Chapter 51

King Elric did not wait for them to react and left.

Nathan was deep in thought. His Father was not trying to show off his status, but rather convey an indirect message to him!

'My Father has become King… yet, there has been no sign of a competition for The Throne in recent years… so it must have happened quite a few years ago, and quietly so at that.'

'But such a thing cannot happen so swiftly and silently. I'm sure The King and The Crown Prince would have resisted heavily, causing a great commotion in the capital!'

'Even if he had used underhanded methods to remove The King and The Crown Prince from power, The Royal Court would not have submitted to him. What am I missing here…?'

The more he thought, the more confused he became. It was akin to a bomb blowing up in your house, yet there is no sign of an explosion or any kind of damage.

'… I have to investigate this further…'

Nathan's thoughts swirled in an extremely fast pace, that only mere moments had passed.

Sophie finally managed to react,

"Wow! King? When did that happen?! Why didn't we know of it?!"

"I don't know either, but that's not important right now. Any news from Nitis?"

Sophie calmed down somewhat, but she was still pretty excited, "No! He has been guarding The House of Henosis ever since you ordered him. Thankfully! No one has attacked it when we were busy fighting The Archbishop!"

Nathan nodded, "Good. He should have already made contact with Father's Agents. Inform him of his next mission. I want him to look into all the events related to The Royal Family in the past 10 years. Find out the cause of the sudden shift in power, but do not dig too deep. We do not want to draw the attention of those who were responsible for it. In the meantime, me and Grandpa have a lot to talk about."

"Alright! I will inform him. Then I'll see you later, My Prince!" Sophie waved goodbye as she left.

"I know you are here. No need to continue hiding." Nathan said, as he examined the Spatial Ring he just got.

"Most impressive, young Prince. I am at your service." Grandpa suddenly appeared in the room, and bowed to Nathan.

"Then, you have much to explain."

"Indeed. I took the liberty to contact your Father in your stead, and informed him of your situation. Our enemies grow more and more restless, the stronger you grow. As soon as The Awakening Ceremony is underway, the entire Kingdom will be in danger. We have to make preparations."

"Headmaster Tallis is also the best choice for the job. With his connections and skills, the children will grow to shine brightly. Some might even join us." Grandpa explained.

Nathan sighed heavily. Of course he knew all that himself, but taking his rightful position as Crown Prince of The Netherstar Kingdom will result in the loss of many lives. Innocents will be dragged into the conflict, getting caught in the crossfire.

Nathan taped his finger on the table, and Grandpa stood silently, not interrupting his thoughts.

'No matter what I do, The Kingdom will be implicated. It is my birthplace, and that of my parents… I cannot protect here alone, and The Kingdom does not have the ability to do so as well…'

'Unless…'

"Very well. I will return to The Royal Family in one year. That would draw the attention of The Church, but I trust my Father will take the necessary precautions. However, we are going to need much more for the upcoming events of The Awakening Ceremony. I will deal with that."

"For now, I will join The Royal Academy and search for capable subordinates."

Nathan was finished checking the Spatial Ring, and inwardly, he was shocked! His Father had left him almost 5,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones! And that was not counting the belongings of Archbishop Valdis!

It was a tremendous amount of wealth, unlocking many different ways he could use to strengthen himself!

Nathan put the Spatial Ring away, and turned to Grandpa,

"The time is upon us. In a week, I will open The Pathway to The Underworld. I do not know what will happen in the process of doing so, but I expect it to catch the attention of many Ancient Beings. Make preparations, but I doubt it will make much difference."

Grandpa turned serious, "In light of such a massive event, I believe many will soon arrive here to investigate. The Capital will turn chaotic, and we won't be able to contain it."

Nathan didn't seem bothered, "This is inevitable. The Pathway must be opened as soon as possible. We cannot delay this matter. Such chaos is of little consequence in vastness of The Universe…"

Grandpa turned silent. Indeed, such important matters could not be delayed because of the conflict among the living. Too much was at stake here.

"Then, I hope the opening does not draw much attention."

Nathan put his mask on, and turned to leave as well, "Whatever happens, nothing is allowed to stop us."

Nathan left the inn, and headed to his store. Even though Archbishop Valdis was successfully captured, there were many eyes watching within The Capital. They could not leave clues behind. The tiniest mistakes often bring upon the greatest calamities…

Few days later, a strange man in very expensive clothes and a sword strapped to his waist approached his shop. The man had a unique temperament. He had a transcendent air about him, yet he blended into the crowd as if there was nothing special about him…

The moment he reached the shop, Nathan immediately lifted his head from his book. His eyes had picked up on a disturbance around him, alerting him.

A brief look of surprise flashed across the man's eyes, but his expression was unchanging. With a hand on the handle of his sword, he formally greeted Nathan, "Greetings."

Nathan returned his act of respect in kind, "Greetings. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you today? I doubt a man of your caliber would require my feeble services."

The man was as calm and serene as a lake, "Surely, you jest. You have quite a reputation for treating Curses. There is someone who is in need of your expertise."

"If you could not deal with the issue, then how could a weak person like me be of any service?" Nathan asked, deliberately sounding suspicious. Curse Master was a very rare profession. With his Soul Strength, which was equivalent to the soul of a Mid-Level Third Stage Cultivator's soul, a Meridian Opening Stage Cultivator! So he could be considered a pretty strong Curse Master.

His mask was an Emperor Grade Artifact, a very precious treasure and an extremely powerful one. Even the man in front of him couldn't see through its cloaking, rendering him unable to discover his actual strength, or that of The Artifact's.

"An important person has fallen ill, and The Doctors in The Palace couldn't find the reason. Even I couldn't see any problems or signs of illness in her, yet her condition continues to grow more and more critical. I was tasked with trying every method possible to cure her, and you seem to be the most capable person in your field whom I could find. If you can discover as much as a clue about her situation, you will be rewarded handsomely." The man stated his proposal, seemingly in no hurry at all. He did not show any arrogance, even though Nathan knew he was far stronger than he could imagine. 

Even The Archbishop wouldn't have been able to look at this man's eyes!

Nathan didn't respond immediately, 'Someone with an undetectable illness appears around the time of Archbishops arrival… is this a coincidence…?'

Nathan didn't mind it much however. The little Cult was from enough to make him feel apprehensive. He was also curious as to who this 'important person' is.

The man was surprised that Nathan didn't instantly agree. Anyone else in his position would be trying to form a connection with him in hopes of receiving benefits, yet the man in front of him was unmoved by such thing, causing him to have a higher opinion of him in his heart.

"Interesting… very well. Lead the way." Nathan put his book away his book and stood up. 

The man simply nodded and took the lead, taking Nathan straight to The Central District, The Royal Palace!

Nathan entered The Palace Gates, and he was awed by what he saw!

The Palace was extremely gigantic and magnificent. It was surrounded by a massive wall that blocked it from the outside world. There were many gardens filled with precious herbs and beautiful flowers that were attended by many servants. The Palace Guards patrolled in groups, while many stood stationary.

With his [Reaper's Gaze] Nathan could see traces of many Formations in place. Some hidden so deeply and cleverly, that Nathan was thoroughly impressed. Going as far as taking advantage of the garden's arrangements!

They didn't enter the core area of The Royal Palace, but instead walked over to one of the side palaces,

The Purple Lotus Palace!