In the royal forest, the hunting had ended. King Bhutto XVI, sitting high on his throne, looked down at the crowd of aristocrats, and slowly said, "Marquis Wilsen!"

A middle-aged aristocrat immediately came forward from the crowd, bowing slightly toward Bhutto XVI. "Your Honorable Majesty, Wilsen is here!"

"Very well, Marquis Wilsen. You've killed the elk king. According to the rules, you've achieved victory – naturally, you must be rewarded. I hear that you have two sons, and one of them will be unable to inherit your title. In that case, I bestow upon your second son the non-hereditary title of viscount!"

Bhutto XVI immediately granted him the title of viscount. This was no mere label. The aristocrats of the Kingdom of Blackmoon possessed tremendous privileges, and almost every aristocrat had a corresponding territory.

This possession of territory was at the root of the aristocracy. A viscount, even if a non-hereditary title, meant a rather large fief. To the Wilsen clan, this was incredible news.

Thus, Marquis Wilsen was overjoyed to hear this, and said gratefully to Bhutto XVI, "I thank Your Majesty's generosity!"

There were many who envied Wilsen. He was merely lucky enough to kill the elk king and did not contribute much to the kingdom, yet he received an aristocratic title.

"Huh? Where's His Royal Highness the fourth prince?"

"That's right. I've seen His Royal Highness the fourth prince leading some people in a majestic manner into the forest. Surely they are alright?"

Some of the uninformed people, upon discovering that there was no trace of the fourth prince, began discussing in low voices.

Bhutto XVI furrowed his brow slightly and looked toward the eighth prince. He inquired slowly, "The eighth prince, have you seen the fourth prince?"

The eighth prince's expression remained the same as he looked deep into the eyes of Bhutto XVI. Following that, he replied calmly, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the fourth prince encountered some ferocious beasts in the forest, and in a moment of carelessness, lost his footing. He fell off his horse, and died…"

There were so many far-fetched flaws in this story. The fourth prince was a splendid Sixth-level Spell Caster and was surrounded by so many powerful Spell Casters. How could he have fallen to his death from his horse due to a mere encounter with a wild beast?

However, even with such a reply full of loopholes, Bhutto XVI nodded his head slowly, and let out a long sigh. "Guards! Search for the body of the fourth prince, and bury him in the royal mausoleum!"

With that, Bhutto XVI left Kingswood under the protection of many guards and Spell Casters. As he passed by the eighth prince, a complicated light flashed in his eyes.

The eighth prince looked at Bhutto XVI's departing figure, and mumbled, "Back then, Father had eliminated the other princes one by one and finally ascended the throne. This is the fate of us descendants of the royal family, a fate we can never escape…"

There was also blood on Bhutto XVI's hands. In the beginning, he had gone through a similar process. Of course, he would understand that the outcome of the battle between the fourth prince and the eighth prince had been determined.

Although he was the king of the Kingdom of Blackmoon and had great power, Bhutto XVI had no authority in the matter of selecting his successor, and could not even intervene.

This was because the ones who determined the final candidate for the throne were the group of elders of the royal family, made up of the strongest individuals throughout generations of the royal family. They were the ones who decided on the candidate together, and not even Bhutto XVI could interfere.

Thus, even if the eighth prince and the fourth prince, and the subsequent ninth and thirteenth princes, and so on, wanted to kill each other, Bhutto XVI's hands were tied. He could only pay them no mind, and let the chips fall where they might, silently waiting out his final five years on the throne.

…

In the great hall of the eighth prince's manor, two rows of seats were filled with Spell Casters. On the right, Wizard Leo was at the head, after which sat Merlin, Wizard Bammou, and other Spell Casters.

This seating was not by accident, and it was not just anyone who could take these seats. Merlin and Wizard Leo were able to sit near the front naturally because the eighth prince had determined their capabilities and ranking.

"Everyone, the fourth prince is dead. In the entire Imperial City, there are no more members of the royal family who pose a threat to me. This time, I have to thank Wizard Leo in particular. I believe that everyone has witnessed that if it wasn't for Wizard Leo's mighty display of power which salvaged our desperate situation, I'm afraid we would've been in grave danger."

The eighth prince directed his gaze at Wizard Leo. Although Wizard Leo now appeared to be just skin and bones, no Spell Caster dared to look down on him. Even Morston and Tanin, these two Eighth-level Spell Casters of impressive reputation, were dead. Although it was not Wizard Leo who killed them, he was the main reason for their deaths.

"It was because of Wizard Bammou that we were able to avoid having too many casualties. Many Spell Casters were saved by Wizard Bammou's appearance. Wizard Bammou is Wizard Merlin's aide, therefore, we couldn't have achieved our great victory today without Wizard Bammou and Wizard Merlin!"

A strange light flickered in the eighth prince's eye. He had been somewhat surprised that Merlin had a Seventh-level Spell Caster as his aide. Furthermore, this Seventh-level Spell Caster appeared rather extraordinary. He had constructed an Eighth-level spell, and thus had the chance of becoming an Eighth-level Wizard.

A Seventh-level Spell Caster with the possibility of becoming an Eighth-level Spell Caster… Wizards of such Spell Caster Quality were usually at the high-level core of spell casters' organizations. However, Bammou was willing to be Merlin's aide and followed Merlin. This also made Merlin seem to be full of mystery.

Following that, the eighth prince rewarded each Spell Caster. The eighth prince's overwhelming victory this time around would result in these Spell Casters benefiting even more in the future.

Nonetheless, Merlin and Leo did not publicly receive any such rewards. For Leo, he had already acquired the Tear of God, and he required nothing else.

As for Merlin's reward, the eighth prince would need to spend some time to fulfill it.

"Wizard Merlin, we're still gathering the potion materials you need, and will likely still require some time."

The eighth prince smiled as he spoke. After defeating his mortal enemy, the fourth prince, the eighth prince had recovered his confidence and emanated a subtle dignity.

Merlin shook his head and replied calmly, "It doesn't matter if the potion materials arrive late, but as for the royal Spell Library…"

As soon as Merlin mentioned the royal Spell Library, the eighth prince frowned. This matter would be difficult to carry out, but since he had promised Merlin from the start, he would need to carry it out no matter how difficult it was.

Thus, the eighth prince gritted his teeth. "Be rest assured, Wizard Merlin, I'll surely gain you entry into the Spell Library! There's no time to lose – let's go and try now. Wizard Merlin, please follow me."

Merlin felt a rush of glee and stood up to take his leave. In a rare instance, Wizard Leo advised him, "That's right, Merlin. The collection in the Spell Library of the royal family is even more extensive than what we have in the Dark Magic Region. You must seize this chance. I'll try using the Tear of God in the manor to resolve my own afflictions, so I might need a while."

Following that, Wizard Leo got up and left the hall right away, heading toward the anechoic chamber the eighth prince had prepared for him.

"If Wizard Leo could level up to a Seventh-level Spell Caster, I shall become even more powerful!"

The eighth prince looked at Wizard Leo's departing figure and was filled with satisfaction. Wizard Leo was currently already so powerful. If he could break through and become a Seventh-level Spell Caster, would he not be even stronger?

Although the fourth prince had been defeated, it did not mean that the eighth prince could rest easy. There were still the ninth prince and the thirteenth prince. They had not given up on the idea of fighting for the throne, and a battle sometime in the future was inevitable.

Therefore, the stronger Wizard Leo was, the more of an advantage the eighth prince would have. He too hoped that Wizard Leo would be successful in using the Tear of God to alleviate his ailments.

"I hope Teacher Leo would be able to successfully heal his afflictions…"

Merlin silently wished Wizard Leo well. He had never cultivated Darkness Eye and did not know what flaw it was in its cultivation that resulted in Wizard Leo being unable to become a Seventh-level Spell Caster until now.

Now, he saw that Wizard Leo looked somewhat excited since he had the Tear of God. There should be a slight hope that he could level up to a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

"Wizard Merlin, let's go as well."

The eighth prince brought Merlin away from the manor. They boarded a magnificent horse carriage and gradually made their way toward the Palace.

On the horse carriage, Merlin and the eighth prince exchanged a few simple words. Those potion materials were not an issue for the eighth prince to fulfill his promise. On the contrary, the difficult part was the Spell Library.

After all, the Spell Library was only open to members of the royal family, so only the eighth prince could enter. If he wanted to bring in an outsider, he would need the approval of the king.

For something like this, even if the eighth prince went and beseeched Bhutto XVI, it was likely that he would not receive the approval.

"Eighth prince, how are you going to gain me entry into the Spell Library?"

Merlin could not help but ask. He did not think that it would be so difficult to enter the Spell Library and that one would need the permission of Bhutto XVI to bring in outsiders.

"Don't worry about that. All that matters is I'll fulfill my promise!"

The eighth prince gave Merlin a profound look. He had learned that Merlin was able to face the fourth and fifth Wizard by himself. Furthermore, Merlin had Wizard Bammou as his aide, who was a Wizard at the peak of the Seventh-level, and was able to take on Eighth-level Wizards.

With this kind of power, Merlin would naturally ascend quickly in rank in the eyes of the eighth prince and become second only to Wizard Leo.

Therefore, although it was difficult to enter the Spell Library and any other members of the royal family would be at their wits' end, to the eighth prince, it was more achievable.

It was just that if he really wanted to let Merlin enter the Spell Library, he would have to use up that one "promise". The eighth prince was still evaluating if Merlin was worth such a "promise".

"Merlin himself has powerful capabilities. In addition to Bammou and his relationship with Wizard Leo…"

Countless thoughts flashed across the eighth prince's mind. Soon enough, he had decided. With Merlin's current strength, in addition to his connection to Wizard Leo, he could, in fact, be considered the strongest force on the eighth prince's side.

Merlin's importance was self-evident! Therefore, even if he had to sacrifice that "promise", it was worth it to gain Merlin an entry into the Spell Library.