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Ainsworth thought back to what the knight had said a few minutes earlier.

\'Father is a high-level Awakened; he is the strongest person I know… How could there be someone stronger than him?\'

Some years back, a young Ainsworth had watched Aldric take down a King-tier beast with his bare hands. A young Ainsworth had been fascinated, proud, and even believed his father was the strongest person in the human domain. How naive he had been. Who would have thought there was an entity countless times stronger than his father?

The reason Ainsworth believed Arthur was countless times stronger was that it was impossible for his father to deal with the powerful experts in the kingdom alone. He recognized that his father, despite being a high-level Awakened, relied on alliances and strategies to maintain his position.

Aldric had to tread carefully around the powerful noble houses and even the royal family, always weighing his decisions. But…

Arthur was different—he operated beyond those political limitations.

It was safe to say Ainsworth\'s pride was wounded. How could someone like Arthur exist in the same world as his father? And if Arthur could do such things, where did that leave the rest of them?

Was that the reason that girl was so arrogant? Because her father was the strongest human?

Ainsworth clenched his fists, and his pacing grew more intense. Then he stopped as a smile slowly appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with sadistic delight. "That\'s all the more reason I want her so badly."

"There\'s nothing quite like putting an arrogant girl in her place." The smile on Ainsworth\'s face widened. "Fortunately, the coming-of-age ceremony is just around the corner… That will be the perfect stage."

---

The atmosphere inside the king\'s office was tense as two men stared at each other. After taking a deep breath, Nathan finally began, his gaze never leaving King Aldric\'s eyes.

"Something strange is happening in the west," Nathan spoke in a low but firm voice. "The magic beasts of the west have been becoming more and more restless over the past few years."

Aldric furrowed his brows when he heard this. At first, he hadn\'t seemed enthusiastic about receiving the \'mad dog of the west.\' Now that it was revealed that the reason for Nathan\'s visit concerned his kingdom, Aldric paid the old man his full attention.

Tapping the armrests with his long, elegant fingers, he listened intently.

Nathan continued, his tone grim. "For some strange reason, they\'re coming closer to the towns. At first, I thought it was only our barony, but that wasn\'t the case. All the other towns are facing the same predicament."

"In fact, they\'re in a much worse situation compared to our town, and—"

Before Nathan could continue, King Aldric interjected.

"They\'re just magical beasts. Are the people of the west so weak that they can\'t deal with those beasts by themselves?" The king hid a smirk on his face, his tone filled with thinly veiled disdain. Then he added with undisguised mockery, "This is nothing like the legendary mad dog I\'ve heard about… Could it be all those legends are fabricated?"

Nathan tightened his grip on the armrest, a low crunch echoing as his eyes flickered with a spark of anger. He calmed himself down a moment later, his thoughts drifting back to the former king, Aldric\'s father.

That man would never have mocked him. They were comrades who had fought together in the war. It was so unfortunate he had died some years back under a series of strange circumstances, giving the throne to this self-entitled brat. Nathan sneered in disdain. This so-called king didn\'t even come close to his peak.

To the king\'s dismay, Nathan controlled himself and didn\'t lash out.

\'Tsk, I would\'ve finally had a reason to imprison him. Stupid old man.\' Aldric sneered inwardly.

"These aren\'t just ordinary magical beasts," Nathan snapped, forcing himself to maintain composure. "They\'re organized and are stronger than usual. An intermediate-tier beast is almost as strong as a King-tier beast."

Aldric\'s finger ceased tapping, the smirk slowly fading from his face, replaced by a contemplative look.

An intermediate-tier beast that was as strong as a King-tier? It was the first time he had heard something like this. The only beasts he knew of that were more powerful than their ranks suggested were elemental beasts.

Seeing the king\'s attention, Nathan pressed on, striking while the iron was hot. "If we don\'t act soon, we could be looking at a beast invasion—one that even the nobles of the east won\'t be able to stop. From the beasts\' movement patterns, I have a hunch something or someone is luring them to the settlements."

A moment later, he added in a sharp, urgent tone, "If we can figure out the source, we might have a chance to stop it before it escalates."

Aldric leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He still wasn\'t entirely convinced, but Nathan\'s reputation as the \'Mad Dog of the West\' wasn\'t built on baseless warnings. If Nathan was concerned, it meant the situation was far more severe than he had initially thought.

"If it\'s as you say, then I\'ll submit it as a quest to the Adventurer\'s Guild for them to check it out and conduct the necessary investigation," King Aldric casually stated. "You\'re dismissed."

"Thank you." Nathan stood and made a low bow before walking toward the door. Before he could open it, the king\'s voice called out from behind, drawing Nathan\'s attention.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you," the king said, his scheming green eyes gleaming. "There is an upcoming event in the grand arena a few days from now. I was planning to invite all the important nobles to attend it, but since you\'re here, would you consider attending?"

Staring into those eyes, Nathan knew the king was probably scheming something again. And since he still had unfinished business in the capital, he nodded.

"I\'ll be there."

Then he left, closing the door behind him.

"The ceremony is the best place to show all these nobles and commoners that the royal family is still superior to everyone," King Aldric muttered to himself, his eyes burning with determination.