"If that's the case, then will you allow us to observe and confirm Baobao's ability to detect the curse first before we open this up to the committee?" Kayden looked at Eli and carefully asked for her permission as Baobao's master.
Eli did not answer right away, instead, she looked conflicted and worried. It took her a while before she gathered the words to respond, to which Randel, Kayden, and Nathan patiently listened.
"It's like this, I am afraid that if we really discover that Baobao has the ability to detect curses, it might pose a risk to his entire race. What if other people would disturb his fellow pandas' peaceful living to try and let them detect the curse magic?
Even worse, what if the curse users hunt all of them down so that they could continue to spread evil in Prasinos? It is extremely dangerous to even let other people know what he can do, especially when not many would know that they weren't even cursed bears."
Eli could not help but become anxious as she considered the possibility of all these things happening to Baobao's kind. On earth, pandas became endangered species. If not for the good people who worked together to protect their kind and elevate their endangered status one level down, they would have long become extinct.
She could not allow herself to be the trigger of the disturbance of the panda's mysterious race in Prasinos. In her heart, although she wanted a way to save the people from the curse, not at the expense of another race.
The three men listened to her concerns and did not show any sign of dismissal. Instead, they deemed Eli's concern as valid for not only did Eli's words are true, but they also knew the extent how which the nobles could be greedy for power and protection.
"Well, why not do it like this? We can think of a way to test your hypothesis first without involving Baobao. All you have to do is to list Baobao's abilities at the moment and try to validate it one by one on other means, like research or looking for someone with similar abilities." Nathan suggested.
"En, we can do that. We can keep it to just us in the meantime." Randel agreed with Nathan's idea.
Kayden nodded as he gave Eli an assuring look, "There's still a lot of work we have to do in order to really determine if Baobao really did have the ability, or if that ability can be developed. What's important is that we already have a starting point."
"Alright, I have everything will work just fine," Eli replied as she heaved an anxious sigh.
There were many things on her plate, and all of them are urgent and highly needed. She prayed in her heart that before the competition starts, these matters would be resolved one by one.
On the other hand, Leon was now at the luncheon table with his two brothers and father Emperor, Valentin.
An unexplained pressure was brewing within the Imperial Family.
With the expected flow of visitors during the tournament, coinciding with the visitation of the envoys from the main temple, the Imperial family started to feel the anxiousness and burden of the upcoming events.
Even if the Anti-Curse Committee was already established, the threat is still around. Even if the committee managed to put up ways to prohibit entry for the curse users, there were still people who deemed the Empire as their enemy.
They are still vulnerable to force attacks.
And so, Emperor Valentin had no choice but to let Leon and his brothers think of a way to physically strengthen the forces of the Empire.
With Leon's real abilities being revealed, the status of the Crimson Blades has also become elevated. No one from the other knight corps dared to bully them anymore, nor did they even try to show discrimination toward them.
This was because the mystery as to why the Crimson Blades did not have any casualties from the day they were first sent to the battlefield, has been answered by Leon's true abilities and their collective performance during the internal war.
All of the members of the Crimson Blade showed a great ability to survive and fight with enemies that were even higher than their own aptitudes. The knights who were with them during that time could not deny their true strength and wholeheartedly recognize them as true-blooded knights.
It was a fortunate thing that the three princes themselves were demonstrating harmony in these hard times. This also helped the atmosphere between the different knight corps become less awkward and uncomfortable.
Especially when unordained knights who expressed their support for Leon's team used to become bullied.
Emperor Valentin could not be happier to see the harmony inside the Empire's military arms.
The more they were cooperative with each other, the stronger the Empire's defense would be. He was also able to obtain help coming from the north through his estranged brother Governor Fidel.
However, being blind as to who the opponent is, it did not give any of them a single drop of relief. As long as Lord Raven is not found and utterly defeated, they will be targeted by the Spectre.
Carolina and the Vesala's faction were still in jail waiting to be punished, and he could not even exact vengeance for the grievance his family suffered because of their evil doings.
"Just a little more, the matter with the trials for the Vesalas will soon start upon the arrival of the envoys. What we need right now is to increase our ability to secure and defend our premises. We only have less than four months to do everything. Let's become as prepared as possible." Emperor Valentin looked at his sons and encouraged them to do their best.
"Father, the volume of the young men enlisting for the knight's training has been increasing day by day. I am optimistic that upon their graduation, we would have an even more strong military power deployable on the day of the competition." Kazimir reported calmly.
"As for the trades we have, it was quite worrisome because there has been a bulk of newcomers wanting to take advantage of our hosting of the grand tournament. I am afraid that the evaluation team will not be enough for us to screen these traders." Antoine relayed his concern.
"Hmm… that is a valid concern. Kazimir, Antoine, and Leon, why not recommend someone from your side who could be engaged to help with screening the new trade partners?" Emperor Valentin asked.
"Although the council might be the best people to handle this, I want that all of you to be involved with taking care of the economic progress of the Empire. Regardless if you would be chosen as the next leader, you will still be a leader of your own territories. This will all be beneficial to you." He continued.
"We'll look into it father." The three princes responded diligently.
With Kazimir and Antoine saying their piece, they all looked at Leon, waiting for him to also relay his report or concern.
Leon was calmly eating his meal, undisturbed by the curious glances of the three. His ever-expressionless face remained the same even as he ate the best dishes the Imperial Chef had to offer.
Finally, after a minute of awkward silence, Leon lifted his head. He paused from eating his meal, looking at Kazimir, Antoine, and Emperor Valentin who were patiently waiting.
"I want to marry." He said straightforwardly.
Clang!
The three men looked at Leon, utterly baffled by his sudden words. They were so surprised that they were not able to maintain their grace at the table and lost grip of their utensils all at the same time.
Luckily, they quickly recovered by hastily reaching out the glass of water on their table.
"I want to marry as soon as possible," Leon repeated his words, now with a heavy emphasis on the timing he wanted his wish to happen. "I want to propose grandly to Eli and let the entire capital know she's my lady."
Urkkk! Poofff!
Kazimir and Antoine were too unfortunate to become a second late in swallowing the mouthful of water.
For they could only spit their drink in front of the table as they did not expect to hear Leon saying such bold and straightforward words.
'Am I hearing it clearly?'
'Is this our warlord brother who lived all his life on the battlefield almost not showing any trace of gentleness to other human beings, even himself?!'
'Could he really be too in love with the lady, for him to rush like this?!'
While they were thinking this, Emperor Valentin cleared his throat awkwardly and asked Leon, doing his best to stay calm, "I thought that you would take things slow and even wait until the major matters are over… Why the rush now?"
Leon did not even think of the words he has to say next. His eyes remained steady and his tone relaxed as he answered his father,
"Nothing much… I just want to… do that thing that a husband does with their wife!"
