Everyone was baffled about the Familiar the Crown Prince brought back.
Goldscale Serpents were said to have gone extinct. Their scales did not only shine golden but they were actually made out of Adamantite Gold, the most resilient type of gold that could be found in the Lacardian Empyrean Void and the surrounding.
However, Goldscale Serpents were not exactly powerful. The Crown Prince's first Familiar ought to be powerful, yet a monster whose only unique trait was its high resilience was not actually something that could be used offensively. At most, the Crown Prince's defensive capabilities would be enhanced a little, but that was already it.
After the Crown Prince spent several weeks in the Monster Dimension, everyone expected him to bring back an exceptional Familiar that was equally extraordinary as the Prince's Summoning talent.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
"The Crown Prince's first Familiar might not be overly special but it is certainly reassuring to know that his defense capabilities will increase drastically as his Mana Core's rank advances. As long as his connection with the Goldscale Serpent improves, the Crown Prince won't sustain any harm from weak monsters. That is an advantage, especially for a young man like the Crown Prince.
He is only four years old, after all!" One of the servants told his co-workers as they ate a small meal together.
The servant was already a little older, and he was trying his utmost to make it seem as if he was happy about the Crown Prince's first Familiar. But to his misfortune, his crumbling smile exposed him immediately.
"You're thinking too much about it. Did you expect the Crown Prince's first Familiar to be a Fenrir, a Dragon, or something like that? He is only four years old, was forcefully pulled into the Monster Dimension with nothing but his pajamas, and he still survived for four weeks. I cannot fathom how scared the Crown Prince must have been. If it were me in his stead, I would probably be dead."
Another servant joined the conversation and more and more seemed to follow. Everyone had something to say about the Crown Prince, though nobody said anything bad. After all, their loyalty to the royal family, and the Crown Prince especially was not something that could crumble so easily.
No matter how bad the Crown Prince's Familiars would be, they believed that his hard work would turn even the worst Familiar into a terrifying force that had to be reckoned with.
"That's true. I'm glad that he survived this mess. Even I cannot survive four weeks without food, and I'm already at a much higher rank than the Crown Prince. He really did the impossible. On average, you awaken your Summoning talent at the age of 14. The little prince is ten years ahead of them! Do you guys know what that means?"
"The Crown Prince can increase his strength drastically, and enter the Monster Dimension a second time even before his peers finished their Soul Space. As long as he continues to work as hard as he does, he will definitely get hold of a terrifyingly powerful Familiar on his second trip into the Monster Dimension!"
Understanding the meaning behind the Crown Prince's early Awakening, everyone was getting a little excited. No matter how bad the Crown Prince's first Familiar was, he could use the following decade to focus on his Swordsmanstraining, advance his Mana Core's rank and prepare thoroughly for his next trip in the Monster Dimension. That way, he was bound to get hold of a unique Familiar.
Even then, the Goldscale Serpent was not exactly a bad monster. It increased the Crown Prince's defense capabilities drastically.
Furthermore, it was a good omen for the Crown Prince to be in possession of a Familiar that ought to be extinct.
While the servants were excitedly talking with each other about the Crown Prince's extraordinary talent, his kindness, and that they were proud to serve such an extraordinary person, the Empress was sitting on the couch, caressing her son's head. The Crown Prince was seated on her lap, staring intently at the Goldscale Serpent. It was coiled around his small hand with its short body that was not even 20 centimeters long.
"Goldy is intelligent? That's great. You found a little treasure didn't you?" The Empress said while continuing to caress his head lovingly.
He smiled lightly as he communicated with his Familiar through their connected minds. The Goldscale Serpent could only hiss, but that was enough for Nial Lacardian to understand what his Familiar wanted to convey.
"How is Goldy so smart?" Nial asked, tilting his head while continuing to stare at his Familiar, Goldy, the Goldscale Serpent.
He woke up not too long ago and was currently fed through an IV created out of unique ingredients. The IV was similar to a nutrition serum, just that it entered his body directly through the needle in his arm.
The Empress didn't leave Nial's room more than five times since he came back from the Monster Dimension. She felt like he would disappear the moment she was to step out of the room. However, she had to maintain her dignity as an Empress now that Nial was back.
The Emperor had to rush back to the frontlines as their opponents had used his sudden departure to initiate a large-scale attack. Thus, it was the Queen's task to take care of the royal palace's affairs.
With that taken into consideration, one could say that the Empress was the ruler of the Lacardian Empyrean Void and that the Emperor was her sword and shield of the Empire, its Guardian.
The Emperor didn't see a problem with the Empress ruling the Lacardian Empyrean Void. He was glad to have found a capable and trustworthy wife, who had the ability to support him in various ways. He would rather wield the Sword and fight for the Lacardian Empyrean Void at the frontline rather than stay in the royal palace where he would have to read reports, issue royal decrees, and maintain the laws of the royal palace while his people would die at the frontlines.
That was not something the Emperor could accept. It was unforgivable if he were to stay behind in the royal palace while his loyal subjects would die.
He would never allow something like that to happen!