Chapter 397: Seasoned
Elion could only remain quiet for so long.
It was only natural that he would eventually open his mouth and annoy the beautiful woman standing beside him.
"So," he began casually, "what were you doing before you were pulled into this trial?"
He had deliberately chosen what seemed like a harmless question, hoping it would not immediately earn him another glare.
Unfortunately, it seemed he had miscalculated.
A sharp wave of killing intent suddenly exploded from Zenovia’s body. The air around them turned heavy.
Several of the weaker servants walking through the nearby halls froze in place before dropping to their knees in fear, their faces paling as the suffocating pressure washed over them.
Elion’s expression changed into a confused frown. ’Did I say something wrong?’
He looked toward Zenovia and noticed the cold, distant look in her eyes. She was no longer staring at the garden. Her thoughts had clearly drifted somewhere else entirely, perhaps back to something unpleasant.
"Zenovia!"
Elion called her name sharply near her ear and placed a hand lightly against her back. The touch seemed to bring her back to her senses.
At the same time, a pair of guards came rushing down the hall, their hands already resting against their weapons. They had likely assumed that an enemy had somehow infiltrated the royal palace.
Zenovia blinked.
The killing intent vanished almost immediately.
The pressure weighing upon the hallway faded, allowing the frightened servants to breathe again.
"Sorry," she said quietly, offering Elion a faintly apologetic smile.
After a brief explanation, Elion managed to convince the alarmed guards that there was no threat. The pair remained wary for a moment longer before eventually returning to their posts.
Once they were alone again, Elion looked toward Zenovia with a rare, serious look on his face. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her sincerely.
Zenovia harrumphed lightly and turned her attention back toward the garden, "No."
Elion studied her expression. She remained silent for a moment before glancing toward him from the corner of her eye.
"And why do you suddenly care so much?"
"Actually, I care more than you think," Elion replied. "After all, I am going to make you my woman one of these."
Zenovia’s head snapped toward him. Her golden eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, "Fuck you."
She raised one hand, gave him the middle finger, and walked away without another word. She didn’t seem to appreciate his nosy attitude, but he’d be damned if he let that stop him.
Elion chuckled as he watched her leave, his gaze lowering briefly to appreciate the gentle sway of her generously sized ass.
"Sooner or later, Zenovia," he muttered quietly to himself. "You will end up choosing me. No woman can resist me forever, after all."
With that thought, he turned around and began making his way back toward his room. However, as he reached the corridor leading toward his wing of the palace, he stopped and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Things were almost certainly going to become rather heated the moment he stepped inside that room with Zenith waiting for him. Perhaps it would be wiser to take care of a few other matters first.
He still needed to say his goodbyes to Alexander. He had not seen Aeron for a while either.
As Elion walked, his thoughts briefly drifted toward Tristan and Alexander’s retainers. He wondered what had become of them after the chaos in the Great Forest.
Unfortunately, he had already heard about Yakuza.
When the outer camp was attacked, the swordsman had charged into battle like a madman, cutting down demons without any regard for his own safety. It had not ended well for him.
He had died.
Perhaps Yakuza had still felt guilty that the other captains had lost their lives while he remained alive.
Such was life.
Elion asked one of the nearby servants where he could find the newly crowned king. The palace staff had no issue directing him toward the council room.
As expected, he found Alexander seated at the head of a large oval table, surrounded by a group of loud nobles and several powerful Mages.
Xavier stood beside the young king.
It seemed the older man had already been appointed as Alexander’s right hand, which was hardly surprising. With Melroy gone and the kingdom still recovering from war, Alexander needed someone experienced and powerful beside him.
The room was filled with overlapping voices.
Several nobles were arguing about military deployments, damaged territories, supply routes, and the division of resources required to rebuild the kingdom after the war.
The noise gradually faded as one person after another noticed Elion standing near the entrance.
Xavier was the first to address him.
"Hero Elion."
The older man acknowledged his presence with a respectful bow of his head. Clearly, Elion had earned the Duke’s respect.
"It is kind of you to grace us with your presence. How may the council be of service this lovely afternoon?"
Alexander remained seated, but Elion noticed the faint relief in his eyes. No doubt, the young king was grateful that Elion’s arrival had finally silenced the group of bickering nobles surrounding him.
Elion placed one hand against his waist and shifted his weight casually onto one leg.
"Nothing much, really," he replied. "I simply thought I should inform the king and his council that we will be leaving the capital soon."
Xavier and Alexander both raised their brows. They exchanged a brief glance.
A few of the nobles, however, appeared irritated by Elion’s relaxed posture and carefree attitude. Quiet murmurs spread around the table, and Elion caught several muttered curses directed toward him.
They probably assumed he could not hear them. Who did they think he was?
Still, none of them were worth the effort required to respond, and did nothing more than whisper needless jabs, so Elion did not spare them so much as a glance.
"Leaving us so soon?" Xavier asked.
A faintly meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"I would have liked to ask where you intend to go next, but such a question would be rather unprofessional of us. You have already done far more than anyone could reasonably ask. Requesting anything further from you heroes would simply be a sign of our own incompetence."
Elion smiled lightly. The Duke’s words sounded perfectly courteous on the surface, but their hidden meaning was obvious.
Xavier was kindly inviting him to reveal his plans voluntarily.
Clearly, Duke Xavier Dawncrest was every bit as shrewd as one would expect from a seasoned noble.
Unfortunately for him, Elion had no intention of taking the bait.
Even if he were allowed to reveal the truth, explaining that he would soon be pulled out of this world and thrown into another trial was not exactly an appealing idea.
"Yes," Elion replied calmly. "I have quite enjoyed my time serving the kingdom, but I am afraid all good things must eventually come to an end."
Xavier studied him briefly.
He seemed to understand that Elion had no intention of elaborating, so he did not pursue the matter further.
Instead, he asked another question.
"Is it safe to assume that you speak for all the heroes when you speak of leaving us?"
Elion raised a brow.
"As you can imagine, it would benefit our kingdom greatly if we were able to convince even one of you to enter the long-term service of the crown, as will the other great kingdoms," Xavier continued. "I doubt such an arrangement would be particularly appealing to Miss Zenovia, since she would naturally be more inclined to enter the service of the beast clans. However, I assumed it might be easier to persuade either you or Hero Aeron, considering that both of you are human."
Elion nodded lightly.
It was a reasonable assumption.
"Unfortunately, I am in no position to reveal my companions’ plans," he replied. "You will have to discuss the matter with them directly."
Xavier inclined his head, "Of course."
A brief silence settled between them. Xavier noticed the quiet glance Elion and Alexander exchanged.
He immediately understood that the two of them wanted to speak privately.
"That will be all for today," Xavier announced, turning toward the gathered nobles. "We will resume this discussion at a later time."
A few of the nobles looked displeased, but none dared to argue openly. One by one, they rose from their seats and left the room.
Elion noticed the trio of Sage Mages among them: an elf, a beastman, and a vampire. They still hung around in the capital even after almost a week had passed, no doubt, to convey the finer details surrounding the spoils of victory to their respective monarchs.
Within a few moments, the room had emptied. Even Xavier eventually excused himself, closing the door quietly behind him.
Only Elion and Alexander remained. Elion looked toward the young king, and a teasing grin slowly spread across his face.
"Well?" he asked. "Should you not greet your teacher properly?"
Alexander stared at him as Elion folded his arms over his broad chest, "Or has becoming king already made your head grow too large?"
