Chapter 215: The Hero’s Story

"What kind of person your father is?"

"Well, if I had to describe him in one sentence, I would say he is the embodiment of ambition. He will use anyone around him without hesitation if it means gaining more power. That is the kind of person my father is."

"Really?" Prince Lucien sounded genuinely surprised by Viktor’s words. "I have never sensed that kind of greed from Minister Cassian. He is an honest man who always acts with the interests of the country in mind. He is an excellent retainer."

"If that’s how you see him, then that’s fine. But I won’t be responsible if, by the time you finally realize what is happening, my father has already taken control of all the power in this country. In fact, he is already the Minister of General Affairs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he has practically taken control of the country’s power already. My father has an enormous amount of time at his disposal. I doubt it would be difficult for him to manipulate members of the royal family as he pleases."

Viktor’s father was a High Elf who had lived for at least three hundred years. Having someone like that deeply involved in the affairs of the kingdom could be an incredible asset if, as the prince believed, he truly governed honestly and always acted for the good of the country.

However, if Viktor’s assessment was correct, there was also no guarantee that Cassian might not eventually turn against the royal family.

Qiu Nuoya still could not clearly understand what kind of person Cassian was, but one thing was certain.

He was not someone they could afford to take lightly.

"But seriously, what benefit would the Minister get from doing something like that? If he was just going to throw Xiao Tao out immediately after summoning him, why summon him in the first place? None of this makes any sense. Besides, I was there, and when Xiao Tao disappeared, he genuinely looked panicked."

Shangguan Wan’er’s question was certainly reasonable. There was no doubt that Cassian seemed suspicious, but it was still too early to conclude that everything that had happened had been part of the Minister’s plan.

Viktor folded his arms and looked as though he wanted to say something, but he merely shook his head and swallowed his words.

"Whatever we have to say about this, we should first hear Xiao Tao’s story to the end. Please, continue."

"Even if you tell me to continue, there isn’t much more to say. I was given the sword, and the next thing I knew, I was in a forest. It was pitch black no matter which way I looked. While I was wandering around in confusion, wondering what I should do, I was attacked by something that looked like a wild dog. I just fought while letting the knife pull me along, and before I knew it, the sun had come up."

"Why was it nighttime? We were summoned here in the evening, remember? When I was released, the sun hadn’t even completely set yet, so you disappeared in the evening too."

"Wh-What do you want me to say to that...?"

Xiao Tao looked utterly bewildered.

So it was already certain that there had been some discrepancy in the flow of time from that very moment?

Even if the knife had fought on its own, it still seemed difficult to believe that Xiao Tao had spent the entire night fighting monsters that lived in the forest. After that, Xiao Tao survived by picking and eating whatever fruit he could find growing nearby and drinking water from rivers. He wandered around for several days in search of people.

Eventually, he met someone who treated him kindly and followed that person home, only to discover that the house was actually a hideout for a group of rough looking men. They apparently tried to take away the knife, which looked like an extravagant weapon and was actually the Divine Sword Velikorya.

Apparently, Xiao Tao had been perfectly willing to hand over the knife if it meant saving his life. However, the knife itself fought back against them, and in the end, Xiao Tao was forced to flee.

To make matters worse, those rough looking men continued searching for him, making it impossible for him to enter any town. He was forced to wander even farther until he eventually reached the shores of Cinder Orchard. While walking along the lake, he was about to throw the knife away when Long found and captured him. That was how he had ended up here.

"Hey, Taotao, can I ask you something?"

Shangguan Wan’er pointed at Xiao Tao.

"Xiao Tao."

Then she pointed at Qiu Nuoya.

"Qiu Nuoya."

She continued pointing at each person in turn as though confirming their names.

"Warren, Viktor, Igor..."

Finally, she furrowed her brow.

"Who exactly is Long?"

"Ah... um, he’s Nuoya’s tamed monster, right?" Xiao Tao turned toward Qiu Nuoya and asked somewhat uncertainly.

"That’s right."

Qiu Nuoya nodded.

"Tamed monster? You’re a Tamer? Didn’t you say you were a mage?"

"More precisely, I’m both a mage and a Tamer. I only have two tamed monsters, and one of them is under a limited-term contract, so it feels a little presumptuous to call myself a Tamer. Come to think of it, you two mentioned something about dragons earlier..."

"Ah, yes. When we left the castle, we were told that we needed to obtain the Divine Sword Velikorya and a dragon in order to stop the Monster Stampede. We were told that once we obtained both and successfully saved the kingdom from this crisis, the king would also approve of our marriage..."

"Hold it right there! That’s completely wrong! I never said I wanted to get married! The king said that if we saved this world, he would grant us whatever we wished for. Your ridiculous interpretation and your misunderstanding are seriously getting on my nerves! Why would I have to marry you after going through all this trouble!? Is this some kind of punishment game!?"

"You’re as sharp tongued as ever, Wanwan. But that is precisely what I like about you."