In a Civilized Manner

Deciding to ignore Ace's ominous words, Edris redirected his attention to the royal family.

Impressive.

If people didn't know about Dolan's original status as the second prince or his older brother, Treo Zacriya, no one would doubt his presence as the Crown Prince.

The door closed behind them, indicating the commencement of the banquet. At the Crown Prince's gesture, everyone took their seats, casting their eyes to the three seats on the elevated platform.

"I feel bad for the bedridden first prince," Celio said under his breath. "He must be really sick not even to attend the banquet."

The banquet, although hosted by the royal family, was meant to be semi-formal. After the King delivered his usual patriotic addresses to the guests, the rest of the banquet time was left to social bonding and opportunities for them to suck up to the new Crown Prince.

Meals were soon brought to the tables by palace maids and servants that trickled into the area one after another.

Roasted meat, grilled vegetables, fanciful deserts—the different varieties of food were put on display beside each other, forming a spectrum of appetising colours.

As the dining portion of the banquet officially began, Celio nudged Edris slightly and excused himself to the restroom.

"You don't have to tell me." Edris waved his hand as the boy got up from his seat.

After Celio disappeared from the table, Edris's eyes lightened as he sat up from his relaxed posture, taking in the plates of gourmets placed before his eyes. After taking a few bites out of his cheesecake, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced around.

Although these social gatherings weren't exactly his cup of tea, this didn't mean that Edris wasn't planning to take advantage of the opportunity.

After all, his goal was to buy a house and have enough money and connections to live comfortably for a lifetime.

However, he couldn't help but feel wary about Ace's comment from earlier. He casually glimpsed the long table that sat the royal family.

Ace said that the Queen was under some sort of disguise.

A fake?

Edris subconsciously frowned. If someone had disguised themselves as the Queen, then their action, if found out, would inevitably be an offence worthy of immediate death penalty.

Scooping a spoonful of bread pudding, he savoured the sweetness of the desert and examined the Queen from afar.

In an elegant red gown, the Queen was conversing with her lady friends who had approached her at the table. Her bright red hair, braided into a sleek bun, rested behind her head and was adorned with brilliant pieces of jewellery exclusive to the royal family.

Appearance-wise, she looked as noble as the Queen of Zacriya could get.

Amidst his thoughts, Edris noticed someone approaching his direction.

He was an old man with thick, nut-brown hair, looking to be in his mid-forties. With elevated steps, he was headed straight for where Edris was standing.

"Dominic Orteon. Duke of Orteon," Ace said curtly, submerging under Edris's cloak as the man came closer. "In charge of the northeastern territory. Leads the kingdom's textile industry."

The Orteon household controlled the kingdom's northeastern territory, including the current capital, Nolmes. Known for their specialization in textile production and commerce, the Orteons were considered a major powerhouse in the Zacriya economy.

Edris had learnt this information a few days ago when he consulted the machina, Alan Grennor, about merchants and the kingdom's economy. Still, he couldn't help but be impressed by Ace's access to all types of information.

A true database.

Edris gauged his current situation. While he appreciated an influential figure like Duke Orteon's interest in his presence, Edris found minimal, if not nil, benefits in building a bond with him.

Therefore, he decided to conserve his energy.

Edris was going to plaster on a smile and nod along until the duke leaves.

"Your Grace," he greeted the old man in a respectful but distant manner.

"I'm surprised you know me." The man looked taken aback. "To think the Orteon business has come this far to have a name beyond the kingdom!"

Do all noble greetings follow a specific template?

Edris vaguely recalled Magnus Vyris, who had responded with similar remarks as he plastered on his harmless smile.

"Not at all. Your presence is one recognizable to the entire Eastern Continent."

If Ace could still speak in his head, he would be scoffing at Edris's replicated response. Thankfully, the ball of pink wasn't currently capable of doing so.

As Duke Dominic rambled on about his acknowledgement of Edris's abilities during the Wulin Tournament, the latter merely smiled at appropriate times, politely insinuating that he did not care. His insinuation passed unheard as the duke continued praising Edris for things he already knew.

However, on the topic of Crown Prince Dolan's older brother—Treo Zacriya—Duke Orteon mentioned something that caught his attention.

"It's truly heart-wrenching to see His Royal Highness's worsening condition." He sighed sympathetically, brushing his pointy beard with two fingers. "I can't seem to understand what Her Majesty is thinking either, reserving from us bulks of custom-made dresses during a time like this…"

"Dresses?" Edris tilted his head.

"Her Majesty's maids have been visiting our company lately with requests for custom dresses for Her Majesty." Duke Dominic nodded. "Quite frivolous shopping despite the occasion, if I must say so myself."

The moment he muttered his thoughts, Duke Dominic immediately caught onto meaning of his words and stifled a few coughs. "Of course, an old guy like myself wouldn't dare to speculate the minds of the Zacriya family."

At the duke's blunder, Edris simply chuckled along, dismissing his statement as a joke. "You're too humble."

He knew that Duke Dominic didn't mean any malice in his statement. Despite the divided territories and power, the Zacriyas were highly regarded by the different factions. They were a royal family that always emphasized the significance of peace.

Peace. It was a value passed down from their ancestor to every generation of the family.

With over a thousand years of legacy, the Zacriya family was the most prominent power in the kingdom, and one of the most influential in the Eastern Continent.

The reason why the Zacriyas had maintained influence after all these years was thanks to their ancestor—Toren Zacriya.

He was the creator of the Zacriya Kingdom and its first king. He was an elite archmage, a creator, and a hero.

He was the main character of countless myths and legends, and his tales of adventure flowed upon throughout the entire Zacriya Kingdom, spreading to the hearts of citizens like wildfire.

Even Edris, who only arrived in the kingdom barely months ago, was no stranger to this legendary figure. He wasn't a fan of heroic tales, but he must admit that stories of Toren Zacriya's great adventures had spread far and wide throughout the continent.

In fact, it was reasonable to say that there wasn't a single person unaware of his name.

Edris swept his gaze past the heads of conversing nobles, towards the row of portraits that hung on the walls of the banquet hall. They were portraits of all the past rulers of the Zacriya Kingdom.

Although recording magic didn't exist during Toren Zacriya's time, people were able to deduce his appearance from ancient records of the Creatos Era.

Crimson red hair, daunting countenance, and blood-like pupils. Toren Zacriya was said to be a menacing man but also someone with a strong sense of righteousness.

Many considered him humanity's saviour. In the Creatos War, it was he that led his companions and the rest of the human race through the period of devastation and bloodshed.

Edris narrowed his eyes.

The Creatos Era, also known as the Period of Ruination, lasted until almost a thousand years ago. According to common belief, Toren Zacriya, as the leader of the Seven Conquerors, fought with his companions against the God of Forsake, who was trying to bestow calamity to this world.

After countless arduous battles, they finally achieved triumph, thus ending the Creatos War and bringing upon a new time: the Eultros Era.

The current year was 995 E.E., almost a thousand years since the end of the Creatos War.

Withdrawing his eyes from the large portrait at the centre, Edris refocused on the current conversation with Duke Dominic and started to think.

The Queen was mass buying while her oldest son was on the death bed?

There was something off about this whole situation, but frankly, he didn't care to make sense of it either. Getting involved with the royal family wasn't in his plan for a carefree life.

Deep in thought, he failed to notice that Duke Dominic observing his every expression.

At the dark-haired man's long silence, Duke Dominic nodded to himself. He had met many young people like him in the past, many of whom attempted to get friendly with higher society to make a name for themselves.

However, he felt that the traveller standing before him was different. As strange as it may sound, he felt no ambition coming from him that should be common in others sharing his situation.

"You are just as thoughtful as rumours say."

From their discussion about the royal family and the first prince, Duke Dominic could tell that the traveller was concerned for the royal family and the kingdom.

Edris decided to ignore the man's comment as he merely responded with a smile. He knew the reason why this duke had approached him: as a foreigner the Crown Prince personally invited, Edris's presence was comparable to a budding flower.

The Orteon household held the majority of control over the northeastern territory. To maintain good relations with the royal family and their position, they always kept an eye out for potential benefactors like Edris.

After all, they had nothing to lose, developing good bonds with someone who may grow to be an asset in the future.

Having conversed for another short while, Edris was about to politely excuse himself when Duke Dominic's eyes brightened at the person approaching from behind.

"And you must be Celio!" He exclaimed.

Celio, who just came back from the washroom, blinked at the man's sudden enthusiasm as he replied dazedly with the proper etiquettes, remaining behind Edris during the entirety.

"I've heard of your accomplishments in the Wulin Tournament," Duke Dominic said sincerely. "You truly resemble your father."

Celio visibly stiffened at his words, and Edris glanced up from his lashes.

He knew the boy was from a wealthy background, but he didn't expect his family to be acquainted with the Orteon household.

Since he stood in front of Celio, Edris couldn't see the stunned expression on the beast tamer's face as he tried to stop the duke from exposing his identity altogether.

Despite the careful smile hung across on his youthful face, Celio was sweating profusely within.

The entire Moon family was still under the impression that Celio had left on a training excursion.

He didn't expect to meet someone who recognized him all the way in the Zacriya Kingdom!

Thanks to his old man, Celio had came into contact with a number of prominent figures, from a young age, too. But seeing how he retained no recollections of Duke Orteon, their meeting must have been ages ago.

Celio gulped. There were adults like him then and now, who acted as though they were life-long companions when, in reality, the last time he saw Celio was probably when he was still on diapers.

Regardless, there was a more important matter at hand:

Master! He still doesn't know about my identity!

However, it was too late. Before Celio could block out his words, Duke Dominic was already diving into nostalgia.

"Speaking of your father, how is he? The last time we spoke was in Odeen. Back then, he was still the imperial general, but look at him now—Commander Moon of Adalan's imperial army!" Duke Orteon laughed heartily, completely unaware of the boy's horrified look. "Anyway, please give Evans my regards and tell him that I'm still waiting for him to redeem the drink promise."

Evans Moon? Commander of the Adalan Kingdom's imperial army?

Edris blinked twice at this information.

The Moons in the Adalan Kingdom was a family that directly served their king, Myles Xine. With a deep-rooted history of combat experience, the Moons established a reputation for both competency and affluence.

Despite their influence, the Moons were humble people that tend to lay low from public's eyes. If it weren't for the nature of his previous works in Adalan, Edris probably wouldn't have even discovered their existence.

There was one characteristic about the family that Edris particularly recalled. Although they were a family that specialized in combat, their territory, built upon a gold mine, also gave them a geographical advantage to wealth.

Edris, appearing indifferent on the outside, was taking in the duke's words with a single thought in his head:

Money!

If they were talking about the same Moon family, then that meant the boy standing behind him was more than affluent.

He was filthy rich!