In a Civilized Manner

As Edris mentally took note of the young beast tamer's background, he was hit with another thought.

Celio's last name is Moon, and he's the son of the Adalan Kingdom's Imperial Army Commander? How in the world did he manage to run away from home?

Skill-wise, there was no way Celio could escape under the eyes of some of the brightest forces in the kingdom. Although he was adept in combat and was an attributed beast tamer, there was no way that nobody noticed his escape.

Organising these thoughts, Edris reached a preliminary conclusion:

His father was not only aware of his son's actions, but he also supported them from the shadows.

Maybe he wanted to give his son some challenges to overcome so he could grow with experience? But to allow him to run all the way to another kingdom…

Were imperial commanders all this extreme?

Edris sighed inwardly and stored these thoughts in the back of his head. Although he was curious about the rationale behind the Moon family's actions, it didn't directly affect him, so Edris planned to leave it only at the level of speculation.

Plus, he was almost certain that the Moon family, knowing about Celio's escape, must have sent someone to observe the youth from the shadows and help him in perilous situations.

He glimpsed at Celio behind him, only to realise that the golden-haired boy was staring at him with teary eyes as if he had committed a crime.

"M-Master, I…" Celio stammered, casting his gaze down as his words trailed off. "I'm sorry I hid this from you."

"Everyone has secrets. There is no need to tell others everything," Edris said plainly.

Celio curled his fists and, after a few seconds, nodded slowly. Dominic Orteon, observing their conversation, also gave a meaningful nod.

"How impressive! To think a young man like you was already at a level to take disciples." He stroked his beard.

Before Edris could deny his statement, Duke Orteon turned to Celio with a grin. "Since you're already here, how about visiting your Uncle Dominic's house? I have a daughter around the same age as you. I think you two will get along well."

Celio's ears immediately grew red while Edris listened with amusement.

Duke Dominic's offer was considered the norm in upper-class society. After all, nobles wanted to forge connections with other families of the same or higher standing. Arranged marriage was quite popular in this manner.

"Your Grace, I'm only sixteen." Celio held his palms before his chest with a flustered look. "More importantly, I'm set on following my Master to improve my skills and gain more experience as an Awakened. I still have a long way to go."

"It's Uncle Dominic. Uncle! Also, why are you so embarrassed? It's just an offer to make friends. Nothing more." Duke Orteon laughed. "I'm sure Sir Edris here won't mind your absence for a few hours, no?"

At his words, both Celio and Dominic regarded the man who had remained silent during their conversation. The former's gaze was pleading for him to refuse while the latter looked at him in anticipation.

Under their gazes, Edris shrugged a smile.

"I am in no position to tell him to stay," he said. "It is purely up to Celio's decision."

Seeing that the beast tamer immediately paled at his reply, Edris almost laughed out loud.

"However, Celio came all the way here to hone his skills. And I have no doubts he'll grow to be even brighter in the future." He took a glimpse at Celio, only to see that light had returned to his eyes. "It would be a shame for him to stop now amidst his youth adrenaline, don't you think so too?"

"But of course! Even though I am unfamiliar with mana and magic, I can see that young Celio is heading towards a bright future." Dominic Orteon said in agreement. "He's Commander Moon's son after all!"

Just as Celio let out a sigh of relief, Edris spoke up again.

"I'm sure your words will prove its truth," he said. "With that being said, there is no harm for Celio in befriending many unique people. After all, meeting others is also a way to grow as a person. What do you think, Celio?"

Staring at Edris as if he was being sold off, Celio mustered a polite smile. "Of course."

"...You really got no morals." Ace's whisper reached his ears, and Edris chuckled softly before speaking again.

"You heard him, Your Grace. Although things are busy now, Celio will surely pay a visit in the future."

"I will look forward to it." Dominic Orteon laughed.

"I hear plans without me?"

All three guests turned toward the source of the voice. With his red hair flashing in the distance, Dolan Zacriya made his way toward them with an amicable smile.

"Your Highness." Dominic Orteon immediately greeted him with a bow, which Dolan casually acknowledged with a nod.

Noticing that the Crown Prince was here for Edris and Celio, the duke exchanged some polite remarks before knowingly taking his leave.

"I hope you're finding the banquet to your liking." Dolan turned to the dark-haired man.

"It far exceeds my expectations," Edris replied with his usual gentle smile, and Celio politely agreed with a nod.

"I meant to get in touch earlier, but how is the Harkness Notebook?" Dolan asked. He knew the traveller didn't specialise in magic, so he speculated that the item might have been a useless reward.

"I made good use of it."

Dolan raised an eyebrow, not hiding his fascination as he eyed him up and down. "That's good to hear."

Edris pretended not to notice his expression and only smiled in response. After this interaction with the Crown Prince, he thought that the two of them were—more so than not—similar.

Before Dolan Zacriya attained the title of the Crown Prince, he was a carefree individual. At least, that was the public's image.

Even before Edris arrived in Nolmes, he'd heard stories about the Zacriya Kingdom's second prince's notorious reputation.

Despite being a member of the royal family, the second prince of Zacriya was raised in a lax environment as all the necessary pressure went to the first prince, Treo Zacriya, who was supposed to be the next heir to the kingdom.

As the second son, Dolan Zacriya spent his time travelling and lavished himself with entertainments, but when the first prince fell ill, he suddenly found himself pushed under the spotlight. Only then did the previous rumours start to subside.

Although Dolan Zacriya originally spent his time playing around, Edris knew he definitely wasn't stupid. On the contrary, he thought the Crown Prince was shrewder than most nobles in the kingdom.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to settle the conflicts between different households in power with such efficacy.

The second prince becoming the Crown Prince was unprecedented in the Zacriya Kingdom. Yet large conflicts between nobles were kept to a minimum, and any rumours circulating in the capital were suppressed quickly.

Dolan gave Edris a noble-like smile, and the latter returned the expression. He thought that the Crown Prince was the type who appeared proper on the outside but subtly took control from the shadows.

Under this premise, Edris and the Crown Prince were quite similar. While Edris had no intentions of being involved in political affairs, unlike the latter, they were both types of people who would go to lengths to achieve their goals.

Edris had no problem saying that Dolan Zacriya, like him, wasn't that great of a person.

"Oh, Magnus!" Dolan suddenly exclaimed as he looked in the direction behind Edris.

Magnus Vyris, son of the Duke of Vyris, who was in charge of the western territory, strolled over after at his prompting.

Edris watched as the two exchange a simple greeting. Under normal circumstances, Magnus would be required to greet the Crown Prince formally, but the two seemed to share a close relationship for the latter to address him just by his name.

Before the Crown Prince could introduce him to the group, Magnus turned to Edris with a handshake.

"We already met earlier," he said, gracefully brushing a strand of pink hair from his forehead.

Unlike the Crown Prince, who gave off the refreshing aura of Nolmes's daylight, Magnus Vyris reminded Edris of the breeze at dusk—refined but chilling.

"Indeed, Your Highness," Edris said to the Crown Prince. "Lord Magnus is an impressive individual."

He meant what he said. Becoming an archmage at his age was more than impressive—it was a genius achievement. However, Edris pitied the man after considering all the horrible responsibilities towering upon his shoulders in the future.

Smiling on the outside, he mentally offered his condolences.

"How's Mia doing?" Dolan asked casually, and Magnus let out a chuckle.

"Sulking. She complained for the longest time about how she couldn't come to the banquet." Magnus turned to Edris and Celio. "Mia is my twin sister, but she couldn't come with me today since she was busy preparing for the archmage examination."

Archmage examination? Another one?

Solely from his encounters at the banquet, Edris would have thought archmages to be streetside occupations. He assessed his current position, only to realise that he was amidst a conversation with quite a few prominent figures.

"Archmage examination." Edris blinked. "Impressive."

"Sir Edris, your words are too kind." Magnus shook his head.

"Both of you, quit the compliments." Dolan's laughter bounced through the hall, drawing pairs of eyes towards their conversation. "Now that I think of it, why don't you fight it out to get to know each other?"

"You sure like to joke around, Your Highness," Edris immediately replied. "I wouldn't dare to compete with the pride of the Vyris family."

Despite his humble decline, he was genuinely horrified by the suggestion.

Magnus Vyris's competence wasn't just based on words. Observing the well-postured archmage standing before him, Edris felt that he would be in the afterlife after taking half a hit hit from the man.

"You wouldn't stand a chance against him," Ace said from behind, and Edris silently agreed with his statement.

He was perfectly aware of where he stood in terms of power. Other than his enhanced physiques from using all types of enhancers and the Tempest, which he had recently gained from the Sacrificial Hourglass, Edris had no other skills.

Naturally, he wouldn't go on a suicide mission against someone like Magnus Vyris.

While Magnus humbly shook his head, Dolan laughed out loud, his broad shoulders shaking from the action.

He seems to be enjoying this…

Seeing the Crown Prince's amused expression, Edris suddenly had an urge to do something impulsive. His mind flashed back to Ace's comment from the beginning of the banquet.

Should I?

Despite his question to himself, Edris had already decided. He was going to drop a bomb on Dolan Zacriya.

"Ah, that reminds me." Starting hesitant, Edris waited for the attention around them to disperse before lowering his voice toward the Crown Prince. "I'm not sure if I'm in the place to say this, but…"

As his voice trailed off, Dolan Zacriya waved his hand casually. "Speak your thoughts."

Controlling his urge to smile, Edris meaningfully snuck a glimpse in the direction of the Queen, then drew his gaze back to Dolan Zacriya and Magnus Vyris.

He was planning to subtly insinuate at the Queen's condition to the former. Once he incited the bomb of doubt, Edris would then leave the Crown Prince to handle the rest by himself.

"It's about Her Majesty…" Edris said under his breath while observing Dolan's puzzled face.

Just as he was about to continue, a deep voice sliced through his head with elucidating clarity.

— Thirty degrees to your right!

Before his mind even processed the information, Edris's instincts took over as he swung an arm to the side, slamming the Crown Prince out of the way. The abrupt movement caused them to fall back, barely evading the arrow that pierced through their original spot.

The magic-coated arrow dug itself right into the wall behind them, its vibration bringing the banquet into utmost stillness.

"There are intruders!"

At that moment, someone's horrified scream filled the hall, and everything fell into chaos.

The mosaic windows around the banquet hall exploded into pieces as people dressed in all black slid into the building. Above people's heads, several patches of ceiling also broke as long ropes fell from them, followed by more people in black.

Having recovered from the impact, Edris quickly regained his balance as he pulled the Crown Prince to his feet.

When confronted with the unfolding chaos, he subconsciously frowned.

Most of the guests at the banquet were nobles with no experience in mana manipulation. Although many held authority over the Mage Faction and magic item productions, they didn't have any specific abilities themselves, so they were barely better than the average citizen when it came to combat.

Edris skimmed the entire banquet hall. The guards present had positioned themselves around the King and Queen at the sight of the attack, leaving the nobles to survive on their own.

Not including Magnus Vyris, who sat at the nobles' table, there were a total of six Awakeneds in the room, while the total number of intruders amounted to over thirty.

As even more of them rolled into the banquet hall, Edris grimaced as he took in the chaos before his eyes.

It looked like his dinner plan was going down the drain.