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Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 55
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 10:00:06 +0000 UTCThe office was cleaned by servants, who were surprised to find blood all over the desk and walls of the Old King’s office. Rumors would spread soon enough, but nobody would know the whole truth. Everyone present promised to keep silent about what had happened because the avalanche that would follow the revelation was not something anyone wanted to handle.
Sometimes it was better to keep silent. That included today’s incident.
“Your majesty, you are already late for your next appointment,” The royal librarian said in a neutral tone, “I will carry out the punishment and ensure the crown prince will reach the Old King’s treasury unscathed.”
Phillip was about to say something, but Percy was faster.
“I will be fine…father.”
It was the first time Percy called the King father. That was enough to crush his defenses. He nodded slowly and accepted Percy’s wishes even though he couldn’t trust his father anymore. But his son should be fine with the royal librarian.
The Queen nodded reluctantly as well. She had been busy when the royal librarian called them to inform the royal couple what he heard from Percy about the assassin in the barracks and Sacrifice Storm. She had to return as well.
They’re worrying too much. The Old King is not as strong as he looks like. I should be stronger than him, given his messed up mana system.
Percy was not afraid. If anything, he was very calm and felt incredibly good right now.
What exactly happened to his mana system in the first place? It looks terrible.
There was no need to activate [Hawk Eyes] to perceive the mess within the Old King’s body. The Old King circulated mana through his body to spread the healing concoction of the Regeneration Potion, but it was a mess. The former king wasn’t efficient with his mana circulation at all. If anything, it was crude and looked like a rookie’s work.
He is not a rookie, though. The Old King is not weak either. No, he was not weak in the past. Now he is, though.
A body revealed countless untold stories. Every scar was a tale, some smaller and less significant, whereas others revealed heroic tales. That was also how Percy recalled some stories about the Kainesh Kingdom. Stories he’d read in Raewood’s Guildhall – the library on the second floor – when he didn’t know anything about the kingdom or his heritage.
Ohhh!
“Do you think it would have changed everything if I died sixteen years ago?” Percy asked out of nowhere as they walked through the corridors.
The royal librarian turned around, only to see that Percy’s attention lingered on the Old King.
“Even if you ask me like that, I still stand for it. Your death would have changed a lot,” The Old King said, “Gregory might have isolated you for a while, which must have slowed the process, but the Demon sightings and the appearance of Demonic Gifted increased by a few times in the last few years. That’s a fact.”
The Old King looked at Percy properly for the first time, “I don’t have anything against you personally, kiddo. It’s just that I don’t want the Devil’s Touch to destroy the kingdom. The Kain house sacrificed too much to cease to exist because of something like that.”
“Are you certain?” Percy asked, ignoring the glint in his grandfather’s eyes.
“What?”
“I asked if you are certain that the Devil’s Touch is at fault for the increased Demon sightings and the appearance of the Demonic Gifted. Knight Liam, one of the oldest members of the Glacia Knight Order, told me that the number of Demons sighted in the mortal realm increased steadily for a long time already. But do you know why they’ve been increasing?” He asked, yet Percy didn’t wait until his grandfather answered.
“No, you don’t know for certain. You cannot be sure everything is the Devil’s Touch fault or the fault of the mark the Devil left behind on my body,” Percy declared, his voice as hard as his eyes, “What if the Devil’s arrival was just a warning? What if the Demon corrupted the mind of the Synter house’s patriarch or if other Demonic Gifted were involved? WHAT IF your last fight with the Devil is the reason they’re coming after the royal family?”
The Old King was surprised but Percy wasn’t done just yet.
“Didn’t you injure one of the Devils two hundred years ago? You beat the Devil, humiliated him. What if he used the last two centuries to recuperate from the wounds you’ve inflicted while invading the mortal realm with bits and pieces of his power? He had two centuries to devise a plan to take revenge on you, to gather his forces and make it seem like the Seven Hells gave up on the mortal realm just to destroy what you hold dearly,” Percy said, “Can you be 100% certain all of this isn’t your fault?
At this point, even the royal librarian looked at him with a tinge of surprise in his eyes. The librarian glanced at the Old King, whose mind was rattling wildly. Not a single word of defense escaped the Old King’s lips. He didn’t have an excuse because it was impossible to be certain that Percy was wrong. What if he was right?
I got you!
Percy declared inwardly, the corner of his lips twitching. He had to suppress his smile and cleared his throat to gather his thoughts for a moment.
“You were strong enough to fight a Devil, and you’ve sustained a severe injury. At this point, you are no stronger than a Master Tier. You can no longer use Monster Cards, and you’ve lost access to your Ego. I could probably beat you, given your condition. Still, you were once one of the strongest beings in the mortal realm.”
Percy stared coldly at the Old King.
“Tell me then. Tell me you are 100% certain, with your vast experience and great wisdom, that the Devil’s Touch is at fault for everything. That if I had died years ago, the Kainesh Kingdom wouldn’t be attacked by Demons and Demonic Gifted because our relationship with the Devils of the Seven Hells is so GREAT. Tell me and I will end it all!”
Percy retrieved a dagger from his spatial ring and pressed the blade tightly against his neck. The royal librarian gasped in surprise and was about to make a move, but Percy was still not done.
“I don’t want to be the cause of the Kingdom’s downfall and I don’t think I will cause it any harm. If anything, I will beat the shit out of the Devil if he dares to step foot in the mortal realm. Who the hell does he think he is?!” Percy cursed, his eyes glimmering even more dangerously as the blade cut into his skin until a bleed streamed down the blade.
Droplets of blood trickled onto the ground, but Percy didn’t show any signs of stopping.
The Old King looked deep into Percy’s eyes for a while until he sighed in defeat, “Stop.”
He winced, but something in his eyes glimmered. It was almost like something that had been lost for decades finally returned to him.
“You are just like me,” He mumbled, “That’s probably even worse than the Devil’s Touch.”
That’s not supposed to be a compliment, right? Right?!
Percy shuddered, but the hint of a smile on the Old King’s face stopped him from saying anything stupid.
“I sure hope you can help the kingdom in the future since killing you isn’t an option anymore.”
That was true. If the Old King orchestrated his death, his parents would surely kill the Old King. They would ignore everyone’s advice and tear his grandfather apart. The aftermath would be devastating, possibly destroying the Kainesh Kingdom from the inside.
The Old King didn’t want that to happen either. Therefore, choosing the smaller evil, the Old King decided it was fine to leave Percy alive. At least, that was what it looked like. Percy wouldn’t lower his guard in front of the Old King just yet, but he didn’t feel threatened by his grandfather. If anything, he understood the old man. To a certain extent, at least.
“I am too weak, and your father doesn’t progress fast enough. He is too busy with his duties as the king to grow stronger as fast as he used to. On the other hand, you’re progressing rapidly,” The Old King said, revealing the second reason he decided not to kill Percy anymore. If Percy could progress fast, he might be able to help protect the kingdom.
“I gathered enough information about you to hunt you down,” The Old King glanced at Percy and shrugged lightly, “Don’t look at me like that.”
He cleared his throat, “Either way if I cannot kill you, I have to ensure you’ll be strong enough to beat up some Devils instead. Fortunately, you have been progressing quickly since you’ve manifested your Ego. Your mana is also perfectly pure, meaning the Devil’s marking didn’t reach your mana system.”
So instead of killing me to escape all problems, he wants to strengthen me in an attempt to force me to fight all problems head-on to…protect the kingdom?
Percy nearly laughed aloud at the hypocrisy, but it was also interesting at the same time.
A smile blossomed on his lips, and he stretched out his hands, “Can you give me a bunch of gold for a moment? Don’t expect me to return it to you.”
The Old King frowns and slows down. He stopped, forcing the royal librarian to stop and turn around as well.
“What are you doing?” The Old King asked but Percy didn’t say anything. His grandfather snickered but he retrieved a large pouch filled with gold.
That’s what I consider wealthy. Throwing around pouches filled with gold coins!
Percy reached for the gold pouch with the same smile but frowned lightly when no interface popped up, so he repeated what he said before,
“Don’t expect me to return the gold to you.”
“I am no–...” The Old King retorted, but Percy stopped him right there.
“You are. Please stop considering the gold as your property.”
[164x Gold Coins – Ordinary — 1,804,000 Prosperity]
“Thank you,” Percy flashed his white teeth at his grandfather, who could only raise his eyebrow.
“Now watch and see!” He said and activated [Consume] to devour everything in one go.
The abomination stirred awake and burst out of his palms.
