Opportunity

'I guess my emotion shift was too fast.' Aez contemplated. However, he paid not much heed to it. Although he was devastated by seeing the death of his parents once again, he had 300 years to ease the pain in his past life. It gets numb much easier now.

'I got Albert already. This will be much easier now,' Aez concluded. He knew for certain that Albert was a trustworthy person. He, after all, sacrificed his life for the kingdom in the past. Even though Albert left him before since he was not regarded by him as a worthy master, Albert was still loyal to him.

***

In a bright and majestic hall, a man with gray hair and eyes, wearing a black suit and a monocle, was walking and smiling. He walked on a red carpet that reached the door at the end of the hall.

"Albert, why are you here? Weren't you supposed to accompany Aez?" Hena asked. Kuroz, who was beside her, also looked at Albert in wonder.

"Oh, I have received an order from the young master. I shall not delay. Please excuse me," Albert said with no visible emotions on his face. However, Hena and Kuroz clearly knew that he was smiling inside.

"How peculiar? Did Albert vowed himself to Aez?" Kuroz asked. They had known Albert for a long time. Never once did they see him this happy.

"I believe so. It seems like that child has a lot more on his sleeves," Hena said with a gentle smile.

"Do you think he's a spy?" Kuroz asked with a stern gaze. "Ouch!" he exclaimed in pain after Hena hit him in the head. She did not say anything and merely glared at Kuroz, which made the latter shut up and retract the thought.

Hours passed. The door of the room of the laid down Aez opened. With the same no-emotion look, Albert greeted Aez.

"Young master, here are the things you asked for," Albert said.

"Did you experience much difficulties in getting it?" asked Aez.

"Not at all. Lady Hena had not explained it to you, but you are quite privileged," Albert assured.

Aez thanked Albert before dismissing him. He looked at the golden silk bag that Albert gave. He smiled after seeing the content. He first took a stalk of Violet Grass; then, he mixed it with Green Bee Honey. When it was completely dissolved, he drank it from the glass he mixed it on.

A burning feeling coursed through the throat of Aez. This is the acidic Green Bee Honey. However, a soothing feeling quickly filled his entire body. He could feel his muscles rejuvenating. 'Still as effective as before,' he said after lying back down with a smile. This healing combination will only be discovered 50 years from now. It will skyrocket the price of these two ingredients since this is better than anything on the market. 'Hehe, thankfully, I can horde it for now,' he thought before going to sleep.

The next morning, the sound of knocking on the door resounded through Aez's room.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It is me, Albert, young master. Lady Hena and Knight Kuroz have come to visit you," Albert introduced.

"Please come in," said Aez politely.

Hena's eyes widened a bit after seeing Aez. The latter was completely different from the lad before. His demeanor is flawless. "I have not been courteous. What can I do for the lady and the knight?" Aez asked with a warm smile.

This almost made Kuroz draw his sword. He found it creepy that the child could act this well. Hena, on the other hand, gently smiled at Aez. "What a lovely child. We are here to resume our talk from yesterday," she said.

"Of course,"

"As you know, the last wish of your parents was to give you a prosperous life. They were quite close to the King of the Behar-Lucio Kingdom, Mayer Lucio. As a tribute to your parents, we managed to get you their kingdom's spot in the Eternal Garden entrance examination," Hena said.

A visible shock can be seen on Aez's face. His eyes widened slightly, and his mouth opened a bit. He cannot stop his hands from trembling. This may seem like impeccable acting, but it was not. This is his genuine feeling. 'Eternal Garden!?!? How come?' he thought in shock. 'Previously, I was only encouraged to enter the Royal Academy of Behar three months after I came here. Given I did not speak to anyone during the time. Did my subordination of Albert cause this much wave?'

"It seems like I don't need to say how much of a great opportunity this is. Since you are a smart kid, I will warn you. The crowned prince of the Behar-Lucio Kingdom is, let us just say not happy with you taking his place. You may not know this but a bloody clash between the 17 kingdoms of the Behar Empire happens every 10 years, the latest being last year. This is in order to determine which three will get three out of the five spots available for the Behar Empire in the Eternal Garden entrance examination. This is a big opportunity, do not waste it," Hena remarked.

"How did the King of the Behar-Lucio Kingdom give such an amazing opportunity away?" Aez asked.

"Your parents previously saved the king's life when they were young," Kuroz briefly stated.

Hena followed this with a gentle smile and said, "The political climate in the Behar-Lucio Empire is also not great. The king is opposed to the crowned prince, ergo this situation."

'My plans are getting better by the minute!' Aez thought. Not even a week had passed, but the future is already much different. "This is an amazing opportunity! I am honored,"

"Fantastic. However, there is still a hurdle. The crowned prince issued a challenge to you. It reached the ears of the emperor. The emperor said that to not tarnish the name of the Behar Empire, only those worthy can take the examination. Therefore, a month from now, you will clash with the crowned prince of the Behar Empire," Hena said with a gentle and apologetic smile.

"You better win, kid," Kuroz said.

'What!?'