As Silver ran to the royal palace, a smidget of blood appeared on his lips and he calmly wiped it with the back of his hand.
"Did my combat ability and physical ability get stronger after fighting the mental image of Nathaniel last night?"
He muttered with a tinge of surprise and happiness in his tone. He recollected the battle he just had with the Spartan guard and a wide smile instantly appeared on his face.
After he reached the rooftop of the buildings around him, to his surprise he saw a guard on the roof. At first, the guard did not notice him since he was behind him, but the instant he landed properly, the guard sensed him and he was shocked to say the least.
Eventually, they fought, and although it was not as easy as it seemed, he was able to defeat the guard. When the guard realized who he was, Silver made sure to deliver a good beating to him for wasting his precious time.
"I could not defeat a mid-level initiate in the past. But now…" Silver grinned. "At least I know I can fight back."
Silver smiled happily, and a few seconds later, the royal palace appeared in his sight.
"Hopefully Mom doesn't punish me too much if I give her the gift."
Silver sighed while making sure to remove his hoodie, and some seconds later, he stood before the gates of the royal palace. The royal guards raised their brows when they saw him, but they said no words and only remained as still as a statue.
Silver walked past the royal guards and entered the gate. He looked around, and he saw numerous servants attending to the beautiful and magnificient royal garden.
When the servants saw him, they bowed and greeted but Silver gave no response, his mind was entirely on his upcoming encounter with his mother.
"Young prince?"
A familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned.
"Ah, Sir Draco? What are you doing here?"
Silver exclaimed with a surprised tone as he gazed at a man with a towering height of 6'6". The man had a muscular build that spoke of years of the rigorous training and countless battles he had gone through. The man had eyes as dark as the night sky, and in those eyes was a fire that could only be noticed by those familiar with the same fire.
The man had dark, thick hair that was cut short for practicality, and a well-groomed beard that framed his chiselef jawline and high cheekbones. A scar could also be seen across his left cheek. But it was not only his left cheek that had a scar, his sun-bronzed arms and also neck had battle scars of various sizes.
The man wore a bronze armor that was intricately designed with several formations and runes. On his chest plate was the emblem of the Morningstar family, and behind his back was a deep crimson cape fastened with a golden lion's head brooch.
This man was Draco Agathinus, the head of the royal guards of Sparta.
"I was on my way to the barracks my prince." Draco Agathinus replied with a stoic expression, however, his eyes contained a tinge of respect as he gazed at the youngest prince of Sparta.
His gaze moved, and then a frown emerged on his face when he noticed the dirty and unfitting appearance of Silver.
"What happened to you? Why are you so dirty and unkept?"
Silver chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I was too caught up in my training with Phantom Combat and I ended up exhausting myself."
Draco Agathinus raised his brows in confusion for a second, but a second later, an expression of realization instantly dawned on him.
"Ohh. You still use Phantom Combat to train?"
Silver nodded, and then he took a quick peek at the doors to the royal palace.
"Yes, I do. It's very useful to the current me." Silver said, and then he looked at Draco Agathinus, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, where did you get the scroll from?"
Draco Aganthinus raised his brows, "I can't remember how I exactly got it. It could have been from somebody I killed, a ruin I explored, or something I bought on a whim."
"Oh."
Although Silver was curious, that was all it was, curiousity. He didn't particularly care where Draco had gotten the scroll from.
There were also more pressing matters on his mind.
'Maybe I shouldn't rush. What difference would some seconds make?' Silver sighed internally.
"... But now that you ask, I think somebody gave me the scroll." Draco Agathinus stroked his chin with a frown, "... But I can't remember the person that gave me."
"Oh."
Silver replied, and then he gave a short bow,
"Regardless of how you got the scroll, I want to apprecate you for it. It's been really helpful."
Draco Agathinus waved his hand, "Don't worry about it."
Silver nodded, "It was nice talking to you Sir, Draco. But my mother is waiting for me. I have to take my leave."
Silver said, and Draco Agathinus nodded, "Go. One should not keep their mothers waiting."
Silver bowed once again, and then he left.
Draco Agathinus gazed at his back for a few seconds before shifting his gaze. The instant he took his gaze away, a deep frown emerged on his face.
"My mind has been tampered with?"
Draco Agathinus muttered with cold eyes and a tinge of killing intent from his eyes. The air around him trembled.
"No matter how insignificant it was, I should have been able to remember how exactly I got the Phantom Combat scroll if I really put my mind to it. But no matter how much I tried to recall how I got the scroll, I could not remember how exactly I got the scroll."
"But why would somebody tamper with my mind just because of a low level scroll?"
Draco Agathinus's frown deepened, and then a pondering expression appeared on his face. A few seconds later, his eyes widened and an expression of realization appeared on his face.
"The young prince." He looked at the royal palace with wide eyes, "I'm not their target. The young prince is."
"I need to tell his Majesty."
The moment he had this thought, a whisper flowed into his ears and a few seconds later, his eyes became blank and his expression became empty.
Five seconds later, his eyes regained its light and his expression turned back to normal. He looked around, and a baffled expression instantly appeared on his face.
"Why am I still standing here when the young prince has gone?"
Draco Agathinus furrowed his brows, and then he shrugged and walked away.