William raised an eyebrow because a Winged Tiger was a very rare beast in the Hellan Kingdom. Even so, he wasn’t perturbed by this overgrown cat with wings. William had been fighting against Centennial and Millennial Beasts ever since he was young, and the Tiger’s intimidating presence almost made him yawn.
“Come out and play with this cat, Erchi…”
“I’m Rolling!”
William wasn’t able to finish his command because a rainbow-colored Anteater suddenly appeared in front of him and curled up into a ball. It then increased its size to two meters before hurtling itself to the Winged Tiger who had been caught completely by surprise.
A roar of pain erupted in the throne room as the Winged Tiger slammed into the wall. Kasogonaga didn’t give it any opportunity to regain its footing and repeatedly slammed its body with its full powered charge.
William winced when he saw the bloodthirsty Anteater pound the helpless Tiger to oblivion. Only when the Winged Tiger had lost its consciousness did the Anteater’s rampage stop.
The little beast arrogantly raised its head in the air as its small foot stepped on the head of the unconscious Tiger. Its futile attempt to look imposing was greatly hampered by its adorable stature which made William scratch his head.
A thud sounded in the room as Brendan fell on his bum looking at the unbelievable results of the battle that had started only a few minutes ago. His eyes locked on the small, rainbow-colored, Anteater that was standing arrogantly on top of his Beast Companion’s head.
“Do you have any other tricks?” William asked in a teasing voice. “Go on. Take them out while you still have a chance.”
Brendan shifted his attention on William as he clenched his fist in frustration. Aside from being a scholar, he was also blessed with Grade B talent in magic. However, for some reason, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to defeat the smiling Half-Elf in front of him even if he gave it all he had.
“Lord William, I think we can talk things out,” Brendan said as he stood up from the floor. “Like I said earlier, this Kingdom is in need of talented people to help it survive the current situation. If you like, you can become the King, and I’ll be your Prime Minister. Together we can reshape the Hellan Kingdom and bring it to new heights. This is a good offer, don’t you think so?”
William admired Brendan’s quickwittedness. Since the son of the Prime Minister wasn’t able to beat William in battle, Brendan immediately chose to act servile in order to get into his good graces.
This shift in attitude was a tactic used by Ambassadors and other officers of the kingdom who specialized in negotiations. William had seen similar cases when people had pleaded with him for mercy, but Brendan’s attitude made the Half-Elf quite impressed.
‘This is a dangerous person,’ William thought as he narrowed his eyes. ‘Capable but dangerous. If the son is already like this, I wonder what the father is like.’
William didn’t really care about the politics of the Hellan Kingdom. Just like his grandfather, James, they were people who preferred to do things their way. They didn’t want to be bound by laws or authority and would even smack anyone that would try to put them down.
The Half-Elf also understood that Brendan only acted this way due to the convenient circumstances that fell on his plate. As someone that was born to serve the King of the next generation, Ambition was a very important attitude to have.
Frankly, William was at the fence about how he should deal with Brendan. On one hand, he could just imprison the teenager and look for someone to take his place. On the other hand, he could use his amazing managerial skills to let the kingdom function properly.
“If I tell you to go West, would you dare to go East?” William asked.
“I will go wherever you want me to go, Lord William,” Brendan replied with a calm expression on his face.
“If I tell you to jump?”
“I’ll ask you how high I should jump.”
William nodded as he looked at Brendan with a serious expression. “You still want to become the Regent of this Kingdom?”
“Yes.” Brendan replied.
William smirked. He thought that the older boy would deny his ambition, but to his surprise, the latter admitted it openly.
“You are an incredible person.” William praised. “And very dangerous as well. To be honest, I just want to lock you up until all of this is over.”
Brendan nodded in understanding. “Of course you can do that. But I dare say that no one in this Kingdom will be able to do the things that I can do during this chaotic time.”
“I hate to admit it, but you are correct.”
“Right? So, how about my proposal? You can become the King and I’ll be your Prime Minister.”
William shook his head firmly. “I do not wish for Dominion.”
“Such a shame.” Brendan sighed. “We need someone who will lead the people, and I believe that Lord William would be the right person for the job. Also, Sir William, I just want to tell you one more thing.”
“And that is?”
“We have no grudges against each other.”
“This is true.”
William crossed his arms over his chest as he eyed Brendan. The boy only had an average looking face. A face that you could easily be forgotten if he blended in with the crowd because no one would give him a second glance.
But there was one thing that made him stand out in William’s eyes.
It was a feeling of Cleanliness.
This was a trait that was very common among Professional Assassins. If Brendan had chosen to become an Assassin, instead of a scholar, he might have been a very dangerous foe that would bring terror to his enemies.
‘I think I know what to do with him now.’ William grinned as he looked at the boy in front of him. His attitude towards Brendan had a complete reversal and the latter shivered because William was looking at him as if he was a very beautiful prostitute that was being sold in a brothel.
—–
“What? Are you serious?” Est asked as he looked at William as if he said something ridiculous. “Me? The Regent of the Kingdom?”
William nodded. “Of course I am serious. I don’t trust anyone else[,] aside from you[,] to manage the capital while I am away. I will leave Dave and Conrad by your side to act as your bodyguards. With them around, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“But, I don’t think I am the right person for the job…”
“Did you forget what I told you before?”
William patted Est’s shoulder and gave him a teasing smile. “Heroes are not born, they are made. A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Look at the brightside, at least this time, we’re not fighting against a Terrorhand.”
“Yes. We are not fighting a Terrorhand, but something more sinister like an unknown Organization and thousands of Elves right outside our border,” Est argued.
“You’re not wrong,” William nodded in agreement. “But, if not you then who? Do you have any recommendations?”
“How about Prince Ernest?” Est proposed.
“The shrimp is still too young and too henpecked to handle the affairs of the [K]kingdom.” William shook his head. “If you don’t want to take the position then I’ll just let that guy named Brendan Schwartz handle everything. At least, he is capable of managing the [K]kingdom while I am away.”
Est frowned. Naturally, he knew who Brendan was. He also thought that the son of the Prime Minister could fill in the role of a temporary leader while the Royal Family was out of commission.
However, for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of handing over the authority of the Royal Family to another person.
“Fine, but I will need some help.” Est compromised. “I can’t do it alone.”
William smirked, “Don’t worry. I already made preparations for this.”
