Without fanfare, Nova coolly said, "Bring me to the king."

"Yes, Sir!"

The roadblock quickly made way as the knight led Nova to the royal palace. Within minutes, the two stood outside its gates and the knight approached the guards and whispered to them before one quickly ran inside.

Meanwhile, Nova looked at the palace and thought, 'Soon this palace will have a new king; it's just a matter of time.'

From the corner of his eye, he saw a guard rushing back, gasping heavily. When the guard finally reached the gate, he moved to its side and shot the other guard a glance that made him shift as well.

Soon, the palace doors swung wide open, and a middle-aged man wearing purple robes embroidered with golden patterns walked out, flanked by a man in a mage's robes.

When Nova spotted the two, his gaze landed on the king, and he couldn't help but laugh inwardly. 'Previously, he didn't even want to meet me in his throne room, but now he came rushing out. What a joke.'

The king arrived at the gates and hastily said, "Where's the esteemed Empire's knight?"

The guard who had previously run inside was about to answer when a voice rang out.

"Let's talk inside; I don't like standing here."

Wulfric's eyes landed on Nova before flicking back to the guard, as if silently asking, Is that him?

The guard nodded slightly, and Wulfric beamed from ear to ear. He immediately walked up to Nova and bowed. "Esteemed Sir, please follow me inside to the great hall."

Nova gave a non-committal nod and followed the king, who humbly strode toward the palace. Slightly off to the side, Granier, the court mage, frowned as he eyed Nova warily but complied with the king's order and followed the two inside.

On the way to the great hall, Wulfric blatantly tried to win Nova over, proudly showing off the long dynasty of the Varr family. But Nova had already tuned out this clown of a king, lost in his own thoughts.

'The best thing I've gotten from killing Tairo must be the token. I wonder who this Senna is, though.'

Wulfric opened the doors to the great hall and walked to the high table. "Please, take a seat next to me," he said.

Nova sat beside the king, who immediately clapped his hands and ordered, "Bring food for our esteemed guest."

Maids and servants quickly set to work, and soon the meal was served. Granier remained in a corner, sitting quietly, deep in thought.

Once the food was on the table, Wulfric turned to Nova and gestured. "Esteemed Sir, please have the first taste."

'Might as well. I haven't tasted anything in a while,' Nova thought, taking a bite of the meat on his plate.

The king smiled and joined him in eating. It was a peaceful meal, with only Nova, Wulfric, and Granier present in the hall; all the servants had left as soon as they served the food.

"Esteemed Sir, I hope you're enjoying the food," Wulfric said, swallowing a bite.

Nova wiped his mouth and, tired of eating, said, "I won't beat around the bush anymore. The reason I'm here is to bring the second prince to the Empire's army camp with me. Does Your Majesty have any opinion on that?"

For a moment, Wulfric couldn't react. Is this truly happening? How did Osvald even earn the right to train in the Empire's army under Commander Senna? If that wastrel manages to form connections while he's there, this could be our chance to repair relations with the Empire and perhaps make them stronger than ever.

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The king couldn't control his expressions; his smile grew wider with each passing seconduntil a cough in the distance snapped him out of his daze. He turned toward the corner where Granier stood with a serious look on his face and gave the mage a grateful nod before returning his gaze to Nova.

"Sir, I am extremely grateful for this," Wulfric said, "but as a father, I must ensure my son's safety. I wonder how he caught the Empire's attention. If it is for malicious reasons, I may have to refuse such a request."

"There's no need to worry. Nobody in the Empire wants to see your son dead," Nova replied, mentally adding with a chuckle, 'At least for now.' He continued, "We've received many recommendations from fellow knights who spoke highly of your son, and we've decided to accept him as one of our colleagues."

Empire's knights recommended my son? Wulfric couldn't help but second-guess those words but then he remembered the token Nova had shown him. How could an elite knight under Commander Senna lie? If he wanted, he could have my son's head with a single order.

At that moment, Granier spoke calmly. "Sir, you said esteemed knights from the Empire recommended Osvald, but to my knowledge, the second prince doesn't have the talent to be an elite knight of Lotra, much less of the Vireah Empire. How do you explain this?" His hawk-like eyes fixed on Nova, sharp as a predator sizing up its prey.

It was already difficult for knights of the Empire, who could defeat any kingdom's elite, to join Senna's elite army. And yet here was the second prince, who wasn't even a full-fledged knight, being recommended to join such an elite group. It didn't make sense.

Nova looked at Granier and sneered. "Do you believe yourself better than the Empire at judging talent? If the second prince is regarded so highly, there must be something in him that can turn him into an elite knight. But I wonder…" His tone turned icy. "Where does a court mage like you find the courage to question me? Don't forget, you belong to a vassal kingdom. Know your place."

Silence filled the grand hall. Wulfric had no idea how to react to Nova's words. Should he defend Granier and risk angering an esteemed elite knight? Should he feign ignorance and continue flattering him? Should he send his son away or not? Was there even a choice?

Luckily for him, Granier lowered his head and said, "It was too rude of me. I apologize if I offended you."

Nova snorted and looked back at Wulfric. "Bring the second prince here."

"Y-Yes," the king stammered before loudly calling for a maid to fetch Osvald.

The wait wasn't long, but the tension in the air could have knocked out a normal person. The three hardly spoke a word, each lost in their own thoughts and plans, some far more intricate than others.

Soon, the door opened, and a wary, pale-faced Osvald stepped into the middle of the grand hall and bowed deeply. "I'm here, Father."

He remembered the only time he had ever been summoned, without it being a special event, it had always been for a reprimand, followed by days, weeks, or even months of house arrest that nearly drove him insane. And he, a prince, was expected to waste his precious time sitting idly at home. It was worse than torture.

Wulfric cleared his throat, his kingly demeanor returning. "I called you here because there's good news for our kingdom."

Osvald looked at his father incredulously, unsure what he meant.

"This Esteemed Sir is an elite knight of the Empire, and he's here to take you with him so you can join the Empire's elite army camp." Wulfric's voice echoed through the hall.

As he stared at his son's face, which was rapidly crumpling in disbelief, a frown deepened on his own until he finally snarled, "What are you waiting for? Quickly thank the Esteemed Sir and follow him."

Osvald mumbled, shaking his head in denial. "No, please no. I'm not suited for it, I'm not…" Having lived his whole life as a prince, doing whatever he pleased, ending up as one of the Empire's knights, whose loyalty exceeded even their own beliefs, would be a fate worse than death for him.

If not for Nova sitting there, Wulfric would have snapped at his son. How could he refuse such a precious opportunity? Hell, if Osvald succeeded, he might even marry one of the Empire's high nobles, cementing the relationship between Lotra and Vireah.

Wulfric's knuckles turned white in frustration, but a hand on his arm stopped him just as he was about to shout. Seeing whose hand it was, he calmed himself and waited.

"Osvald, that's your name, am I right?" Nova said, looking down at the second prince, clearly recalling how smug he had been in the corridor a month ago.

Osvald's eyes flicked to Nova. From the way Nova had silenced his father with just a hand, he understood who truly commanded the room. Fear and panic began to show on his face, but he forced himself to nod.

Nova continued, "It doesn't matter what you want. The Empire wants you, and as a vassal of it, it is your duty to answer the call when it comes. Now, the choice is yours: will you answer the call and become a pillar of the Empire, one that could support Lotra as well, or be dragged to the army camp as a traitor?"

With a faint, chilling smile, he added, "Think carefully."

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