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Chapter 133: The King is a Real Man

The drums were pounding, colorful flags were waving, and cheers echoed through the streets. The entire royal capital felt like a boiling palace.

Why, you ask? Today, the Lionheart King officially returned in triumph.

Originally, King Robber the Lionheart set out to defeat the pureblood dragon from the Raymond territory. Unexpectedly, the war went much smoother than anticipated, so the troops decided to sweep through the area.

Whether it was the Cult of the Evil Dragon or the Lesser Dragons, anyone who crossed their path, even bandits and beasts, got a real beating.

After this clean-up, they scored a ton of victories, further elevating the coveted reputation of the Lionheart King and sweeping away the shadows of the recent Lesser Dragon chaos.

Just like history recorded, even the giant dragons soaring through the sky couldn’t stop the Lion King’s march!

In a flash, the entire nation, young and old, was in a frenzy of adoration for King Robber Reinhardt.

At that evening’s feast, nobles praised the Lionheart King’s exploits and toasted to the success of the great purge.

However, the star of the banquet, King Robber himself, wasn’t feeling too good. He couldn’t enjoy all the accolades being thrown his way.

In a corner, a black-haired boy with a cane was receiving considerable respect as well.

But the tale of the boy, who put himself in danger to protect the king and successfully escaped the Cult, couldn’t compare to the legend of a ruler leading an army to slay dragons.

This made Robber feel quite awkward.

Unfortunately, the ministers around him didn’t notice his discomfort and kept pestering him with questions.

“Your Majesty, can you tell us again how you bravely crushed those damn cultists?!”

“Hmph, what’s there to say? By the time I arrived, the cultists had already collapsed without a fight!”

That’s right, except for the initial battle with the pureblood dragon, the bloodline powers of all the Lesser Dragons and cultists had taken a major hit. Along the way, they hardly encountered any decent fights.

And Robber knew very well that it was all thanks to that black-haired boy.

The real honor should belong to him.

“Truly the majesty of Your Majesty! Those mere cultists are really nothing before you…”

“Get out of the way!”

Robber’s face was tense as he brusquely pushed through the crowd, scaring the ministers into silence.

“Alice, help me grab a chicken leg and a drink.”

“Sure thing.”

After barely managing to handle the ministers’ reverence, Roy, who was using a cane and having difficulty moving, was enjoying the services of the little maid when he turned around and nearly choked on his drink at the sight of the towering king’s tense face.

“Cough cough, Uncle Robber, is there something you need?”

“Come with me.”

“Eh? But…”

Roy glanced around and noticed many eyes were on him, whispering.

It wasn’t odd for kings to call ministers, but usually, it was done privately through a maid.

Furthermore, Roy was still young—there was no reason for an elder to come personally for him.

Especially now that Robber and Roy were representatives of their respective generations, this was even more attention-grabbing.

“Just come when I say, disregard them!” Robber said bluntly, and those scrutinizing eyes immediately pulled back.

Roy was admiring the impressive aura of a king until Charlotte showed up.

“Hey! Old man, don’t bully Roy! Or you’ll be in trouble!” Charlotte stepped in front of Roy and sternly warned the king.

Robber’s expression twitched, and he forced a laugh, “No, I just wanted to have a private chat with him…”

Seeing that he was somewhat friendly, Charlotte stepped aside.

Roy followed Robber into a lounge outside the banquet hall, and as soon as they entered, the guards shut the heavy doors.

Clearly, this was a private conversation meant for just the two of them.

Sitting face-to-face with Robber, watching the tension return to his expression, Roy couldn’t help but feel nervous.

However, in reality, the king was even more awkward than he was.

After a long silence, Robber finally sighed, “I hope you can understand.”

“You saved the kingdom, killed that beast, and the glory of slaying the dragon should belong to you. But considering the secret of your bloodline, we have to keep this under wraps.”

“This is for your protection, and it’s also what your father wishes.”

Only then did Roy notice the rugged face, which should have been filled with heroics, showing a deep sense of guilt.

Roy couldn’t help but chuckle.

Fame comes with its risks, and he certainly understood the reason for this action.

Especially since the Crimson Fire Dragon, Balagas, directly stated that the dragon clan would seek revenge, indicating that it likely still had kin among the seven great dragons.

In this day and age, it was all about self-preservation. Being young and his bloodline yet to fully mature, the deeper he hid it, the better.

Especially in Veszyra, where the nobility’s extraordinary abilities were known to outsiders, it deterred enemies but also provided opportunities for the Cult and Demon Race. With his dual bloodline hidden, if the cult came looking for trouble again, he could give them a big surprise.

“Uncle Robber, I don’t care about the fame and completely understand your intentions. So please don’t feel guilty.”

“As for the credit for slaying the dragon, it doesn’t belong to me alone. Without your faction’s battle back then, there wouldn’t be eighteen years of peace in the kingdom and no injured giant dragon.”

Roy spoke sincerely.

But it was this sincerity that made Robber feel even more guilty.

In the values of the kingdom’s nobility, honor outweighed life, which outweighed wealth.

Robber had been a typical young Lionheart in his youth, fighting fiercely for a few titles.

Now, with Roy displaying such magnanimity, it only made him more anxious.

This kid actually ended up comforting him, in terms of knightly spirit, he really inherited that from Karl. Robber felt helpless inside.

For a king with an enormous sense of pride, bowing to a younger generation should have been impossible.

But now, he was willing to make an exception for Roy.

“No, I must apologize to you.”

“The incident with Leo was due to my poor discipline. The matter with the fire dragon was my fault back then. You corrected my mistakes.”

“At the same time, I also want to thank you.”

“Charlotte has already told me how hard you fought to protect her.”

Robber inhaled deeply, then bowed his head sincerely to Roy, saying, “Thank you for saving her!”

Only in the relationship between rulers and subjects is there a need for formality.

This was a genuine thanks from a father, and to refuse it would be unkind.

Roy held back the polite words he had almost said, reflecting on their escape journey, and his gaze softened.

The boy smiled, “Actually, we saved each other more. If it weren’t for Charlotte, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”

Robber exhaled a breath of relief, his expression finally easing up.

He caught the warmth in the boy’s eyes, but this time, Robber didn’t say anymore.

Being Charlotte’s father, he understood that this boy was indeed trustworthy.

“Alright, I bet you’re tired of all this nonsense. Let’s get to something real.”

“Real?”

“It’s customary in the kingdom to reward accomplishments. Although we can’t give you the honor you deserve, we should at least provide some tangible rewards, right?”

“Well…”

In truth, Roy had a Favor Exchange Zone and Reputation Lottery Zone, so he wasn’t too concerned about loot.

But Robber waved his hand, signaling him not to speak too soon.

“I know you look down on ordinary things.”

“But what if it’s something related to the fire dragon?”

As soon as those words were out, Roy’s eyes lit up.

Robber was pleased with Roy’s reaction and gestured, “Want to take a look?”

“Let’s go!”

Roy couldn’t wait another minute.