The Death of the King

More than a month passed quickly, and throughout that time, everything remained peaceful.

First Prince William continued to live frugally, King Donas remained gravely ill, and Richard continued studying the spells in the "Chapter of Munro."

After a period of research, Richard learned several Zero-Ring Low-Tier spells in addition to "Phosphorus Candle": Flame Impact, Water Droplet Condensation, Wind Barrier, Wind Repulsion, Wind Agility, and Wind Brute Force.

Flame Impact created a burst of fire that struck an enemy and caused damage. Richard had tested it. Its power was roughly comparable to a flare suddenly bursting from a wok while cooking. If it hit someone, it could indeed inflict burns, but it was insufficient to kill.

After all, Zero-Ring Low-Tier spells were truly more like tricks, their power generally rather weak. Their greatest use was not dealing damage, but causing panic. In this era, seeing someone suddenly produce a ball of fire in their hand would probably be no less shocking to ordinary people than seeing someone pull out a gun on modern Earth. Water Droplet Condensation gathered moisture from the air and produced droplets nearby. Put simply, it was similar to small-scale low-altitude artificial rain, or the liquefaction of water vapor. Used together with the Flame Impact above, it was enough to solve the problems of starting fires and finding drinking water while living in the wilderness. As for offensive power—sorry, none.

Wind Barrier, Wind Repulsion, Wind Agility, and Wind Brute Force all came from the same source. Just as Flame Impact was a Fire Spell and Water Droplet Condensation was a water spell, these four were all Wind Spells. According to Richard's research, they all used the movement of air to achieve certain effects.

For example, condensing air to rapidly form an impenetrable wall of air that blocked attacks was Wind Barrier.

For example, condensing air and sending it crashing rapidly toward an enemy, like blasting them with a Strong Wind and forcing them to stagger backward uncontrollably, was Wind Repulsion.

For example, condensing air to empower the lower body, increasing movement speed and jumping height while reducing weight to become more agile, was Wind Agility.

For example, condensing air to empower the upper body, amplifying explosive force and dealing an unexpected blow to the opponent, was Wind Brute Force.

Richard learned these spells partly because of their effects, but more importantly, to try to study the underlying mechanisms through which they achieved those effects.

Flame Impact was clearly the combustion of flammable material and had to comply with the law of conservation of energy. Water Droplet Condensation was liquefaction caused by cooling and had to comply with the laws of thermodynamics. The four Wind Spells fell within the realm of Fluid Mechanics and had to comply with its principles, such as the Prandtl-Glauert rule, the Kármán-Qian Xuesen formula, and so on.

Richard worked hard to explain these spells through scientific methods before mastering them. As a result, the spells he cast were no longer as rigid as those recorded in the "Chapter of Munro."

For example, the Wind Barrier recorded in the "Chapter of Munro" was merely a compressed air wall around one meter long and wide, and a little over thirty centimeters thick.

But Richard could create a super-compressed air wall two meters long, two meters wide, and two meters thick. He could even turn it into a sphere or a cylinder.

Likewise, the Wind Repulsion recorded in the "Chapter of Munro" compressed a fixed volume of air and launched it at an enemy, creating a knockback effect. But after unraveling it through science, Richard could choose to compress more or less air to achieve the desired effect.

He could even stack several Wind Repulsions together, turning them into Enhanced Wind Repulsion or even Extreme Wind Repulsion.

Granted, they were still Zero-Ring Spells, but Richard could make them serve far greater purposes.

Richard believed that if his research continued, he would be able to do even more...

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

When the first yellow leaf fell in the Birch Forest outside Blue Lion City, King Donas's black coffin was being carried out of the city. The weather had been dreary and rainy, just as it had been on the day he died... three days ago. The sky had been overcast, and threadlike autumn rain had fallen. It struck the body with bone-piercing cold, like needles. It marked the final end of the scorching summer and the howling arrival of autumn.

From early morning onward, perhaps because of the weather, the entire kingdom's atmosphere had been somewhat oppressive, as though something was brewing beneath it. The falling autumn rain and sudden drop in temperature drove everyone indoors, leaving the vast Royal Palace bleak and silent.

Richard conducted an experiment amid that silence.

A beaker sat in a water-filled vessel, heated in a water bath. The boiling water in the vessel made a gurgling sound as great clouds of white steam rose. Richard watched from the side, then heard faint waves of noise rolling toward him.

The first wave came from the King's palace, carrying sudden cries and panic as it rapidly spread through the Royal Palace and then into Blue Lion City.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The door to the Independent Laboratory was pounded urgently. Richard frowned and called, "Come in." Edward immediately stumbled inside, followed by the old Butler Delong, whose face was filled with grief.

"P-Prince, b-bad news..." Edward said, gasping for breath.

Old Butler Delong behind him spoke. "Your Majesty, he..."

Before he could finish, Richard had already raised a hand. Expressionless, he said, "I know."

"Then..."

"Let's go."

"Yes." Old Butler Delong turned and led the way. Richard glanced at the liquid still being heated, then ultimately followed them out of the laboratory and out of the palace.

Through the icy autumn rain, he crossed the square and entered the bedroom in the King's palace.

Richard saw that it had already become empty. The wine cabinet in the corner had been cleared out, and some furnishings had been removed as well. A bed stood in the center, with King Donas's corpse lying upon it. His skin was a dark purplish red, nearly black. He had been dead for a short while already.

There was another person by the window: First Prince William, who had received the news earlier and rushed over. His head rested against the bed, his shoulders trembling, yet no sound came from him. It was impossible to tell whether he was crying or laughing.

As if hearing someone enter, William raised his head. Tear tracks marked his face as he looked at Richard and said hoarsely, "Brother, Father... he's gone..."

"Mm," Richard replied, neither pleased nor saddened.

William clearly froze for a moment, seemingly astonished by Richard's calm. He wanted to say something, but ultimately did not. Turning back, he leaned against the bed again and repeated over and over, "Father... Father..."

Richard simply stood nearby and watched, as though watching... a joke. A moment later, the undertaker arrived and began arranging King Donas's appearance, including trimming his hair, washing his body, dressing him in clothes and armor, and so on. The other attendants began preparing the mourning hall as well: covering or removing the mirrors with black cloth, extinguishing the fire in the fireplace, opening all doors and windows, opening all locks, untying all knots, lighting candles...

Under those circumstances, William and Richard had no choice but to leave the room.

The two stood at the palace entrance. A cold gust of wind blew over, and William tightened his clothes. He glanced at Richard and said in the same hoarse voice, "Brother, Father is dead. We..."

Richard did not respond. He merely looked at the rain falling endlessly from the sky and said, "It's getting colder. Wear more clothes."

"Hm?" William looked surprised. After a moment, he seemed to realize that Richard was kindly reminding him and nodded. "Ah." "It's going to rain..." Richard added, as though he had intended to say more, but did not. Shaking his head, he stepped directly into the increasingly dense curtain of rain.

"I'll be there for the burial." His voice drifted back from the rain.

William watched him go, his lips moving several times, but in the end, they closed again. He said nothing.