Chapter 514: No Longer a Mate (1/2)

Gravis arrived at the Mountain of Pride, but before he could climb it, the Grand Elder appeared in front of him.

”Since you are now a King, you no longer have the status of a mate to the Empress. Therefore, you are not allowed to climb the Mountain of Pride as casually as before,” the Grand Elder said with an even voice.

Gravis looked unamused at him. ”Okay,” Gravis said evenly, ”then I'm not here as a mate, but just as myself. I'm going up.”

The Grand Elder held his hand out to stop Gravis. ”Gravis, your status has changed. We have to keep up the rules.”

Gravis rolled his eyes in exasperation. ”Oh, shut up,” Gravis said in annoyance. ”You think I have only been able to visit you guys so many times because of my status? How about you ignore this useless shit about status and accept the reality for what it is.”

If any other beast had told the Grand Elder to shut up, even if it were only meant as a joke, he would have killed them. Yet, for some reason, the Grand Elder didn't get angry at Gravis. It was just how Gravis was.

”And what is this reality?” the Grand Elder asked.

”I like you guys. You guys like me,” Gravis said with a shrug. ”We're companions. What's the problem with me visiting one of my companions?”

The Grand Elder remained silent for some seconds as he looked at Gravis with narrowed eyes.

Then, he sighed.

”Nothing goes as per protocol when it involves you,” the Grand Elder said helplessly.

Gravis only smirked. ”Don't act like my conduct doesn't feel refreshing.”

”Don't push it!” the Grand Elder said with a cold look.

”Is it or is it not refreshing?” Gravis said with a smirk. ”Come on, you can tell me if it bothers you.”

The Grand Elder groaned. ”Just go up,” he commented as he flew up the Mountain of Pride.

Gravis proceeded to do so and arrived in front of the Empress quite quickly. She seemed just as neutral and absent-minded as usual, but Gravis had had enough contact with her to judge her mood based on subtle clues.

Gravis was pretty sure that the Empress felt quite amused right now. She had probably seen the interaction between him and the Grand Elder at the base of the Mountain of Pride and felt some mirth from the Grand Elder's helplessness.

”What brings you here, Gravis?” she asked neutrally. Yet, this neutral tone meant that she didn't mind his presence at all. If she were annoyed, she would have used her icy, prideful tone.

”I feel quite comfortable with my Battle-Strength right now, and I want to make use of it. If I increase my level once or twice, tempering might become awkward for me again. Right now, fighting a level four King should be just perfect.”

The Empress narrowed her eyes at Gravis. ”Do you know how powerful a level four King is?”

”No, but I'm pretty sure that I have a good estimate,” Gravis answered.

”What do you think, how many Laws has the average level four King managed to comprehend?” the Empress asked.

”Probably between four and five,” Gravis answered.

The Empress was quite surprised when she heard that. She had expected that Gravis would underestimate the increase of Battle-Strength between the different levels for Kings. Yet, Gravis had been pretty accurate with his estimation.

The Empress nodded. ”Four Laws are the average for a level four King. You know this, but you still think that you can fight such a foe? What makes you so confident?” she asked.

”For one, I have comprehended two additional Laws since my last fight, and both of them are very useful to my fighting style. If I had only comprehended the Law of Lightning Speed, I wouldn't be so certain, but by understanding the Law of Suppression, I have become much more powerful,” Gravis explained.