The capital of the Kingdom of Alterna, in the palace.
A black-haired man was seated on a throne, reading a report silently with an indecipherable expression.
A middle-aged man was standing behind him with a calm look, waiting silently for the black-haired man to finish reading the report.
The two of them had been like that for almost one hour already.
Finally, the black-haired man heaved a long sigh.
"Sebastian, what do you think?"
The middle-aged man behind the king furrowed his brows briefly before shaking his head with a wry smile.
"I can only say that the prince surpassed my expectations."
"You are right. Who would have expected so much talent from a manaless child?"
Yes, the two people were the King of the Kingdom of Alterna, and his butler and right hand, Sebastian.
Both of them were once important people in Bloed's life. One of them was his father, and the other was his caretaker.
And currently, both of them were reading a report about the happenings during the competition between The Great Savannah, the Boerner Elven Forest, and the Sun Kingdom.
The same competition where Bloed and the others participated.
When the king read the report, his first thought was that it was a joke. After all, nobody would believe that a B-Rank young man fought and killed more than ten of A-Rank and B-Rank practitioners by himself.
Moreover, he used only one attack.
However, the king knew that the source of this report was reliable. It came from a spy that had been infiltrated in The Great Savannah for a long while, and that spy got this information directly from an official report.
In other words–
"In other words, that kid already possesses the power of a demigod?" The king asked to himself, astonished by his own words.
"I don't think so," Sebastian answered with a thoughtful look. "Certainly, a feat like that is something that only demigods or the strongest A-Rank practitioners should be able to do. But the prince should not be as strong as a demigod yet. If I'm not wrong, that attack was the result of a technique with several limitations. Perhaps even with a strong backlash."
"You are right. But even so, it shows that the kid has a lot of potential. Moreover, if he becomes a demigod with a technique like that, he would be considered one of the strongest demigods immediately."
Sebastian fell silent. He was also aware of that.
In fact, he was just as surprised as his king when he learned about the news.
He had already realized that the young prince was extremely talented when he met him the last time, but he never thought it would be at such a level.
His talent was definitively as frightening as the young princess. Perhaps even greater.
"However, it has become a serious problem." The king suddenly wrinkled his brows.
Sebastian nodded. Yes, the prince's talent was a serious problem for them.
In fact, the most talent the prince showed, the greater the problem was.
No, it was not just a problem. It was a threat.
After all–
"That kid, Glenn Skysword has the blood of the royal family running in his veins. Furthermore, he carries a grudge against us. If one day, when he develops at the limit of his potential, he decides to exact vengeance on us or get the throne to himself, it will be a problem hard to resolve."
Sebastian nodded and sighed after hearing the words of the king.
In the end, Glenn Skysword had royal blood. It meant he had legitimacy for the throne. If one day he was interested in becoming the king, perhaps many nobles unsatisfied with the current government would support the young and talented prince to replace his dad as their new ruler.
In fact, just the talent the young prince had shown until now was enough for many nobles to start developing ideas. Moreover, the young prince also had the support and backing of several powerful organizations that could help him if one day he decides he wants to become king.
Fortunately, news about him being a prince from the kingdom had not spread out yet, but it was just a matter of time with the commotion he caused.
Of course, Sebastian did not think the current young prince was interested in becoming king. The two times he had met the young prince recently showed him that Glenn did not consider himself a member of the royal family anymore.
But nobody knew if his thoughts would change when he becomes older and stronger.
And Sebastian knew that the king could not let such a hidden danger roam free.
"Your majesty, what are your plans?" Sebastian asked respectfully, aware that the king was planning something.
"… Unfortunately, we can't touch him easily. He has the Church of Fate and Moonlight Glow as his backings, and from the reports, his relationship with the saintess of both churches is pretty good. Moreover, he also gained the favor of the beastmen now. That is without considering the demigod girl acting as his bodyguard… I don't understand, how can that kid have such good luck with women?" The king asked speechlessly.
He could not believe that his son, just a B-Rank brat, had a close and intimate relationship with three powerful women like them.
Sebastian smiled wryly, unable to think in an answer to that question.
Fortunately, the king was just grumbling to himself and never expected an answer. Thus, after holding his head exasperatedly, he stated his plan.
"Eres is still searching for his whereabouts, right? Find a way to leak his current identity to her… You should leak it to the queen as well. She has been feeling guilty since the day we exiled him. She still cries when she remembers him."
"The little princess and the queen? Your majesty is planning…"
"Yes. Once they learn that Glenn is still alive, they will go to meet him and try to convince him to return. Who knows? Perhaps it will yield unexpected results."
"… Being honest, your majesty, I don't think this plan will work. The young prince did not seem even slightly interested in returning to the kingdom."
"Do you think so? I, on the other hand, think that there is a pretty good chance of success. Mainly thanks to Eres."
The king's butler was startled, but he quickly understood.
Certainly, if it was the little princess, who had been searching for her brother for several years without stop, then perhaps she could convince him.
"I understand. I will do that."
"Good." The king nodded. "Meanwhile, I will think about other methods we can use... In the worst case, we will have to get rid of him." The king hesitated a bit when he said the last part.
"!!! Your majesty! But the Church of Fate and Moonlight Glow…"
"I said in the worst case, didn't I? In the end, offending two churches is better than having a powerful demigod backed by several powerful organizations creating a bloodbath in the kingdom. Even if that demigod is my own son."
....
1/3