Chapter 30: Black Panther (Bonus)

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Black Panther (Bonus)

The next morning.

Bright and early, palace attendants had already prepared breakfast and arranged it neatly in the suite’s living room.

When Daniel and Carol finally woke up and sat down to eat, they discovered something surprising.

The food was actually fantastic.

Neither of them knew exactly what some of the dishes were made from, but the texture was incredibly soft, almost melting the moment it touched their tongues.

Combined with a specially prepared milk unique to Wakanda, the entire meal was far better than either of them had expected.

’Royalty really is royalty.’

Daniel couldn’t help thinking as he enjoyed breakfast.

’Maybe I should just marry Black Panther’s sister.’

He hurriedly drove the thought away from his mind.

’Daniel, Daniel...’

’How could you allow money to corrupt your soul like that?’

After breakfast, a message arrived from King T’Chaka.

The Heart-Shaped Herb ceremony would take place in the afternoon.

That left them with the entire morning free.

Since neither of them had anything else to do, Daniel and Carol decided to spend some time exploring Birnin Zana.

The moment T’Chaka learned of their plans, he immediately assigned two members of the Dora Milaje to accompany them.

Not to monitor them.

Quite the opposite.

He was worried someone might accidentally provoke Daniel.

If that happened, cleaning up the aftermath would be a nightmare.

In the king’s eyes, Daniel had already become a treasured VIP.

Someone who needed to be kept happy at all costs.

A walking trump card.

A living ace hidden in Wakanda’s hand.

The streets of Birnin Zana were bustling with activity.

Wakanda was made up of multiple tribes, and as Daniel and Carol wandered through the city, they encountered people dressed in every imaginable style.

Colorful robes.

Traditional garments.

Modern fashion mixed with tribal influences.

The variety was fascinating.

Even Daniel found himself impressed.

It was genuinely eye opening.

Time passed surprisingly quickly while accompanying Carol around the city.

Before either of them realized it, the morning was gone.

It was already noon.

At midday, King T’Chaka hosted a banquet in their honor.

After being given a second chance at life, Daniel’s perspective on many things had changed.

In his previous life, he had often ignored the feelings of the people closest to him.

He’d treated family and friends carelessly while smiling politely at strangers.

It was something many people did without realizing it.

The people who loved them most often ended up receiving the worst treatment.

Because of that, Daniel valued family above everything else in this life.

Even above himself.

If someone insulted him, he could usually laugh it off.

Most things weren’t worth getting angry over.

But if anyone hurts Carol, John, or Mary...

That was different.

Daniel would lose control, he would go completely berserk.

Even if it meant standing against the entire world.

That was why a man who had never willingly accompanied a woman shopping in his previous life had just spent an entire morning walking around the city with Carol.

Fortunately, he had super stamina.

Otherwise, he might have died halfway through.

As soon as they arrived at the banquet hall, T’Chaka spotted them.

The king immediately walked over with a broad smile and opened his arms.

"My friend!"

He warmly embraced Daniel.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

The scene looked ridiculous.

A gray haired old king who had known a fifteen year old boy for barely a day was acting like they were lifelong friends.

Like some kind of generational soulmates.

Daniel smiled politely.

"Very well."

T’Chaka’s grin widened.

"That is the finest compliment I could receive."

He gestured toward the interior.

"Come."

"Let’s eat."

With that, he personally led Daniel and Carol to the dining room.

The room itself was enormous.

A single long table dominated the center.

Several people were already seated.

One was a boy around fifteen or sixteen years old.

Beside him sat an elegantly dressed woman holding a young child in her arms.

T’Chaka smiled.

"Allow me to introduce my son."

He placed a hand on the teenager’s shoulder.

"The future Black Panther."

"The Crown Prince of Wakanda."

"T’Challa."

Then he gestured toward the woman.

"And this is my wife."

"Welcome," the queen said warmly.

T’Challa, however, remained silent.

Completely silent.

Today should have been one of the happiest days of his life.

His father had informed him that he would finally undergo the Heart-Shaped Herb ceremony.

For any future Black Panther, it was a moment of immense significance.

He had been excited, proud and quite eager.

Then he learned that a complete outsider would be participating alongside him.

And not only an outsider... a foreign woman.

The excitement disappeared instantly.

In T’Challa’s mind, this violated Wakandan tradition.

The Heart-Shaped Herb was sacred.

Allowing outsiders access to it felt like an insult to the royal family’s dignity.

Unfortunately, he was still young.

His father was king.

No matter how unhappy he felt, he had no real choice.

The only thing he could do was express his dissatisfaction through small acts of passive resistance.

Such as refusing to greet anyone.

"T’Challa."

T’Chaka’s voice carried a warning.

The prince immediately stiffened.

Though clearly unwilling, he finally nodded toward Daniel and Carol.

"Hello..."

The greeting sounded forced.

T’Chaka laughed awkwardly.

"T’Challa hasn’t been in the best mood lately."

"It’s alright."

Daniel smiled.

"So have I," Carol added politely.

Both of them understood exactly why T’Challa was upset.

Honestly, they were the ones in the wrong here.

The Heart-Shaped Herb belonged to Wakanda.

They had come asking for something that wasn’t theirs.

Still, there was no way Daniel would give up Carol’s enhancement opportunity.

So all they could do was smile and accept the prince’s displeasure.

T’Chaka invited them to sit.

He himself took the seat at the head of the table.

"Serve the food."

A nearby attendant bowed and departed.

Then the king turned toward Daniel.

"Daniel, I heard you’ll be attending university in Massachusetts this year?"

"That’s right."

Daniel wasn’t surprised T’Chaka knew.

Wakanda possessed not only advanced technology but also its own intelligence network.

The organization known as PRIDE.

In the future, T’Challa would even claim that PRIDE surpassed the CIA.

Whether that was true or simply national pride talking was another matter entirely.

Either way, investigating Daniel and Carol was easy.

Neither of them had bothered hiding their identities.

"Excellent."

T’Chaka nodded thoughtfully.

"T’Challa is nearly old enough for university as well."

"I want him to study abroad."

The king looked toward his son.

"He needs to see the world."

"Experience other nations."

"It will help him become a better king in the future."

He paused briefly.

"America is currently the most powerful country in the world."

"I’ve been considering sending him there."

"What do you think?"

Daniel hesitated.

"...It’s a good choice."

Though inwardly he felt slightly speechless.

"Then what about MIT?"

T’Chaka continued.

"What do you think of it?"

"It’s pretty good."

Daniel answered automatically.

The king’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Wonderful."

"Then once your business in Wakanda is finished, T’Challa can leave together with you."

Daniel nearly choked.

"Huh?"

Wasn’t T’Challa supposed to attend Oxford?

Why was he suddenly going to MIT?

For the first time, Daniel truly felt the butterfly effect caused by his presence.

The future was changing.

The timeline was already diverging.

Whether those changes would ultimately be good or bad...

Nobody knew.

"I..."

T’Challa had barely opened his mouth before T’Chaka silenced him with a single look.

The prince immediately shut up.

Daniel tried to object.

"I don’t think that’s really..."

"Then it’s settled."

T’Chaka cut him off instantly.

"I’ll be counting on you."

Daniel stared at him.

Then sighed.

"...Alright."

There wasn’t much he could say.

After all, he’d just arrived in Wakanda demanding Heart-Shaped Herbs and Vibranium suits.

The king had been incredibly generous.

Rejecting him outright now felt awkward.

"Excellent!"

T’Chaka looked delighted.

"With you around, I won’t have to worry about T’Challa."

He glanced between the two boys.

"You’re close in age."

"Perhaps you’ll become good friends."

Daniel laughed.

"I’d be happy to be friends with a prince."

He played along.

"Honestly, it sounds pretty cool."

"Before this, I was just an ordinary guy."

"Hahaha!"

T’Chaka burst out laughing.

At this point he had completely abandoned any attempt at maintaining royal dignity.

He seemed more like an enthusiastic uncle than a king.

"Wonderful."

"That’s wonderful."

As they talked, attendants continued bringing dishes to the table.

By the time they finished, the spread was enormous.

Five adults.

One child.

And more than twenty dishes.

The table looked fit for a royal feast.

T’Chaka smiled proudly.

"Come."

"Try some of Wakanda’s specialties."

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