Damn it... Where is this?
After shaking off the Scorpio Bureau chief from his back and climbing out of the pool, Leon wiped the water from his face. After surveying his surroundings, he was completely befuddled.
Didn’t I just rush out of Research Area No. 1? How did everything suddenly change in a flash? And... why does this place look a bit familiar?
"Puh-ha! Help... help me!"
Just as Leon was warily observing the surroundings and the bewildered guests around him, a cry for help from Feiliya suddenly came from the fountain pool behind him.
"I can’t swim! Help... help me!"
"You don’t need me to save you."
After glancing back at the situation in the pool, Leon, amidst the guests’ pointing fingers, grabbed the foot of the Scorpio Bureau chief and dragged him out. Then he said to the green-eyed girl:
"It’s just a fountain, you just need to sit up and your head will be out... By the way, where is this place? Do you know?"
"Huff... huff... Maybe... the palace..." The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
Following Leon’s guidance, after climbing out of the pool, the still frightened green-eyed girl coughed twice and then said uncertainly:
"It looks like the little garden at the back of the palace, but about ten years ago, no one tended this garden anymore, now it should be all weeds... huh?!"
Seeming to have discovered something extraordinary, Feiliya’s emerald eyes suddenly widened as she looked in shock towards the distant wooden pavilion. The person in the center of the low wooden platform seemed to have also noticed the commotion over here and curiously poked their head over.
Is that... King Fein and the Queen?
Following the gaze of the green-eyed girl, after seeing the looks of the family in the center of the wooden pavilion, Leon’s eyebrow slightly raised, and he quickly identified more "familiar faces" among the guests present.
Although they look much younger and their clothes have changed a lot, quite a few of these guests seem to have appeared in the "Preservation Hall" before, so... is this a royal banquet in the past?
After examining King Fein at the main seat and looking around at the surrounding guests, Leon noticed some brush-like marks on their clothes, and his eyes suddenly flashed with a gleam of understanding.
Though this is a banquet that happened in the past, Prince Andre’s ability doesn’t seem to involve time travel, and it seems unlikely he has the power to send people back many years, so the scene in front of us is likely some kind of ’simulation’ or ’reconstruction.’
Considering the brush marks on these people’s clothes, and previously those things that suddenly appeared and were cut by my [Silver Dagger of Cutting], turning directly into a puddle of paint... could Prince Andre’s ability be related to painting?
Just as Leon was following clues and beginning to speculate about Prince Andre’s ability, a small team of fully armed guards rushed over from a distance, quickly splitting into two groups, one escorting the guests to retreat, the other waving protective swords and halberds, surrounding the "knife-wielding assailant" who had intruded into the banquet.
"What do you think you’re doing!"
The leading tall and strong Guard Commander aimed his halberd at Leon and asked sternly:
"Speak! How did you break in! Who are that child and that unconscious person?"
After hearing the Guard Commander’s inquiry, the corners of Leon’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
The unconscious one is my reliable teammate who excels at dying and backstabbing, and that child is your future princess. As for how I got in... I suppose I was "invited" by your prince.
Without answering the Guard Commander’s question, Leon, who had some guesses about Prince Andre’s ability, first protected Feiliya behind him, then gripped the [Silver Dagger of Cutting] tightly in his hand, and slashed hard at the "world" in front of him.
If the situation is as I guessed, and this banquet in front of me is a painting, it means I can rely on the ability of the [Silver Dagger of Cutting] to cut through this painting and break out!
In the expectant expression of Leon, the slash did not miss its target but indeed cut into something, producing a sound like tearing fabric, opening a slit in the "world" before him.
However, the trouble is, just like the previous cutting of the secret chamber where Prince Andre was, this small cut had just been made when it resealed more quickly. The split was completely healed the moment the [Silver Dagger of Cutting]’s tip left the "canvas."
With this "canvas"’s astonishingly fast repair speed, forget about letting three live people escape, even splashing water while cutting won’t get a drop out either.
The Guard Commander seemed oblivious to the slit Leon had cut, and seeing Leon not only refusing to surrender but waving a small knife around, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. He twisted the halberd in his hand half a turn, intending to use the blunt side to knock down this presumptuous intruder, however...
A somewhat childish voice echoed from a distance. A little boy, wearing a brown fine linen shirt and black breeches, hugged a golden ball and rushed over.
After stopping the Guard Commander from making a move, the little boy, whose entire shirt was soaked with sweat and hair stuck to his forehead, looked up and smiled at Leon, then turned to the Guard Commander:
"Uncle Bagus, he’s my guest, have the guards leave."
Hearing the little boy’s words, the Guard Commander hesitated for a moment, then spoke to remind:
"But he has a knife in his hand..."
"Don’t worry, it’s just a fruit knife."
Glancing at Leon, who squinted his eyes, the green-eyed little boy smiled and said:
"Uncle Bagus, with so many of us here, even if he is up to no good, a small knife can’t do much harm."
Seeing the little prince step up to vouch for these suspicious figures, the Guard Commander’s tense expression eased slightly. First, he gave Leon a warning glance, then bowed his head to the boy in acknowledgment:
"Your Highness jests, if he is your guest, there certainly won’t be any issues, I’ll have the guards leave immediately... But it would be best if such sudden intrusions don’t happen a second time."
With a laugh, after gently pushing the Guard Commander back a couple of steps and away from the edge of the pool, the little boy hugged his ball and walked back, looking up meaningfully at Leon who was deep in thought:
"Your Highness, I’m Andre. Welcome to my sister’s first birthday banquet."
Although he already had a vague suspicion, hearing this sunny, innocent little kid in front of him personally admit his identity still caused a slight expression of surprise in Leon’s eyes.
To think that the future lazy and impatient Andre, who seems to wish he could sleep forever, used to be quite a sunny child... what a pity he turned out differently.