CHAPTER 186: HELLFIRE VENOM

King Zaraki burst out laughing upon hearing Alaric’s remarks.

"General Alaric, you are not in a position to negotiate with me. Besides, I already made a deal with your wife."

Chancellor Gustav glanced at Crown Prince Leonard meaningfully, gesturing for him to go outside with him.

"Let’s give them some privacy," Chancellor Gustav whispered to the crown prince.

Prince Leonard was reluctant to leave Alaric alone. But King Zaraki waved his hand, dismissing them.

"Father, please don’t make things hard for General Alaric," Prince Leonard requested in his pleading tone.

"Just leave us." King Zaraki coldly said. He couldn’t believe that his son and Alaric had grown close in just a few days.

Chancellor Gustav escorted him out of the room. When King Zaraki and Alaric were left alone, the atmosphere became heavy and tense.

"Alaric, you know that you are my hostage. Giving you the antidote only means letting go of Eve. I can’t do that because I still need her. But I want to hear your proposition. If I’m satisfied with it, then I might change my mind," King Zaraki said, eyeing him meaningfully,

Alaric couldn’t fathom what King Zaraki was thinking right now. Was he serious or just bluffing?

’I have to try. I have nothing to lose,’ Alaric thought to himself.

"I can’t offer you my loyalty because I can only give it to my wife. But if you need me, I can be your warrior. You can send me to the battlefield. I will win a victory for you," Alaric said, making his offer.

King Zaraki let out another sarcastic laugh. "Eve is enough for me. She is equivalent to an entire army. She can lead a beast army, powerful enough to defeat her enemies."

"But Eve is a kind person. She will not allow the tamed animals to get hurt," Alaric tried to retort.

"That’s why I sent her to Kingdom Averion. I want her to demonstrate her power by commanding the mighty dragon. She has no choice but to do it and kill the enemies." King Zaraki believed that a fierce battle between Averion and Zephyra’s knights had happened.

Little did he know, Princess Eve chose to avoid a direct attack. She threatened the Averion Knights, making them surrender without a fight. She didn’t want to spill blood in this battle.

This was something King Zaraki would never understand because he lived for violence and tyranny. He always used force to intimidate his enemies. He was ruthless when killing his enemies.

"Don’t waste my time here, Alaric. I won’t accept your proposition. Just go back to your quarters and behave. Wait for your wife’s return." King Zaraki waved his hand, dismissing him.

Alaric clenched his fists tightly. Without hesitation, Alaric charged forward, capturing King Zaraki. Before the king could react, Alaric had already grabbed his neck.

King Zaraki’s eyes widened in shock. He lowered his guard. He had forgotten that Alaric could still fight even though his body was poisoned.

"What are you doing?" King Zaraki asked him.

"I’m taking you hostage! I’ll only let you go if you give me the antidote," Alaric declared, his voice sharp with threat.

"You are being ridiculous. If you do that, my knights will not let you leave this room alive!" King Zaraki spat back at him.

"Somebody! Help!!! Gustav!" King Zaraki screamed, asking for help.

Alaric moved behind him, still holding him in place. He revealed the dagger, pointing it at his neck.

"I don’t care. Without the antidote, I am going to die anyway. I won’t just sit down and let you take advantage of Eve. If I die, you will also die with me." Alaric tightened his grip on his body.

King Zaraki started to panic. Alaric was serious. He was a warrior. A warrior who was willing to die, instead of being a tool for someone’s scheme. He had his dignity.

It didn’t take long before the door swung open. Chancellor Gustav and Prince Leonard entered the room, their eyes widening in shock at the scene before them— Alaric was holding a dagger, pointing to the king’s neck.

"Alaric, what are you doing? Please, put that dagger down!" Prince Leonard implored, his voice tense with urgency.

Chancellor Gustav, on the other hand, immediately called for the nearby guards.

’Damn it! I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have left them alone. This is a grave error on my part,’ he thought, blaming himself. He couldn’t even bring himself to meet King Zaraki’s gaze.

"Don’t let the guards in or else, I slit his throat. I’m ready to die here any time. All I need is the antidote!" Alaric shouted, warning Chancellor Gustav.

Afraid that Alaric would kill his father, Prince Leonard immediately shut the door behind them so that the guards couldn’t enter.

"What are you doing, Prince Leonard! Don’t listen to his demand! We need to surround him with guards. He will feel the pressure and eventually surrender to us," Chancellor Gustav whispered, grabbing Prince Leonard’s hand.

"Stop it, Gustav. You don’t know him! He’s a brave warrior. He won’t surrender easily. If you let the guards in, things could get worse and endanger my father’s safety. Just let me speak to Alaric. He won’t listen to you," Prince Leonard said with firm conviction.

"Fine. I’ll let you handle this. But if it doesn’t work, we’ll be forced to act." Chancellor Gustav gave way to Prince Leonard.

"Let’s talk, Alaric. Don’t do this. Eve is looking forward to seeing you. Please, release my father," Prince Leonard said, extending his hand as he tried to move closer to them.

However, Alaric told him not to move.

"Stay there, Prince Leonard! One more step and I will cut him."

Prince Leonard halted on his steps, looking at Alaric worriedly.

’What the hell are you doing, Alaric? Do you have a death wish? He’s putting himself in danger. He may have strength now, but sooner or later, the poison will weaken him. Chancellor Gustav is just buying time...waiting for the right moment to strike. Is he really planning to kill my father? What will happen to Eve then? She doesn’t want this to happen!’ Prince Leonard thought to himself. He felt conflicted because of Alaric.

Alaric met Prince Leonard’s eyes. "Forgive me for doing this, Prince Leonard. But I’ve already expressed my feelings. This is what I chose. I don’t want Eve to suffer further just because of me. She can be free without me. Once I’m gone, she doesn’t need to follow your father’s command."

Hearing his words, King Zaraki and Chancellor Gustav finally understood Alaric’s motive. This was his way of committing suicide. If he couldn’t get the antidote, he would kill King Zaraki for sure.

"Please, Alaric. Don’t do this! Eve didn’t want this!" Prince Leonard begged him again.

However, his words couldn’t sway Alaric’s resolve.

"I’ll only give you three days. I will never leave this room with King Zaraki. You and Chancellor Gustav must leave this room now." Alaric pressed the dagger to King Zaraki’s neck, almost cutting his flesh.

Chancellor Gustav and Crown Prince Leonard exchanged glances. They could tell that Alaric was planning to initiate a lockdown. He intended to lock himself inside King Zaraki’s quarters while negotiating for the antidote. He only gave them a three-day ultimatum.

"You are crazy, Alaric! I won’t surrender!" King Zaraki shouted in frustration.

"Father, please calm down. Don’t do reckless things. We will find a way to rescue you. We will have to leave you for now," Prince Leonard said, reminding him to behave.

Chancellor Gustav also looked at King Zaraki. His gaze sent him a secret message, telling him to wait and trust him. He would definitely save the king. The King only listens to Gustav.

Chancellor Gustav and Crown Prince Leonard had no choice but to leave the room.

"Don’t hurt the king! The guards have already surrounded this place. You can’t escape here," Chancellor Gustav said with a threat.

"Don’t worry, Chancellor. I have no plan of leaving this room. I’ll only leave once I get the antidote. If not, then I’ll definitely die in this room... with your king."

Chancellor Gustav’s expression turned grim. Alaric really knew how to scare and threaten him.

"Your Highness, we shall leave now," Chancellor Gustav said, without looking back.

Prince Leonard glanced at Alaric one last time before he followed Chancellor Gustav. The two men shut the door. The royal guards, who were standing before them, were still clueless about what had happened.

"Crown Prince Leonard, in two days, I will kill him. I won’t allow you to interfere." Chancellor Gustav said. "I know King Zaraki. He won’t give him the antidote because there is no such thing as an antidote."

Prince Leonard’s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing that. "WHAT?! Are you serious? But my father said he had the antidote when he made a deal with Princess Eve. Alaric consumed the partial antidote before Eve left the kingdom."

Chancellor Gustav shook his head. "What we gave him is not an antidote. It’s merely a medicine that suppresses the effects of the poison. His health is deteriorating with each passing day. He can still fight only because of his exceptional physique. His body is far stronger than that of an ordinary man."

"You lied to Eve! How could you do this to her?!" Prince Leonard said through his gritted teeth. He was mad.

"This is the only way to control her. And you know your father. He will do anything to get what he wants."

Prince Leonard didn’t know whether to pity his father for being a hostage or hate him for deceiving Eve and Alaric, giving them false hope.

"Tell me honestly. What kind of poison did you give him?"

"Hellfire Venom."