Imperial Crown.

Chapter 528 Vesdon Targaryen

Thomas eventually signed the magic contract.

A strange magical glow enveloped Thomas, instantly making him feel an extremely powerful soul-binding force! If he violated the terms of the contract, his soul would be completely shattered, vanishing from the world. Even the right to reincarnation would be stripped away.

It wasn't that they truly succumbed to Raven's tyranny, but rather that they had to consider their own future. In truth, Thomas didn't care about the lives of Savannah and the others at all! What did it matter if there were 2000 Knights of Light, let alone a mere 500 or so? They were dead, but they died fighting for humanity; they died a worthy death, a glorious death, a death they deserved.

However, due to his past, he had already earned the nickname "The Bone Eater." This title stemmed from his youthful arrogance; he ignored warnings and led a large elite force deep into the Miracle Mountains to attack the Death Hand Cult's stronghold, resulting in the annihilation of his entire army. No one knew what happened in that battle; all that was known was that Thomas was the only survivor. And it was then that Thomas developed "some kind of connection" with the Death Hand. Or, to put it bluntly, he gained leverage over the Death Hand Cult.

This is why he secretly helped the Death Hand Order; and why he was able to make the Death Hand expend massive resources to initiate the "Soul-Sacrifice" to help him curse Raven; it is also the real reason why he has not been valued within the Holy See for so many years.

If the Holy Knights are wiped out again this time, his title of Bone Eater will continue to "glorify" within the Holy See! This will completely block Thomas's path to advancement, a burden Thomas cannot bear! It must be understood that within the Holy See, above the Cardinal Archbishop are twelve Cardinals, and above the Cardinals is the true Pope. That is Thomas's lifelong goal, which, over the past thirty or forty years, has become an obsession in his heart!

"The only thing that time has changed is the spirited and ambitious person I was back then."

After Simon left, Thomas slumped into a chair, his fingers digging into the sockets of his eyes on the bridge of his straight nose, his cheeks trembling and his lips quivering as he murmured softly.

He is 69 years old this year and has long lost his youthful vigor and fiery temper.

……

The Imperial Royal Academy in Minergar City.

“Visdon Griffiths! Judd Vandoria is calling you to the bar to fight! He said if you don’t dare to go, it proves you’re a coward, truly Raven’s son.”

A hairy young man ran to the school's martial arts field and shouted loudly at Vesdon, who was practicing martial arts there.

With a blank expression, Viston did not stop until he had practiced the entire set of moves.

Now 28 years old, Vesdon possessed a burly physique like an ox, making the young man, two years his senior, appear like a mere chick in comparison. Vesdon walked over to the young man, grabbed his hand, and the young man immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Let go! Let go now! You bastard!" the young man screamed in agony. "You barbarian from the border!"

“Murphy Qutherland, did I say I have absolutely nothing to do with that adulterous couple? I changed back to my biological father’s surname a long time ago! From now on, call me Viston Targaryen. Do you hear me?” Viston said, enunciating each word clearly. As his tone grew stronger, the ferocity on his face became unmistakable, and the force in his hands gradually increased.

In reality, Vistor's biological father was a well-known businessman named Federo. Although he amassed a great fortune, he was hardly worthy of a surname. Even if he did, Vistor wouldn't remember it, as his father died under mysterious circumstances before he was even four years old. Therefore, Vistor had virtually no memory of his father, neither his appearance nor anything else. The so-called "Targaryen" was merely a surname he made up on the spot.

"Boss, boss, boss, I was wrong, I'll never call you Griffith again!" Murphy Qutherland knelt on the ground in pain, his face flushed red as if it had been painted, tears and snot streaming down his face as he pleaded.

"Humph"

Viston released his left hand, his only remaining hand. If it were his metal right hand, Murphy's hand would have exploded long ago!
In other parts of the capital, Vesdon was unaware of the situation, as he rarely went out shopping, mainly because after severing ties with Raven and his mother, he could no longer obtain money from them. Therefore, he often needed to work to earn money for tuition and food. However, at the Royal Imperial Academy, surnames were required when addressing someone! At first, Vesdon felt quite awkward and didn't understand why. Later, he gradually realized that it was all for the sake of showing off.

In the entire capital city of Minergar, besides Emperor Keynes, there are eight other ducal families. One is the Prime Minister's family, three are old-school families, three are new-school families, and the last is the Rosenville family, the family of Morenzo, who was involved in Raven's trial. However, the Rosenville family willingly serves as a lackey of the Holy See, and their patriarch, Morenzo, is one of the twelve cardinals of the Papal States! Therefore, their title heir is someone else, but everyone knows that Morenzo is the true and actual controller of the family! Consequently, the Rosenville family's influence in the capital has gradually declined, and they usually maintain a neutral stance, rarely interfering in the internal affairs of the Keynes Empire.

For these reasons, everyone in the academy adds their surname when addressing each other. Firstly, it makes them look more prestigious! Secondly, it avoids misjudgment! Otherwise, if a conflict arises and someone dies or is injured, and both parties are from ducal families, neither side would be able to save face.

Take, for example, Murphy Qutherland, Seraphim's son, though rumored to be illegitimate, born to his cousin. Seraphim, as the leader of the new aristocracy, is only in his early forties, while Murphy is already 30. One can only imagine when Seraphim and his cousin started sleeping together…

However, Seraphine had no other children, so Murphy naturally became the apple of the Quetzalland family's eye. If he knew that his son had been treated like a dog by Vesdon at the academy, who knows if he'd be furious!

Therefore, when Murphy revealed his surname, all 6 to 7000 people in the Imperial Academy, including teachers and deans, had to give him some face. No one dared to treat Murphy like Vesdon had, tormenting him until he knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

However, when he first arrived, Vesdon wasn't like that. He was cautious, careful, and even suppressing his emotions. But later he gradually discovered that these pampered and arrogant second-generation heirs understood nothing but fists; they couldn't comprehend any words. These second and third-generation dukes were all quite powerful, mostly at the third rank, with very few at the second rank. Yet, in front of Vesdon, who had spent years in battle, constantly teetering on the edge of life and death, they were utterly helpless.

After he beat up dozens of troublemakers in the academy with his fists, he earned a bunch of ridiculous and slanderous nicknames, such as "Border Barbarian," "Mongrel Orc," and "Little Bee Bastard." However, these people had all suffered greatly, so they only dared to be sarcastic and boastful behind his back. In front of Vesdon, they were all as obedient as his own grandsons.

Furthermore, Vesdon's bravery made him a prominent figure at the Imperial Royal Academy, gaining him a considerable following of female admirers. With just a snap of his fingers, Vesdon could have a different game every day. But Vesdon was well aware of his responsibilities; it wasn't time for him to act yet.

Following Murphy to the academy's tavern, it was clear that the Imperial Royal Academy was enormous, containing almost everything imaginable, almost like a small world. Therefore, Vesdon usually worked within the academy and didn't need to leave, which was why he hadn't explored the capital city much.

This tavern, named Dragon's Breath Tavern, is entirely shaped like a giant dragon. The entrance features an open dragon's mouth, its sharp teeth intimidating and deterring anyone from entering! It's truly built on the skeleton of a dragon; upon entering, one can see the stark white bones overhead. It's said to be the dragon slain by Don Quixote, the ancestor of the Griffith family. Dragon's Breath Tavern is the most upscale and expensive tavern in the entire academy; in recent years, Vesdon has only visited it once. Besides this, the academy also has more affordable taverns—Magic Remnants; a more artistic tavern—Time's Brew; and a more romantic tavern—Misty Elf.

Dragonbreath Tavern is a gathering place for the sons of prominent nobles within the academy, and also a place for them to form alliances.

The Brew of Time serves primarily as a platform for information exchange among the academy's future civil servants, bards, orcs, dwarves, elves, alchemists, and others. Because only here is discrimination at its lightest.

Needless to say, the Kirikawa Fairy is a place for romance, and there are also some gay and lesbian couples... It's jokingly referred to as the "ovary".

As for Vesdon, it was naturally just a frequent haunt of magical remnants. It was also a gathering place for most of the sons of minor nobles in the academy.

However, Magic Remnants has become incredibly popular in recent years, largely due to the presence of the formidable Vesdon. The area attracts many students seeking to make connections or receive protection. Therefore, Vesdon's drinks are essentially free; even if no one pays for him, the owner of Magic Remnants won't charge him anything. After all, Vesdon is a living, breathing advertisement!
"Hehe~ Look, look at my friends, who's here?"

When Veston entered the tavern, shouts immediately rang out, but these shouts always carried a hint of annoying mockery.

The varying sizes of rhomboid gems overhead refracted the light into a dim, iridescent glow, while the blaring, energetic music made everyone feel hot and bothered even before they had a drink. In the center were three enormous circular stages, the middle one an octagonal arena where people were fighting and emitting wild, beast-like growls from the depths of their being! On the other two stages, beautiful women were performing provocative dances, dressed in bizarre costumes—some in chains, some in black leather and stockings, some completely naked except for sheer, flesh-colored mosquito net-like garments, revealing almost everything beneath, creating a hazy, dreamlike beauty. Most of the tavern's patrons were glued to the two massive, constantly swaying thunderbolts, their blood pumping with each drop of sweat. Several dark-skinned drow also danced provocatively on them, making the atmosphere in the tavern incredibly heated.

"Jard Vandonia, what do you want with me?" Vesdon asked expressionlessly.

Jade was the grandson of Fernandez. As the heir to a military general, he was one of the few in the entire academy whose physique could rival that of Vesdon. Having practiced martial arts since childhood, he was also broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, frighteningly sturdy.

Judd leaped nimbly off the high stool, his barrel-like belly doing nothing to hinder his movements. Pointing at Vesdon, he shouted, "Veston Griffith, I challenge you here today! Do you dare to accept? If you win, I'll give you 1000 gold coins! You're short of money, aren't you? Grandpa isn't. Grandpa has plenty of money!"

“I told you, I severed all ties with that little bee a long time ago. My name is now Vistor Targaryen.” Vistor said, taking a step forward. “Do you want another beating?”

"What are you so arrogant about! You're only arrogant because of your alchemical prosthetic limb! I'll go back and have my grandpa install one for me that's even better than yours!" Jade shouted defiantly, but anyone could hear the obvious bluster beneath his bravado. Afraid? Who wouldn't be! As a third-tier transcendent, he had challenged Vesdon a full 50 times! Not 5 times! Not 10 times! A full 50 times! And every single time, he was brutally beaten like a dog by the second-tier Vesdon! Yet, no one in the entire academy dared to laugh at him, much less! Because the others didn't even dare to challenge him 5 times. Almost everyone was completely subdued after being beaten 2-3 times by Vesdon. They avoided Vesdon like mice seeing a cat. Because this damned border barbarian always found some excuse to beat them up.

Judd's words struck Viston as utterly childish and speechless. If he had a choice, he'd rather not have this alchemical arm; he wanted his own flesh and blood right arm! But did he even have a choice? It was laughable that these people were vying to envy his alchemical prosthetic limb. They were truly out of their minds… terrifyingly naive. At times like this, Viston couldn't help but wonder if his older brother, Raven, had viewed him the same way back then? Treating him like an idiot.

“Visdon…Targlian, tell me, do you dare to accept the challenge? This time, we won't fight, we'll fight with words! Let's see who can eat the most gold coin burgers!” Although he spoke tough, Judd's body was still very honest, and he quickly changed his words and asked.

"A gold coin burger?"

Viston frowned. To be honest, the sight of this stuff made him want to vomit! During his years in the capital, what he missed most wasn't Raven, his friends, or even his mother, Denise, but rather the various delicacies his older brother had invented. His biggest craving, of course, was hot pot. Unfortunately, he couldn't find it here.

"Yes, let's see who eats the most! If you win, you can take 1000 gold coins!" Judd slapped the table, where 1000 gold coins were already piled up like a small mountain, radiating a mesmerizing golden light.

"What if I lose?" Vesdon really didn't want to eat, but the gold coins were too tempting, and he was indeed short of money.

"Heh heh," Judd grinned smugly. He'd been tied up and starving for three whole days for this match! There was no way he could lose! "I know you're broke, so I won't make things difficult for you. If you lose, how about you kneel down and call me 'Dad' three times? Even that filthy little bee Raven can be your dad, so I'm more than qualified to be your dad, aren't I? And to be honest, if I were your dad, I would definitely bestow the title of Viscount upon you, not your mother! Someone like you with no title, if you weren't in the academy, licking my ass would be an honor!"

To be honest, Judd's words weren't an exaggeration. Once he left this academy, just because Judd was Fernandez's grandson and because he bore the Vanderaria name, there would be plenty of people lining up to fawn over him. Regardless of gender or age.

“I already said that I have nothing to do with that adulterous couple, not even a single copper coin.”

Vesdon retorted, his expression eerily calm as he spoke, as if he were talking to an outsider.

The crowd exchanged glances, a strange look appearing on their faces. Considering that Veston had been working to earn his tuition for the past few years, they couldn't help but believe him.

I've taken the bet.

After saying that, Viston picked up a gold coin burger and started eating.

A gold coin burger was bigger than a face plate. To be honest, Vesdon wasn't sure if he could outeat Judd.

……

(End of this chapter)