Maximilian Rowan was the Chief of the Rowan Tribe and a powerhouse in his own right.
Right now, only Five Saints remain within the territories of the Six Kingdoms.
Two of them were from Barbatos Academy, while two others had shunned the world and lived the life of hermits, not caring about the petty squabbles the Six Kingdoms had over their territories.
Last but not the least was Maximilian.
He was known as the Black Boar of the Plains, and those who had witnessed his might during the Hundred-Year-War could attest that he wasn't someone that should be provoked no matter the cost.
Although the Chief of the Rowan Tribe was a pacifist at heart, he was the most aggressive of all the Saints when it came to using force to settle disputes.
This contradictory behavior of his made him a very unpredictable person, so those who dealt with the Rowan Tribe, especially when it came to political affairs, tread on a tightrope.
The delegation of the Elven Kingdom of Elswyth was proof of this. They had come to "politely ask" the Saint to handover Gerhart, as well as the Elven Treasure, Kinslayer, in exchange for rare resources that could only be gained from the Elven Kingdom.
However, after Maximilian told the Elves that Gerhart was his Disciple, they immediately changed their stance and simply asked that the Kinslayer be returned to them. They were even willing to make an oath that the Royal Family was willing to turn a blind eye to the incident that happened in the Lionheart Tournament and no longer pursue Gerhart in exchange for the Kinslayer.
To this, Maximilian nodded his head.
He said that as long as he acquired a blood pledge from the Elven Royal Family that they would no longer seek trouble for his Disciple, he would hand over the Kinslayer. However, until the pledge was in his hands, the Kinslayer would remain in his possession.
Hearing this, the Elven Delegation immediately returned to the Elven Kingdom in order to have the Royal Family procure the blood pledge, making them cease all hostilities against Gerhart, whom Maximilian had recognized as his disciple.
When Lux, Cai, and Keane arrived at the Rowan Tribe and heard this piece of news, the Boar snorted but didn't say anything.
Clearly, it didn't like anyone hurting its sworn brother, Gerhart, and found its Grandpa's demands quite satisfactory.
"Hmph! They are lucky that Grandpa was willing to negotiate about giving the Kinslayer back," Cai said. "If it had been me, I would have demanded a lot of things from them until they spit blood."
The Boar grumbled as it walked towards the Main Hall of the Great Chief, where guests were received by the Saint directly. Cai's current size was that of a meter-tall-boar, making it look like a house pet, but everyone that it passed along the way bowed their heads respectfully to it.
"Gramps! I'm back!" Cai shouted as soon as it arrived at the Great Hall, making its presence known.
"Cai, welcome home," a middle-aged man whose body was similar to that of a body builder smiled as soon as he saw the boar, who didn't hesitate to run and jump into the Chieftain's arms.
"I missed you, Grandpa."
"Not as much as I missed you."
The middle-aged man kissed the boar's cheeks and patted its head several times, making Cai close its eyes in contentment as it laid down on Maximilian's lap, allowing its grandpa to spoil it.
"You must be Cai's friends," Maximilian said as he shifted his attention to Lux and Keane who remained standing inside the Main Hall. "Please, sit. Both of you are guests. Feel free to treat this place as your home."
Gaining permission from the host, the two teenagers sat on the sitting cushions that were laid out in front of them.
On the surface, Maximilian gazed at them with a fond smile, but deep inside, he was assessing the two teenagers who accompanied Cai back from the Lionheart Tournament, in order to join their faction in the upcoming expedition inside the Hidden Domain.
"I've heard many things about the two of you from Xander," Maximilian said.
Xander was the name of the handsome teenager with tattoos all over his body and one of the Five Overlords. He was also the same person who conceded in his match against Cai in the tournament, which allowed the Boar to proceed to the Semi-Finals.
"On behalf of the Rowan Tribe, let me thank you for coming," Maximilian added and gave the two boys a brief nod. "If this expedition succeeds, I will owe both of you a favor. If it doesn't succeed, I will still give both of you proper compensation for joining our faction for the duration of the exploration of the Sacred Dungeon.
"All I ask is that you do everything in your power to find the Sacred White Lotus that can help save my wife, as well as those who had been inflicted by the Purple Plague for the past few decades. Can I expect that the two of you will do your best, regardless of the results of this mission?"
Lux and Keane both nodded their heads at the same time. Since they were already here, they would do their utmost to make this mission a success.
"You did well, Cai," Maximilian stated. "Both of these boys are good seedlings."
"But of course," Cai replied. "I made sure to only pick the best. Those Four Kings and the other Overlords, except Xander, are all no good. They're not worth soliciting."
Maximilian laughed as he patted Cai's head, who had a smug expression on its face.
"Well then, why don't you take Keane to the temporary lodging that we prepared for him during his stay?" Maximilian asked. "I want to discuss something with the Champion of the tournament in private."
"Okay," Cai replied. "Little Swordy, follow me. I'll show you to your room."
Cai obeyed its Grandpa and didn't even bother to stay and listen to the conversation between Maximilian and Lux.
Since its grandpa didn't want it to hear their discussion, it meant that it wasn't meant for its ears, so the Boar didn't insist on staying.
Lux could tell the trust between Maximilian and Cai was complete, and it reminded him of the trust he had with his grandma. Even though there were times when Lux was curious about what his Grandma was discussing with other people in private, he never asked her questions about them and simply waited for Vera to open up.
If she didn't say anything, it meant that the matter didn't concern Lux, so there was no need to talk about it.
A few minutes after Cai and Keane left the Main Hall, Maximilian waved his hand, creating a soundproof dome around him and Lux.
Clearly, the middle-aged man wanted to make sure that their discussion wouldn't reach anyone else's ears, which made Lux very curious about what Maximilian would say to him.
"Should I call you, Lux or My Daddy?" Maximilian asked with a smile.
"Just Lux, Your Excellency," Lux replied. "My Daddy is just an alias I used during the tournament."
"But, your Alias is more popular than your real name. It seems that almost everyone will be calling you My Daddy from now on."
"..."
Lux only hung his head in resignation, making Cai's grandpa laugh again. Clearly, he found the Half-Elf's dilemma quite amusing, so he felt the urge to tease the red-headed teenager and make him feel comfortable before he breached the real issue of why he asked him to stay.
Five minutes later, the smile disappeared on Maximilian's face, and was replaced by a solemn one.
"Tell me, Lux," Maximilian said as he gazed steadily at the Half-Elf in front of him. "You saw my granddaughter's real form, right?"
