Abium separated from Huggin's arms in a few seconds and pulled a wooden chair from the sides.
"Hmm, I thought you forgot about us. So how are the Foxkin Lady and Umi? Are they still alive?" Huggin sat on the chair and started asking about Umi and Fennelis.
"Yes, Your Highness. Both are still alive and embarked on another journey with Nicolaus." Abium responded patiently.
Meanwhile, Huggin showed a dissatisfied face and spoke while clicking his tongue.
"Tsk. That bastard is still alive? I would be glad if he ends up dead in that mission."
"That would be a big loss for the kingdom, Your Highness," Abium said with a chuckle and then asked a strange question while glancing around.
"Why are there no Official Mages in the Banquet Hall, Your Highness? The security seems too light here."
Noticing his serious face, Huggin gave a pat on his shoulder and shook his head.
"You think the nobles might start a revolt here? Don't worry; Royal Mages are currently in the Palace Garden and are in the middle of guard duty. If something happens, they will arrive here in less than a minute and stop the nobles from doing anything rash."
As he was speaking, Huggin suddenly thought of something and asked.
"So, how did you escape the Light Church's chase?"
Meanwhile, Abium showed a forced smile and started explaining how they 'luckily' stumbled upon a mysterious cave, how they entered the pocket dimension, and so on.
Of course, he skipped parts like Runeth's incarnation, Nyara's intervention, and the undead realm adventures.
...
While they were chatting like lifelong friends, Viscount Gauvain's face turned gloomy.
'He is a close friend of the Crown Prince? Doesn't that mean his arrival at the Baxbron woodland is not a random accident? Wait! Did he come under the order of the Crown Prince? Sh*t, he must have already reported about the necromaners activities!' His lips trembled as he thought of the worst possibility.
In a flash, the Viscount made up his mind and decided to eliminate the threat.
The Order of the Dead Organization had warned them not to mess up the plan, so he didn't dare to let his guard down anymore.
"Watson. Once the banquet ends, stay in the capital and follow his every move. Then, make a detailed plan and get rid of this Elf. Although he is a noble lord, he doesn't have anyone on his side to protect him. Kill him silently." He deliberated for a moment and added coldly.
"If not, he might become a big threat to our grand plan."
At that moment, Watson showed a hesitant look on his face and then spoke.
"I don't think my strength is enough to kill him, My Lord. I have a vague feeling that he had grown a lot stronger than the last time."
Viscount Gauvian nodded his head in agreement and continued.
"I know. Unlike last time, he had already entered the realm of Official Mage. It's better to ask the Organization for some help."
"I also thought of the same, my Lord." Watson nodded solemnly.
"Father, you should ask Count Tibal for assistance. I doubt he will reject your offer." Robert interjected their conversation as he overheard their talk and looked at Helena.
As Viscount Gauvain was about to speak, another announcement came from the front, and everyone turned around.
"Duchess Margery is entering the hall!"
Following Duchess's arrival, Duke Adhemar's family, the Young Master of Duke Louvel, and other High-Rank noble family members of the kingdom began to arrive one by one.
Prince Huggin also noticed the arrival of high-ranking guests at the entrance and stood up from his seat. Abium also stopped his narration at that moment.
"The Duchess is here. I've got to leave now." Huggin said in a hurry and stood up.
"When the banquet ends, come and meet me in the study hall, my friend. I'll give you a special gift." Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the front.
On the other hand, Abium quietly leaned on the wooden chair and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Talking to a Royalty is indeed a tough job." He couldn't help but mutter.
At that moment, everyone in the hall showed different kinds of expressions. Some showed shock, some displayed confusion, and some even exhibited anger!
After a long silence, Baron Auguinare finally woke up from the shock and spoke.
"It seems the Royal Family found a worthy ally this time."
"You are overestimating me too much, Lord Baron." Abium faked a smile and shifted his attention towards the front.
Meanwhile, the main guests moved towards the front table with their subordinates and sat on their allocated seats.
The door closed after that, and the whole banquet hall returned to an abrupt silence.
At that moment, the Crown Prince moved towards the raised platform, looked at the side door, and ordered.
"Bring the food items."
As he spoke, more than twenty maids entered the hall and carried plates, glasses, wine bottles, packed meats, and so on.
Eventually, they moved to different tables and placed the food items on the table.
After the arrangements, the maids bowed their heads toward the Crown Prince and left the hall.
'Royal feast, huh.' Abium also thought of the important thing when it comes to Royal Banquet.
Dinner with the royal family was often a grand affair.
According to royal etiquette, those who dine with the Monarch, including the royal family members, must follow his every move and do what he does during the meal.
So if King stopped eating his food, everyone must stop eating, whether full or not.
This Royal Banquet was arranged to announce the crown prince as the King's next heir. Although Abium hadn't attended any royal banquets in his life, he had learned some basic things.
'Azolla, tell me if I made some mistakes when dining.' He said in his mind and quietly turned his gaze towards the front.
'But the question is: How did King Sewallus die?'
In the past, King Sewallus fainted while having dinner and was soon declared dead.
That was what the Royal Family and the Nobles said.
But a few rumors started to spread throughout the kingdom, which caused uncertainties among the masses. Some said it was an assassination plot by the enemy kingdom, while others said it was due to some demonic curse.
Unfortunately, no one knew what happened in this grand hall except these nobles and the Royal Family. But what was more impressive was that nobody revealed the truth to the public and kept it well hidden.
'But I'll see it with my own eyes this time.' A strange curiosity appeared in his mind.
'If the King died due to the curse in the past, why was he still alive now?' As he was deep in thought, a door-clicking noise came from behind.
Click. Click.
At that moment, the clock also reached 8 P.M.
A second later, the large door opened with a screech, and the royal family members showed up with their entourage.
The tall guard got ready to announce their arrival, but the person who walked in front raised his hand and stopped him.
He was a fifty-year-old man with blonde hair. He had an oval face, thin eyebrows, deep-set brown eyes, a pale face, and appeared to be around 176 cm high.
Moreover, he noticed that the King's body was in poor shape.
'All his physical attributes are below 1 point. He is clearly dying, lad. But still, he will definitely live for a month or two.' Azolla said in his mind and soon asked.
'Did you see another vision, lad?'
Instead of responding, Abium sent out another order.
'Can you check if there is any poison in King's food?'
Unfortunately, Azolla wasn't an omniscient artificial spirit.
'It's impossible, lad. Scanning has only limited functions. Moreover, magical poisons are difficult to identify.'
While she was speaking, King once again raised the wine bottle and spoke.
"Let the feast begin!"
The King began the banquet, and soon others followed his movements. The tables were filled with many dishes. The maids even placed venison at the center of every table.
It was fried with spices, onions, and leeks.
Abium also saw many other dishes like ground almond sauce, red spiced wine, custard tart, bread rolls, etc., on the table and thought of joining the feast.
Following other nobles, he skillfully cut a piece of venison, put some sauce on it, and started eating it. He also tried different dishes and ate them slowly.
After fifteen minutes, King finally stopped eating, and so did the others.
He then quickly took a sip of spiced wine, wiped his mouth with a white towel, and spoke.
"My trusted vassals. Today, I will make an official statement." He took a deep breath and continued.
"I hereby choose my eldest son, Huggin, as the next heir. Although he is a naive kid, I am sure he will make our kingdom prosper with the help of his two younger brothers."
The hall fell silent for a second, followed by disagreements from all sides.
"Ahem, I know most of you are disappointed, but this is best for both the kingdom and citizens." His words were sharp and firm.
Despite constant anger from most of the nobles, they eventually agreed. They knew it wasn't the right time to protest against the King and decided to back down.
At that moment, a unique magic circle that appeared behind the King's seat suddenly lit up and shone in a reddish color.
As Abium and the nobles wondered what that was, a hooded figure appeared behind the King and raised its right hand.
Although the figure's movement appeared faster to others, Abium saw everything in slow motion and took a clear look at the assassin's face!
It was not a man but a young woman!
She had marble-like black eyes, tan skin, a celestial nose, a pear-shaped face, and was about 160cm tall.
She was none other than Sara!
'What the h*ck?' Abium's eyes widened.
As he was in shock, a black dagger appeared in her hand.
Then, she moved her hand at an incredible speed and plunged the dagger right into King's back from behind.
A moment later, she pulled the dagger, tapped her foot on the magic circle, and disappeared from there, leaving the hall in an abrupt silence!
"NOOOO!!" Queen's sorrowful cry echoed inside the hall the next moment, followed by shouts of Princess Ankerita, Prince Huggin, Prince Raollet, and Duchess Margery.
This assassination took everyone, including Abium, completely by surprise!