"Your highness! Your highness!" A servant was rushing towards a room.
When the servant opened the door, it immediately bowed. "Your highness! This servant apologizes for disturbing your time!"
A boy, who has a very distinct handsome feature, stood up from his position where he sat by the window of his room, holding a book.
This is Zeno. Zeno Asmorgard. As for why his name was like this? It was due to his father, the current emperor of the empire, who named him after their founding father. The Holy Emperor Zeno of Asmorgard.
Well, the surname says it all.
"Oh, it's okay, what's the matter?" Zeno spoke.
The servant became calm. The servant was always astonished at how tolerant the prince was toward his servants as well as to others. This made all the servants and soldiers within the palace think positively of Zeno.
"Your highness prince, his highness emperor wants you to visit him in the throne hall." The servant answered.
"Huh? What's the matter? Did he tell you why?" Zeno asked.
"This servant is not qualified, your highness! I am just following his highness emperor's order!" The servant answered with conviction, this was to avoid any rumors of him disrespecting the emperor and getting killed.
"Oh well, let's go then.." Zeno wore his footwear and put down the book he was just reading and went out with the servant towards his father's throne hall.
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Zeno arrived at the entrance of the throne hall and was greeted by the guards there. "Salute to his Highness!" The two guards shouted.
"Well… at ease, then… let's go." Zeno spoke to the servant, however, the two guards went forward and stopped the servant from entering.
"Your highness! We apologize, his highness and the minister forbid anyone entering the throne hall aside from you." The two guards.
"Hmm.. this seems serious.. well.. You stay here and I'll go on then." Zeno said.
"Yes, your highness!" The servant followed and stepped aside for the prince to enter the hall.
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The stone door opened and the guard shouted. "His Highness Imperial Prince has arrived!"
Zeno walked towards the throne where he spots his father sitting while the minister was beside him standing.
"Father." Zeno bowed.
"Son. As I said before, you don't need to be so formal. As the only child I have, the only prince and the future emperor of this empire, I will allow any naughtiness, but look here, you're too formal!" The emperor said.
"Father, you must be joking." Zeno replied.
"Look! Look! Renkin! Look at my son! Who do you think he took after?" The emperor shouted.
Renkin, the minister of the empire, bowed a bit and answered in a playful tone, "My emperor, I believe he took after Lady Shin."
"What, even you!? What happened to my blood!? Where's the hot-blooded youth I expect from my son!?" The emperor jokingly said.
"Father, I can also get hotblooded if you wanted to but I prefer to be like this, I need to respect you in front of the officials." Zeno butted in.
The emperor and Minister Renkin looked at each other and then laughed.
Zeno, who was watching the two, went silent. He knew these two are just joking and teasing him. What can he do? As a previous overlord in the underworld scene, he got used to being cold-blooded and being formal on any occasion, which made him the way he is currently.
"Well… I don't want to waste Father and Minister Renkin's time, so what can I do for father?" Zeno cut off the two's laughter and went directly for the kill.
"Ehem.. well…" The two stopped immediately and went serious.
The emperor spoke. "Since you're at the right age, it's time to learn and cultivate. So I've assigned teachers for you, one is for the array techniques, battle techniques, cultivation method, and alchemy."
"That's a lot, Father." Zeno answered in confusion.
"That's how it is my child, I also went through the same when I was at your age, so just continuing tradition and this is to test you on which path you are suitable." The emperor answered.
Zeno sighed. Another to add in his plate, still manageable though. "I will follow what father wants. When will I start?" Zeno asked.
"Each teacher will teach you once a day, so in a year and they will let me know of your strengths and weaknesses so that your future path will be planned out so as to not waste time with other subjects." The emperor answered.
"Why not I attend the empire's academy?" Zeno asked curiously.
"The academy has its own pros and cons, you need to focus on your strengths for the future, any distractions will make you complacent and weak! The family will not allow that!" The emperor answered.
"Oh… well… I'll follow father's arrangement, then." Zeno bowed.
"Good, you can now go back to your reading hobby son." The emperor said.
"Father really knows me well. I'll go back now father, minister Renkin." Zeno bowed and walked out of the throne hall.
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"What do you think Renkin?" The emperor asked his minister as he reminisced the back of his son walking out of the throne hall.
"Your highness, Imperial Prince Zeno really hid his cultivation well. I believe he was already at stage 8 of Mortal Realm." Renkin answered.
"Indeed, what a genius of a son I have! Now, only time is needed for him to grow and inherit my empire!" The emperor excitedly said.