The Magician of Sound

"Oi, Arba!" Aston raised his voice after getting infuriated by Arba this whole time.

"Why?" Arba tilted her head in confusion. "The purpose of the Priestess is to conceive the King\'s kid, so we will have a successor to rule over us in the future, right? Then, the role of the Priest is to become the King\'s guard and brother… If the King is a male. If it\'s the queen, then the role will be exchanged. I\'m still a Priestess, you know."

Kai, on the contrary, heard something he didn\'t like as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Ho? I seem to have heard something interesting."

"Look, he agrees with me!" Arba pointed at Kai as if she just won.

Only Aston, a master of Mind Magic, could understand that Kai was displeased by her statement and their roles. And if he remembered how popular Kai was with women and only chose to be faithful to a few significant others without having any scandal, it just made his anger even more understandable.

Because of Arba\'s loose mouth, he needed to think of a way to appease his anger.

"Please don\'t listen to her. She is just joking." Aston tried to explain the situation, but Kai simply shook his head and gave his answer. "I quit. I will search for another way."

"!!!" Arba widened her eyes in bewilderment as she found Aston facepalming while gnashing his teeth. She soon realized what this meant and quickly apologized. "My King… Listen to me. I was just joking! You couldn\'t take a joke like this?"

"The joke and your tone are enough for me to conclude that it\'s real." Kai shook his head and rose from the ground. "I will try to find another way to get stronger. Some Protectors will surely give me a bit of pointer."

"Wait, wait!" Arba suddenly appeared next to Kai and held his foot. "Wait a minute. Let me explain! We can abolish that rule right now. The King\'s words are absolute! That\'s right. As long as you say it, we don\'t need to go through with it."

Kai looked down on her with a cold gaze as if telling him, \'That\'s on the surface. I\'m sure you\'re going to have her seduce me or something directly or indirectly.\'

Arba\'s face turned pale as she realized her mistake. She didn\'t gather enough information about Kai because she thought Kai would be just like any other potential King Candidates that didn\'t manage to survive until they reached here.

That was her biggest miscalculation. And now, she needed to face the consequences while wondering how to solve the issue.

"My King, please wait a moment. I know that you\'re disappointed in this matter, so please let me explain it instead of her." Aston faced Kai with a grim expression.

"What? Are you going to trap me inside here and do everything to your bidding? Or are you planning to kill me if I don\'t comply?" Kai snorted in a cold tone. "Just try then! I have that kind of resolve before coming here."

"No, no." Aston shook his head with a long sigh. "I know that My King has no intention of getting into a relationship with someone unknown. We won\'t implore it any longer and it\'s my fault that Arba has said something like that because I have never told her all the small detailed information about you. I will take the blame for this. Even if My King wants me dead, I will commit suicide in front of you to appease your anger. Just please… Hear me one more time."

Kai closed his eyes for a few seconds, contemplating this matter. Unlike Arba, Aston was a serious type. He would surely do what he said to prove his point. Since he came here to get stronger, even if it displeased him, he needed to swallow the matter for the time being.

He took a deep breath to calm his heart down and said, "Okay. I will listen to what you have to say."

"Thank you." Aston nodded before signaling Arba to return to his position and shut her mouth.

Knowing what she had done earlier, she looked down with a sad expression and stayed silent.

There was another reason why Kai had this kind of outburst. Just like how Arba wanted to test him, he wanted to test their limit. And he managed to see their situation along with the importance of a Protector to a certain race.

He had so much advantage in this talk, so he should be able to keep the group that came with him alive.

He walked a few steps forward and sat down right in front of Aston on the floor, looking at his face. Arba scratched the back of her head while complaining, \'It seems this one doesn\'t have a sense of humor. He looks serious all the time like the old man.\'

If she muttered, Kai would hear it and quickly leave this place, but because it was only in her mind, she was safe… Or It was what should\'ve happened. When she released that kind of thought, Aston couldn\'t help but feel it and clapped his hand once before something flicked Arba\'s forehead, making her fall down on her back.

"So, I have two questions first." Kai raised two of his fingers.

"Please ask anything. I will answer it to the best of my ability."

"First, you\'re stronger than me and I don\'t think you need me or anything, so why don\'t you just create another king?"

Aston gulped down as he never expected this kind of question came out of his mouth. He shook his head and replied, "I\'m sorry, but it\'s not possible. There are several reasons for this. First, the All-Hearing Ears are gifted to a unique individual. This is the very basic requirement to be acknowledged as a Race Protector.

"Then move on to the second reason. If we kill you or let you die after making contact like this, we will be condemned by all other races, especially the intelligent ones. For example, the Oni Race that came with you will surely pass this information to his King before spreading it all around the world.

"At that time, we didn\'t have a face to protect anymore. I believe you also have made contact with several Protectors. If such a thing happens under our watch, there\'s a high chance they will come at us and destroy us. The possibility becomes even higher if they\'re your friends.

"Third, there will be a huge uproar all around the world. Just like in the past, a coup d\'etat will surely bring so many things inside that kingdom. The effect will be amplified when we take the whole race into the picture. There\'s a possibility that the Human Race will cease to exist."

Kai listened to his reasons and nodded, understanding a bit of their reasoning. A protector was someone beyond reason because their entire existence alone could wipe out a single race with ease if that particular race had no protector to defend them.

Hence, his value in the eyes of these people was far higher than he first expected. He then asked his second question, "Then, what will you do after I have finished my training here?"

"We will abide by your wish. According to our rule, we\'re to send the Priest and Priestess with you to assist you in your endeavor, but the first rule states that our King\'s words are absolute, so no other rules can overrule your decision. Of course, please pay attention to your own words because people will question your ability as a ruler by watching your actions on a daily basis and your words.

"If the people see you as a douchebag that keeps playing with women and killing men, I\'m sure there will be some kind of plot going on behind you. We will try to keep them under control, but we can\'t finish it all.

"However, your reaction earlier gave me enough answers that you will do just fine. That\'s my belief." Aston put on a gentle smile.

"…" Kai pondered for a moment before agreeing to their terms. "I understand. As much as I hate to say it, I need power. World\'s scream, eh… At the very least, humans have gotten better in controlling pollution, so I think they\'re worth protecting for the time being."

Aston didn\'t reply to him and waited for him to finish gathering his thoughts.

"I will follow your advice and ask for your teaching when I\'m here."

"I understand. I will do my best to turn you into a full-fledged protector. Before that, I would like to ask one important question."

"Sure."

Aston was a bit hesitant, but he needed to know Kai\'s stand in this matter. "Suppose I won\'t try to ask them to do anything other than their normal roles… In that case, would My King disagree with having them by your side? As long as you say you don\'t want to do something, they won\'t do that."

Kai squinted his eyes and looked at Aston\'s eyes before making a decision. "They have their roles. I will just be like an evil guy if I dismiss this type of dedication. However, I would like you to explain to me how they become the Priest and Priestess."

"I understand. Although I want to explain it to My King right now, night has already come. How about we go to your room first, so you can meet with the people you bring here and tell them what\'re you going to do for the next three months? After that, we can start your training while I\'m explaining all these things one at a time."

After a few considerations, he indeed needed to quell their unrest first before talking about this. He ultimately accepted his suggestion. "I understand. Let\'s do that."