Time passed slowly. The sky was gradually darkening, and sunset had arrived.
The scorching heat of the day was slowly turning into a freezing cold. The wind blew gently, and the sound of ocean waves could even be heard from here.
Daniel’s gaze was fixed on Drael. His expression was indifferent, but curiosity was visible in his eyes. Until now, they hadn’t really had a proper chance to talk.
But now was the time. Time to finally have a real conversation and see whether he could hire this boy or not.
"Are you really from that kingdom?" Daniel asked his first question, the one he’d been suspicious about from the start. The boy’s behavior didn’t resemble that of a noble at all.
In fact, his attitude and demeanor were more like a village boy who had suffered a terrible mental trauma, one that still cast a shadow over him.
"Are you really that curious about my background?" Drael asked mockingly.
"I’m curious about everything about you. This is the first time I’ve seen someone without any combat skills. I’m also curious how you managed to rank up without killing monsters."
Of course, Daniel already had a few guesses about that last part.
"I really am from that kingdom," Drael sighed, "but I’m not a noble or anything close to it."
This man had already saved his life several times. Drael wasn’t stupid, he could tell Daniel had hidden motives. Most likely, Daniel was trying to recruit him or something similar, which explained why he was trying to build a better relationship with him.
But at first, Drael didn’t want to break the wall he had built around himself. He didn’t want to make friends again or get close to anyone. The last time he did that, things ended terribly.
"But you control that kingdom now, don’t you?" Daniel asked with a smile. Every time this boy mentioned that kingdom, it sounded like he was talking about his servants and slaves.
"That’s right. The current king is nothing more than my puppet."
"I’d love to hear how you managed to take control of an entire kingdom at such a young age."
Drael hesitated for a while and closed his eyes. He seemed unsure whether he should answer or not. He knew that if he didn’t, this man might not save him the next time he was in danger, and he could actually die.
Unfortunately, manipulating or controlling Daniel’s mind was impossible. The only way was through building trust.
It seemed like he had no choice.
"I was just the son of one of the castle guards. I grew up around the royal stables, taking care of horses... The royal children often came there to ride."
"That’s how I got to know them. Over time, I even became friends with them, especially with the princess. We were really close."
"You could say we were childhood sweethearts. Even when we played with the other kids, I was always the one who played the role of her husband. We always said we’d marry when we grew up."
"But those were just stupid childish dreams. Back then, we didn’t understand how vast the distance between us was, like the distance between the sky and the earth. A distance that couldn’t be crossed."
"As we grew older, we drifted apart. Eventually, she was sent away for summer studies and training at the Royal Academy of the Elthanor Empire."
"That was when I learned that she had completed her Awakening and gained great talent." Drael paused to let Daniel process what he said.
Then, with a sarcastic smirk, he looked up at the sky. It was hard to tell if he was angry or amused.
"At the time, I thought we’d grown even further apart... until I succeeded in completing my Awakening too! I gained impressive abilities! I thought the gods had finally blessed me, that I was now worthy of marrying the princess."
"But you realized your talent had nothing to do with combat, right? Something that others would probably mock or look down on," Daniel said, laughing loudly. He could already guess where this story was heading.
"That’s right. Even I was disappointed in myself. When I had to enter the Tower, I thought I would die. But who could’ve guessed that my ability would let me control the minds of other Awakened? That I could manipulate them however I wanted, make them do whatever I told them?"
"That was when I realized my power. I ordered them to clear the first floor of the Tower, to bring the final monster to its knees. But I was the one who delivered the final blow."
"When I came back, I started taking control of officials, the royal family, even the guards."
"My influence grew beyond belief. Those useless pigs were so easy to blackmail. I put leashes on them one by one until they completely fell under my control."
"At that point, I was sure I could finally achieve my dream, to marry the princess. After all, I secretly held power over most of the royal family." Drael sneered arrogantly.
"I just had to wait for her to return. And finally, the day I had been waiting for came. My childhood love came back! But what happened wasn’t what I expected." His eyes filled with bitterness.
"Let me guess," Daniel said, smiling mockingly. "A noble from the Empire fell in love with her and tried to marry her by force. She refused because she loved you, and that noble killed her. Now you’re trying to get revenge."
It wasn’t hard to guess such a cliché story, though Daniel didn’t mind that. It made it easier to figure out how to control this boy.
"Not quite," Drael said. "A noble from the Empire did fall for her, but she also fell for him. They even agreed to get engaged, and she came back home to announce it to her family."
"Do you know how furious I was when I heard that? That whore dared to betray me! Me! A worthless insect dared to betray me!"
"So I slaughtered her! I sent her body to that noble. Though I didn’t expect him to have the guts to take revenge. While I was conquering the second floor of the Tower, that noble massacred my entire family."
"When I came back, my father, mother, and sister were all dead! That bastard was the one who did it! So I swore I’d take revenge on him one day."
"I took the opportunity and killed the queen in her sleep, framing it so that it looked like the king did it. After all, I had him drugged so badly that he couldn’t tell reality from illusion. That fool had no choice but to obey me now."
"And that’s the answer to all your questions." Drael sighed in relief, taking a deep breath. It had been a long time since he’d felt this free.
He had needed to tell someone all of this.
"....."
Daniel couldn’t believe what he had just heard.