From the nobles to the young participants, all of them couldn't believe their eyes.

They knew that the king had still not given up the throne and announced his heir. Then the fleeting thought that came to everybody's mind, that this was the son of king Edgar, was discarded instantly.

Since no one other then the king could have the audacity to adorn that crown on his head.

Edgar passed through the shocked crowd with a wide grin plastered on his face, enjoying the reactions he was receiving.

With Cahill and Vorthane at his side, Edgar comfortably seated on the throne. He scanned the crowd with a constant smile.

Seeing them still in shock, he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. After he had enjoyed the mood of the hall enough, he then started addressing the party.

"I know you all are quite surprised right now. Where has the old king gone? How did I turn young? Well…I would have had the same questions troubling me if I was in your place."

"As you can see, I've returned to my youth. This is all thanks to the young heroes participating in the tournament." Edgar smiled at Luke and Raven's teams, giving them an appreciative gaze.

"The crimson cryo lily you two brought, made it possible for the potion to be made. And thanks to you all, I got this youthful body of mine back. Thank you, Luke, Raven and all the wonderful members of your team."

Gasps of shock followed among the crowd. Most of the young ones were confused at the situation, some simply shocked, while the noble's eyes were shining with greed and opportunity.

Many of them were getting old, this was the very thing that they were in dire need of.

They had already made their mind, and like hungry wolfs, they were looking intensely at Edgar, waiting for the party to be over, so they can push him regarding the potion.

Luke and the others didn't know how to react. They were still shocked and taking this sudden dump of incomplete information in, slowly.

They all bent their waist. Bowing so as to respond to the king's appreciation.

Edgar nodded with a smile. His face then suddenly got somber, the mood instantly shifted to gloomy.

"I've also heard of what transpired inside the pocket realm. Those heretics played all of us, and in the process, we lost young heroes of our kingdom. I'm deeply saddened by this."

"No amount of compensation would be enough to ease the pain of the bereaved families. But still, the ones who have lost their children will be compensated with a sum of ten thousand gold coins each."

"H-Hail his highness King Edgar!" No one knew who, but someone among the crowd started chanting praises.

It spread like a wave as most of the people present started chanting loud. Filling the hall with the intense shouts of praises and chants.

After Edgar waved his hands to stop, the chanting finally stopped after quite a bit of time. The crowd went silent again. Waiting for Edgar to speak again.

"Now, it is time to reward the team who came out as champions of the tournament." Edgar said with a wide smile. He nodded at Vorthane behind him. Who then bowed in response and came forward.

"Please welcome team Luke, with members Noah, Ruby and Shane, to come forward and receive your reward from his majesty himself." Vorthane announced.

Luke and the others immediately started moving forward. The excitement visible on their faces as they hurriedly reached at the center, where Edgar was standing with a servant holding a tray filled with the rewards beside.

"Congratulation! You all have not just won the tournament, but have also done a huge favor to me as well as the kingdom."

"We just did what was needed your highness, and all of that was to win the tournament. If our deed had done good to you and the kingdom, then we are honored for your praise." Luke accepted the praise and humbly replied.

"Hahaha! Said like a true hero indeed." With a hearty laugh, Edgar then took the pouch filled with gold coins and passed it to Luke. He then passed the disaster class beast mana stone within the small box, and a drop of 'Life boon' contained in the glass vial too.

Luke accepted all the rewards and placed it inside in dimensional ring. All four of them bowed to the king, thanking him and then slowly moved back to their spot.

The part returned to the previous fervor. Edgar moved around, meeting the other participants, praising them for their hard work and performance.

He then chatted with the nobles and other guests, laughing and accepting praises for his youthful appearance. Some of the nobles were even striking conversations about marrying their daughters to the King, hoping to climb the ladder.

Just when the party was at its peak, the royal musicians playing their instruments, melodies igniting passionate feelings, young one's flirting, excited chats and laughter, the sound of a wine glass shattering broke the rhythm. Gaining everyone's attention to one single point.

The music stopped, the murmurs and laughs vanished. Heavy silence descended in the hall. Everyone present there, their faces went pale. Shock and confusion written all over their faces.

The glass of wine from Edgar's hand had slipped and fell on the floor. The wine splashing out as the glass shattered into pieces.

His fingers were shaking vehemently, his right hand clutching the heart, eyes bloodshot and his face red. He was having trouble breathing.

Cahill and Vorthane hurriedly held him, supporting him from falling down.

BLERGH!!

Edgar couldn't hold back as he vomited out blood. The floor beneath him was painted red from all the blood. The amount of blood was unnatural. It was too much for a normal person to throw out.

Blood started flowing out of his eyes like tears, from the nose and ears, and all the orifices. The robe was drenched in blood. His crown fell on the floor and rolled forward.

"W-What i-is hap-pening to m-me…"

Before he could speak anything more, Edgar's skin started rotting, it bulged out and he started swelling all over, as if something inside was roaring to come out.

Just when the people present were trying to understand what was going on, noises of multiple glasses shattering on the floor came from different parts of the hall.

The same scene was starting with some of the other nobles too. Starting a chain like reaction inside the hall.

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