The Herb King



Only Aethelwolf was brave enough to take in the Barbarians who are despised by everyone. He was recently crowned as ranked 5th in the Heavenly Might Rankings, but everyone believed that it wasn't the extent of his power, especially after seeing him in person. His unparalleled grace and elegance made them feel inferior. His stern and commanding aura made them feel ashamed. 

"Since the Barbarians are now Sir Aethelwolf's people, we should treat them with respect. The Barbarians lived in the Northern Region for a long time and they are more knowledgeable about the place than many of us here. With their help, our allied force will have the advantage against the Underworlders." Estes immediately said to prevent conflict between the experts. 

When the Level 5 Espers heard his words, some of them nodded their heads in agreement. The Barbarians were indeed unable to become Espers, but they are physically strong and their vast knowledge about the Northern Region would prove to be pivotal for their allied army. 

"Sir Aethelwolf, if you don't mind, my Azure Phoenix Empire will share the burden with you and take in some of the Barbarian tribes. What do you think?" Shiphra muttered as she looked at Aethelwolf. 

"What?! Empress Shiphra is actually willing to take in the Barbarians?" 

"Eh?"

Everyone was shocked when they heard her words. Even Aethelwolf was a bit taken aback, but to her disappointment, he shook his head and muttered. "There is no need for Empress Shiphra's help. My Barden Territory can handle this matter, but if you really want to help us, you can send some people to help us build the Barbarians' new home." He glanced at her teasingly at the end of his words.

"Alright. I'll send our best builders to help you build their new homes." Empress Shiphra giggled delightfully.

The others were dumbfounded when they heard this. She actually agreed to his demands? Aethelwolf was also stunned and he couldn't help but look at Shiphra with an awkward smile. He only said it as a joke. Who would have thought that she would actually treat his words seriously? 

"This..." 

Looking at Aethelwolf's stunned gaze, Shiphra covered her mouth as she gently laughed. Her giggles made the experts stare at her in a daze. She was too beautiful and even her voice was so angelic. If only she was their wife, how happy would they be? However, Empress Shiphra was too aloof about this matter. She had a lot of pursuers, but none of them succeeded. 

"I've already said everything. I hope everyone will make the necessary preparations. You guys can rest assured that I will send half of our fighting force to the borders of the Northern Region within three days. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first. Excuse me." Aethelwolf nodded his head at Estes and Gilbert Holt, the only people he knew in this discussion hall before he left. 

Seeing that Aethelwolf has ignored him, Lark Whitmond snorted. He then stood up and left with heavy strides. 

Aethelwolf whistled and the sleeping Golden Horned Gryphon immediately raised its head and flew towards him. It then lowered its body while looking at him gently. 

"Let's go back to the Barden Territory first." Aethelwold said as he jumped on top of the huge Gryphon. 

The Golden Horned Gryphon stood up and flapped its wings before disappearing into the sky.

With Einar protecting the kids, he wasn't worried that anything will happen to them. The old man's strength was already comparable to Lark Whitmond who was currently ranked 6th in the Heavenly Might Rankings. Only a few people in the Regalis Continent were his match. 

Soon, they arrived in the airspace controlled by the Barden Territory. There were soldiers dressed in scale armor riding on top of their flying mounts as they strictly monitored the sky. Because of them, no one dared to ride flying mounts in the Barden Territory.

"That's King Aethelwolf's Golden Horned Gryphon!" 

"Greetings, King Aethelwolf!"

"Greetings, King Aethelwolf!"

The soldiers quickly urged their mounts to fly lower. They didn't dare to fly higher in Aethelwolf's presence. 

"There's no need to escort me. You guys go back to your posts." Aethelwolf waved his hand when he saw the enthusiastic soldiers' actions.

"Yes, King Aethelwolf!"

Swoosh! 

The Golden Horned Gryphon's body flashed as it moved hundreds of miles in just a blink of an eye. 

"Sigh. To think that even such a majestic creature is actually willing to become the king's mount."

"Why are you surprised? King Aethelwolf is one of the strongest experts in the Regalis Continent." 

Aethelwolf was unaware of the soldiers' words since he had already landed in front of his palace. His arrival immediately alerted the king's guards, they were soldiers who were under the command of Anton Lassiter, his father.

"King Aethelwolf!" 

"King Aethelwolf!" 

"Aethelwolf, you're back!"

"Husband!" 

Everyone greeted him eagerly after seeing him jump off from his mount. Anton Lassiter and Melissa Lassiter were there. They looked at him with smiles on their faces. Until now, they still didn't know that the king everyone admired was their son, Leric Lassiter. However, Aethelwolf already abandoned this name after his experience inside the Samsara Rune's illusion. His body and soul were trapped inside the rune for decades. Although only a few minutes passed in the real world, he had experienced a lifetime inside the world created by the Samsara Rune. Furthermore, his physical body was also trapped in that illusion for the same amount of time. At this moment, he was no longer a kid, but a man who had lived for decades. This was without including his experiences in his past life.

Samira Reynolds stared at Aethelwolf with love and adoration. It has been quite some time since they were married, but they only spent a short time together for the both of them were busy with the matters of the territory. However, her love for him didn't decrease in the slightest. 

Aethelwolf pulled her into his arms when he saw her gentle smile. "You've worked hard. I'm sorry for not always being there for you." He muttered while stroking her hair.

"I don't mind. I know that you are a busy person even before I married you. Now that you are the king of Barden Territory, you've become even busier than before. As long as you don't forget me, that's all that matters." Samira tenderly said while looking into his eyes.

"Ahem! Aethelwolf, let's go inside the palace first. You guys can talk inside." Anton chuckled as he dispersed the servants and soldiers. 

Samira immediately lowered her head when she realized their intimate actions. Luckily they didn't do anything else or she would really be embarrassed.

"Alright. Let's go." Aethelwolf grabbed Samira's hand and pulled her inside the palace. 

Anton and Melissa stared at them happily as they followed them inside. 

"By the way, someone has been waiting for you all this time. You should go and see her. She had lost weight thinking about you." Samira muttered a tinge of jealousy in her tone. 

"Hm? Who is it?" Aethelwolf raised his eyebrows as he feigned surprise. Was it Julie Irish or Jade Kristine or the cold elven princess Aenwyn? 

"Follow me." Samira rolled her eyes at him. She led him to her quarters where they saw a lonely figure sitting by the window side. There was a tea that has already gone cold on the table in front of her. 

It was Julie Irish, the current family head of the Urgel Household. She could no longer control her longing for Aethelwolf and she had even told Samira about her feelings for him. She has been waiting for him all this time. She had already resolved herself to confess her feelings. 

Because she was too occupied by her thoughts, she didn't notice the arrival of two people in the room.

"Julie..." Samira called out her name. 

"Ah, Samira! Which bigshot arrived earlier?" Julie noticed the commotion, but her mind was filled with thoughts about Aethelwolf so she stayed in the room.

Samira smiled at her and moved to the side, revealing the peerless figure behind her. 

"A-Aethelwolf! I mean King Aethelwolf!" Julie jumped up in shock when she saw him. 

Looking at Julie's pale weary eyes, Aethelwolf couldn't help but sigh. This woman was emotionally strong and he was surprised to see her in such a state. "How have you been, Miss Julie?" He smiled gently at her.

Julie hesitated to speak, but when she saw Samira's encouraging look, she picked up her courage and stared at Aethelwolf's eyes. "I've been waiting for you here. I want to become your woman!" Her eyes were filled with determination when she uttered those words.

Aethelwolf was shocked by her courage. He couldn't help but stare at Samira, but she only nodded her head to him. It was obvious that the two women had already talked about this beforehand. Since his wife didn't mind, he wouldn't be a man if he would still reject the beauty in front of him. Truthfully, he didn't know how Julie looked behind her veil, but from the small clues he had seen, he was certain that she was a supreme beauty. 

Aethelwolf couldn't find any words and the only thing he did was pull her into his arms.