After hearing his son's answer, the anger on King Estadian's face subsided slightly, replaced by deep wrinkles of thought.
He is right! Starting a conflict with the Vedegra family without concrete evidence would only bring greater ruin to this kingdom.
King Estadian finally decided to refrain from taking reckless action and would inquire by sending a letter to his nephew, Delvian Mossard, to ascertain exactly where Arvin Vedegra was on the night of this incident.
"For now, forget about that search for a moment. We must immediately tend to Wiltan's body first!" the King said with a heavy voice, gazing mournfully at his son's rigid body on the floor. "Clean his body properly. We will bury him tomorrow with full honors."
Meanwhile, in front of the palace, right after Prince Pratesias departed into the palace, the atmosphere had turned into a heart-wrenching sea of sorrow. News about the battle that occurred on the capital's main streets spread incredibly fast.
All the family members of the soldiers and the guard troops flocked that night, filling the area where all the lifeless bodies were gathered.
Sobs broke out, echoing and filling the silence of the night that felt so cold and tense as they realized their family members had become victims.
The sight in front of the palace gates looked like a hell of sorrow. Whether it was the wives or husbands of the fallen soldiers, their young sons and daughters, to their closest relatives, they all fell to their knees on the dirt road. They cried hysterically, mourning the departure of their loved ones who had perished.
The profound loss filled the area in front of the gates, spilling over into the courtyard of the royal palace.
From the many family members of the fallen soldiers, the reactions that arose were highly varied. Some of them cried while cursing, blaming the negligence of the kingdom that failed to protect its own soldiers. There were also those who blamed the prisoners who sparked the commotion. Some frail elderly parents could only cry in silence, trying to accept this bitter fate with grace.
However, not a few relatives' faces hardened, holding back their tears, and establishing a strong resolve in their hearts to seek revenge against the mysterious assassin who had been the main mastermind behind the horrifying deaths of those soldiers.
One thing was certain, that bloody night had left a permanent wound. The military strength of the Victoriaz Kingdom dropped drastically, reaching its most critical point in history. Almost 90% of the total elite troops and assassins stationed in the capital had become casualties in that battle.
However, amidst the sorrow and anger enveloping every corner of the kingdom, they were completely unaware that Arvin's plans for the kingdom were still not finished.
....
A few moments ago, right after Arvin successfully escaped to the east and was already in an area very far from the Victoriaz capital's borders, he halted his wind-fast footsteps.
The masked man stood in the middle of a quiet meadow, under the shade of a large tree's shadow to take a deep breath. His eyes surveyed his surroundings.
It seems... it's safe here...
Without wasting time, Arvin raised his right hand forward and created a gate whose coordinates connected directly to the living room of his mansion.
Arvin stepped inside, and the portal immediately sealed shut behind him.
However, upon arriving inside the mansion, the warm atmosphere he expected was instead replaced by a sight that froze him in place.
His usually neatly arranged living room was now in an extremely messy state. Shards of porcelain flower vases were scattered across the floor. The glass table in the center of the room had been shattered to pieces. The sofas had shifted from their places, and the expensive carpet lining the floor, everything was in a truly chaotic state like a shipwreck.
What happened here? Arvin thought in shock. His eyes swept every corner of the room with an alertness that instantly spiked to its maximum point. Did they just fight an intruder who broke into the mansion while I was away?
He immediately used his detection magic to search for the whereabouts of his spouses.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he sensed many heartbeats thumping in a calm rhythm in the dining room area, as well as two other heartbeats located inside the bathroom area.
Still in his invisible form, unseen and soundless, he hurriedly stepped toward the dining room.
And the most surprising thing instead welcomed his arrival there.
Similar to the living room, the condition inside the dining room and kitchen was no less messy. Pots, pans, and even food plates were scattered on the floor.
However, what made Arvin halt his steps in bewilderment was the sight amidst that chaos. His ten spouses were instead sitting and acting very casually around the dining table, as if nothing had happened. They were even chatting lightly.
"I wonder when our husband will arrive?" Kylen complained, resting his chin on the slightly tilted table. He seemed to be highly anticipating Arvin's arrival. "The night is getting late, you know. I'm afraid the people in the carriage will realize our secret departure and cause a commotion there."
"Be patient, Kylen..." Alvein replied casually. "He will surely return shortly. Our husband will not break his promise to us."
Seeing such a peaceful atmosphere in the dining room, despite the physical condition of the room being utterly ruined, Arvin's mind immediately went to work piecing together the fragments of the event. There were no intruders. There was no battle. And out of all the existing possibilities, there was only one.
It seems... Calverd accidentally awakened his power... Arvin thought, concluding that the youth's telekinesis power must have exploded unintentionally.
Deciding that there was nothing left to worry about, Arvin walked slowly approaching his ten spouses.
"Why haven't you guys cleaned up all this mess?"
The ten youths chatting at the dining table suddenly flinched in surprise upon hearing the baritone voice they recognized so well, yet the voice came from thin air.
And not long after, Arvin canceled his invisible magic. His silhouette slowly formed from thin air, revealing himself in all-black clothing and the mask covering his face, standing casually leaning back as he looked at all of them.
Seeing that figure, the ten of them instantly fell silent for a moment, before wide and relieved smiles finally bloomed on all their faces. The anxiety they had been holding back all this time finally faded upon seeing their husband had returned home intact and safe.
Ignoring the messy and chaotic state of the room, they all immediately ran toward Arvin. They exclaimed happily, calling their husband with their various terms of endearment simultaneously, welcoming his arrival back home.