Rise of the Legendary Emperor

"Your majesty, you should leave her here"

Before leading the way, Uncle Steve looked at Arrora and said. Uncle Steve read the sickening duel challenging scroll himself and he knew already Don took enough displeasures from his family and he didn't want Arrora to hear the contents of the scroll and think less of Don when or if he declines the challenge.

Because someone from master-level facing a great master was nothing but suicide and he didn't want Don to face Prince Jowan in an impulse.

"She's coming"

By any chance King Harold pulled any tricks, Don needed Arrora to be there with him if he didn't want to reveal his true power. Also until now, they had no idea of Arrora's true power either.

And by seeing Don's face, Uncle Steve realized that he wouldn't leave Arrora behind so he could only sigh inside and nod.

"Follow me, your majesty"

The thunder rumbles and downpour became worse by each second as Don and Arrora followed Uncle Steve to the throne hall.

Along the way, Don noticed many leaks in the walls and water drops falling through the ceiling which showed the castle's old age. Unlike Everlight's castle, Don reached the throne hall from his room in just a couple of minutes.

And the moment he entered the hall, he noticed Uncle Steve frowning looking at Kate and Darlene standing beside King Harold in the hall.

Seeing Don, Uncle Steve, and Arrora, Darlene walked towards Don and handed over the scroll to Don. As he opened the scroll, Don noticed the writing similar to a drunk chicken scratch on the scroll and started to read the contents.

While Don was reading the scroll, Arrora noticed everyone in the hall staring at him differently as Kate had a sneer on her face, Darlene looked at Don without taking her gaze away from him while Uncle Steve looked more and more nervous and uneasy for some reason.

Don would have given the man who wrote this scroll a trophy if he's here since any man would have accepted the challenge for duel after reading this scroll. Clearly the Agorians spent enough time thinking many insults, rhyming words, and all kinds of abuses that could make a man's blood boil before writing.

However, Don and Knight had heard and seen worse, much worse than this while they were in the divine continent so the Agorian's effort to make Don accept the challenge was nothing but a waste of their time and Don's.

"I decline"

Kate almost coughed up blood when she saw the calm look on Don's face when he said that even after reading the scroll in front of all the girls.

She expected Don to accept the challenge in rage or at least tear the scroll to pieces before declining yet he looked calm and cool like he didn't care about the insults at all.

Just like Kate, Darlene was shocked too seeing his face. There wasn't even a hint of anger in his eyes. And even though he didn't have a chance at beating Prince Jowan with his cultivation level, Darlene expected some sort of reactions from Don before declining the challenge.

"Aren't you at least a little bit angry?"

Kate couldn't keep her mouth shut seeing Don's calm face as Don handed over the scroll to Uncle Steve and shrugged

"Don't be crazy Kate. Don't you know what'll happen to Don if he met a great master in a battle?"

Arrora knew the great master she meant wasn't anyone but herself and it was clearly a warning to Don if he tried to double-cross her.

Every time Don sees Darlene acting cocky, he could understand that Darlene didn't really want his help because no one would behave like this to a person who is helping her and he couldn't wait to know more about the person or people who are behind Darlene.

"Do you know what this means, King Don?" King Harold asked.

Suddenly a loud sound of explosion reverberated throughout the castle and everyone standing on the throne hall felt the castle ground shaking a bit before Don could answer King Harold.

"What's happening?"

King Harold knew it was not the sound of thunder but the sound of an explosion coming from nearby.

The guards immediately came into the throne hall and formed a defensive formation around everyone especially King Harold and his daughters.

While the guards were standing in their formation, a servant girl drenched in rain rushed into the hall with a panic stricken face.

"Your majesty, Riya...gone"

The servant girl couldn't form a proper sentence even in front of her king in fear and shock as Uncle Steve stepped forward and patted the girl on her head 

"Relax, tell us what happened"

She was still shivering and shaking mostly because of the shock rather than the cold as she took a few moments before answering to Uncle Steve 

"The explosion...it happened in Riya's room, my lord"

"What?! You mean Prince Nikalas's room"

The girl nodded as Uncle Steve's muscles went rigid and felt a sudden coldness hit his core

"Steve!"

King Harold's shout brought back Uncle Steve from his shock as he quickly turned to look at King Harold and 

"Your majesty, she says the explosion happened in Prince Nikalas's room"

Hearing Uncle Steve and looking at the shivering girl, King Harold rushed towards Nikalas's room followed by his guards and the princesses disregarding Don and Arrora who were standing there.

"Let's go and see what's happening"

Don looked at Arrora and followed King Harold with Uncle Steve and the servant girl.

Prince Nikalas's room was located at the far end of the castle near the servants' quarters away from the members of King Harold's family.

To get to Nikalas's room, they had to step out of the castle in the rain and go through the gardens. As they got closer to his room, the smell of burnt wood and smoke started to fill the air. Don could see in the distance that the orange flames were still engulfing the room and surrounding area despite the heavy downpour. The maids, servants, and guards were running around and pouring buckets of water onto the flame to stop it from growing.

"Useless"

Darlene said when she saw the efforts of the maids, servants and the guards as she raised both of her hands towards the fire.

"Aqua blast"

The moment she cast the spell, a huge ball of water formed on her hand as she threw the water ball at the burning building. Aqua blast was much more effective than the downpour and the buckets of water combined as the fire was put out by Darlene's spell with a loud hissing sound.

Since the fire was put down the only light source they had was the lighting but fortunately, some guards arrived with a bunch of torches. Seeing the burnt place nobody could guess how the explosion happened. The old brick walls still stand, blackened around the empty openings that were once doors and windows before the fire.

"Your majesty"

King Harold heard a guard calling him as Uncle Steve rushed towards the source of the voice. The explosion was so powerful as there was no more a distinction between the second floor from the ground floor, except a couple of steel window frames and doorway there was nothing.

While navigating through the ruins, Uncle Steve saw a couple of guards lifting something from the ground but when he stepped closer, he was welcomed by a dreadful scene.

"Prince Nikalas"

The guards were carrying Prince Nikalas or his burnt body with his wheelchair but before Uncle Steve could breathe again, he saw another group of guards carrying a second body then the third body. He could only assume that the small body was Riya, the maid girl and the other one was Vivian since their bodies were completely or mostly burnt. 

"Poor souls"

Uncle Steve never expected that this would happen to these three good people 

"Place them there" he pointed at the empty place away from the burnt portion of the building while Uncle Steve turned back to go to King Harold and tell him the unfortunate news.

"Steve"

Seeing Uncle Steve coming towards him King Harold shouted at him because of the sound of thunder and downpour.

"Your majesty, they are gone. Prince Nikalas, his mother, the servant girl all of them"

"Oh, did you see how the explosion started?"

Don and Arrora were surprised and shocked to see King Harold's reaction to the grave news that Uncle Steve just brought. Not only King Harold, but the princesses too seemed very calm and it was clear to Don by looking at their faces, they couldn't care less about Nikalas or his mother or Riya.

"No, your majesty I didn't"

There was a hint of anger and frustration in Uncle Steve's voice as he said

"That guy might have drawn the wrong rune"

Prince Kate said to King Harrold as he nodded his head

"What a bitch"

Fortunately, the sound of thunder prevented Kate from hearing Arrora but Don did and he thought the same

"Let the guards be on full alert tonight I don't want this to happen to my family"

"He's your family too"

Uncle Steve mumbled under his breath as King Harold shouted at the guard beside him

"I want a full report on what happened here tomorrow. I want to know this happened accidentally or someone did this"

"Well I'm going to bed now" as she said, Kate walked away from the scene with few guards following behind her without even noticing the bodies lying on the ground just a few feet away from her path.

"As far as I can tell, it's them"

After Kate left Princess Darlene went to take a look at the bodies and after a few moments she came back and said

"We should go inside Darlene before you catch a cold"

"They are something else"

Arrora said when she heard King Harold and saw the father-daughter duo leaving the scene without a hint of sadness or remorse on their faces.