Chapter 317:

Chapter 317:

TL: Etude

The carriage was stopped at the grand entrance of the palace.

The coachman, disgruntled, said, “This is Lord Aldridge’s carriage.”

A stern voice responded, “Sorry, just doing my duty.”

Aldridge, sitting inside the carriage, shrugged his shoulders and said to the two students, “A stranger’s voice, seems like they’ve got someone new.”

He opened the carriage door and led Mond and Kevin out.

An officer, dressed like a noble, stood by the carriage door. Upon seeing that the person inside was indeed the renowned scholar, his expression immediately tensed.

He bowed respectfully and said, “Scholar Aldridge, my apologies for the inconvenience.”

Aldridge waved his hand with a laugh, “Haha, no worries, it’s only proper to thoroughly check carriages entering and leaving the palace.”

Relieved at the scholar’s easygoing manner, the officer peered into the carriage, inspecting it carefully.

“Please reboard, Scholar Aldridge. Sorry for the delay,” the officer said, promptly instructing his subordinates to let the carriage pass.

Aldridge smiled, leading the two students back into the carriage.Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m

As the carriage doors closed and the sound of horse hooves resumed, they slowly entered the palace.

Mond frowned slightly and whispered to his mentor, “Judging by the emblem on his uniform, he’s from the Dias family.”

Aldridge, who was resting with his eyes closed, merely smiled faintly without responding.

Kevin glanced at his senior and then at his teacher, finding the situation odd but didn’t ask further, trusting they would inform him if necessary.

After entering the palace gate and traveling some distance, Kevin estimated that they had covered enough ground to circle his village several times.

Once they alighted from the carriage, they were led by a court official to a side hall. Contrary to Kevin’s expectations, the hall’s decor was modest rather than lavishly ornate.

In the hall, there was an oval table with eleven chairs around it, seemingly used for the emperor’s meetings with his ministers.

Seeing the emperor’s elation, it was clear that Antonio had made significant contributions to the recent victory.

Indeed, Bartley, beaming with pride, said, “It was Antonio’s plan—swift, precise, and unexpected. It caught those Nestar rats completely off guard, hahaha!”

This was the third time the emperor had laughed since entering the side hall, softening the initial impression of his majesty.

Aldridge smiled wryly at his student’s unabashed enthusiasm. Even after years as a ruler and in the presence of a stranger like Kevin, Bartley remained unchanged.

But, Aldridge thought, that was part of his appeal.

“Cough, cough!” Aldridge gently reminded the emperor to maintain composure.

“Ah... Oh! Teacher, this must be your new student!” Bartley, a bit embarrassed, quickly shifted the topic to Kevin, who stood behind Aldridge.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Mond brought him from Ordo not long ago,” Aldridge replied.

“An Ordo native, huh?” Bartley patted Kevin’s shoulder, who noted the emperor’s strong physique. “Learn well from Aldridge, it’s the greatest fortune of your life. Oh, and now you’re my junior, so don’t bring me shame!”

Kevin bowed hastily and stammered, “As you command, Your Majesty.”

Mond explained, “Your Majesty, he’s only recently learned Gabellan language and is still not very fluent.”

“Haha, take your time, no rush,” Bartley responded, unbothered.

Turning back to Aldridge, the emperor said, “Teacher, let’s get down to business. To celebrate this great victory, I plan to hold a grand ceremony.”

—

Bruh ‘Griffin’ and ‘McDonald’...

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