Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 53 A Gentle Hug

Caesar took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"I'm giving you this chance to bring the person back,"

"But remember, my forgiveness is based on your abilities. If there is a next time, I will revoke your qualification."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly not fail in my mission," Clorin said in a deep voice.

"Also, collect as much research data as you can about modern magical weapons, and bring it all up next time."

"Yes."

His tall figure gradually disappeared, turning back into a phantom.

The empty hall was left with only Caesar. He looked at the few illusory figures below and sighed slowly.

The contents of Elias's tomb were too important to him; he had to get them no matter what.
However, this failure cannot be entirely blamed on Clorin. Anyone would be astonished by Finn's extreme and reckless methods.

“Enred Marshall,” Caesar repeated the name.

This is the key figure in this incident; as the Secretary-General of the Cabinet Committee, he gave full support to the missile strike.

A dangerous fellow, and now he's also the adoptive father of Shia, the last princess of the Eldaria Empire.

Caesar tapped his fingers on the armrest of the throne and let out a soft hum.

Perhaps he'll have a chance to meet him again at the academy, and then he'll have to see what kind of person the other is.

In the cramped, enclosed room, Clorin slowly opened her eyes and returned to reality.

His gaze gradually darkened.

This defeat was a disgrace to him. Not only was he looked down upon within the Grey Forest, but even His Majesty was beginning to lose faith in him.

He has to salvage everything.

I got up, unlocked the door, walked through the quiet, dusty corridor, and came to a door.

After going inside, he sat on the iron pipe chair behind the long table. Opposite him was a red-haired man with a bruised and swollen face, his head hanging low.

He placed his hands heavily on the table, squinted slightly, and looked at him.

"So, let's continue. Do you remember anything?"

The red-haired man shook his head, blood-tinged saliva dripping from his swollen lips, and said weakly:

"Uriel really didn't tell me about this. I really don't know anything about it."

Klorin smiled faintly and slowly removed his white gloves.
"It's okay, we have plenty of time to let you recall slowly."

Caesar slowly opened his eyes. The sky outside the window had turned to dusk, and the orange-red sunset shone through the window.

Turning his head, he saw Yumilia's pretty face; she was propping herself up on the bed with her hands, blinking her big eyes as she looked at him.

Caesar looked at her, and she looked at Caesar.

Caesar covered his face and sighed helplessly:
"I'm already so old, don't just come into my room."

“Well… it’s just too late. Sleeping too much during the day isn’t good for your health,” Yumilia said. “So I thought I’d wake Caesar up.”

"Where did you hear that?" Caesar asked. "From a book," Yumilia replied, her expression immediately turning serious. "To take good care of Caesar, I bought a lot of books, like 'The Secrets of Teenage Boys,' 'Knowledge of Teenage Physiological Health,' and 'How to Make a Boy.' I've read all of them."

"I'm only eleven, what's so puberty about? And you should buy less of those kinds of books. The authors of those books might not even have raised children themselves," Caesar said speechlessly.

“But I think it’s very helpful,” Yumilia said.

"It says that if a boy is feeling down, don't say anything. Just give him a warm hug. That's the best encouragement and it will make him feel energetic again."

As she spoke, she opened her arms, making a gesture as if waiting for an embrace towards Caesar, and smiled slightly:
"Does Caesar want to give it a try?"

"I," Caesar, turned his gaze away.

"I'm going for a walk," he said, sitting up.

"Come on, come on, don't be shy with me."

As Yumilia spoke, she bent down and hugged Caesar, holding his head in her arms and gently stroking his back with one hand.

"How are you feeling? Full of energy?" she asked expectantly.

"Yes, yes..." Caesar said helplessly.

Yumilia's embrace was soft and warm, and the strands of hair that fell across her chest tickled Caesar's ears.

This feeling isn't bad.

Caesar's bad mood from earlier was gradually dissipated through this reassuring approach.
"Caesar has worked hard these past few days. When you're at home, you can be as affectionate with me as you like," Yumilia said softly, gently stroking his head.

"I know that although Caesar appears strong, he is still a soft-hearted boy. If you encounter anything unhappy, come to me. I will accept whatever you want to talk about."

"understood"

Caesar closed his eyes, savoring this tenderness that was uniquely his.

About ten minutes later, he patted Yumilia on the shoulder.

"Okay, I have something to do outside, I'll be back later."

"Okay, be careful on the road," Yumilia said with a smile.

In the evening, many people were still protesting on the streets of Alexstrasz for the morning's missile attack on the Kingdom of Oran.

A group of people carrying banners and chanting slogans passed by Caesar. Among them, Caesar saw the figure of a middle-aged man with a blood-stained white robe hanging on his shoulder.

He watched the parade leave.

Finn's actions have truly provoked public outrage, and what worries many more is that the hard-won peace has been shattered once again.
Fein has not experienced war for over thirty years. The younger generation's imagination of war exists only in books and novels, while the older generation feels more fear and rejection when war is mentioned.

The Three Kingdoms War of 37 years ago, a brutal conflict, secured 30 years of peace for Finn, but it also became a scar that a generation is reluctant to mention.
Caesar temporarily set aside everything he saw, for he now had something more important to do.

Go and retrieve the relics that Sothos left for him.

When they first met, Peyton mentioned that Sothos had left him an inheritance that might contain the truth about his resurrection ritual, but he had to retrieve it himself.

For more than ten years prior, Caesar had not had the opportunity to come to the capital, and even a month before his arrival, he had not gone to the capital because he was busy with the academy's admissions process.

Now he's going there to retrieve the truth that Sothos prepared for him six hundred years ago.
(End of this chapter)