It was dark outside when Nova stepped out of Westoria's royal palace. He had barged in earlier, leaving the knights no chance to get near him, as his Aura pinned them in place, forcing them to watch while he strolled toward the garden where Tiberan, the king, was resting.

When Nova explained the situation offered Tiberan the choice to peacefully agree to his terms, Tiberan turned to look at Jareth, the Lord Commander who was always by his side, and who also refused to accept such an outrageous demand, one that required them to submit to Nova and the Lotra Kingdom.

Nova had known this would happen. After all, who in their right mind would willingly submit to a stranger, especially when they were ruling their own kingdom? But that was something easily solved, in fact, it was solved almost instantly.

He didn't even need to move. His Aura alone forced Jareth to his knees, terror spreading across the Lord Commander's face. With the king witnessing everything firsthand, it didn't take long before they, albeit grudgingly, agreed to become vassals of Lotra.

The guards outside stared at Nova, who walked out from the palace with a satisfied expression on his face, from several meters away, their expressions heavy with vigilance, as he raised his head to the night sky, lost in thought.

'With Blackridge and Westoria taken care of, I now need to deal with Lotra's royal family. But before that, there are a few things I must do. First among them is to check on the future king. Hopefully, he's still alive.'

When the worst possibility crossed his mind, his face tightened into a frown. 'After all the trouble I went through to pave the way for him, he had better still be alive.'

As Nova began walking away, the hearts of every guard leapt with relief, silly smiles spreading across their faces as if they had just won the lottery. If Tiberan were to see the expressions of his trusted palace guards now, only Nova or the emperor himself could stop him from punishing them.

How could he, the king, have guards who were too frightened of doing their jobs?

//////

"He should be at the hotel right now," Nova muttered, his eyes drifting across the crowd on the busy street. Even at this hour, the city had yet to fall asleep, a fact that was only natural for a place so large.

He was currently in Larmida, the capital of the Lotra Kingdom, making his way toward the inn where he had once stayed during the time he participated in the arena.

"They say the king is hastily preparing for the upcoming Emperor's birthday. I heard from a friend, whose cousin works as a maid in the palace, that His Majesty is so intent on giving the perfect gift that he's even formed a specialized team to search for it."

As Nova was minding his own business, planning his next steps, he overheard the conversation from a group chatting only a few meters away.

'The Emperor's birthday… Such an important event but why did neither Tiberan nor Avaro mention anything? Are they still trying to scheme their way out of the current situation? I thought I made myself clear enough,' Nova mused. He moved to the side, pretending to be absorbed in the city's atmosphere, though his ears perked up.

"That much is certain. No one dares risk falling into the Emperor's bad graces and the current one is only a hundred years old. If I were His Majesty, I'd put the entire kingdom to work to secure the best present. I can't even imagine the consequences of being on the Emperor's bad side for the next few hundred years."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

A third person overheard the conversation and chimed in. "What do you know, His Majesty has already sent more than a dozen nobles to find the best possible gift. With that, it's only a matter of time before our kingdom surpasses the other two." He cackled and left just as quickly as he had arrived.

The new information sent the group into a heated discussion, but Nova had already tuned them out. 'Did I just rob the Emperor of his soon-to-be present?' His lips twitched as he resumed walking. 'Considering how the king turned the slaying of the king of beasts into a competition for young geniuses who aren't even knights, I assumed he was trying to eliminate the next generation of nobles to tighten his grip on power. But even with this new information, it doesn't make sense for him to send them to their deaths. Am I missing something else?'

Nova spared little thought for the fact that this was the Emperor's hundredth birthday. Being introduced to the concept back in Vragor, and after so many years had passed since the world changed, he had long come to terms with the reality that powerful beings possessed lifespans far beyond anything Earth's knowledge could explain before they were introduced to the wider Universe.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had already reached the inn. With a small shake of his head, he stopped his train of thoughts and circled around, coming to a stop shortly after when he stood below a series of windows.

'That should be it,' Nova thought, before leaping up.

///////

Letto sat in his room, surrounded by bandages, oils, and a scattering of healing herbs across the floor. His body was covered in scars, some old and faded from his days as a bandit, but most fresh, still streaked with blood.

Scooping up a handful of herbs, he pressed them against his newest wounds. A searing pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and kept pressing. Soon, the burn dulled into a lingering ache, and before long it faded into a gentle warmth.

"Phew…" Letto released the breath he had been holding and muttered, "That was close. But if I keep this up, I should be able to catch up to him, sooner rather than later."

"Who are you trying to catch up to? Nevermind, it doesn't matter, if you keep going like that, you'll end up dead."

The sudden voice from behind froze Letto like an ice statue, even his thoughts came to a halt.

With no response from him, Nova tilted his head slightly to the side. "It only took a few weeks for you to stoop so low that a voice is panicking you? I'm starting to wonder if you're really fit for the role I have in mind."

At last, Letto slowly turned his head. There he saw Nova standing by the window, moonlight glimmering over his long black hair as his deep blue eyes pierced into him. Yet, as he stared, he remembered. Those same blue eyes had once saved him from countless predicaments and had been the reason behind his greatest achievement to date.

He didn't hesitate further. Dropping to one knee, he said solemnly, "Thank you, Sir!"

"What are you thanking me for?" Nova asked, genuinely puzzled. 'Did he go mad from training like this? Maybe I've been too harsh on him.'

Letto repeated, enunciating each word carefully. "Thank you for granting me a new life. I never thought I'd be able to use Aura or become a knight in my lifetime, but I did. If you hadn't taken me with you back then, I would've remained a lowly bandit forever."

Thinking back to several months ago hit Letto with a whirlwind of emotions. He could never have imagined that in just a few months he could turn his life around, rising from the lowest depths of society, despised by all for the horrendous acts he had been forced to commit to survive, to the highest echelons by becoming a knight, a word he'd once feared and always scurried away at the mention of it but now he was one.

Though he wasn't officially recognized yet, he could wield Aura. As long as he swore loyalty to a kingdom, he'd be readily accepted.

Nova listened in silence, sensing just how much this moment meant to Letto. On a whim, he had drastically changed the course of someone's life, a reality he hadn't given much thought to before, but now he slightly understood the weight of. He had spent so much time with the ex-bandit that he had long since come to see him as a friend, though he never said it aloud and now he felt happy for Letto.

He walked toward Letto, still kneeling, the wooden floor creaking under Nova's steps and he placed a hand on Letto's shoulder, who didn't expect this, prompting him to lift his head in surprise.

"Mhm… good job becoming a knight," Nova stared at him in the eyes and said, genuinely smiling.

"How about aiming for king next?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.