God Of War Dad

There is a saying that there is a sequence to learning, and each profession has its own focus. Although Albert Sitwell is a good twenty years younger than Lord North, his strength and realm are not inferior to Lord North. Coupled with his distinguished status as the ruler of North Kingdom, even from a friend’s perspective, Lord North would address him as “Albert”!

“And then?” Albert Sitwell stared straight at Lord North, his eyes cold as stars, shooting out a chilling light, as if to see through Lord North’s thoughts. He huffed, “Shouldn’t Mr. Lewis give me a reasonable explanation?”

Mr. Lewis!

Lord North’s surname is Lewis!

Leopold Lewis!

The defeat in this battle came as a surprise to everyone, including Albert Sitwell. A million-strong army marched south, and Albert Sitwell had gathered his forces with the determination to win, mobilizing various troops, even deploying the veteran Lucifer Carter and inviting Lord North to personally join the battle.

Unfortunately!

In the end, they were defeated, utterly defeated!

The outcome of the national war would soon spread within the North Kingdom. It couldn’t be hidden. By then, the people of North Kingdom would be in an uproar. How would they view their sovereign, Albert Sitwell?

How could Albert Sitwell face the subjects of North Kingdom???

Moreover!

How could he explain to the Hall of Jade???

This is also one of the reasons why Albert Sitwell is furious!

The dignity of the royal family cannot be tarnished!

The Hall of Jade cannot be deceived!

Therefore!

Albert Sitwell needs to give an explanation, a reasonable explanation to the Hall of Jade and the people of North Kingdom. Simultaneously, he also needs Lord North to give him an explanation, a reasonable explanation!

In simple terms!

Defeat is now a foregone conclusion, difficult to reverse. However, although the war has ended, the matter is far from over. Someone must bear the responsibility for the defeat, shoulder this huge blame!!!

“Sean!”

“Very strong!”

“Strong bloodline, exceptional talent, given time, his future is limitless!”

Even facing Albert Sitwell’s direct questioning, Lord North maintained an indifferent tone, as if the anger of a sovereign had no effect on him!

Sean is very strong!

This is the explanation Lord North gave!

“Is that so?” Albert Sitwell coldly said, “I have dismissed everyone. There are only the two of us here. You never tell lies. You might as well tell me the truth. You and Sean fought one on one, and within a hundred moves, it ended in a draw. I want to know, did you deliberately go easy?”

Yes!

Deliberately going easy!

Albert Sitwell’s question was very direct!

Sean had guarded the northern border for years, causing quite a bit of trouble for the North Kingdom. Before this, Albert Sitwell naturally had people investigate Sean’s background, knowing that Sean came from a strong bloodline, possessed exceptional talent, and at a young age had reached an extraordinary realm!

However!

Compared to Sean, Albert Sitwell was more familiar with Lord North and deeply understood Lord North’s formidable combat prowess!

So!

Just like anyone else who knew or had heard of Lord North, Albert Sitwell firmly believed that even with Sean’s strong bloodline and exceptional talent, given that he had only ascended to the Bright Realm in just half a year, it was absolutely impossible for him to draw with Lord North!

You see!

Albert Sitwell and Lord North often sparred. Their strengths were on par, and if Sean could truly fight Lord North to a draw, wouldn’t that mean that even if Albert Sitwell personally joined the battle, he wouldn’t be able to defeat Sean???

This!

This was something that Albert Sitwell could not accept the most!

“I said, Sean is very strong!”

Facing Albert Sitwell’s piercing cold gaze, Lord North spoke softly.

“Don’t beat around the bush with me, playing word games!” Albert Sitwell grew impatient and said heavily, “Just tell me, did you hold back? Yes or no?”

This was very important to Albert Sitwell!

However…

“Heh heh!” Lord North shook his head with a bitter smile, “If I say I didn’t hold back, would Albert believe it? If I say I did, wouldn’t that be treason?”

“So!”

“Whether I held back or not, whether I say it or not, it’s actually meaningless. Someone must bear the blame for the defeat in the national war. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Lucifer Carter has died in battle, and the peace treaty with the Shirine Empire was facilitated by me alone. This responsibility should be borne by me alone…”

Clearly!

Although Lord North had been immersed in secluded cultivation and unconcerned with external affairs, it did not mean he was ignorant of human nature or ignorant of current affairs. In fact, from the moment he and Sean agreed to a one hundred-move duel at Hill Riverside, he had already foreseen the current outcome!

At these words, Albert Sitwell’s face grew even colder, and he snorted, “Mr. Lewis, why go to such lengths? Is it for that girl, Coco?”

Coco!

Coco Lewis!

Lord North, a solitary figure, never married. Coco Lewis was a girl he picked up during his travels around the world more than a decade ago, whom he took in as a goddaughter and raised. Unfortunately, Coco Lewis had been frail and sickly since childhood, with a peculiar bloodline. Five years ago, she fell into a deep sleep and has yet to recover.

No cure!

It was from that time that Lord North became reclusive and secluded, devoting himself to cultivating within the Buddha Academy and personally taking care of Coco Lewis, hardly ever leaving her side!

At the mention of Coco Lewis, Lord North’s normally calm demeanor finally showed a hint of emotion.

“Alas…”

Sighing softly, Lord North murmured, “In my youth, I caused too much bloodshed, carrying countless debts of blood, to the extent that I am now entangled in karmic retribution. I fear I may never be able to repay them in this lifetime!”

“Coco, that girl, is the warning and punishment sent to me by the heavens. She became my adopted daughter, yet she endured so much hardship. I have failed her,” he continued softly.

“And so, I lay down the butcher’s knife and seek to become enlightened. These hands of mine no longer wish to be stained with anyone else’s blood…”

Little did others know, in his youth, Lord North was also a formidable figure, treating human lives as insignificant. He had taken too many lives, to the extent that… it was only after he adopted Coco Lewis and experienced familial love firsthand that he truly understood the value of life. It was only then that he truly tasted the bitter pain of losing loved ones!

Thinking of those he had once slaughtered, and the loved ones and friends of those people, Lord North eventually laid down the butcher’s knife.

“Oh?” Albert Sitwell, however, was uninterested in these notions of familial ties. He raised an eyebrow, speaking coldly, “So, Mr. Lewis has admitted to it?”

“Heh,” Lord North smiled wistfully, saying, “If I must admit it in person for Albert to find peace, then let it be so.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“However,” Lord North continued, “I stand in for Albert and make a peace treaty with Sean not solely for the sake of that girl, Coco, but for the tens of thousands of North Kingdom soldiers, for the countless citizens of North Kingdom!”

“And also for you, Albert!”

At these words, Albert Sitwell was nearly amused, “For me?”

“Yes,” Lord North said with an intense expression, “For you! From my perspective, Sean is no ordinary individual. His bloodline is strong, his talent exceptional. Even if we look at the entirety of Middleland, it’s likely that there hasn’t been another like him in the past hundred years!”

“Therefore,” he continued, “as a friend, Albert, it would be wise for you to heed my advice. He should be befriended, not made into an enemy. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

Lord North honestly conveyed his assessment of Sean to Albert Sitwell.

However, these words, when they reached Albert Sitwell’s ears, sounded particularly grating.

“Leopold Lewis!” Albert Sitwell erupted instantly, his voice thunderous as he rebuked, “Do you even understand the implications of your words? In front of the entire army, bolstering the enemy’s morale, undermining our own prestige, and shaking the troops’ morale, leading to utter defeat!”

“And now,” he continued, “you are merely a hundred meters away from my lord. Yet, you dare to be so shameless and speak such treasonous words in front of my lord! Do you believe that my lord is inferior to that fledgling boy, Sean?”

“Do you think my lord fears Sean, and needs to bow before him?” he demanded. “Do you believe that just because you are my lord’s close friend, you can speak without restraint? Will my lord really not take action against you?”

Albert Sitwell was furious, truly furious. While it was Lord North who had caused his major predicament, he was now putting on an appearance of righteousness and patriotism, and how could that not enrage him?

North Kingdom!

It belonged to Albert Sitwell!

The people of North Kingdom!

They belonged to Albert Sitwell!

When would it be Lord North’s turn to act in the name of the country and its people?

Oh?

When would it be Lord North’s turn to teach him, the ruler of North Kingdom, how to conduct himself?

Imperial power!

Royal authority!

Not to be profaned!

Even if the person before him was Lord North, even if he was Albert Sitwell’s closest friend, it was unacceptable!!!

Under the pressure of the imperial anger, Lord North remained composed, speaking calmly, “I only wish to sincerely advise Albert. I have said my piece. As for what Albert thinks and does, it’s entirely up to you…”

With that, he turned slowly, began to walk, heading towards the southern city gate, completely ignoring Albert Sitwell’s raging fury!

This was Lord North!

Unyielding to the heavens, unyielding to men, his heart open and unafraid, and thus, he feared nothing!

“From this day forth,” Albert Sitwell stared at Lord North’s departing figure. Although his anger raged within, he would not truly act against Lord North right then and there. After all, within the grand capital of North Kingdom, apart from himself, there was no one else who could match Lord North. He loudly declared, “Mr. Lewis will remain within the Buddha Academy. Without my lord’s permission, he is never to leave! All affairs of the Buddha Academy will soon be under my lord’s control!”

“Furthermore,” he continued, “this defeat in battle may tarnish Mr. Lewis’s reputation. Staying within the Buddha Academy could provide him with some peace!”

In essence, he intended to directly sideline Lord North from his position as the head of the Buddha Academy, wresting control of the academy. Additionally, he aimed to squarely place the blame for the nation’s defeat on Lord North’s shoulders!

At these words, Lord North’s steps faltered for a moment, but he did not stop, nor did he turn back. “Everything will be arranged according to Albert’s wishes,” he said and then, his figure had vanished within the vastness of the imperial city!

However, Albert Sitwell’s expression showed no sign of abating anger.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the Temple of Heaven behind Albert Sitwell. A middle-aged man, equally splendidly dressed, walked directly to Albert’s side. He bowed to Albert before looking in the direction Lord North had disappeared and gritting his teeth, “Daring to act so arrogantly and presumptuously in front of the Emperor, it seems that North Kingdom no longer needs its so-called national mentor!”

The man who had arrived was none other than the current Crown Prince of North Kingdom, Hualong Chen!

“Rest assured,” Albert Sitwell said in a deep voice. “As long as Coco Lewis remains unconscious, he will not escape from my lord’s grasp! Let him perish! It’s too easy for him! There will be further use for him in the future!”

Hualong Chen furrowed his brows slightly, not entirely understanding Albert Sitwell’s meaning. He asked, “But, Father, he…”

Before he could finish, Albert Sitwell halted him with a raised hand. Then, he turned to face Hualong Chen and said coldly, “As a monarch, you must learn the art of manipulation. If others fear you, you can use them. If they do not fear you, you can still use them. Once you understand their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities, their desires, you can predict their actions…”

“And then,” he continued, “you can employ your methods, guide them, and make them unwittingly become your pawns, fulfilling your designs!”

“Nurturing hearts, waging battles, that’s where true excitement lies!”

Albert Sitwell’s words were clear and calculated, clearly intending to use Lord North’s situation as a deliberate lesson for Hualong Chen!

Hualong Chen pondered for a moment and then nodded, “I understand.”

“That’s good,” Albert Sitwell said with a deep breath, his expression grave. “Leopold Lewis, although obstinate and fearless, is all too well known to the Emperor! Unpleasant truths, neither entirely believable nor dismissible. Sean’s rise to the Bright Realm at the age of twenty-six, and engaging in a hundred-move battle with him in public, regardless of whether he intentionally held back, Sean’s innate talent and potential are unquestionable!”

“Thus,” he continued, “we must be cautious!”

Angry as he was, Albert Sitwell was no fool. How could he be taken in by rage? Hualong Chen worriedly asked, “If that’s the case, considering Sean’s rapid progress, my father, how do you plan to deal with it?”

It was necessary to be cautious! The question was how to proceed. Sean’s achievement of entering the Bright Realm and holding his own against Lord North in a public battle within just six months meant that, given another half year, even if Lord North did not hold back, he might not be a match for Sean!

Time was of the essence! Delay could lead to unforeseen changes! Surely, Albert Sitwell would not lead the army personally, marching to the Shirine Empire, to face Sean in a decisive battle, would he?

“Heh,” Albert Sitwell smirked, sneering, “What use is potential? Middleland is the domain of the Hall of Jade. Even if we cannot deal with him, a mere Bright Realm cultivator, in the eyes of the Hall of Jade, is utterly insignificant!”

“And so,” he continued, “what we must do now is to use every resource at our disposal, to present the matter of Sean to the Hall of Jade, and have them send someone to eliminate him!”