While Lucas was living his first outdoor experiences with Arden, the royal procession slowly progressed towards the Royal Manor of Kirven.

  The Ingriss family owned several huge mansions scattered throughout the kingdom. Even if none of the mansions matched the splendor of the royal domain, they still carried that calm and imposing nobility typical of the Ingriss.

  When the first carriage reached the mansion gate, the large doors opened with a faint metallic squeak.

  The Royal Manor of Kirven, built of white stone, was distinguished by its finely carved columns, and its dark blue slate roof that reflected sunlight. Beautiful flower gardens surrounded the mansion, and the main driveway was lined with perfectly maintained trees.

  At the foot of the wide stone steps leading to the entrance, a man in his fifties, with long brown hair streaked with a few white locks, and brown eyes, waited patiently.

  It was Count Webster, a five-circle mage. Dressed in a long black coat with white patterns, he had a straight and confident posture. His personal advisor and a dozen county knights stood by his side.

  When the Count heard the creak of the entrance gate, an cold thought crossed his mind:

  "I always wonder how his Majesty heard of these stories of kidnappings... they're just a insignificant people who disappeared, he has no personal reason to get involved."

  While the count was still unhappy with the royal intervention, an expression of surprise appeared on his face when he counted the number of carriages that arrived through the entrance of the mansion.

  "Hmm... wait. Why are there so many carriages, shouldn't His Majesty send a simple secretary?" He thought.

  While the count was absorbed in his thoughts, his advisor approached him and whispered a few words in his ear.

  "My Lord, look at the emblem on the armor... those are royal guards," he said in a calm voice.

  "His Majesty certainly sent a member of royalty. It looks like he suspects something... what should we do?" He asked in a slightly worried tone.

  The count felt a slight tension in the air, but he kept an impassive expression, and answered calmly:

  "Don't worry Bernard. We should rather consider ourselves lucky... none of those monsters are there. "

  Afterwards, the count remained silent for a moment, before swallowing his saliva.

  Then in a slow and heavy tone, he added:

  "Because if that were the case, we would already be overwhelmed by their terrifying auras. "

  While the Count was talking with his advisor, the first carriage arrived in front of the steps of the mansion and stopped in a slight squeak. The other two carriages of the procession followed and stopped in turn, forming an impeccable line in front of the steps of the mansion.

  As soon as the carriages stopped, the guards dismounted from their horses, then with a quick and precise movement, they took position in front of the central carriage.

  A few seconds later, the doors of the carriage opened, and a heavy breath escaped from it.

  In a heavy silence, Dayvon slowly got off the carriage. His mere presence immediately imposed silence and respect.

  When they saw Dayvon, all those who accompanied the Count felt a tension in the air, and they exchanged discreet glances.

  Bernard, feeling this pressure in the air, turned to the Count slightly worried, but he froze on the spot when he saw the expression he was making.

  The count's eyes gleamed with malicious impatience, and behind his hand that he had placed in front of his mouth, a wide mischievous smile formed on his lips.

  "Ohh his Majesty, what a genius you are! Sending me the young prince in place of a high-ranking man... even I would not have made a mistake as crazy as yours," he thought mischievously.

  When the Count noticed that Dayvon would soon be close to him, he regained his calm and displayed a confident attitude, while leaving a confident and diplomatic smile on his lips.

  "I really thank the king for this magnificent gift, my heart is now soothed. I really can't wait to break this young lamb sent by the king," he thought with a happy look.

  In a few moments, Dayvon, followed by his two knights, arrived a few steps from Count Webster.

  With his eyes closed, and not paying any attention, the Count carelessly stretched his hand towards Dayvon, while displaying a confident smile on his lips.

  "I'm sorry Your Highness, but don't blame me. Rather blame your father who sent such a young boy to such a place," he thought with a relaxed look.

  But as the Count waited for a handshake from Dayvon, an icy and imposing voice echoed in the air.

  "Wait... don't tell me you're serious about your greetings? "

  At these words, an icy aura suddenly spread in the air.

  The Count, surprised by this sudden energy, felt that his fingers began to tremble.

  So the Count decided to reopen his eyes, but as soon as he opened them, he froze on the spot.

  His arrogant expression disappeared in an instant, when his gaze met Dayvon's red eyes who stared at him with a chilling and murderous glow.

  "Your... Ma-majesty ?" He breathed unconsciously.

  But before the Count realized these words, Dayvon's calm but sharp voice resounded again:

  "Count Webster... I would advise you to withdraw your hand."

  "I will be sad if a mage of your caliber lost his hands... we would certainly lack competent mage in the East. "

  At these words, the Count immediately withdrew his outstretched hand, before bowing quickly, while placing his hand against his chest.

  "Your Highness... I... I..." he began, quickly looking for words of apology.

  When the Count found the right words to apologize, and opened his mouth to express himself, Dayvon passed by him without giving him the slightest look.

  His steps were calm, and imposing.

  The Count, still bent over, felt a shiver run down his spine when Dayvon's cape brushed his arm.

  During this moment, the silence in the courtyard had become heavy, and all those who were part of the Count's reception committee had their heads down.

  Dayvon began to climb the steps of the mansion slowly, the pressure around it increasing with each of his steps.

  "You know Count Webster. By coming here I already saw us having enriching discussions... but, you frankly disappointed me," Dayvon began in a voice that was both slow and sharp.

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  Count Webster felt his throat tighten, and no one around him dared to move.

  Only the sound of the breeze echoed in the air.

  "According to our information, your County has recently faced an exponential increase in disappearances," Dayvon continued in a calm voice.

  "I hope your teams are doing meticulous investigations, Mr. Count. "

  Hearing this, the count straightened up, turned to the steps of the mansion, and put his right hand on his chest while tilting his head slightly.

  "In this regard, your Highness..."

  But as soon as the Count had uttered these words, a powerful murderous aura weighed on him.

  "Hey, I never asked you to answer me, damn it. Learn to respect your rank… Count Webster," said Dayvon in an icy voice, without turning his gaze to the Count.

  At Dayvon's words, the Count felt paralyzed by the aura that enveloped him. But despite this, an immense rage developed in his heart.

  "This dirty kid," he thought, while gritting his teeth.

  From the moment Dayvon reached the last step of the mansion, he stopped for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. Behind him, the two knights who followed him closely stopped at the same time as him, but three steps apart.

  "Count Webster, when you get home, immediately send me a report containing all the activities of the last three months of your County," Dayvon said in a calm voice.

  After these words, Dayvon turned his head slightly towards the Count, trying to see his expression. But seeing that he had his head down, an amused smile appeared on his lips.

  "In fact, Count Webster, don't forget to send me the results of the investigations conducted by your teams," he said in a calm voice.

  "I must know if I will investigate normal disappearances, or premeditated kidnappings," he added while displaying an amused smile on his lips.

  Count Webster remained silent and calmly nodded his head in approval. But seeing that, Dayvon's face displayed an annoyed look.

  "Pff, by the way, Count Webster, you can answer me now," Dayvon said in a nonchalant tone.

  Hearing this, the Count clenched his fists before taking a slow breath.

  "I will follow your instructions, your Highness," he replied calmly.

  Listening to the Count's answer, Dayvon thought with a bored look:

  "Hmmm... it looks like this old man is still able to keep his calm."

  "But hey, he will soon no longer be able to keep this attitude calm," he thought, letting a petty smile appear on his lips.

  After the Count's answer, everyone expected Dayvon to enter the manor, but instead he turned around and stared silently at the Count.

  "Ah... by the way, Count Webster," Dayvon suddenly said in a playful tone.

  Surprised by Dayvon's sudden change of tone, Count Webster lifted his head slightly, with a suspicion in his eyes.

  Dayvon, who had deliberately paused his sentence, sketched a subtle petty smile, when his gaze and that of the Count met.

  "At the way Count Webster, I find... hmm how to say," Dayvon began in a calm tone.

  Dayvon stopped for a moment, and touched his chin, pretending to think, before suddenly snapping his fingers.

  "Ahh there you go!" He suddenly said in a playful tone.

  "I was saying that I find it rather tiring to call you -Count Webster- every single time I address you" he said in an amused tone, pretending ignorance.

  "So to remedy this, I find that calling you Webster is more than enough... I hope it doesn't cause you any problems," he added calmly, while staring at the Count with a relaxed look.

  As soon as Dayvon had finished his sentence, Count Webster, seething with rage, suddenly released an immense surge of mana.

  Bernard and the Count's knights were violently crushed by this mana, and all dropped one knee to the ground.

  Seeing this, Dayvon let out a slight sneer and watching the count with an amused expression, clearly enjoying the show.

  "This dirty son of a bitch, I'm going to learn what respect is," thought the Count when he saw Dayvon's amused expression.

  The Count decided to climb the steps of the mansion to confront Dayvon, but as soon as he took a step forward, arms suddenly grabbed him to stop him.

  "Don't do that my Lord, that's exactly what his Highness is looking for. Look around you, and see for yourself," said a calm voice to the Count's ears.

  At these words, Count Webster looked in front of him and noticed that the two knights who escorted Dayvon already had their hands on the handle of their swords, and stared at him impassively, as if to give him a warning.

  Afterwards, the Count turned his head, looking behind him. And at that moment, he noticed that the guards and servants who accompanied Dayvon were not impacted by his mana, but above all, they stared at him with a chilling look.

  Seeing all this, Count Webster took a deep breath, and looked at the knight who had stopped him.

  "Thank you, Ray. Without you, I would have made a serious mistake," the Count said calmly.

  Ray was about fifty years old with blues eyes. He has long gray hair tied in a ponytail and a gray beard.

  "This is my duty as Captain of the Knights, my Lord," Ray replied respectfully.

  Dayvon, hands in his pockets, observed the scene with a faintly amused smile. He stared at Ray for a moment, with special attention, before turning around and moving towards the doors of the mansion.

  "Good luck, dear Webster," he said calmly, waving his hand.

  "With a little luck, Webster... you'll still have your head on your shoulders when I leave this County," he adds in a playful tone.

  "So, let's maintain a good relationship in order to solve this case quickly of disappearance," he said calmly, before disappearing behind the large doors of the mansion.

  As soon as the large doors of the mansion closed, a heavy atmosphere filled the courtyard.

  Count Webster remained motionless, tightly clenching his fists with rage, until his nails penetrated his skin, making a few drops of blood flow on the ground.

  At his side, Bernard and the other knights of the County had their heads down, crushed by shame.

  Only Ray kept his head raised. He calmly stared at the closed doors of the mansion, before letting a slight smile appear on his lips.