I'm quite nervous. Quite, quite, quite nervous.

What place do I have at the royal palace? Seeing the King himself? I thought it'd be the prince! I'm a mere guard; I don't know their customs. Some royal attendants; even a butler! They came out to greet me, like I was the biggest celebrity they'd had in ages. Why are they so nice?

I expected they were two-faced; talking behind my back. But then I accidentally ran into an inscriptionist in the hallway. Even he was fine with letting me help him pick up his books. He then chatted with me politely before we went our separate ways. A polite inscriptionist! Look at how they act in Haitos— there isn't even a shred of dignity given to anyone beneath their station, except Aitos, he...

image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/034.png]

It.

GodsDAMN, Aitos! You had to fall to that evil dragon, didn't you? Pure Evil, in fact.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Aitos did nothing but support our great city, and how is he repaid? By being delivered into a dragon's gullet. I know, I KNOW the mayor was working with flawed information. I can't blame him. I don't see any better solution myself. I just...

"Aughhh!"

The butler seems to notice my distress.

"Ah, sir Barnet. Are you okay? Would you like some Fridellian Tea to settle your stomach?"

"Actually, yes. I would. Also, would you mind me sharing why I'm frustrated? Talking this out? I know this all needs to be said to the King, but it's not secret information. I came here because he needs to hear it as soon as possible and... I couldn't rely on Haitos to send my words. I'm so worried I'll mess up when I'm in the throne room. I'm so nervous."

I've only been able to sit still due to my many years working as a guard.

"Absolutely, sir Barnet. An attendant will go for tea while we get started. Your desire to not waste his highness' valuable time is something I can greatly appreciate."

He sits down in a chair across from me.

"Sir, let's begin. What's your business today?"

"Haah. It's very simple, but the details are complex. How should I begin? I'm just a guard."

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He flashes surprise, then pride toward my humble words. As though they were his own.

"Sir Barnet, you may start with a broad overview. Then, add any key details you consider most relevant. Finally, his highness will ask whatever follow-up questions he deems necessary. No need to elaborate at length. He will know what he requires and what he doesn't."

A female attendant brings tea and steadily begins pouring it into my cup.

{*schluuuu—*}

Woah, fast! Is the kitchen next door?

"Alright, the basics. An exceptionally intelligent, talking dragon, showed up in Haitos. It started by demolishing half the city with its roar, NOT flame breath, after which it magically enslaved our leader and Master Inscriptionist, Aitos. It also claimed to have already annexed Achiton."

The attendant drops the teapot, which breaks, talking my former teacup with it.

*—uuu—k-kshttt-tink*

The butler is staring at me incredulously. Anyone else's mouth would've likely been wide open, but he's staying poised.

"S— sir, this..."

"If you wait to check whether I'm lying, this monster of a dragon will already be on the capital's doorstep. That's why I rushed here. I sold my house and bought my family along all so I could afford magic-powered transport."

I lower my shoulders a bit, then continue speaking.

"I don't expect a reward unless we somehow manage to survive. I hope you capital folks have far and away stronger mages and warriors than Haitos, otherwise we might've already lost. That thing, which calls itself Pure Evil... I... I couldn't even understand how strong it was."

"S... Sir. Sir Barnet. Did you say it refers to itself as 'Pure Evil?' As in, consisting of only evil?"

"That's right. Is that particularly relevant?"

"No, sir. To be honest Sir Barnet, I can't wrap my head around your report. I'll have it relayed to his highness right now."

He signals to the female attendant. She bolts out of the room at high speed.

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

I continue talking.

"One suggestion? Pure Evil claims it did not place any enslaved puppets in the top leadership of Achiton. Haitos, however, is fully compromised. If you use long-range communication arrays to confirm my claims, I would suggest you contact Achiton. You'll want to talk to Raiz."

He finally looks concerned since he's hearing a random name instead of an Achiton official.

"Raiz, sir?"

I lean back in my seat.

"Haaaaaah. Mister butler. It claims to have executed all of them. Every single member of Achiton's leadership, save one. Every military footsoldier. Every guard. Every godsdamn merchant board member, for crying out loud. Raiz is the new top official installed by the dragon."

"Sir, that is... Horrifying. Which leader lived through this massacre?"

That isn't what his face tells me.

As a guard, I interrogate people all the time. He holds hope and worry. Not horror, as he claims.

"Yenim, the guard captain. I strongly believe—"

He shows so much relief. I hesitate to continue; to dash his hopes. But I must.

"— Shridenia's mighty Yenim has defected."

The butler's polite facade totally shatters. His eyes widen, not only in surprise, but in many emotions. Anger? Loss? Betrayal? Sadness? Grief? Confusion? Denial? They're all there.

He makes a minor retching noise.

{*huurk*}

He then stands and exits the room even faster than the attendant did.

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

Haah. At least they listen.

One less worry, several million to go.