Crown Prince Aelric led Max through the grand halls of the Sun Palace, personally giving him a tour.

The two walked side by side, laughing and talking, their conversation easy and natural—as if they were old friends.

Aelric proudly showed off every corner of the palace, from its towering golden spires to the serene inner gardens and ancient relic halls.

The palace was a monument to power, a testament to the might of the Western Kingdom.

And yet—Max remained unfazed.

No matter how awe-inspiring the architecture, no matter how extravagant the wealth displayed, his expression never wavered.

As if all of this was simply expected.

Aelric noticed.

And it only made him more curious about Max.

But before he could pry deeper, they finally returned to the Grand Chamber.

And the moment they stepped inside—

Chaos ensued.

A wave of shock rippled through the crowd.

Whispers erupted like wildfire.

Gasps of disbelief spread from one end of the chamber to the other.

---

"Wait… is that Max Morgan?!"

"That can't be right! Wasn't he assassinated?!"

"No, no! I heard he was taken by the Black Lotus Guild! But… what is he doing here?! With Crown Prince Aelric?!"

"Impossible! He's standing next to Aelric like nothing even happened!"

---

Some guests stood frozen, as if seeing a phantom.

Others leaned closer, their curiosity piqued.

But every single one of them stared at Max with expressions ranging from disbelief to awe to pure confusion.

---

"I don't understand. Isn't he supposed to be a traitor to the Phoenix Order?"

"Then why is he being treated like an honored guest?"

"Could it be that the Western Kingdom has taken him in?"

Max listened to them and ignored them right away. 'Man, they always talk about something.'

As the whispers continued to spread throughout the Grand Chamber, a small group of figures made their way toward Max and Aelric.

Max recognized them immediately.

Amelia. Revenna. Mad Sword Jack.

Three of the many geniuses of the Valora Continent.

Before Max could even say anything, Jack's eyes blazed with unrestrained battle intent.

He took a step forward, his presence thick with confidence.

"Let's fight, Max."

His voice was filled with determination, excitement—even hunger.

"I've entered the Seeker Rank. You're still in the Apprentice Rank. I think I can defeat you now."

His aura flared, sending a faint pressure in Max's direction.

But—

Max merely raised a brow.

Then, with a smirk, he leaned forward, bringing his lips close to Jack's ear.

His voice dropped into a low whisper.

"I'm very sure I just caught your attack with my bare hands a while ago."

Jack blinked.

His battle intent froze.

Then—his expression shifted.

First confusion.

Then realization.

And finally—

Absolute shock.

His eyes went wide, his breath hitched.

"You—! You're the—"

Before Jack could finish his sentence, Max quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

His smirk widened as he lowered his voice again.

"Shhh… You don't want the whole palace to know, do you?"

Jack's muffled voice struggled against Max's hand, but his eyes told the entire story.

He had connected the dots.

The masked warrior.

The terrifying strength.

The one who single-handedly humiliated the South's top geniuses.

It was Max.

Jack's entire worldview shattered in an instant.

Amelia and Revenna exchanged glances, sensing something was off.

Aelric, standing beside them, simply watched the interaction with an amused expression.

Jack's eyes were still wide with disbelief, his entire body frozen with realization.

His battle intent had completely vanished, replaced by pure shock.

Just then, Crown Prince Aelric spoke calmly.

"Jack, don't shout about it."

Jack snapped his head toward Aelric.

"You knew?" He asked, his voice almost accusatory.

Aelric shook his head.

"Nope." His answer was simple, but his tone was laced with amusement.

Then, with a small smirk, he continued.

"I was just as clueless as you all. But after seeing Max now, it wasn't difficult to connect the dots. The masked person was terrifyingly strong—but his aura wasn't. It was barely at peak Adept Rank. And yet, despite that, he was able to handle every single one of us with ease."

His golden eyes gleamed as he looked at Amelia, Revenna, and Jack.

"Think about it. How many individuals at peak Adept Rank have such combat strength?"

A tense silence followed.

Jack clenched his fists.

Revenna narrowed her eyes.

And then—

Amelia let out a small chuckle.

"That… I had suspected as well."

Amelia spoke, her voice calm but thoughtful.

She turned her gaze to Max, her sharp eyes sizing him up.

"Though, I wasn't entirely sure of it until now."

Max met her gaze with a smirk.

Before he could respond, she continued—this time with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"You look fine. I heard you were chased around like a dog by assassins from the Monarch."

Max blinked.

Then—he let out a dry chuckle.

"What?! Where did you even hear that?"

He shook his head, exasperation clear on his face.

"I only heard rumors about being assassinated, but not about running like a dog!"

A sneer crossed his face as he crossed his arms.

"Instead, it was the assassins from the Monarch who were killed by me."

His words carried weight.

Aelric, Amelia, Revenna, and Jack exchanged glances.

Max barely had a moment to process Amelia's teasing before Revenna's cold voice cut through the air.

"I heard that you were chopped into pieces by the assassins."

Her tone was flat, emotionless—but there was a subtle smirk hidden beneath it.

She didn't stop there.

"And after that, they fed you to the dogs."

Max's entire face twitched.

"What?!" He cried out, but his dry tone carried no true panic—only exasperation.

At this point, he couldn't tell if Revenna was just messing with him or if the rumors had truly reached that level of absurdity.

"Clearly, you guys are making this up… right?" His voice carried a hint of desperation.

Aelric, standing beside him, chuckled softly.

"Hehe, yes, they're messing with you."

Max let out a deep sigh of relief—

But Aelric wasn't finished.

"However…"

He gave Max a knowing look.

"It is true that there were rumors about you being hunted by the assassins of the Monarch."

Max blinked.

Then snorted.

"No, they were just too weak to be considered assassins."

His words were casual, dismissive—completely unbothered.

And that only added to the shock of those around him.

The Monarch's assassins—one of the most feared forces in the Lower Domain—

Too weak?

The way Max spoke made it sound like they were mere bugs.

Max then turned his gaze to Revenna, Amelia, and Jack, offering them a small grin.

"By the way, it's nice to see you all."

It was a simple statement, spoken with genuine sincerity.

But—

"If you feel nice, then let's fight."

Revenna's cold challenge came immediately.

Max visibly twitched.

His hands went up in surrender.

"Let's not talk about fights anymore, okay?"

He sighed, internally wondering if these people had some loose screws.

Why were they always looking for a fight?!

It was like they couldn't function properly unless they were throwing punches.

Amelia, however, remained calm.

Her sharp, intelligent eyes studied Max closely.

Then, she finally spoke.

"So… what actually happened?"

Max met her gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean your betrayal."

Her tone was direct, blunt.

"We only heard that you betrayed the Phoenix Order Guild—but nothing was ever explained."

Max's expression darkened slightly.

The laughter and joking atmosphere from earlier?

Gone.

Because this… this was the question he knew would come eventually.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay