MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1044: Von Bryan-5

As the door opened, Bryan walked in with a calm expression on his face. The moment he stepped in, the first thing he felt was the immensity of his Father’s presence. Although the Emperor wasn’t actively emitting his presence, just him existing made everyone feel the overwhelming difference between him and them, a gap that could never be bridged easily.

A long red carpet stretched from the door, extending towards a grand throne up ahead that stood upon a small flight of stairs, where the Emperor sat with nonchalant ease and calmness, his posture radiating absolute authority.

The walls were decorated to match the man, the existence that sat within; the walls were lined with paintings and rare gems of immeasurable value. But Bryan didn’t glance at any of this, he simply walked forward and lowered himself into a bowing position as he spoke.

”I greet His Royal Majesty,” he stated with a respectful tone.

”You may rise,” Iserios Von Deathwrath said, his golden eyes fixed on his second son, his gaze heavy yet controlled.

Hearing Iserios’ words, Bryan rose slightly, his eyes shifting towards his brother who stood with calm ease at the side. The First Prince, Von Heinz. He was the President of the student council at the Omni Peak Academy; at the time, he had also invited Anthony to join the student council board, but Anthony had rejected the idea as he wasn’t ready to play whatever political games existed within the upperclassmen hierarchy.

Both brothers simply nodded at one another without exchanging words as they stood before the Emperor, maintaining decorum.

Although normally, if someone was with the Emperor, any other visitor was supposed to wait and be attended to when the Emperor was done with the first visitor, since Bryan possessed more authority than Heinz, there was no need to wait; he could simply barge in as he had just done without consequence.

”What brings you here, Bryan, to the point that you would obstruct the meeting between your brother and me?” Iserios asked with a calm, flat tone, his voice echoing slightly within the vast Throne Room.

Hearing the question, Bryan immediately spoke, ”Forgive my intrusion, but I have urgent news to report, Your Majesty,” he stated.

”Spit it out then,” Iserios replied with an expressionless face, his fingers resting against the armrest.

”About five minutes ago, I got a message from Null Anthony,” Bryan stated as he met his Father’s golden eyes directly.

The moment Anthony’s name echoed, the entire Throne Room froze in utter silence and stillness, as though speaking further without thought would be an abomination.

Both Heinz and Iserios obviously knew about Anthony, with Iserios possessing the most knowledge about him. Their minds raced briefly as they wondered why he had contacted Bryan at this moment, the implications running deep.

”In the message, Null Anthony stated that he would be visiting the Dragon Domain in about an hour, which is fifty-five minutes from now,” Bryan added, and the silence seemed to stretch even further, growing heavier.

Neither Bryan nor Heinz dared to speak; they simply waited for the Emperor to respond, knowing better than to interrupt.

’If he wanted to visit the Dragon Domain, he could have contacted me, yet he contacted my second son,’ Iserios thought to himself as his fingers began to drum lightly against the armrest of the throne he sat on, a subtle sign of contemplation.

’Is he planning something, or does he need something?’ he questioned internally, before shaking his head slightly. His eyes shifted towards Bryan as he asked,

”What did he say was the purpose of his visit?”

Bryan didn’t delay in answering, ”According to his words, he was bored, and decided to hang out with me, since we were classmates five years ago.”

Hearing these words, both Heinz and Iserios were momentarily stunned, as this was the last thing they had expected to hear.

Iserios said nothing for a moment. Even he dealt with boredom once in a while. Although he could deal with that boredom by simply traveling into the Galaxy and exploring it like other powerhouses at his level did, he knew he couldn’t. He had his duties; he was an Emperor. Until Bryan could rise up to lead the people, he was bound here for now... hence, his own lingering boredom.

”I see,” Iserios finally spoke. He didn’t exactly take Anthony as the scheming type. Although he didn’t know the boy well, he understood him to a minor extent after observing him a few times.

”Right,” Iserios called out into the open space.

The next instant, the Butler named Right flickered into existence beside the Emperor, appearing at his right-hand side as though he had always been there.

”At your service, Your Majesty,” Right spoke with a calm, steady tone.

”Make preparations for Anthony’s arrival,” Iserios Von Deathwrath ordered without any change in tone or expression, his command absolute.

”As you command, Your Majesty,” Right stated, then vanished in a flicker as though he had never existed within the room mere moments ago, leaving no trace behind.

As Right left, Iserios turned his attention back to Bryan as he spoke, ”It seems you had established enough of a relationship with the kid for him to remember you after all these years.”

Bryan remained silent, not speaking, knowing fully well that Anthony was only visiting on his own whims and not particularly because of their relationship. But Iserios also knew this, yet still said what he said, because if Bryan’s and Anthony’s connection hadn’t been decent five years ago, Anthony would have never decided to come here on a whim.

”You will be rewarded for your hard work,” Iserios stated with a calm tone, his decision final.

”Thank you, Your Majesty,” Bryan bowed, and as his face lowered towards the red carpet, a bright smile appeared on his lips, as he knew his Father’s reward was anything but small.

”You may leave,” Iserios stated. Although Bryan hadn’t done anything particularly remarkable, the world also functioned on connections and leverage, so he rewarded Bryan’s connection with Anthony. Besides, because of this reward, Bryan would be compelled to maintain his ”relationship” with Anthony and keep it alive.

After all, who knew when the Dragon Domain might need someone’s help, and Anthony might just be the perfect person to call upon in such a time.

Only if Anthony knew how his supposed low-key visit to his friend had been turned into something akin to a royal visit. In a way, it was a royal visit, but at least he wouldn’t be expecting such overwhelming attention upon arrival.

With that, Bryan rose, nodded at his elder brother, and walked away, leaving the Emperor and the First Prince to continue their discussion uninterrupted.