After everything they had to announce was announced and made a huge impact on the nobility, the news spread from the castle and reached the city... the entire kingdom.
All the nobility gathered in the banquet hall and began a grand celebration that would not end until nightfall.
But Ryan didn't care. At some point, he slipped away from the celebration and went to his room while everyone else was busy with their nonsense.
He had too much to think about, starting with the fact that these guys were far more powerful than he had imagined.
He was a demigod in his past life, so he knows that increasing your strength once you're at that level... is extremely difficult. Even he couldn't figure out how to do it.
To get stronger from there, you need much more than spirituality.
The next level would be that of a god, but how do you get there?
Ryan has several clues, and they all involve that key. So it's really tempting that it's so close to him.
It's just... Reaching the throne.
How hard can it be?
Perhaps more challenging than climbing Everest on Earth, naked and with mines appearing behind your feet with every step you take.
Because everyone wants that key, being a god is something everyone in this world wants to achieve. They want to recreate the glory of the Second Era.
Even the King is not exempt from temptation.
But that didn't mean he was going to feel fear.
'The problem is that I have no support,' he thought.
He remembered that dukes, marquises, and earls support all his brothers, and even Aster Zeggler himself must support one of the four who travel with him.
Meanwhile, he barely has any support of his own.
Fighting a battle for the throne without the support of the nobility is tantamount to suicide. So he needed to find a way.
Knock*
Knock*
The sound of the door knocked him out of his thoughts, and he quickly opened it.
"Big brother." Ryan greeted Albert as soon as he saw him. He was still wearing his battle clothes.
"May I come in?"
"Of course."
Once inside, Albert looked at him. "Are you planning to fight for the throne?" he asked directly. He hadn't taken four steps, but he wanted to get straight to the point.
"What about you, big brother? Now that you've seen the prize, will you join?" Instead of answering his question, he chose to ask another question.
Although it was rude, he needed information about Brandon's main contender.
Albert shrugged. "A king isn't made in a battle at the castle. I don't intend to fight in this senseless war; I have other plans."
Ryan nodded, surprised by his firmness.
"I do plan to participate, big brother." Although then he shook his head. "It's not that I plan to, it's that they've already gotten me involved in this," he said, pointing to a bottle of fine wine in one of his room's storage areas.
Albert looked at the bottle, confused. 'Is he inviting me to drink?' he thought, but upon looking more closely, he realized that the wine had been tampered with.
"Poison!" he exclaimed.
"Haha, yes. All my wine jugs, some tea leaves, and coffee were poisoned in the last few hours. I'm afraid they want to kill me as soon as possible."
Albert frowned. Sneaking in here when several divines are in the castle is a difficult feat to accomplish. Whoever did it must have been a permanent member of the castle.
"That shows you how dangerous it is," Albert said. "Do you still want to...?"
"Brother," Ryan interrupted him. "When they're looking to kill you like this, even if you withdraw from the fight, you won't be saved."
"They'll look for a way to kill me because they consider me a threat, not because I'm fighting for the throne. Right now, this place is safer for me than you can imagine. At least they're still hiding to get to me and not doing it openly."
Albert sighed. "That makes sense. In that case, I'll help you."
"You'll help me?" Ryan looked at him, confused. "You intend to support me in my battle?"
"Yes. The Duke of the Mountain is my greatest supporter among the high nobility, apart from our mother. I will speak to him about you, as he knows I will withdraw from this fight. Although you know how demanding he is, you must be prepared to try to win his favor so that he decides to support you."
'The Duke of the Southern Mountains!' Ryan was stunned.
He had seen him for the first time a few hours ago, behind the King. He was a powerful man whom the other Dukes respected for his tireless fight against the Kazaks. He was the only one who had managed to recover part of the territory stolen by those bastards.
He is a legendary man. Receiving his support would undoubtedly be a great victory. Although, of course, as Albert said, it was difficult to achieve.
'But it's not impossible.' Ryan smiled.
"Since you're telling me this, will you return to the South?" he asked.
"Yes." Albert nodded. "Although only temporarily."
'Temporarily? My brother is planning something big,' he thought.
Everything about his brother was a radical change from what he knew from the novel. Therefore, it was a little difficult to guess what was happening, although he could theorize based on specific events he remembered.
'For now, it's not necessary. It doesn't look like he will do anything that will put me in danger.'
"All right, big brother. Then I'll do my best on my end too."
"We'll see each other again soon," Albert said, patting him on the shoulder. "By then, I hope the Duke has his eye on you. Show him what you're made of, little brother." He smiled at him.
With that, he turned to leave. The sword at his waist shook a little, catching Ryan's attention.
"Big brother, can I ask you a question?" he said before leaving the room.
"What is it?"
"Why do you use a sword, being a hunter?"
Albert smiled. "To pay tribute to a great man from the past, whose story doesn't tell the whole truth about what happened." Then he left.
Ryan was speechless.
In the history of this world, only one hunter has ever used swords: him.
So his older brother was paying homage to him.
'I didn't expect anyone to know that those bastards are lying,' he thought.
Somehow, it felt good.
Ryan closed the door and sat down to watch the people in the distance, while he devised a plan. But he didn't have enough time; soon the door rang again.
'Who is it?' He frowned and went to open it. His body tensed the moment he saw the man knocking on his door.