"Yes, Master Elias is the Lioncrest Kingdom's Court Magician, serving not only as my royal advisor but also offering his mystical abilities for the benefit of our Kingdom. Is there a problem?"
Henry stared at him as if he had just asked the most absurd question of all time, "Yes. There is a problem. First of all, I didn't know magic existed, let alone that we have a Court Magician. Second, how come I'm only hearing about this now?"
He's not lying. Henry truly didn't know that magic existed. There are barely any mentions about it in the library, so he assumed magic was just a myth.
"I'm sure you already met him." Maximus's words just fueled his confusion.
"And when is that?" Henry's brows creased as he tried his best to recall any person who looked mystical, old, and wise beyond his wrinkles. But to no avail, except for the old baker from his favourite bakery in the capital, he doesn't remember encountering a man named Elias.
"The day you were born. He came and gave you his blessing, making you immune to diseases and illnesses—a healthy body to be exact."
"Is that so?" Henry was flabbergasted. He wanted to tell his father that no person remembers the memory during their birth. Sure, he's a different case but when he arrived in this world, he was already in a crib and probably a few months old.
So no, he does not remember the time he received such an overpowered blessing from a mystical magician.
'So that's why I don't get sick when I used to dance under the rain.' He murmured under his breath, puzzle pieces finally finding themselves and falling into place.
Maximus noticed the contemplative look on Henry's face and assumed his son was nervous, "Don't worry, when you were a baby, Master Elias was quite fond of you and out of all your siblings, you were the only one who got a blessing from him. I'm sure he still feels the same even now."
"Let's just hope so. Anything else I need to know just so I don't embarrass myself in front of someone who can spit flames out of his mouth?"
Facing Henry's question, Maximus simply shook his head and answered, "Just be yourself, son."
Henry nodded his head in understanding. The next few minutes were spent discussing Henry's morning trainings with Sir Liam along with the topic of his departure next week.
"I'll send five of our best Knights including Sir Liam to serve as your escort. You're my heir and I wouldn't be surprised if someone took this chance to get me through you." Maximus explained to which Henry nodded in understanding.
Although Henry is talented and even acknowledged by Sir Liam himself, he only knows how to swing a sword properly but when it comes to experience, he's widely lacking in that area.
"Just make sure you'll be back before your 18th birthday. I heard your mom is preparing quite a big gift for you." Seeing the mysterious grin on his father's face fueled Henry's anticipation for it.
"Of course." Henry nodded his head and smiled.
Just then, Maximus nonchalantly waved his hand and dismissed him, "Go ahead and get back to what you were doing. Talking to an old man like me might bore you further. Just don't forget about Master Elias, he'll be arriving by ship in the harbour."
Henry shook his head and responded, "If talking to you is boring, you should hear about my grandfather."
Just as he turned his back and exited the room, his ears picked up a wild laughter as he closed the door, "Hahahahaha!"
———
Outside the King's personal study, Henry calmly walked through the spacious hallway, taking note of the stands of shiny knights' armors, along with the squeaky clean surroundings. The castle's servants are really thorough in their jobs.
Henry's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a snarky voice echoing behind him, "If it isn't the heir Prince. Did father give you another pouch of gold to squander?"
Turning around, Henry came face to face with none other than his younger brother, Alexander Charming. The second prince and the oldest of the siblings aside from Henry.
As usual, the boy wears his iconic flair of arrogance and jealousy. His grin complements his dark green hair which he inherited from his mother.
"What's up, shorty?" Henry's acknowledgment of his presence reeks of nonchalance.
Alexander immediately exploded in a fit of anger, "Don't call me that!"
Despite being 15 years old, the boy is simply shorter than the rest of the kids his age. While others are around 171 cm tall, Alexander stands at 140 cm. No doubt he inherited it from his mother.
Hence, the nickname Henry was tailor-made just for him.
"Then you'd better add more inches to your height rather than your arrogance." Henry scoffed and was about to turn around and leave. He still has a few hours left to finish his morning training, wash himself, and head to the Kingdom's harbour.
Behind him, Alexander's eyes turned bloodshot as he clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth and successfully calmed himself down.
"I heard you're about to leave next week, right? Where are you headed?"
Henry stopped in his tracks, although he's confused why Alexander is asking about it all of a sudden but knowing his character, the boy is no doubt up to no good.
"None of your business. Oh, by the way, I still have some of my baby clothes in the closet. I'll send someone to pick it up for you."
The last thing Henry heard at the same time he turned on a corner was Alexander gritting his teeth and hurling back insults that sounded more like an old man's gibberish.
———
As Henry went back to the open field from earlier, he picked up his sword from the wooden rack and started practicing his swordsmanship.
His grip on the handle tightens for every time he musters and swings. He's training not just in two-handed swordsmanship but also one-handed.
Although he's a bit far from defeating a real knight but what Liam told him earlier is the truth. He's almost half as good as Liam who is considered one of the best knights in the Kingdom.
What he truly needs right now is experience, some sort of life-and-death situation kind of battle.
Focusing more on one-handed swordsmanship, Henry practiced not just his swings but also his footwork, constantly maneuvering around the open field without reducing the effectiveness of his swordsmanship.
Not just his footwork but even his senses. Using a wooden dummy and wearing a blindfold before striking the vital points on the dummy's body.
Eventually, the afternoon arrived and Henry finished with his training, feeling his movements smoother and less rigid than yesterday. His comprehensive talent is truly out of this world.
And he'll make sure to squeeze as much as he can out of it, wasting not even a single drop.
He wiped off his sweat with the towel that Elise had prepared for him. Henry returned the sword to the wooden rack and went back inside the castle to wash and clean himself.
———
"You're late." Arriving at the harbour, Henry saw not only his father and mother, but also his siblings, among them is Alexander who didn't waste the chance to try and diminish his perfect image.
Ignoring the brat, Henry turned to his mother and gave her a brief hug. Her name is Olivia Charming, the current Queen of the Lioncrest Kingdom and also the wife of the King, Maximus Charming III.
"There you are, sweetie! What took you so long?" The woman reciprocated his hug. She's wearing a comfortable black gown with intricate golden accents.
"Training." He replied. His eyes scanned the rest of the people in the harbour.
He recognized a few of them especially Sir Liam and his personal platoon of Knights, along with the bratty faces of the rest of his siblings.
Aside from Alexander, the next sibling who came after him is Timothy, his slightly dark blond hair serving as proof of his identity as the King's son.
Unlike Alexander, Timothy is a year younger than him but taller. He bore a face of laziness but one can still sense the fiery flames in his eyes. It's clear that he also shares the same ambition as Alexander.
Despite his lazy nature, the boy is at the top of his class in the royal academy. The same school he used to attend last year and graduated with flying colors. Seriously, the education level in this world is largely lacking behind compared to the modern era. Students could barely grasp multiplication and division, and considered them as nightmare.
After Timothy is Samantha, the oldest sister, and two years younger than Timothy. She still bears her childish features and is less ambitious compared to her older brothers. It's only her mother, one of his father's concubines, who wants her to also compete for the throne.
Her distinctive red hair made her stand out among the people around her.
Finally, last but not least, and the youngest sibling, and also Henry's most favourite of all. Lily Charming, the second Princess, and five years younger than Samantha—placing her at the age of seven, barely old enough to solve mathematics equations.
The only reason why she's his favourite is because of her black hair that reminds him of his younger sister in his previous life.
Not to mention, her mother died when she was 4, killed by a peasant who turns out to be her mother's previous lover before becoming the King's concubine.
Since then, Henry and his mother have taken her under their wings and have been taking care of her for the past few years. Her innocence and purity would sometimes make Henry feel like he really belongs in this world despite having a past life.
Henry made his way towards her and when she spotted him, her face was filled with a bright smile and she quickly rushed towards him.
"Brother!"
Her loud, high-pitched voice immediately caught the attention of nearby passerbys, and they all chuckled in unison as they watched the scene.
Henry crouched and as he expected, Lily jumped forward without a care, he immediately caught her in his arms.
"If it isn't the most charming of the Charming Family." Henry grinned, pinching her supple cheeks.
Lily tried to push his hand away before pouting, "Stawp it!"
"My bad!" He was quick to apologize.
Once that's done, Lily asked "Brother, why are we waiting here? Is everyone going for a swim?"
Henry chuckled at her innocent question and shook his head, "No one's going to swim, Lily. We're waiting for someone. Our Kingdom's most distinguished advisor and Court Magician."
Her eyes immediately twinkled at the mention of the word 'magician'.
She leaned in and whispered, "Magic is real?!"
"I'm also not sure myself. How about we wait for him and see it for ourselves?"
———
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait that long before a large wooden ship with a hull made of steel. Roughly 15-20 meters long and 7 meters wide.
On the main topmast stands a fluttering familiar flag bearing the mark of the Lioncrest Kingdom, a sun-shaped Lion with its mane serving as the sun's rays.
That's when Henry saw him. An old man is standing on top of the front deck with a wooden staff in his hand. His long white beard is fighting for its life against the force of the wind. He's wearing a dark purple robe with golden linings along with a pointy hat with the tip slumped to the side.
His face is filled with wrinkles and scattered white hair protruding from where his hat has rested on the top of his head.
Soon, the ship came to a stop and the same old man was the first to come down, drawing gasps from everyone when he tapped the butt of his staff on the ground and calmly floated down from the deck of the ship instead of taking the wooden ramp.
Stepping forward, King Maximus gave him a polite nod, "Magnificent as always, Master Elias. I hoped you liked my welcome."
Master Elias chuckled in response, waving his hand in dismissal, "Spare me from it, Maximus. How many times do I have to tell you to treat me more like a close friend and less of a guest? Now, where's that bubble of energy Henry, hmm?"
As soon as he mentioned a familiar name, Alexander and Timothy, who were just wearing their fake smiles and eager to introduce themselves to the distinguished magician instantly froze.
They knew that one of the requirements of being a King is getting recognized and approved by the Court Magician. Although they're not the heir, they still want to steal the opportunity from the real heir, Henry.
So when they heard how the Court Magician searched for Henry and even seemed like he was familiar with him made their faces twitched several times.