Way of the Knights

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"Heart Reflection Array, huh." Balmung murmured in low voice. "So that's where their confidence comes from."

The prince studied array formations to some degree, the Heart Reflection Array is a very rare kind of formation and he certainly had read records about it in some old texts.

It is said that the formation peers through the heart of a person, meaning their intentions and their true nature. If there is even the slightest bit of malice in a person's heart, then the formation will work against them. Since the formation is set to protect the Sacred Leaf Tavern, anyone who entered the place with bad intentions will be dealt with by the formation itself.

"The Sacred Leaf Tavern is built on top of a hill, all those that were filtered by the formation will be lead to the core of the hill which Director built as a prison, so long as they held malice towards our tavern, then they shall never see the light of day ever again."

"Do you know how many prisoners there is?" Balmung asked.

"A lot, I don't know the exact amount but it's crowded in there. Most of them even knew each other, it's probably because they were sent by the same person." Raven sighed as he said this.

"Who?"

"Psh. Who else?" Raven sneered, he didn't say any names but Balmung could already guess who he was referring to.

"I should've known, you ruined his reputation after all so he must've been shivering in anger ever since." Balmung sighed. He shook his head and took another sip of Moonshine.

"Oh that's not the only reason why he's angry though." Raven chuckled coldly, "We came in a unanimous decision to not allow his crusty hands to touch any of our products. He had been salivating over the Limit Breaking Pill in hopes to set foot on Golden Knight Stage. As if we're going to let that happen."

Balmung's eyes constricted a bit but returned back to normal afterwards, his thoughts worked fast thus he immediately understood why Mort didn't stop sending his men even though he knew it was useless.

He could briefly remember that the Sacred Leaf Tavern created an authorization system that everyone has to go through before they get their hands on their product. Richard also held the highest authority to decide who gets the products and those that don't. Richard denied the Mort Family obviously so no one in their whole family would be able to touch any of the products they sell.

"On top of that, I was the reason why Zelor Mort is no longer a part of the Genius Class." Raven added another information that truly surprised Balmung. He haven't heard of this before! Victor didn't make any reports at all.

"You awfully know a lot." Balmung said curiously, "You must be a very important person to them."

"Something like that." Raven shrugged, "I remember them appointing me as their Holy Son."

"You what now?" Balmung said while raising his voice just a tab bit. Raven was a bit puzzled as to why he reacted that way. The prince eventually regained his calm and said: "Excuse me, I just wasn't expecting that from you."

Though inwardly, the prince was: 'The hell are you shrugging about? You were appointed as the Holy Son of a future behemoth, can't you show a little pride or interest? Why does it sound like being their Holy Son is an inconvenience to you? Hell, I thought this kid couldn't be anymore formidable yet here he was, proving me wrong.'

"But like I said, I am in position to negotiate with the prince." Raven's voice interrupted Balmung's chain of thought. "If you want, I could arrange a meeting with Director Richard depending on your availability. The contents of your conversation would be decided according to the needs of both parties. If all turns out well, then our Sacred Leaf Tavern might become a direct supplier of pills for the clan."

Raven's words was like a strong enticement to the Prince's ears. He could already imagine just how eager the clan would get once an alliance was made. With how potent the products the tavern has to offer, this would truly boost their capabilities and the rate of success on their missions.

"Thank you for giving us this chance." Balmung said with heartfelt emotions, "This is a huge help. Once the negotiations are over, we will definitely give you proper compensation for your merits."

Raven opened his mouth, he wanted to tell the prince that there is no need to hand him the rewards since it's probably wealth and he's already wealthy enough. But he also thought that the prince might feel bad if he refused the compensation so he instead said: "It's fine, take your time."

The prince smiled and sighed in relief, in truth he knew that the rewards he could offer wasn't enough to tempt Raven even for a bit because of his status. Nevertheless, he was thankful that the young man in front of him understood his intentions and accepted it.

"By the way, Luna hadn't visited me for quite sometime. Do you know what's occupying her time?" The prince dropped all formalities by now and asked Raven this question in a friendly manner.

Forget about being a prince, as her brother Balmung should at least know what kind of people Luna's friends are, hence he pestered Old Lee a couple of times to investigate and honestly he was impressed. From the stories he heard from the old man, she and her friends had a very solid and healthy relationship, constantly training together and forming a deep bond that will become a great source of their strength in future.

Of course, he was also informed when Luna decided to let them know about her true lineage, and he could tell that Luna was incredibly lucky to find such genuine friends, he was incredibly happy for her from the bottom of her heart.

"Oh, she hadn't informed you yet? She was accepted as Madam Leona's successor, which probably means that she'll be the Holy Daughter of the Red Knights." Raven informed.

"She what!?" Balmung lost composure once again, it took him sometime before he regained it. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Raven chuckled, "I guess Old Lee didn't know how to break down the news for you."

"I can't blame him." Balmung shook his head, "It must've been incredibly awkward for him to let Luna train under Madam Leona. They have history after all."

"I heard that as well."

"I'm guessing that Anne and Ellen are also a member of the Red Knights."

"Yeah, they're being taught by the most trusted senior members of Red Knights under the instructions of Madam Leona."

"As for Paul and Mark?"

Raven raised a brow but wasn't surprised, "Paul joined the Scavengers while Mark joined the Lair Hunters. Their trainings are being supervised by Seniors of the organizations they chosen so both of them are doing fine. We still find time to talk and spar from time to time so that we could keep our teamwork intact. I am very happy for them."

Balmung was silent for a moment before saying, "As a brother, thank you for helping my sister."

Raven smiled and accepted this heartfelt gratitude, in truth there is no need for such words since be it his past life or the current one, he would still do everything the same, his friends are people that he valued a lot, he gradually learned their importance when he became the lone survivor of kingdom and was forced to endure everything alone. He swore before that he'll never loose grip to them if he had another chance and that chance was graciously given to him so he will hold on to his vow.

"Man, it would be awesome if we become in-laws you know? Then I don't have to feel guilty."

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

"E-excuse me?" Raven asked in a flustered manner.

Those words caught Raven off guard. No matter how much preparation he does, he might always end up reacting this way.

"Ooh, someone caught feelings…" Balmung wore a foxy grin as he stared at Raven's flustered face.

Raven almost choked on his spit when he heard the Prince teasing him. 'Are you for real? What kind of situation is this and how do I get out?'

"I'm just wondering you know?" Balmung said while still wearing that foxy grin, "It would be nice if you and my sister were in a relationship. Then I could just treat all this help as the dowry plus more, I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind at all!"

"L-let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Your Highness…" Raven tried explaining.

"Oh so you're not against it? I see, I see."

'God Damn It!' Raven inwardly screamed, he wanted to punch something right now but found that improper so he could only rub his face aggressively.

"You kids can take your time, okay? Carefully cultivate the romance and let it bloom in full maturity, then move on to the next step. It's okay too€¦"

And thus, for the next hour.. Raven was tortured by the incessant teasing of the Crown Prince.