"Your Majesty, may Odin and I speak with you alone? We have some important matters to report to
you," Layla suddenly said, wearing a serious expression on her face.
The king's eyes narrowed. Then, he waved his hand, gesturing to the elders, ministers, and guards to
leave the hall as soon as possible.
Shortly after, only the king, Layla, and Rocky were left.
"What is it about?" the king asked directly.
"When we entered the Ghostly Demon Land this time, we encountered a member of the demonic race
from the Holy-Evil World. However, she possessed a body of a member of the Shura Race, so she
could enter the land without being noticed," Layla informed without further ado. Even in the Shura
Race, the existence of the Holy-Evil World was only known among the members of the royal family.
This was also the main reason why Layla requested to speak alone with the king. This matter was very
confidential that even the ministers and elders could not know about it.
"What?! A member of the demonic race? Are you certain about this?" the king asked with his eyes wide
open. In fact, a goddess from the Holy-Evil World was the one who arranged the trip to the Ghostly
Demon Land. Hence, if a member of the demonic race was able to sneak in, then it really was a huge
matter.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We are very certain. After all, the woman from the demonic race was colluding with
Prince Enoch, and they had set up an ambush in the Demon Sealing Palace. Their purpose was to
release Phillip's soul, so they tried to annihilate both my team and Zain's team," Layla uttered with hints
of anger in her tone.
"Enoch? I can't believe this! He dared to break the rules of the royal family just to attain power!" The
king's face immediately darkened in exasperation. Back then, the royal family had already fallen victim
to the schemes of the demonic race, which led to the sad fate of the Shura Race. As a result, they were
still experiencing the consequences from before. After that grim incident, it became taboo for the royal
family to have any connections with the demonic race. Now that Enoch's collusion with the demonic
race was exposed, it was a clear sign of rebellion against the Shura Race.
"This is the reason why Odin and I tried to come back as soon as possible. We know that this matter is
not trivial, and it could lead to severe repercussions if nothing was done immediately. We reported this
to you as soon as we can so that you can take necessary measures just in case something unexpected
happens." Of course, Layla did not directly say that Enoch would try to rebel against the royal family,
but the king could already guess what she was implying.
"So, he is planning to rebel and forcefully take over the Shura Race? I cannot believe this! What the
hell is he thinking?" The king could just grit his teeth in disdain.
"I don't know what he will do next, but I do think that we should be prepared for what may happen."
Enoch was still a member of the royal family, so Layla would not blatantly speak against him.
"All right. I will deal with this matter myself. You don't have to worry." the king replied resolutely.
"Then, who will become the next leader of the royal family?" Layla finally had the opportunity to ask
about this other issue.
"I want to make the decision when Zain and the others come back. Go back now and have a rest."
Then, the king waved his hand and signaled Layla and Rocky that they could leave.
Before leaving, Layla and Rocky exchanged glances. Originally, they also wanted to bring up that
Rocky had already obtained the Purgatorial Tripod itself. However, after hearing what the king said,
both of them felt that it was not the time to reveal it. It seemed that the king had other plans. Thus, if
they told him about the Purgatorial Tripod, things might become even more complicated. For now, they
decided to leave and come up with some countermeasures.
After that, Rocky and Layla eventually left the hall.
As they were walking out of the palace, Layla still wore a serious face as if she was in deep thought.
"It seems that you are pretty disappointed with what happened back there." Rocky could easily guess
what was on the mind of the princess. According to the rules that the king had set, since they were the
first who came back with Phillip's power, he should have already declared that Layla would be the
throne's successor. However, the king said that he wanted to wait for the other candidates to come
back before he made his decision. Therefore, it just meant that he actually wanted either Zain or Enoch
to be the successor. But with Enoch's collusion with the demonic race, Zain was the only other option.
"Well, maybe I am a bit disappointed, but it is also within my expectations. I have already thought that
the king would not want to give up the throne to me," Layla said with a firm attitude.
"I can guess why he will hesitate to give the throne to you. Zain is his son, and Enoch is his brother. On
the other hand, you are the daughter of the former queen. Naturally, he will want his blood relatives to
be his successor. But now that Enoch should be out of the picture, he must be thinking of passing the
throne to Zain," Rocky said. He was not surprised at all.
"That's what I am thinking too. It is just laughable that after we experienced all those hardships just to
obtain Phillip's power, we are still unable to get what we want." Layla shook her head and let out a sigh.
Then, she continued, "Why didn't you mention anything about the Purgatorial Tripod to the king? I was
waiting for you to say it, but since you didn't, I thought that you are holding the information back for a
good reason."
"You have seen his attitude even after we showed Phillip's power. If he knows that I have the
Purgatorial Tripod, I'm sure that he will force me to hand it over. I don't think that is a very good idea
right now," Rocky said with a bitter smile.
"I know. But eventually, the king will know about it. It cannot be hidden from him forever." Layla knew
that it would be a matter of time before Zain and Enoch could find the remaining teleportation arrays.
When they got back, the fact that Rocky possessed the Purgatorial Tripod would immediately be
revealed.
"For now, we can only hide it from the king for as long as we can. Don't worry. I will do some
preparations and come up with a solution," Rocky said reassuringly. "Besides, don't think too much.
Didn't I tell you that I'll do whatever I can in order for you to inherit the throne?"
"How can you remain so confident? Maybe you're just trying to console me!" At this point, Layla was
not very optimistic, and she felt that Rocky was just trying to comfort her.
"Of course not! Have I ever let you down? I have plans to deal with this situation. All you need to do is
trust me. Anyway, do you need a ride back to your place?" Rocky asked with a smile.
"No, thanks. I can manage on my own. Besides, you should see Gilbert immediately. In the meantime,
I'll also think of a backup solution to our problems," Layla answered.
"Okay then." Rocky did not insist anymore. Then, he quickly summoned Rubygon and headed back to
the Ghost Fief.
About half a day later, Rocky finally arrived at the leader's mansion in the Ghost Capital. Afterward, he
immediately went to see Gilbert.
However, when Gilbert saw that Rocky came back alone, he was utterly confused and instantly had the
urge to ask what happened. Then, Rocky told him everything that they had gone through while inside
the Ghostly Demon Land. But he deliberately omitted the details that he had the Purgatorial Tripod and
what Vivian had done for him.
After hearing all of these, Gilbert could not speak for a while. He did not expect that such a turn of
events would happen. He was just glad that Rocky, Layla, and the rest of her team were able to come
back safely.
"I did not expect that Prince Enoch could resort to such a terrible thing just to achieve his ambition. He
was so desperate that he cooperated with the demonic race. I cannot believe this," Gilbert uttered with
a frown.
"I can only assume that a bloody civil war will occur in the Shura Race in a matter of time. So, we
should be prepared," Rocky warned sternly.
"What did the king say?" Gilbert asked, curious as to how the king responded with this information.
"Unfortunately, the king doesn't seem to fully believe what we have said. In fact, even though the
princess obtained Phillip's soul power, which was the king's condition in order for a candidate to be his
successor, it appears that he doesn't want to pass the throne to her," Rocky said with a shrug.
"Well, I have been worried about that all this time. Just like I expected, it will not be easy for Princess
Layla to become the next ruler of the Shura Race." Gilbert shook his head, letting out a bitter smile.
"For now, we can only wait for Prince Zain and the others to come back. Then, we shall see what the
king's decision will be," Rocky added.
"How about Valeria and others? When will they be back?" Gilbert asked out of concern.
"I guess it will take them a few more days before they arrive here," Rocky surmised.
"What about the two princes? How long do you think it will take before they can come back?" Gilbert
asked with narrowed eyes.
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