Benedict walked over to Shirley and Freon dejectedly. Shirley peeled off another piece of bread and threw it to him. "Here, you should eat something. It'll lift your spirits!"
"O-Oh… Thank you," Benedict was confused but accepted it anyway.
"Why are you apologizing on your master's behalf? Shouldn't he… be the one doing it instead?" Freon asked cautiously, looking around to make sure the Sword King had left before continuing. He could never be too safe around an Instinct Realm!
"I don't know…"
Growing up in the Hawken Household, he was groomed to become a knight, and eventually a Royal Guard. While his father believed his potential fell short, those fundamental values were nevertheless ingrained into his bones. A knight could never disrespect or disobey his superiors! That was an absolute and inviolable rule! Without it, there would be no 'knight'. It was those values and morals that separated him from everyone else. That was why when he saw his master disrespecting General Petra, he felt his stomach drop. That was General Petra! She was the commanding general over the entire northern theatre! Her status and power spoke for themselves. Granted, the Sword King was the world's only Instinct Realm in over a hundred years, and his might was nearly unparalleled, but as the saying goes, a little modesty goes a long way. Since his master would not apologize, Benedict felt forced to act in his place. It was an awful feeling.
"You have my condolences," Freon said, patting him on the shoulder. He thought his uncle was bad, but the Sword King managed to open his eyes. This was how to be insufferable! His pity made Benedict especially gloomy.
"Where's Elizabeth? She was with you, wasn't she?" Shirley asked.
"I believe she was talking with Commander Christina. She said not to wait for her."
"We shouldn't disturb her then. They need to catch up." Shirley sighed as she thought back to her mother and brothers in Firecast. It was approaching half a year since she left, and due to certain reasons, she could not write back. They must be worried sick hearing about the Battle of Liguang, thinking she died. She promised to make it up to them when she finally returned!
"Let's get a proper meal before it gets too dark," Freon interrupted.
"Alright."
"Sure!"
Elsewhere, Commander Christina complained whilst pulling on Elizabeth's cheeks, "You got some nerve dragging me into a meeting as soon as I came back!"
"I'm sorry, Auntie Christina!" Elizabeth garbled through stretched cheeks.
"Hmph. Do you know how tough I had it in Liguang? Those dogs from the Imperial Council and the Li Family were constantly watching me, while I had to pretend you were still missing for almost two months! The slightest slipup and they would have noticed something was wrong. Yet… this is the thanks I get? I ought to teach you a lesson!" she fumed.
"I said I'm sorry! Stop pulling on my cheeks!" Elizabeth was ready to start crying.
Suddenly, the two paused and burst into laughter. Christina hugged the girl closely and said, "It's good to see you again, Elizabeth."
"You too, Auntie Christina."
After a long embrace, they eventually separated. Christina had a rare look of concern on her face. "Elizabeth, about the inheritance race… are you…?"
"I'm okay. I don't mind."
"You don't have to play strong with me. Tell me the truth," she chastised.
"I'm okay," Elizabeth said with a bitter smile.
"You're really okay?"
"I really am!"
Christina glared at her in disbelief. "…Are you really?"
"Yes, I am," Elizabeth groaned.
"What happened? I thought you wanted to win the inheritance race."
"A lot of things happened. We can talk over dinner."
"Alright! I have a lot of questions you know."
"Dinner first! I'm starving."
"Let's get a move on then!" The two headed off in high spirits.
Meanwhile, the Sword King and his disciples took a carriage back to their residence. They could have gone back much faster using their movement techniques, but Elizabeth had strictly forbad them from doing so, because any overly flashy abilities might risk jeopardizing her plans. She was not ready to reveal that she survived the Battle of Liguang. That was part of her agreement with the Imperian Princesses. Although the Sword King could have ignored her and done as he pleased, the consequences were not something he was willing to deal with. Besides, his current lifestyle was quite comfortable. He liked his newfound status and power.
"Master, why did you suddenly decide to go to Guanhuang?" Hidek wondered in the carriage. His master was always one to despise coercion, yet he changed his mind in the meeting. It was quite strange.
"It's because the Featherwind Sect will be there."
"…Why?" Lanar asked.
"Because I sensed it," he said matter-of-factly.
He could keenly detect his good fortune manifesting in the west and his gut instincts were telling him the same. They had never been wrong yet so a grand battle was imminent! His blood boiled at the thought. He could not wait to test his sword once more! Unfortunately, this simple explanation rendered Hidek and Lanar speechless. They understood that their master's senses transcended past the boundaries of Perception Realm and stretched into the unknown, but this… this sounded ridiculous. They felt it was his boredom at play again.
Nonetheless, Hidek had to ask, "Master… how confident are you in defeating the Featherwind Sect? You said that their mastery of Martial Energy rivals, if not surpasses, your own, and the kingdom speculates that there could be as many as twenty members in their sect. If they're all Instinct Realms, then…"
The rest went unsaid. Although Hidek did trust his master greatly, he never once thought his master was invincible. A human had their limits after all, and the Featherwind Sect might be more than he could handle. His arrogance might be his downfall! On the side, Lanar had to agree. The feats the Featherwind Sect displayed thus far in the Battle of the Maelstrom Gulf and Liguang had far surpassed anything they imagined was possible. Who else could pressure an entire fleet of twenty thousand soldiers? Or bisect an entire town and slaughter over ten thousand? It was absurd! Could their master really prevail?
"You worry too much as usual," the Sword King snorted. "This is why your sword path is weak!"
"Master, you can't say this," Hidek frowned. "This battle will involve more than just us. It could be the decisive battle that affects the entire war, and even the world! We shouldn't be taking this lightly."
"Are you the master or am I? When did you decide what I should or should not do?"
"…I hate to say this, but I agree with Hidek," Lanar spoke up in a rare moment of comradery. "It's too dangerous to charge in without a plan. We might be dying a pointless death if we did. We should take this more seriously and coordinate with the kingdom."
He might be arrogant, but he was neither a fool nor was he suicidal. Against a normal human opponent, he had no fears. Why? Because a human's limits were known! They had two arms, two legs, and one head. That was the basic fact of nature. No one had four arms, four legs, or two heads. Hence, all swordsmanship styles in existence evolved around fighting humans, and the Cloud Sea Style was no exception. Naturally, that also meant that no style was developed to fight a flying opponent! Lanar dared to think his combat strength would be quartered against a Perception Realm that could fly, much less a sentient group of birds wielding Martial Energy. To make matters worse, they could all be Instinct Realms… He knew a lost cause when he saw it. It was better to swallow their pride and revaluate their strategies than die.
"If they had twenty Instinct Realms, then they would have swept through the kingdom already. They wouldn't have insisted on playing this game of cat and mouse," the Sword King explained impatiently. "Furthermore, do you really think the kingdom would rely on me as their only trump card? Their faith in me isn't that high. They probably have other plans in mind in case I fail. And I never said I wanted to charge in and die either. I'll assess the situation and adapt accordingly. Don't worry. I'll grasp this opportunity well. This is the breakthrough I've been waiting for!" he declared, leaving his disciples speechless once more. It seemed to be a trend with Benedict too. Perhaps this was what it took to become the Sword King!