Ethan felt uneasy. "Why was he suddenly being put in the limelight?" As he approached, he pondered General Leon's real motive.
"Take this!" Without any further words, General Leon tossed an emblem to him.
Ethan caught it hurriedly, feeling the weight of the strange emblem in his hand.
The others' eyes went wide with surprise. How could a commoner boy receive an emblem so easily? Speculation ran wild. Was he really General Leon's illegitimate child? Or was he simply too talented?
Aria's father, however, had a thoughtful look. He knew General Leon had only one spouse no children yet, so the idea of illegitimate children was nonsense. "Does this mean the boy has something special within him? Is that why General Leon was impressed and gave him the chance that others would beg for?"
Their next conversation confirmed his suspicions as his ears perked up to listen.
"Ethan, do you want to join our royal army?" General Leon asked him personally. "You will be directly under my care," he added, tempting him a little bit more.
The proposal shocked everyone. "A personal invitation from General Leon? How fortunate!" If they were in Ethan's shoes, they would have agreed immediately. Joining the Royal Army meant honor, recognition, and fame.
But for Ethan, the idea was impractical. He had barely made it to E-Rank after all his efforts. He couldn't just risk his life for nothing. Moreover, he valued his freedom above all else.
So, he politely turned down the tempting offer. "Uh, I am sorry, General. I think I am not capable enough for that post yet. So I think I will have to refuse. But, don't worry, as a ideal subject of this kingdom, I will do my duty with all my heart," he said solemnly, not wanting to disappoint General Leon.
"Oh!" General Leon nodded in understanding. He had expected this kind of response as well. However, seeing such incredible talent, he couldn't resist the urge to recruit Ethan for the kingdom's benefit, especially with the upcoming Great Demon War at hand.
"Alright, then," General Leon sighed, feeling a tinge of disappointment.
Seeing his disappointment, Ethan was about to return the emblem to General Leon with a gracious step.
However, General Leon rejected this sternly. "Ethan, you don't need to return it. You can keep it for yourself. It has nothing to do with my offer to join the royal army."
"You will learn its usage a little later. Now, go back."
Ethan nodded and stepped back, feeling the indistinct pressure from General Leon.
As he returned, he noticed everyone's faces filled with shock and awe. They found it unfathomable how someone could reject such an offer from General Leon himself.
Ethan shrugged and went to Aria's side, as she was the only familiar person there.
"Great job, Ethan!" Aria said with a smile.
Aria seemed genuinely happy seeing Ethan getting recognition from the General himself, indicating a bright future awaiting him.
Drake looked at them with a frown etched on his face, growing jealous and indignant knowing the commoner boy had received a personal invitation from the General, instead of him.
"Humph, I will show you who is more talented," he muttered with hostility while glaring at Ethan.
"Now, everyone disperse!" The goatee elder said to all the youngsters who hadn't received the emblems.
They all left in disappointment leaving behind Drake, Aria, and Ethan amongst the elders and other respectable figures.
Thereafter, General Leon stepped forward, his expression serious.
"NOW, I will tell you the usage of these emblems you received." He addressed the trio who received the emblems.
Standing beside a commoner, Drake looked very pissed at this. However the elders orders were law here. No disrespect was allowed.
Later, realising the seriousness of the matter he focused on General Leon's speech.
General Leon continued, "You should feel lucky to receive this emblem, because it is the ticket to Ancient Land Of Treasures. We recently discovered the key to that place after nearly 500 years later of its disappearance. That's why we are a little secretive about the matter."
Ethan's thoughts moved to the auction hall incident, was he talking about the same ancient land of treasure?"
"You're not the only one who received these emblems. We have chose thousands more youngsters from across the whole Kingdom."
"Exactly one month later from now on, the ancient land will open, and all of you will be granted entry inside it. So, be ready. You might have to face some challenges in there. But, the rewards will be worth the risk," he added with a smile.
He looked at Ethan and said, "Only the young generation can enter the place as there are some restrictions that forbid us from entering. Only people whose age is lower than 20 years can enter that place according to records we know. So, you might want to power up as much as possible."
The trio's expression became serious hearing all these. They realised how rare the opportunity was.
General Leon wasn't finished. He added more, "You must remember Hero Libros, right? He played a major role in the last Demon War 500 years ago. He was from our kingdom originally, later settled in Hero Empire.
He also went to the that Ancient Land and received the Demon Slayer Sword by luck, which helped him a lot in the fights with demons 500 years.
Five centuries ago, it was hard kill demons because of their blood regeneration ability, which made them nearly immortal. The only way to kill them was to by burning their body to ashes. Although, the Heroes could kill them due to their blessing easily. That's a different matter.
"Hero Libros wasn't a true hero actually, but just because of his demon slayer sword he was renowned as a hero. His Demon Slayer sword had the same ability as otheres heroes had. It can end demons life completely."
"So, do you now realise how important this opportunity is? Especially, when we are on the verge of another Demon War. So get prepared quickly." General Leon said gently.
Ethan and others nodded in understanding the full story. At the same he realised this opportunity could be a game changer for him to grow up powerful.
He felt grateful towards General Leon for the opportunity. The man had done a lot for him, even without asking.
The elders and respectable figures couldn't be more agreed with General Leon's suggestion.
"Who knows, the next outstanding hero might be born in their clan after this." They couldn't help but feel excited at this thought.
If that happens, they will not only be known in Kingdom but also the whole Kairos Empire. Their prestige would rise through the roof.