No one spoke. They weren't even shocked by the defiance the man displayed. Possibly only the new nobles were surprised, but even then the number was very small.

Few people in the upper echelon of the Empire didn't know this man… this walking legend. Even if they didn't know his face, they knew his stories.

More than that, they were aware of his deep friendship with the Emperor. After all, these two had protected the Empire from the Abominations of the Eastern Nightmare Desert all by themselves.

The White Death.

The former Marshal of the Great Solar Empire.

The Strongest Augustus.

The oldest Augustus.

Arnold Augustus!

"My dear old friend, do you seriously think I'll allow her blood to bow?" Samuel chuckled softly, surprising many people, especially the students who thought the Emperor was cold and indifferent.

"Thought so!" Arnold nodded and dropped on one knee, his head lowered. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"This again…" Samuel rubbed his eyes and said, "Stand up, Arnold."

Arnold finally stood up and turned around, his eyes easily finding his grandson. He said, his voice softening noticeably, "They arrived in the Dusk City, so Xiu is bringing them here now."

As usual, Aegon didn't care about the audience, especially when it came to his family, so he smiled widely and said, "That's good. Also, feels great to see you again after so much time, Opa."

"Haha, we'll catch up later. All the best for the Games. I'll watch over you from here," Arnold said, smiling. "Also, the others should be arriving soon too."

Aegon's eyes lit up hearing that, and he gave a big thumbs-up to Arnold. It was just an extra thing he wanted to make sure everything would go smoothly, but he didn't have high hopes.

Who knew his Opa would actually make it come true?

Though he was mostly thankful because Arnold's presence put his mind at ease, removing thoughts of pranking Grandpa Sam.

"What else did you do?" Cali asked.

"It's a surprise," Aegon whispered back. "Also, I'll tell you guys a funny fact later."

Meanwhile, Arnold walked toward the higher seats among the nobles. It was then that his gaze fell on the fourth empty chair beside the High Dukes, and he frowned before asking, "Why is that empty?"

"Because your son… Arthur Augustus isn't here," Amon said, glancing sideways. "Well, wasn't here."

At the entrance stood another figure just as imposing. His gaunt, towering body seemed to be holding immense burden, as the man took a few steady steps inside.

The man carried a cold and fierce presence that made even nobles tremble with every step he took.

Yet all of that vanished in an instant when his onyx eyes landed on Arnold, who carried similar facial features. The man's scarred face froze in pure shock as he stumbled back slightly.

"Welcome back, Marshal Arthur," Amon smiled and said. "Your seat has grown cold in your absence."

Arthur hurriedly composed himself, looking away from his father but still stealing a few glances. His head dropped in disappointment when he saw how indifferent Arnold was to his presence, as if he didn't even exist.

If he felt pain in his barren heart, Arthur didn't show it. He simply bent his knees, his head still lowered, as he said in a rough voice, "Marshal Arthur greets Your Majesty."

"Rise up!" Samuel sighed, still giving occasional glances at Arnold. "This is the first time in the last decade you came back from the borders. I'm glad for your hard work, so is there anything you want?"

Arthur didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze swept past the students gathered on the central platform. It didn't even take seconds for him to find the single face he had been yearning to see for years.

The moment he saw that face, the familiar golden eyes with pale skin framing those handsome features, a swell of emotions burst out of his heart.

Sixteen years. He finally got to see his child after sixteen long years. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run toward the boy, to hold him tight, to tell him how much he missed him, how much he loved him, how proud he was.

But...He couldn't do anything. Even though the distance between them was no more than a few metres, Arthur knew it was infinite and he couldn't cross it no matter how hard he tried.

For the first time in sixteen years, he was reminded of that night again. The sense of helplessness washed over him, defeat crushing his heart into a thousand pieces.

Warm tears streaked through his cold eyes, eyes that had remained barren even while facing hordes of demons.

His lips trembled, as he clenched his fists and looked away. If he gazed into those golden innocent eyes any longer, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back.

So he simply tried to calm himself and said, "My apologies, Your Majesty, but my life is dedicated to this Empire. I'll live and die with it. That I once swore, and Augustus never break their oath. What I am doing is my duty and responsibility, so asking something in return is demeaning to my oath."

"You and all your damn Augustus," Samuel muttered under his breath, massaging his eyes. "Since you're here, spend some time and relax. You aren't the only one who can save this Empire. When will my old bones do some work?"

"Your Majesty…"

"Shut up!" Samuel's cold words silenced the Sanctum instantly. "You will do as I say and spend some relaxing time in the Empire. Understood?"

Arthur pursed his lips and said, "As your command, Your Majesty."

"Good. Now take your goddamn seat!" Samuel snorted, feeling frustrated.

He would rather fight demons for ten years straight than deal with all this bullshit.

Even others could feel his annoyance. But they couldn't do anything or dare to say anything. House Augustus was equivalent to a High Duke and controlled the entire military.

When Arnold retired all of a sudden, people assumed the new Marshal might come from other Houses because Arthur was too young.

Who knew that Arthur would then proceed to butcher all competition, just like he butchered demons and attain the position in his thirties?

From that day onwards, everyone knew not to mess with this family of psychos. But it was also a family broken from the inside, which frustrated the Emperor the most.

And just then, another figure entered the Sanctum, shocking everyone to the core.

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