Second Arc (His Art of War) – 34. Misunderstandings
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"If there is nothing to talk about anymore, we'll excuse ourselves," said King Gervis. They had just stood up but Angel spoke again.
"King Gervis, I still have something to discuss with you. I hope you can stay." He knew that King Gervis was tired, it was clear from his face, but he still had to ask for clarity why he was determined to wage war even though Asteria's economic conditions were chaotic.
"What else does he want?" thought King Gervis. He took a tired breath and answered.
"Fine," he said as he returned to his seat, while the others bowed and left.
He turned his gaze to King Gervis's assistant.
"Leave us."
The assistant glanced at King Gervis asking for his approval which was answered by a nod. He turned his gaze to Angel and bowed before he came out, leaving the three of them.
As soon as the door closed, Angel reached out his hand to his side and Frost gave him the list of royal treasures. He flipped it over and placed it in front of King Gervis with a disappointed expression.
"King Gervis, may I know why you have to sell a lot of Asteria's treasures just to wage war with me?"
"Don't you already know the answer?" replied King Gervis curtly.
"Because you are afraid I will take revenge on Asteria?" There was a trace of disappointment in his tone.
"Yes."
He let out a sigh as a slight ironic smile appeared on his face. He did not understand why a king could sacrifice his kingdom for his personal reasons.
"I can understand why you hate me. But do you know that your decision almost destroyed Asteria?"
"If you are in my position, I am sure you will do the same. I would rather take the risk than just wait to be attacked by you," King Gervis said without any hesitation in his tone, as if he was sure Angel would take revenge on Asteria.
He sighed tiredly, he knew King Gervis would not believe him.
"I told you I never thought about attacking Asteria."
King Gervis tilted his head and looked at him with a sarcastic gaze.
"Really? But the proof is you attacked us and conquered Asteria."
"Do you think I should keep quiet after what you did to Euphorion?" he said as he glaring at King Gervis. His annoyance was absorbed in his tone.
"You have your duty as King of Euphorion and I have my duty as King of Asteria," King Gervis replied while returning Angel's gaze with his sharp gaze.
"But what did you do to Euphorion just because you were afraid of me. All of that was based solely on your personal fears."
King Gervis was silent, he did not deny his words. He was indeed afraid of him, afraid of his dark power would destroy his family, his kingdom.
Angel sighed again and stretched out his hand before King Gervis, showing his dark aura burning in his hand.
"Are you afraid just because of this power? Do you know that I didn't even know I had this power before Ilex executed me? Why did you blame me for something I didn't know?" he said in disappointment.
King Gervis gave him a condescending chuckled.
" Is it true you don't know it? We both know the fact that you are not Angelus Raizel is undeniable. Now that you have become the King of Euphorion, should you still pretend to be him?"
"If I'm not Angelus Raizel, then can you explain why I can enter the magic room?! " he said irritably. He did not understand why King Gervis continued to deny his identity.
"That's because you used your strange power and broke the barrier!" snapped King Gervis. 
"Do you think Asteria's barrier is that weak ?!" he replied with an escalating tone as his emotions began to provoke.
King Gervis gave him a sarcastic gaze once again.
"Even if you could draw the
King's Sword. I wouldn't believe you are Angelus Raizel! I will never trust anyone who has the power of darkness!" 
He was surprised when he heard King Gervis's words.
"In the end you didn't believe me because of this dark power."

King Gervis paused a moment as he recalled the moment he witnessed the man before him melted a person in front of him.
"Do you think because it was years ago I don't remember? Didn't when you kill the expert magic user, the castle was protected by the 'magic shield'?"

He blinks in confusion, his brows creased atop his forehead as he tried to remember the incident that was meant by King Gervis but nothing.
"When did I kill the magic user in the castle?" he said. During his time as the prince of Asteria, even though he had killed so many enemies, he had never killed anyone in the castle.

King Gervis averted his eyes for a moment and laughed bitterly before returning his gaze back to him.
"Amazing! Are you pretending you don't remember or you really don't remember it because you killed too many people?" he said sarcastically.

"Stop beating around the bush. Explain to me!" he asked impatiently. The confusion overwhelms his mind, he really needs the answer right away.

"After I found you fifteen years ago, I brought in an expert magic user to examine you and you killed him. Do you remember?" King Gervis explained as calmly as possible, even though each time he recalled the incident he shuddered. A seven-year-old boy can kill someone without leaving trace as if that person's presence was never there.

"Fifteen years ago I was seven years old. How could I kill someone?" he asked. Although the tone sounded flat, his eyes trembled in bewildered.

"Do I need to tell it in detail so you'll remember it? You melted him until nothing left. Do you remember now? "

"I killed a magic user after father's death? Why don't I remember anything?"
For him, whether King Gervis believed he was Angelus Raizel or not, it was no use for him. He didn't plan to return to his family anyway. But the fact that he had killed someone at such a young age was bothering him. More than that, he melted it like he was using his current power. He remembers after he regained consciousness fifteen years ago, he did not feel any changes. The only thing that changed was his hair color.

Seeing the confusion clearly visible on Angel's face, King Gervis sighed. He didn't know Angel pretended or not, but one thing that was clear, his crime by pretending to be his nephew was unforgivable.
"If you still wanted to pretend to be Angelus Raizel, I don't mind. But to me, my nephew died fifteen years ago with my brother." He had been looking for his nephew for fifteen years and there were no results. He thought it was time for him to accept the fact that the real Angelus Raizel had died together with his brother.

"I really don't remember anything about that incident," he said, trying to convince King Gervis, even though he knew it would be futile.

"Whether you remember it or not, it did not matter for me. Besides, Asteria has become yours, your goal has been achieved, " said King Gervis as he frowning in sorrow at his failure to protect Asteria. Then, without further ado, he stood up from his chair and left.

Seeing King Gervis leave, he rose from his chair.
"King Gervis I never thought of conquering Asteria like this before. You were the one who forced me to do it." He even had not thought of becoming a king before, the only thing he hoped to protect was his father's kingdom but he ended up conquering it.

King Gervis stopped in his tracks, Angel's words sounded like cheap lies that even small children would not believe. He turned to him.
"Really?" he said in a sarcastic tone before he left.

Angel paused as he saw King Gervis come out of the study. His hands clenched as he tried to contain overflowing emotions in him. Of course, no one will believe what he is saying now. He had conquered Asteria, his dark power caused a misunderstanding of his identity. What else can he explain? Isn't he a villain who needs to be removed from the beginning?

Frost glanced at Angel. He could feel Angel's dark power was unstable as his emotion flooded him.
"Your Majesty," he said worriedly.

Angel took a deep breath trying to calm himself but somehow it was not enough. A place immediately crossed his mind.
"I'll take a short walk. You don't need to follow me."

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