Chapter 397: The Hero’s strength is too unpredictable.

Skritch Skritch Skritch

A beautiful quill scratched softly across the page. The King of Drakthar, Alden, sat at his desk with a hunched back, almost as if he had no strength to keep his body upright. The Magic Lamp beside him flickered faintly, casting long shadows over the dark crimson book beneath his hand. He wrote with slow, deliberate strokes, as if each word carried a weight he could not set down anywhere else.

He seemed quite focused on the task but then—

Knock Knock

A knock broke the quiet.

The quill paused.

“It is me, Your Majesty.”

A steady, respectful voice was heard.

It was Zephyr.

Alden closed his eyes. For a long moment, he sat still. A heavy silence filled the chamber, only his heavy breathing could be heard.

It seemed as if he was preparing himself to face Zephyr, which, if one looked at it, seemed quite surprising—after all, Zephyr was his most loyal subordinate. Someone he could share everything with.

As Alden’s breathing calmed down, his back straightened up, finally resembling the back of a proud King, and his lips parted.

“Enter.”

He ordered.

The doors opened with a low groan, and Zephyr stepped in. His eyes, sharp and disciplined as always, first caught sight of the desk—where the red diary lay open, a quill resting on it. Beside it was a single picture, a picture of a girl he recognized in an instant.

Lavinia Dragonborn.

Zephyr’s gaze only lingered on the desk for a second before he pulled it away.

When the King turned, Zephyr finally saw his face. The same cold, dry eyes, the same unshaken mask he had grown used to over years of service. But today, something seemed different.

The mask… was too perfect, too tight, as if it was holding back what should have broken through.

Zephyr, however, didn’t think too much about it.

He couldn’t.

The King was staring at him, waiting for him to speak what was so urgent that he had to visit in the middle of the night.

The King didn’t sleep at night, that was something Zephyr knew, but it wasn’t something he usually abused.

Alden knew that as well. This was also the reason he wasn’t particularly bothered by Zephyr visiting him an hour before sunrise and waited patiently.

The Master and the Subordinate had a strong understanding.

“Hero Kael saved the Velmourns.”

Zephyr reported.

The King tilted his head, waiting for him to explain further, and Zephyr continued,

“After the Velmourn Matriarch sent our ships away and they were attacked by the Stonefang tribes, we were counting on the Stonefangs breaking through their defenses, giving us a chance to restart the negotiations.

But it seems like Hero Kael acted and protected the Velmourns.”

“He… protected the Velmourns…?”

Alden narrowed his eyes.

Hero Kael was strong, yes, but… from what he knew…

“Hero Kael shouldn’t be able to do it alone.”

He commented.

“We cannot be certain of that.”

Zephyr shook his head.

“What does that mean?”

Alden questioned.

“Hero Kael defeated Kayden Velmourn, the only son of Matriarch Morvain. If Matriarch Morvain is currently the only Velmourn that could be a Demi-God, then if he grows, he will become a Demi-God with certainty, and quite a strong one at that.

His potential and strength, they both surpass Commander Arlan, but when Hero Kael defeated him…

The battle was entirely one-sided.

It didn’t even seem like the Hero had used all his strength.”

Alden stared at Zephyr. His poker face didn’t crack, but Zephyr knew he was shocked by the news.

“So the Hero has gotten stronger.”

Alden commented without any change in his expression.

He had seen the Hero grow with his own eyes, he knew what monstrosity he was. His growth during the time he was trained in the castle was surprising, even people like Varyon and Veylara had no words to describe it.

So considering how much time had passed… it wouldn’t be surprising if the Hero grew even stronger.

“Do we know how strong the Hero has become?”

The King questioned.

“We do not.”

Zephyr shook his head in shame.

This wasn’t the first time his King had asked this question. Rather, the Hero’s strength was something the King was the most curious about.

And Zephyr wasn’t surprised by it.

The Hero’s growth was too quick and considering the fact that he had completely escaped their control, the more he grew… the more concerning it became.

Zephyr had been trying to find out how strong the Hero had actually become, but even his means were limited.

After all, the Hero rarely displayed his strength like this.

Even today, when he protected the Velmourns, his ’shadows’ couldn’t see much. It all happened too quickly.

He needed more time to get a more accurate answer.

Time that he didn’t seem to have, after all, the Hero’s growth was too quick, it had already reached a threatening level if he alone was able to fend off an entire army of humongous warriors whose average strength was much higher than normal humans because of the environment they lived in.

In the end, Zephyr could only stare at the King and say one thing—

“I can only say that it wouldn’t be wrong to see the Hero as a Demi-God.”

“Are you saying he has already grown to that level?”

Alden questioned, narrowing his eyes, and Zephyr—

“The crisis the Velmourns faced this time wasn’t something they could have avoided if it wasn’t for Hero Kael.

And… the only beings who are capable of single-handedly stopping wars are…

Demi-Gods.”

He explained but—

“That does not answer my question, Regent.”

Alden spoke with a sharp look on his face.

Zephyr froze for a moment, a little taken aback but then—

“He might not have… yet.”

He answered.

“But it won’t take a long time before he does.”

He clarified, trying to support what he was going to say next—

“Your Majesty, I have always believed in getting rid of problems before they grow too big—”

However, before the Shadow Regent could complete his words—

“I remember telling you to never mention this again.”

Alden spoke, the look on his face now much sharper than before.

“I—”

Zephyr stuttered. The Shadow Regent prided himself in knowing and understanding the King the most in the entire world. He could confidently say that even the Queen did not know the King as much as he did, so much so that there were times when Zephyr had already predicted how the King would react to certain situations and took actions accordingly.

But today… his mind failed to comprehend why the King acted like this.

And the worst part?

This wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Every time they discussed this topic, the King and he always had… disagreements.

Seeing his silence, the King sighed as he started pressing his own forehead in frustration,

“Zephyr, we cannot send an Assassin after the Hero.

How is it so difficult to understand?”

He questioned.

“…do you still think of the Hero as an ally?”

Zephyr questioned back in a low voice.

“You already know the answer to that question.”

Alden answered, staring at his subordinate.

“I do. This is why I do not understand your concern. The Hero is a threat, and the more we allow him to grow, the larger this threat will become.

We already have the Twilight and Xenthalor to deal with. I do not think it is wise to let another enemy—one with such great potential at that—develop any more than he already has.”

Zephyr mentioned his point, something that Alden acknowledged as well but—

“The Hero’s strength is too unpredictable.

He hid his Dragon when he first came to this world despite not knowing anything about it, that alone tells us that he is cautious. And the very fact that he was able to fool the likes of you, kept everyone guessing, and even escaped the Royal Castle shows that he isn’t just cautious, he is cunning too.

A cautious, cunning mind, combined with the means he has—

I refuse to believe he is not hiding more cards than what we know of.

Let’s assume we follow your plan and send an Assassin after him. First of all, considering his strength, the assassin cannot be just any assassin.”

“I was thinking of sending Venom.”

Zephyr spoke and Alden nodded at those words—

“That is correct, an Assassin at his level would be needed to deal with a being like Kael, but—

The problem we face remains the same.

If, by any means, Kael survives this and Venom falls,

It will incriminate us.”

“…”

Zephyr turned silent.

“It is not just Venom. All our assassins capable of killing someone like Kael are well known amongst the higher-ups of other forces. If they fail and the topic raises a spark strong enough for other forces to notice it—

The fact that we sent an assassin to kill a man accepted by the Velmourns will blow up more than it should and will be considered a breach of the Treaty of Dragons.

You—of all people—should know the consequence of that.

I will not risk bringing the Dragons’ wrath upon us for a boy who might become a threat in the future—not during a time like this.”

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