Chapter 279: The Secret Power of the Beast Royals!

Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Now, he finally understood where that darkness might have come from.

Or at least, he understood it to some extent.

The answer likely went all the way back to the Twilight Era.

If the gods had truly fought during that ancient period, then the scale of their battles must have been beyond imagination.

Their clashes could have nearly destroyed Valtharion itself—tearing apart the atmosphere, devastating the land, and leaving nothing behind but catastrophic remnants.

’Perhaps that was why it had taken more than a million years for Valtharion to recover.’

’One million years...’

Luke couldn’t help but feel a little stunned by the sheer scale of it.

And as for what had existed before the Twilight Era—

He had no idea.

Still, there was one logical possibility.

If the Twilight Era was known as the Era of the Fall of Gods, then perhaps the era before it had been the complete opposite.

An age when the gods stood at the peak of their glory. Where they freely walked across Valtharion.

Luke’s thoughts continued for a moment before he shook his head.

Thinking about things I don’t know won’t help me right now.

He pushed those thoughts aside and returned his attention to Drevian.

Drevian continued.

"And the late King Eldric discovered something within those ruins. Something that ultimately became the foundation of his success."

He paused before letting out a quiet sigh.

"For generations, the kingdom continued attempting to explore those ruins. In fact, that was one of the primary reasons this academy was established in the first place."

His gaze swept across the room.

"So that we could study the ruins and uncover their mysteries as quickly as possible."

His voice gradually became heavier.

"But sadly, despite all these years..."

He shook his head.

"We haven’t made any meaningful progress."

The ruins had eventually attracted the attention of other nations and powerful nobles.

Even the Human Emperor had learned of their existence.

However, rather than allowing the matter to become a direct conflict between kingdoms, they decided to involve the Empyrean Academy.

That decision also prevented the Human Emperor from directly interfering in the matter.

Although the human kingdoms belonged to the same Empire, the Empire didn’t possess absolute authority over them.

The human kingdoms maintained their own governments and were largely free to make their own decisions.

The Empire itself had primarily been formed to unite humanity under a single banner when dealing with the outside races.

It also served as a united force in the event of an external invasion.

Beyond that, the individual kingdoms were free to govern themselves as they wished—unless they voluntarily sought the Empire’s assistance in managing their affairs.

And this kingdom had never done so.

Roderan finally spoke.

"And today, all of you will be participating in the new expedition to explore the ruins."

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

That was precisely why they had gathered here.

Any treasures, resources, or discoveries made within the ruins would be divided among the participating parties, with the academy receiving its agreed-upon share as well.

"And I’m certain that, with so many different talents gathered together this time, we’ll achieve far better results."

Roderan smiled as he looked around the table.

After all, the representatives selected by the academy were particularly suited for ruin exploration.

Most of them also possessed considerable experience dealing with ancient ruins.

"So, prepare yourselves."

Roderan stood up from his seat.

"In a few hours, all of you will enter the ruins."

With those final words, Roderan and Drevian left the meeting room.

After they left, the room immediately grew lively as everyone began discussing among themselves.

Meanwhile, Alia leaned closer to Luke, deliberately shortening the distance between them.

Selene’s expression darkened.

Her jealousy was becoming increasingly obvious, but Alia didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Instead, she smiled playfully at Luke.

"Dear Luke, stay with me during the exploration."

Her smile widened as she added,

"I’ll protect you."

With that, Alia finally backed away.

After all, Selene’s eyes were practically popping out of their sockets from anger.

The moment Alia moved away, Selene turned her furious gaze toward Luke.

Luke could only stare back at her with an innocent expression.

’What did I do?’

Unfortunately, his silent question did nothing to appease her.

"Hmph!"

Selene turned her head away and settled back into her chair, clearly refusing to entertain any explanation.

Luke could only helplessly watch her.

Meanwhile, on Luke’s left, Ivar leaned slightly forward across the table and turned his attention toward Isaria.

A charming smile appeared on his face.

"Lady Isaria, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

Isaria, who had been watching Luke from the corner of her eye, was caught off guard by the sudden voice.

She quickly turned toward Ivar.

Although she wasn’t particularly interested in the conversation, ignoring his greeting would have been considered disrespectful.

So, she gave him a polite smile and replied,

"Likewise, Sir Ivar."

Hearing her response, Ivar’s smile widened.

However, before he could continue the conversation, Estelle suddenly stepped between them.

"Sorry, Sir Ivar, but Isaria and I still have a few things to check."

Without giving him a chance to respond, she reached over and took Isaria’s hand.

"Come on."

Isaria blinked in surprise, but she allowed herself to be pulled away.

The two women soon left the room together.

Ivar’s smile disappeared.

Instead, his eyes narrowed as he watched them leave.

’Is she an idiot?’

’It was obvious.’

Not only to him, but even to Isaria and Estelle, that he had deliberately approached Isaria.

He was a prince of the Owl Kingdom and a representative of the Emperyan Academy.

Someone of his status was hardly approaching her merely for a casual conversation.

Yet Estelle had openly pulled Isaria away without even giving him an opportunity to continue.

For a moment, irritation flashed across Ivar’s face.

Then—

His narrowed eyes slowly relaxed. While a smile returned to his lips.

But this time, there was nothing charming about it.

It was Sinister.

There was a secret known only among the highest bloodlines of the Beast Empire—a secret carefully concealed from the other races.

Their royal blood possessed a terrifying ability.

That, they could seize and reproduce fragments of another individual’s innate talents and special abilities.

Even an Origin Skill could potentially be affected, although doing so was far more difficult.

Normally, they would it over the course, slowly.

But there were exceptions.

If they willed, they could do it forecefully, resulting shorten duration.

The thought crossed Ivar’s mind.

Making his smile widened.

Since, this was the not the first time, he had used it before.

And now—

His gaze shifted toward the direction Isaria had disappeared.

’I tried to be gentle, but it’s you who chose to refuse.’

Ivar slowly raised a hand, covering his lips as the corners of his mouth curled upward.

The smile kept widening.

And widening.

Until the charming expression he had worn moments ago was completely gone, replaced by a sinister grin.

After all, if his assumption was correct, then taking Isaria’s ability—or even a portion of her Origin Skill—would make his own innate ability tremendously stronger.

The thought alone made his blood stir with anticipation.

His gaze then shifted toward Alia.

She was still sitting beside Luke, and was acting lovey-dovey with Luke.

’I will taste you as well.’