NOVGO.NET Chapter 398: Common Enemy.
Chapter 398: Common Enemy.
“I will not risk bringing the Dragons’ wrath upon us for a boy who might become a threat in the future—not during a time like this.”
Alden spoke with a solemn look on his face and for a moment, the room turned silent.
Zephyr stayed silent for a while. He wasn’t a fool; he knew the King’s worries weren’t unfounded. After all, the Hero wasn’t alone—he had his Dragons with him.
Zephyr had seen how much Dragon Cirri loved her ’father.’
If Dragon Igni’s affection was even half as strong as Dragon Cirri’s, he wouldn’t be coming to their side either.
They couldn’t let the Dragons escape either. The Dragons would hold a grudge, and once they were fully grown…
Drakthar would have much stronger enemies to worry about, enemies that held the capability to raze them to the ground.
Their only option was to kill those Dragons while they were young and… if it was revealed that Drakthar was behind breaking the Treaty of Dragons and killing baby Dragons…
Drakthar’s Dragons would leave them. Heck, it wouldn’t be surprising if they annihilated them instead.
They definitely couldn’t be caught doing it…
But…
“So… are we going to let him be…?”
Zephyr questioned.
Letting a threat as big as the Hero just… do whatever he pleased didn’t sit well with him.
“As I said, we cannot put the very Kingdom at risk just because of a child.”
“That child has the potential to be a Demi-God, and not just any Demi-God—the strongest Demi-God Nerathis has seen.
Not to mention he has two Dragons. Once those Dragons grow… his powers would be enough to influence everything.
His decisions would change the course of Nerathis, and if such a force in the future stands against us…”
“A single man cannot hold all that power.”
Alden shook his head.
“He is diff—”
Zephyr tried to speak but—
“I know.”
Alden interrupted.
“The Hero is different.
The rate at which he grows cannot be compared to normal people. The strength and abilities he holds are… out of this world.
He even has Dragons.
Once he grows… he will be a force to be reckoned with.”
The King paused. Soon, however, a flicker was seen in his eyes and—
“That is if he grows.”
He spoke, and Zephyr’s frown deepened. He couldn’t understand what the King was getting at.
“Do not forget where he is.”
Zephyr tilted his head.
“Ashen Heights.”
Alden spoke and Zephyr’s expression changed.
“There is a reason why even the Velmourns—the family that once ruled the entirety of Nerathis—couldn’t return from that place.”
“…”
Zephyr stayed silent, letting the King continue. He wanted to know what he was thinking. He wanted to stay on the same page as the King so disagreements like this did not happen in the future.
As the Shadow Regent, he needed to know what the King wanted and planned—it was his duty.
“Ashen Heights is a grave.”
Alden began.
“Its harsh environment and limited resources make it nothing more than a prison, a prison one cannot escape from.
Why do you think our ancestors let a family as dangerous as the Velmourns live?
Do not be mistaken, when it comes to pure talent and potential, Velmourn blood is far stronger than the Dragonborns.
There was a reason the Velmourns were so dominant and managed to rule the entire Nerathis—their descendants have always been stronger than any other family’s, so much that it wasn’t even a fair comparison.
That Kayden you talked about—going by the standards of the Velmourns that existed twelve hundred years ago—he would have been a below-average Velmourn.
Velmourns were the family of geniuses. There was a reason they were chosen by the Steel Dragons, one of the most arrogant Dragons in existence.
Letting a family like this live when all the existing nations gave multiple sacrifices to defeat them was not a decision made out of the goodness of heart.
It was planned.
The Velmourns were sent to Ashen Heights for a reason. The Treaty was made to restrict them from leaving that place for a reason.
There is no growth in Ashen Heights.
As for whatever flicker of hope there is…
Our ancestors left us with the means to crush that.”
Alden spoke, looking at Zephyr. After all, the Shadow Regent knew exactly what these ’means’ were.
Alden’s purple eyes shined intensely and—
“The Hero can be a threat, yes.
I do not deny that.
And we will definitely not let him be.
But our actions cannot be direct.”
“What does His Majesty want me to do?”
Zephyr questioned with a determined look on his face.
“Use our eyes to observe his progress and use our hands to hinder that progress.
The Hero needs time to grow.
Take that time away from him.
Drown him in unrest,
Wars, lack of food, low resources, no weapons, constant enemy raids—break him.
The Hero is strong, I agree.
He has the potential to be even stronger, I agree as well.
But he comes from a world of peace. He hasn’t seen blood, he hasn’t seen wars, he hasn’t seen hunger and suffering.
Show him everything.
Show him how the people he cares about continue to suffer, so much that dying would feel easier than living.
Create an environment where even if he can grow, he wouldn’t have the will to.”
Alden ordered, his eyes shining even more intensely than before.
So much that for a moment, even Zephyr was taken aback. However, as he came to his senses, he just had one more question.
“What if… he passes all these tribulations?”
He asked. His hesitation was clear, but he just couldn’t get this thought out of his head. The Hero was Lord Feraos’ chosen, a human who formed bonds with two Dragons.
Every single time they heard news related to him, it was something completely out of their expectations.
What if… this didn’t go as planned either?
What if… instead of breaking him…
Their plans only made him stronger?
“If that happens, then we will have one more enemy to worry about.”
The King shrugged, as if this wasn’t his problem—an action that once again surprised Zephyr. He truly couldn’t understand what the King was thinking every time they talked about Hero Kael.
The only time this used to happen before was when… they talked about Princess Lavinia.
’Is… her being with the Hero affecting his decisions…?’
Zephyr thought of a possibility.
Something that definitely wouldn’t surprise him. After all, he still hadn’t forgotten how big of a fool this man was for his daughter. Even if the Princess had fallen and the King was forced to take difficult decisions, Zephyr was sure this man loved his daughter, even now.
“Be at ease, Zephyr. This hasn’t happened yet.”
Suddenly, Alden spoke up. Zephyr glanced at him and the King continued,
“The Hero hasn’t yet passed all these tribulations. Even the Velmourns failed to do it for twelve hundred years—the Hero wouldn’t be able to do it in a few decades either.
Then again, in the end, he is still someone chosen by Lord Feraos. His potential is limitless; it wouldn’t be entirely impossible for him to push past the limits we set.
But even if he does and turns into a much stronger threat than he is right now—
We aren’t the only ones who would need to worry about him.”
Those words attracted Zephyr’s attention.
“An exceptional warrior, a brilliant mage, the ability to fly, the ability to heal his own wounds, two strong Dragons, and numerous abilities he still hasn’t revealed to the world—
A fully grown Hero Kael will possess too much power for his own good.”
“Too much power for his own good?”
Zephyr frowned in confusion.
“Power is an amusing thing, Zephyr.
In the realm of men, those who do not hold it are in constant danger of those who do. But surprisingly enough—
Those who hold too much of it—are too, in the same constant danger of those who do not hold as much as them.”
Alden spoke with a chuckle. His words, however, didn’t make too much sense in Zephyr’s mind.
The King understood that. Seeing someone like Zephyr making the face he was making was quite an amusing sight.
“Why do you think every nation wanted to train the Hero when he first came to Nerathis?”
Alden questioned.
“Because they wanted him to be on their side.”
“And why is that?”
“Because the Hero has the potential to become a force to be reckoned with, someone who can change the history of Nerathis once he grows.
Training him was only an excuse to control him.”
Zephyr answered.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Alden nodded, but then he looked at Zephyr and—
“But that is only half correct.”
“Half correct?”
“The biggest reason they wanted the Hero was not because they wanted him to join them, but because they did not want the Hero joining someone else.”
Zephyr narrowed his eyes at those words.
“These forces value the Hero, yes.
But they do not love the Hero as an ally as much as they hate him as an enemy.”
The King then grinned and looked into Zephyr’s eyes,
“What do you think would happen once a fully grown Hero, with so much power, reveals himself to the rest of Nerathis?”
“…the other nations would try to recruit him.”
Zephyr spoke in a low voice, his eyes slowly widening as he realized what the King was planning.
The King’s grin widened when he saw Zephyr’s reaction and then—
“And what do you think would happen once these forces fail to recruit him?”
“…they will try to get rid of him.
The Hero would become a common enemy to all the strongest forces in Nerathis.”
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