"Alright, now explain everything in detail!!" said King Leon sternly while glaring at Angus.
'The hell… Why did you send a death glare to me?! This is not my fault!!' thought Angus inwardly.
Still, he didn't complain as he knew the King in front of him was truly pissed off. Then, Angus begins to tell King Leon everything that happens during the fourth test.
"After that, she divides the gooey black soup into Mira's bowls and we eat it." said Angus as he completely ignored King Leon's mood, which was getting worse.
After taking a deep breath to calm his emotion, "Urg… Why the hell every time you go somewhere big trouble always follows?!!" said King Leon.
"I also don't know. Besides, who is the one that sent me here?" asked Angus.
"Brat.. You!! Did you know how much trouble you caused in these last few weeks? Starting from the unknown colossal beast to this?!!" yelled King Leon.
"Oii… that beast is already there before I arrive. Besides, who knows someone as monstrous as that beast living deep underground. Even Uncle Jade can't perceive it after going underground." retorted Angus.
The two of them keep arguing and shouting at each other. Suddenly, Anna groans while in her sleep as if she is being disturbed by the noise.
"Both of you, quiet!!" said Jayna coldly with her fiery red eyes.
"Uhh.. Yes." replied the two men before calming themself.
Then, King Leon glanced at the sleeping Anna with a complicated feeling before releasing a long sigh. Deep inside, he knows most of the troubles are caused by this monstrous girl. From the start, he didn't like this little troublemaker.
If it were not because Angus and Jayna being insistent on keeping her around, he would already kill her the first time they met.
"So, what is going on with her? You know she becomes more and more ridiculous as trouble keeps following her." said King Leon.
King Leon has already heard all their story and journey from Extalia. One of the reasons why King Leon put Extalia at their party is to observe Anna. As he suspected, the little monster became more unpredictable and caused more trouble.
"Anna… She…" replied Angus as he didn't know how to answer.
Before the fourth test incident, Angus could easily answer this kind of question. After taking a peek into Anna's mind, he is unsure. Since Angus returns from the Endless Battlefield dimension, the mind is also one of the most important subjects he researches.
As someone obsessed with control, Angus didn't feel secure about having a mysterious voice in his head that could somehow affect his mood and thinking. However, people's minds are one of the world's most complex and mysterious things.
Since ancient times, many experts have already done some research about the mind. Unfortunately, most of them always end at a dead end and couldn't fully comprehend anything about the mind, even with the help of magic.
Each person's mind is unique and different from the others. It is also impossible to completely comprehend someone's mind besides the person itself. Still, Angus could understand to a certain level with all the resources and records in the Heart Kingdom.
It may be impossible to fully understand someone's mind, but it is not impossible to comprehend some parts. Using this knowledge, people could manipulate and understand a little bit of someone's mind.
However, Anna's mind is nothing like ordinary people's minds. The little troublemaker's mind is very chaotic. When the couple peeks at Anna's mind for a moment, they can see nothing but darkness.
A darkness that is not calm but like troubled water and constantly changes. The couple could feel dreadful feelings from this darkness. They also hear countless 'voices' that could make any sane person go crazy.
The chaotic darkness is like an accumulation of uncountable people that speak at the same time. However, they can't ignore these 'voices'. Each 'voice' speaks directly to people's minds and slowly influences them.
If Angus and Jayna didn't have a strong mind protected by the Forgotten King's blessing and Fire Phoenix's power, they would also turn insane. On the other hand, they finally understand Anna's struggle.
If just a few seconds could turn people insane, they couldn't imagine Anna who is constantly having this chaotic darkness in her mind. It is even a miracle Anna did not turn into an insane or mindless beast with this chaotic darkness in her head.
This is also why the couple begins to care more about Anna after the incident. Still, Angus is also confused about Anna's true identity and the chaotic darkness in Anna's mind.
Seeing Angus couldn't answer his question like usual, King Leon knows something must happen, especially with the couple's gesture towards Anna.
When they talk about serious stuff, they always send Anna away or at least one of them accompanies her. But, they didn't let Anna rest in one of the hotel rooms as if they didn't want to leave her alone.
"*Sigh* I know you already hear this from many people. But, she is nothing but trouble not to you but everyone besides her." said King Leon.
After silence for a moment, "Many religious groups start to pressure us to hand her over. With this recent incident, the other nearby kingdoms will also use this opportunity to pressure us." revealed King Leon.
"Father, you…" said Jayna..
Before she continued her words, "Don't worry, I didn't plan to hand her over. Once we agree with them, they will definitely ask for more. I will not let them take advantage of us without getting something in return." stated King Leon.
Hearing this, Angus and Jayna know King Leon's position in this matter. King Leon indirectly says that as long as they still provide more benefit to the Heart Kingdom, he will not hand over Anna to others. In other words, they must work hard to keep Anna on their side.
Fortunately, Angus knows King Leon needs him and his bright mind. Just with his past contribution, his merit is enough to get him the title of high noble on his own.
If it is not because of Angus' request to keep his profile low, King Leon may already grant him a Count rank or higher. Unlike the Viscount and Baron rank, Count rank is a significant threshold in the Heart kingdom's aristocratic system.
This kind of title could only be granted to someone with a very high contribution to the kingdom. Although the required contribution is ambiguous and not exact, it is still very strict.
It is estimated a viscount needs to work hard for at least 50 years before being able to become Count. Yet, Angus' past contribution is enough to cover all of them. Be it the Miasma Antidote, Sur knight and Jade, Homunculus project, or recently Temple of Death's spells and skill.
All of these are enough for him to show his worth. No matter what kind of pressure King Leon receives from the other kingdoms and religious groups, he will choose Angus over the other side who wants nothing but their resources.
After a moment of silence from King Leon's statement, "What if I don't give you any more benefit or the other party gives you better proposals you couldn't refuse?" asked Angus directly.
Hearing Angus' question, King Leon didn't reply and smiled, "That's a tough question. But you don't need to worry. As long as I am alive, I will not hand over anyone as a sacrifice just to protect the kingdom." said King Leon.
"I will not repeat my predecessor's mistake that cost my daughters' life!! I rather see the Heart Kingdom getting destroyed than forcing the next generation into that kind of situation." declared King Leon seriously while looking at Jayna.
Knowing her lover's disturbed mind, "Leon…" called Extalia.
No matter how cold and cruel Leon is, he is still a father that lost two daughters in a cruel way. He could somehow accept if his daughters died from battle or illness. But knowing her daughter gets tortured and humiliated to the point of suicide is a different matter.
If the Heart Kingdom didn't go to war with the others at that time, he would lead his army to destroy everyone responsible for his daughter's death.
It is also not a secret in the high noble circle that everyone who proposes the second and third princess to another kingdom is brutally killed along with their entire family. Since then, no one has dared to do the same thing to Jayna.
Besides other kingdoms' direct messengers, no one dares to suggest which kingdom is better for Jayna's contract marriage.
After knowing King Leon for a few years, Angus knows how important the Heart Kingdom is for King Leon. King Leon is a man with a firm conviction and will not be shy to sacrifice his life for the Heart Kingdom. No one cares more about the Heart Kingdom than him.
Lately, this kind of conviction has been slowly changing since he got into a relationship with Duchess Amberblaze. Although his care for the kingdom is not gone, it is definitely less than before.
"I see… Then, I sincerely thank you for that. Actually, I don't know anything about Anna's condition or her true power. I don't know if she will attract more trouble in the future or not. But, as long as the Heart Kingdom still gives place to her, I will also help the Heart Kingdom." said Angus.
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