The beautiful girl narrowed her eyes, gazing up at the mountain. With her heightened sense of hearing still sharp, Ratnasari tried to locate the source of the battle."Arya, there's a fight. The sound is coming from up there!" Her slender index finger pointed to a spot."If you train your senses often enough, you can hear even the slightest sound without needing deep focus. You can even sense someone's suppressed energy, though the limit is usually only if their inner strength is no more than one level above yours," Arya explained."Really? But didn’t you once say we can’t sense the energy of someone whose level is above ours?" Ratnasari asked."That was my old thinking. But during my disappearance, I learned many new things, some quite different from the usual beliefs of most warriors," Arya replied. His gaze returned to the spot Ratnasari had pointed out earlier."We’d better go check it out up there," he added."Hmm.

The two old men couldn’t hide their shock. As elders of a black sect based in the Sastrajingga Kingdom, they couldn’t detect the nature of the energy emitted by the young man. Normally, just by sensing the pressure alone, they would have been able to tell.Realizing the danger that could easily cost them their lives, Reso took the initiative to make peace with the handsome young man."Wait, Warrior… We’ve never had any conflict before. So I hope this fight ends here."Monk Red Venom was surprised by what his comrade said. He didn’t expect the one known as the Serpent King Warrior to surrender so easily.Reso hadn’t exactly said the word “surrender,” but by offering to end the fight, it was essentially the same thing."About my men—I’ll order them to withdraw, Warrior," Reso added."What are you doing, Reso? Why are you giving up so easily?" Monk Red Venom growled in frustration."Do you want us to die in vain, Prawi

Arya stood frozen, stunned to see Princess Laras sobbing as she embraced him. His broad chest, covered by his clothing, was wet with the tears flowing from the corners of the princess’s beautiful eyes, whose beauty rivaled that of Ratnasari.If Ratnasari hadn’t been beside him, he would have surely returned the embrace to comfort her.However, something unexpected happened. Ratnasari stepped forward and stopped directly in front of the two of them, whose bodies were close together. She placed her hands over Arya’s and wrapped them around Princess Laras's back.Arya gazed into the eyes of his beloved. There was a look of wonder and a silent question in his mind that needed an answer.Responding to the confusion reflected in Arya’s eyes, Ratnasari smiled and nodded.Now Arya realized that King Wijaya Kusuma’s words, about Ratnasari being willing to share her heart with Princess Laras, were true. Even so, he felt the need to ask wh

The main reason, of course, was that he feared he wouldn’t be able to keep up his act if he was always near his mother. That was why he would keep his distance from her while in the palace.The massive and sturdy gates of Sastrajingga Capital City were already visible in the distance. Dozens of soldiers stood guard on either side of the gate, their sharp eyes scanning the horizon—especially those stationed at the watchtowers.“His Majesty has arrived! Open the gates!” A loud voice barked out the command. A tall, broad-shouldered soldier with a thick mustache stood atop the watchtower, pointing toward the approaching entourage of King Dharmalaksana.The twin iron gates, each seven meters tall and three meters wide, groaned loudly as several soldiers pushed them open. The sheer weight of the gates required multiple men to move, even just to crack them open.The massive size of the gates was understandable, considering Sastrajingga was the

The little girl was puzzled by the demeanor of the young man who was hugging her. She even heard an apology softly whispered from his lips. Arya quickly wiped away his tears when he saw Ratnasari and Princess Laras walking toward him. He didn’t want to appear weak in front of them. But it was too late. Both of the beautiful girls had already seen Arya crying while embracing the little girl. “What’s wrong, Arya? Why are you crying? And who is this little girl?” Princess Laras bombarded him with questions. Ratnasari only gave a faint smile, seeing the princess of King Wijaya Kusuma unaware of Arya’s tender heart—how he couldn’t bear to see others suffer. Especially now, as the one in his arms was just a small child. “She’s an orphan and begs just to survive,” Arya said, then lifted the little girl into his arms. Princess Laras was stunned. She hadn’t expected that the man who had