried out in pain, relieved to have survived.

At this moment, Pax was probably filled with images of the terrifying demon king Zanoba.

After resolving this matter, Zanoba smiled at Roa, as if everything that had happened before had never occurred. Zanoba said to Roa, "Actually, my country really hopes that Roxy will stay. After all, as a water king-level magician, and Roxy has also taught our soldiers the secrets of battling magicians, he is a person of great merit to our country. My father has also said that he wants to formally recruit Roxy to serve in the palace. If this falls through because of that fool Pax, even I would be quite troubled."

Roa was somewhat surprised that Zanoba could say such things. He had thought that the other party was purely following his orders and believed in the so-called goddess of magic, wanting to vent his frustrations on Roa.

He didn't expect the other party to have this level of concern.

Indeed, he shouldn't have treated the other party as a fool.

But now that the matter was resolved, Roa bid farewell to Zanoba once again.

This time, he truly arrived at Roxy's room.

He knocked on the door, and a weak voice came from inside, "Is that you, Roa?"

After Roa responded, the door opened, revealing Roxy with a helpless smile on her face.

It seemed that Roxy was also quite helpless about that little brat's persistent clinginess.

Roa said nothing, stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Roxy's slender waist.

Due to Roxy's somewhat short stature, this position was quite awkward, so Roa simply picked her up and lifted her high.

Roxy's expression shifted from helplessness to displeasure as she said, "Roa, didn't I say not to treat me like a child?"

Roa smiled and replied, "No, I don't treat Master Roxy like a child. We'll be doing some adult things later."

Roxy's face turned red, and she spat, "Shameless."