"Is there anything you need from me?" Lucien asked, knowing that their meeting couldn't have been a mere coincidence, considering how grand the palace was.
Verric remained silent for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. "Nothing, Your Highness," he confirmed. "I simply came to greet you, hearing that you have overcome an obstacle that had been hindering you. I couldn't have been happier, hearing such amazing news."
Verric bowed in respect, then added. "Then, I shall take my leave, Your Highness. Please forgive me for taking some of your time."
Lucien forced himself to smile in awe once again, "Not at all, Knight Verric," he said with sincere gratitude. "I am thankful, knowing that you came to check on me. Once again, I sincerely thank you for all the things that you have done for me."
'I can pretend to be something I'm not, too.'
Verric raised his head and bid his farewell, one more time. Though he didn't dare say another word this time. He simply gave him a nod, with his deceiving smile, and quietly took his leave. Seeing as Verric had completely disappeared, he moved his head towards the flowers, which he had just cast a spell on earlier.
The flower had now returned to its normal state. The flower wasn't going to glow permanently, after all, it was only a Novice Rank Spell. Perhaps, if it were a higher-ranked version of the spell, it might have glowed eternally.
Lucien stared at the flower for a while, then took a deep breath. He then left the balcony, where a full view of the training grounds could be seen below. His next destination was the training grounds for the Royal Guard Army.
The training grounds he had just visited were for the normal knights. The Royal Guard Army had a separate training ground, as they were for a different purpose. Royal Guards are elite soldiers assigned to protect the royal family and the inner palace, while normal knights serve broader military or ceremonial roles.
Lucien once again navigated his way into the royal palace. He used Lucien's memories to find the location he wanted to reach. For some reason, the maids and butlers inside the royal palace would give him a dumbfounded look as he walked by them. They looked like they had seen a ghost, even.
However, Lucien already had an idea as to why they were staring at him with such strange gazes. Therefore, it wasn't difficult to focus on the important matter. He simply chose to ignore them. Soon after, he finally arrived at the training grounds for the Royal Guard Army. This time, they didn't have a balcony, where you could simply watch below them, as the knights and mages trained.
And so, he chose to enter the training grounds himself and see the intensity of their training. He wanted to see if there was someone who would catch his attention, though he didn't hope too much. He refused his father's plan to assign a lieutenant captain as his knight, as they could be a potential traitor.
So, if someone catches his attention and chooses him as their new knight. All the things he had done so far would be in vain.
He had a feeling the mastermind was somewhere close to him, so he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
As soon as he arrived on the training grounds for the Royal Guards, they greeted him and bowed down to him with respect. Of course, each one of them gazed at him with strange looks. But, like always, Lucien ignored it. He greeted them back and roamed around the grand-intricate training ground.
This training ground was better structured than before, and he couldn't help but explore more of the area—it was filled with so much to see. The knights and mages were casting ethereal magic spells that illuminated the surroundings, and the palace's vast, elegant design left him in awe. He simply couldn't get enough of it.
A while after he roamed the grand area, Lucien heard something from the knights that were ahead of him. The knights didn't have any shirts on to cool down their bodies from the hot temperature of the sun. They were both taking a rest and discussing a certain rumor that Lucien was very interested in.
"Hey, have you heard about the current issue in the Barony of Blackmere?"
"Isn't that the area where the Gravhorns are constantly terrorizing?"
"That's right, I heard that's where the former captain of the Royal Guard Army lives. And I heard a rumor that he died, protecting the land, just a few weeks ago. Now his son is the one leading the warriors in that war, defending their territory at all costs."
"Seriously?! But, hasn't the king already dispatched a backup?"
"They did, however, they took too long to arrive as they were ambushed along the way. It was too late, the Warchief of the Gravhorn tribe arrived and fought the Former Captain of the Royal Guard Army. It was said that he could have won, but lost due to the lack of a warrior fighting beside him. It's insane how he managed to hold them off, even when he was the only one left to defend their land."
"So what happened? Who won?"
"It wasn't clear who won, however, I did hear that the Former Captain managed to injure the Warchief badly, to such an extent that they had to retreat for a while."
Lucien's expression was dumbfounded. How is someone that strong not well-known? Even in Lucien's memory, he had never heard of such a man before. And a former captain of the Royal Guard Army, too.
'It's a shame he died already…'
Lucien was aware that he shouldn't do anything too risky, as he had just arrived here. He also wasn't that capable, after all, he was just your lowly civilian back on Earth, who could hardly find a job. As much as he wanted to check more about their current circumstances, he simply couldn't allow himself to rush things.
However, he felt a sensation inside that he couldn't quite control. He wasn't exactly sure if it was Lucien's feelings or Seojun's. But he felt the need to take responsibility as the crown prince. He didn't want to feel useless anymore; he wanted to help as many people as he could. Even though the possibilities were uncertain, he still wanted to try.
'Have I gone insane?'
'The situation is a mess, I'll die if I ever step foot on that land.'
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
'However, if I did manage to clean up that mess, my reputation would also improve.'
Lucien crossed his arms, then wiped his face with his right hand. 'That's right. It's not just about surviving the people who want me dead… I also have a broken reputation to fix. Maybe that's the reason they're after me. Maybe they don't want a king with a name as worthless as mine. And now… they're trying to erase me for good.'
'Well, that's also a possibility…'