The entire room pondered over what Bale had said. The possibility of the prince being alive was, at one point, very slim. Rumors indicated that he had been captured by Jai shortly after the rebellion. Then, word spread that he was in Bintan, but Bintan had been destroyed, and few had actually heard about the prince there before its downfall. This theory of the prince being alive could change many things if it turned out to be true, but for now, they could only speculate.
Even if the prince were still alive, there was no guarantee he would ally with them. However, if they could prove his survival, it would provide them with a justification for turning against Jai. It could not only validate their actions but, if they played their cards right, they might even have their own puppet king in Wize. The generals sighed; it wasn't their place to make such speculations, but with the nobles and a royal present, they had learned to consider the political implications of their conversations.
"Then what do you suggest we do? Chase a ghost prince based on flimsy evidence? Farouk fighting Jai with all his might is not real evidence that the prince is alive. It could just mean he hates the man who killed his master and his family," General Laxe said.
"Even if the prince is alive, he's useless at this point. He has no power, no allies, and no way to confront Jai, even with Eru on his side. Our job here is to find a way to protect Omi, not pursue ghosts and ghost stories," he added.
"You're right, General," Orion said, turning to Major Laxe. "You've done well in your report, Major. I believe you can return to your post."
Harry Laxe saluted and left the room. Shortly after, General Orion spoke again. "General Bale, do you have any leads on the prince's whereabouts?" he asked.
"Not really, but I have my suspicions," Bale replied.
"Can you send someone discreetly?" Orion asked.
"I'll send my personal guard, Alex. He will chase down the lead," Bale said.
"What do you want him to do if he finds the prince?" Bale inquired.
"Nothing for now. If the boy turns out to be alive indeed, finding him prince and monitoring his actions will be enough for the time being," Orion replied.
"Then it will be done," Bale said.
A few minutes later, the meeting ended, and all the generals left the conference room. The moment they stepped outside, a young boy stood waiting right outside. Everyone stared at the young boy wearing dark armor, most of whom already knew who he was. Gor waited patiently for his father to finish the meeting. Although he might have intervened again like he did last time, Gor was trying to avoid drawing attention to himself, especially since his actions reflected on the princess. Henry had advised him to keep a low profile as much as possible.
Gor had made his way to the base and requested to see his father. Given Bale's high rank in the army, it would have been difficult to gain access, but since most people recognized Gor as Bale's son, and it wasn't unusual for a son to see his father, he was allowed to wait until Bale finished his meeting.
Once Bale was done, Gor approached him and spoke before anyone could say anything. "I request a duel," Gor declared, causing everyone to stare at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Is that the way to show respect, boy?" General Laxe growled, angered that Gor had ignored everyone else.
Before anyone could respond, Bale replied, "Alright. Let's duel." He turned to a soldier nearby and asked, "Is there any training ground available?"
The soldier, still confused, stammered back to reality and replied, "Ground Krone is available."
"Alright, let's go," Bale said to Gor, who followed him.
As they left, General Zira Gale followed behind. "Where are you going?" Harvey asked.
"Well, I'm not going to miss this father-and-son bout. It should be quite the show," Zira said.
"I agree," General Atilah added, and the other generals followed.
General Laxe could only sigh before joining the group.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the training ground. Although some soldiers were already working out, they nearly scrambled when they saw the generals enter. General Boise had told them they could stay and watch if they wanted. Initially, they thought maybe two of the generals were going to face off against each other, but to their surprise, Bale took to the arena with a young boy no older than ten.
"Is this some kind of sick show?" Captain Jaiya said, watching with her men. "The fight that brought all these big names here is between the god sword and a brat."
The air was thick with tension as father and son took their places on opposite sides of the arena. Everyone watched in silence, unsure of what was about to unfold. Gor had simply asked his father for a duel, and Bale had agreed. Now they were here, with a mix of curiosity and concern filling the hearts of the spectators. General Zira wanted to see what Gor's abilities could do, while General Boise was eager to discover how much the young boy had improved.