The King, not offended in the least, gazed into the distance where Zeun's back was still visible. "Lady Mira, you know my skill, right?"
Mira, the female Knight, frowned. Every talented and successful awakened child receives a Magic Light Screen called "status." It reveals the skills they've been blessed with, and how or what skills they'll acquire cannot be known beforehand.
Those exceptionally talented will be blessed with skills. Additional skills can be acquired later through skill books, training, or other fortunate encounters.
Russel de Voldemort had been blessed with a skill called the Eye of Doom.
It lacked any fighting or attacking power; instead, it revealed the future of someone he looked at, indicating whether that person would be a harmful or helpful ally for him.
The only downside was that he could only discern his future with the person in question. Additionally, he had to expend his life force, costing him one year of time for each use of this ability.
The Eye of Doom only reacts when the person in question poses a threat to the King, prompting the use of the ability.
Upon seeing Zeun, King Russell's eyes started twitching, a clear indication that the skill identified him as a potential threat.
""The Eye of Doom... Then why did you let him go? Wouldn't it be better to kill him now and remove any kind of threat to your life?"
asked Miraina, attempting to convince the king. Her tone suggested that killing was no big deal to her, akin to her daily chores. Given his importance to the Kingdom, protecting him was her duty as a Royal Knight.
"I think you should stop, Lady Miraina,"
Russel said in a chilled tone, sending shivers down her spine.
"Sigh...Sorry about my composure but things are not as simple as it seemed to be...."
"Hah! That boy is anything but simple... I lost 100 years of my lifespan just to peek at the future relationship between me and that boy. I don't think I need to say anything more about his fate or strength."
The King paused momentarily, fatigue evident from the loss of a century's worth of lifespan.
In this world, each increase in Rank extends one's lifespan by 100 years. Thus, people generally live for two centuries at minimum.
Mira, standing silently, listened with full attention to each of her King's words before asking,
"'Okay. I understand that his fate is powerful, but he is nowhere near strong enough to even bat an eye. Why are you risking keeping him alive? Not only that, you also gave him 100 Platinum Coins, for God's sake, Its 3000 Gold Coins above the price.
and permission to enter the Royal library, a privilege not all Royals can enjoy. What... are you even thinking, Russel?"
Mira couldn't contain herself any longer as she lashed out at the King.
Russel didn't react to Mira's rudeness. Looking in the general direction of the Everlost Forest as if trying to perceive the unseeable, felt an indescribable emotion gripping his heart. He continued, his voice carrying the weight of his realization.
".. Things are not that simple Lady Miraina...
*Sigh*
it feels like a Supreme Power house is directly interfering with his fate.. He is like a burning flame, if i touch him I burn...but if I stay close to him, then even in the coldest winter I survive... Doing him a favour now might help me in future... So no need to make an enemy when we can make allys."
Miraina: "....."
Both turn silent as each lost in their own world of contemplation.
------
Walking through the garden towards his room, Zeun pondered, "Why is the King so kind to me? He not only bought the papers with 30 extra Platinum coins but also allowed me to stay at the palace until my awakening ceremony. Not to mention, he even permitted me to enter the library." Looking at the heavy black wooden token in his hand, he wondered about the King's intentions.
"And what did he mean by his last words—'I hope you will remember this favor and not become my enemy.'"
'How can I, a mere 10-year-old boy, even dream of becoming an enemy of the king?' Zeun sighed, feeling perplexed. 'What's going on... And of course, I agreed to the king's request. After all he helped me; he's my benefactor now. So, no need to become enemies.'
"Now, what should I do next? Shall I meditate, or should I visit the library? I can only use this temporary token ten times, and with each use, I can stay for 12 hours.
— No, my mind is still not calm from everything happening around me. I must calm myself and improve my focus for the next two months, making my mind realm stronger. Only after that can I effectively enter the library and find what I need."
Walking through the large corridor, Zeun sensed many sneaky glances directed at him with malicious intent.
Glancing around, he discerned the silhouette of a few maids; from their dress, he recognized the maid from the garden the night before.
A shiver ran down his spine as he turned around and dashed towards his room. Closing the door, he huffed, leaning on his back, and asked,
"huff .... huff.. huff
What was that? What was that feeling of suffocation? I felt like I would surely die at that moment."
'"This castle is not safe at all," Zeun thought. "I can't do meditation here. If I get caught forming a mana circle before my awakening, I don't know what they will do to me! The mages may dissect me to see and research."
As he imagined the scene of being dissected, screams for help sent goosebumps throughout his body.
Requesting an audience with the King , he shared his concern and good byes. The only person in this castle who is kind to him and does not look down on him or gave disgusting gazes.
Inside King's Office.
"Didn't expect to meet you again so soon. " Russel Chuckled as he stopped writing and looked at his direction.
Embarassed and guilty about disturbing the King when he is busy, Zeun asked, lowering his head. He couldn't afford to waste the King's time for minor reasons like saying goodbye, so he spoke his mind.
Greeting with proper etiquette, recently learned, he said
"Your Majesty, sorry for taking your time again, but there is something I would like to tell you that I could not say before. I was actually doing a little research on that paper and stumbled upon a crucial new discovery."
The King raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Oh! Tell me quickly; I don't have time for formalities," a bit impatient.
He knew the boy before wasn't simple, and now this boy was trying to prove his worth after witnessing the harsh reality of the world and the cruelty of nobles.
Zeun smiled as he said, "Then I shall be direct. I found that these papers react with mana dust (dust from magic/mana crystals). After writing, it forms a certain layer, but due to insufficient time and inks, I couldn't research further. This is the prototype I researched..."
He passed a clean piece of the lowest quality recycled mana paper to the king.
Russel took the paper in hand and frowned, feeling its texture. Nothing was different except its lower quality, and it was greasy and oily; he doubted whether this paper could be even used for writing.
"Are you sure this paper can be used for writing?"
Seeing the king's doubtful face, Zeun's expression transformed into a bright smile, radiating a sense of accomplishment as if he had achieved something significant.
Seeing the bright smile, Russel got a bit annoyed just as he was about to say something....
""My King, please use the Mana ink in your hand and write something on the paper... also, you may use the Royal Seal for better understanding."
As Zeun's voice reverberated, Russel was genuinely tempted to try, but a delicate yet strong hand covered in armor stopped him.
Mira's voice was heard, "My King, please reconsider. Although I don't feel any malicious intent from the kid, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Zeun was surprised to see a person appear out of thin air. He clearly saw nobody in the room, then how? His mind went blank as he stared at the bewitching hourglass-shaped beauty clad in tight attire, seemingly showing off her perfect body shape with a stern-toned face.
Russel nodded at her, then delved into some random calculations. As they both turned their attention to the kid, he appeared mesmerized by Mira. The King chuckled, and couldn't help but tease his personal Knight, resulting in a playful exchange.
"He he.. Looks like aunt has another admirer to her list now. Aunt Mira, are you developing a new fetish about young kids now?..." Russel giggled as he teased his personal Knight.
Bam Bam
Two bumps surfaced on the King's head, and he groaned in mock pain, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Your Majesty, please behave yourself,"
Mira stated with her usual cold tone, a vein popping on her forehead.
Zeun, surprised by this side of King Russel, awkwardly coughed twice.
Cough Cough
"Now, please submerge the paper in mana dust for 10 seconds before making any magical modifications," Zeun instructed.
Russel followed the guidance, thinking, 'I never expected them to be this close. "Aunt" huh? Whatever, not like it matters to me.'
Two simultaneous gasps echoed in the room, bringing Zeun back from his thoughts.
Mira exclaimed, "How is this possible?" Russel sighed, "If only it were a little better..."
Both of them were in awe of the boy before them. As a Grand-Master Mage , Russel found it very difficult to rewrite and modify the ink from the partiality laminated paper, although it wasn't an impossible task.
They both looked at the seemingly normal kid before them, exchanging looks that conveyed, "Oh, my savior has come – a damsel in distress, finally God glanced at this damsel." As bright light covered Zeun in their mind.
Looking at the looks they were giving Zeun thought, 'What the fuck? Why are you giving me that look of admiration..'
Hearing Russel's words, Zeun replied, "My King, it's only a prototype of the paper. It requires more research and, most importantly, time. But once it's successful..."