Attention from the King. This was exactly what he had intended to avoid.
In his mind, Daneel started reviewing everything he did. All along the journey of making and selling the honey trap, he had mostly been concerned about the amount of Gold it would make. Although he knew that he could not draw attention to himself, he had a.s.sumed that selling it under the minister"s cover would grant him immunity from any troubles that followed.
Hitting his head in exasperation, he realized that he had been too d.a.m.n naive. Such a product would surely shake the foundations of the kingdom. Although he had been aware of this, he had simply taken it as a positive, as it would mean more sales for him.
Yet, it was actually the most worrisome part of the plan. At this moment, he felt he really should have taken more precautions, or even found a different, less impactful product.
Sadly, it was already too late. The honey was already a huge hit, and he now had to find a way to salvage the situation.
Instantly, he was reminded of his parents who were still in the villa. Panicking, he asked Elanev, "My parents! What if they get attacked?"
"Calm down. Things haven"t devolved to that stage yet. None the less, father also said that he has prepared a location to move your parents to. If you want to do it as quickly as possible, let"s make a short trip to your house and then go to the manor. You have to ask them to be ready to leave as soon as possible."
Elanev was also close to Daneel"s mom and dad. Growing up without a mother, the warmth that Maria had shown him had given him a taste of what a Mother"s love felt like. Thus, he was also very protective.
Nodding, Daneel took off at a run towards his villa with Elanev following behind.
On entering the house after hurriedly knocking, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief seeing that they were fine.
They had puzzled looks on their faces on seeing their son act with a sense of urgency that he had never shown before.
Rus.h.i.+ng forward, he hugged them both tight. What if their dead bodies had greeted him when he opened the door?
As this thought greeted his mind, he let go of the tears that he had been holding back. One oversight. One mistake. And it might have resulted in something that he would never have forgiven himself for all his life.
Startled at the sudden hug and tears, Robert and Maria only patted his back, waiting for him to control his emotions.
After a minute had pa.s.sed, he finally spoke.
"Dad, mom. I need you two to pack all essential things. A few people will be coming to take you to a safe location. I don"t have the time to explain right now, so I just need you to trust me. You might not see me for a period of time, but I will try to come visit whenever I can."
Hearing these sudden words, the old couple could only stare at Daneel wondering if they had heard right.
Everything had been going great for the Anivron family. Money was no longer a problem, and their son was a student of the top batch in the prestigious National Magic Academy of Lanthanor. They had even decided to let bygones be bygones and lead a peaceful life.
Now, they needed to move?
As Maria opened her mouth to ask Daneel just what was going on, Robert caught her shoulders and shook his head. Understanding the signal, she stopped.
Robert had seen the look in Daneel"s eyes when he had said that they should move. Those were the same eyes he had had when he had to explain to Maria that he had been exiled from the army.
Those were the eyes of a man who wanted to protect his family from a storm that only he knew was coming.
Yes, a man. Robert had started treating Daneel as one ever since he had obtained admission in the academy and started handling his own affairs. All he wished was that his son could lead a happy life.
Now, it was clear that there was something going on that they did not know about. Yet, the only thing they needed to know was that their son needed them to move.
And move they would.
Without a word, Robert started walking towards the suitcases to begin packing. Seeing his actions, Maria followed. The couple had known each other long enough to understand most things without even needing to speak.
Seeing their actions, Daneel felt grateful that he had transmigrated into such a family who understood and trusted him no matter the situation.
As he turned his back to walk to the door, his father"s voice floated towards him from the house.
"Take care, son. Always know that we love you."
Etching these words into his heart, he turned around and took one last look at them both before running out the door. It was farewell for now.
Nodding at Elanev who had been waiting outside, the two proceeded towards the manor.
Just as they got near the destination, Elanev took out a key from his pocket and lead Daneel into an alleyway beside the manor.
As they walked inside, he seemed to be counting the rocks on the wall. After 10 minutes, he finally paused and placed his hand on a certain rock.
It was impossible to see just what was special about this particular rock. But, as Elanev bit his finger and wrote a strange character on the rock, the blood glowed before vanis.h.i.+ng to reveal a keyhole.
On inserting the key, an opening in the wall with stairs that seemed to lead underground appeared.
Gesturing Daneel to get in, Elanev carefully pulled a hatch on the inside of the opening after ensuring that no one was looking.
"This is a pa.s.sageway that can only be opened by a member of our family. There is a transparent barrier here that prevents spying at this location. Although it costs a ton, it"s especially useful in situations like these. Let"s go. This directly leads to a room beside the hall.", said Elanev as soon as he entered.
Nodding, Daneel conjured a fireball for light and proceeded down the stairs. After some time, they reached a cavern that seemed to be excavated in the ground.
After walking in the cavern for thirty minutes, a door finally appeared which Elanev again opened using his blood.
As they exited, Daneel saw two men with worried faces walking to and fro in a room.
The room was small, with a bed in the middle. It was already crowded due to the appearance of two more people.
Hearing the door open, the walking men turned around and smiled slightly seeing Daneel.
These were two of the most powerful people in the Kingdom of Lanthanor: The Court Mage and the "Righteous Hawk".
A single look at their faces would prompt one to wonder what disaster was befalling the kingdom if it made people of such status put on grave expressions of utter seriousness.