MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1047: Boring Life

Nearly an hour elapsed before Anthony finished his meal; indeed, it had been ages since he indulged in such a lavish feast, one that quenched not only his "hunger" but also delighted his sophisticated taste.

Anthony's thoughts inevitably wandered back to those days when he purchased meals from the system, ate leisurely, and unwound in peaceful isolation. He couldn't recall the last occasion, overwhelmed as he was by endless turmoil and incidents vying for his focus.

"Thank you for the meal, I truly enjoyed it," Anthony declared, setting down his utensils with a smooth, deliberate motion, his face serene yet content.

Iserios nodded, dabbing his mouth with the napkin. He stood from his chair, ready to proceed to the next activity lined up for Anthony, yet Anthony cut in politely before he could utter a word.

"While I enjoy your company, Dragon Emperor, I’m merely here to see your son, not on an official meeting. So I’m sorry, but I might have to take a rain check on the rest of the activities you’ve planned," Anthony remarked, already anticipating that Iserios would propose something more, like a tour through another section of the expansive estate or a similarly grand endeavor.

Yet Anthony preferred to explore those with Bryan later, on his own terms and free from protocol.

Iserios halted in mid-step. He looked at Anthony, then toward his son Bryan, and nodded gradually in comprehension. "It’s an honor to have you amongst us. I will leave you both to it and return to my duties then," he said with a steady, poised smile—one that Bryan and Heinz hadn't witnessed in years, rendering it strikingly rare.

Iserios Von Deathwrath couldn't remain detached forever; after all, Anthony surpassed him in strength, a reality he fully acknowledged, which explained his respectful, composed, and measured politeness toward Anthony.

At that, Iserios and Heinz departed the dining area, their forms fading into the distance. Servants and attendants swiftly approached, clearing the table with silent precision, as Anthony and Bryan stayed put, the surrounding air subtly transforming.

Anthony turned his gaze to Bryan while inquiring, "Feeling awkward and nervous?" A touch of teasing mirth laced his voice, as if the answer was already obvious to him.

Bryan's crimson eyes locked briefly with Anthony's azure ones in silence before he replied with a gentle exhale, "I am. People of such a difference in power don’t usually remain friends due to the imbalance in power dynamics, and I also don’t know if you have the same personality as five years ago," he confessed candidly, his tone even.

Though forthright in his reply, his statement subtly tested the waters, like a probe; Anthony's reaction would disclose aspects of his present character and outlook.

Anthony burst into laughter, tilting his head back and holding his belly, nearly tearing up from the hilarity. "Don’t worry, I’m not a power-hungry, prideful person... yet," he quipped, brushing away the moisture from his eye corners, his voice playful, "when I become one, I will make sure to send you a text message, telling you to stay away," he continued before erupting in laughter anew, the sound softly reverberating across the space.

Bryan offered a smile, comforted by Anthony's words. Evidently, Anthony remained much the same, if altered at all, and this insight dissolved a weighty, unseen pressure from his frame, relaxing his latent strain.

Thereupon, Anthony and Bryan stood from their chairs, rising leisurely. Bryan guided the way, well-acquainted with the full layout of the estate. They wandered through the Dragon Emperor’s domain, amid its majestic edifices and elaborate architecture. Bryan pointed out each structure they encountered, skipping the Emperor’s residence, which Iserios had already displayed in exhaustive detail earlier.

Finally, they reached Bryan’s personal quarters. Entering, Anthony surveyed the space leisurely, his eyes scanning the furnishings before he flopped casually onto a sofa in Bryan’s room, utterly relaxed. He steered clear of the bed, naturally—who could say how many guests Bryan had hosted there over time.

"So, how has it been going? It’s been five years," Anthony queried with the effortless vibe from half a decade prior, as if no interval had separated them.

Bryan let out a sigh prior to answering, frustration tinting his words, "Compared to you, who has been on a galaxy-wide adventure for the past five years without pause, my life is completely boring," he vented with a weary breath, "wake up, train, cultivate, train again, then read secrets about the Dragon Domain that I’m supposed to know as the heir to the throne."

Having learned of Anthony’s exploits, Bryan’s routine now struck him as tediously monotonous to the extreme.

"Then join the military; there’s enough excitement there. My first mission led to the destruction of an entire base, which was an entire planet. There’s constant action and drama there," Anthony proposed, pitching the military as the ideal spot for anyone craving a break from dullness.

Bryan found himself shocked yet again by the planetary annihilation tale, but he refrained from probing deeper, sensing it could swamp him with more overload.

"I can’t join the military," he answered with a defeated sigh.

"Because you’re a Prince?" Anthony questioned, fairly sure of the response.

"Yeah," Bryan affirmed with a nod, his look resolute.

"Why isn’t Heinz the prince? Isn’t he the first Prince?" Anthony wondered aloud, curiosity clear in his voice.

"Long story short, I possess more talent than him, the potential to reach the Planetary level. He doesn’t," Bryan explained straightforwardly, devoid of boastfulness or smugness, as if reciting a simple truth.

Anthony regarded him momentarily before nodding, opting for silence. Still, the role of Crowned Prince struck him as stiflingly tedious and confining. To date, neither he nor his father had broached him succeeding as Patriarch of the Null Family... though truthfully, it held zero importance for Anthony.

'I wonder if their family will become the cliche story of siblings hating each other, Heinz becoming evil, claiming that the Dragon Domain was his to inherit and that it was unjustly given to Bryan. Then Heinz would stumble upon some dark inheritance hidden within a random cave, gaining immense forbidden power before waging war against Bryan, Iserios, and the entire Dragon Domain, systematically wiping out every other dragon in his path, eventually becoming the Dark Dragon Emperor, ruling through sheer power and unrelenting terror. And even then, Heinz would not be satisfied. Corrupted entirely by power, he would seek to rule the entire Blue Planet and all Domains of other races. Then, in the end, Heinz would be killed by a commoner who rose as a hero after his parents were slaughtered by one of evil Heinz’s forces,' Anthony pondered quietly. Someone could probably make a full novel out of this family drama alone.