Published at 25th of August 2026 9:11 am

Chapter 1032: Disney Princess Malrik

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Asher, hearing Malrik’s words, couldn’t help but frown slightly for a moment. While he understood that Malrik wasn’t making excuses for Azaron, he understood where he was going. As someone who had dated Jennifer for a couple of years, he was also knowledgeable when it came to matters of childhood trauma, sickening events that grandparents pass down to their children, and those parents, in turn, pass down to their own children, and the cycle continues.

Movies back on Earth gave some good descriptions, but they didn’t hit the nail on the head, as the real-life issues were much worse. Asher... Ethan himself had seen various traumas. As someone who was raised in an orphanage, he had his own struggles, events that he had witnessed but never allowed to shape him.

But just because it didn’t shape him didn’t mean it didn’t shape other kids. And now those kids could grow up and pass down whatever they witnessed or experienced at the orphanage, or even dial it up a notch.

And given a world like Crymora, such traumatic events became much worse and more dangerous.

Of course, Crymora had something Earth didn’t. People with healing abilities who could cure trauma and ease traumatic events within people’s minds. Such treatment had been offered to him when he had just concluded the True Awakening Event, but since they came back from the Thalvorn Empire, where he witnessed the deaths of his family members, not a single healer with such capabilities had been sent his way.

Why? Because they felt and thought he was okay.

While he, Asher, was perfectly fine, he couldn’t help but consider the probability of the same thing happening to Azaron in the past, of him witnessing one traumatizing event after the other due to the actions of the man’s own Father.

Of course, Azaron didn’t look or speak like someone who was traumatized, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t. And with him being more insanely talented than his siblings, one could only imagine the worse things he might have experienced.

Asher couldn’t help but sigh as his mind spiralled endlessly over what Azaron might and must have been through as a child.

"Forgive him if you can..." Malrik spoke. "Although his childhood isn’t really an excuse, and the method he had chosen to do things was quite wrong, forgive him if you can," he stated with a heavy tone.

Asher shook his head as they arrived at what appeared to be a garden, then spoke, "I will be an ungrateful son if I hold a grudge or hatred against Father for this," he stretched out a hand as his fingers brushed against the petals while he walked. "I remember everything he had done for me... us, so hating him over this seems over the top," he answered truthfully, as he had no plans to hate the man.

He was someone who barely hated anyone. In Asher’s dictionary, it was either he cared about you or he didn’t; there was no time for hating.

Malrik nodded with a small smile on his face.

"I will try talking to him," he added, as he planned to confront their Father over this issue.

"No need... I plan to talk to him myself," Asher replied with a shake of his head. "I would have talked to him yesterday, but he seemed too busy to pay any real attention," he added.

But Asher didn’t plan to speak to the man until he was done fighting the Rank 10 Emovira, or End-class Monster. He didn’t want Azaron suddenly dying because he was contemplating how he could be a better Father while fighting, or having some existential crisis as he took on his enemies.

No matter who Azaron was, no matter what sort of expressionless face he wore all day, at the end of the day, he was human and also possessed emotions.

"Then we will both talk to him about it on separate occasions," Malrik replied as he bent down and picked up a flower. He also needed to give the old man a piece of his own mind.

Asher simply smiled and gave up, as he knew Malrik wouldn’t back down on this. Even if the man did, he could still confront Azaron later without him knowing. So whether he agreed or not hardly mattered.

"But after he gets me the blood I need," Asher stated, as he didn’t want Malrik approaching the man before then.

Malrik replied as he brought the flower to his nose, "I know, you aren’t the only smart one around here."

Asher shook his head and said nothing. He only wore a simple smile.

Butterflies within the garden flew towards Malrik as they landed on his head, shoulders, and fingers while he spoke.

"Also, if it’s any consolation, Father didn’t allow the Barons and their families to watch you cry and hug the dead clone," Malrik stated. "He would never allow an outsider to see any of us in that state."

Asher stayed silent for a moment as he finally understood why the Barons and their families seemed so perfect with their acting. They were all in the dark all along, which kind of made sense. After all, seeing a Wargrave scream and cry would be a massive aura deficit, no?

So he simply nodded.

"You know, as the winner of the Inter-Empire competition, you are meant to be paraded across the entire Empire, or specifically the Capital City, so that the citizens can see you in person," Malrik stated as his blue eyes stayed on a butterfly perched on his nose.

"Then you will ride to the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor would bestow some reward upon you and all that, then have some grand ceremony or gala, with various Nobles and Merchants meeting you, trying to establish connections now that you are not at the Crownstar Life Rank and all that," as he spoke, his body seemed to become covered in butterflies.

Asher could only gaze at Malrik as he wondered why butterflies were simply surrounding him like a princess from some Disney cartoon, but he said nothing about it.

"And I’m guessing that won’t be happening anymore?" he asked rhetorically.

Malrik nodded as he simply lowered himself onto the ground filled with flowers and laid there with his legs crossed as he spoke.

"It won’t. With the issue between the Wargraves and the Imperial Family, there is no way such a thing would happen," he stated as he stared at the clear sky. "Or, to be more specific, the Imperial Family would happily do it once they return to the Empire, but Father wouldn’t. He would instantly decline. I would say Father is kind of the type to hold a grudge against his enemies until they die," he stated in a carefree tone.

"Then I’m glad about that," Asher spoke with a calm smile as he followed Malrik’s example and simply laid on the ground.

Personally, Asher was fine with this turn of events. He didn’t want to ride on a horse through the Capital City while people screamed at him and threw flowers and stuff at him. So, in a way, Azaron’s beef with the Imperial Family was good in this regard.

Although he didn’t know if Azaron really held a true grudge against the Imperial Palace, enough to still attack the Emperor and kill him. Asher shook his head and decided to stop thinking about that. Since he wasn’t going to be paraded, then everything was fine.

An hour passed as the both of them simply lay there staring at the sun. Various maids and butlers who passed by were surprised to see the two of them, but they didn’t speak, only bowing silently so as not to disturb the peace and quiet.

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