Chapter 7: VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 11
The Flower Garden.
It was the largest brothel in the Red Lights District, exclusive only to nobles and wealthy merchants of the Empire.
Complete with luxurious amenities, it was a paradise where prostitution, gambling, and drugs were legalized. It was the only place in the nation where the subjects of the Emperor wouldn't be apprehended for partaking in such hedonistic lifestyle.
This was the place Rykard Lockhart Mavis, the Fifth Imperial Prince, visited on a nightly basis. His visits were so regular that the management of the Flower Garden even allotted an entire floor for him to stay in.
"Your Highness," said a courtesan playfully. "Please tell us again how you won the hunting competition when you were younger."
Prince Rykard sat at a table, beautiful ladies at both sides. His face was flushed red from alcohol, as he'd been drinking since the start of the night.
Prince Rykard was a head shorter than the two ladies beside him. He was plump, his hair was unkempt, and his only redeeming feature was his ostentatiously expensive clothes.
His breath reeking of liquor, Prince Rykkard rubbed his nose and said, "Is that so? Ehem… Of course, the ladies wish to know. I don't like bragging myself, but since the ladies asked for it, I'll tell everyone the story."
The two courtesans next to him squeaked, as though the Fifth Prince was the most charming man in the world. With a façade, they gazed at him fondly, as though they were looking at the love of their life.
On the other hand, the Fifth Prince's guards started moving to the door, as they'd heard this story a thousand times before. They'd already learned to shut their ears whenever the Fifth Prince started telling this story.
"It was around nine years ago," said the Fifth Prince.
One of the courtesans poured him a drink and he happily gulped it down.
"I was only eleven back then. You ladies know they hold the hunting competition annually, and only those of a certain standing in high society are allowed to participate, correct?"
"Of course, Your Highness," said one of the courtesans, smiling.
"Well, we could say that that was the year I made a debut into society," said Prince Rykkard. "To celebrate my first participation in the hunting competition, the imperial family released several ferocious beasts in the forest. And one of those beasts is a full-grown red bear."
There was something off about the story, and the two courtesans realized it easily. They knew there was no way the imperial family would release an adult red bear in a hunting competition kids would be participating in.
Still, the courtesans didn't voice their doubts out loud. They continued smiling, pouring the Fifth Prince drinks every now and then.
Prince Rykkard was one of the most important patrons of the establishment. As long as he was here, even those haughty nobles who'd lost all their fortunes gambling wouldn't be able to act rashly.
The mere mention of the imperial family was more than enough to quell any and all unrest in the Flower Garden. No one was foolish enough to offend the Fifth Prince, even though he did not hold much political power.
"Oh my~"
One of the courtesans covered her mouth with her hand.
"An adult red bear? Did you encounter it in the forest during the hunting competition, Your Highness?"
Prince Rykard smirked and nodded, "That's right. And guess what?" He paused and dramatically added, "I killed it. With. A. Single. Knife."
The brows of the courtesans twitched after hearing the ridiculous story, but their smiles never left their faces regardless.
"Oh, wow! O-Of course!"
"I-If it's Your Highness, it's surely possible!"
Prince Rykard boisterously laughed. "Hahahaha! Is that so!"
The Prince seemed pleased with his story, as he started emptying the bottles on the table.
While the Prince was drowning himself in alcohol, one of his guards approached and whispered, "Your Highness, he's here."
For a split second, the foolish appearance of Prince Rykkard vanished. A dangerous glint in his eyes appeared, but the two courtesans failed to notice it.
"Ladies, it appears I have a visitor," said the Fifth Prince.
"Ahh, but you haven't even drank enough yet, Your Highness!"
"Please tell us more of your stories, My Prince!"
"Haha! I know you ladies are excited to hear more, but we must stop here for the night," said Prince Rykard. "Vaison."
A two-meter-tall muscular man replied, "Your Highness."
"Escort the ladies out."
"As you wish," said Vaison. "This way please, ladies."
Although reluctant, the courtesans followed Vaison outside.
After the courtesans left, Prince Rykkard put down the bottle of liquor in his hand. He swept his hair up, and his playful expression turned sharp.
"Haaa," said Prince Rykard. "How annoying. They put a different one again this time."
Vaison locked the door and replied, "I believe they're from the Third Prince's faction, Your Highness."
"I noticed it too," said Prince Rykard. "That damn bastard. They even put poison in my drinks this time."
Vaison worriedly said, "Should I call the healers here?"
"No," said Prince Rykkard. "My resistance to poison is enough for this one. It tingled my tongue at most. There's no need for you to worry, Vaison."
Prince Rykkard had experienced numerous poisoning attempts in his life that he naturally developed resistance to poison.
"Did the Third Prince find out you've started investing in the jadestone mine?"
"That stupid brother of mine?" said Prince Rykard. "I doubt it. If he did, he would have used a more potent poison in my drinks."
The poison this time wasn't meant to kill him, but make him fall ill.
"So, that guy – the ambassador from the Kingdom of Lukas, he's here?"
"Yes. He's waiting at the sitting room on the ground floor," said Vaison. "What do you plan to do, Your Highness? If what the information broker told us is correct…"
After repelling the parasitic demons, the Second Prince gained the recognition of not only the Emperor but the people. He was practically the crown prince already at this point, and all that was left was for the imperial family to hold the appointment ceremony.
Prince Rykard knew the consequences of this sudden turn of events.
He knew of the bloodbath that would soon follow the imperial succession even before the war with the demons was over.
Prince Rykard wanted to lie low and slowly bide his time. But he knew that it was no longer the time to hide in his estate and the Red Lights District like a coward.
Soon, the princes would start killing each other more openly. The First Prince, in particular, wouldn't sit idly like this while Second Prince kept gaining more authority.
Luckily, an opportunity had come their way.
"I don't believe in the Seven Gods, Vaison," said Prince Rykkard. "But if they do exist, they haven't abandoned me yet."
Prince Rykkard knew he couldn't miss this chance.
If the information they'd garnered was correct, the knights brought by the Lukasians were powerful, and if they were to be incorporated into his army, it should be feasible for him to gain achievements in the war.
Just when he was thinking of how to overcome his current predicament, this opportunity came. It felt as though fate was guiding Prince Rykard to this moment.
"Tell him to come here."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Vason ordered one of the guards to escort the lukasian ambassador to where the Prince was. Soon, they came back with a dignified-looking middle-aged man. The man had tinges of white on his hair, and the corner of his eyes had several creases. The crest of the Kingdom of Lukas was embroidered on his garb.
Reginald Vont greeted the Fifth Prince immediately upon entering the room.
"It's an honor to meet Your Highness. I am Reginald Vont, leader of the delegation sent by His Majesty, King Lark. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lukas."
Prince Rykard said in a serious voice, "I've been expecting you. Sit down."
Reginald sat on the chair opposite the Fifth Prince.
"I know why you're here," said Prince Rykkard. He went straight to the point. "You wish to be incorporated into my army, correct?"
Reginald curiously gazed at the prince. He didn't expect the Fifth Prince to be this direct.
"That's correct, Your Highness."
"Did you meet my eldest brother before coming here?"
"Unfortunately, no. The guards turned me down right at the door."
"Then, all the better," said Prince Rykkard. He sighed in relief. "I know that it's the will of my father, the Emperor, Sir Reginald. But before incorporating you into my army, I need you to show me one thing."
Reginald patiently waited for the prince to continue speaking.
"Show me the full strength of the Lord Knight and the Blackstone Knights."
With those words, Reginald finally confirmed it. The things said by Princess Luna regarding the Fifth Prince were correct.
The Fifth Prince was no fool, but a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"If you show me strength that surpasses all logical reasons, I shall fully give my support to the Kingdom of Lukas in this war. My wealth, resources, military – I shall entrust all of them in your hands."
***
[Kingdom of Lukas]
Kel' Vual's time in the human realm had been pleasurable so far. Not only did he visit numerous places and try various food, he also found a hobby he truly enjoyed.
Unexpectedly, he fell in love with art – particularly painting. As someone who'd lived for so long, there was an indescribable novelty in capturing the moment through painting. The ability to immortalize these precious moments was something he'd never thought he needed before.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
The hand of Kel' Vual holding the brush froze. Even without looking at the door, he could feel two presences coming this way.
This place was on the topmost floor of the king's castle's second tower, and people normally did not visit this place. It was only a couple of months ago when Kel' Vual started receiving these visitors.
"Uncle!"
"We're climbing up, okay!"
The shouts grew louder.
They were familiar voices. They were from Austen and George – King Lark's disciples.
The two opened the door without knocking. Upon seeing Kel' Vual, who was holding a brush, George smirked.
"See, I told you," said George. "He never leaves this place."
"Hey, you brat!" Austen nudged George in the ribs. "Watch your mouth! I know he's a reclusive old man, but there's no need to tell him that!"
Kel' Vual put down the brush. He'd gotten used to these two bickering with each other by now.
Initially, he found the two noisy and annoying. But now, Kel' Vual found himself looking forward to their frequent visits. Like a grandfather, Kel' Vual even started taking care of them whenever he could.
"You're here," said Kel' Vual. "So, what is it this time, children?"
"You address master casually but call us children," muttered George unhappily. "Not fair."
"Won't you shut up?" whispered Austen to George.
"It's true, though?" said George. "I hate it. My brother is nineteen this year, I'm fifteen. Stop treating us like kids, uncle."
It had been nearly five years since the brothers met Lark. After becoming his disciple, their lives took a drastic turn. From paupers, they became prominent individuals who held sway in the Kingdom.
Just the mere fact that they were the king's disciple gave the two brothers a certain degree of political power in the nation.
Even nobles had to tread carefully around them, and even barons had to politely address them.
Aside from King Lark, Chryselle, and Anandra, this uncle was probably the only one who openly treated the brothers like brats.
"Hmm… if it upsets you," said Kel' Vual. "I'll refrain from calling you that from now on."
Kel' Vual was truly unexpectedly kind.
The leader of the Arzomos Tribe was expressionless by default, but after spending time with him, the brothers started being able to read his expressions. Although he looked scary, they were sure he was currently smiling kindly.
"So, what is it this time?"
George looked around the room. His gaze landed on the half-finished painting.
"Painting the capital again, uncle?" said George. "Well, if you're busy, we'll come back later. An hour or two, is that good with you?"
"The painting can wait," said Kel' Vual in a deep, menacing voice, "so just tell me."
Had another person heard those words, they would have flinched, taken several steps back, and fled the room.
Kel' Vual was a weapon of carnage who'd killed hundreds of thousands of demons before.
Even back in the demon realm, he was a prominent figure feared by all. Moreover, despite assuming the form of a human, he looked so scary that a normal individual would never be able to look him in the eye for long. But Austen and George knew that this uncle was kind, and that he would never do anything that would harm them. And this was the reason why they could recklessly barge in here like this.
"Do you want me to train the two of you again?" said Kel' Vual.
With Lark's permission, Austen and George started receiving guidance from Kel' Vual a few months ago.
Austen and George had already reached the realm of instant casting, and now, what they needed was real battle experience. Kel' Vual was the perfect sparring partner for them. Even if the brothers went all out, they would never be able to harm him. They could fire their most powerful spells and there would be no risk of Kel' Vual being hurt.
"No, that's not it," said Austen.
"Why are you always thinking of training, uncle?" said George. "Today's the day of the Founding Festival! We thought you might be bored here, so we visited."
Austen smiled brightly. "It'll start in a few hours. Come with us, uncle!"
Kel' Vual found himself unable to say no to that innocent smile.
Kel' Vual had always been strict with his son, but for some reason, he could never be stringent when it came to these two.
Was it because they were humans?
Kel' Vual was not sure.
"Founding Festival?" said Kel' Vual.
"It's an annual celebration in the Kingdom," said Austen. "This year, it coincides with the Night of the God of Harvest."
"This year's festival will be bigger than the previous years," said George excitedly. "You know what? It's amazing that you don't even know this, uncle. Did you stay cooped up in this room since the last time we visited?"
George's conjecture was spot on.
Unless one was cooped up in his room for several days, there was no way they hadn't seen the banners and stalls being set up on the streets.
"Well? How about it? Come on!" said Austen.
Hearing no immediate reply, George grabbed Kel' Vual's muscular hand and pulled him toward the door.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Finding himself unable to say no, Kel' Vual left the tower with the two.
***
The festival was more fun than Kel' Vual expected.
With the brothers at the lead, they went to numerous stalls and tried various food. They played mini games like 'arrow shooting', 'don't break the string', and 'fish scooping.'
They were game meant for humans, but strangely, Kel' Vual found himself enjoying them.
"Hey, can't you control your strength, uncle!" said George in an annoyed voice. "We lost all games because of you!"
In 'arrow shooting', Kel' Vual pulled the bow so far, the string snapped. In 'don't break the string', he bounced the ball so hard the string broke, and during 'fish scooping', he scooped so fast he ended up cutting the fish in half.
The brothers found it absurd that someone could be this bad in these games. Even the stall owners kept urging Kel' Vual to play more, as they realized he would never be able to win with his skills.
The stall owners gazed at Kel' Vual as though he was a walking, free money.
"Stop it," said Austen. "It's just a game. We can just try again later."
George clicked his tongue. "But it's frustrating. How can a person be so bad in games?"
A rare retort came out of Kel' Vual's mouth. "Says the kid who can't even aim his bow properly."
"W-What?" said George, flustered.
Austen laughed. "Hahaha! That's right! You didn't even score a single point in the archery game, you brat!"
"This and that are different!" said George indignantly. "Look, if we—"
George stopped midway through his speech. He pulled Austen and Kel' Vual to a corner and pointed at a certain restaurant across the street.
"Over there," said George.
"What is it this time?" said Austen.
"Look. Isn't that Secretary Irene?" said George. "And that man sitting with her in the restaurant…. Oh Gods."
Austen and George's eyes widened at the same time. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect to see this.
The man sitting at the table with Secretary Irene was none other than Anandra.
"Are they dating? Look, h-how… what?! D-Do you see what I'm seeing?" said George. "T-The old man is smiling!"
It was a surreal sight.
Anandra was smiling while speaking with Secretary Irene at the restaurant.
"H-Holy… damn!" said George.
"Don't cuss!"
"B-But look! Is that really the old man? Smiling? Him?"
As though they'd agreed on it beforehand, the two rubbed their eyes at the same time. They even pinched their cheeks to check if they were dreaming.
"It's real…" mumbled Austen.
"I… feel like puking," said George. "We should tell master about this! Or maybe we should go there? Maybe we should warn Secretary Irene! That old man… what's so good about him!"
Seeing the expressions of the brothers, Kel' Vual said, "Are you two jealous?"
From the perspective of humans, Secretary Irene was a gorgeous woman. Even the brothers found her pretty. Moreover, she was capable enough to work as the king's secretary.
Although the brothers did not like her romantically, they still couldn't believe she was meeting Anandra in a restaurant like this. Looking from afar, it seemed that she was even the proactive one during their conversation.
"We're not!" the two replied at the same time.
Kel' Vual warmly smiled at them. "Of course. But that's enough. You've had your fun, let him have his. Let him enjoy the festival."
Those words didn't seem too convincing. Thus, Kel' Vual added, "Hmmm… let me ask you this. What do you think will happen if he catches the two of you spying on him like this?"
The brothers froze, and their expressions slowly turned into fear.
Luckily, for some reason, Anandra hadn't noticed them yet. He was probably too preoccupied with his date that he failed to realize he was being watched by the brothers.
"He might be embarrassed at first, sure, but what happens after that?" said Kel' Vual. "Can you two handle the consequence? And it's not just him. You also need to consider how the secretary would react."
Hearing this, Austen suggested they leave immediately. He didn't want to risk going through the same hellish training from before.
"Let's go," said Austen.
"But this is the perfect chance! Let's enter the restaurant and embarrass the old man!" said George.
Austen grabbed George's arm and pulled him away. "Stop being unreasonable, you brat! Come here!"
After some heated discussion, Austen finally convinced George to leave Anandra and Secretary Irene alone. The trio roamed the streets again, trying various food and games every now and then.
When night came, the magicians of the kingdom started firing spells into the sky, covering it with flashy lights.
"Over here! It's starting!"
The brothers led Kel' Vual to the central plaza, where thousands of people were already waiting.
According to the soldiers, the king would make a speech in this place during the founding day celebration.
"Uncle, what are you doing? Glare at them!" said George.
George shamelessly used Kel' Vual's scary appearance to part away the crowd. There were those who protested and told them to move to the back, but upon meeting Kel' Vual's gaze, they immediately cowered and let the trio pass.
"You kids…" said Kel' Vual.
George rubbed his nose. He said proudly. "We made it in front, see?"
Austen said, "Look, it's the Grand Chamberlain!"
Soon, the Grand Chamberlain appeared with the royal guards. He climbed the platform. His appearance signified that the King was coming, and knowing this, the crowd immediately knelt – Austen, George, and Kel' Vual included.
"The embodiment of God Neruz, the heart of the sun. His Majesty, King Lark Marcus, has arrived. Show your respect."
The buzzes and murmurs died in an instant. Only the sound of footsteps was heard as King Lark ascended the platform.
After scanning the crowd, King Lark spoke using a voice-amplifying artifact, "Everyone, rise. There's no need to be stringent with etiquette during this festival."
Following the King's words, the crowd rose to their feet. Austen and George looked excited, as they were witnessing their master addressing a crowd as big as this.
Just like before, King Lark did not seem perturbed despite being subjected to thousands of gazes.
"Today is the founding day of the Kingdom," said Lark. "By tradition, the king isn't required to personally attend the event. They normally send a representative to relay the thoughts and will of the king to his subjects."
Lark continued, "But for this year, I decided to make an appearance before everyone. I deemed this to be the perfect opportunity to make a few important announcements. First is our alliance with the nation of beastmen."
It was a shocking statement.
For decades, the Kingdom of Lukas and the United Grakas Alliance had been antagonistic with each other. No one expected that during King Lark's reign, this long-standing enmity would finally end.
"In exchange for precious metals, we shall supply the United Grakas Alliance with grains, and this trade shall be facilitated at the Valley of Witches, the fortress located in the Aden Region."
"This is a beneficial deal for us, especially during these turbulent times."
The citizens understood what King Lark was saying. They all knew that in order to fight against the demons, they needed these metals to supply the army with weapons.
"And second, I would like to make an announcement not only to my citizens, but to all nations in this continent."
It was impossible that there were no spies from other nations in this country. Lark knew that whatever he would say here would reach the ears of the other rulers eventually.
"I am declaring here today that the Kingdom of Lukas shall wholly support all nations in this continent in the war against the demons."
It was a bold declaration.
Some of the citizens ended up swallowing nervously upon hearing the certainty in Lark's voice.
"Whether large or small, weak or powerful," said King Lark. "The Kingdom of Lukas shall help any and all nations. I am declaring here now, during this founding day celebration, my intent to form a Coalition of Nations."
"The Dwarven Kingdom, the Elven Kingdom," said King Lark. "The United Grakas Alliance."
Everyone had heard of the Dwarven Kingdom and the United Grakas Alliance before, but this was the first time they had heard of the Elven Kingdom.
The crowd listening at the central plaza couldn't believe that the simple speech they were expecting ended up being a turning point in history. And here they were, witnessing it firsthand.
"These three nations, with the Kingdom of Lukas as the center, shall be the first members of the Coalition of Nations," said Lark. "I've already spoken with all of their leaders before coming here, and they all agreed to join this alliance. Even the Elven King agreed that it is finally time for their race to make an appearance."
King Lark said, "I am making the same offer to the other countries. No matter your status, no matter your strength, no matter the history between our countries—"
King Lark's voice echoed in the central plaza.
"—Become part of our alliance."
***
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