Chapter 1081: Chapter 808: What a Shame
The people pouring in from outside the door were naturally the knights brought by Hemulinp.
The number of these knights far exceeded those guarding the palace gates, numbering at least several dozen, and they were all full-fledged swordsmen, which was quite astonishing.
It should be known that as a Marquis of the Kingdom, Yuri only had two full-fledged swordsmen attendants, Ai En and Ian, under her command, at most adding a personal maid Marilyn, totaling three people.
But in the palace, Reiger found that he could casually encounter a large number of full-fledged swordsmen. So many swordsmen, even in the Kingdom’s Knights, were legitimately the backbone, possibly even advanced forces, right?
Now, these backbone forces and even advanced forces were seen everywhere, either dispatched to guard the gates or following Hemulinp in a grand assault. It had to be said, this truly gave people the feeling that full-fledged swordsmen were undervalued.
Of course, this feeling was merely an illusion.
The reason why the knights guarding outside the palaces of Liz and Solok were all full-fledged swordsmen was due to the special status of these two people, one being related to the state of Hemulinp’s health under house arrest, and the other concerning the safety of the next heir to the throne, both logically necessitating full-fledged swordsmen to guard, otherwise, Hemulinp himself wouldn’t feel assured.
And now, these scores of full-fledged swordsmen swarming in were probably selected by Hemulinp himself to keep by his side, right?
After all, without the force of full-fledged swordsmen, one couldn’t even participate in the incidents caused by Reiger, a fact already proven.
In response, Reiger merely cast a glance and then paid no more attention.
Several dozen full-fledged swordsmen, such a force, placed anywhere, would be formidable enough to instill fear; placed in the Maze City Orario of the Earth Mistake World, it might even change the structure of the city or even the lower realms. But in Reiger’s eyes today, it was somewhat inadequate.
Reiger’s true focus was only on Hemulinp, who wielded the Sword of Authority and could utilize the power of the entire Light of the Celestial Pillar barrier, and the man silently entering the room with a sword in his arms following Hemulinp.
Flon Bolei.
"Has he appeared again?"
Reiger’s mouth involuntarily curved up slightly.
Unfortunately, no one could understand the change in his mood at this moment.
As Hemulinp entered the room with Flon Bolei, his face instantly darkened.
The disorderly, bloodstained room aside, the sight of Solok lying in the shattered bed, desperately struggling under Reiger’s foot on his chest, brought a gleam of anger to Hemulinp’s eyes.
"Your Majesty!"
Beside him, Luna fearfully knelt down.
Liz looked at Hemulinp with a complex expression.
Yuloli tilted her head, meeting Flon’s gaze from beside Hemulinp at some point, one blinking confusedly, the other squinting as if some battle intent was emerging.
As for Reiger, he was already exchanging glances with Hemulinp.
Seeing the flash of anger in Hemulinp’s eyes, Reiger’s expression seemed somewhat amused; not only did he not remove his foot, but he pressed down even harder.
"Ahhh...!"
Solok growled with a contorted face, struggling desperately, but to no avail.
Though he had exerted all his powers as an experienced full-fledged swordsman, capable of easily lifting a boulder larger than a person, even using spiritual power, he still couldn’t break free from Reiger’s foot pressing down on him, being utterly suppressed.
This made Solok even more furious, nearly driving him insane.
And his appearance naturally fueled the anger in Hemulinp’s heart.
"...I need an explanation."
Hemulinp forcibly restrained his anger.
His son, the kingdom’s prince, a strong contender for the next king, was being stomped on the ground by someone, which was a blatant insult to the royal family, trampling on royal dignity.
Hemulinp not exploding on the spot was already a concession to Reiger.
But...
"You need an explanation, so where do I get the explanation I want?" Reiger, as if oblivious to Hemulinp’s restrained anger, said lightly, "The one who made the first move wasn’t me."
Hemulinp believed this statement.
Knowing his son, how could he not know what kind of reaction Solok would have upon seeing Reiger?
This boy was audacious enough to secretly train private soldiers, daring to clandestinely use "Shadow" to deal with the Duke’s faction nobles; what wouldn’t he dare to do?
So, Hemulinp believed that once he saw Reiger, he would inevitably act recklessly, even knowing that Reiger was a Sword Saint and that he was no match for him.
However, Hemulinp’s expression was still unpleasant.
Because he believed Reiger was well aware of this.
Reiger, knowing the irreconcilable relationship between himself and Solok, still actively approached here and even barged in, which gave Hemulinp reason to suspect that Reiger did it intentionally.
Intentionally provoking Solok.
Intentionally making Solok attack him.
This way, he would have a reason to strike back at Solok.
Therefore, Hemulinp still suppressed his anger and spoke to Reiger.
"Let him go."
"After all, he is a prince of this country."
The implication was that targeting Solok any further would be targeting the royal family and the kingdom.
If it came to that, no matter how cautious Hemulinp had to be of Reiger, for the sake of the royal family’s dignity, he would have to wage war with Reiger.
Hemulinp, of course, did not wish for things to come to that.
So, this was also considered giving Reiger a way out.
However, Reiger still did not let go of Solok.
"The Prince, truly remarkable." Reiger said sarcastically, "Just because he is a Prince, he can kill at will and act against others at his leisure. Yet, if someone deals with him, there is always someone of your caliber, Your Majesty, to clean up the mess and ensure he remains respectable."
"Then I have to ask you, Your Majesty, does being a Prince of this country mean he can act against a Sword Saint at will and get away with it?"
"If Your Majesty says yes, I will let him go immediately."
These words caused Hemulinp to be slightly taken aback, and he couldn’t help but glance at Flon beside him.
As expected, this Sword Saint of the Borlay family frowned slightly.
Reiger’s statement virtually tied all the Sword Saints together, placing them directly against the royal family.
If Hemulinp said yes, it would certainly provoke the dissatisfaction of all the Sword Saints.
This is no small matter.
After all, a Sword Saint is the strongest force of a great nation.
Especially those like Flon and the Border Guardian Sword Saint Revin, who hold significant military power and have a pivotal position and authority in the kingdom.
If today Hemulinp dared to place the face of a royal Prince against the Sword Saints, proclaiming the royal family’s might and privilege in front of them, then the consequences would not be as simple as offending one or two strong individuals.
Thinking of this, Hemulinp immediately quelled his inner anger, took a deep breath, and calmed himself.
"Lord Brilliant, you are being too serious. I did not mean that," Hemulinp softened his tone and said, "The Third Prince acting against you as a Sword Saint is naturally an unforgivable act."
"Every Sword Saint is an important power in our country and a mighty figure that even our royal family must respect."
"For his boldness, I will naturally punish him, so please rest assured, Lord Brilliant."
Upon hearing this, a sarcastic expression flashed across Reiger’s face again.
"Since Your Majesty has said so, I shall await your punishment," Reiger said with a hint of a smile, "I can let him go."
"However, if he comes at me again, do not blame me for disregarding the royal family’s and kingdom’s dignity."
Saying this, Reiger released his foot with ease.
"Ahhhhhh...!"
The moment Solok was freed from the restraint, he leapt up and roared angrily, ready to charge at Reiger.
"Stop at once!"
Seeing this, Hemulinp’s heart skipped a beat, and he shouted in a mix of shock and anger.
"Shing!"
A dark shadow quickly moved behind Solok and swung a hand like a knife.
"Thud!"
With a muffled sound, Solok was struck at the back of the neck with the hand knife, instantly losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground.
"Apologies, Your Highness."
Rom then appeared, holding Solok, and swiftly returned to Hemulinp’s side.
This Shadow Sword Saint could not possibly be absent; he had been hiding behind Hemulinp all along, ready to act.
If not for him noticing the situation going awry and intervening in time, then...
"What a pity."
The faint smile on Reiger’s face never disappeared, giving others the impression that he was just waiting for Solok to make a move.
"Hmph."
Perhaps disliking Reiger’s disdainful attitude towards royal authority, Rom snorted coldly.
Hemulinp first let out a sigh of relief, then felt rather humiliated.
"I wonder, Lord Brilliant, for what purpose have you particularly come here?"
Hemulinp emphasized the words "particularly."
"Oh, nothing much, just came to see Prince Solok," Reiger said blandly, "After all, I live nearby. Since I knew the Prince was still recovering, it was only right to come by."
"How conscientious of you," Hemulinp said with a forced smile, "I wasn’t aware that Lord Brilliant and my son had become so close."
"Isn’t this good?" Reiger raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If I don’t get close to the Princes, do you, Your Majesty, prefer I befriend the eldest son of the Codelion Family?"
Hemulinp’s face froze immediately.
"What a shame, the Prince, with his noble status, seems to look down on someone like me," Reiger continued of his own accord, "But that’s alright, there will be time for us to get acquainted in the future."
"Don’t you think so?"
"Your Majesty."
Leaving these words, Reiger walked out, brushing past Hemulinp and his entourage.
Liz and the others silently followed, leaving only Hemulinp and his people at the scene.
Hemulinp’s face was unsightly, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.
The atmosphere on the scene was incredibly heavy, making it difficult for anyone to breathe.