Chapter 54: Things Took a Turn

As soon as Max appeared in front of the Dungeon Gate, his eyes landed on a large group of people. The gathered crowd stretched along the path on the hill leading to the mountain base. News had already spread throughout the entire city of Buczacki. Everyone from Adventurers and merchants to tourists and visiting nobles had gathered.

Everyone knew the difficulty of clearing the Dungeon. They all wanted to witness for themselves if the rumors were true, that the students of [Syrrece] had cleared the second level of the [Three Misfortune] Dungeon after two and a half decades.

Aside from the curious onlookers, city guards had gathered to control the crowd. A few individuals stood separately from the masses, wearing unique attire bearing the Kingdom sigil on their chests. They had to be Kingdom officials. A similar group stood nearby with a different sigil that Max did not recognize. They were likely from a Guild or a noble family in Buczacki City. Finally, there were Academy Teachers from [Syrrece]; the Head Teacher must have sent them here.

The Academy Teachers were the first group to approach the party. Max stood at the back of the group. With the crowd discussing loudly, he heard very little as the Academy Teacher whispered to Adrien.

Once they finished talking, the Kingdom officials walked toward them and similarly whispered something to Adrien. The man in charge from the Kingdom was a middle-aged man with gray hair, a normal build, and polished skin. He looked like a typical Kingdom official.

While Max could not hear anything, he did not push forward to listen to the conversation. He simply stood there, contemplating whether he should call his family and ask for advice on what kind of treasure he should pick from the Kingdom treasury. His grandfather must have some knowledge of the valuable artifacts inside the vault.

At that moment, the party leaders and the others standing in front turned toward him. Shocked by the sudden stares, Max stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Maximus Bransford," the Kingdom official called out.

"Yes, that is me," Max said.

"It is nice to meet you finally. Please accompany me," the official said.

Max was taken aback by the wording. Nice to meet you finally? Did he already know of him? However, realization quickly dawned on him. Since he had been treating famous nobles over the past week, there was a chance they had come to know of him. If not that, then it was related to his family name. But when were Kingdom officials ever eager to meet a Lord's useless heir? Max walked forward, looking at the Academy Teachers to gauge their reaction. To his surprise, they nodded their heads in approval. Waving to his seniors, he followed the official away from the Dungeon entrance.

The group quickly left the hill and walked down to the mountain base. Currently, they were walking along a single path, so no one spoke as they walked in complete silence. Max walked directly behind the head official, while the other five officials followed behind him. He wanted to ask why he was being escorted alone instead of with his party members. However, feeling it would be awkward to talk while walking, he stayed quiet, deciding to ask once they reached the base.

After walking for twenty minutes, they finally reached the base. The place was bustling as usual. Since it was around five in the evening, Adventurers were returning from their raids, and merchants were eagerly buying the loot. The group directly entered a fancy alchemic vehicle and began traveling toward the city. Max sat with the head official in the front compartment.

"So?" Max prompted, as the official had refused to explain their destination even after the vehicle had been moving for a while.

"There is an emergency. We may need your assistance," the official stated.

"An emergency?" Max had half-expected this after being called away alone. If it were regarding the Astral Realm, they would not need him, and if it were about the Kingdom Treasury, they would not have taken him alone. Therefore, it had to be related to a healing emergency.

"Yes. We chased you when you traveled from the capital to Buczacki. However, we missed you in the nick of time before you entered the Dungeon. We waited for you to come back in a single day, but unfortunately, it took almost a week for you to come out," the official explained. They had been chasing him to stop him from entering the Dungeon.

"So, what happened? What am I needed for?" Max asked.

"There was an accident in a Dungeon, and the Princess was hurt," the official said.

"What? The Princess got hurt in a Dungeon? Why would she go to a Dungeon?" Max asked in bewilderment.

It was public knowledge that the current King had a total of seven children: four Princes and three Princesses. Aside from their names, he knew nothing else about them. When he heard a Princess had been hurt, his first thought was why she would enter a Dungeon. Ordinary people went to Dungeons and struggled to maintain their status in society. As a Princess, what could be the reason?

If it were a Prince, he could understand the need to prove himself to compete for the position of the next ruler. However, Princesses were married off for political reasons, so there was no valid reason for her to go to a Dungeon. These were only his thoughts. Since he did not know the whole picture, he could not judge their situation.

"Where is the Princess now?" Max asked. If she were still kept in the palace in the capital, it would take three hours to reach her.

"She was already brought to Buczacki. We were waiting for you the whole time. So, brace yourself," the official said as the vehicle slowed down.

Max was confused by this wording. What did 'brace yourself' mean?

While he was thinking, the vehicle finally stopped, and the official gestured for him to step out first. Max exited the vehicle and stood in front of a big mansion. Am I still in the city? he wondered, confused by the mansion surrounded by a tall compound wall.

Stolen from NovelPhoenix, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Before he could make himself comfortable after the travel, he heard someone running out of the mansion, followed by two other people. Max did not think much of the situation, because the guy running out of the mansion looked to be his age. He had never seen anyone from the King's family, so this young man could be a Prince. Therefore, Max decided to be polite. What if he was running to Max to beg him to save his sister?

Max casually waited for the official to come out and escort him, but the man remained inside. With the official absent, Max readied himself to receive the young man. However, as the young man neared, Max saw a different emotion rather than a desperate. It felt almost as if the guy was angry. Dumbfounded by the situation, Max did not know what to do. His mind raced, wondering why this guy was running toward him with anger.

The thought of running away came to his mind, but he stayed anchored to see what was going to transpire. When the guy was a few feet away, Max was certain he was angry. Max saw the young man throwing a heavy punch toward him. Even though the attacker seemed to possess a high level of speed, Max was prepared. Expecting the attack, he had a clear chance to avoid the punch, and he simply stepped away. The momentum of his own wild punch threw the young man completely off balance, causing him to trip and sprawl out on the floor.

With heavy breathing, the guy stood up from the ground. His face was red as more anger erupted from missing the punch. He looked at Max with a piercing gaze, his chest heaving high and low.

"You bastard, where were you? Did you not know my Princess was ill? I am going to kill you with my own hands and hang you in the center of the city," the guy said, fuming with rage.

Shellshocked by the situation, Max instinctively turned back to see if the guy was talking to someone behind him. But no one was there; he was definitely talking to Max. But why? He had said, 'My Princess,' which indicated he was not a Prince. Then who could this be?

"I apologize, Young Lord. But do I know you?" Although Max was angry at the guy, he tried to be polite. He did not want to anger someone from the Royal family.

"You dare open your filthy mouth to speak to me, you worthless cur?!" the young man roared, his voice laced with arrogance. He spat on the ground, pointing a trembling, furious finger right at Max's face.

Shock! That was what Max felt after hearing the wrath of this Young Lord. Being an heir of a Grand Duke did not grant him any privileges here. Would there be any difference if he also behaved similarly, like an arrogant young master? Honestly, he had all the qualities to act the way this guy had just acted. If he got into trouble, his family would definitely bail him out, since he was the sole heir to the family. Instead, one had to endure insults like 'worthless cur' simply for being a good person in society.

"You wretched fiend. Come crawl at my feet before I behead you," the young man continued to insult and threaten upon seeing Max's silence.

Max looked around for someone to show up, but no one was there. Only the guy and the two people who seemed to be guards had come running out with him.

"You two, tie him down to the ground," the young man suddenly ordered the two guards.

Hearing this, the guards bowed and moved toward Max. Seeing the situation going out of control, Max quickly stepped back into the vehicle. Inside, the middle-aged Kingdom official was still sitting, holding his head.

What kind of situation have I gotten strangled into? Max muttered to himself.

"What is going on here?" Max asked the official, since he was the one who had brought him here.

However, only silence was returned from him.

"Do you know who I am, or who my father is? Do you really think this is some kind of a joke?" Max said slowly.

"Now, I want you to start the vehicle and take me to the train station. If you do that, I will forget everything that happened here. If you refuse, what happens in the future will be out of my hands. Do not forget, I am still wearing the [Syrrece] Academy uniform, and I came here under the direct order of the Academy Head Teacher. The consequences will be heavy. Now, let us start the vehicle." Max sat down on the seat.

Hearing this, the official suddenly realized something. He sat up straight and looked at Max. Max stared straight back at him. In the next second, the official stepped out.

Max did not do anything, simply sitting in the vehicle. He was not going to heal anyone; this situation seemed bizarre. He had come here hoping to heal someone, but things were happening against it. Max simply sat inside the compartment, waiting for the vehicle to start.

Suddenly, the middle-aged official came back and opened the door.

"Maximus Bransford, please come with me," the official said.

Hearing this, Max rubbed his forehead. He had been constantly healing people in the Dungeon's third level. He needed rest; he was not ready to deal with these people's bullshit.

"I asked you to start the vehicle. If you refuse my order, then tell me, and I will walk on my own. Again, I am in no mood to heal anyone. So, do not disturb me, and start the vehicle," Max said calmly.

"Maximus Bransford, you have no idea who you are dealing with. So, do what I say and leave this place with your life," the official stated.

"I guess that is a threat toward the young heir of a Grand Duke. You will definitely face the consequences for that. Since you refuse to start the vehicle, I will handle my travel on my own. Thank you for the lift to the city. I hope to never see you again," Max said, trying to step out of the vehicle.

"You do not realize what kind of situation you are in. This is an issue related to the Royal Family. If you refuse, your family will be eradicated without mercy," the official said.

"I would like to see you try that. I will inform my father about this threat. Now, be kind enough to let me out of the vehicle. I am tired from the Dungeon raid." Max pushed the man aside and stepped out. What he saw outside was an area full of guards standing with weapons.

"Hello everyone. Please be kind enough to make way so I can get out of here," Max said, looking at the people.

"Maximus Bransford. Follow me," the official said in an ordering tone.

"Are you deaf, or did I not state that I have no interest in healing anyone? Why are you calling me again as if I am some retard?" Max was on the verge of losing his mind, yet this man continued to push him.

"You two, grab him and drag him inside," the official said.

Hearing the order, the two guards obeyed and moved toward Max to grab him. Max shook his head and let out a sigh. They had done it.

With a single thought, Max brought out an otherworldly weapon, pointed it at the two guards, and attacked.

Boom!

The two guards' bodies were shattered apart. The attack did not stop there; it traveled further, killing everyone in its path. Without hesitation, Max pointed the weapon at the official's head and fired.

Boom!

The official's head shattered. The attack traveled once again, landing on the mansion and destroying the side of it. Suddenly, silence permeated the mansion. Every guard in front of him was in great shock, not knowing what to do. Without a person to give orders, they were in great confusion.

"Listen, everyone. I want you to stand still. You have seen my attack and how powerful it was. So, do not come near me, and do not try to stop me. That is, unless you are not afraid of dying," Max said, looking around for the main exit.

"You." Max pointed at the guard standing in front of him. "Which way is the exit?"

The guard pointed his finger to Max's right. Max nodded and walked toward that location. He exited the gate and entered the city streets. Currently, he was on some kind of hill where this mansion was built. Looking down, the city was visible below. He might need to walk for a while or pick up a carriage along the way. Max put away the weapon and walked down the road.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands started to shake. He had expended almost all of his Mana on those mere two attacks. The unfamiliar weapon from his [iStorage] had its own advantages and disadvantages.