Chapter 971 - Head Butting
Emperor Fawkes' laughter rang through the spring gardens. He laughed so hard that the birds dispersed and the Force around him seemed to warp. If it wasn't for certain protections placed around the Palace, maybe the whole of Earth would have heard his laughter.
Leonel's uncle soon made his way to find his father in this state. Quite frankly, he was speechless.
Maybe if Earth was still a Third Dimensional world, Leonel's 'rebellion' would be quite meaningless. There were simply a million and one ways to stamp out whatever hope he had toward fulfilling his goals. There was a limit to what mere mortals could do in that aspect, especially when the Empire had already unified the whole of Earth.
Now that Earth once again had enemies to face toward the outside, the Slayer Legion had returned to their rightful place as the protectors of the Emperor, so there wasn't even this foundation for Leonel to use either. It could be said that if Earth was in the Third Dimension, they would have the luxury of laughing and watching Leonel's ambitions fizzle out. After all, he was their own flesh and blood, sometimes there was no need to be so harsh with family.
But, in this sort of situation, it was much different.
Not only had Earth entered the Fifth Dimension, Leonel clearly had methods of freely travelling between worlds. On top of that, they were well aware that he had a father who was quite unfathomable. And, Leonel's uncle knew well just how much Leonel's mother and loved and what kind of temper she had for certain people.
This was all to say that if Leonel's mother learned of Leonel's ambitions, she would probably directly pass on her position as Crown Princess to him. And, even if Emperor Fawkes voided it, he would end up having to fight both his grandson and his daughter.
If things continued like this, especially since Leonel was a brat who might not be able to see the bigger picture, Earth might suddenly be shaken with internal conflict when their blades should have been pointed toward the outside.
Knowing all of this, despite the fact Galaeron had very rarely questioned his grandfather in his life, he still couldn't help but speak.
"Imperial Father, is… This really a laughing matter?"
Emperor Fawkes sputtered with laughter, his white gold hair shimmering as his emerald irises twinkled.
"Look at that, Galaeron. He's even rubbing off on you. You actually questioned me for once."
Galaeron frowned slightly before his expression became somewhat bitter. Maybe only his father could make his expression warp like this.
"You should learn from that brat a little bit more. You need to be more rebellious. Don't you find it sad that I gave the position of Crown Heir to your little sister and not you? You would think that would have bred at least a little resentment in you. I expected to find some undercurrents brewing, maybe some schemes as you pulled the court to your side.
"How is it that your sister has been gone for decades and yet you've done nothing? I'm quite disappointed."
Galaeron was speechless. His father was lamenting… Him not trying to start a rebellion?
"But… This could…"
The Prince truly had no idea how he should approach this. Leonel's words couldn't have been clearer.
"Yes, yes. That brat finally grew some balls. It's about time."
Galaeron almost choked on air. This was the most vulgar thing he had ever heard his father say. What the hell was going on today?
"Last time he came here, he was far too much of a pansy. He hated me but he hardly even showed it, letting his purpose become warped beneath the ideologies of another. A Fawkes man should think for himself."
"But Imperial Father, he's…" Galaeron shook his head. "… He's being quite shameless…"
This was the best argument Galaeron could think of. It was clear he had been rendered completely speechless by his father.
"Shameless? I think it's the opposite. If he had wanted to, he could slink around in the shadows, never letting anyone know his purpose before he suddenly struck at a critical time. But, he actually came here to issue a direct challenge, what's so shameless about that?"
"That's… not what I mean…"
"You mean resources? Well, the brat is right. I do owe him many birthday presents."
After hearing this, Galaeron really didn't know what to say anymore. He and his own son were like two sane people in a family filled with maniacs. Whether it was his brother-in-law, his nephew, his own little sister, his mother, even… They were all insane. Sometimes he wondered if he had been swapped with another child at some point.
He didn't know why he was so surprised. This was the same father of his who laughed up a lung after he learned that Leonel almost destroyed the Royal Blue Fort.
To put that matter into real perspective, their Ascension Empire had known of the threat of the ocean for a very long time. Royal Blue Fort was one of their most powerful chess pieces toward countering this invasion of sorts. Yet, his father had laughed about it like it was nothing.
Emperor Fawkes finally stopped laughing and shook his head.
"Your vision is still too narrow, Galaeron. The reason he can do this is because he knows his worth. There are still some things that are inconvenient for me to do personally while he's well aware that he's maybe the strongest warrior on Earth right now. The oceanic beasts are just the beginning, another war is coming…
"As long as he's working, who cares if he takes some advantages? That said, he'll still have to pay a price for leaving us behind to go and chase skirts."
Galaeron's expression twitched, suddenly remembering that Leonel had mentioned White City before he left.
Emperor Fawkes burst into another fit of laughter, this one even more uproarious than the last.
"He likes his moral high ground so much, right? I'd like to see what he does when that moral high ground is exactly what's holding him back from taking what he wants."
Galaeron felt a headache coming on. He really wasn't ready to deal with the logistics of head butting between a Prince and the Dove Grand Prime Minister family.
[Just one more chapter coming later today... dkm...]