"Of course I knew you wouldn't let me leave," Richard said, "because if I leave, you won't have a perfect excuse. If I'm not mistaken, you're planning to first accuse me of 'killing Edward out of betrayal' to besiege the Palace. After killing me, you'd announce that I poisoned dear father, the former King Donnas, out of old grudges from three years ago. This way, you can explain all your actions and become the sole master of this Blue Lion Kingdom."
William's expression stiffened a bit, looking at Richard as if seeing him for the first time. A trace of panic flashed across his once-calm face, "You... how did you..."
"How do I know? Haha, because you were too obvious. From a long time ago, I knew that the former King Donnas didn't die of illness but was poisoned. The poison was in the wine you sent, and it was arsenic, that is, arsenic trioxide.
However, I think you should execute the pharmacist who did this because he was too sloppy. The arsenic he used wasn't pure at all.
Generally, arsenic trioxide is colorless and tasteless, considered an excellent poison. Due to the current lag in world technology, during extraction, some sulfur and sulfur compounds inadvertently mix in, which can blacken silverware; but that's no big deal. After all, the former king didn't like using silver cups. The issue is, the arsenic mixed in the wine was not only adulterated with sulfur and sulfur compounds but also with elemental arsenic.
This led to the former King Donnas also showing very distinct symptoms of arsenic poisoning along with arsenic trioxide poisoning: skin pigmentation, Raynaud's phenomenon...
I don't know how careless your pharmacist was, but here's a kind piece of advice, never take his medicine when you're ill."
"Then you knew, why didn't you... stop me? Do you hate him that much?!" William asked.
"Ha, are you, as the murderer, pointing fingers at me, the bystander?" Richard countered.
"I..." William was speechless.
"Alright, let me explain briefly," Richard said, continuing, "I knew you killed the king because of your ambition, you can't wait to become the new king. And I didn't intervene because I have no feelings left for him. Yes, no feelings.
I knew you were behind the massacre three years ago, but the king's handling also made me cold, showing me a man's stubbornness, ignorance, arrogance, and unrepentance.
Have you ever heard of the concept of the original family, referring to the family a person is born and grows up in? In a good atmosphere, where parents are rational and positive, it's beneficial for the children's growth. In a bad atmosphere, where parents have many flaws, children are affected.
This influence lasts a lifetime. For instance, overbearing parents inevitably lead to timid children, and overly controlling parents produce children who cannot stand on their own. Often, children believe it's their fault, breeding inferiority.
The scariest thing in this world is that parents don't need to pass any test — regardless if they're qualified. Thus, becoming a prince was not my choice, and the king just became my father. This gave me a high starting point, but I cannot deny one thing — the king... was not a good father. If I were an ordinary person, I might happily accept everything, but... I'm not.
Some believe that parents managing children like possessions, with children completely obeying parents, is perfectly natural. However, I don't see it that way. I have my independent views and understanding, so if the original family leans towards the good, I try to integrate; if it leans towards the bad, I choose to break free.
In other words, if a baby without cognitive ability encounters so-called parents, good or bad, due to its limited capacity, it can only be controlled by parents. But if an adult with a complete worldview suddenly meets his parents and finds them to be villains, fanatical and arrogant, often unreasonable, this person can choose to escape. Now, do you understand?"
William didn't quite understand Richard's words, but it didn't stop his face from turning unsightly. He looked up at Richard with a gaze that became incredibly serious, "My brother—Richard, you are really smart, so smart it's... a little frightening. To be honest, I initially felt some reluctance to kill you. But... what you said today has firmed my resolve.
I don't care why you're so clever or how you know so much, but you must die! Because if you don't, I'll never sleep soundly."
William closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them, saying, "People like you shouldn't exist in this world. Your presence is a disaster for everyone around you. Since childhood, everyone who comes into contact with you, whether me, father, maids, or soldiers, feels a kind of fear as if you could see through what everyone is thinking.
I know you've always been studying these things related to wizards, but even before you master them, I feel like the legendary wizard might just be like you. I've changed my mind; I won't say you poisoned father, I'll say you turned into an evil wizard. And being an evil wizard, you must die!"
"Whoosh," William raised his hand high and shouted at the archers, "Kill him!"
The archers' bodies shuddered, they glanced at each other, but no one moved. After all, he was the Kingdom's Second Prince, the future Duke, and they were just soldiers. And, having heard those words just now...
But William's authority still held. Seeing the archers remain motionless, he directly drew his sword with a clang and said coldly, "I said kill him! Or you'll die!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Under William's command, rows of longbows were raised, arrows nocked.
"Swish swish swish swish swish swish!"
In William's roar, arrows shot like locusts, aiming directly at Richard from dozens of meters away. At that distance, not to mention Richard wearing a robe, even wearing plate armor wouldn't stop them.
Yet Richard, as he watched the rain of arrows flying toward him, remained utterly composed. His lips moved slightly, and the next moment, a large whirlwind of air surged and solidified in front of him.
The feathers on the arrows quivered rhythmically, drawing nearer and nearer to Richard, then... Suddenly, as if hitting an obstacle, entering an invisible force field, their speed drastically reduced, then slowed even more.
Moments later, when all their momentum was spent, the arrows were suspended in mid-air.
Finally, nearly a hundred arrows hovered half a meter in front of Richard, completely unharmed.
Spell·Extreme Wind Shield!
The archers widened their eyes, and William's mouth slowly fell open.
"Didn't you say I'm an evil wizard, so I must be killed? Hmm, in a sense, you're right. Indeed, I am a wizard, though more accurately, a wizard apprentice."
"Kill him! Fire at an angle! Shoot!" William's voice rang from deep in his throat, filled with indescribable terror.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The archers, arms trembling, raised their longbows even higher, arrows nocked with great difficulty, fired at high angles upwards.
Then each arrow traced an arc overhead, falling from the sky, some directly deflected, others burrowing into the invisible barrier before again halting — above Richard's head, a mass of arrows floated.
Silence, a death-like silence.
Autumn rain fell, the droplets hitting the skin cold and bone-chillingly cold, a cold that made the spirit shiver.
Richard waved a hand, and the surrounding air returned to normal, the arrows suspended in the air clattering to the ground, breaking the silence, disturbing the autumn rain.
The soldiers grew slightly restless.
A cluster of green flames flickered into being in Richard's hand, burning quietly in the rain. The next moment, Richard raised his hand, and the green flames suddenly soared skyward, rising higher and higher, finally swelling into a massive fireball a meter in diameter before bursting with a "puff," as if signaling something.
Richard waved his hand again, sending a crimson flame flying straight towards William. Before anyone could react, it struck William's face, then spread to his hair, eyebrows, luxurious robes...
Flames surged up, and William let out a terrified shriek, tumbling to the ground, rolling to extinguish the fire. The soldiers, anxious and uneasy, looked at Richard, already feeling the urge to lay down their weapons.
Although Richard hadn't killed a single person or displayed overpowering combat ability, who knew how many more terrifying spells were hidden within this prince's body.
The unknown was the truly terrifying thing.
Richard took a step forward, and immediately all the soldiers recoiled in terror, like a retreating tide.
Richard smiled, William rolled on the ground, almost screaming, as from afar... outside the Palace, a black four-wheeled carriage swiftly approached.
The wheels rumbled over the flagstone surface, producing a sound like thunderclaps.