Chapter 369 Uncannily Familiar (4)

After spending roughly 15 minutes on the road, Basil and company arrived at the Castle. They were 15 minutes earlier than the promised time, but it was a common courtesy that one should know when dealing with the Royalty.

Upon arriving there, the people were surprised to find Edward already waiting for them. Basil, of course, didn't think too much about it; he knew where this was going, so he didn't find it surprising at all.

As soon as they got down from the carriage, Edward came up to Basil, and greeted him with a smile. "Good Evening, Mr. God of Casanova. I am blinded by the beauty of the goddesses you have conquered." He laughed as they shook hands.

"You have a better sense of humour than your ridiculous brothers." Basil smiled, baffling Edward with his remark. "I am glad to know that I have chosen the right person to associate myself with."

"A-Ah, thank you... I guess?" Edward chuckled awkwardly. "You are as straightforward as usual, aren't you, Basil?"

"Not really. I would have forced you to tell me what was going to happen in the dinner if that was indeed the case."

Smiling wryly as he imagined the scene, Edward turned to Basil's company and greeted them as he put his hand on chest. They greeted back respectfully, except for Iliana and Ione, but Edward immediately told them to be casual with him.

Other than the two female Pacifers, the people decided to take Edward's words as a mere show of courtesy, and kept talking formally. Edward, however, really meant what he said, so he felt a little bit awkward about it.

He, after all, considered himself friends with Basil, so it was hard for him to not feel awkward when Basil's family treated him with such formality.

"Ah, I almost forgot about it, but welcome to our humble abode!" Edward bowed graciously. "Allow me to guide you around the castle until the time of the dinner comes."

With a light nod from Basil, Edward took them with him to explore the castle.

Basil's company gasped in amazement from time to time due to the luxurious and grandiose scene presented before their eyes, whereas Basil didn't show any reaction at all. It was, after all, not his first time exploring the castle.

After he had risen to the top, Basil was often called to the castle to be rewarded for his achievements. He knew every nook and cranny of the castle because of that.

Although he had always refused to spend a night at the castle, due to his frequent visits, it was no different from home for him.

'Anthony had never really enjoyed the dinner whenever he invited me. Although he kept his smile all the time, I knew he just wanted to end it as quick as he could.'

In his past life, Basil had always been invited to a dinner with Anthony's family merely for show. It was Anthony's attempt to show the public that the Kingdom appreciated those who excelled.

He had never been treated poorly; however, he had never been treated sincerely either. Whenever he was invited to the castle, Anthony always wore a facade to make him look happier than he actually was.

This time, Basil could tell it was different. Anthony didn't invite him to have a dinner with him because he wanted to please the public—Anthony invited him because he really felt the need to.

'He is fond of me ... Hmph! How laughable.'

The only reason why Anthony had genuinely invited Basil to have a dinner with him this time was because he was interested in Basil. Unlike the last time, Basil had emerged as the first outstanding talent this time, so he really wanted to keep Basil on his side.

Although Basil had undoubtedly been the most outstanding in his past life, there were too many outstanding talents who also rose to prominence at the same time he did. By then, Anthony was already desensitized.

Aside from that fact, Basil's talent in his past life had also been not that mind-boggling. Everyone admitted his prowess, but they didn't found it peculiar, thus it hardly attracted Anthony's full attention.

"Since it is already the time of the dinner, the last place I want to show you is our dining room," Edward said with a smile.

Pushing the door of the dining room open, Anthony and his family, who had already sat themselves pristinely at the dining table, were revealed.

Anthony immediately smiled as soon as his gaze landed on Basil. "Welcome, Basil and his family," Anthony greeted. "Please, do take a seat."

Entering the room, each person was guided to their own seat. Basil's seat attracted the attention of the people in the room since he was sat close to the Queen, which means he was amongst the Princes.

The First Prince was still recovering from his injury; despite so, his mother, the Queen didn't show any displeasure towards Basil, who occupied her son's seat. In fact, she was rather glad that Basil was sat beside her.

'The four concubines are here too. This is unusual,' Basil thought to himself. 'This has never happened before, and I can tell no one other than Anthony knows what is going to happen.'

There was a deeper meaning to this dinner that Basil couldn't tell. He couldn't help clicking his tongue as he got a premonition that he would be dragged into the Royal Family's internal problem.

Glancing furtively at Anthony, he huffed lightly in disdain. 'Hmph! Do you think you can play with me? Let us see who is the better player.'

As if marking the start of the battle, Anthony told the people to begin eating. They picked up their cutlery, but none of them were really focused on the food before them; they were waiting for Anthony's talk with Basil.

"Everyone, you may talk to each other to know each other better. I want to have some talk with our young hero here, and listening to us will just make you bored to death," Anthony said with a light chuckle.

"I am also very curious about the Hero who has been the hot topic for the past three days," the Queen remarked. "Nothing about Basil will be boring, so I prefer listening to the talk you will have with him, dear."

As Basil's company quirked their eyebrow in wonder, a look of realization appeared on the face of the Princes and the concubines. They immediately nodded their head in agreement and focused their attention on Anthony and Basil.

'These bastards... They are dragging Basil into their problem,' Iliana clicked her tongue in distaste.

Anthony cleared his throat to make the atmosphere less heavy. It didn't work, of course, but uncaring to that fact, he took out the Artefact that Goap had used—Armlet of Sea—and gave it to Basil.

"This is the prize I have promised you," Anthony said. "This armlet previously belonged to our renowned Hydro Mage. It was the Legacy he had left behind, but it had somehow ended up in Goap's hands."

Observing the Artefact carefully to check if it had any defect, Basil commented, "If you know about it that much, the Kingdom must know where it was hidden."

After he was sure it was the real one, he stored it in his Spatial Bracelet. "A Mage's Legacy is not something you can identify unless you are the one who inherit it; therefore, you should know why what happened could happen."

Receiving Basil's unamused gaze, Anthony smiled pleasantly. "Indeed. I was, after all, the one who found it first. I didn't take it because I wanted the more suitable person to have it, but now I regret it immensely."

"Your decision to not take it has nothing to do with what has happened, Your Majesty. The one whom you chose to share the information with is the reason why it happened."

"Just as sharp as the rumour," Anthony remarked. "Indeed. There is a traitor amongst us. Unfortunately, this individual is rather untouchable. Given how little the proof we have, it is impossible to hold him accountable for what he did."

Picking up his wine glass, Basil commented, "Fortunately, the rumours work well. You have done more damage to him than what he did to us."

"Very insightful indeed. Very insightful."

The talk between the two was understandable, but barely gave the listeners anything; they knew how to keep a secret remained a secret. Watching the two made the people feel like they were watching two friends having an inside joke.

It was as astonishing as it was enviable for the Princes and the concubines. The two looked like they had bonded well, which was ironic considering Anthony's relationship with his family.

"That aside, what is your plan for the future, Basil?"

The only one who didn't look bothered was the Queen—Aldrich's mother. She looked like she was really enjoying the talk, and didn't think much of the underlying meaning behind it.

"About that, I have a suggestion for you," Anthony quickly interrupted before Basil could answer his wife. "You have graduated from the Magic Institute, haven't you? I have an offer for you."

"Royal Escort?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I am sorry, but I still want to explore the world." He shook his head faintly. "Being a Royal Escort requires me to be always by your side. I don't want to do that, no matter how much money you offer me."

"You are really as straightforward as Edward claimed." Anthony laughed. "Don't worry. Though I really need another Escort to replace my deceased one, that's not what I am going to offer you."

Putting down his cutlery, Anthony interlaced his fingers, and leaned forward. "I want to offer you the title of The Kingdom's Golden Apple." The room instantly turned silent as soon as the offer was given.

The Golden Apple was said to have saved the life of Braxtein Kingdom's First King once. It was such a big deal for the Royalty, they decided to give the highest honorary title a name that was inspired by it.

The Kingdom's Golden Apple was given only to the person who had achieved so much, the Kingdom was practically riding on his back.

So far, only three people had received the title, and they had even received it at the same time. They were the Generals who had almost singlehandedly led Braxtein Kingdom to victory in the war against Frachtenhein Kingdom and Lichtenberg Kingdom.

The title allowed them to hold the same amount of authority over the Kingdom's military as the King. They had no official status of Nobility, but their standing was only below the King and the Queen.

For Anthony to offer Basil this title was the same as him offering Basil to be his unofficial son. Naturally, none of them couldn't help themselves from being bewildered.