HideousGrain
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Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 54
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 10:00:08 +0000 UTCIt was simple. It really was.
The Old King was afraid. He didn’t fear his son even after Phillip beat him violently. No, the Old King was afraid of what would happen to the kingdom his ancestors founded hundreds of years ago now that Percy was still alive. He was scared that Devil’s Touch would destroy everything.
“He…is not supposed to be alive,” The Old King groaned in pain and was spitting out blood.
The King saw red when he heard that, but the old men in the office stopped Phillip before his fist could smash into his father’s face once again.
“Everyone told you to kill him after the Devil marked him, yet you didn’t do anything. You tried to seal him away, hiding him from everyone…ignoring the great misfortune you invited with your actions,” The Old King continued, “I might not have been the King at that time, but you weren’t strong enough to sacrifice your child for the great good. As the former king of the Kainesh Kingdom, I am still responsible for my citizens. They deserved to be freed of Devil’s Touch influence. That’s why I had to make a choice. It wasn’t easy, you know? Still, I did what I had to do.”
The Old King ignored his son’s outburst of anger. Even his roar was ignored by the Old King as he glanced at Percy.
“My son had ordered dozens of Shadow Assassins to protect you all day around, but I changed their order. I convinced the Shadow Assassins that you had to die. Gregory didn’t like that. He killed the Shadow Assassins when he realized that they would attack and kill you. To be honest, I thought you and Gregory died escaping. Your father must have told you about the Oracles already. If he didn’t, that would be fine, too. The Oracles couldn’t find you or Gregory, which is why I was certain of your deaths. But, apparently, they were wrong. I don’t know how Gregory did it, but he had the means to hide both himself and you from the Oracles.”
The Old King sighed.
“But when I heard about an azure-eyed child traveling with the heiress of the Reeze house, I immediately knew the Oracles were mistaken. I tasked them to look for you again. You can probably imagine my surprise when they found you this time. I knew you were back, but there was no way to kill you without attracting attention. That is –...”
No more words escaped the Old King’s lips as Phillip escaped the restrainment of the old men. His fist crashed into the Old King’s face, dislocating his jaw.
“You monster!”
The bittersweet truth unfolded slowly in the Old King’s office, and understanding dawned upon Percy.
He was angry at the Old King and his grandfather, even furious, but it wasn’t like his life with Greg had been that bad. Percy had been raised in isolation, but not everything had been bad.
Why does it feel odd to think of it as a blessing? Being raised poor helped me a lot. I don’t want to be as obnoxious as nobles, and I certainly don’t regret having made friends with ‘ordinary’ people. Would it be the same if I had been raised as the crown prince? No, it wouldn’t. I might not want to acknowledge it, but I would probably judge poor people and utter nonsense without knowing the difficulties they’re going through.
Percy knew he was still far from perfect and that he had a lot to learn, but being forced to acquire power and earn money to survive taught him a lot. It showed him how important union was and that, despite not everyone being the same, humans needed each other. They could help each other and grow stronger – better – together.
What’s the use of beating him?
Percy asked himself, looking at the bloody mess before him.
This is insane. I want to make a change. I…don’t want to be like the Old King.
He should be angry at his grandfather for trying to assassinate him twice. He did not merely threaten to kill him. No, the Old King ordered his death. And it would have succeeded if Gregory didn’t show mercy on Percy when he was a toddler or if Percy hadn’t seen the Shadow Assassin in the Glacia Knight Order’s barracks.
Still, the Old King didn’t seem like he was lying when he said that he did it for the Kingdom. The fear in the Old King’s eyes was genuine as well, but he was clearly not afraid of his son.
The Old King was willing to kill his grandson for the greater good of the kingdom. Percy could acknowledge that reasoning, but he wouldn’t accept it.
He walked inside the office, his footsteps resounding in the room. Percy retrieved a potion from his spatial ring and ignored the onlookers – mostly his father and the older men – around him as he gave the potion to the Old King. It was one of the Ego-enhanced Regeneration Potions that Percy had prepared for emergencies.
Normally, I wouldn’t give this to you, so be happy and drink it!
Percy nearly commanded, but he held back. The situation was too important to mess up.
Of course, he didn’t like that he was nearly assassinated twice, but killing the Old King or sending him to the High Court wouldn’t help anyone. On the contrary, it would tear everything apart. The nobles would be split between loyalty to the former King – almost every old noble served the Old King before –and loyalty to the current king.
However, the greater problem was that everyone would understand the Old King’s reasoning and consider it courageous to be willing to sacrifice his grandson for the greater good of the kingdom. In the meantime, Phillip Kain might end up getting called out as a cowardly traitor who considered his son’s life more important than the well-being of the Kainesh Kingdom.
Percy did not want the situation to escalate more than it already did.
The main issue is that the Old King is acting without hard proof. Nobody can say for sure whether the Devil’s Touch is actually a curse or just a bad omen—a warning—of the future awaiting them. There is no proof.
Unfortunately, even without any hard proof, it was a fact that lots of shit happened to Percy since he gained access to mana. It was almost like Devil’s Touch attracted danger.
That was why Percy decided to do something he wouldn’t normally do. He decided to forgive the Old King and give him a second – No… A third, or was it the fourth(?) – chance.
“I think you punished him enough,” Percy told his father, but Phillip Kain was still furious. The more Phillip thought about it, the angrier he felt: “I am still not done with him, Percy!”
Percy’s eye twitched. He had considered his father a hardened man who could control his emotions, but that must have been a mistake on Percy’s side. Phillip Kain was anything but calm and composed when it came to people hurting those he loved dearly.
“Yes, you are done,” Percy responded, but this time with more authority. His mana rippled as he activated [Berserk] for the first time in weeks. His mana boiled and churned through his body. Simultaneously, [Frostbite] was activated, instantaneously decreasing the room's temperature by several degrees.
The King stopped and looked up in surprise. He stared into his son’s eyes, only to see something he hadn’t seen for a long time.
“The Azure Dragon’s authority,” The Old King mumbled, his swollen eyes widened in surprise.
Percy had been running away from his rightful title and avoided his family, but that was over now. He was tired of avoiding others. If they couldn’t accept him for who he was, so be it.
Therefore, he accepted himself for who he truly was for the first time.
He accepted the blood running through his veins and the role that belonged to him.
Percy was certainly too weak to fight his father, but he was tired of all the trouble.
“I am the one who was nearly killed twice through my grandfather’s orders. Isn’t it my right to punish him?” Percy asked dead serious, [Hawk Eyes] helping him endure the King’s furious stare.
Phillip squinted his eyes, which were still filled with anger. He groaned but nodded slowly, acknowledging Percy’s claim.
“Do you want to beat him up instead?”
Is violence the only thing you can think of?
Percy wondered, shaking his head.
“No. I don’t think that’s necessary,” He asked while turning to the Old King. His grandfather was breathing heavily but he emptied the viscous content within the Regeneration Potion, improving his condition quickly.
“Can you stop sending assassins after me, please?” He asked the Old King but proclaimed the punishment without waiting for an answer, “As for the punishment…. How about I can pick out one of your personal treasures for every time you tried killing me? That would be two treasures from your personal collection.”
He was still a bit angry at the Old King and was having a hard time staying calm, but the thought of taking some of the Old King’s treasures made him happy. The Old King was a few hundred years old and should have amassed some very valuable treasures.
If I pick something incredibly expensive, I can convert it into Prosperity, reach the Master Tier from consuming the object in the first place, and have enough Prosperity left to create dozens of Master Artifacts and enhance my Monster Cards!
His business would be booming as long as Percy made the right choice. But even if he picked some useful items that would help him long-term, Percy would have no problem taking care of his business. The Dragon Lair would expand whether he was the crown prince or not. His status didn’t matter in that regard.
“Hmm…That makes sense,” Reina murmured, her eyes twinkling dangerously. Percy could tell how much his mother wanted to kill the Old King at this very moment. But instead of killing him, she decided to take as much from the Old King as possible. After all, she knew from her mother how much it would help Percy, “It’s only fair if the Old King gives Percy something expensive since he gifted Sophia the Kainesh Lion for her sixth birthday.”
She stared threateningly at the Old King, “You have many presents to prepare for the birthdays you’ve missed!”
Reina deliberately didn’t call the Old King with his title and turned to her husband. A smile replaced the turmoil of emotions ravaging her, “We have many birthday presents to make up for as well, don’t we?”
Percy’s lips parted to say something, but he noticed his mother’s gaze and kept his lips sealed.
That’s not what I wanted…not that I’d reject any gifts. But that wasn’t my intention!
