Chapter 63

The flow of time in the secret realm is slightly different from that in reality, but generally speaking, it's not much different. At most, a day inside is equivalent to half a day outside.

After Veris opened the secret realm, the deans naturally didn't sit in the open square to observe. They set up special observation rooms, and even assigned different projections to freshmen of different professions.

Let alone the students in their ivory tower, even these teachers who pride themselves on having lived for decades and weathered many storms couldn't help but shudder when they saw the environment within the secret realm.

Veris stayed to watch for a while, his gaze falling on the projection of the hero team, and he frowned slightly.

None of these people's actions suited his tastes; did he really have too high expectations for today's children?

After entering that era, they were all terrified. They were still thinking about killing and robbing. Just starve them for two days and they'll behave.

He shook his head and sighed, while Sylvain beside him squeezed his wrist.

The trial participants split into two groups. One group went into the mountains and forests to hide, intending to hunt some wild animals and survive in the wilderness for more than ten days. However, once they went in, they found that there were no wild animals at all.

Soon, news began to circulate that the Poseidon Ruins would be opened.

The other group were fearless, wandering around the city, only to be captured and locked in bars, where they were like wild beasts, capable only of impotent rage.

For a moment, the observation room was completely silent.

Copperfield glanced around, trying to break the awkward silence, and coughed before saying, "It's normal for the children to be unaccustomed to a new environment, it's perfectly normal."

He had barely finished speaking when he saw the boy who had previously stood between him and Soldas swaggering in front of the fence, threatening the new students with an expression that was as arrogant as could be.

The appearance of this person was a world apart from the headless flies in the mountains and forests before him and the powerless, furious newborns now confined in the fence.

How did you do that?

Shouldn't they have been arrested if they had gone too close?

The other deans and teachers were greatly puzzled.

Veris immediately understood what was happening, waved his hand, and a new projection appeared, landing directly on Lortheran.

Lortheran did not have a freshman recommendation letter, nor was he registered, so he did not have a projection array with him.

The projection was placed in the center, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it.

Seeing the blond-haired boy swaggering through the dilapidated street, occasionally greeting the passing patrol team, the patrol team was puzzled. However, seeing the boy's natural attitude and clean clothes, they assumed he was a confidant of their city lord and respectfully greeted him in return.

However, the soldiers who had always followed Lord Martin had strange expressions on their faces.

The boy walked to a seemingly intact bungalow. Several rooms were connected, but there were several more rooms behind it. Many people were going in and out of the rooms in front of him. Their faces were serious, their cheeks were mostly sunken, and their skin was sallow, bearing the unique marks of that era.

This comparison clearly shows how different the boy's delicate skin and tender flesh are.

Those coming and going also noticed the boy swaggering over and were all shocked.

The deans and teachers watching were still bewildered, wondering why those people were so astonished by the boy.

However, they soon found out the answer.

The boy entered the largest room. The hall didn't even have a door. It was fairly bright inside, and from the outside, you could see many figures gathered around a table. On the table was clearly a stone-carved map, with its raised and uneven surfaces.

But what shocked the deans was the man standing in the middle.

Compared to the boy's golden-brown hair, the man's hair was a bit darker, but his deep-set eyes, tightly pursed lips, and facial features were very similar to the boy's. His tall figure, dressed in the uniform of that time, stood in front of the stone map, his hands resting on the edge of the table, while the people around him lowered their heads, silent and not daring to utter a sound.

Just standing there, he was enough to make one's heart tremble.

The boy entered the hall, and the projection angle changed accordingly.

The man also looked up because of the shadow, his face not looking good. The shadow fell directly on his handsome face, which seemed to have been sculpted by the hand of a god. His furrowed brows showed that the man was in a very bad mood.

The boy seemed oblivious, pushing aside the other people standing there and standing to the side of the man without any hesitation. He looked down at the stone map and pointed to a few spots.

Then came a long speech.

The Royal Capital Academy doesn't teach military science. The deans in the observation room, regardless of their status, all looked bewildered. Although they couldn't understand what the boy was saying, they could tell from his confident tone that he must be very capable.

Didn't you see the expressions on the faces of the other people surrounding them change from angry but speechless to suddenly realizing and then worshipping?

However, the man standing in the center still had that deadpan expression. He glanced at the boy and asked, "What do you want to do?"

The boy smiled slyly and said, "I'm going to kill someone."

"Give me a squad of men, I'm going to kill some people."

Upon hearing this, not only those in the main hall but also those in the observation room fell silent.

A bad feeling arose in everyone's hearts.

The man continued to ask, "Where are you going?"

"In that woods outside the city."

Upon hearing this, the man sized up the boy with a strange look in his eyes, but he did not grant the boy's request in full. He simply said, "You don't need to go. I'll send a team."

As they were talking, another person walked in from outside. This time, not only a man, but everyone in the room looked at the newcomer.

What came into view was a black cloak draped over her slender and tall figure.

The body beneath the cloak appeared somewhat frail.

The person in the shadows stood at the doorway, raised his face, his half-length, tousled hair partially obscuring his eyebrows and eyes, but his pale complexion and equally bloodless lips made one wonder if he was nearing the end.

He scanned the people in the hall, finally fixing his gaze on the blond-haired youth, and said, "I want to kill someone."

Why is it that everyone who comes here is going to kill someone?

The man's expression twisted for a moment, then he heard the boy next to him say, "Oh, go ahead and kill them. Who can stop you?"

The cloaked figure nodded and left without looking back.

The tense nerves of the others in the hall finally relaxed a little, and someone mustered up the courage to ask the man, "Who does Lord Orlando want to kill? And why does he have to do it himself?"

The man said coldly, "Go ask him yourself."

“Exactly, exactly,” the boy agreed.

The man turned his head: "You get out too!"

This scene left those in the observation room completely bewildered, yet they sensed that they had discovered something. Garcia, sitting in the first row of the observation room, blushed, and Copperfield next to him gave him a strange look: "What's wrong, Lord Garcia? Are you hungry?"

“No, no, Copperfield, I’m excited,” Garcia replied to Copperfield.

Copperfield nodded: "I thought Lord Garcia was starving."

"Is Your Excellency Copperfield mocking me?" Garcia blushed again.

There were actually more than just Garcia among the deans present who had royal blood, but Garcia was the only one of legitimate royal lineage.

Before entering the secret realm, Sylvan made it clear that the area to be deployed was near the founding king, Lortheran. The man surrounded in the middle, who looked extraordinary, must be the legendary wise and mighty King Lortheran.

Garcia touched his cheek and muttered to himself, "Looks like I do resemble my late father, the King, just as handsome..."

“I doubt it, Garcia.” This time, Copperfield didn’t even use a respectful title.

Sitting in the back chair, Fikris chimed in, "I guess the only thing they're the same gender is."

The deans in the front row burst into laughter, and the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

But their smiles soon faded.

As night fell, the wind was strong, and the moonlight was hazy, casting long, slanted shadows.

Figures moved about in the forest, and the sound of sharp weapons piercing flesh rang out. The indifferent soldiers did not exchange a single word, but carried out a silent hunt. The trial participants who became their prey screamed incessantly, and were eventually bound by ropes. The sound-silencing array also took effect, and finally all sounds returned to silence.

There was only the sound of horses' hooves and the dust kicked up from the ground.

"That's really cruel."

Silence spread, until finally Soldars uttered a single sentence.

Someone frowned: "If we die like this, we won't be able to explain it to those forces."

This is also what many people are thinking.

Copperfield retorted, "The contract was signed a long time ago, so who can you blame?"

The dean of the Pharmacy Academy on his other side adjusted his monocle and said calmly, "More than these things, I'm curious about who will obtain the artifacts from the Sea God's Ruins."

Some new students have already been teleported back to the real world. Some teachers got up and left to check on the new students' condition. Although the time was short, the experience was frightening even to them, the bystanders. They still had to comfort the students.

And this has only been less than a day.

The time before dawn was peaceful, and the others took the opportunity to have dinner.

When I returned, dawn was just breaking on the projection screen.

The Poseidon Ruins opened and, as expected, absorbed the vast majority of the trial participants.

Once they entered the same area, and with the coveted artifact within reach, the trial participants quickly broke out into a fierce fight.

Another new student triggered the protective magic circle and was then teleported away.

There were many whispers in the observation room, but the deans in the front row were frowning.

By this time, Veris had already left with Sylvain; he didn't have time to keep an eye on these people.

Only a sufficiently brutal environment can filter out exceptionally talented successors.

The opening of the Poseidon Ruins did not last long, but the scene of Arnold encountering Poseidon was quickly noticed by others.

The sight of Poseidon holding the artifact and asking Arnold about it, only to be refused, made everyone else's faces turn green. While being cautious is good, this kid ran away way too fast! What if it really is true!

However, they also saw the true face of the sea god, and some people took out a scroll to record this scene.

Apart from Arnold, no one else encountered the sea god.

Even Copperfield couldn't help but sigh with regret: "If only I had agreed."

As time passed, a familiar figure soon appeared in the ruins: a boy with golden-brown hair strolling among the palaces with his hands in his pockets, only to witness the sea god hunting humans.

The boy who orchestrated the hunt for the trial participants the day before obtained Poseidon's artifact, the Trident of Poseidon.

The atmosphere in the observation room was quite strange for a moment. Many people were so angry that their faces turned green, but some people were looking at the projection thoughtfully.

The ruins were closed. The boy landed on the city wall, and as if sensing something, he turned around and saw a young man staring at him with resentment in the wilderness.

He squinted, raised his wrist, and the Trident of Poseidon pointed at the youth.

A look of pain flashed across the young man's face for a moment, then he vanished from the spot.

Gasps filled the observation room, and even Garcia's eyes widened: "The Third Prince!?"

The deans of the Royal Academy are well-informed; they all know that the Third Prince had been taken to the Execution Division, so how could he possibly have infiltrated the secret realm?

There is only one possibility—the Third Prince, even if he escapes from prison, wants to enter the secret realm.

Looking at that fleeting scene, the Third Prince had a lot of blood on him, clearly indicating that he was seriously injured.

The archbishops also looked serious; it was the third prince who had escaped from prison last night—there was no need to guess anymore.

Garcia whispered to Copperfield beside him, "The Council of Elders discussed it last night and decided to strip the Third Prince of his princely status and demote him to a commoner."

How did the Third Prince escape from the execution chamber?

How did they manage to infiltrate the secret realm?

The third prince was definitely not in those scenes!

Copperfield's expression was not good. He had not forgotten what the Third Prince had done to be arrested and imprisoned in the Execution Division. Rather than thinking about how the Third Prince escaped from prison, he was more worried that the prince who colluded with the demons would release monsters in the secret realm.

Dean Soldas, standing nearby, remained calm. He glanced at his friend's furrowed brows and shrugged. "What are you worried about? You don't actually think the Third Prince will come out alive, do you? Besides, there was not only King Lortheran in that era, but also another extraordinary figure."

—That monster who has lived for an unknown amount of time, Pope Orlando.

-

For a dragon, traveling to the ruins of the Earth God is only a matter of a day's flight.

However, the dragon had been mining non-stop for many days and was exhausted, so it asked to sleep and refused to carry Lord Martin.

After careful consideration, Lord Martin made a decision.

They've had enough rest these past few days; it's time for them to attack the next city.

The next place to attack was, to be precise, several small cities clustered together, watching out for each other. The city lords were a few brothers, and their strength was quite good. So, after years of development, these small cities had become an impregnable region in the north.

How do I fight?

Lord Martin has been discussing battle plans these past few days. That place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we take that place, we will basically have the northern part of the continent under our control.

Aside from that area, further north are plains and the Demon King's Forest in the northernmost part of the continent.

After many days of discussion, no definite plan had been reached yet, and Lord Martin was getting a little anxious, with a large blister appearing on his lip.

Veris looked at him with some confusion: "Why don't you ask your other self? He's much more capable than that."

The Lortheran who died peacefully at the age of 18 possessed a level of skill and vision that was unmatched by the Lortheran of this period.

Despite his seemingly carefree and irresponsible demeanor, his ability to unify the entire continent and govern the Kingdom of Lortheran well demonstrates that he is a wise and capable emperor.

Lord Martin retorted, “I’m relying on him this time, but what about the future? He can’t stay here forever. No matter how powerful he is, he’s only gained experience from what I’ve gone through.”

"Furthermore, how much of his men's habits can he still remember, how much of the current terrain is there, and is he even familiar with the current army? Won't his battle plans be affected by what happens later?"

He can overcome this tough challenge on his own!

Although dragons can breathe fire, once they breathe fire, the city is gone, the land is destroyed, and the people are sent to reincarnation, leaving nothing behind!

He could let Veris use magic to bombard those cities, but he couldn't keep exploiting Veris forever!

—And ever since Veris brought back news of Sylvain's death, he has been acting extremely strangely, even the usually oblivious dragon noticed it.

Veris sat down and finally sighed, "Whatever you want. Reducing casualties is the most important thing. You can listen to his opinion, but you don't necessarily have to use his method."

He knew what Lortheran was struggling with; it was nothing more than a matter of pride.

Just then, a man hurried in from outside, greeted the two of them respectfully, and said, "Lord Hill has arrived outside the city and will be here soon."

Lord Martin's eyes lit up. With Hill here, his chances of winning were even greater.

He immediately stood up and walked out, while Veris remained seated, lost in thought with his eyes downcast.

Hill was the last member of their squad.

The rebellious elf's greatest dream in life was to wipe out his own kind.

They have an extremely low sense of identity with their own ethnic group.

His archery skills were superb; he could easily pierce through a thick city wall with a single arrow.

Hill entered the city with a team of men. He had stayed in the previous city to handle logistics and arrived a few days late, but he had already learned about the news during that time.

With blond hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears peeking out from his hair, he sat on his horse, his face cold.

The streets have been restored to cleanliness and order, showing no signs of having just been captured. Some residents looked curiously at the group of newcomers. These days, most of them had become familiar with the soldiers under Lord Martin, but this group was still a stranger to them.

However, the leader was clearly an elf, its features were too obvious.

Arnold was also among these people, curiously watching the excessively strong elf. In his impression, elves seemed to be nobles, with fair skin, slender figures, and an obvious air of pampered luxury.

This elf is as robust as Astor!

Hill gripped the reins, then suddenly glanced at where Arnold was standing, and frowned slightly.

Arnold, who had been discovered, was also startled and shrank back. Then he saw the burly elf rein in his horse and stand in front of him.

The surrounding residents scattered like birds and beasts, and soon only Arnold was left in the area.

"I wish my companions were here with me right now," Arnold thought with a hint of despair.

Unfortunately, they were assigned different tasks today. The other three went to move bricks at the back of the city wall, while he swept the streets here.

Hill lowered his eyes, looking at the fair-skinned young man, unable to guess that he was one of the people from the future mentioned in Lord Martin's letter.

Just as Arnold thought the elf, who was comparable to a warrior, was about to ask some questions, the elf turned his head and gestured to his subordinates: "Take him away."

Then the boy was tied up and taken away.

Arnold was on the verge of tears. He should have just stayed home and swept the floor instead of peeking at people out of curiosity!

Lord Martin, who came out to greet his teammate, saw a blond boy with a gloomy face being swept along by a group of grim soldiers.

Hmm? That person looks familiar.

The soldiers quickly separated, and Hill dismounted, pulled on the rope binding Arnold, and strode toward Lord Martin.

Compared to her other half, Arnold looked even more petite and charming.

Lord Martin was disgusted by his own thoughts; it must have been that damned bastard who influenced him!

"Why are you tying him up? What did he do to you?" Lord Martin looked at Arnold, who was being pulled along by Hill.

Hill's expression turned serious: "I think he's your illegitimate son."

Lord Martin: "?"

Arnold looked bewildered: "?"

Suddenly, an enraged young man rang out: "Nonsense! I am his illegitimate son!!"

Lord Martin was stunned, and then furious: "Why have you ruined my reputation again?!"

The burly elf looked at the suddenly appearing golden-brown-haired boy, then looked at the boy he had bound with a serious expression, and said in a very solemn tone, "I understand."

"You are twins."

"..."

Hill asked in confusion, "Isn't that wrong?"

“No,” Lortheran said to him solemnly.

Then, pointing to Arnold, who looked completely bewildered, he said, "This is my son."

Hill's expression changed, and Lord Martin also had a strange look on his face. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Hill say, "Lotheran, so you're already a grandfather."

Lord Martin: "?"

This farce unfolded right in front of the building where they were holding their meeting. People were coming and going, and the surrounding crowd cast strange glances at them. Lord Martin thought he had become a seasoned veteran after these few days of torment, but it was clear that his experience was not enough.

Just as he was about to lash out, Hill suddenly summoned a magic circle and swiftly placed it on Arnold's body. Then the magic circle shone brightly, and a magic circle appeared on Lortheran's forehead as well.

The ancient bloodline detection array is different from that of later generations; it is a range array, and the same array will appear above the heads of people with bloodline ties within the array.

For a moment, the place fell silent.

Lord Martin glanced at Arnold, then at the stiff-faced Lortheran, and backed away while hugging his arms: "Dude, you're just too gifted, aren't you?"

Hill also stepped back: "Lotheran, you're too gifted!"

Lord Martin: "?"

Arnold stared blankly at Lortheran, his pupils dilating in shock: "You, you are my father?"

He was born an orphan and never imagined he would find his family one day!

Tears quickly welled up in Arnold's eyes.

Veris, who had just come out following the sound: "..."

How could this place be so chaotic?

What was supposed to be a family reunion has turned into a real family reunion. When Hill noticed Veris appearing at the door, he quickly pointed at Arnold and shouted, "Veris, look! Lortheran has thrown his grandson to sweep the streets!"

Veris glanced at Arnold, who was in tears, then at the expressionless young Lortheran, and finally at Lord Martin, who seemed to have lost his soul. He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go inside and talk. What kind of place is this?"

There were still quite a few people working in the hall, responsible for the logistics of this city. With the help of those trial participants these past few days, the progress was actually faster than the previous city.

They arrived at a small bungalow.

Veris turned to look at the four people from oldest to youngest, sat down in a chair, and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Hill wouldn't have said this future hero was Lortheran's grandson for no reason.

The elf sat down in another chair with an air of authority and confidently recounted how he had found Arnold on the street since entering the city, all the way up to the moment he dropped the bloodline magic circle.

"Why would you think he's my illegitimate son?" Lord Martin couldn't help but raise his hand to stop him.

Hill's expression turned serious: "You two have the same hair color."

"It's all green!" he exclaimed, standing up excitedly.

Lortheran turned to Arnold, who was standing next to her with red eyes but still clueless, and whispered, "He's colorblind."

He couldn't distinguish between gold and green. As a child, he was considered an outcast because he said that all his tribesmen had green hair. He was thrown to the outskirts of the elven forest and suffered a lot. After years of hard work and struggle, he eventually became a capable lieutenant under a local overlord.

At that time, Lortheran was only twenty years old, and he enthusiastically asked Hill if he wanted to join their adventure party.

At that time, Hill was being distrusted by the city lord, so he simply joined the hero's party.

Inside the room, Veris closed his eyes upon hearing Hill's confident reply.

Then he opened his eyes and brought up another matter: "The ruins of the Earth God near the Elf Forest have opened. Do you want to go together?"

"He already has the Trident of Poseidon, what makes him think he can go!" Lord Martin pointed at Lortheran, his face full of anger.

Lortheran shoved something the size of a fork into Arnold's hand, his eyes filled with affection: "My child, this is a gift from your father. Take it."

Then he turned to look at the dumbfounded Lord Martin: "What Trident of Poseidon? I know nothing about it, but I want to go too!"

Hill silently wiped away tears at the touching father-son bond, and asked, "What ruins? Near the Elf Forest? Can I lead my troops to raze the Elf Forest to the ground?"

“I suggest you bring your own puppets. Our army is too conspicuous, and the elves might hold a grudge against us.” Veris tapped the table.

Despite the fact that elves seem powerless against dragons, their strength is actually quite formidable among humans and other races.

Hill responded with an "Oh," and then turned his gaze to Arnold, who was at a loss as to what to do with this hot potato. He remembered something: the magic circle hadn't lit up on Lortheran's forehead.

So... this boy isn't Lortheran's son.

A look of regret appeared on his face.

But soon, he looked at the two Lortherans, one big and one small, with a strange expression: "You have no blood relation, so why do you look so alike?"

Veris lifted his eyelids slightly but didn't say anything.

Lord Martin knew what was going on, but he kept a straight face and remained silent.

Young Lorraine chuckled and said, "You know what it means to look like a married couple?"

Martin, who had been silent, suddenly stood up, furious: "Enough! You bastard, you've ruined my reputation again!!"

-----------------------

Author's note: See you tomorrow! [hugs]

Elf Hill: Forgetful/Colorblind/Extremely strong/Experiences left and right brain hemisphere conflict

The dragon has no name; it's simply called Dragon. There's probably only one dragon in the entire story, so it's easy to remember. [Dog head with rose in hand]