178 Midges (2/2)

Even inside, the royal pavilion was not particularly luxurious: in the centre there was only a huge table, on which there was a large number of maps, some rolled up, and others unfolded and stacked on each other.

Behind the table, Helial saw the man whom he had seen riding the black horse in the heat of battle. He was staring at the maps with a frown.

Crater nodded slightly: ”Your Majesty.”

Taking his eyes off the maps, the man turned his divine-like gaze towards Crater and smiled: ”General.”

Three young men, waiting by the table, greeted Crater with the same salute used by the guards outside. Despite their seriousness, their eyes were shining in the shadows, bright, as if they had just received the best news of their life.

Crater spoke, without too many preambles: ”This young man seems to have good skills. His vigour is nothing special but, if trained well, he would certainly be an excellent member of the Royal Guard.”

Alexander examined Helial from head to toe.

His deep and inquisitive gaze should have made any living thing on the face of the earth shake, but Helial was not in the least upset by it. The boy, during his life, had already dealt with characters much more terrifying than the one in front of him.

That reaction was not usual. How arrogant could be a boy who looked into the eyes of a sovereign, without the slightest hint of fear? The King increased the pressure of his Aura to test Helial's potential.

The other three, just before, had almost shat in their pants under the inquisitive gaze of their King.

Uh? Feeling a suffocating pressure enveloping his body, Helial smiled crookedly and released all the terrifying power of the Legacies he possessed. He would never have been able to face Alexander in a fight, but if he thought of scaring only with his Aura he was very wrong.

In Helial's blood there were parts of Qilin's blood, and his flesh had been forged like that the strongest creatures in the Universe possessed. Not even a Dragon at his Phase could make him look away or frighten him.

Alexander remained silent and Crater looked in amazement at the young man, who had not blinked at the enormous pressure exerted by King.

”I would be honoured to join your guard. I need to harden my body,” said Helial, taking the initiative and walking forward.

Crack

The pressure looming over him broke and Alexander could not help congratulating himself for the impertinence of that boy. Not even Crater would have been able to break it so easily. That young man had talent. Very interesting.

The other three boys in the tent glanced contemptuously at Helial. If a brat like that had managed to resist the pressure of Alexander's Aura, this meant that he had cheated. The idea that a guy so thin, with only a hint of muscle, might have broken the King's pressure didn't even touch them.

That was the King's favorite.

The enemy.

Shame and envy began to make way in the hearts of the three young men. They, so well trained, had risked falling with their faces to the ground, crushed by the pressure. Then Skinny Guy came, clearly the King's favorite, and staged a funny show, pretending to be strong enough to face Alexander in such a disrespectful way.

The only thing they could think of at the time was how they could mess things up and get rid of him as soon as possible.

Helial noticed their looks and ignored them, as if they were midges.

Alexander approached the three soldiers, who stiffened all at once, and examined them with a glance. ”You were chosen for the skills you showed in battle. But skill is not enough: you will be trained by teachers and members of the army, who will test you and make real warriors out of you. The Royal Guard is in charge of protecting his king in battle. Only Generals and Commanders stand above it.” He turned to look at Helial, and his eyes were very serious. ”Commit yourself and you will be rewarded. Crater will now show you to your lodgings.”