Phoebe (1)
"I am the third prince of the Empire. Are you saying you intend to confront the Empire?"
"I have no intention of confronting the Empire. Rather, I want to help the Empire."
"In what way?"
Reed's golden eyes stared at him.
"A withering branch must be cut off quickly."
"Are you saying... I am that damned withering branch now?"
"Please refrain from using profanity. It is not my place to know what comes out of a prince's lips, but if I hear such coarse language, I cannot let it go."
Reed's words were polite and heavy.
William bit his lip and looked up at Reed.
There was still a lingering hostility.
"It seems you don't understand the current situation. Do you not know that, with the amount of money you've spent, the Empire would be turned upside down? A total of 870,000 UP."
"Do you think the Empire will be hit that hard?"
"Money is not the problem. The issue is with the behavior of the Empire's third prince. If word spreads that the 11-year-old third prince of the Empire has become addicted to gambling, the royal family will not sit idly by."
"Then we just have to strike at the person who spread the rumor."
"Are you saying that you will go after the necks of everyone here?"
Asking with an irritated tone, William lowered his head.
"I don't need the others' necks. Just give me that orc's neck. I think my anger will only be appeased when I take that orc's neck."
"You're not listening to a single word I say, Your Highness."
He's just a child, literally.
Yes, this is really a child.
A child who thinks he's a king.
While the crown prince and the second prince, who are the spear of the throne, have a duty to be strictly educated and raised right, the third prince is raised as if abandoned.
He's a scoundrel who wields his crumbling power without even knowing how unhappy he is.
The third prince's remark blew away even the tiny bit of sympathy he had for him.
"Then, would you like to make a bet with me as well?"
Upon hearing those words, Reed doubted his own ears.
Could such words be said in this situation?
Curious about what was going through his mind when he uttered those words, Reed asked him a question.
"What kind of bet are you talking about?"
"I've been curious since our first meeting. A battle between half-dragons. The once strongest humans created by Astheria. A fight between your deputy and my Gorgan."
"And so?"
"If you win, as you said, I will forget everything. But if I win, please let me take the orc's neck."
Reed looked down at the prince with an incredulous expression.
Reed had resolved to wear a solid mask, but it seemed to crumble upon hearing the prince's words.
"It's not too late to withdraw now. Neither my deputy nor your escort knight have any reason to be played by a bet."
He could forgive a single slip of the tongue from a child.
But seeing Reed's tolerance, the prince grinned maliciously.
It seemed as if he had realized something.
"It seems you have done something to that orc, haven't you?"
"Are you suspecting me right now?"
"Yes. Otherwise, there is no reason to protect an orc who is not even human."
Mages were arrogant and exclusive towards other races.
And a tower master protected an orc.
It was something unimaginable in common sense.
Yes, Reed could understand that much.
"Are you saying that the Silence Tower cheated you right now?"
"Considering your alliance with the Hupper Kingdom, isn't it possible that you used tricks in the final match?"
Reed let out a hollow laugh.
He was throwing a tantrum, claiming that Reed had cheated because he lost.
Believing that Reed had something to hide because he had shown tolerance.
"Third Prince."
That's why Reed broke the mask of politeness.
The once arrogant William finally sensed the hostile atmosphere.
"There are things you can say and things you cannot. Did I cheat in your bet? Can you take responsibility for that statement?"
"..."
"Whether you are a prince or a child, it doesn't matter. You will definitely pay the price for defaming a tower master, who is no different from the leader of a country, without any grounds."
Reed's eyes began to shine gold.
It was a phenomenon that occurred when mages manifested their mana.
Seeing this, Gorgan stepped in front of William.
"What is it?"
Gorgan apologized to Reed politely.
"I'm sorry, Tower Master. It seems that the prince is so upset right now that he accidentally misspoke."
Reed looked at Gorgan with a stern gaze.
"You are Gorgan, the vanguard of the Empire, right?"
"That's correct."
"This is not your place to get involved. This is a matter for the parties involved to discuss."
"His Highness is still young. Please show mercy and let go of your anger, Tower Master."
"Gorgan, I..."
Unable to suppress his temper, William tried to step forward again.
But when he met Gorgan's eyes, he had no choice but to stop.
The usually unremarkable golden eyes were warning him.
"Please... stay still."
The third prince eventually retreated quietly.
However, his face showed that he had no idea how big of a situation this was.
'I have to fix this.'
It was his fault for leaving the prince alone after such a slip of the tongue.
He knew that the third prince was thoughtless and immature, but he had no idea that he would think of challenging Reed and Phoebe.
Even for someone immature, this was too much.
'It seems that the Tower Master of Silence is very angry, but he doesn't seem to want to cause a big problem...'
Since Morgan II was in no position to do or say anything, he could be overlooked.
In the end, the problem was Phoebe.
Phoebe was just smiling.
There was no sign of anger.
'She must have been angry since the moment the prince suspected him, right?'
If she was true to the personality he knew, she should be, but she was rather more composed than an angry Reed.
That made him even more wary.
"Tower Master~."
Then, Phoebe called Reed in a dragging voice.
The two exchanged glances.
They didn't even open their mouths as if they were exchanging some kind of agreement, but Reed nodded as if he had heard her words.
Reed soon stepped back, and Phoebe came forward.
Phoebe stood in front of Gorgan without saying a word.
