Chapter 487 321: Talk

However, it wasn't that he didn't want a wife—he just didn't want to marry either of these two princesses. According to what Filo had told him privately, Princess Lina was Prince Bedoyel's sister, and the two were embroiled in an unsavory scandal.

As for Princess Vera, her private life was rather indiscreet; she would often invite dance instructors or Minstrels to stay overnight in the Royal Palace under the guise of giving her lessons.

'He had no desire to marry a pair of public carriages.'

"Then how about A—"

"Princess Ashiru."

The King had tried to name the third princess but couldn't recall her name after a moment's thought, so Levi had to give him a little reminder.

"Right! What about Princess Ashiru? She's the daughter who perfectly inherited my own youthful good looks. Her parentage is a bit lacking, I'll admit, but I imagine you, Levi, are not a man who will settle for just one wife." Harland fixed his gaze on the young man before him.

As a debauched king who had built the Ten Thousand Flower Garden, he could recognize certain of his own traits in the young man.

"Hahaha, let's talk about that some other time." Levi laughed, tactfully deflecting the offer.

'He hadn't expected His Majesty to be so invested in his marriage.'

"Fine." Harland knew such matters couldn't be forced, so he changed the subject. "What are your thoughts on the upcoming council with the Sith Kingdom and Talisi?"

"I believe this three-party summit will undoubtedly resolve the matter of the Demons, getting to the root of the problem..." Levi cleared his throat and began reciting the painfully formal Debei official-speak that Leiden had prepared for him the night before.

His strategist from High Cliff Castle had prepared it all, afraid his Lord might misspeak, and after a full night of memorization, Levi knew it by heart.

"Stop, stop, stop! Why are you acting just like all those other officials?" Harland said, looking exasperated. "Let me rephrase. Do you think they will use the council to threaten you, or even the Debei Kingdom? Do they pose a threat?"

"Anything is possible. We won't know the specifics until we sit down and talk." Levi stroked his chin, feigning a deeply contemplative expression. 'You don't even know,' he thought, 'so how the hell am I supposed to?'

"It's true we won't know until we've talked." Harland drained his cup in one gulp, let out a long, satisfied sigh, and continued, "But you don't understand what it means for a Dragon Knight to also be a powerhouse on par with a Legendary."

"If before they couldn't stand each other simply because they were neighbors, it's now highly likely they'll unite against us because of you."

"I know you're powerful, Levi, but I must remind you: never underestimate anyone."

"You have a point." Levi nodded.

He thought of one of the Twelve Saints from the Holy Light Church. 'Even His Majesty probably doesn't know that one of the Saints is still alive.'

If the Holy Light Church had a trump card like that, to say nothing of the other powers... any faction that survived the great Holy War and endured to this day would have a few tricks up its sleeve.

'Although I'm confident that as a Holy Hall Knight few can stand against me, I won't be truly secure until I have fully advanced to the Legendary tier.'

"Frankly, in recent years, the Sith Kingdom has made great strides in Alchemy. You saw that Iron Man the other day—and that was just their Low Tier Iron Man. Then there's Talisi. While it's a nation ruled by the Church, it's for that very reason that the country has an unprecedented number of Mages."

"So if these talks collapse, the Debei Kingdom will face an extremely difficult battle."

To be honest, Levi was startled at first, but he quickly saw through it.

'If the situation were truly as dire as King Debei claimed, there's no way he'd be sitting here drinking so peacefully.'

"But you don't need to be too concerned. Unless it's an absolute last resort, no one will choose to start a war. The consequences of offending a Legendary Powerhouse are simply unimaginable."