VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 8

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 8

Before coming here, Princess Luna had done her research regarding the Kingdom of Lukas – its history, traditions, recent events, and the political powers that ran the Kingdom. While gathering intelligence, she'd learned that this was only the second time an imperial princess had come to this Kingdom as an envoy. The last one was over forty years ago, back when the current Emperor was still the crown prince of the Empire. Thus, she'd been expecting to be well-received the moment they'd arrived at the capital.

But things were unfolding differently before her eyes.

'A Dragon.'

Who would have known that such a mighty existence that even the Emperor was wary of would suddenly come here and request an audience with the King?

Although the Dragon looked young, it exuded an aura of absolute strength and dominance. Even Princess Luna, who was used to meeting various powerful warriors and officials in the Empire, had never felt such an oppressive aura before in her entire life.

"You're late," Agnus spat angrily at the dwarves who'd just arrived.

"W-We apologize, Great Guardian Deity!"

A dwarf, who seemed to be the leader of the group, immediately prostrated on the ground. Seeing this, the other dwarves immediately followed suit.

It was a surreal sight.

With just a few words from the Dragon, all of the dwarves immediately lowered their heads in fear and prostrated on the floor.

These were the same dwarves who would be treated really well wherever they went in the continent. But currently, they looked like nothing but slaves trembling before their master.

Agnus clicked his tongue. "Father specifically told me not to kill any of you senselessly. But remember this: there is no next time."

The leader of the dwarves banged his head against the cobbled ground. "We are grateful! Great Guardian Deity!"

The other dwarves immediately followed suit.

"We are grateful! Great Guardian Deity!"

It was a truly spectacular sight. Princess Luna had heard that the dwarves revered the Dragon guarding their borders as something akin to a God, but seeing it in flesh was still bewildering.

Agnus said in a cold voice, "Stand up, fix your clothes, make sure you are representable. We are going to be meeting with King Lark soon."

"Yes, Great Guardian Deity!"

Following the Dragon's words, the dwarves stood up, dusted their clothes, and fixed their garbs. They also made sure that the corpses in the carts were in pristine condition.

Stefan, the leader of patrol guarding the northern gate, said to Agnus, "M-Mighty Dragon, I've already sent a message to the royal castle regarding your arrival. Although we would like to immediately grant you entry, there are..." he swallowed the lump in his throat as he hesitated. "...procedures we must comply, you see. I'm afraid we would need permission from a high-ranking official before we could grant you entry."

Agnus frowned. "But those humans from the Empire." He glanced at the imperial envoys unfavorably. "It seems that you've already given them permission."

Stefan nervously looked at the imperial envoys and at the Dragon.

Unlike the Dragon, the imperial envoys were accompanied by Big Bun. The One Stop Clop merchant group had been given the task to personally escort the envoys all the way to the capital. In a sense, they'd already been given permission by His Majesty to enter the capital.

"T-That's right," said Stefan. "They... they'd already been given permission beforehand."

Agnus seemed displeased, but decided to wait patiently regardless. "Then, we'll wait."

"T-Thank you!" said Stefan.

The imperial envoys hadn't expected such a reply from the very same Dragon who treated the dwarves like slaves.

Princess Luna peeked at Agnus and tried reading his thoughts. She wondered if her ability worked even against a Dragon.

To her relief, the same familiar words started forming on top of the young Dragon’s head.

[How annoying.]

[It seems we have no choice but to wait.]

[Father repeatedly warned me not to cause any commotion in King Lark's territory.]

[But... why did father perform the blood oath with that human anyway?]

[I couldn't understand... A Dragon serving a human.]

Agnus noticed her gaze. He glared at her.

[Hm? That stupid Princess is still staring at me.]

[Should I cut her head off?]

Princess Luna immediately averted her gaze upon reading those last few words. She shuddered, not only from the murderous intent of the Dragon, but also from the shocking revelation she'd just learned.

The King and the Dragon were currently in a master-servant relationship?

At first, she'd been expecting something similar to an alliance. But now that she'd thought of it, a relationship of a master-servant better fitted the scenarios that had just unfolded before her eyes.

The reason why the Dragon treated them like mere insects, but remained respectful to the subordinates of King Lark.

The reason why the Dragon openly ridiculed the dwarves and treated them as servants, but remained patient when it came to dealing with the members of the patrol of the capital.

The revelation aside, Princess Luna also felt somewhat lightheaded after using her ability on the Dragon. Unlike humans, it seemed that she needed to consume more ‘energy’ to read the thoughts of those mythical creatures.

“The gates are open,” said Big Bun. "Shall we go, Your Highness?"

There was a hint of pride within Big Bun's voice. And it was only natural, since they'd been given priority due to the presence of the One Stop Clop merchant group.

After the commotion had been taken care of, the imperial envoys were soon granted entry into the capital. Riding the carriages provided to them by Big Bun, the envoys entered the gates.

A wide, paved main road that could accommodate eight carriages running side-by-side greeted them the moment they stepped foot inside the city. The main road branched into smaller streets as it ran through the Outer and Middle District, eventually reaching the small wall that served as a partition between the Middle and the Inner District.

Hundreds of people lined the road. Although some of them were here to see a glimpse of the imperial princess, judging by the chatters and murmurs, most of them were here to lay sight on the Dragon.

It seemed that flying over the Outer District in his Dragon form was more than enough to garner the attention of the residents of the capital.

"Welcome to the Capital of the Kingdom of Lukas!" said Big Bun loudly. He rode his mount, right next to the Princess' carriage. "The city where His Majesty lives! The City of Greatest Authority! Behemoth City!"

Princess Luna looked through her window and met the curious gazes of the citizens of the capital. Some kids pointed at her, while the men who caught a glimpse of her face stood there, mesmerized by what they saw. As expected, she was breathtakingly beautiful, even by the standard of the Lukasians.

"It's the flag of the Empire!"

"Is that the Princess?"

"She probably is!"

"Oh my, how could someone as beautiful as her exist!"

Princess Luna was used to such compliments by now. She smiled at the people watching their caravan, and waved her hand. Seeing this, the people cheered — especially the men.

Big Bun chuckled. "It seems that the people love you, Your Highness."

Although she knew that everything was superficial, Princess Luna was relieved that the citizens did not take their arrival at the capital badly.

"Such a warm welcome," said Princess Luna in a sweet, gentle voice. "The Kingdom really has wonderful citizens, Sir Gaultier."

Big Bun smiled, his puffy cheeks nearly covering his eyes. "I believe so, too, Your Highness."

She read the words that had formed on top of Big Bun's head.

Contrary to the fat merchant’s nonchalant demeanor, his head was filled with various thoughts.

[I've noticed it before...]

[But this Princess sure has a glib tongue.]

[Well, no matter. My job here is almost done.]

[The new secretary would be taking care of everything related to the imperial envoys anyway.]

[If it's the royal secretary... she'll surely know what to do with the Princess.]

Royal Secretary?

If their intelligence network was correct, the fat merchant was probably pertaining to the daughter of Lord Chase. A woman who'd been assisting her father in administrative works from a young age. After the King discovered her talent, she was immediately granted one of the highest positions within the government.

While traversing the main road leading to the heart of the city, the Princess noticed a familiar-looking structure in the Middle District. It was a half-completed tower, similar to the ones in the Kalavinka Port. Numerous dwarves and human workers were seen working on it, and she even saw several people transporting a metallic structure inside.

After entering the Inner District, the group passed through a portcullis and soon arrived at the main castle. Big Bun disembarked and conversed with the guards stationed at the entrance. After several minutes of waiting, a woman with light blonde hair, sun-kissed skin, and golden eyes went outside and greeted them.

“Welcome, esteemed envoys of the Empire,” said the woman. “I am Irene Chase, Royal Secretary and one of the confidants of King Lark.”

Princess Luna smiled warmly at her. She didn’t bow nor curtseyed, since she was of a higher rank. Instead, she gently placed her hand on her chest and greeted Irene with a nod.

“Luna Lockhart Mavis,” she said. “Daughter of the Sun and Moon of the Great Empire. An Imperial Princess and the leader of the envoys from the Empire.”

The Princess looked at Jacob Fraser, and taking that as the cue, the magician introduced himself.

“Jacob Fraser,” he said. “Royal Court Magician of the Great Empire and Vice Master of the Fourth Tower.”

The representative merchant of the Golden Crow Association, one of the leading members of the Chamber of Commerce in the Empire, also stepped forward and introduced himself.

After the pleasantries were done, Irene said without flinching, “It is an honor for such esteemed guests to visit our Kingdom. However, currently, His Majesty cannot grant an audience to anyone right now.”

The words of the secretary were understandable. Even in the Empire, it would take at least several hours – if they were fortunate – before someone could be granted an audience with a monarch.

They were expecting at least several hours, maybe even a day, before they would be able to personally meet the King, but to their surprise, an entirely different scenario played out.

“His Majesty is currently attending to some… crucial matters,” Secretary Irene chose her words carefully. “And I’m afraid that it would take several days, maybe a week at most, before he could grant audience to anyone.”

They were willing to wait several hours, even a day or two.

But a week?

It was almost akin to an insult.

Some members felt that the King was deliberately stalling for time to flaunt his powers on the envoys of the Empire. No matter how they saw it, no sane monarch would dare make the envoys of one of the most powerful nations in the continent wait this long.

Still, despite their displeasure, no one voice their complaints out loud. For matters like this, it was for their leader to decide.

Princess Luna used her ability on the Secretary. Discreetly, she read the words that had formed on top of Irene’s head.

[How troubling…]

[They’ve arrived a few days earlier than expected, just right when His Majesty entered secluded training in the castle tower.]

Princess Luna did not know what exactly this so-called ‘training’ was, but it seemed that the secretary and the royals did not have invidious thoughts when they asked the envoys to wait for several days.

“Is this related to the Dragon who’d arrived at the same time as us, miss secretary?” said Jacob Fraser in a slightly displeased voice.

He must have thought that they were going to prioritize meeting with the Dragon and the dwarves, rather than the imperial envoys.

Irene shook her head. “No, not at all. Please believe me when I say that we plan on showing no preferential treatment between the two groups.”

To the other members of the envoy, that statement felt like a blatant lie. But Princess Luna knew that the secretary was trying her best to accommodate their group right now.

“We understand,” said Princess Luna. She cast a glance at Fraser, wordlessly telling him to stand down. “Then, in the coming days, we look forward to meeting with His Majesty, King Lark.”

“You must be aware of this already,” said Princess Luna. “But we’ve come here to form friendly relationships with the Kingdom of Lukas. I hope you’ll be able to convey our sincerity to His Majesty, miss secretary.”

“Of course,” said Irene. “I’ll be sure to inform His Majesty about your good intentions, Princess.”

Irene said to Big Bun, “Big Bun.”

“Lady Secretary,” said the merchant.

“Escort the Princess and her group to the mansion next to the newly built temple,” said Irene. “The head butler of the estate should already be aware of their arrival.”

“Please leave it to me,” said Big Bun.

Irene said, “Big Bun and his men shall escort Her Highness to her lodgings. Although it isn’t much, I hope the accommodations we’ve prepared would be satisfactory for such esteemed guests.” She paused and looked at Princess Luna straight in the eye, “Please rest assured. We’ll immediately send a message to you, once His Majesty is free.”

                                                              ***

After leaving the castle, the envoys were escorted by Big Bun to a mansion near a recently built temple. The building was four-story, with enough rooms to accommodate the envoy officials. Butlers and maids were also assigned to serve them during their stay in the capital.

“Finally,” said Kale, the youngest of the Morton Twins. “Wearing this armor felt so stuffy.”

Kale placed his helmet on the table and removed his chain mail, revealing his bulging belly.

“It’s great that we are sharing rooms, big brother,” said Kale. He pulled out a cigar and lit it using fire magic. He puffed out a cloud of smoke. “Based on the words of that secretary, it’ll take a couple of days before we can meet with the King of Lukas. So, what should we do next?”

Kazden cast a simple silence spell in the room. He replied, “We’ll take this opportunity to investigate the Alchemy Tower.”

“What?” grumbled Kale. “Isn’t that mission entrusted to the ‘Triple Cast’?”

“His Majesty, the Emperor, always strives for perfection,” said Kazden. “We need to obtain at least a vial, in the event that Fraser fails his mission.”

Although Jacob Fraser had been tasked to procure several vials of the cure developed by the Lukasians for the monsterization, to make sure the undertaking was a success, the Morton Twin were also given the same mission. The Emperor was a man who always accounted for unknown variables.

“There’s no way that Fraser would fail the mission though,” said Kale. “He’s the Vice Master of the Fourth Tower. Although the two of us combined is capable of killing him, he’s still a monster far stronger than the magicians of a nation as small as this Kingdom. I would rather go ahead and cut off the head of that Lark Marcus. I’m sure the Emperor will be pleased if we present his head to him.”

“I understand how you feel, little brother,” said Kazden. “But you remember that knight we’ve encountered in the Kalavinka Port, right?”

After being reminded of that knight in steel armor, Kale’s face turned grim. He slowly nodded his head.

Even the two of them froze in fear upon meeting that knight in Kalavinka Port. That unknown knight, who accompanied Commander Mokuva, felt so strong that even the Morton Twins didn’t dare make a ruckus during their stay in that territory.

Fortunately, they hadn’t met a knight similar to that one after they left the port.

“The magicians of this nation are definitely weaker than us,” said Kazden. “But after encountering that knight, I realized we should still move with prudence. What if someone like him is also guarding the Alchemy Tower?”

Kale burned his cigar into ashes using fire magic. “That’s impossible. You know it too, brother.”

Just the mere thought of two of those knights existing in this kingdom was preposterous.

Kazden fell silent for a moment. “You’re right. It’s impossible.”

No matter how they’d thought of it, the probability that someone as monstrous as that knight was also guarding the Alchemy Tower was nil. They couldn’t see any merit in stationing such a powerful individual in a mere Alchemy Tower.

“Listen, little brother,” said Kazden. “Our mission this time is simple. We’ll infiltrate the Alchemy Tower, and secure samples of the cure for the monsterization. The Emperor promised us ten thousand gold coins just for this, and another ten thousand gold coins if we successfully kill either King Lark or Princess Luna.”

Killing King Lark would significantly weaken the Kingdom of Lukas. On the other hand, killing Princess Luna, an envoy sent here to form friendly relations with the Kingdom, would incite anger among the citizens of the Empire. The death of the Emperor’s daughter would be enough justification for the Great Empire to start another war. With this, even the Dwarven Kingdom wouldn’t be able to easily interfere with the war between the two nations.

“Kakaka!” said Kale. “Poor Princess! That slut must have come here thinking she could seduce that King! She had no idea that this foreign land will become her grave, brother!”

Kazden licked his lips. “I really wish I could have a taste of her though. Her fierce gaze! I want to break it! I wonder what her expression would look like once she realizes her fate!”

Kale shuddered. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait, brother!”