Chapter Sixty Five

C O M I N G O F A G E

Part Two

Osiris could hear familiar footsteps trailing behind him as he crossed the tree line right outside of Seth’s trap. He turned and Sunnie stopped a few feet away, looking guilty and worried.

“H-Hey.” She waved shyly at him. “We’re worried-”

His jackal smile was back.

Suddenly a clear barrier sprung up. Sunnie twirled and watched it encompass the center castle, locking everyone within a confined space. She turned back to Osiris and-

“Survive until dawn.”

Sunnie glared at him before turning tail and running towards her boys.

She worried for nothing.

Seth teleported him and his son on the center balcony while teleporting everyone else to the ground floor. He began to cast barriers and set up surveillance, shooting hundreds of spells through the room and out into the castle grounds.

He even made sure to send one after the Prince.

He should have just crossed the border by now.

He was standing and staring at a woman who was trapped behind the barrier.

“Survive until dawn.”

“…..”

That was oddly specific.

The main barrier he cast will only last until dawn.

He had to double up his layering in order to keep the Prince in or out. The mana it consumes will drain him to half his reserves by dawn. He wasn’t stupid enough to keep it longer than that. Especially now that the Prince will be in top condition once it drops.

The woman ran away with an angry growl, and Osiris turned and walked away.

“Seth, what is the meaning of this?!”

Seth looked down at Mikael. He had a look of betrayal fitting of the moment. Seth turned to his son.

“Go to your post.”

Horus teleported to the King’s office.

He was to collect data, his sister, sacred weapons, and the rest of their men were in charge of taking care of the guests. He looked at a chest. His father will have to stay still, so he chose the balcony in the Great Hall as his perch. If he loses his concentration it’s possible for Osiris to break the barrier, or damage it severely and cut their time in half. They had five hours left.

The planted chests began to bust open as hundreds of little beads scattered across the rooms. People began to scream as monsters began to spring from them like a jack in the box. The royals, used to dealing with Osiris, did not hesitate in attacking the monsters running around. Luella could hear her father’s scream demanding an explanation.

She looked at her mother.

No one saw this coming.

The King continued to ignore them until Sunnie burst through the doors covered in blood. She rolled her way to Vep and Fibble, who were backed against the corner closest to the Nox King.

He moved to look.

Was he looking for the Prince?

Osiris was the only one missing out of their family.

“Where’s Osiris?!”

“What’s happening?!”

Sunnie panted behind them as they kept the monsters back.

Seth watched in curiosity as many, if not all, of the older men and women tune to watch the Prince’s woman with unwavering concentration. It was like they were waiting for a command. A signal.

“The bastard said to survive until dawn.”

Fibble and Vep grit their teeth.

“He plays with us too much.”

“Was he even sad to begin with?!”

Sunnie is positive he’s depressed.

She grit her teeth.

But he was so hard to corner these days.

“Who knows.”

She stood and dusted herself off.

She could feel that King’s eyes on them.

“So we just have to survive-”

“Then he’ll-”

Save us.

The eyes of the people changed, and more began to fight back with amelioration. Seth looked back at his screen with the Prince. He was casually walking towards the city center, ignoring the loud commotion of spells going off.

He didn’t make the barrier sound proof.

“…..”

The King of Lux was still yelling and he had a little barrier around his family that kept them, somewhat, safe. He could bust it if he wanted. But he left it. He wasn’t after their lives today.

He planned to destroy their city before then.

Seth’s eyes became cold.

The Lux Kingdom.

When the beastmen first crossed onto their lands they refused to send aid. He didn’t ask for men or weapons. He didn’t ask them to fight.

He asked them for help.

Seth pushed his rage back and looked at his children.

The Lux Kingdom did not join the war until the beastmen were halfway across the continent. Thanks to him, his Kingdom barely made it past the worst of it.

They had money, but no supplies.

When the Lux Kingdom asked for help he threw the useless money at them, and they loved it. Soon he started to receive occasional supplies, but it was too late. Seth has fought in a war with the Kingdom before. He aided and helped, and even won a majority of the battle for them. He was younger at the time, and more open to those around him.

He met the King’s eyes.

But they burned the bridge themselves.

Osiris broke into a closed liquor shop and stole all the dwarven ale he could find. He found three jugs. He hummed happily as people watched from their windows as he started to chug them. He sloppily made his way to the town square.

Claudia could feel her mana reserves drop below half.

Only an hour has passed.

There was still four hours left until dawn.

“Mikael, I’m taking a break.”

He nodded and worked on keeping the kids safe. She can only keep her judgment up for a few minutes at a time. She can disorient and bind the enemies while everyone else attacks. But there were so many S Classes. They were draining her dry.

She tried to think. What could they have done to cause this? They treated his son like their own, and sent him supplies when-

“Fuck.”

Mikael glanced at her briefly before turning to behead an oni. He had demons mixed in.

Claudia clenched her teeth.

Mikael assured her it wasn’t that serious if they only asked for potions and food. He was closer to the King, and at the time Osiris was picking up his.. eating habits, and she was trying to save money.

She stared at her husband’s back.

Osiris sat, dead center, at the town square cheering on the explosions as more and more of the castle began to crumble. He watched a giant gecko wiggle its way around the roof. It even had those derpy eyes.

Osiris was tickled.

It was only the main castle, the rest were safe, but all the juicy stuff was at the heart.

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“Woo! Another win for the Nox’s!”

He couldn’t see in detail what actually happened, but he could see a fire explode.

“..”

He burped.

“This was such a good idea.”

He was slurring, and occasionally he saw double, but it was the best birthday he’s ever had!

Seth felt his concentration slip as he stared at the Prince through the screen.

He fixed the slip within a second.

The Prince forced the civilians into their homes as he, mirthfully, spun and danced in the city square while spilling liquor and mana across the stone streets.

The ground did not heal after him.

Suddenly he turned and winked into the camera.

“…..”

He wanted to know more.

Seth finally addressed the King.

“Mikael, you had a question.”

The King bared his teeth at him but had to block an attack.

“Why have you done this?! I thought we were friends?!”

So the man really had no idea.

Figures.

The man still can’t see beyond himself. Seth looked at the Queen.

She knows.

“Ask your wife.”

“Claudia, what-”

“Mikael, you fool.” He startled. She hasn’t called him that since they were teens. “Why didn’t you send the supplies when they asked?!”

“Supplies, but we-”

His face drained of color.

“Looks like you do know why.”

“But the letter-”

“Do not blame me for your mistakes.”

He was clear in his letter.

He stated exactly what he needed, when, and how. He even attached a goods transport scroll for whatever they chose to send. Whether it would be for a day or twenty. But what he received was a letter explaining why they can’t. He was well aware their Kingdom was flourishing thanks to Mikael.

Seth turned to look at the Prince’s men.

They were doing fine, tired, but there was only an hour left. His son and daughter found a few useful things, but it seems the King keeps his records somewhere else. An idea popped into his head.

Seth pushed the screens to the side, keeping only the Prince’s to his bottom left.

“I have a proposition for everyone.”

His voice forced their attention on him, causing a few to lose their lives.

“Anyone who can tell me useful information about the missing Prince-” Seth created a safe zone beneath his perch. Monsters slammed into it and bounced off. “-and I’ll guarantee you safe passage for the rest of the night.”

Everyone glanced at that woman. That woman and the masked one both looked at the blonde. He looked above his head, nodded, then the three turned on him with hungry eyes.

The room filled with whispers among the clash of metal and flesh.

“Isn’t it a trap?!”

“Of course it is!”

“Then”-

Together they said, “What do you want to know.”

Seth felt the corner of his lips perk.

People will always betray each other to save their own necks. Seems like the Prince’s men are no different.

“Anything useful.”

Everyone started to yell out facts.

“He ate the flesh of the beastmen during the war-”

“H-He likes to fuck dogs with long tails!”

“He’s a fagot who likes little boys!”

“He raped a teacher at the academy!”

“He skipped his classes!”

“He poisoned the little Princess-”

The woman jumped and waved at him, pulling his attention back to her.

“We know him better than-” She pointed angrily in the royals and nobles direction. “-them. If you want truthful answers, we can tell you if they’re lying or not.”

“W-we can do that!”

“We are given permission to do whatever it takes to survive. We will not lie to you if you guarantee our safety.”

The Prince’s men were daring.

He could not hear nor smell a lie.

“Enter.”

The three dove in and sighed as the monsters hit the wall. Loud cries of outrage filled the room. The woman shakily met his gaze once more.

“He doesn’t have many secrets.”

Another.

“He’s very open.”

The last.

“And honest about how he feels, but we know the truth from their lies.”

Sunnie decided to start.

“When he was eight, the King locked him in solitary confinement for six months.”

Seth went to look at the King but he was looking away in shame. His eyes went back to the girl.

“And I mean solitary confinement in the Black Tower. He did not interact with another human the entire time.”

The blonde stepped up next.

“He has issues with his impulses. He will forgo his own safety if it means killing his foe. I had to revive him a few times during the war after I received my divinity.”

To give up your own information to satisfy him, hm.

The masked one was last.

“His weakness is us.”

Seth pretended to rub his jaw as he relaxed his face. He almost smiled there for a second.

“Your relationships with him.”

“He calls us his sooks. W-we followed him until he took us in.”

“I’m the tracker.”

“I’m the healer.”

“Scout.”

“N-no one is dating him, if that’s what you mean.”

It wasn’t, but the woman bothered him less now.

“…..”

Why was she bothering him in the first place?

“I found evidence he fucked a pup!” It was Luella. “I found seman all over his shirt after a hunting event!”

The King looked at them.

They shrugged.

“He didn’t fuck the dog, but he was trying to ruin his reputation around the time, so he could have stolen some from someone.”

“I did here it was just a giant orgy instead of an actual hunting event.”

Luella felt her cheeks redden and Axel’s face darken.

Seth opened the portal and Luella ditched her family to go through.

Claudia couldn’t even be mad. She looked at her other children. They were all thinking the same.

Good.

Mikael looked like he wanted to kill Osiris’s men.

Claudia felt her chest tighten. If it was any of her children’s men she would- Claudia tried to think of something useful. She would wait until her children were safe.

“H-He has ties with the beastman’s second in command from the war!”

It was Mercedes. Claudia was pleasantly surprised.

“Yeaaaah, it sounds bad.” Claudia looked to see the King glaring down at them. “But, well, it’s a long story. But the short version is, the panda wants to mate with Osiris, he-” Seth didn’t like that either. “-tried to kill it, it escaped, tried again, it escaped.”

Sunnie shot a pleading look to Vep. They swapped out.

“His daughter ended up taking him in as a servant. So he won’t let anyone touch him now. Including himself. But I’ve seen him break its spine quite a lot.”

A daughter.

“The mother.”

“S-She a being we found in no-man’s land, so no mother.”

“His favorite food is the dwarven jerky the Owlsword’s make. He can sniff it out in a thunderstorm.”

Seth opened the portal and Darwin jogged through. Claudia was a bit puzzled now by what information the King was looking for. Then Claudia remembered something from when he was a child.

“He was addicted to potions as a child.”

She said it before she could stop herself. Mikael shot her the nastiest glare.

He’ll get over it.

“She’s probably not wrong, but we actually don’t know about that. He never mentioned it.”

Seth looked down upon her and she could tell he was checking for lies. Those damn senses of his. The portal opened. Her son nodded for her to go. The Queen speed ran into the barrier.

“He-”

An explosion rocked the building.

Seth had his screens pulled up and- it was just his daughter. Looks like she set something loose. For a second Seth thought it was the Prince, but he was…..setting off fireworks in the plaza.

While Seth was distracted Mikael worked on helping the nobles, while Axel kept the barrier going. He started to drag the injured through, now that there was space. Seth started at that mana screen a lot longer than he did the others. Mikael was wondering who he was watching.

The sun was rising and Seth watched a completely, blacked out drunk Prince sleep in the street. He was snoring. Seth almost didn’t notice his son and daughter return. He cut all the monitoring spells and started to prepare the portal home.

There were still demons and monsters roaming, but with the barrier removed, their soldiers and guards will begin to appear.

Seth took one last look at the men below and walked through the portal.

He had a lot of work to do.

Osiris woke up to his father breathing fire down upon him.

“Wha?”

He was still drunk.

“Where have you been?!”

He looked around. He made a mess.

“..”

“Home.”

Mikael glared at him.

Still slurry Osiris tried to get to his feet.

“..”

He tried again before just throwing himself back on the ground.

“What’d I’d do dis time hm?”

Mikael looked away.

His son didn’t do anything, but his men.

“Why were you not at the party?”

Osiris dragged his eyes to him.

“Boring, left.” He waved him away. “Barrier would have taken *hic* three days to bust.”

Osiris hummed when he remembered the barrier. It would have taken him three straight days of constant hits to break it. Seth put a lot of work into it and Osiris didn’t want to damage it.

He had the rest of the war to do that.

“….”

Mikael frowned at him then sighed.

“Let’s get you home.”

“Do’n touch me-”

Mikael wrapped him with a light binding spell and floated him in the air. He passed out as they headed to his castle. Mikael frowned.

He’s never seen his son get this bad.

If any of his sibling found him-

He clenched his teeth.

On top of the betrayal, Osiris is…. His son looked sickly. When’s the last time he ate? What’s happened?

And from all the ale he drank it’s surprising he didn’t overdose. Even if his body needs more than most, he can still die. Immune or not, if he gives his body nothing else-

Mikael threw his crown into the dirt and stomped on it as they crossed the castle boundaries.

He didn’t know what to do.