"Sigh... Wasn't that rude of you, Vilok?" Aldo sighed yet didn't mind much. Both the Prince and Princess were still too young to ask whatever they wanted from a Master Rank. A High Noble was not a baby caretaker, after all—they had their own pride, and if they didn't feel like it, they wouldn't even answer to the King or Queen, much less their children.
"This is for their own good. I feel they should seek answers themselves through their own experience instead of obtaining easy answers." Vilok shrugged and innocently answered while picking up a meat steak with a fork.
"Haha, that's also true." Louise, the Mercenary Guild leader, chuckled without any particular meaning. She didn't mind the melodrama, as she had nothing to do with the Royal Family. Though she would very much like to spend some private time with Prince Jarrett, sadly, he hadn't taken any of her hints, and thus she was very bored.
Langston drank a glass of wine and spoke coolly, "Vilok, being a Fire Element user, choosing either Mage or Warrior would have been an excellent choice, and so I am not too surprised by your decision." He paused and then slowly shook his head. "In truth, both the Prince and Princess are very dedicated and similarly very talented. I wouldn't be surprised if both of them amazed us in the future and perhaps even surpassed Vilok's achievements."
Vilok's eyes narrowed. He didn't say anything and continued eating while secretly leering at someone from the corner of his eye.
"Langston, what makes you say that?" Lucia asked curiously. "I am unaware of talents from outside Silvia Kingdom. However, within this Kingdom, Vilok's achievements were very remarkable. I don't remember anyone who had ever achieved something like this within this Kingdom for the past few centuries."
Langston watched the retreating figures of Jarrett and Seraphin and, with an admiring tone, replied, "I tutored them both for a week in the past, and I have to say I was quite impressed. No matter how difficult the workout I put them through, they took it head-on and didn't give up until they succeeded. They have very firm willpower, and if they carry such a spirit for long in their lives without giving up, then I feel both of them can go far in the future—much further than any of us."
Louise and Cole glanced at each other in surprise. As Guild Leaders, they had high access to Guild Intelligence and so were much more knowledgeable than anyone present.
Unlike the others, they weren't that amazed by Vilok's achievements. Many kingdoms were vastly superior to the Silvia Kingdom, which was situated in the far southernmost part of the Humancrown Continent. Other kingdoms had far more prodigies; yet strong spirit and willpower were quite rare in the world.
They wondered if both the prince and princess had "will in their hearts." Even if not, they should still be better off traversing the world, facing various situations rather than just safely learning within the protective walls of the king's palace.
They felt they should give a word of suggestion to both King Basil and Queen Illiana later.
As the banquet continued while everyone was enjoying and socializing, Queen Illiana, who sat beside her husband, King Basil, wasn't feeling well internally. She had been having a terrible intuitive feeling ever since the celebration began. So, after a while later, she secretly sent a message to Basil that she wished to leave.
Basil was puzzled internally, then he thought that he too didn't have much reason to stay any longer. Thus, he stood up, and the entire boisterous crowd paused, waiting for the King's speech.
Basil smiled warmly. "Thank you, everyone, for appearing on such short notice." He then turned toward Vilok Lopez and continued in his warm tone, "Vilok, once again, congratulations on becoming a Master Rank. The entire Sildargrade and Silvia Kingdom are very proud of your achievement. I hope more youngsters within the Silvia Kingdom achieve such remarkable accomplishments in the future and make every citizen of Silvia Kingdom feel proud." He turned back to the crowd. "Everyone, please stay and enjoy yourselves as long as you wish. Queen Illiana and I shall take our leave now."
Everyone straightened up and boomed, "Long live the King! Long live the Queen! Long live the Silvia Kingdom!"
Their loud, respectful voices resounded within the huge hall. It just showed how much everyone respected their just ruler and was similarly proud of being citizens of the Silvia Kingdom.
Amid everyone's well-wishes, Basil and Illiana left the hall and returned to their royal bedroom.
Illiana had been frowning deeply ever since she left the hall, yet Basil didn't ask anything on the way. Now that they were alone, he asked with concern, "What's wrong, my love?" His tone was filled with unmasked love.
Illiana sat on a chair while still wearing a deep frown. She glanced at her husband and spoke in a grim tone, "I don't know why, but I don't like Vilok Lopez."
Basil's eyebrow rose in surprise. He walked over and sat on the chair opposite Illiana, then proceeded to pour her a cup of tea that was on the table—sent by a maid before their arrival.
He then poured himself a cup as well while asking, "What is wrong with him? You should know that this is a very happy occasion for the entire Kingdom. If it's not something major, I absolutely shouldn't harm him."
The Silvia Kingdom was situated at the southernmost territory of the Humancrown Continent and was quite desolate and barren compared to even its neighboring Kingdoms. It especially didn't have that many Master Ranks.
The Silvia Kingdom was massive in size, yet its major cities had at most one Master Rank as their City Lord. This was already an extremely poor state compared to many other neighboring kingdoms—thankfully, those kingdoms weren't too interested in conquering their lands, so they rarely disturbed them.
Even so, danger and trouble could still arrive unexpectedly—whether from Mana Beasts, natural disasters, or the malicious intentions of notorious groups. Only Rank 4 and above Mana Wielders were the key to solving major issues.
Master Ranks could fly and also use Spiritual Sense—they were irreplaceable powerhouses. No number of Apprentice Ranks would ever be enough to cover a single Master Rank's position.
Guilds were helpful, but they usually only solved problems through their teams, which were affiliated with them within the same city or kingdom. Hiring other teams that had Master Ranks from far away cost a huge amount of money—it wasn't something the Silvia Kingdom could casually afford all the time.
So, their respective Master Ranks, even if they rarely fought like the High Nobles, were of extreme importance—something their Silvia Kingdom desperately needed. Targeting such a Master Rank just out of intuitive feelings was like severing one's own limb over a random thought.
"I know..." Illiana sighed. "It's just that..." She paused and spoke in a solemn tone, "I just feel something bad might happen to us because of Vilok."
Illiana had a feeling that Vilok had been ogling her throughout the feast. However, that wasn't the reason she was upset. She was beautiful, still in her prime, and, as an "unobtainable" queen, some people—especially those still young—might have such thoughts about her. She had seen and faced many such people for countless decades, so she didn't even consider this fact annoying. But Vilok gave her a bad vibe in a completely different sense, and she felt that if he was left alone, he might bring calamity upon the entire Silvia Royal Family in the future.
Basil, instead of worrying, laughed. "What are you worried about? He's just an early-stage Rank 4, and even if he reaches its peak, my great-grandfather is still healthy and alive—he could easily take care of Vilok if he ever dared to create trouble."
He took a sip of his tea and continued with a relaxed smile, "Even if Vilok obtained help from elsewhere, we could also hire Master Ranks from the Adventure or Mercenary Guilds of other Kingdoms. Hm... Now that I recall, didn't you once mention that you were acquainted with a very powerful Master Rank in the past?"
Illiana nodded absentmindedly. She knew all these facts, yet she still had a foreboding feeling in her heart—she also didn't understand why. Perhaps she was just imagining things...
"Yes, I once met Stormborne of the Celestial Maelstrom and helped them on a mission. We're just acquaintances, and he probably wouldn't even remember me." Illiana drank her tea and finally calmed down before continuing, "If we wanted to request help, we would still need to hire him properly by posting a mission in the Adventurers' Guild."
Basil's eyes glowed, and he laughed merrily. "Stormborne is a very reputable swordsman at the peak of Rank 4. It's even rumored that he could clash with an early Rank 5 and not die. I don't know how that's even possible. Indeed, we could depend on him." He paused and continued with a smile, "Also, the 'Celestial Maelstrom' as a whole is a very powerful adventurer group—an SS-grade team! We might not be able to invite everyone; however, we could use Stormborne to invite some other branch captains of their team if necessary." Just because they could provide money didn't mean other teams or master ranks would be willing to offer their aid—that was why connections were very important and extremely precious in this world.
Illiana frowned and warned, "Don't try to be clever—no 'SS' or even an 'A' Grade is a fool. Be straightforward with them; if not, our entire Kingdom would receive a bad reputation with the Adventurers Guild, and then no one would help us in the future."
"Haha, I know, my sweetheart—I was just saying." He then gazed at Illiana mischievously. "My precious Queen, it's been a while, and you look very beautiful tonight." Basil smirked with a hidden meaning that Illiana understood well.
Illiana paused and eventually smiled. She stood up and gently perched on her King's lap.
She stopped imagining things, and logically, it was indeed impossible for Vilok himself to create any major issue. He didn't have such wealth, power, or connections. Although she and Basil were still just at the early stage of Rank 4 and even weaker than Vilok, they wouldn't lose easily if they were together. Not to mention, their great-grandfather was still alive—thus, Vilok should give up concocting any trouble within Sildargrade, if he had such intentions in the first place.
She stopped spooking herself further and enjoyed her remaining evening with Basil.