Chapter 263: 263 You can try (ask for monthly tickets! ask for subscriptions!)
"————"
The entire audience fell into a sudden hush.
One noble after another looked at Solok, watching the third Prince, some holding their breath, others with expressions extremely troubled.
In front of everyone, in front of the faces of the nobility under the Duke’s faction, Solok had made such a bold and arrogant statement.
His attitude, treating the throne as his own possession and seeing himself as the unshakable next King, indeed angered many nobles of the Duke’s faction.
Even Yuri’s countenance turned cold as she looked at Solok with the eyes one would give to an unreasonable man.
In contrast, Reiger burst into laughter upon hearing Solok’s words.
"I say, Your Highness, could it be that you’ve forgotten?" Reiger said with a smirk, "Not long ago, I nearly lost my life because of the ’Shadow’ you sent."
Upon hearing this, Solok’s face displayed disdain.
"Do you believe that yourself?"
Indeed, Solok didn’t believe that Reiger had nearly lost his life to a ’Shadow’ attack, and he didn’t take the incident to heart.
He didn’t believe there wasn’t something fishy about it.
Keep in mind, Reiger’s first attack by the ’Shadow’ that nearly killed him happened only in the last two months in this world.
Within two months, who would believe that Reiger was a Magic Apprentice who had been gravely injured by a ’Shadow’ attack before then?
Not just Solok, but anyone in the know didn’t believe it either.
In their opinion, with Reiger’s strength, at that time, the ’Shadow’ attacking him would have only one outcome: being annihilated on the spot.
Yet Reiger was severely injured by a group of Shadow Knights far weaker than him, and everyone thought there must be something suspicious about it.
Therefore, to many informed individuals, Reiger’s so-called severe injuries were nothing more than a feigned act for an unspeakable agenda.
For instance, he might have wanted to use the opportunity to ingratiate himself into the Franzel household and form a connection with Yuri.
Although not everyone thought so, it was after that "severe injury" that Reiger became involved with the Franzel family. Even with many unsolved mysteries, it was inevitable that some people would guess and think along these lines.
Solok was such a person, even King Hemulinp and the Shadow Sword Saint Rom felt after knowing the situation that Reiger had ulterior motives, and therefore didn’t believe that the incident would cause Reiger to bear a grudge against the royal family, against Solok.
Instead, Reiger should be grateful to the royal family, to Solok, for giving him an opportunity to achieve his unknown purpose, right?
It was Reiger who exploited the ’Shadow’ attack, rather than they causing harm to Reiger; this was the thought among the royals, including Solok.
Therefore, when Reiger previously claimed in front of Rom that he wanted to settle an account with him as an accomplice to the incident, Rom showed no reaction.
He thought that Reiger was merely seizing the moment to display his strength, looking for any reason to demonstrate power in front of him, so that the royal family would back down and compromise, not really seeking to settle the score.
Even the eldest son of the Codelion Family treated the matter as a joke when he mentioned it, demonstrating in the eyes of the astute and the informed, the true nature of Reiger’s encounter with the ’Shadow’.
They were completely unaware that Reiger had obtained his current strength within that short span of two months.
He truly did have a brush with death due to the ’Shadow’ attack, and faced a life-threatening crisis.
So even though Reiger was smiling, there was no trace of mirth in his eyes.
At that moment, Reiger spoke out.
"I don’t know where you got the confidence to think you can recruit me with such words."
As Reiger said this, he took a step, moving beside Solok.
"But I can tell you one thing."
"You will not be the greatest man in this country."
"And I have no interest in serving beneath someone like you."
Reiger didn’t make this statement publicly; he spoke only close enough for Solok to hear, and only Solok did.
Upon hearing Reiger’s words, the mocking expression that had been on Solok’s face vanished, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
Reiger’s tone was just like the man himself: calm, indifferent, without a trace of emotional fluctuation.
But precisely because of this, Solok could clearly feel the contempt within that serene, indifferent speech.
It reminded Solok of something.
Previously, he had never taken Reiger seriously.
But now, it was Reiger who did not take him seriously.
To Reiger, Solok’s worth as a Prince was even less than that of the swordsmen who challenged him daily.
Solok discerned this fact from Reiger’s tone.
The tone, the attitude, deeply stimulated Solok.
Instantly, Solok couldn’t help but recall that deeply humiliating episode, remembering the man he considered his arch-enemy.
That man also looked down upon him, despised him, viewing him as though he were a wild dog by the roadside.
Hatred began to germinate within Solok’s heart.
"...You will regret this."
Solok squeezed out such a sentence from his throat.
The same words, Solok had once spoken in front of that man.
Afterwards, Solok went mad with revenge against the Codelion Family, sabotaging anything related to them, stirring up a bloody storm across the entire capital.
Now, he uttered these words again, sending chills and a sense of madness among those around him.
Only Reiger turned his head and glanced at Solok.
That single glance tightened Solok’s heart.
"You can try."
Reiger spoke indifferently.
At that moment, Solok felt as if he’d been locked in by an invisible murderous aura, causing him to involuntarily take two steps back, then he quickly came to his senses, his expression turning to one of angry humiliation.
Before long, Solok turned and left.
Knowing that remaining here would only bring further embarrassment upon himself, he didn’t even leave a harsh word behind, departing with an aura of coldness and rage.
The crowd watched Prince Solok’s retreating figure and once again began to whisper among themselves.
"It’s over, given Prince Solok’s expression, he’s likely to stir up trouble again."
"This is serious trouble. We’ll need to caution our households to be careful in the coming days."
"Alas, things had finally quieted down, and now are we going to be plagued by chaos again?"
"I just hope the King doesn’t lift Prince Solok’s confinement casually, better to have him stay in the palace and not cause disturbances."
Many people showed worried expressions.
Duke-affiliated nobles exchanged glances, silently making various calculations in their minds.
The nobles surrounding Reiger also hurried to take their leave, evidently not in the mood to engage with Reiger any further after the disturbance caused by the third prince.
Owing to this incident, Reiger and Yuri finally regained some peace, no longer surrounded by the earlier commotion.
"Is everything all right?" Yuri finally approached Reiger with a look of concern. "That man can be terrifying when he goes mad. If he seeks trouble regardless of the consequences, things could get very serious."
At these words, Reiger didn’t look at Yuri, nor did he watch the departing mad prince. He just gazed at the throne in the audience room and said.
"Then how serious do you think it will become when I go mad?"
"I hope he has the courage to try."
...
At this time, Solok hadn’t gone far from the audience room, but instead took a turn into a side corridor after exiting the main doors.
"Bang!"
The prince fiercely punched the wall, causing it to crack upon impact.
"Reiger Brillhaut!"
Solok’s eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, his face full of resentment.
With a naturally brutal and envious nature, it was impossible for him not to erupt in rage after being so humiliated and brazenly provoked by Reiger.
Originally, Solok didn’t want to offend Reiger again.
After all, the man was a Sword Saint, and if he took offense and turned towards that detestable man, if that man recruited him, it would be a loss beyond recovery.
If it weren’t for the fact that he badly wanted the support of a Sword Saint for himself, Solok wouldn’t have wanted to interact with Reiger at all, lest Reiger remember the warning he had previously given him.
But what could he do when that detestable man had the support of a Sword Saint under his command?
The thought made Solok desperate for a swordsman of the same caliber to serve under him, in order to counterbalance that man.
Who would have thought that, on this visit, not only would he fail to achieve his goal, but he would also be humiliated by Reiger.
That finally caused Solok to lose control of his temper.
"I am the most outstanding scion of the royal family, the possessor of the purest royal bloodline!"
"What right do you have to look down on me?"
"What right do you have to slight me?"
"Why...!?"
Ferocity flared in Solok’s bloodshot eyes.
He had always been the most dazzling prince in the royal family, not only holding the highest talent but also the son most valued by King Hemulinp.
The father’s emphasis and the fact of being the most outstanding among the royal offspring filled Solok with pride and arrogance, leading him to behave recklessly.
At that time, no one dared to defy him, no one dared to oppose him. Even his father, the King, had turned a blind eye to many of his actions, going so far as to grant him partial command of the "Shadow" forces.
This was a privilege that other royal offspring did not have, and it further emboldened Solok, driving him to even more reckless behavior.
Until, the eldest son of the Codelion Family appeared.
His emergence changed everything.
Those who had thought Solok would be the next King began to believe there was a better choice, and thus they started to distance themselves from him.
The father, now the King, too began to feel threatened, becoming dissatisfied with Solok’s achievements.
He gradually lost everything he was supposed to have, which caused a growing restlessness inside him.
The bloody turmoil last time was a result of that restlessness.
Now, the same restlessness appeared once more.
As a result, Solok decided to resort to any means necessary.
"This is your doing."
In the corner, a whisper echoed in the darkness, as if heralding the arrival of a storm.