When William Scott was about a dozen steps away, he dismounted, and at that moment, David Clark also finished his thoughts and got off his horse along with the others.

"Greetings, Second Prince." Except for Princess Rose Harris, everyone knelt down, and David Clark also knelt amid his own grumbling.

"Captain, you’ve worked hard. If it hadn’t been for you leading your personal guards and fighting relentlessly in the chaos, I might have died long ago, and my sister owes her safety entirely to your protection!" The Second Prince, with an excited expression, dismounted and walked toward William Scott.

"This is what I ought to do as your subject."

"Good, strike up the music! We should celebrate properly. Now that the Moonblade Swordsman has returned, it seems the heavens have not abandoned us!" With that, the Second Prince and the ministers behind him walked away without even glancing at the soldiers present.

So that’s how it is. It seems their civilization is still in the transition between slave society and feudal society; otherwise, they couldn’t possibly be so ignorant of the importance of soldiers.

Only an old man in a full cloak carefully examined William Scott’s personal guards. When he saw David Clark, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes before he turned and walked toward the Second Prince.

"Da, Yunyang." The princess beside him called out, perhaps unsure how to address him.

"Just call me Yunyang. After all, I’m older than you." David Clark knew the princess was probably about to leave.

"...Yunyang, thank you for telling me so much. I’ll come find you again when I have time. You—you won’t leave, will you?"

"I don’t think so. I have nowhere else to go." Rose Harris looked at David Clark once more, then walked toward where her brother had gone.

After that, David Clark followed William Scott’s personal guards to William Scott’s temporary residence.

All the way until nightfall, David Clark didn’t see William Scott return. Feeling bored inside, he went to the back garden, sat on a large rock, and gazed at the sky.

His own world felt so far away, like the stars at the edge of the sky. No, you can still see the stars, but he could never go back.

These past few days, he’d been busy escaping with them, and only now did these thoughts occur to him. Maybe it was just as his old friend used to say—he was a bit thick-skinned. Old friend? It seemed there was only Eric Bennett.

Before high school, he had never attended school. From the time he could remember, he had been in his father’s training, all kinds of training, and all done with his father’s dream machine. That’s why he became who he was now: charming, erudite, exceptionally wise, invincible in martial arts... (N tens of thousands of words omitted)

Speaking of his father, he was probably the only one who surpassed him—the only one. He had many inventions that were never made public, seemingly uninterested in fame or fortune. Oh, and his father’s dream machine, which used dream time for learning, with no need for props or teachers. But that was a nightmare for him. Imagine dreaming for days about fighting or dancing nonstop, with no rest. Heh, never mind, no need to think about those nightmares.

Is that so? So his father had known all along that he would leave his world and come here. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have started training him from such a young age. But that’s suspicious—could his father have known about the catastrophe back then? Impossible...

"Little brother, so you’re here. I’ve been looking for you." The newcomer was William Scott, with the Second Prince and that old man behind him.

"So you’ve come? Brother Su, is there something you need from me? Should I leave now? Or stay?"

"Oh, is this the Shadow Warrior David Clark? Please forgive me for not welcoming you from afar—my apologies, my apologies." The Second Prince, upon seeing David Clark, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, but quickly recovered and greeted him warmly.

Heh, how fake. "I’m no ‘sir,’ I’m just a kid. No need for such formality, Your Highness. May I ask what you need from me?" Fortunately, I’m wise and clever... (another N tens of thousands of words omitted) so I won’t be fooled.

The Second Prince hadn’t expected the child before him to be so direct and was momentarily stunned before saying, "I’ve heard that Yunyang is exceptionally talented in strategy, so I’ve come especially to seek your advice." But was this child really as extraordinary as William Scott claimed?

"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness, but when my parents were alive, they made it clear that I was not allowed to become an official. That puts me in a difficult position—what should I do?" As David Clark spoke, he looked toward William Scott.

William Scott also noticed David Clark’s glance and remembered the promise he had made to him. He was at a loss for a while before finally saying, "Your Highness, Yunyang is still very young, and his parents said so as well. Perhaps..."

The Second Prince looked at the two of them and said, "I absolutely won’t force Yunyang to stay, and I’m very grateful for Yunyang’s help to my sister earlier. I will certainly reward Yunyang generously, so whether you stay or go is entirely up to you."

After a bit more polite conversation, the Second Prince and the old man left. Strangely, the old man hadn’t said a single word from start to finish.

"Ah? So I can leave now?" Only after the two had left did David Clark ask William Scott.