Chapter 88 - Aerius's sense of smell is too strong

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The old man moved forward along Vlad's back and just looked around in silence, observing his new surroundings and taking in the atmosphere of this bustling city.

Moving out of the harbor, he saw the orderly manner the buildings were built, and all having good stone material.

'How can this place be turned in such a manner in just some years. Who are those guys?'

Asked the old man inside his head as he passed some streets that were as clean as he remembered being in other places.

"Hey you two. Do you need some help? Food or some clothing?"

The old man focused on who asked this and spotted a young man around his 20s wearing simple clothes who moved closer to them. When that young man asked that, he captured the attention of other citizens who looked at Vlad and Tius.

'The way they look at me and this lad, is so different from the Dawn or how the nobles would look at simple people. There's not even a drop of disdain in their look, as if they also know the state we two are.'

"Thank you for asking but we don't need it."

"Are you sure, look at you man, you're so frail as if you had it hard for some weeks. If you want I can get you to my working place and see if the boss would take you in."

Vlad smiled at the guy who tried to help them but still shook his head, thanking him for his kindness.

Then after that, they moved along toward the district exit. Along the way, the old man stopped him for a brief moment when he looked in the direction of the castle gates and where Aldenis Mansion was.

"What is that building in the distance?"

Hearing the old man ask him that, he also turned his head and noticed the top part of the University building.

"That one is a hungry beast that has dried my budget to be completed. I'll explain it to you once we visit it for good. Now let's get going, we still have a bit more to walk."

As he ended saying that, he started walking without stopping, at all of the old man's words of awe when seeing how clean and ordered the district was. Arriving at the newly build gates, the old man saw a group of men that had some riffles to their sides patrolling around the gates in a disciplined way.

"You even trained your soldiers?"

"Those? They aren't soldiers, but the guards tasked with the safety of the citizens and the order of the city. Let's say some crime happens they will be the ones notified and tasked with taking care of the problem."

"Impressive. They really look though." laughed the old man a bit with a smile on his face when seeing the police force patrolling the streets.

"Of course they should be. Some of them are criminals. Remember that I took down the syndicates? Some of those guys are the guys I spared."

"Aren't you afraid that they will betray you in the future?"

"Betray me? Them? Haha, before they get the chance of betraying me, their squad leaders would squash them apart. Otherwise, if news reaches my ears they will suffer worse than the simple guard who betrayed me."

"Ahh, it kind of reminds me of the royal guard of the King."

"Hmmm, I don't know their system, but it shouldn't be too different I guess."

Moving out of the district gates, the old man saw many farms outside of the city gates where many young boys and adults worked the fields. He was left without words at this sight as he moved forward.

Soon as he followed Vlad, he entered a forested path that reminded him of some stories he began remembering.

"Wait, wait. Kid are you sure this is the good path? Aren't we going toward the Forbidden Forest?"

"Hah, you're worrying too much old man. Do you even know why this forest is called Forbidden?"

"Isn't there a slumbering beast inside?"

Vlad laughed a bit, continuing walking toward the forested path.

"That's not a beast old man. It might be slumbering, but a beast he is not. From what I know that slumbering beast you guys are so afraid is a Continental Puller, a great giant for short."

"There's a giant in Kaysang? Why does nobody know about him?"

"It's hard to reach his sleeping spot because it is full of powerful beasts. However, you don't have to worry old man, with me around that giant will not create a ruckus once he wakes up."

"If you say so."

By the time Vlad ended talking about the Continental Puller sleeping inside the center of the Forbidden Forest, they had arrived close to his secluded home situated at the outskirts of the Sun District.

Old Tius saw from the distance that there were three wooden houses. One that seemed to be a small house for only some people, and two bigger houses. The sound of the water stream got in his ears as he got closer to the houses.

Soon, he noticed that this place had people living around from the constant kids' voices, turning to look at Vlad he heard him say.

"Don't worry old Tius, those are just the orphan kids from the district that I took them under my wings. Those two houses are orphanages, that's your job starting tomorrow."

"This. Are you sure lad?"

"There's no problem, those kids will listen to you, otherwise I will discipline them a bit. Now, let's get inside my house and give you some changing clothes before going to the water stream."

The old man nodded his head calmly and followed Vlad inside the wooden house. Once inside, he noticed a gorgeous young lady who had milky white hair seated on a table and reading a book, while on the table was sitting a black cat with four wings and a black eagle head.

When the girl noticed that someone entered and turned her head toward the two of them, he heard her agitated voice as she raised from her seat.

"Vlad, what happened to you that you got in such a state? Let me check on your face."

"Don't worry Sofiya, I'm fine, can't you see me? Come don't get too agitated, you know that my body is different from normal people."

"Don't give me those excuses and let me check on your wounds." said Sofiya as she approached Vlad, continuing by checking around his dirty face and body with her delicate hands.

"Haha, look at you boss, you're looking so bad. Like you're a beggar, even your long hair is no more." commented Aerius while staring at Vlad and old Tius.

Vlad, who looked at Sofiya's face, heard Aerius and replied to him a bit annoyed.

"Little guy, I don't want to hear that from you. I'll dare you pester me about my short hair and see what happens."

Aerius gulped a bit but still laughed a bit at Vlad. While this happened, Vlad, pestered by Sofiya's constant checks, finally had a breather when the white-haired beauty finished her inspection.

"Good, you only have bruises and some minor cuts. You have to tell me what happened in the Dawn after you've finished settling down this old mister."

Sofiya turned to look at the old man and said to him with a slight smile.

"Sir thank you for taking care of this stubborn ox of mines, I'm Sofiya."

"No need for such welcoming for this old beggar. We helped out each other here, haha."

As he said that and shook Sofiya's hand a bit while seeing that Sofiya's face didn't turn disgusted by shaking his calloused and dirty hand. He thought a bit that Sofiya's face looked familiar to an old friend of his and asked her."

"Young girl, you really look familiar to me. Sorry if I may ask but do you have a second name? A family name?"

When Sofiya heard the old man ask her that question, her smiling face shifted, turning serious. Staring at this old man with her emerald-green eyes, she looked at Vlad for a bit who only smiled at her mysteriously.

"My full name is Selentes Sofiya, sir. I doubt you would know about my family."

But as she ended saying that, the old man's hands shook a bit while his face turned a bit emotional before not long talking to himself.

"Selentes. Don't tell me, Charles managed to get alive from that day? But I've heard from those nobles that they targeted all the main families supporting the royal family."

Looking right at Sofiya's face, he asked this time in a tone that she could hear.

"Girl, is your grandfather named Charles? The Duke Selentes? Your hair, eyes, and even facial features are similar to his. Don't try to lie to me little girl."

Ended the old man gaining more certainty of who Sofiya in front of him was.

"Old sir, who exactly are you to know about my grandfather?" asked Sofiya, a bit awkward, while seeing how serious the old man before her was.

When the old man heard Sofiya, his brain blocked, not knowing how to respond.

'Should I tell the kids about my identity? What if they betray me and sell me to the nobles? No, that boy Vlad doesn't seem to be that kind of person after being with him for one day and seeing the way he approached the escape.'

'Even this little girl, if she's this boy partner, she should be a trustful person. However, she might hate me for what happened to her family.'

'Hmm, what is with that cat sniffing at me.'

"Hey Vlad, this old beggar smell is similar to yours and Louis. Could it be that he's also a Vermilion?"

When Vlad, who was watching Sofiya's and old Tius interaction closely, heard Aerius say that, he instantly reacted and asked again.

"What did you just said, Aerius? The old is a Vermilion? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Why should I even lie to you boss?"

'What is this black cat that can tell out my identity? Wait what, this lad, is also a Vermilion? But how? From what I remember Lucius died on that day without having any kids. Could it be that he hid something from me at that time when he acted weird with me?'

"I understand. Hmm, old man, this is a bit uncomfortable to ask, but are you by chance the king who went missing 3 years ago?"

Looking at Vlad and Sofiya calmly, the old man gave a hearty laugh before saying to them while delivering a long sigh.

"Sigh, to think I would be found out in such a weird manner. That's right lad, I'm Vermilion Opheltius, King of Kaysang, well probably former king. So who are you lad, since that small friend of yours also told me something unexpected."

When Vlad heard that, he smiled a bit, now understanding why he felt that throb in his chest and the similarities between him and the old man.

"Heh, that's a defect of his that I still work at repairing. But that's not important for now, let me introduce myself again. I'm called Vermilion Zagreus Vlad."

The old man gave a big smile and laughed heartily, almost turning maniacal while staring at Vlad's dirty face.

"Haha, such unexpected news. It's been almost 16 years since I've smiled like this. Hey lad, have you met your mother?"

"No. But she's still alive, so I will meet her at one point."

"I see, she did well for bringing you up, grandson. Come here, also you granddaughter, let me hug you for a bit."

Not waiting for the two to react, Opheltius walked to Vlad and gave him a healthy hug before taking Sofiya's hand and getting her too in his embrace.

"Kids, I'm really sorry for what happened to your parents. It's because of me and my incompetence that incident happened."

Sofiya and Vlad looked at the old man tearing eyes as he embraced them, and the one who reacted the fastest was Sofiya, who said in a sweet tone to the old man.

"I'm not hating you grandfather Opheltius, I've heard stories about you from my grandfather and I understand you're not a bad person. Don't consume yourself for what happened back then since you've suffered plenty from how you look."

"No child, how can I forget about what happened that day, but I simply couldn't retaliate against those guys, they are too strong. All my calls for support were denied by the World Government. As if they even abandoned me and my kingdom."

Sofiya tried to calm down the old man, but without much success, she signaled to Vlad to also say something, looking a bit angry at him.

"Grandfather, come don't consume yourself. There's still some guards who managed to get out of that incident. Even the noble houses that were loyal to the royal family are still following that line of tradition. You're not alone, I'm here to support you. Heck, even those old guys are still alive to help you out."

As Vlad said that, Opheltius turned to look at Vlad with tears in his eyes, asking him confused.

"Who's still alive that I can call a friend after that incident?"

"Heh, I'll tell you my stories. There's no need to rush ourselves old man but before that let us get cleaned. I'll tell you what you want to know along the way."

"I understand, little Vlad. We will do that then." replied Opheltius while calming his emotions down, smiling at Sofiya and Vlad.

Seeing the old king calmed down, Sofiya smiled slightly before nodding at Vlad, following that, she took some towels and clothes and throwing them at Vlad before they walked to the water stream.

"Little Aerius, sometimes your blunders are quite helpful, and I hope you good luck with Vlad. This time I will turn a blind eye when he trains you."

Aerius fur spiked out when hearing Sofiya's cold tone and rushed to her, getting to her feet and crying a bit.

"Nooo. You have to help me, Sofiya. Don't be like that cold guy who's ruthlessly training me to death."

Hearing Aerius pleading made Sofiya giggle a bit as she walked toward the study room, and while she reopened the book on the table, she added, still laughing softly at Aerius, who acted all pathetic.

"Stop crying, little guy. Aren't you supposed to be the mighty gryphon king? What ruler of skies are you if you are begging at my legs, or are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Shaking his tearing eyes, Aerius said desperately.

"No way, how would I dare do such a thing? I'll go out and check on Robert."

"Sure. Just don't disturb his training." ended Sofiya while waving her hands at Aerius as if she was being disturbed by him.

Aerius quickly moved out of the house, but he said a bit annoyed when he exited the house.

"Hmph, she's just like Vlad when she's reading those books of hers. Let's check on Robert and those brats, maybe it would be more entertaining than just lazing around."

Meanwhile, Vlad and Opheltius arrived at the water stream and began cleaning themselves of the dirt. Along the way, as they were cleaning themselves, Vlad began telling Opheltius stories about his life. From the moment of being an orphan in the Calmaria Island to being a slave of Mayer Loftso.

When old Opheltius heard about that, his face became furious.

"That little piece of shit, after I treated his grandfather and father well, letting them administrate the mines, look at what his cursed spawn actually pulled on my only grandson. You did well little Vlad, killing that fat bastard. Hmph, you should see how lowly his father and grandfather were looking, but at least they were good people and actually helped out the people.

"Don't stress about that old man, you also have a lot of stories to tell me, but this time is my turn. Where was I?"

"You were talking about how you got inside the mine camp and woke inside someone else's building."

"Right, right. Old man, guess who the person sitting beside me was. It was old Nius. Galeot Nius. A smoker addicted old man and also a fan of gambling around."

"Good news, truly good news. I've heard that Nius managed to escape back then, but more information on him I couldn't get from the guys monitoring me. How is he, little Vlad? is he angry at me for what happened in the past?" asked Opheltius, a bit skeptical for how Nius would react at their reunion.

"He might kick your ass a bit, but nothing exaggerated, so look forward to that. Aside from that, he and 3 generals are rebuilding the royal army inside Mayer Loftso mine camps."

"Right, young Gif, Vem and Ramoth also managed to escape with Nius. Good, Kaysang still has it's soul intact. What else little Vlad, go on tell me what else did happen to you."

Like this, Vlad began telling Opheltius how his life in the mine was, not placing much focus on the torture aspect, moving rather quickly to how he got out from the camp to later arriving in Sagletius. Talking a bit about the syndicates incident and moving to the end of the story on how he hunted down Dethel and stumbled on Earl Patrick Cochrane.

"So even Patrick, that annoying guy is still alive after all those years. Grandson, you really are something to gather and bring along all those people back to the kingdom. Sigh, if we manage to solve the noble problem and those assassins, I will let you rule the kingdom.

Just looking back at the district that was once full of criminals and thieves and all short of immigrants to a bustling city, it's enough for me to understand how capable you are."

"That, grandfather I think it's a bad idea to show myself from the start as the new king. I thought for a bit in my spare time on how I would handle this situation with regard to the crown."

"What is on your mind grandson?"

"You should still be the king for a while until the citizens get used to seeing me. This will give them a security feeling to see you again, while I will watch everything from the shadows."

"Sigh, would the people want me back after abandoning them?"

"You're overthinking again grandfather. The image of the king built in the hearts of the people is that of a good monarch, so your comeback will be smooth, aside from exterminating the noble houses that rebelled against you."

"Isn't it a hard word grandson? Exterminating them, isn't that too ruthless little Vlad? There's also innocent people on their side." said old Opheltius stroking his long white beard, cleaning it of dirt while listening to Vlad with great interest.

"That's the easiest choice in my head. But it remains to be seen at that time, on how smooth the entire operation would be."

As they talked for the entire time they were cleaning themselves, Opheltius found more things about Vlad that he didn't find in their earliest interactions, while the similar circumstance could be said by Vlad.

(What Oplhetius thought of Vlad)

'This young boy, he thinks so mature at things, and that coming from only 15 years of age. He might be even more intelligent than Lucius was when he was young. However, his approach on things is quite ruthless at times, he needs someone to balance this trait of his or he will be deemed as a tyrant by the people.'

(What Vlad thought of Opheltius)

'The old man is too pacifistic, which leads to him being betrayed from nowhere by his nobles. If he was more ruthless with those nobles and began taking away their power, such an incident wouldn't have happened in the past. Hmph, to handle such nasty nobles who only think of their own benefits is to straight kill the leaders and directly take the power of the families.

However, I will not enter into an argument with him on this subject. Our approaches as monarchs are different. At times you need a pacifist to make the noble houses not enter into conflict too much, but what Kaysang needs is an Iron Hand to lead them in this brewing chaos.'