Chapter 149: What Do You Want (25)

"……"

Inside the king's bedchamber, Herbert felt a bone-piercing chill.

Some of it came from the cold wind; some of it came from the man standing before him.

Killing intent — the genuine article.

If he truly were a madman scheming to plunge the kingdom into chaos, then this once-kindly uncle of his would transform into the most ferocious of demons, dragging him down into death at the very end of his own life.

"Herbert, can you give me an explanation?"

A roar like thunder exploded through the room.

But at this moment, faced with the king's interrogation, Herbert appeared unusually calm.

The gale whipped his white hair into disarray, making his collar flap noisily, yet it could not stir the tranquility in his eyes.

He offered no resistance, no explanation, simply gazing at the king in silence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

No one knew how long had passed — until the storm gradually subsided, until a flicker of hesitation appeared on Reinhardt's taut face — only then did Herbert slowly speak.

"They started it."

The white-haired boy shrugged innocently, spreading his hands: "They struck first. I was merely defending myself."

"My dear Your Majesty, surely you wouldn't expect me to stand by and let them humiliate me? To forbid me from seeking revenge?"

"That would be rather unreasonable, wouldn't it?"

Crack!

The storm that had been raging a moment ago suddenly fell still, and lightning illuminated the helplessness on Reinhardt's face.

"But even so, your methods were far too extreme…"

The king, who embodied the storm, had never wanted to fight from the start — he simply could not bring himself to kill this child he had watched grow up.

And Herbert had always understood this perfectly well, which was why he dared to come before Reinhardt alone.

The storm had ceased, but the gathered clouds had not dispersed, and accompanied by rumbling thunder, a blizzard gradually began to fall.

Herbert rose, lit the candles in the room, and sat back down beside the king.

Throughout this, Reinhardt remained silent, only speaking helplessly once Herbert had settled: "What do you plan to do next? Do you have contingencies prepared?"

"I do."

Herbert obediently lowered his head and said softly: "Bishop Leila of the Xuenushen Sect has already agreed to cooperate. They will step forward to help the royal family suppress the nobles."

"And the price they ask is not Gao Ang — merely official authorization to spread their faith within the kingdom, and ideally open support from the royal family, elevating them to the status of state religion."

"And throughout this process, the Mist Monastery will also stand with the royal family, deterring the nobles while keeping the Xuenushen Sect from harboring other intentions."

Herbert's answer left Reinhardt somewhat silent.

Judging by results alone, this seemed to be the best solution available at present.

It would weaken the nobles' power, preserve the royal family's dominant position, and shatter the eldest prince's plot to usurp the throne.

It sounded like a move that accomplished several goals at once.

But had none of this happened, even if he himself died and Terence inherited the throne, the Wang Zu's strength would not have changed — faith would not have been divided among the divine churches, and the Mist Monastery would not have loomed overhead.

Yet, just as Herbert had long been certain of, after a long silence, Reinhardt did not refuse.

Though a thousand unwillingness churned in his heart, the situation before him was exactly this.

Things had reached this point — whether for him or for the Frost Crystal Wang Zu, there was no choice left.

They could only passively accept this somewhat humiliating assistance.

"Child, you've won."

After a long while, Reinhardt raised his head, looked at the somewhat unfamiliar Herbert, and asked:

"But I want to know — what role did you play in all this? And what, in the end, do you wish to become?"

"What… do you want?"

Is it truly only revenge?

What do you wish to gain from all this?

To seize this chance and become the hero who saved the kingdom?

Or the uncrowned king who controls everything from the shadows?

Or perhaps…

"Me?"

Herbert thought for a moment upon hearing the question, then shook his head with a smile: "A victim, a participant, a plotter, an organizer… and, an outsider."

"An outsider?"

The earlier identities were easy enough to grasp, but Herbert's final one left the king somewhat bewildered.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that once all this is done, I will leave the kingdom again and not involve myself in what follows."

Herbert smiled,

The broad strokes had already been arranged clearly by Herbert; as for the remaining loose ends, they were no longer his concern.

Those matters were for Leila and Kaplan to worry about.

And he — well, he'd just dust himself off and be on his way!

"You… truly don't care?"

Herbert shook his head, looked into the king's eyes, and said earnestly:

"This place is too small — far, far too small."

A small kingdom that doesn't even have a single Epic-tier powerhouse — how could it possibly make him linger here forever?

Herbert knew all too well the pressure and the mission weighing on his shoulders.

From the very moment Nie Nasha set her sights on him, his fate was destined to be anything but ordinary.

Legendary?

Nothing more than a stretch of scenery he would inevitably pass through on his future journey.

Epic?

Though difficult, it was still something he would cross over.

Saint — that was the finish line he could presently see.

After all, to completely free Nie Nasha, there stood before Herbert an insurmountable barrier he could never easily bypass.

An invincible old coot whose assessment of everyone was "still a bit worse than me."

Compared to this, the petty squabbles and romantic entanglements between kingdoms were far too small-scale.

Avenge the grievance, kill every last enemy — that would be enough.

Pouring any more energy into this place, or even grabbing some title like Regent, would actually be beneath him.

Reinhardt had been watching Herbert's expression the whole time he spoke, and once he confirmed Herbert truly meant what he said, he slumped back weakly, resting his back against the headboard.

"You…"

"You really do look more and more like your father, cough, cough… but in your bones, you still take after your mother more — you don't like being constrained, and you're more confident."

He shook his head and sighed for a while, then shook his head forcefully, flinging every complicated emotion off his body.

After a few breaths, he had once again returned to his original state — frail, yet resolute.

A setback like this still could not shake the will of the strong.

His eyes were bright; he propped up his frail body, stared at Herbert, and said:

"Herbert, as the greatest contributor to defending the royal house during this upheaval, I want to reward you!"

"Speak!"

"What do you want?"

Whether or not Herbert was the mastermind who had orchestrated all of this behind the scenes, from the results alone he had indeed been the meritorious contributor who helped the royal house weather this upheaval.

Therefore, as king, Reinhardt ought to give Herbert a reward.

Both of them understood this clearly in their hearts, so Herbert did not deliberately decline either.

He deliberated for a moment, then said slowly: "As for the reward, the Monastery has only one request… complete control over the Misty Mountains."

Herbert still wanted to explain that this wasn't excessive, but who would have thought Reinhardt spoke even faster than he did.

"Fine, I'll grant it to you!"

Herbert:?

Huh?

That easy?!

Did I ask for too little?

Herbert was caught completely off guard, but Reinhardt on the other hand appeared very calm.

Ceding territory might look humiliating on the surface, but for the Frost Crystal Kingdom, this was actually not a heart-wrenching choice at all.

Because it wasn't a loss in the slightest.

(End of this chapter)