Of course, he had not forgotten his original purpose. He needed information, power, and allies. But these women could serve multiple purposes. They could warm his bed, feed his ambitions, and perhaps even become useful tools in the larger game.

Julian sat up slowly on the bed, stretching his arms. His body felt significantly stronger after the breakthrough. The vessels that had been damaged during the duel with Aldric were mostly healed now. One more session with Olivia would likely bring him close to full strength.

A faint smile played on his lips.

"Things are getting interesting," he murmured to himself.

Outside, the castle continued its preparations for the delayed royal visit. Inside this room, however, Julian’s mind was already weaving new plans, new desires, and new conquests.

The game had only just begun.

***

Two full days passed in the Astran Duchy without any major incident.

The castle had settled into a strange, almost unnaturally quiet rhythm. The news of the King’s delayed visit still lingered in the air like a heavy cloud, but the daily operations continued as they always had.

Servants moved through the corridors with their usual efficiency, polishing floors, carrying trays, and maintaining the vast estate. Guards patrolled the walls. The internal tensions between factions remained, but they had been pushed beneath the surface for the time being.

Everyone seemed to be waiting... holding their breath for whatever the future would bring.

Julian spent most of his time copped up in his room or quietly searching for clues throughout the castle.

During the mornings he focused on cultivation and absorbed mana to stabilize his recent breakthrough.

In the afternoons and evenings, he ventured out under the guise of casual walks or casual conversations. He spoke with guards, servants, and lower-ranking officials whenever the opportunity arose.

Most of them were cautious at first, but many had grown more respectful toward him after the past week. Small pieces of information trickled in through these conversations.

He still remembered his conversation with the information merchant named Skreek back in Ezakael. The crocodile-man had mentioned that the capital had sealed itself and had not made contact with any other noble families for a long time. That information turned out to be partly true and partly false.

The sealing of the capital was certainly accurate. The royal city had indeed closed its main gates to outsiders and restricted movement in and out.

However, the capital had not completely cut itself off from the rest of the kingdom. It still maintained careful relationships with select noble houses. They exchanged scrolls, shared important news, and formally summoned certain high-ranking families over the years.

The key detail was that only nobles who were close to the royal family or had proven their absolute loyalty were granted such privileges. Everyone else remained in the dark.

One particularly valuable piece of information came from the head servant who directly managed the food prepared for the Duke and Duchess. The old man had served the family for over thirty years and was surprisingly talkative after Julian shared a few compliments and a small gift of fine wine.

According to the head servant, the royal capital was currently in a frantic search for one precious treasure. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The servant did not know exactly what the treasure was, only that it was something of immense value.

Rumors suggested it could revive someone who was close to death and grant unimaginable power to its wielder. The search had apparently been going on for years, and the pressure from the royal family was growing more intense with each passing week.

Julian could guess what this treasure was.

It was certainly the Fragment of Eternity.

The Fragment of Eternity was one of the four primordial fragments that had been separated from the original fire that gave birth to everything. Ancient records and forbidden texts spoke of these fragments as the very foundation of existence itself.

Each one carried a fundamental aspect of reality. The three other fragments belonged to the three supreme beings of creation, destruction, and preservation. These beings were said to stand at the apex of all power, eternal and unmatched in their respective domains.

But something that had always stuck in Julian’s head was the strange coincidence of the Servant of Death appearing in the very kingdom known to contain the fourth fragment.

He stood by the window of his room, gazing out at the sprawling gardens below. The late afternoon light cast long shadows across the manicured hedges and blooming flowers.

Julian’s mind refused to calm. Thoughts swirled endlessly, connecting dots he had gathered over the past few weeks.

Is the Supreme Being of Death looking for the fourth fragment?

That idea made perfect sense now that he thought about it more deeply.

The three supreme beings were said to be equal to one another. None could truly overpower the others without risking catastrophic consequences for the balance of the universe.

Creation could not exist without preservation. Destruction could not run rampant without creation to restore what was lost. They existed in a delicate, eternal equilibrium.

But the introduction of the fourth fragment would change everything.

The Fragment of Eternity held the power to disrupt that balance completely. If the rumors were true, it governed all life, death and sustainment.

Whoever claimed it could tip the scales dramatically in their favor. If the Supreme Being of Death managed to obtain it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Death would no longer be a natural part of the cycle. It could become absolute, unstoppable, and eternal.

Julian’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the distant castle walls.

Judging by how the Servant of Death had manifested in the Hermes Kingdom, the Supreme Being of Death was clearly up to no good. The search for the Fragment of Eternity was not some random royal ambition. It was likely orchestrated or heavily influenced by forces far beyond mortal understanding.

Despite the involvement of such powerful beings, Julian was quite excited about all of this. The pieces were slowly falling into place, even if the full picture remained shrouded in mystery.

He did not know exactly what was happening, but he was getting closer to the truth with every passing day.

All these threads were connected, and he stood at the center of the web.