Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

When the crown prince was in a fit of rage, no one dared to speak up. Inside the Stellar Empire, no one had the courage to try and calm him down in that state.

So, everyone just kept their heads lowered, quietly listening to his furious roars.

An entire hour passed before his anger finally cooled.

“When will those three return? I want to hear what they have to say,” the crown prince asked coldly, his voice just barely calmer than before.

One of the royal guards who had escaped answered in a low voice, “Connell will probably take some more time. The last thing I saw was his mystical beast launching a suicidal attack to buy him a chance to escape.”

The crown prince’s expression softened a little at that.

“And the other two?”

“Lord Aldany and Lord Maxwell weren’t with me at the end of the battle. So I don’t know what happened to them,” the guard muttered, lowering his head even further.

He knew very well that the information he provided was nearly useless. Fear gnawed at him, worried that the crown prince would punish him at any moment.

While he was still lost in his panic, the crown prince’s cold laugh cut through the silence.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Your Highness! I swear I’m not! As a royal guard, my loyalty is absolute—how could I ever lie to you?!” the guard cried out in a panic.

The crown prince’s gaze grew even sharper. “Really? You claim you don’t know what happened in the final moments of the battle. But to me, it seems there’s much more you don’t know. You don’t even know what happened in the middle of the fight, do you?”

His words were a clear accusation—that the guard had run away not long after the battle began.

The guard rushed to explain himself. “We were ambushed and split up. Connell and the other guards were attacked first and crushed right away. That’s why I don’t know what happened on the other side of the battlefield.”

He desperately hoped this explanation would be enough to spare him.

But the crown prince’s cold stare never wavered.

Once the guard finished his defense, the crown prince said bluntly, “Your excuse doesn’t satisfy me. But I won’t kill you now. Go rot in prison for a while.”

With a wave of his hand, the guards at his side stepped forward and dragged the man away.

“Your Highness, I swear everything I said is true! Please, you have to believe me, Your Highness!”

The royal guard shouted loudly as he was dragged away.

But the crown prince’s face didn’t change at all. He was convinced his judgment was correct.

“We’ll only know the full truth once Connell, Aldany, and Maxwell return,” the crown prince said coldly, his eyes fixed on the distance.

“Damn it. I should never have approved their mission in the first place!”

A voice suddenly came from the doorway—a young man’s voice.

“And now you regret it? Isn’t it a little too late for that? What you’re doing now is just shifting the blame.”

The crown prince’s eyes snapped toward the sound, blazing with fury. But when he saw who it was, some of that anger faded from his face.

“Shifting blame? I’d say you’re the one doing that. Maybe the reason this mission failed is because of Maxwell, and you’re here trying to cover for him ahead of time.”

The man was Harbor—widely recognized as the greatest genius of the Ancient Academy, and the one in charge of all the Academy’s operations in the Atacama Desert.

As a sixth-tier Beast Master, Harbor was respected everywhere he went. Even the crown prince of the Stellar Empire had to show him some courtesy.

“I’m not here to cover for my subordinate. If Maxwell truly is at fault, then he’s yours to deal with however you wish,” Harbor said gently.

The crown prince let out a cold snort, making it clear he didn’t believe a word.

Harbor only smiled.

“What worries me is that you might have fallen for Charles’s tricks yet again.”

“What nonsense is that? How could I possibly fall for him again?!” The crown prince spun around, glaring at Harbor, his voice full of rage.

What he hated most was anyone suggesting that Charles outsmarted him.

But Harbor’s expression didn’t change. He calmly met the crown prince’s gaze.

“Don’t you think everything that’s happened lately is just a little too convenient?”

“Convenient? What are you getting at?” The crown prince’s anger had mostly faded now, leaving only doubt in his voice.

“Tell me—who was it that first suggested launching a surprise attack on Withered Tree Fortress?” Harbor asked with a faint smile.

“Connell and Aldany,” the crown prince answered quickly.

“And you still haven’t realized it? Both Connell and Aldany had previously been to the Serpent Empire. How can you be so sure they aren’t spies working for the Serpents?”

At last, Harbor revealed his suspicion. To him, Connell and Aldany were both Serpent Empire plants—and naturally, that meant they were tied to Charles as well.

After hearing Harbor’s question, the crown prince chuckled.

“I thought you had something smarter to say. Those two could never betray me. Aldany only joined me because he lost to Charles in the Serpent Empire’s internal struggle. And as for Connell—without me, he’s nothing, less than a slave.

If anyone were to betray me, it would be Maxwell. At least I know for certain that Maxwell desperately wants to become a stronger Beast Master. If Charles were to hand him a mystical beast, then that wish of his would instantly come true.”

The crown prince’s words were sharp, a clear counterattack.

Harbor didn’t seem to care about his tone. He slowly stepped closer, fixing the crown prince with a piercing stare.

“You’re still falling for Charles’s tricks. Looks like I can’t fight alongside you anymore.”

With that, Harbor vanished.

The crown prince’s face froze in shock. He never imagined Harbor’s strength could be that overwhelming.

He always considered his own power to be among the very best. Even if Harbor was stronger, he believed he could at least sense his movements. But what had just happened showed that Harbor could disappear from right in front of him without leaving a trace.

That thought made the crown prince start to reconsider Harbor’s warning.

“Could someone really have betrayed me? Was it Connell… or Aldany?” he muttered, frowning in deep thought.

Not long after, Aldany and Maxwell managed to escape back to Gold Fortress.

The two ran into each other at the gate, immediately blaming one another. But they both knew arguing here was pointless. The only thing that mattered was convincing the crown prince that the mission had failed because of the other person.

Soon they were both standing before the crown prince, each giving their side of the story.

The crown prince listened, but made no judgment. He found both accounts reasonable, and he didn’t blame them for retreating in the middle of battle. After all, most of the losses had fallen on the Ancient Academy and the Serpent tribes, not on his own troops.

“Enough. Stop your bickering. The failure of this mission is on all of you. But for us, it’s not a big deal. Our main force hasn’t suffered any losses. After a day or two of regrouping, we’ll launch another attack. Now go and prepare.”

The crown prince’s unexpected generosity left both Maxwell and Aldany stunned. Without daring to say more, they quickly took their leave.

Maxwell went to look for Harbor, while Aldany was left to figure out his own next move.

Not long after they left, Connell finally returned to Gold Fortress.

His condition was terrible. His body was covered in wounds, and he was so weak he could hardly speak.

The guards at the gate quickly sent him for treatment, and only after that was he able to meet the crown prince.

“Your Highness, I’m deeply sorry. I failed to complete the task you gave me,” Connell whispered weakly. Even after receiving treatment, his voice was faint and full of exhaustion.

“You’ve done enough. This failure isn’t entirely your fault,” the crown prince replied. “I already know Charles destroyed all your mystical beasts. I’ll see to it that you’re compensated with new ones soon. For now, you don’t need to join the next attack. Just focus on healing.”

The crown prince truly thought Connell’s injuries were too severe.

But Connell quickly struggled to his feet, insisting, “I can recover quickly! I can still take part in the next attack. I must earn merit in this battle!”

“There will be plenty of chances to prove yourself. There’s no need to rush,” the crown prince answered coldly.

Yet in that moment, suspicion crept into his mind.

Connell’s eagerness seemed unnatural. Wanting to earn glory and rewards was one thing—but being willing to throw his life away for it? That was strange.

Connell pressed on anxiously. “Your Highness, once the Empire swallows the Serpent Empire, there won’t be any large-scale wars for a while. So this is my last chance to earn merit. Please, let me fight!”

The crown prince nodded without showing any expression. “Since you insist, then so be it. You may join the attack—and I’ll even allow you to remain the vanguard.”

Connell’s eyes lit up with joy. He hadn’t expected to keep his role as vanguard. That meant he could still follow through with his original plan.

“I will fight to the death for you, Your Highness!” he declared.