The study was quiet, with only the soft clinking of silver against porcelain echoing in the room.

The doors were shut tight, keeping the room separated from the busy politics roaming the halls of the royal palace. Inside, the room felt heavy and cold because of the constant pressure the King naturally leaked out into the air.

Elias moved smoothly, silently setting down a steaming cup of dark tea next to the plates he had just arranged on the large wooden desk.

He took a measured step back, bowing his head slightly, "your meal, Your Majesty," he said.

The King didn’t look up right away, staring intensely at a stack of reports spread across his desk. He looked tired, carrying the weight of the entire kingdom on his shoulders.

He finally reached for the tea, "thank you, Elias," he muttered.

The head butler gave another polite bow, turning on his heel to leave the study so his majesty could eat in peace. He barely took three steps toward the door before the King spoke up.

"What do you think of him?" the King asked.

He stopped walking and slowly turned back around, feeling genuinely confused by the question.

He kept his tone respectful, "pardon me, Your Majesty?" he asked. "I am afraid I do not quite follow, who are we speaking of?"

The King set his tea down, leaning back into his leather chair and folding his hands in his lap. He looked right at the older man standing in front of him.

"Hajin," he said plainly, "the new Ranker."

He blinked a few times, completely taken aback by the name. He was used to being asked about the scheduling of the Great Families or palace security, not about a nameless rookie who recently joined the guild.

He chose his words carefully, "the boy who saved Her Highness?" he asked. "I confess I am not entirely sure why my opinion on him would matter to the crown."

The King let out a soft scoff, making the room feel a bit less heavy as he gestured for him to step closer.

His voice softened a bit, sounding more like a tired old man than a ruler, "you are not just a servant, Elias," he said. "You have been by my side since before I took this throne, you are my most trusted confidant and my closest friend."

The butler hesitated for a second, softening his posture a bit as he stepped back toward the center of the study.

The King tapped a finger against the stack of reports on his desk, "I value your judgment," he continued. "The Great Families look at this boy and see a threat to their established order while the Guild looks at him and sees an anomaly they cannot control. I look at him and see something entirely unprecedented, but I want to know what you see."

He stood in silence for a long moment, carefully considering his words. He knew the King wasn’t asking for a summary of the boy’s achievements since the crown already had all the reports. He was asking for a personal assessment.

He crossed his hands behind his back, "well," he began slowly. "If I may speak freely, Your Majesty."

"Always," he replied.

He kept his voice calm and measured, "from the reports I have read and the brief moments I have observed the palace’s reaction to him, the boy is a contradiction," he said.

The King raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to continue.

"He appeared out of nowhere and managed to save Her Highness from an Overlord class anomaly," he explained. "He survived an encounter with a monster capable of killing Sir Gazel, yet he actively avoids the spotlight. He has no political backing, yet he does not seem to care about the Great Families."

He paused for a second, looking directly at his friend.

"He does not act like a boy trying to prove his worth to the royal court," he concluded. "He acts like a man entirely focused on a goal we cannot see."

The King slowly nodded, a faint smile touching his lips.

He looked back down at the reports on his desk, "a goal we cannot see," he echoed quietly, "yes, that is exactly it."

He looked back up, locking his sharp gaze on his friend, "so tell me, Elias, do you know why I am personally sponsoring him?" he asked.

Elias hesitated, shifting his weight slightly while feeling the sudden weight of the question. He knew this was a dangerous topic because accusing a King of having hidden motives was usually met with severe punishment.

He finally found the courage to speak his mind, "I believe you are after his power," he said honestly, "you want to use him for your own personal gain."

The room went completely silent after he said it, making the heavy pressure in the air feel even more suffocating. It sounded like an incredibly offensive thing to say to the ruler of the kingdom.

The King stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a loud laugh, making the room feel normal again.

"My old friend sure does know me well," he laughed, waving a hand dismissively, "you may leave now, Elias."

He bowed deeply, feeling a wave of relief wash over him before turning and walking out of the study, pulling the doors shut behind him with a soft click. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

After he left, the King picked up his cup and took a slow sip of his tea.

He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the far wall while thinking back to the very first time he met Hajin. He remembered feeling the ambient mana in the room when the boy stood before him, feeling a very familiar pressure radiating from him.

A dark smile formed on his lips, "you have finally found your way back to me," he muttered into the empty room.

He remembered meeting the boy’s mother many years ago, long before the boy was even born. She possessed a power completely unlike anything he had ever seen, defying the very laws of the world. It was a power he had wanted for himself, a power he spent years making plans for.

When she died, he genuinely thought that power was lost forever, slipping right through his fingers. He spent years feeling angry about missing such an incredible opportunity to ascend even higher.

But then the boy appeared in his court, carrying that exact same anomalous power inside of him. It was practically a miracle handed right to him on a silver platter.

’I won’t let it slip away this time,’ he thought, taking another sip of his tea, ’I will sink my fangs so deep into him that he won’t even realize he belongs to me until it is far too late.’