Dragon opened his mouth, wanting to refute him, but found himself at a loss for words.
The past of Doflamingo's family was indeed a complicated case of human nature and systems, one that had been discussed many times even within the Revolutionary Army.
"Human nature has always been the most complicated and unpredictable thing," Ronan said, shaking his head.
Silence settled over the room.
Complex emotions filled Dragon and Ivankov's faces—disappointment, confusion, even a trace of frustration at having their inner thoughts called out. But in the end, all of it faded into helpless quiet.
Dragon had prepared countless arguments and anticipated all sorts of reactions, yet he had never expected that this second prince would possess a maturity that did not match his age at all.
Dragon took a deep breath and, in the end, only fixed Ronan with a long, searching look, as if he wanted to see straight through this unusual prince.
"Your Highness… we understand your thoughts," Dragon said, his voice a bit dry.
"Oh, right. Your Highness, the assassination in the plaza a few days ago was not orchestrated by our Revolutionary Army. We never intended to rely on assassination to end the royal family's rule over the Lulusia Kingdom."
Dragon was preparing to leave, but before going, he still chose to clarify the matter of the assassination to Ronan.
Even if Ronan did not join the Revolutionary Army, Dragon did not want him to hate them because of a misunderstanding. He did not want to become Ronan's enemy.
Hearing this, Ronan was genuinely surprised. He did not doubt Dragon's words; the man had no reason to lie to him.
But under the rule of that "nominal father" of his, rebellions were springing up all over the kingdom. It seemed there was no shortage of people in this country who wanted the King dead.
After explaining everything to Ronan, Dragon left the room with Ivankov, and the room once again returned to complete silence.
"We're just leaving like this?" Ivankov asked on the way back.
"What else do you want to do if not leave? Are you planning to kidnap him?" Dragon's tone was faint. "Those two guards at his side are anything but simple."
Mentioning Beth and Alicia, even Dragon could not help feeling a trace of apprehension.
Only when you truly faced Beth and Alicia would you realize just how strong they were. At the very least, Dragon did not dare act rashly, and he had no confidence he could snatch Ronan away from right under their noses.
Ivankov also understood what Dragon meant.
"But without Ronan, we won't have a proper justification to overthrow the kingdom's rule. The World Government will definitely notice us by then!"
In the Revolutionary Army's original plan, they had intended to use Ronan's status.
After overthrowing the kingdom's rule, they would rely on him to stabilize the domestic situation without drawing the World Government's attention. After all, Ronan was also of royal blood. As long as Ronan inherited the throne of the Lulusia Kingdom, the World Government would never realize what had actually happened in this country.
But now Ronan had refused, and with Beth and Alicia protecting him, the Revolutionary Army had no chance to kidnap him.
"We suspend all activities in the Lulusia Kingdom for now," Dragon finally decided.
"Suspend? All these years of planning, and we're putting everything on hold just because of two guards who suddenly appeared at his side?"
Ivankov was clearly unhappy with Dragon's decision.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Judging from today's conversation, this second prince is not an ordinary person. He has his own ideas. If we continue plotting to overthrow the royal family in this country, he definitely won't stand by and do nothing."
"You're scared? You're afraid of that prince? Or are you afraid of those two guards at his side?" Ivankov asked angrily.
Dragon bit his lip, thinking of Beth and Alicia.
"I have to consider the lives of our Revolutionary comrades. Those two guards are very strong. We can't let our comrades' lives be wasted for nothing."
Hearing this, Ivankov, who had followed Dragon for many years, understood. For such an assessment to come from Dragon's own mouth, he knew exactly how rare that was.
On the way back, Ivankov did not say another word. The two of them simply walked on in silence.
After Dragon left, a clear "ding" suddenly rang out in Ronan's mind.
"Join the Revolutionary Army and become the king of the Lulusia Kingdom. (S-rank quest, time limit: two years. Reward on completion: 500 Quest Points. Penalty on failure: deduct 1000 Quest Points. Accept quest?)"
"As expected."
Ronan was a little speechless. The thing he had been most worried about still happened in the end.
The quests that appeared in his mind were completely random. The moment Dragon had stood before him, Ronan had already been worried a quest like this might trigger.
Any quest that involved the Revolutionary Army was not going to be easy. And now it was even an S-rank quest—this was the first time Ronan had ever seen an S-rank quest.
On the surface, the quest seemed very simple. Whether it was joining the Revolutionary Army or becoming king, both were easy tasks for Ronan as he was now.
Dragon had even just said that Ronan would not need to do anything himself. The Revolutionary Army could take care of everything and just have him sit on the throne in the end.
But Ronan had no intention of facing off against the World Government this early.
Joining the Revolutionary Army meant standing in complete opposition to the World Government.
Ronan knew very well that even after more than ten years of development, the Revolutionary Army's strength still wasn't enough to rival the World Government—much less now.
And on top of that, there was still that person hidden behind the Gorosei.
Once he joined the Revolutionary Army, Ronan's entire life would be branded as one of theirs. With the little power he had right now, going up against a colossus like the World Government would be no different from an egg hitting a stone.
Even if he was unwelcome within the royal family, he was still the second prince of the Lulusia Kingdom. Compared to the life of an ordinary person, his circumstances were already many times better.
Why throw away days like this, only to end up running and hiding all over the world? Ronan was not that stupid.
"No."
Without even thinking, Ronan flatly refused the quest.
"Good thing it isn't a Compulsory quest. If it were a Compulsory quest worth 500 Quest Points, the penalty for failure would be ten times that. With only 100 Quest Points left, the panel would probably erase me on the spot."
Although Ronan was very grateful for the existence of this panel, when it came to penalties without enough Quest Points to cover them, he did not like it at all.
A few days later, a small boat docked at one of the ports of the Lulusia Kingdom.
A boy dressed in a black suit and dark trousers stepped off the boat. He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. There was still a trace of youthful softness in his features, but his eyes were as cold and sharp as a hawk's, completely devoid of the vitality a young man his age should have had.
After coming ashore, the boy did not linger. He turned and headed straight toward the Royal capital of Lulusia.
(End of Chapter)
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