Chapter 328

Peek-A-Meow [Part 3]

“Hmm.” The Lord looked at the forest with a frown.

The only solace for the Lord of Skyte during the extracurricular lesson was that strangely enough, no other monsters had appeared after Roc.

The monsters, which were so numerous that he requested the Royal Castle to dispatch some knights because his side lacked manpower, only hid silently all of a sudden.

The hunters who patrolled inside the forest regularly were also surprised, as it had been a long while since the last time they didn’t encounter any monsters.

Even though the population of monsters had increased to the point that Skyte hunters suspected there might be monster nests in the forest, there had been a sharp drop in number recently, as if someone had been eradicating them.

But Skyte hunters also couldn’t rest easy because they thought, what if it were just the calm before the storm…

“Yo, Skyte Lord. I have something I want to discuss with you, or rather I have a favor I want to ask you…”

With a bright smile, the King approached the hunters and the Lord of Skyte, who were guarding the forest near the barrier.

Discussions and requests from the country’s highest authority were the same as orders.

“Your Majesty, what Your Majesty wants to discuss is…?”

People who didn’t know this King’s personality well might answer, “Yes, please ask us anything.” But the Lord of Skyte still asked carefully in return, even though he knew he could be called out as being disrespectful. Some discussions should never be undertaken readily in this world. And the one who said that nonchalantly was the king right before him.

“It’s about this year’s extracurricular lesson. I was wondering if we could change the plans a little.”

The King smiled innocently like a good natured boy.

Truthfully, the Lord of Skyte could only feel a bad premonition from the King’s words.

“Change… the plans…?”

In the eyes of the subjects, nothing was scarier than the innocent childish smile of the King.

“Yeah, this year, we are finally joined by House Stuart of borderland. I wonder if it would be possible for us to enter the forest with their assistance? I, as the king, would also like to see monsters with my own eyes.”

“Huh?”

Nothing was more dangerous than having a layman on the hunting ground. That was the first lesson taught to those who had taken the duty of hunters in the borderland.

The forest was neither a playground nor a training ground but a real hunting ground.

“Your Majesty. With all due respect, I could not fulfill your request.”

Even if it were the King’s request or order, the Lord of Skyte couldn’t and wouldn’t obey.

“But Skyte Lord, even though I am the King of this country, I have never seen a living monster. If I don’t try to know why and how monsters are dangerous, I may end up imposing burdens on the borderlands out of my own ignorance.”

At present, the King’s understanding of countermeasures against monsters came from reading the reports and petitions surrounding monsters that were collected at the Royal Castle. As such, he could not say that he had a full grasp of the actual situation. He only followed the method done by the previous king, the previous previous king, and the king three eras before him.

The one who voiced the sole different opinion on this matter was his son Edward who went with him to the extracurricular lesson.

His son Edward, who had experienced the local barrier hazard in Valerie, appealed as soon as he returned that a large-scale review was needed.

The King knew that even though the government affairs Edward must do as the second prince were already overwhelming, Edward still studied day and night on top of his busy schedule to come up with ways of lessening the burden of dealing with monsters on the borderlands.

That’s right.

Edward’s opinion changed 180 degrees just after encountering monsters once.

The King saw how his son’s eyes used to be so frosty like they were layered with ice but were now burning with a passionate flame.

Edward used to do government affairs by only echoing his older brother the first prince’s stance and sticking to the safest choice, but now he had changed.

Maximilian, the first prince, was interested in foreign countries and deepened his knowledge by studying abroad multiple times in different developed countries.

Just like his brother, Edward also wanted to study abroad in the Empire …that was only until his trip to Valerie. This year, he chose Monster Science class on his own initiative and even participated in the extracurricular lesson.