Zevan lowered his head as he tried to appear non-existent in the courtroom. King Harald occupied his throne while he faced his trusted men with a somber mood. The death of his mighty men was a big blow to him and he was now filled with vengeance. 

Although he mourned the death of the brave men, his ego had dealt a bigger blow. Someone out there had challenged him blatantly and being a conceited king who prided on his powers more than anything, King Harald was livid.

King Harald had called for the court session the moment they finished holding a funeral ceremony for the deceased. The deaths were not simple and they now had to come up with plans to protect themselves as well as avenge the deaths of the brave martyrs.

Zevan peeked at Prince Jareth who was seated right below the King's throne towards the right. Just like his father, he too was a bumptious man. He was ruthless to his siblings who were eying the throne like hungry wolves even though he had already been declared the crown prince long ago.

However, neither the father nor the son were malicious people. They were good rulers and never harmed any innocent. 

Zevan's eyes met the Prince's who was already looking at him and he flashed him a sympathetic smile. They were in a precarious situation. The sudden deaths of twenty-seven people had put them in a fix, especially when they did not know who the culprit was. It would be arduous to track down the mastermind and handle them, which no doubt was perilous.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of twenty-seven brave warriors." King Harald started and clouds of melancholy hovered over the courtroom. "They were tortured beyond belief before they were killed. We do not know who killed them and what their motive was. However, they have provoked us by touching our people and we will not sit still and do nothing."

King Harald's expression grew increasingly fierce as he spat in anger. He was one of the most powerful sorcerers in Meadel and had good control over his emotions. Even in the most dangerous situations, he had remained calm and steadfast. However, his state of mind was anything but calm at that moment and due to the fluctuations in his emotions, his powers were threatening to unleash and wreak havoc.

"I wish to catch the person behind this massacre and show them who they have provoked. In this regard, does anyone have any suggestions?"

King Harald ran his eyes, making sure to look at everyone in the courtroom. All the strongest warriors and powerful sorcerers were present in the room and their opinions mattered significantly before they formulated a plan.

Nobody spoke a word for a moment. Sensing everyone's troubled and chaotic thoughts, Master Elion stood up, garnering everyone's attention to him.

"Your Majesty, it surely is saddening to our men viciously murdered. We must avenge those valiant souls. However, in this regard, we should also not forget how formidable our enemy is." Elion reminded. "Since they were able to send our men back accurately without appearing themselves, they are more formidable than we can comprehend. We will have to be meticulous and astute."

A stunned silence fell inside the courtroom, the gravity of the situation falling heavily on their shoulders. Nobody spoke as they tried to comprehend the truth.

It was not unusual to have sorcerers who could manipulate space. There were quite a few in the courtroom who could teleport and even could bring a few people with them. However, no one in the kingdom of Meadel could teleport other people without accompanying them. Just this power alone was enough to discern how formidable the enemies were.

"Master Elion, do you have any suitable approach for our problem?" Prince Jarett queried, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Although I do have a plan, I am uncertain if it is suitable or not." Elion gave him a helpless look and glanced at Zevan, scaring the hell out of him with the brief stare.

'Why is Master looking at me? What is he planning?' Zevan wondered, his thoughts running wild immediately. 'I hope his plan does not involve me. I do not want to be in charge of such a huge matter.' Zevan begged, giving his Master an aggrieved expression. 

However, his master was oblivious to it. He instead, focused his attention on King Harald.

"Your Majesty, it is impossible for us to know who murdered our men without any clues. I am thinking of contacting the warriors and sorcerers stationed on the outskirts of the kingdom to check if they know anything.

"What if they do not know anything, Master Elion?" The Prince butted, quirking his brow challengingly.

"If I were to receive an unfavorable response from them, then…" 

Zevan observed his master swallow in nervousness. The tension in the courtroom was thick and palpable as everyone waited for the old master to continue.

"Then?" King Harald prompted.

"Then, I was thinking of using Soul Avenge Spell."

King Harald stood up in shock. Even Prince Jarett was flummoxed and he followed his father's actions. The people in the courtroom were in disbelief and it took them some time to digest what the old master had just said.

"Elion, do you even realize what you just spoke?" King Harald reprimanded the man harshly, his tone increasing to an all-time high in fury. The people shivered as they tried to make themselves less prominent before the king. Although this was not the first time he had lost his temper, it was still bone-chilling and nobody wanted to be at the receiving end of his wrath.

Climbing down the stairs in a hurry, King Harald stood before Elion and glowered over him, his eyes filled with insurmountable rage.

"Do you not know how fierce and strong the spell is? Do you want to sacrifice other people in the kingdom as well?" He seethed and Elion lowered his head immediately.

"How is it us avenging our brave warriors? We are only killing more people." King Harald had never been infuriated with Elion. To him, the old man was impeccable and wise and never did anything wrong or out of the line. However, today, he had crossed his bottom line, forcing Harald to lose his calm.

"I understand your concerns, Your Majesty. However, what other options do we have? How else are we going to track the people responsible for our warriors' deaths? Does anyone here have a better idea? Please do propose it if you have any."