Chapter 36: Main Character’s Shock
Cross’s face turned red as if blood had rushed all the way up from his chest to his scalp in a single breath, his entire body trembling as he stared at his son who stood there with that same calm, almost careless expression, as though the storm he had just unleashed did not exist at all, as though the words he had spoken were not enough to overturn an entire kingdom.
The court fell into a suffocating silence.
No one dared to speak.
No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
The ministers, who had just moments ago felt satisfied seeing Clay nearly vomit, now looked as if someone had grabbed their throats and squeezed hard, their earlier arrogance gone, replaced with disbelief and fear that crept into their bones.
Cross slowly raised his head from the ground where he had been kneeling.
His eyes locked onto Clay.
"You... you damn brat..."
His voice trembled, but not out of fear. It was anger. Pure, boiling anger that had nowhere to go.
"Do you even understand what you just said?"
His hands clenched tightly.
"You told me not to kneel... in front of His Majesty... and then you called him weak?"
His voice rose, louder and louder, echoing across the hall.
"And now... now you dare say you can make me a king?"
The veins on his forehead bulged.
"Are you trying to kill the entire Valmont family? Are you trying to drag all of us to execution with your madness?"
The ministers began murmuring again, their voices low but filled with tension.
"Blasphemy..."
"This is beyond arrogance..."
"This is treason..."
One of them stepped forward, his golden robe swaying slightly as he pointed at Clay with a shaking finger.
"This is not just disrespect anymore. This is rebellion. This is an insult to the throne itself."
Another followed.
"If His Majesty wishes, we can have him executed on the spot."
"Even if he is the son of Prime Minister Cross, such words cannot be tolerated."
The pressure inside the hall thickened, pressing down on every shoulder, every breath, every heartbeat.
Yet in the middle of all of it, Clay remained exactly the same.
He did not move.
He did not panic.
He did not even frown.
These people really love to talk...
His eyes swept across the ministers lazily.
All bark. No bite. If they could do something, they would have already done it.
Frazanna stood to the side, her fingers tightening slightly around the hilt of her sword as she stared at Clay.
This is... my fiancé?
Her mind could not keep up.
The man she had heard about was someone who avoided her, someone who ran away, someone who did not want to be tied to her name.
But the man standing in front of her now...
He stood in the court of the Holy King and spoke as if he was the one sitting on the throne.
No hesitation.
No fear.
No restraint.
Is he... like this?
Her heart beat a little faster, not from affection, not from embarrassment, but from pure confusion.
Meanwhile, Maxwell stood behind her, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Clay.
His gaze sharpened, focusing on Clay’s body, on the flow of mana within him.
Peak of Holy Mana Infusion... level twelve...
He narrowed his eyes.
That’s it?
Compared to the younger generation, that level was already impressive, but it was nowhere near enough to act like this in front of the Holy King.
Even I am only three levels below him... but I wouldn’t dare speak like that here...
His thoughts raced.
So why is he so calm?
Why is the Holy King not punishing him?
Why is everyone just... watching?
Clay suddenly stretched his shoulders slightly, as if loosening up after standing still for too long.
Then he spoke.
"Relax. I’m just joking."
The words dropped casually, as if everything he had just said meant nothing at all.
"You senile old fools get worked up too easily."
His gaze swept across the ministers again, this time with a faint hint of mockery.
"Are you all sure you’re worthy of governing a land?"
The hall erupted again.
"You brat!"
"How dare you!"
"This is outrageous!"
Cross’s face twisted even more.
"You really dare... you really dare speak like that!"
His voice cracked with fury.
"In front of His Majesty! In front of the entire court! You insult the ministers, you insult the throne, you insult everything this kingdom stands for!"
He took a step forward, his robes swaying heavily.
"You think this is a joke? You think you can just say whatever you want without consequence?"
His hand trembled as he pointed again.
"Do you think your status as my son will protect you? Do you think I can protect you from this?"
His voice lowered, but the anger did not fade.
"You have crossed a line that cannot be undone."
But before he could continue, a loud laugh echoed once more.
"Hahaha!"
The Holy King leaned back slightly on his throne, his eyes fixed on Clay with clear amusement.
"Cross."
His voice was calm, almost light.
"I like the personality of your son."
The hall froze again.
Cross’s expression collapsed.
"My... my king..."
He immediately knelt again, his forehead nearly touching the ground.
"I failed in raising him properly. Please forgive him. I will discipline him strictly once we return. I will make sure he never—"
"Huh?"
Clay tilted his head slightly.
"You’re always busy licking his boots."
His tone was flat.
"You can’t even raise a pet properly, let alone me."
A few ministers nearly choked.
Some widened their eyes.
Some looked away, afraid of being dragged into this.
The Holy King laughed again, louder this time.
"Hahaha! Interesting! Very interesting!"
Maxwell stood frozen.
His mind could not process what he was seeing.
This... this doesn’t make sense...
Then suddenly—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
"Do not underestimate that young man."
Maxwell’s body stiffened.
His pupils shrank.
Master...?
He focused inward, toward his dantian, where a faint figure radiating holy light resided.
Master is speaking now?
The old voice responded calmly.
"I can sense something... something very unusual to him."
Maxwell swallowed.
What do you mean?
The old man continued.
"That maid beside him... the one who just danced with him..."
Maxwell’s gaze flicked toward Cerys.
"I can feel a trace of an aura that should not exist anymore."
Maxwell’s heart skipped a beat.
What aura?
The old man’s tone grew heavier.
"The aura of the Thousand Lives Demon Emperor."
Maxwell froze completely.
His breathing halted.
The Thousand Lives Demon Emperor...
That name.
That existence.
Even thinking about it made his chest tighten.
He remembered.
He remembered every time his master spoke of that name.
Each time, his master’s expression changed.
Not fear.
Not hatred.
But something deeper.
Respect.
Wariness.
Even a trace of helplessness.
He once said... that demon emperor was one of the few who could stand against him...
His mind raced as memories surfaced.
Stories of a being who could die and return again and again.
A being who mastered life and death as if it were a simple technique.
A being who could leave behind fragments of himself across the world, ensuring that even if his body was destroyed, he would never truly vanish.
You said even you could not completely erase him...
Maxwell’s hands clenched.
You said he was a nightmare that could not be killed...
The old man spoke again.
"And yet..."
His tone grew quieter.
"I felt that aura... inside that maid..."
Maxwell’s breath grew uneven.
Inside... her?
"And then..."
The old man paused.
"It disappeared."
Maxwell’s eyes widened.
Disappeared?
"He erased it."
Maxwell’s gaze snapped back to Clay.
Standing there casually.
Unbothered.
As if nothing in this world could touch him.
He erased... the aura of that existence...?
The old man continued slowly.
"I do not know how he did it. I could not see it clearly. But I’m sure he erased it casually..."
Maxwell felt his throat dry.
Master... what are you trying to say...
The old man’s voice grew heavier, deeper, as if carrying the weight of something long buried.
"The disappearance of my old rival..."
Maxwell’s heart pounded.
"The Thousand Lives Demon Emperor..."
A pause.
Then—
"It could be related to him."
Maxwell’s entire body froze.
His mind went blank.
What...?
His eyes widened.
...You mean?
The old man spoke one final sentence, each word landing like a hammer.
"It is possible..."
"That he was killed by this kid."