"Slap me if you dare." the King leaned forward as a provocation.
"....."
But, suddenly, there was nothing...?
The King blinked a few times, not wanting to rub his eyes that will make him look like a fool. However, the others rubbed their eyes.
Only Edora was not stunned by this even though it was still unbelievable. They thought that Avion was just using Body Strengthening like everyone else, however, this was too instant.
Just like how Edora was shocked when she was slapped by Avion with a law-breaking movement, literally, the King and the Queen did too. If Avion was just so fast, he should've left a trace of wind.
"Where... where did he go?" someone asked in the crowd.
Everyone looked around to see where he went. Did Avion just trick them?
"Is he a Light Elementalist who uses Blink?" the King whispered to himself but Edora, was on the opposite side on her post, heard this and immediately answered after she ran to him;
"No, Your Royal Highness, I have experienced Avion's skills firsthand and I can tell that he is not a Light Elemental... he is... strange..." Edora half-kneeled to the floor with her head low.
"Hmm..." the King proceeded to sense the whole area but couldn't catch anyone using elemental skills.
While the King was pondering, Edora took this opportunity to strike, "I have fought him and I was instantly defeated" hearing this, Princess Alisera frowned, she didn't know that this happened, "Him, Avion Teller had some skills and may even reach Rank Bih, however, I hypothesize that he was intimidated by the King and fled." Edora smiled, unseen by anyone with her head low.
Meanwhile, the King praised Edora in his mind.
She knew what she was doing. The King provoked Avion, gambling his image. If Avion didn't do what he said then it concludes that nobody could really fight a King. However, if he did slap the King then it would be a permanent shame.
Edora's words made clear what the result was while sprinkling words to make the King look grander.
She emphasized how strong Avion was and that she, the Royal Knight-Captain was defeated, but even after that, Avion couldn't challenge the King, saying that he fled due to mere intimidation.
This made the King a total winner, erasing the shame earlier while giving him a grander image.
The King nodded in pleasantness. It seemed that Edora escaped her sad fate. With the King's agreement, everyone had to acknowledge it as well.
Slowly, whispers began to rise;
"As expected of King Karan."
"That's how a king should be!"
"I am proud to have His Royal Highness as my King."
This indirect bootlicking spread and the King and Queen finally calmed down.
Only Princess Alisera was at loss.
Time was reversed and nobody could ever remember how devilish this princess could be. No, it is not as if they forgot but it just never happened.
If only the King and Queen knew about this, they would've been thanking Avion instead. However, they began to underestimate him while forgetting about him... on the surface but they knew that the elesp Blink could only cover a short area.
They encountered a Light Elementalist before, a Rank Bih Light Elementalist and they knew well that Blink could only cover a meter in radius.
But they didn't speak of it not to ruin the moment.
What elesp could Avion possibly have? How strong is he? Is there such an [Elesp Tool] that has the same effect?
The nobles are too weak to know any of these that was why the royal couple kept silent.
They became wary and even, a little bit scared. If Avion could just blink away in a distance so far that they can't sense him, then couldn't he blink in front of them without them knowing?
If that is so, Avion could just appear whenever they had their guard down and kill them if he wanted. Doesn't that mean that they have to wary day and night for years to come? What about sleep?
While the crowds silently cheer the royal couple, mostly the King, internally, the two were troubled by this matter. No matter what, they have to find this Avion Teller again or they won't have a good rest for the rest of their life!
"Papa,"
The King turned around to Princess Alisera who called him, "Yes, dear?" he responded with a kind smile, oblivious to the fact that in another timeline, he was furious and disgusted with her at the same time.
"Where did Avion go?" she asked with a sad face, acting like a twelve-year-old girl. Her cute and spotless face was sweet to the eyes that the King never minded this behavior of her.
Oh, if only he knew, he wouldn't be this kind to her.
"Sorry, but it seemed that he left you..." the King didn't lie or exaggerated, although that was his intention.
Because in reality, Avion did leave Princess Alisera for he still remembers that she only looks at his face.
He was currently walking in the dark corners of the street, in the slum neighborhood of the Trading-Hills Capital. No matter where, there will always this kind of neighborhood where people had grumbling stomachs and are always suffering just to get enough food for the day.
The nobles are ignoring them and hiding this part of the city on the very edge where merchants and traders wouldn't see even if they were to take a stroll around the capital.
However, Avion found it as he walked around for an unknown time in his timeless moment.
Clearly remembering what Princess Alisera said which rang in his ears, it was echoing in his mind.
The King had no intention to lie so that Princess Alisera would come to hate and forgot about Avion, but, Avion did leave the princess. The King didn't know that he was saying the truth.
Never once did Avion saw his face and said that he was handsome. If one is alone all their life, who could they compare themselves to?
There are only measurements if there is a comparison and being the only person alive back then, Avion didn't know that he was handsome enough for every woman to drool over him.
If you are the only person in the dark space, do you know if you are big or not?
So... he never once thought that the princess only saw him for his looks.
It was so dumb to hear.
It came out of nowhere.
Avion with zero experience didn't see it coming. As it echoed in his head, he held his chest in the darkness;
"I must be remembering when I was stabbed again."
He was having his first broken heart.