"Enough. The Hero must know the truth. He deserves that much."
Alden spoke with a solemn look on his face as he stared at Kael, who was about to leave. At his words, Kael paused, somewhat surprised. He turned around and glanced at the King.
Alden revealed, and Kael's eyes widened in surprise.
He turned toward the Crown Prince, who seemed to have lied to him, and Edric just turned his face away, not saying anything.
After all, the King had spoken.
He couldn't stop it any longer.
"Drakthar did have a Magic Prodigy who was hailed as the Future of Magic.
Her name was Lavinia Dragonborn."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, she was my daughter."
Alden admitted, though his face showed no expression.
"Lavinia was blessed by Lord Feraos. She had a never-before-seen Magic Talent. She had a high affinity with every element there is, she could learn spells much faster than others, and as she grew, she even started creating her own spells.
A few of the spells she created had even become standard spells that every mage learned simply because of how efficient they were.
Even the Xenthalor Mages, who usually never used spells created by Drakthar Mages, actively sought her spells without shame simply because of how brilliant they were."
The King gave a brief description. He tried to hide it, but Kael didn't fail to notice his eyes shine as he talked about his daughter. It almost felt as if he could go on and on about how great his daughter was.
The old man was barely holding himself back.
Soon, however, his expression turned grim.
When she turned 18, it was revealed that she had been corrupted."
Kael blinked, unable to believe what he just heard.
No, it wasn't because Lavinia fell to corruption, he already knew that part. He was surprised by something else and this time, he wasn't acting.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me that she created her own spells, spells that became standard for mages throughout Nerathis when she wasn't even 18? How strong was she!?"
"She was a Seventh Circle Mage at the age of 17 and was about to become an Eighth Circle Mage before it was revealed that she had fallen to corruption."
"That makes no sense."
Kael frowned in confusion.
"Why would someone like her fall to corruption?"
He questioned, bringing up the question that had been in everyone's mind throughout this ordeal.
The King shook his head. His eyes were twitching unconsciously, and he hid his hands under his cape, clearly trying to hide something.
"But there has to be a reason-"
"She fell to corruption, Hero.
She used the Power of Corruption to corrupt her Bond.
Regardless of her reasons, such an act is a grave crime—one punishable by execution."
Crown Prince Edric jumped in once again.
Kael stuttered as he turned toward the King. The King, however, shook his head.
"On the grounds of everything she has done for the Kingdom, she wasn't executed but was sold as a Slave with her Powers sealed."
"You… sold your own daughter as a Slave…?"
At that question, for a very slight second, the King's emotionless poker face cracked. His mouth twitched, his eyes reflecting intense pain. Soon, however, his emotionless façade returned, and,
"King's Daughter or not, Justice is fair for everyone."
"Did you at least try to listen to her explanation? She had such a bright future and an excellent mind. What if she had figured something out?
Like the Xenthalor Empire, what if she had come up with a way to strengthen her Bonds using the Power of Corruption without any side effects?"
The King, however, shook his head at those words.
"The Power of Corruption is inherently evil, Hero."
"But the Xenthalor Emp-"
"We do not know what the Xenthalor Empire is planning, but we do know that whatever it is, they are on the wrong path.
Leaving the Seed of Corruption inside a Bond's Body can never be good. No matter how much you try to suppress it, that inherent evil cannot be subdued."
"We shall not talk regarding this matter anymore, Hero.
I told you about the Princess because you deserve to know the truth. That girl, however, is no longer a Princess or even a part of Drakthar.
And you are not to speak of her again. Is that clear?"
The King spoke. His face was still emotionless, but Kael didn't fail to notice the heavy breathing that he was trying to suppress.
He paused for a moment. Yes, this conversation had gone according to Elira's predictions, but Elira only cared about getting the Princess's name out of the King's mouth and hadn't bothered to continue the conversation from there.
Now, Kael was on his own.
"Then what about the Xenthalor Empire? They are using the Power of Corruption. What would be Drakthar's stance on that?"
"I believe I have already mentioned this. A meeting regarding this matter will be held, and a careful decision will be made."
"Why now? Did you have a meeting when Princess Lavinia used the Power of-"
"I believe you were told not to speak of that name again.
Or are you going against the King's order?"
Edric spoke up, once again interrupting Kael, and this time, Kael had enough. He turned toward Edric, his gaze sharp.
"Do I not even deserve a moment to discuss important matters with the King without the Crown Prince interrupting me again and again?"
His voice was firm but full of frustration.
"I was summoned to this world as its Protector. And yet, what do I actually know about it?"
He started, his hands clenched into fists.
"I train every single day, pushing myself to my limits and further so I can get stronger and protect just one more person. At night, I scour through history books, trying to understand the world I'm meant to protect.
I study about the Royal Family that summoned me, the forces at play, the enemies I'm supposed to fight."
Then, the Hero glanced at the King with the same frustrated expression.
A force named Twilight that no one ever mentioned.
A prodigy—once known as the future of magic—erased from history as if she never existed.
If it wasn't for the Tower Head of a foreign empire, I wouldn't even have known about her existence."
Kael's gaze flickered back to Edric.
"And when I try to bring this up, what happens?
The Crown Prince tries to lie to my face and send me away!
You wanted to keep me in the dark about something so important."
He raised his voice, showing his anger. He even directly pointed his finger toward the Crown Prince before he finally turned towards the King again.
"And it's not just him. Even you, Your Majesty, refuse to speak of her.
You tell me not to ask questions and to let this go.
For the sake of the Kingdom's image? To bury an uncomfortable truth?
Do you not see how strange all of this sounds?
Are you not even trying to see things from my perspective!?"
The Hero finally confronted the King.