Chapter 80- Words of Blood (Part 2)

Chapter 80: Chapter 80- Words of Blood (Part 2)

Chapter 80- Words of Blood (Part 2)

As the crowd grew in size and the clock ticked toward the 3 pm mark, the tense atmosphere reached a whole new level. Rize watched the scenes with sheer awe at the situation. Above them, the flying helicopters and airships had cameras focused on the podium with countless reporters down on the ground.

Calling this event the biggest event in years was an understatement; it was a moment that rarely happens even in Sagardia.

Then, Rize’s eyes traced the windows of the buildings nearby where many people stationed themselves and watched.

His eyes sharply focused on every face, trying to engrave as many into his mind as possible. He had a very good memory, so the task was somewhat manageable. If he ever needed to remember a face, he would.

"Rize." Venera nudged him out of nowhere as she watched people walking back and forth, greeting her with respect every now and then.

"What?"

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Hm? Yeah, I’m a bit nervous, but other than that, I’m just keeping an eye on our surroundings." Rize said. "I don’t know why I have a hunch that we might be facing something bad."

"What do you mean?"

"Something just doesn’t seem right, and I don’t know what it is." Rize’s gut feeling keeps warning him and telling him that he was missing a key detail, that he might be unaware of the looming threat that is around him. Everything felt like it was leading to a very shocking revelation.

"What are you trying to say?"

Rize leaned closer to Venera to whisper in her ear. The girl frowned but still leaned toward him.

"When I was still trapped in the factory, I was able to eavesdrop on their leader, Vigil. He was calling a certain individual; I couldn’t see who it was, but this individual seems to have connections that run deep in the palace. I suspect they were the culprits for the attack." Rize said.

Venera’s eyes widened as she listened to these details.

"What did you hear?"

"He told Vigil to go back to where they came from and to lay low while he would ’figure something out’ to stop the Sagardians from attacking and erasing the Zatharis. But the conversation ended before I could even hear what the plan was."

"..." Venera looked down, falling deep in thought. "If they said that, then..."

"Yeah, they would most likely try to do something to stop or hinder His Majesty from ordering a full invasion. It could be truly anything or at any given moment. That is why I’m worried they might target this particular event to try and deal another strong hit."

"..." Venera looked like she just had a bombshell drop on her head. This was a very important detail and something that could truly change everything.

"I know."

"Why didn’t you tell anyone, Rize?"

"Because I still don’t know who the culprit is. They could be anyone, Venera, and if I had to guess, they have ears everywhere within the palace, so if he knew that I was aware of his plan, he might alter it or stop it as a whole and try to do something else." Rize said. "Everyone is on edge, expecting a massive attack if any... But I don’t think he’s dumb enough to try something like that again."

Rize had been keeping an eye on the movement of every important individual who had access to the palace. He memorized their names, faces, roles, and everything useful about them. He knew that he could find the traitor, and he perhaps even knew his name at this point. But, he just had a detail missing.

It frustrated him greatly.

"For now, let’s lay low," Venera said. "If something happens, alert Yelena."

"I will," Rize said.

At that moment, a familiar face arrived at the scene, followed by several guards walking behind him like a small army.

Kane, the prince of Sagardia, had arrived. After all these years, Kane had grown a lot and became way stronger, and Rize could instantly tell. His aura was immense, and so was his presence.

’I’ve heard that after that, he went to the academy and graduated before being sent to govern one of the many states that the empire rules.’

Just like the rest of his siblings, each one held a position of authority in some place in the vast lands of Sagarida. The king wants each one of them to learn the ropes of being a ruler before the true time to choose the heir comes.

’He also looks far more dangerous than ten years ago. He had definitely been through it.’ Rize thought as he watched the man approach them.

Eventually, he stopped before them, staring at Venera with a calm look. "It’s been a while, little sister."

"It has been. How have you been?" Venera asked.

"As good as ever." He replied. "I couldn’t visit home for a while due to work. How is your training going?"

"Not too shabby," Venera replied.

"Good. Hm, and this gentleman over here?"

Rize stood up before he bowed gracefully. "My name is Rize, your highness. I am a servant of Her Highness, Lady Venera. It is an honor to meet you."

’Ugh, I really had to learn how to talk like this even though it makes me cringe from the inside.’ He hid the disgusted look on his face and tried to remain respectful.

"Mm..." Kane nodded his head calmly. "I’ve heard about you. It seems you did a good job."

"Thank you, your highness."

"Keep up the good work. Anyway, I will be sitting there, Venera. If you need anything."

"Yeah..." Venera replied wistfully as she looked away. Her brother exhaled before he walked away.

That entire time, Venera had a difficult look in her eyes. For any random person, they wouldn’t think much of it, but Rize knew what those eyes hid.

’Venera used to have a good relationship with her brother. However, after he left for the academy, they grew distant, and now they barely talk. She must be feeling a type of way about seeing him after all these months."

That was what it meant to be a Royal Family member; having strong bonds is impossible. Everyone is busy, and everyone is trying to fend for themselves. What was before the warm hug of a brother could become a cold dagger that stabs into her back if things come to it.

’It’s really a survival of the fittest even in high society.’ Rize sighed as he sat down again.

Time passed slowly, and soon enough, several cars arrived at the plaza. Immediately, countless guards surrounded them before a man emerged. The king had arrived.

Rize watched as he was guided to the backstage area.

’Do they really need to guard him? I mean, the man is stronger than everyone here combined, probably.’ Rize could only laugh to himself. Even the king himself could be performative for the sake of it.

But the boy quickly erased that thought from his head as a man stepped on the stage.

"And now, to all the people of the capital, please... Pay respect to the ruler, the king who has graced us with a prosperous empire... His Majesty, King Theodore!"

’Ok, here we go.’