Chapter 1989: Ning’s Announcements

Several reporters immediately began writing.

"With the help of a friend, I learned that Leamor Vanar was responsible for what happened to them. That is why I confronted him during the summit, and that is why I said what I said in front of everyone."

Hands rose almost immediately.

Ning pointed toward one of the reporters near the front.

The man stood. "Blackfang, there are reports that you have killed multiple people over the past several months, including people connected to the summit attack. If those reports are true, do you still believe you deserve to call yourself a hero?"

The room became noticeably quieter.

Ning looked toward him without appearing bothered.

"I kill bad people," he said. "Not everyone will like that answer, and I’m not asking anyone to like it. But if I were simply murdering innocent people whenever I wanted, I wouldn’t be standing here freely right now. I would be imprisoned, hunted, or treated as a criminal."

Another reporter raised her hand.

Ning allowed her to speak.

"So your position is that every person you have killed deserved it?"

"My position is that I don’t kill people without reason," Ning answered. "Whether you believe that or whether you still think that disqualifies me from being a hero is entirely up to you. I’m not going to tell the public what they are required to think about me."

That answer created a wave of murmuring across the hall.

Blake, standing off to the side, looked as though he already regretted allowing Ning to answer without preparation.

Another reporter stood.

"What are you planning to do next?"

That question made Ning smile slightly.

He had expected it.

"There is one thing I’m prepared to announce today."

The hall quieted again.

Ning rested one hand against the table and looked across the gathered reporters.

"My wife was of the Royal bloodline of Faedria. It is partially the reason that brought about her fate."

Murmurs rose as people began catching on.

"The inheritance of the royal throne has been a topic of contention and the cause of much strife in that country. There are indeed three candidates who are said to be able to take the throne, but I do not trust any of them. As I already mentioned, Leamor Vanar was a man who killed my wife and son. I will say here what I said before at the summit. I will kill him."

The room went silent.

"As for the other two, they aren’t good people either, certainly not enough to take the throne. They have committed great crimes as well, though none that directly relate to me, so I won’t be able to justify attacking them. But what I can do is bring those crimes to light and let the public give their judgment on them."

"You’re disrupting our peace?" a High-Elf spoke up, a correspondent from the country. "What right do you have to openly claim that you will deal with our candidates? And if what you say is true, are you going to leave our country in turmoil?"

Ning looked toward the High-Elf.

"Do not worry. I am not a fool who hasn’t thought through the consequences of my actions," he said. He appeared to hesitate for a moment. "This wasn’t supposed to come out for quite some time, but I see no reason to hold onto this anymore. There is a new candidate who will announce herself. I will be backing her and making it so she sits on that throne."

The room erupted instantly, with questions coming at him from every direction.

"Who?"

"Is this person already a candidate?"

"Are they connected to the old Royal Family?"

"Does Conjora support this?"

Ning waited until the noise settled enough for his answer to be heard.

"I’m not revealing her identity today."

That only created more excitement.

Ning smiled slightly as the reporters continued trying to get another answer from him.

"You’ll learn who she is very soon."

The conference ended a while later, with Ning answering almost all the questions he had come to answer while also leaving them with many more. He disappeared once it was over, nowhere to be found anymore.

He went about his own days, spending time between being a hero and helping with the academy. For everything else, he left it to his daughter to handle.

Time passed quietly on the island, and Jun’Tal’s training continued to improve at a pace that even Emma seemed satisfied with. The explosions that had once accompanied nearly every attempt were gone now, replaced by deliberate changes in the form of the energy he created, and he had finally reached the point where kinetic energy, heat, and sound could all be produced without relying on accident or instinct.

Emma stood a short distance away from him while Jun’Tal held one hand forward, concentrating on a tiny amount of energy near his palm. A sharp burst of sound cracked through the air without creating any noticeable heat, and the moment it faded, he changed his focus and caused the surrounding air to warm instead.

"That’s much cleaner than before," Emma said as she watched him lower his hand. "You’re finally separating the forms instead of letting everything bleed into kinetic energy the moment you lose concentration."

Jun’Tal smiled with obvious satisfaction. "So does that mean I’m done with these three?"

"For basic control, more or less. You’ll still need to practice them until you can switch between them without thinking, but I don’t see much point in making you spend another week proving you can make something hot."

Jun’Tal immediately looked more interested. "Then what’s next?"

Emma raised one hand and created a faint point of light above her palm. It was small enough that it looked almost harmless, but the glow remained perfectly stable without producing any noticeable heat around it.

"Radiant energy," she said. "Light, specifically. It should be easier than some of the other forms because you already make flashes whenever your energy gets intense enough, but making light without accidentally producing extra heat is going to take some work."

Jun’Tal watched the glowing point with interest.