The fire dragon royal family and the dark dragon royal family were always close allies. They had a closer relationship than any of the other 8 dragon races. For this reason, A'keal's father and Ryrla's father had arranged a marriage between A'keal and Ryrla before they were even born. A'keal and Ryrla both originally hated the idea of being engaged, but after spending so many years as friends, they didn't oppose it anymore.
After opening the door, Ryrla entered the room and casually sat on the side of the bed where A'keal was laying.
Ryrla's personality was more aloof than anything. There were only a few people in her heart, one of which was A'keal. Ryrla's annoyed expression told A'keal something was wrong.
Ryrla was considered an even bigger genius than Leonard. She had reached the 3rd rank dragon form at 10 years of age. Additionally, she learned the introductory techniques of her dark dragon family, the celestial time art. A type of art form centered on the time and space attribute only available to the royal family of the Dark dragon.
"Why did you fight Leonard?" whispered Ryrla
A'keal was startled and didn't know what to say. He kept quiet.
"Why did you challenge Leonard when you know you weren't strong enough to win?" Ryrla asked with a worried expression."
A'keal responded, "I wanted to show to everyone that I wasn't planning to let someone else take the throne that easily. I can become a prince, one worthy of becoming king."
Ryrla understood where A'keal was coming from. She knew how much becoming king meant to him and that he wanted to become stronger.
Sigh! "Alright, next time when you do challenge someone, make sure you win," said Ryrla teasingly.
A week passed, and A'keal was fully healed. As A'keal was studying more ways he could defeat opponents with formations, he heard a few servants talking about a mysterious cave that was reported to be seen by the scouts.
"Why are so many soldiers gathering?" Servant 1 asked.
Servant 2 responded, "Haven't you heard? The scouts reported seeing a mysterious cave on the royal family's land. The king had ordered an expedition to explore this cave."
"Why would there be a need for so many soldiers for just an exploration mission?" asked Servant 1.
Servant 2 responded, "I heard there are powerful monsters, both outside and inside the cave. They need extra manpower to subjugate the monsters as well".
A'keal's eyes lit up upon hearing the news. He could get hands-on combat experience while also gaining merit for his family. After thinking for a while, A'keal asked his father for an audience.
Creak! A'keal opened the door to the throne room. As he entered, he saw magnificent red flags bearing the gold ancestral fire dragon emblem. The room was mostly gray and black, with beautiful designs all over it. The throne was also red and gold.
Sitting at the throne was someone who look similar to A'keal. He had long red hair with greenish-yellow eyes and dark pupils.
Looking at the king, you could feel his immense pressure, one worthy of a peak sixth-rank dragon knight. Most people would bow unless the king significantly weakened his pressure. "Oh, you came A'keal," said Delrich. "What is it that you request of me?"
A'keal replied, "Father, I'd like to join the expedition of the secret cave."
This request surprised Delrich. Up until now, A'keal had never shown intentions of accomplishing missions given by the royal family or even stepping out of the castle. All he had done in those years was train or study in the royal library.
"Why do you want to join the expedition?" Delrich asked in a curious tone.
A'keal replied, "After my duel with Leonard, I realized how lacking and inexperienced I am when it comes to combat. Studying formations and training alone won't help me become stronger. I need to engage in actual combat."
In view of A'keal's determination, Delrich decided to let him join the expedition if he had a bodyguard to ensure his safety.
Delrich responded, "Alright, you can join the expedition, but you will need someone to guide and protect you along the way. It would've been much better if your adopted brother was here, but seeing as he still has 10 days left before he can come home. He can't accompany you."
A'keal's adopted brother was someone with whom the king had seen potential from a young age. He adopted him as a way for A'keal to always have someone to rely on and protect him. Joseph Albertine, A'keal's elder brother, is a genius who has achieved the 4th dragon knight stage at 16 years of age. This feat has not been achieved in centuries. Even the mighty Lord Ozar only reached the 4th stage of Dragon Knight when he was 25. Currently, Joseph is on a 4-year training mission where he is a vice-commander on the front lines.
"Your brother is expected to come back home in 3 weeks, but the expedition will start in 5 days. I will assign a knight to protect you on the mission," said Delrich.
A'keal nodded in agreement
"Thank you father, now I will excuse myself," said A'keal courteously.
Later that day, the king announced the Prince's participation in this expedition. The news was dissatisfying to many, as they believe A'keal will only be a burden.
5 days later...
A total of 50 knights assembled for the expedition. The leader of the expedition team was Tomen Smith, the Vice-Captain.
"Alright, everyone, line up. We will explore a newly discovered cave that has appeared in the royal family land, Spring-Front. It is said that many dangerous monsters are lurking outside and inside the cave, so I will need everyone to be on guard. Form 5 teams of 10 and make sure to always stay near one another." the vice-captain Tomen instructed.
While A'keal was forming his team, a brown-haired 5'11 guy came to him. After his fight with Leonard, A'keal was better able to interpret people's rank just by looking at them. He could tell this mysterious soldier was at least a third-rank knight.
"Greetings prince A'Keal. My name is Kael. I am the knight that the king has assigned to guard you during this expedition".
A'keal responded, "I look forward to working with you"
"I have to say, I admired the way you handled yourself in the duel against Leonard. Although you were a lower rank, you still put up such an amazing fight. Many knights think highly of you," said Kael enthusiastically .
"Thank you..." said A'keal awkwardly
Including A'keal and Kael, 8 other people were on A'keal's team. 2 of which the king secretly provided for the protection of A'keal without informing him. The rest, however, had other plans.
Five people on A'keal's team had previously planned to kill him during this expedition. A'keal's position as the crowned prince was not acceptable to them, so they wanted Leonard in his place instead. It was anticipated that something like this would occur, so the king sent extra guards to protect him.
"Ok, if everything is in order, let's depart," said Tomen. With that command, the soldiers all march to Spring-Front.