Chapter 569 Leon’s Arrival 3

Chapter 569: Chapter 569 Leon’s Arrival 3

The instant those words left his mouth, the entire hall erupted into an uproar.

"What?"

"An outsider?"

"This is a royal council discussing the kingdom’s affairs!"

No matter how anyone looked at it, allowing an outsider to sit in a meeting involving the kingdom’s highest secrets and political decisions was completely inappropriate. Such meetings were reserved exclusively for the Royal Family, the Alphas, elders, ministers, and trusted officials.

But the Alpha King couldn’t care less.

Leon was no ordinary outsider.

He was now one of Addison’s people.

More importantly, the kingdom desperately needed every ounce of strength it could gather. If that strength came from beyond their borders, then so be it.

His decision wasn’t merely about seeking reinforcements; it was a calculated political move.

By publicly acknowledging Leon’s status beside Addison, the Alpha King was sending a clear message to every pair of eyes lurking in the shadows. Anyone plotting against the princess would now have to think twice before making a move.

They wouldn’t just be provoking the Royal Family anymore; they would also be provoking the wrath of the Tigren Clan.

Perhaps this would interfere with some of Addison’s own plans, but it would also create a far stronger shield around the people she cherished. Any enemy bold enough to target her family or loved ones would have to bear the fury of not only her fated mates but also Leon and the terrifying Tigren warriors standing behind him.

That was a price few could afford to pay.

And Addison understood that better than anyone.

Their hidden enemies had survived this long because they were cautious. They valued their own lives far too much to gamble everything on a reckless attack that could end with their complete annihilation.

For that reason, she had little doubt they would remain in the shadows, for now.

Now that Addison had gained the backing of such an overwhelming force, her influence and authority would only continue to grow. To anyone watching from the shadows, it was a development they couldn’t afford to ignore.

Even so, Addison wasn’t worried.

Her enemies were arrogant.

Worse, they believed they still held the advantage.

From their perspective, Addison had only uncovered fragments of the truth. She continued to act as though she knew very little about the web of conspiracies surrounding the Royal Family, carefully hiding just how much she had already pieced together. Because of that, her enemies would naturally assume they were still operating safely in the dark.

Yes, Addison now possessed an incredibly powerful backer, but as long as they remained hidden, moved cautiously, and left no evidence behind, they would convince themselves that nothing had truly changed. They would believe they still had a chance to bring down both Addison and the Royal Family.

Their confidence would make them more careful...

But only slightly.

Arrogance had a way of making people believe they were smarter than everyone else, and Addison intended to exploit that weakness. She wasn’t afraid that they would suddenly vanish beyond her reach.

If anything, the illusion that they still controlled the board would encourage them to keep making moves, exposing themselves one piece at a time until she could identify every last conspirator hiding within the kingdom.

And that was exactly what Addison wanted.

Every extra day they spent believing they were winning was another day she could quietly strengthen the Royal Family’s defenses, tighten security throughout the palace, and build an impenetrable shield around those she cherished most, especially the two children, who remained the enemies’ easiest targets.

By the time her enemies realized the trap had already closed around them, it would be far too late to escape.

Besides, Addison had deliberately planted another misconception.

Everything she had said earlier, coupled with the precautions the Royal Family had openly taken, painted a very specific picture that they were preparing primarily for threats coming from outside the kingdom.

Anyone watching would naturally reach that conclusion.

And their hidden enemies, most of whom were deeply embedded within the kingdom itself, would almost certainly seize upon that supposed weakness. They would assume the Royal Family’s attention had shifted outward, believing the internal network of spies and moles remained untouched and safely concealed.

That false sense of security was precisely the opening Addison wanted them to have.

The more convinced they were that nothing had changed inside the palace, the more confidently they would continue to communicate, scheme, and expose themselves.

All Addison had to do was wait patiently...

Then pull the entire rotten network out by its roots in a single, devastating sweep.

Without wasting another moment, the Captain of the Royal Guard departed for the kingdom’s border to personally escort Leon back to the Royal Palace. To avoid losing precious time, he requested the assistance of Archmage Elric, whose mastery over spatial magic would allow them to teleport instead of making the long journey on foot.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Tigren Clan would be escorted to the guest villa the Alpha King had prepared for them, where they could rest until they were formally received.

With those arrangements settled, Addison and the others returned their attention to the Recording Stone. The footage they had just witnessed contained far too many clues to ignore.

...

Archmage Elric, on the other hand, had no idea why he had suddenly been summoned.

He had merely been informed that the Captain of the Royal Guard required his assistance for a teleportation spell.

Although confused, he didn’t question the order.

Standing within the palace grounds, Elric raised his staff and began chanting an ancient incantation. Brilliant blue mana gathered around him before the space before him distorted violently. Since the destination was well within his range and he only needed to transport himself and the Captain, the spell consumed very little mana.

A circular portal of shimmering azure light soon materialized before them.

"I’ll go first," Elric muttered before stepping through.

The world blurred.

In the blink of an eye, he emerged on the kingdom’s border.

Then...

He looked up.

"..."

His expression froze.

Not far from where he stood was a group of towering, overwhelmingly imposing figures, each one radiating a savage aura that instantly made every hair on his body stand on end.

The Tigren Clan.

His pupils shrank.

Cold sweat rolled down his temples almost immediately.

The last time he had encountered these terrifying beasts, the atmosphere had been so tense that a single wrong word could have ignited an all-out war between the Kingdom and the Tigren Clan. That memory remained deeply etched into his mind.

And now...

He had been teleported right into the middle of them.

"Mother of the Goddess..."

Elric nearly leaped a full meter into the air. His survival instincts screamed at him to turn around and dive straight back through the portal before anyone noticed he was there.

Unfortunately...

The moment he spun around, the Captain of the Royal Guard had already stepped out behind him.

And with a soft whoosh, the spatial portal collapsed into countless blue particles before disappearing completely.

"..."

Archmage Elric stared blankly at the empty air where his escape route had been only a second ago.

His face slowly stiffened.

There was nowhere left to run.

He could only force an awkward smile as he turned back toward the members of the Tigren Clan, all while silently praying that this meeting wouldn’t end the same way the last one nearly had.

"Long time no see, old man..."

Leon was the first to break the silence, flashing Archmage Elric a broad, almost predatory grin.

The moment he noticed the old Archmage’s stiff posture and the unmistakable look of someone desperately searching for an escape route, the corners of Leon’s lips curled even higher.

There was no way he was letting this old man get away.

Not now.

Not when the answer to all his impatience was standing right in front of him.

With Archmage Elric here, there was no need to endure the agonizing journey on foot. He could reach the Royal Palace in mere moments... and finally see his mate.

Just the thought of her made his restless heart pound.

For days, she had occupied every waking moment of his mind. He couldn’t eat properly, couldn’t sleep soundly, and every passing hour had only made him increasingly irritable. The thought that she might think he’d abandoned her... or worse, forget him after waiting so long... had been driving him half insane.

Now, with a mage capable of taking him straight to the place where his beloved was waiting...

Leon looked at Archmage Elric as though the old man had suddenly become the most precious treasure in the entire kingdom.

There was absolutely no chance he was letting him escape.

"U-Um... Ch-Chieftain Leon..."

Archmage Elric’s voice came out weak and unsteady, sounding less like the dignified Master of the Mage Tower and more like a frightened rabbit that had wandered straight into the den of its natural predator.

It wasn’t that he feared Leon’s strength.