"You..!" Harris is truly angered by his son. Seeing his reaction, Ibnor immediately kneels down.
"Father, I know this might sound preposterous, but I assure you, I will not do anything that could possibly implicate you or the nation. I really need to see the High Guardian," he said. Harris stared at his son.
"Something is different with him today. It's like he is someone else. If it wasn't for our blood resonance, I would have thought that he is an imposter," thought Harris.
"Tell me the reason," he said. "I know I promised to grant you three wishes unconditionally, but the Sacred Sanctuary is a major matter. Your Royal Grandfather built the sanctuary so that the nation's heroes could spend their remaining time peacefully, without the interference of political matters. The High Guardian, is someone who fought side by side with your Royal Grandfather, his most trusted aid."
Ibnor is silent. He knows what his father is indicating.
"The High Guardian is a Battle Emperor, one who made a huge contribution for the nation. As he chooses to live in the Sacred Sanctuary, he wishes to spend his days trying to break through to the Titled Battle Emperor. Only when the nation is in grave danger will he act. How could I not know all of this? Of course I know. The High Guardian is my mentor in the previous lifetime."
"Under the tutelage of the High Guardian, I have improved greatly but it is not enough to be a Battle King. The nation is at war, the whole continent is in danger and the High Guardian had to act himself. After a battle with the enemy's Battle Emperor, the High Guardian was injured severely and had no hope for recovery. Instead of recuperating slowly with no hope of advancement, the High Guardian sacrifices his life and uses all of his Mana to boost my rank. Four years is a short time to progress, but I am able to become a Battle Emperor because of the High Guardian."
"However, how do I tell him all this? Even if I did, would he believe me?" Taking a deep breath, he tried to come up with a reason that he thought would be reasonable enough for his father.
"Father, I'm sure you've heard of my results in middle school," he said.
"If you mean your 'illustrious' reputation, yes, I am aware of it," Harris replied with sarcasm. Ibnor can only bitterly smile.
"Yes, I admit that I have erred. Not only have I failed to live up to your expectation, I've also ignorantly neglected my cultivation progress," said Ibnor.
"Hmph, are you actually willing to admit that you have made a mistake? What luck has descended to our nation? If I went to meditation later, would I be able to break through?" Harris is still bitter.
Ibnor was speechless. Both of them remain silent for a while. Harris looks at Ibnor while he looks on the floor, still kneeling.
"Father... I'm sorry," he said softly.
That is all that he managed to say. Harris remained silent. Ibnor forced himself to look at his father. He actually didn't dare to but since his father remained silent, he was wondering what his father was thinking. To his surprise, Harris is wearing a pensive look.
"Fine," Harris sighed. "Take it as you've fooled me this time, but what does it have anything to do with the Sacred Sanctuary?"
"Middle school ended a few weeks ago but due to my negligence, I am still only a Battle Expert.."
"What level are you now?" Harris interrupted.
"I'm... level 39," Ibnor answered weekly.
"What? I know that you always fooled around but I didn't expect for it to actually be that low! What are you thinking? How are you going to enter any high school with that kind of level?" Harris exploded.
"I know, father. I made a huge mistake," said Ibnor.
"Mistake? That is no mere mistake. It's beyond that. It's stupidity!" Harris was frustrated. Ibnor kept silent again.
In truth, deep down in his heart, he was relieved seeing his father's reaction. He can feel his warmth despite his rage. He knows that his father's frustration is only because he cares. He has high hopes for him.
For other teenagers, being questioned or reprimanded is an indication of distrust in their ability, an intrusion of their privacy, a sign of objections and doubts or an outright interference with their lives. However, Ibnor is someone who has gone through the teenage rebellion's phase twice and he realizes that all the questions, reprimands and rebukes, are only a sign of love and care. The one questioning is worried about him making the wrong decision that may lead to regret later in life or going further down the wrong path. They were urging him to think things through and also asking him to consider every possible perspective, the pros and cons of doing so.
Most parents are like that, if you can convince them that you are making a rational decision with a clear goal and determined to go through it, they will support you even if they don't exactly agree with it. Most of the time, it is a parent's way of shielding their children from the harsh world. Their so-called nagging is only advice and reminders, because they still care about their children. Ibnor is now more grateful than ever that he is being given another chance to correct his past regrets. The care and love contained within his father's anger deeply touched him.
Harris frowned. Seeing no usual comeback from Ibnor, he sighed again. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I have roughly two months before the high school entry test but like you said, there is no high school that will accept me the way I am now," replied Ibnor.
"You... Need to work hard. Train harder. It's good that you have come to your senses now. Just... Try your best to raise your level. I will help to get you into a middle tier high school," said Harris.
"Thank you for your support, father. I really appreciate it, I really do but I don't want to enter a middle tier high school," said Ibnor. Harris's face changed but Ibnor hurriedly elaborate. "I wish to take Avalon Academy's entrance test."
"I believe this is the reason you want to meet the High Guardian? To improve your chances to pass the test?" asked Harris
"Exactly. With the High Guardian assistance, it's possible I will be able to pass the minimum requirement. I believe the High Guardian can help me to raise my level faster without compromising my foundations".
"What made you so sure? The chances that the High Guardian will help you is extremely low," said Harris.
"Extremely low but it is still possible. It would be best if the High Guardian agrees but if he doesn't, then so be it. I'll just find another way. I'm desperate and I'm willing to explore any possibilities. Worst case scenario, I'll just train harder and accept your previous suggestion," said Ibnor
"It seems that you have put a lot of thought into this," said Harris. He then flipped out his Smart Device and started to move his finger across the interface. "Done, I've registered your SD to the Sanctuary database. That will allow you to visit the Sacred Sanctuary".
"Thank you, father".
"Don't thank me. You know this means you had only one wish left, right?"
"Yes, of course. This, is one wish that I won't regret," said Ibnor.
"You can go now. Do your best."
"I will. Thank you again, father," said Ibnor. He stood up and took two steps backwards. Only then he turned around and walked out of the hall.
"Wait". Just as Ibnor was about to walk out the hall, Harris stopped him. "Come for dinner tonight. It's been a while".
Ibnor turned to face his father and bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said playfully and walked out of the hall.
On the way back to his residence, his mind works hard to think how he will change the course of events. During his previous lifetime, he only went to a regular high school. If he manages to get into Avalon Academy, history will change from there. He decided to go to Avalon Academy because most of Pyrion's elites will go there and most of them will be Commander in the future. Apart from that, Avalon Academy also stands on a neutral stance, which means it stays away from political affairs of the nations.
Being a prestigious institute and free from any nation's influence made Avalon stand out and most elites from other nations also gathered there. Their intention is easy to see through. Even though Avalon Academy is not a nation, their influence and power could not be underestimated. The elites of Avalon Academy can easily decimate a country like Pyrion overnight, and Pyrion is the top three nations on the Southern Continent.
During the previous lifetime, Avalon was able to stand strong against the invasion but the invasion was too sudden and most nations had already fallen. Even when he died, Avalon was still fighting the war, keeping the invasion out of their border. Most of the students that have lost their homes and nations have returned to Avalon to fight against the invasion.
If he is somehow able to forge a good relationship with the other nation's elites, he may be able to pull them into his plan. His plan is for them to increase the Southern Continent overall power, at least defensively. With that, they will at least be able to keep the war on the Central Island Battlefront, far from civilians. For that plan to work, he needs to have a good relationship with two other top nations, Cyrion and Kylion because together with Pyrion, they control the Southern Continent's northern border, which faces Central Island and the Northern Continent.
Right now, he needs to raise his social standing and power. He needs to be powerful enough to be recognised in the Royal Court. If he manages to do that, he will have a say in the nation's affairs. Coupled with his connections he made in Avalon, he is pretty sure that he can improve the diplomatic ties with Cyrion and Kylion, as needed for his plan.
Even if his plan fails, he at least has to make sure that he is powerful enough to save Pyrion. He managed to be a Battle Emperor in four years. An amazing achievement in all of Pyrion's history. Now that he has more time than that, he hopes to break through to the Titled Battle Emperor, a feat no one has achieved in the last 100 years. However, hoping and actually doing it is another matter.
Later that night, he went to the Royal Palace again. He was guided by a maid to the residential area, the Palace Harem. Palace Harem is where the King's wives and children reside. All royal children will stay here until they are 16 years old. After that, they will move to their own residence. Arriving at the lounge, he saw the king's wives and his siblings.
Three beautiful women are sitting on the couch, watching him. Sitting to the left is Jennifer Chia, a beautiful woman with fair skin and slender body. She has long flowing golden hair and her voice that comes out from her sensual full lips is softly spoken as if it can serenade away one's worries. Jennifer is Harris Ezad's third wife and also the mother of Pyrion youngest princess, Sheeda Ezad.
Sitting on the right is Jiyeon Heathcliff, another beautiful woman with smooth skin and a proportionate body where a bit more would be fat and a bit less would be thin. She has dark long straight hair and beautiful narrow eyes which seem to be able to steal any soul that stares into them. Jiyeon is Harris Ezad's fourth wife and the mother of Pyrion's first princess, Sofia Ezad.
Sitting in the middle is Isis Greywood, a graceful woman with a majestic aura. She has a high cheekbone, a sharp jawline and chin, coupled with a straight tall nose. Her tanned skin only serves to add to her attractiveness. Isis is Harris Ezad's first wife, the official Queen of Pyrion and also the mother of Pyrion's first prince, Khaleed Ezad.
All six of them are staring at him. It seems like the king has informed them that he will be joining them tonight.
"Greetings, Royal Father, Royal Mothers, brother and sisters," he greets each of them. Amusement, surprise and joy were clear in their eyes.
"Finally, someone decided to go out of his shell," said Sofia.
She is the eldest of them all, being 19 years old. Sofia looks like a younger version of her mother, with an excellent figure and seductive eyes that stare into the soul. She is caring towards her siblings and often the mediator for Ibnor and the rest of the family. She took her role as an elder sister seriously and feels that it is her responsibility to care for Ibnor since his mother is not around anymore. Despite his estranged behaviour, Sofia still cared for him.
"Yeah, I guess it's not so bad," Ibnor replied, smiling.
"I'm glad you could join us today," said Khaleed.
Despite being a year younger than Sofia, he already has a heroic air around him. He looks handsome wearing his white suit and his black hair, styled into an undercut, pulled back with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead. He is already a Battle Sage. Looks like their father asked them to come home today just for this dinner. Ibnor smiled and nodded to Khaleed.
Sheeda, being the youngest, is only 6 years old. She only watched Ibnor curiously with her doe eyed. Since Ibnor did not live in the Royal Harem, they did not meet each other much. Finally, the guard announced the arrival of the king. They all stood and received Harris at the entrance and he led them to the dining room.
The dinner was extravagant. All kinds of dishes are served. Ibnor tried to be reserved and keep his table etiquette but soon his etiquette flew out the windows because of how delicious the food was. He even questioned himself why he moved out of the Royal Harem. However, the rest of them are used to this since during his previous lifetime, he purposely didn't observe his table manners just to annoy everyone and keep his distance from them.
"So, Ibnor, what is your plan for high school?" Isis asked. Harris frowned his brow. The rest slowed down their eating.
"I'm planning to enter Avalon Academy," Ibnor replied, still eating. Everyone stopped eating completely. They all went silent for a while.
"Hmm?" Ibnor raised his head. He saw the rest of them were looking for him.
"Ahem, yeah. Ibnor has told me that today," said Harris, breaking the silence.
"O.. Oh, that's great," said Isis, recovering her awkwardness. She didn't expect Ibnor to actually answer her and certainly didn't expect the answer to be Avalon Academy. Everybody else is also resuming to eat, slowly.
"But... yeah, the chances to pass the entrance test are extremely low, but I'm going to work on that," Ibnor continued, while taking another dish.
Clank!
A fork dropped onto the plate. This time it's Sofia.
"Apologies," she said. She is surprised. "Since when did that kid start to be so talkative with people?" she thought.
"I hope you can do it. It will be nice to have you there, little brother. Don't worry, if you manage to enter Avalon, I'll show you around," said Khaleed. He is already an Avalon's student.
"That would be great," Ibnor replied nonchalantly.
"How are you doing lately? Do you already have a girlfriend?" Jiyeon asked. Ibnor flinched and stopped eating. He slowly raised his head, frowning. The table is tense again.
"It.. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Jiyeon hurriedly said.
Jiyeon actually doesn't mean to intrude into Ibnor's personal affairs. She is a kind, warm, compassionate and friendly person. Sofia inherited those traits from her. She is just excited to see Ibnor start talking to them. It's like he is finally opening up to them. Like Sofia, she pity him for not having a mother. She loved him as if he were her own child. She wanted to care for him but he pushed everyone away.
"There's a girl..." Ibnor said. A flash of sadness appeared in his eyes. He thought of Aina. "But, she is not my girlfriend. So, no. As of now, I still don't have a girlfriend".
Ibnor smiled and shook his head lightly. Jiyeon is looking at him with a surprised expression. He laughed a little in his heart because he knows, whether it is his willingness to answer, or his answer itself, all of it shocks them.
"Who..who is she? I'll go find her at once," said Jiyeon. Her pampering mother mode is activated.
"Mom, relax! What would you do, even if you found her?" Sofia calmed her mother.
"I... I... sigh, You're right. Sorry Ibnor, I was too excited," said Jiyeon.
"It's okay Mother Jiyeon. I know you mean well. Thank you," said Ibnor, smiling.
"Huh? You hear that? He called me, mother! Sofia, he called me mother!" Jiyeon exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, we all heard that. Calm down, sister," said Jennifer. Then she turned to Ibnor.
"You! Are you planning to give her a heart attack from excitement?" The rest only laughs hearing that. Harris smiled and looked at Ibnor.
"A girl, huh?" he sneered.
Ibnor only smiled and shook his head slowly. The dinner continues with Ibnor slowly opening up to them.