CHAPTER 297: AN OUTSIDER!?

What chaos could possibly occur in the Throne Room, you might ask?

Well, obviously...

"How can you allow a daughter of a whore to become the crown princess, Majesty?"

"This is utterly forbidden in the royal family. Not to mention she isn’t even a book tamer yet. Even if she becomes the crown princess, do you have any idea how bad it will be for our image as the royal family..."

"Keep quiet." The King raised his hand and tightened his fist. A grimoire with a blinding golden light flew in front of him, and a shockwave spread from it.

Instantly, everyone in the hall was compelled to shut up, the shockwave sweeping through the room. Only a few managed to defend themselves by disrupting the wave.

All eyes turned to the King, horror etched on their faces.

This trick was nothing new, but those affected were at least High-level Book Masters, people who should have been able to react. The fact that they couldn’t even raise a defense only highlighted the King’s overwhelming strength.

"Grey isn’t helping her become the crown princess. He is merely here to protect her life," the King remarked casually, silencing every voice of protest both literally and figuratively.

Still, the nobles wore worried expressions. What guarantee was there that he would only protect her?

And even if he merely protected her, there were many unruly princes and princesses with brain damage and thought of themselves too importantly in their heads who might provoke that monster. And when a monster is provoked...

Well, the consequence could very well be the downfall of their entire kingdom.

If Grey chose to become King, they might accept it, or perhaps secure backings for Sophie once she became crown princess, that would be manageable. But what would happen after Grey eventually left?

The number of consequences the nobles imagined was simply too many.

Naturally, the King had thought of them as well, but he was powerless to stop it. Was he supposed to tell that monster he could not protect Sophie?

Not unless he had a death wish.

In the end, he was completely and utterly helpless.

***

Inside the castle, in one of the grand chambers.

"Brother, have you heard that the daughter of the whore returned with Master Grey, the Diamond Grimoire Tamer?" a lilith voice said.

"I heard about it," the brother replied with a hoarse voice.

"What should we do now with Grey? It is inevitable for her to win if this goes on. I heard Grey not only tamed a Diamond Grimoire, but he also toppled the entire Celestria Kingdom, which is stronger than our own kingdom."

"Relax, Viola, I have a plan for it."

"What can be your plan to even have a chance to contend against Grey, Brother Aldrich?" she replied with a stern expression on her face.

"You have become so daring that you even started to utter your brother’s name now?" Aldrich replied with a harsh tone.

"Hmph, didn’t you speak my name first?" Viola spoke with a sneer.

"..." Aldrich just stared at her, feeling a twitch in his brows before he finally shook his head. "Don’t worry, I have someone who could deal with that Grey, if he didn’t know any better."

"Someone who could beat Grey? Are you kidding me?" Viola asked with a light chuckle.

"That old man still owes me a favor," Aldrich replied, his face expressionless. He walked toward the window, narrowing his eyes as he gazed outside.

"Which old man...?" Viola began, but then froze. A realization struck her, and her lips quivered as she whispered, "Are you serious?"

"That old man will definitely honor his debt, no matter how small it is," Aldrich said in a deep voice. "I heard he is an outsider, a man from another world. Only he might be able to contend with that monster."

"You mean... Grey might be an outsider as well?" Viola’s voice trembled as she pieced together the implication of Aldrich’s words.

Aldrich simply nodded, his back still turned to her.

"This... this..." Viola stammered.

"No amount of effort or talent could allow a single person to progress so quickly," Aldrich said coldly. "In just a few weeks, he gained the strength to topple a kingdom. His achievements are even more exaggerated than that old man’s."

"But... but..." Viola hesitated, uncertain, but unable to refute his words.

"From the investigation, that man appeared out of nowhere. There are no records of his existence before he was found living on the streets, and taken in by that bitch."

"You are right, Brother."

***

Grey, in the royal chamber, glanced at the luxurious furniture and let out a bored sigh. Without another thought, he flopped flat onto the bed with a grumble, utterly and completely bored.

He still had the mission of retrieving the two Mythical Grimoires, but for now, he just wanted to rest and enjoy a moment of peace.

You know that feeling when you want to lounge all day, even though your mind and body are perfectly capable of activity?

That was exactly how he felt.

While Grey lay resting in his bed, Sophie’s chamber was just next to his chamber. She wasn’t relaxed as Grey was.

She paced the room with a tentative expression, biting her nails repeatedly.

"Will Grey protect me? Will my siblings not murder me?" her heart palpitated and the odd discomfort only grew on her with time.

Sophie knew that there were many people out to get her when she was a child and in this castle, she was bullied and humiliated by every one of the siblings as they were extremely pitiful while she was the most vulnerable target.

She had thought that after getting out of the castle, she did be safe but she would get death threats every month, saying that she would die in the Coronation, that’s why she was so desperate to seek protection.

Even with Grey as her protector, there was still a lingering uncertainty clouding her mind.