General Leon’s eyes squinted, unable to gauge Ethan’s level anymore, as did General Felix. This could mean only one thing: either Ethan had reached their level or had acquired a mystical skill to conceal it.
“A blessed morning to you, Royal father, and to the Royal brothers,” Delilah greeted with a graceful curtsey, while Aria and Aengus gave a slight bow, acknowledging their presence.
General Leon and Aengus exchanged glances, engaging in a silent conversation.
The king, Milphomor Araknis—a shrewd old man, dressed in Royal attire, a crown over his head and a magical staff on his hand—quickly noticed their interaction and grew curious about their relationship.
“What are you doing, Delilah?” Crown Prince Malcolm spoke to his sister. “Who allowed you to come here? This is a real battlefield where you could die at any moment,” he reminded her in a stern but gentle tone.
“No one told me to come, Royal Brother. I came of my own volition to contribute to defending our kingdom. I don’t need anyone’s permission for that,” Delilah retorted.
“Let her be, Malcolm. She has my permission,” the King interjected, stopping his son from pressing the matter further.
“But why, Father? She could be killed,” Crown Prince Malcolm asked, struggling to understand his father’s reasoning.
The King’s expression remained steady. “Why not? Let her be herself… Forget it. This king is more interested in these two young fellows.”
The King’s wise gaze shifted to Aria and Aengus, especially to Aengus, whose presence was almost mystical, as if he was there yet not fully present. It felt as if he was suppressing mountains of strength within him.
“Leon, who might these two young people be?” the King inquired.
General Leon responded calmly, “Your Majesty, do you remember I mentioned meeting a talented young man in Arcadia City? This is him—his name is Ethan. And this is Aria, from the Silvermoon assassin family, for whom I had requested special medicine.”
The King nodded in understanding. “Ah, yes… now that you mention it, I do recall your request. But I must have forgotten with everything else going on. Did they receive the medicine?”
“We are fine now, Your Highness. Thank you for your help,” Aria replied politely, masking her slight displeasure with a graceful composure.
Aengus wasn’t as polite as Aria, feeling this conversation was a waste of time.
“General Leon, we’d like to repay the favor you showed us by joining this war,” he stated bluntly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Though he had plans to eventually seize the Emperor’s throne, he knew he needed time to display his strength and capabilities—and he would achieve that in the upcoming battles.
General Leon wasn’t the least bit offended. Instead, he welcomed Aengus’s confidence.
“Haha, you look much more confident now, Ethan. Your mission must have been successful, I assume. Tell me your current rank so we can place you in an appropriate command.”
Leaning over, he whispered to the King, advising him not to mind Aengus’s attitude and explaining that Aengus came from a different place and was not obligated to contribute, but was helping out of a sense of responsibility.
The King nodded and awaited Aengus’s response.
Aengus glanced at Aria, deciding to state a rank lower, as revealing too much didn’t seem wise.
“I am now an S-Rank, and Aria is A-Rank, General. We’d prefer not to be separated, thank you,” Aengus replied swiftly, not concerned about their secretive whispers.
“Ah?”
General Leon and General Felix raised their eyebrows in surprise, clearly impressed by Aengus and Aria’s ranks despite their youth. The others also seemed impressed, admiring their evident talent.
Leon and Felix exchanged glances, filled with incredulity.
The King noticed their astonishment, making him curious as to what could make his two mighty generals lose their composure. Was it their first time seeing such talent? Clearly not. So, what was it?
“What’s with the surprise, Leon, Felix? Haha, why don’t you share with your King as well?” the King asked with a lighthearted tone.
Princess Delilah, already aware of what such a sudden rise in rank meant, stared wide-eyed. Their rapid growth in strength was nothing short of astonishing.
Faithful to the throne, General Leon leaned closer and shared Aengus’s impressive growth and potential.
Listening to Leon’s words, King Araknis felt as though he were hearing a fairy tale. In all his long years of rule, he had never seen or heard anyone rise in rank so quickly.
Earlier, the King had thought Aengus was simply talented, like a few other exceptional individuals. But this… this was monstrous, a level of talent that shattered common sense.
General Martin, a man with a commanding presence and dark complexion, observed the exchange with suspicion.
“Felix, what are you all whispering about?” he inquired.
General Felix chuckled lightly and shared the revelation with him, leaving the Crown Prince and two others still in the dark.
As the “secret” made circulated, everyone now looked at Aengus and Aria with expressions of disbelief and awe.
Remaining calm, Aengus held Aria’s hand firmly in a gesture of reassurance. He had already evaluated everyone, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of those present, including even the three formidable Transcendentals.
The King seemed pleased for some reason.
“So, we have another rising Transcendental joining our army. I personally thank you, young man. And you as well, young lady,” he said, expressing his gratitude to Aria too.
“Please look after my daughter, Delilah, both of you. We’ll reward you handsomely,” he added, making it clear that, despite giving her the freedom to fight, he was still worried for Delilah as she was only a C-Rank.
Aengus showed little interest in the reward, but Aria gave a respectful nod and smiled at Delilah.
Delilah, feeling a hint of jealousy, didn’t say anything but looked at Aria with a mixture of admiration and envy. How had she grown so strong so quickly? And as for Aengus, he seemed almost mystical, as though he was becoming more powerful with each moment.
“Leon, assign this young man a capable squad to lead, while we meet with the commanders and the Marshal,” the King suggested.
“As you command, Your Majesty!” General Leon bowed slightly.
With that, the King departed, followed by the princes and generals, who each gave Aengus and Aria a warm welcome before leaving.
Now, only Aria, Aengus, General Leon, and Delilah were left standing.
