CHAPTER 184: ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION

Princess Thalia’s body trembled in fear the moment she heard her brother’s last remarks.

’Oh no! He found out!’

She struggled to break free from her brother’s grip, but Prince Cassian held her tightly. In a moment of fear and confusion, the door was pushed open. A heavily wounded man was brought to them by Captain Avan.

Princess Thalia gasped upon recognizing Chancellor Igrin. His entire body was covered by cuts and bruises.

"He already confessed." Captain Avan informed them. "I have here the list of his accomplices."

"Go and capture the traitors. I will be the one to explain this to my parents," Prince Cassian commanded the royal guard captain.

"I shall see to it, your highness!" Captain Avan responded before letting go of Chancellor Igrin.

He was shackled, unable to move his limbs. Chancellor Igrin was finished, barely clinging to life. Seeing his terrible state, Princess Thalia couldn’t help but drop to her knees.

"Please forgive me, Brother! It was Chancellor Igrin who convinced me to join him. I was mad at you because you punished me in Kingdom Averion. You supported Princess Eve instead of me. I was not in the right mind to conspire with the traitors. The throne is yours. Please spare me!" Princess Thalia started begging in front of Crown Prince Cassian.

Prince Cassian sneered at her. "You are fortunate because nothing bad happened to Sylvana. But I can’t let this slide easily. I have to punish you, Thalia."

She cried out, rubbing her palms together as she continued to beg. "Please, brother! Don’t do this."

Her plea fell on a deaf ear. Prince Cassian didn’t hesitate to punish her. But he had given the task to Sylvana.

"She is yours. Do whatever you want. Make sure to discipline her," he said in his commanding tone.

Prince Cassian sat down leisurely while watching Sylvana punish Princess Thalia. Chancellor Igrin just stayed still, regretting his actions. He didn’t expect that Prince Cassian would be able to discover his betrayal easily.

A few minutes later...

"Just continue what you are doing. I’ll just see my father. There is something I need to ask him. Can you deal with them without me?" Prince Cassian stood up.

"Yes, Master. I’ll take care of them. Go and see King Constantine," Sylvana responded with a smile.

Prince Cassian left his quarters to meet his father. King Constantine was having tea in his garden when Prince Cassian approached him.

"Father, can I talk to you right now?"

"Of course, son. Come here. Join me." King Constantine invited him to sit down next to him, handing him a cup of tea.

"What do you want to discuss with me, son?" he asked with curiosity.

"I’m in the process of eliminating the traitors of this kingdom. Chancellor Igrin and other high-ranking officials committed treason. They planned to hand the throne to my sister through a revolt. They even asked for help from an enemy kingdom– Zephyra."

King Constantine was stupefied upon hearing that.

"Are you certain about this, son?" he was in doubt.

"Yes, I am. Chancellor Igrin was involved in Sylvana’s kidnapping. He offered her to Kingdom Zephyra in exchange for military support, ensuring that Thalia would ascend the throne instead of me." Prince Cassian revealed the truth.

King Constantine shook his head in disbelief. He had never imagined that his chancellor and the other members of the royal court would try to plot treason.

"What are you planning to do now? Where is your sister?"

The king was worried about Princess Thalia. He was aware that his son would not be forgiving when it came to betrayal.

"You don’t have to worry about her, Father. I’m just teaching her a lesson. I want Thalia to understand that I’m not someone she can challenge."

King Constantine could only sigh in defeat. "Alright. I believe you won’t harm her. Please, understand. She was manipulated by Chancellor Igrin and others. I have no objection if you punish those traitors. I am handing the royal court concern to you. You can do whatever you want. I will abdicate the throne soon. The coronation will be held in a few days."

"Thank you for your support, Father."

Prince Cassian paused for a moment. He picked up a book and showed it to King Constantine.

"This is the other reason why I came to see you, Father. Do you recognize this fruit? Everyone calls it Miracle Fruit. Do you know where I can find this?"

Prince Cassian promised Eve that he would help her find the cure for Alaric’s poison. This was the only way he could gain favor from her.

King Constantine was taken aback for a moment. Of course, he knew that fruit. It was known as the All-cure-fruit– The fruit that can cure all kinds of diseases. A fruit of life.

"Why are you looking for it, son? It is a rare fruit. You can’t easily find it. Are you terminally ill?"

"No, Father. This fruit is not for me. But this can save and protect our kingdom from the invasion of Kingdom Zephyra. We need to get this fruit for our kingdom’s sake." Prince Cassian had become serious.

Listening to his son, King Constantine could understand the gravity of the situation. Kingdom Zephyra was currently attacking Kingdom Averion. Just a few days ago, he received a letter from Kingdom Averion, asking for reinforcements.

King Constantine deployed an army and set a journey to Kingdom Averion. The allied kingdom was obliged to send reinforcements if it needed help.

"Why are they strong? If we give them this fruit, they will become more powerful." King Constantine was reluctant to reveal some information regarding the Miracle Fruit.

"Don’t worry, Father. I’m giving the fruit to Princess Eve. She is not going to betray us. We have to cooperate with her because she is powerful. Princess Eve is a beast tamer! She can control wild beasts! We don’t want her to become our enemy. So we must help her. She needs the fruit to cure her husband, Alaric." Prince Cassian reassured him.

King Constantine took a deep breath. "Fine. I’ll tell you what I know."

"The Miracle Fruit can only be found in our kingdom. However, according to our ancestors, a mighty dragon guards it. The fruit grows within the dragon’s lair."

"Where is the dragon’s lair, father?" Prince Cassian asked him curiously.

"In Ashspire Peaks..." King Constantine answered.

Prince Cassian fell silent. Ashspire Peaks was home to various beasts and monsters, a place everyone feared and avoided. Those who entered the mountain never returned. Many believed it was cursed.

"Do you understand now, son? It’s impossible to obtain the Miracle Fruit. No one has ever entered that mountain and come back. Many have died there."

Prince Cassian became conflicted after hearing this. He couldn’t send his army to die on that mountain. But there was one solution to obtain the fruit– they needed a beast tamer!

’Damn it! Only Eve can go to Ashspire Peaks. She can control and tame the beasts. Will she feel indebted to me if I reveal the location of Miracle Fruit to her? Is it enough to make her grant my wish?’

"I guess... I have no choice but to let Princess Eve take the Miracle Fruit. She has the power to control the beasts. She will survive once she enters the mountain."

King Constantine nodded in agreement. "Yes, she is a beast tamer—destined to obtain the Miracle Fruit. But... conquering Ashspire Peaks also means she will become unstoppable. If she manages to tame all the beasts in that mountain, her beast army will grow and expand. Her power will be so immense that she could easily destroy us."

"Can we trust her?" King Constantine asked with concern.

Prince Cassian was not able to respond. He could see the great risk of letting Eve conquer the Ashspire Peaks.

"I think we should not consider her as our enemy. I believe she can be trusted. She will not conquer our freedom, just leave it to me. I will protect our kingdom, Father." Prince Cassian chose to trust Eve.

"But I’m confused, Father. Does a dragon really exist in Ashspire Peaks? Why haven’t we tried to find beast tamers to tame the legendary dragon?"

King Constantine smiled faintly as he recalled something. "We’ve tried. The truth is... I asked for the help of King Arthur of Zephyra. However, before he could send us a beast tamer, the rebellion happened, and King Arthur was executed by his own brother, King Zaraki."

"King Zaraki is so greedy. He wants to dominate the world by taking control of the beast tamers—in other words, by controlling the Goldwyn Family. They are the only bloodline with the power of Beast Taming. The truth is... King Zaraki has been hunting down other beast tamers in different kingdoms, killing them. Fearing for their lives, the remaining beast tamers have done their best to conceal their powers. It is so hard to track them now."

Prince Cassian could finally understand why Beast Tamers were on the verge of extinction.