Unedited*

Owen nodded. "Actually, that’s the one. That’s why I decided it was time to destroy it. Still, don’t say they’re my men. Even though I trained them, they’re still students. Students with a bright future, but students nonetheless."

"Hahaha, no wonder you wanted to go back to your ancestral lands after serving here for so many years. Still, Owen, I want to know about the deaths of those instructors. There’s been a lot of fuss about it lately."

Owen already knew he’d be asked that question, so he answered immediately: "They were all members of that rat’s nest, old Lucius. I’m sorry, I’m not as lenient as others when it comes to letting a traitor off the hook, just because he’s a high-ranking instructor. I don’t believe meritocracy can save you from the betrayal you’ve committed."

His firm and decisive response, almost devoid of respect, stunned several people in the room.

Especially General Divino. "How dare you address His Majesty the King that way?!" he shouted angrily.

Owen stared back at him with a blank expression, as if wondering: What’s it to you?

"All right." The King raised his hand to stop them from arguing. "You may all address me that way. I’ve said it many times—there’s no need to treat me with such formality when we’re alone."

General Divino shook his head and withdrew his hand. He said nothing more.

The King turned his gaze back to Owen. "If they were traitors, there’s nothing to be done. The destruction of the Red Moon Cave was necessary, so I’ll find a way to deal with it. I feel more at ease knowing you have everything under control."

Owen nodded, but before he could speak, someone else spoke first.

"Hmph, if I had everything under control, those villagers wouldn’t have died," said the Divine General.

He was clearly angry with Owen... or rather, he didn’t get along with him. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

It had always been that way. These two had never been able to get along.

Owen sighed upon hearing this and this time turned to look at him. "Old General, if such a thing happened, it wasn’t my fault. You’re the first one to oppose my children joining the Elite Forces, so they can’t investigate beyond a small territory. And since the borders are under your care, it’s not our fault that you’re incompetent and can’t protect them."

"Who can’t protect them, you bastard?!" the General roared, slamming his fist on the table. "The attack came from within—clearly it was your problem, and you dumped it on me!"

Owen sneered. "I’ve had plenty of internal attacks of my own over the past few months, but I handled them. And before you were in charge of the borders, I was the one in charge. Are you saying you can’t even handle two jobs at once? What a disgrace."

"You...!"

"Silence." A deep, powerful voice suddenly rang out from beside the Divine General. The Dragon Duke waved his staff and struck the ground simultaneously. "We are in the King’s presence. Don’t you know how to behave? Especially you, General. How many times have I told you to speak and not shout?"

The Divine General let out a growl and sat down with a look of annoyance.

Finally, the room fell silent once more.

The King sighed and shook his head. It was difficult to deal with so many powerful young men. He gave the Duke a grateful look before continuing.

"The main topic today is the destruction of the Red Moon Cave... But I think Owen has something else to say, doesn’t he?" said the King.

Owen nodded. "The main headquarters was destroyed, but that Cave is still operational. After the attack, we managed to capture 6 of the 12 leaders and killed 2. But those remaining 4 are the most dangerous and are difficult to track down. That is why I came here with the intention of bringing an important matter back to the table." Owen took out a scroll and placed it in the middle.

"The Palace Scholar and I have discussed this more than once, so I’ll say it again. The 101st Regiment of the Western Provincial Academy is far superior to any regiment in any of the Four Provincial Academies. Continuing to tie them down will waste all their potential. I need to establish the 101st Regiment as an elite force within the Armed Forces," he declared.

"We’ve already discussed that, and the answer was a resounding no! You can’t give students that much power—they’ll become spoiled!" the Divine General roared suddenly.

The Dragon Duke didn’t scold him this time, because the issue on the table was one he didn’t agree with either.

Owen, for his part, ignored them both. They didn’t have the final say. He looked at the King.

The King looked pressured, but nodded. He read the scroll carefully and then placed it on the table.

"It’s a big request, Owen," said the King. His words brought some joy to the Divine General’s heart. But the King spoke again. "And although it has been discussed before, we can talk about it."

"Your Majesty, we already know the consequences of..." The General tried to speak, but the King raised his hand to silence him.

"You don’t need to remind me of something I already know," he replied.

The general bowed his head. "I’m sorry to bother you, Your Majesty. I just don’t want to make the same mistakes."

"We all understand your concerns. Owen does, too," replied the king, softening his tone slightly so that his most loyal general wouldn’t feel so bad about being silenced so many times.

"Owen..." The King looked at Owen again. "The creation of the 101st Regiment as an elite unit within the Armed Forces was already attempted 20 years ago, and we know it didn’t end well."

"Betrayal is inevitable, old Lucius. I’m sure we both understand that very well," Owen replied. "But canceling that project was the biggest mistake. Twenty years ago, betrayal was barely a fraction of what it is now."

The King frowned. "Why do you think so?" he asked, confused.

"Because I saw it." Owen was blunt. "Our enemies’ strings have reached high enough to manipulate the upper crust of our land."

The Divine General snorted. "And what proof do you have? It seems to me you’re just making things up because you want your greatest desire to resurface. Owen, I know your intentions. You’re selfish and think that only you can handle them. You look down on us, including His Majesty. You are not worthy of my belief." The Divine General slammed his fist on the table.

A metallic clang rang out, and a token appeared on the table. The Divine General spoke again: "I object."

Owen shrugged, paying little heed to this. "Even if you are the strongest General in the Armed Forces, you are not the one who decides these matters."

While the Divine General was angry and the others were pensive, the Palace Scholar, almost as if by a miracle, spoke up at that moment.

"When someone is strong and you bind them with useless restraints, you are indirectly working with your enemies to kill yourself. It is the most foolish decision a human being can make when they have mortal enemies. It is like killing the intelligent people in your kingdom, just because you fear they will surpass you. In the end, you will create generations of useless people and destroy your own land," he said.

His voice was hoarse and firm, yet gentle. He sounded like a librarian or a sage. He seemed to have carefully chosen his words and spoken them at just the right moment.

The Divine General wouldn’t dare respond to that man. Not because he was too strong, but because he was too intelligent—and every time he’d tried to argue with him, he’d ended up losing miserably.

At the table, perhaps only Owen could have replied to him. But, evidently, he didn’t.

The King glanced sideways at the Palace Scholar and nodded slightly. He had always been in favor of creating that elite group.

As the wisest man the King had ever known, he always respected the Scholar’s stance and even tried to understand it.

The problem was...

’My power is waning more and more. Although I retain my status, it is difficult to oppose what he considers right,’ thought the King, glancing sideways at the Dragon Duke.

As every reign came to an end, he felt that the end of his own was drawing ever closer.

To prevent uprisings and avoid chaos in the kingdom, he often had to choose a side he didn’t like, simply because he wasn’t capable of facing the consequences.

"I’ve become a coward, Owen... But I don’t want to ruin your plans there. If only you would become a Duke..." The king sighed.

After a moment of silence, the sound of a cane tapping the floor rang out. Everyone turned to look at the Dragon Duke.

"I’d like to hear your reasons for wanting to create it," he said. His words left even the King, Owen, and the Scholar stunned, not to mention the General.

"D-Duke?" The General couldn’t help but stammer.

No one could blame him. Even Owen was in shock.

It was the first time that guy hadn’t opposed the creation of this elite group. What had changed?

But Owen smiled and decided to take advantage of it.

"There are two reasons: Gideon and Edward Lux."

Lux?

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