"Tidebringer, I greatly admire and respect you, but it is best that you do not meddle in the affairs of our Kingdom," the Second Prince, who went by the name Prince Ross, said coldly.
"I agree with my brother," the First Prince, Prince Dylan, stated. "You shouldn't interfere with the affairs of our kingdom."
The other Princes also voiced their concern, forcing Princess Ramona to lower her head because she couldn't bear to look at the glares that were aimed in her direction.
Her body would tremble from time to time, because there were also killing intent mixed among the stares that were boring into her small body.
Ethan, who sensed Princess Ramona's discomfort, stood in front of her, blocking everyone's glares from the Princess.
"I think all of you are making a big misunderstanding here," Ethan stated. "The Magdar Kingdom exists because I allow it to exist. The moment I decide to stop it from existing… all of you will cease to exist."
At that exact moment,the Princes' as well as the Sorcerers who were glaring at Princess Ramona earlier, suddenly felt a strong force descend upon their bodies, forcing them to kneel on the ground.
Dainsleif, who was currently invisible, stood behind his Master and used the power of his Gravity Spell to bring the Princes' down a peg.
The Island of Kings wasn't a big Island. It was just over a kilometer and a half long, and half a kilometer wide.
It was surrounded by water in all directions, so if a fight were to truly break out, the one who would emerge the victor would be none other than Ethan.
Only King Baldur was exempted from the powerful gravitational force that was forcing everyone to kneel because Dainsleif didn't target him as per Ethan's orders.
"Have mercy on my foolish children, Tidebringer," King Baldur said calmly. "Although they were a bit rude, this matter is indeed an affair of our Kingdom. If possible, I would like for you to respect our ways of doing things."
"And if I refuse?" Ethan asked in a teasing tone.
He was just a push away from tossing the Prince candidates into his Celestial Domain, where he would trap them until Princess Ramona was crowned the Queen of her Kingdom.
Although Ethan was smiling, and seemed to be just joking around, King Baldur didn't plan to take any chances and smiled.
"I'm sure that the benevolent Deity of the Lands of Alastor wouldn't resort to violence to settle this dispute," King Baldur stated. "I am giving my children an equal chance to sit on the throne. Only the fittest among them may take my place and rule my Kingdom."
Ethan nodded because he understood that he was indeed being pushy.
However, he didn't plan to brush aside the things that happened a few hours ago.
If he wasn't there to protect Princess Ramona then she would have already been captured by the Pirates, and might have never been seen or heard from again.
"Earlier, Princess Ramona's ships were attacked by Pirates," Ethan declared. "They demanded that she surrender, and allow them take custody of her. I'm quite certain that this ploy was done by one, if not not more than one, of her brothers.
"Since I am supporting her candidacy as Queen, I will only give you a day to find out who the culprit is, and punish them accordingly. If I am not satisfied with how you handle things, I will make you regret it."
Ethan smiled, but his smile never reached his eyes.
In fact, those who were on the island, who saw his expression couldn't help but shudder because he was emitting a murderous intent.
The teenage boy was no longer the ignorant and innocent young man, who would shy away from killing people.
Princess Ramona was his and Lily's disciple, so he wouldn't just sit by and allow her to get bullied.
"I understand," King Baldur replied. "I will investigate this matter."
"Remember, you only have one day," Ethan stated. "If you are unable to satisfy me, I will take matters into my own hands. Also, from this moment onwards, any act of aggression towards Princess Ramona is an act of aggression towards me.
"If you all wish to have a chance to become the next ruler of your Kingdom, make sure that you do not antagonize her, okay?"
After Ethan finished his declaration, Dainsleif removed the effect of the Gravity Field, allowing everyone in the island to sigh in relief. Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The young man knew that he had to show a power that would make the Royal Family, and the Sorcerers who supported them, remember that the Tidebringer was not someone they could antagonize.
Having been given an ultimatum, King Baldur declared the start of the Oath Ceremony.
One by one, the candidates declared their oaths, assuring their supporters, as well as their rivals that they would rule their kingdom justly and fairly, if ever they were chosen by their Father to replace him.
"Don't worry," Ethan said as he lightly patted Princess Ramona's head, who would be the next one to make her Oath on the King's Stone. "I'm here."
"Un." Princess Ramona nodded.
She was only twelve years old and the youngest among the candidates.
Although she was the most gifted child of the Royal Family, her father believed that she was still too young to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
However, since her power was something he couldn't ignore, he decided to add her as one of the candidates to the throne.
Although he didn't regret his decision, he was starting to think that he might have been too hasty when he declared that Princess Ramona would be added to the list of candidates.
If he didn't make her a candidate, she would have been trained to become a Priestess, or a Sorceress, who would become one of the Pillars of the Kingdom.
She might have lived a different life, with none of her brothers aiming for her life.
But, what was done was done.
King Baldur had already made his decision, and he would stick with it regardless of the consequences of his actions.
After the Oath-taking ceremony ended, he ordered the Princes to cooperate with his interrogation.
He was not happy when he learned that his daughter had almost been captured by Pirates while at sea.
Because of this, he used everything in his power to get to the bottom of things.
King Baldur was a powerful Sorcerer in his own right.
However, compared to Professor Barret, Professor Rinehart, Wallace, Seff, and Enzo, he fell far too short.
He wasn't bad, but in the eyes of those who lived in the future, his talents were only average.
This was why he had high hopes for Princess Ramona, whose magic power had surpassed their expectations.
After two hours of interrogation, King Baldur finally found the culprit, and it was none other than the Sixth Prince.
The other Princes', who wished to have one less competitor, all worked together to pressure their father to revoke the Sixth Prince's claim to the throne.
King Baldur didn't say anything right away and, instead, glanced in Ethan's direction.
However, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine when he saw Ethan's cold gaze.
The King wasn't a Saint, and he had also killed many people before getting the right to become the King of the Magdar Kingdom.
So, he recognized right away that Ethan was looking at the Sixth Prince as if he was already a dead man.
Although he didn't like what his son did, the Prince was still his son, and he couldn't bear to have him killed, especially right under his nose.
"You are no longer a son of mine," King Baldur said coldly to the Sixth Prince, who immediately dropped to his knees to beg for forgiveness. "You will be stripped of your title, and exiled from the Magdar Kingdom. You are no longer fit to carry my crown on your head."
The other Princes were very satisfied with their Father's declaration, so they laughed at their idiotic brother in their heart.
Their only regret was that he didn't succeed in having Princess Ramona killed because truth be told, she was the thorn in everyone's eyes.
However, now that the Tidebringer had made his appearance, they would have to think of subtle ways to eliminate her without arousing the young man's fury.
They already saw that their Father would not hesitate to strip them of their title, and send them to exile, if their underhanded schemes were discovered.
Because of this, they decided to lie low for the time being, and wait for the right opportunity to eliminate their sister, who suddenly found a strong backer, supporting her candidacy for the throne of the Magdar Kingdom.