Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

506  A Place Where Dragons Slumber

Just earlier, the audience celebrated the landslide victory of Prince Edward against his opponent. Including me, many spectators today were stunned by how powerful the prince was in his fight and could not believe how it happened. "How did he became that strong?" My sister frowned her brows. "Was it because of the armor he is wearing? I could feel some sort of power radiating from it."

"Because it is, Sister. That armor appeared to give him additional... five hundred levels."

"Five hundred?! That's absurd! How did he get that thing?!" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Just like my sister, the first thing I noticed on him was the armor he was wearing. It was dazzling, literally, for some reasons, and I found out that it increased his levels by five hundred, which was around double his own. It was a no-brainer that he could overwhelm his opponent, who was only half of his current Level. Francis told me that it was handed to him from the organization through the Aethel family, as it was apparently a part of their plan. But Francis did not tell me the details of it because it was his uncle who tasked him with that mission. "Well, if Prince Edward has become this powerful, he would definitely have a good run in this tournament. But the armor only adds him fake levels, not skill or improved talent. He is still an amateur. He would face difficulties facing the veterans."

"It seems to be the case, Raphael. There are still some formidable opponents to face in the forest, just like Boris and that Phantom Fencer. Power alone is not enough to pull everything off. The skill to wield such power is a major key to victory."

"Yeah."

"By the way, Raphael, on another topic," my sister then lowered her voice. "You said that some people are probably planning to ruin the harvest festival, right? Do you sense any of them moving lately? Are they really planning to do it, or are they just messing around?"

"It's hard to say. My reliable source told me that they are currently in preparation for the event. The best time I could say they would start their move will be tomorrow, the grand finals of the tournament."

"Most likely." My sister agreed to my speculation. "There would be a lot of influential people present for tomorrow's main event. But if the Aethel Archduchy is involved in this, what could possibly be their motives?"

"I have some ideas why they would do something like this to the empire, but it's too risky to share it right now."

"Alright, let's talk about it later."

After chatting for a bit, we continued watching the matches. ◆◇◆◇◆◇

At night, a young man was walking along the corridor in a noble estate in the Imperial Capital. He was Francis Aethel, the heir to the Aethel Archduchy. Following the corridor, he turned his attention to the opened door by the side. It was the door to the archduke's office. He found it strange as his father was not here to do anything in his office. He had an idea who might be tending the office, but Francis decided to walk in and check. When he got inside, his eyes narrowed upon seeing someone sitting comfortably in his father's seat—it was his uncle, Morris Aethel.

"Good evening, Uncle. I did not expect to see you here."

"Oh, it's just you, Francis."

"May I ask what your business is here?"

"Well, I am thinking of having a little booze right now."

"Really? Here at this time? I'm sorry, but I'll pass for now."

"Come on. Don't be such a letdown, Francis." Morris stood up before he approached his nephew and began tapping his back. "You will be the head of the family in the future. You should start acting more like a man."

"Yeah, yeah."

(Hmph. I know that you have been planning to take the position. I also know that you are secretly working with them to make that happen.)

Francis was not buying into his antics as he was aware of his plans. Despite that Francis was not that close to his father, he did not want his uncle to take over for him. As much as he was concerned, Francis could not let the family fall into the hands of Morris, who was worse than his father. "By the way, Francis, the armor that you lent to His Imperial Highness Edward is so impressive. I heard that he overwhelmed his opponent earlier. I truly thank you for cooperating with us for the finale tomorrow."

"His Imperial Capital Edward did not question how our family got that thing. But to be honest, that artifact is just way too powerful just to be handed out to us. I have been wondering how powerful the Divine Dragon's Lair really is."

The Divine Dragon's Lair, the very group that was behind the conspiracies all over the world, and the group where the underground organization, Five Headed Hydra, belonged. It was the organization Francis and Raphael had been fighting with. Unsurprisingly, the Divine Dragon's Lair was actually the current regime of the mighty Divine Dragon Empire of the Southern Continent. It meant that the head of the group and the emperor of the dragon empire were the same person. Even though it was the Divine Dragon's Lair that was ruling the dragon empire, only a few selected people were aware of it. Not even the Dixon Empire's intelligence unit knew this, and they just thought that the Five Headed Hydra was the organization behind everything. Of course, a few members of the Aethel family were informed of it. Knowing that the Divine Dragon Empire was a prominent nation in the south, it was no wonder Morris had approached them to achieve his own ambitions. "Worry not, son. We will soon behold how much power they possess once we are done with our part. Once the current regime is gone, the Aethel family will become the most powerful family on the continent."

"This treason might be unforgivable. But as long as we succeed and get the support of the Divine Dragon's Lair, no one could stop us."

"That's how we should think, Francis. To be optimistic about the future that fate has destined upon us."

Afterwards, Morris opened a bottle of wine and drank together with Francis, who was only getting along with him.