SON OF THE HERO KING

The dinner went as well as possible. The atmosphere was bright and friendly. Even though they did not forget their manners and weren't rude to Sol, he knew that he was already much closer to them.

The truth of the matter was that, at his current level, it was impossible to win a war alone. He needed soldiers. He needed generals. He needed many things and this was but the first step out of many.

It didn't take long for the dinner to end and the guests to go away. Each of them presented themselves to him by giving their titles and name in the utmost respect. They had seen what he was capable of and didn't underestimate him.

In the end, the only ones still present were the Highland family and Sol with Milia and Setsuna.

"Your highness, how was the dinner?"

At his right, the Duke asked with a tranquil smile.

"I must admit that it was refreshingly interesting. I thank you for this invitation."

"Ohohoh~! This old man is truly happy if it pleased you."

Sol returned an affable smile and waited for this old man to finish his thoughts.

"Then, your highness, could I ask for a meeting between the two of us, I would like to discuss important matters."

Saying so, he rose from his seat and bent down slightly.

Having no reason to refuse since it was his goal, Sol nodded without worries and indicated to Milia and Setsuna to not follow him before standing and following the Duke.

It did not take long for the two of them to leave the zone.

Now alone, Athena turned to Setsuna and Milia who stood still without movement. Squinting a little, she asked, "Setsuna, was it? I would have never thought that you were the gladiator king. I remember having invited your fake persona to serve the army. But I was coldly refused. I think I understand now why."

She wasn't the only one. Setsuna, the gladiator's queen, was an exceptional individual. She clearly had the talent to reach close to the highest level possible without much difficulty. Only time was necessary. As such, she had received invitations from basically all Dukes and Marquesses.

Despite that, she rejected them all. No one knew why and some even tried to eliminate her because of this, but they were all unable to determine her true identity.

Now though, Athena understood. How could a warrior of such caliber accept working for a noble when she was already the knight of the future king?

Setsuna, hearing this had to search her memory before remembering what Athena was talking about.

"I do not really remember your letter in particular. I was and will always be loyal to his highness. So I simply refused all those invitations in batches."

Of course, she hadn't always been this loyal to him. At first, she was simply thinking of using him and obtaining the protection of the royal family and a springboard for her revenge.

But, that day when they met Edea for the first time. That time when he stood in front of her while she was crippled with fear and unable to move. That moment, that instant, as she watched his small, shivering but steadfast back, he became her sun.

He became the light that would illuminate her path that was shrouded in darkness and hatred.

From then on, she began to observe him, his actions, his thoughts, his words. Everything was dazzling for her. Her crush slowly transformed into a fierce love and loyalty over the years.

Wolves were one of the most loyal creatures ever and werewolves weren't any different. This was also one of the reasons the treason of her uncle took everyone by surprise.

Wolves do not betray.

"... Setsuna…?"

She was brought back from her thoughts by Milia's voice. Giving a weak smile, she motioned that everything was alright.

Athena looked thoughtfully at Setsuna for a while before smiling brightly.

"I like you. If I still had enough capacity to accept a new partner, I would certainly fight over you with Sol."

Her smile was pure and shining without an ounce of sarcasm or ill intentions. Watching her like that, Setsuna also gave a smile of her own.

"Even if you had enough capacity, I would have never chosen you. My sole and only master is his highness. No one else."

This was her heartfelt thought and Athena, hearing those words, did not get offended but rather began to laugh out loud. A laugh of pure happiness.

In her mind, if you wanted to judge someone, then you should observe the people that surround him. After all, birds of a feather flock together. She could already judge that the maid next to Sol was also fiercely loyal to him.

If someone could obtain such a pure devotion, either they were masters in manipulating people or they were people worthy of befriending.

'Your highness, I am becoming even more curious about you.'

This was the first time that she expressed interest in someone of the opposite sex. If he knew about it, the Duke would cry tears of joy while cursing at all the money he would lose because of the bet he made.

----

While the discussion was ongoing in the dining room, the Duke, unaware of his possible future loss, was pouring in one of the most expensive liquors in his possession to Sol before finally taking a seat as well.

They were in a different place than the one where he had spied them discuss. It was a cozy place with soft music playing in the background and a fireplace warming the room.

"This liquor was specially created by the dwarves who are the greatest master in the domain. I had to spend a pretty large sum of gold coins just to obtain some of this collection. It's called an eternal dream."

"Eternal dream?"

"Indeed. It's a special mix. The effects are rather extremely strong. It's said that even an ogre would be down after drinking one glass full of it. What do you think? Would you like to fight this old man in a drinking match? What if we added a bet?"

"...What kind of bet?"

"If you win, I will accede to any one of your requests as long as it doesn't put my house in danger. If you lose, the same condition applies to me. What do you think? Will you bet with this old man?"

Seeing the serious look on the prince's face, Tyr nodded with approval. At least the prince wasn't someone frivolous.

What he didn't know was that Sol was putting on such a serious expression because he was doing his best to not break down in laughter.

Dragons were beings immune to pretty much all poison, and, despite how good tasted, alcohol was a poison for the body and as such could be erased without even making him drunk.

He was debating whether he should be honest and say the truth about his immunity or wait to bully that old geezer a little.

In the end, he sighed and began to speak, "I cannot get drunk."

"Ohoh?" the Duke was a little surprised before he caught on fast.

Coughing a little to hide his embarrassment over this slight episode, he took a profound gulp before putting down his glasses and throwing a steady gaze at Sol.

"First thing first, why did you warn me. You would have easily won if you just stayed quiet. Or perhaps did you have naive thoughts such as cheating is bad? If so, I would be very disappointed."

"I do not think using my natural gift can be called cheating. If it was a normal bet I would have used my constitution to my advantage without any hesitation. But, this isn't just a bet. I do not just wish to win. What I truly wish to obtain is—your loyalty."

Hearing this straightforward answer, the Duke sighed before filling his glass once again.

Looking at the ember liquid, the Duke showed a dazed expression for a short while before slowly hardening it.

"Your highness, let me ask you one question… Do you know the meaning of war?"

The atmosphere had completely changed. If before this, Sol was facing a somewhat funny and gentle old man, now though, he was truly facing the Duke Tyr.

The man who had outlived 2 kings and participated in the greatest wars of mankind while standing on the front line and still survived.

<<War zone: screams of thousands soldiers>>

If intent was the fourth out the six step for a mana user, then the zone was fifth.

It was an imposition of one's own vision of the world in the real world. A fusion between illusion and reality. One could say that observing the zone of warriors was the easiest way to understand him.

The Duke zone was,

Filled with blood and tears.

Filled with screams and despair.

Filled with carnage and destruction.

Filled with soldiers charging and dying for the smallest chance of victory.

This was the world in his eyes.

For him. There was nothing glorious in war.

War meant pain. War meant death. War meant parting.

Facing this scene worthy of hell itself, facing this living legend in his full might, a lesser man would have flinched and bowed his head. But Sol—smiled.

He knew nothing of the pain of war.

He knew nothing of the feeling of loss and the feelings of pain.

He knew neither hunger nor despair.

But, he had seen the true face of a goddess and had his mind nearly crushed.

Compared to that, no matter how powerful the projection of the Duke was.

At the end of the day it was nothing more than a mortal vision of the world.

<<Tyrant intent: Dragon Fear>>