Magistrate Juliani's POV

I watch the Great Hero as I talk with Shyvea during our walk back towards the my official magistrate residence. I have interacted with the Hero Levi Halestorm on a few occasions before, initially at the first summoning and during the first month of training as he and his party prepared to set out on their own, but something has been bothering me about him lately.

Earlier I caught him looking at the statue of him and his party in a somewhat... sad(?) manner. He also was extremely eloquent during the speech and award ceremony. I know a lot can happen in two month, especially to the Hero of all people, but usually it is just their skills and magical capacity and efficiency, not their personalities. Even now, he is just following us, quietly. The Hero Levi that I know is a rude and crass fellow, who is so full of himself that he refuses to acknowledge anyone else. He barely could stand to kneel to me at our first encounter, much less be respectful. It's almost as if he is a whole different person. I'd believe as much if I didn't see him right in front of me, heard his familiar voice, and confirm that his armor and the token on it are indeed the one's dedicated to the Great Hero. The Crescent Star of Valor sits just above the token, and I notice a smaller chain below the thick cloth of the valor token's ribbon.

I guess I can't be too surprised though, as we are just days after an experience that most would descend into insanity from, the battle with the Spectral Dragon Emperor resulting in the loss of much of his memory and the death of his team. It would be reasonable to see a change in personality for anyone who lost their memory and experienced such a horrific event, I've heard as much is true from the knight commanders regarding some of their soldiers after all. I take another glance back at Hero Levi to see him numbly staring at the ground as they proceed into my residence. My suspicion melts away as I am filled with pity for this inexperienced young man from an entirely different world seems so dejected and solemn on what is supposed to be a joyous day of celebration. But my gaze recovers as we sit around my table and I nod in respect to Dragon Emperor Xerxes.

I must maintain my composure as ruler here and direct this discussion. With this bold of an attempt by the Spectral Sorcerer so soon, we must know how the Hero defeated the Spectral Dragon Emperor and plan for his further progression at an expedited rate. We almost lost our only hope once and I have no plans on allowing such a close call again. Personal feelings, suspicion, and trauma must all be suppressed for the sake of not just the Opalia realm, but our entire world. It is a substantial task to request from someone who has already given so much, but no one else can take his place.

I gesture to Great Hero Levi to sit as he stands next to the table and seat myself as well. I dismiss Shyvea and the knights that accompanied him, as well as my servants and guards.

I wait until they leave before resting my elbows on the table and looking at the Hero with a serious gaze. I sit there for a moment and then state with a stern voice, "Now. Let's talk."

The Hero sits there unflinchingly and nods. I look over at Xerxes and say, "First, Dragon Emperor Xerxes, you have told me already, but I feel it would be important to let the Great Hero know exactly how the former Dragon Emperor fell under the Spectral Sorcerer's command."

Xerxes nods slowly, looking at the Hero with his glowing purple eyes as he begins. I note the hero has barely moved, an impressive feat for someone currently experiencing the Dragon Emperor's, albeit suppressed, heavy magical aura that makes even knight commanders shake as their body strain against the weight.

"As requested by his former Majesty, we burned his muscles and organs after his passing, took a few scales for our greatest warrior's armor, and left his bones and the remaining scales in-tact as per our tradition. We were transporting these remains to his final resting site in a secure location when our caravan was attacked. We were caught off-guard, as instead of the brute force attacks we are used to from the Spectral Sorcerer, a sort of nearly clear magical gas was what felled my soldiers. They were only temporarily incapacitated, but it was long enough that by the time they awoke and the rear guard arrived, his remains had already vanished."

His doubled and gravely voice sounds strange coming from such a normal looking mouth, even with the regretful tones I can identify among it's growls and rumbling tones. He looks at me as he finishes, "I am terribly sorry for the calamity we unwittingly allowed to be plundered from our lands and the tragedy it has caused among your people. I am also regretful of the setback it has resulted in considering the Hero and your party." He says, turning towards the hero with a sorrowful expression and bowing his head. The Hero nods ever so slightly, but remains silent. I realize the pain this conversation must be having on him and move it along quickly.

I nod at Xerxes and gesture casually, "Mistakes are the nature of every living being, learning from them is what has kept our kingdoms alive in these trying times. Your report is troublesome beyond the theft of His Former Majesty's remains, as there must be spies for the Spectral Sorcerer among our kingdoms, or at least watching from the shadows. We would all like to think that villain is yet far from our mighty cities, but even now we must realize these are false hopes and willfully ignorant thoughts." My anger rises in my throat as I continue, "The Spectral Sorcerer is crafty, ruthless, and a loathsome devil of a being. It is all more likely that him and his armies are waiting just beyond our doorsteps, ready to slaughter our innocent citizens at any moment!" I punctuate the end of my sentence with my closed fist hitting the table as my expression curls into a snarl and I look down in a mix of anger, shame, and sorrow. It is just heavy enough to rattle the glasses as I restrained myself considerably, but I quickly soften my gaze as I look up at our silent Hero, his gaze trained on mine unwaveringly through his helmet. Emperor Xerxes also casts a quick glance down in my peripheral vision, reflecting the expression I had just shown a moment ago before looking back up calmly.

I sigh and smooth the table cloth out subconsciously as I continue, gesturing to Levi, "However, thanks to our Valiant Hero and his party, their sacrifices may have bought valuable time. A creature such as the former Dragon Emperor must have exhausted considerable mana from the Spectral Sorcerer, possibly even all he had. It will take months, maybe even a year if we are lucky, for him to recover fully from the toll it must have taken. With that being the case, I am prepared to spare no expense to ensure the Great Hero is trained and experienced enough to face his armies along with my soldiers and the dragonites if your people would be willing to fight by our side." I say, looking at Emperor Xerxes.

Emperor Xerxes nods, a determined and impressed expression on his face as he looks at Hero Levi. He replies, "It would be the least we could do. I know my father was against siding with the other races, especially humans, and most in my race agree. However, I will not let the prejudices of old lead to the end of our great race. Additionally, as I mentioned at the ceremony, I wish to offer my best dragonite warriors as new companions for the Great Hero and any supplies you and your party may need. This includes Divine-rank items and talismans. I would also be willing to escort the Great Hero to the gnome territories to acquire an adequate replacement weapon or several for the ones he lost."

I am speechless for a moment as I send him a look that asks, are you sure? Divine ranks items and talismans take years or the mana of several high level mages to create and are in short supply among all of the races. The dragonites do posses more than most due to their inherent magical nature, but many are uninterested in creating them as their species do not need them as much and up until this point, have engaged in very little trade with anyone else. He nods discreetly.

We look back towards the Hero who hasn't said or done much other than small head nods this entire time expectantly. He pauses for an extended amount of time, which makes sense considering he would be accepting help from the man who essentially killed his party members and temporarily crippled himself. I rub my hands together nervously as Xerxion stares at the Hero with pleading eyes.

He finally speaks, "I appreciate the offer but..." I glance at the dragon emperor's who's expectant gaze falls a little, "I already have a weapon." He says, slowly pulling a short halberd out from his back. My eyes widen as I inspect the curved crescent blade attached to the short handle. The weapon is beautiful beyond anything I've ever seen in a way that not just remains functional, but enhances it's functionality. Designed for multi-functionality, the blade can be swung and stab like a normal halberd, but the curved blade combines these functions and allows for both to be done simultaneously to increase the damage. The short handle allows it to be held like a typical sword as well.

He sets it on the table and presses a button on the handle, causing it to instantly expand to a normal spear-size. Simultaneously I can't help but let out a small gasp of wonder as my experienced eyes admire the functionality and craftsmanship in the weapon. Xerxion seems equally surprised and asks, "May I?"

The Great Hero hands it over gently, as stoic as he has been since he returned to the capital. As he inspects it I ask, "Where did you get such a weapon?"

He calmly turns to me, "A blacksmith friend in Thelian. It's a prototype of his."

Xerxion expresses the thoughts I'd been having out loud as he traces a clawed finger down the blade, "What a functional but unique and aesthetic design. It doesn't appear to be enchanted though, and the handle and blade could benefit from some better materials."

He hands it back to the Hero who is unfazed, "How about this? You can bring your blacksmith friend with us to the gnome territories and I will personally fund his development of a new blade. In the meantime, spectral activity has remained consistent in that area along with the appearance of herds of wild beasts who have been causing trouble, and you can use that blade to grow your skills while he works."

We both look at him expectantly and he pauses again, not moving. His aura is difficult to read, much more than before the incident, but it seems calm and steady, a telling sign of his mental state for someone so new to mana. To be honest I'm impressed by his composure. Most people would just agree and move on, but those of true character don't bend to even Magistrates or Emperors. It is a great improvement from his behavior before, and perhaps all of this was for the best if this is the kind of Hero we can expect forthwith.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

______________________________

Meanwhile with Rualta...

I'm so freaking terrified right now!

This whole meeting has been nerve-wracking. I've been too afraid to speak beyond when they have directly asked something other than acknowledgement that I was listening for fear of screwing up this whole charade. I mentally kicked myself for almost refusing not just the opportunity for a new weapon, but also the divine rank items. I was too focused on being like Levi that I blurted out the first thing that came to mind of what he would say. I was terrified earlier when Magistrate Juliani struck the table as well. It was pretty surprising to know that the Dragon Emperor felt responsible for the whole fiasco with killing the team of the original Hero(and the hero himself, but they don't need to know that), but since I'm not him I'm just grateful I'll be receiving some assistance especially when I don't know how to use my abilities yet, much less fight spectral summons. I am a little sad and maybe a little angry at not being able to go back to my village, but I could never be angry at the freaking Dragon Emperor!

The two most powerful people in the continent are staring intently at me right now and I'm scrambling to think of an appropriate response. Bring Bydel with me? Who knows if he would even accept such a request, he barely knows me! And as far as I know, most people didn't like Levi very much. Even though he killed the Spectral Dragon Emperor, I'm sure he was rude to the Magistrate too, so I'm worried that this is all some big test to determine if I'm really Levi or not. That's why I initially rejected his offer of getting a new weapon, not that Bydel did a bad job though.

But I guess even Levi would be greedy enough to accept the opportunity for a better weapon, and using his own blacksmith is probably right up his alley, so I don't think it would be best to refuse again. I should accept. Now I only have to figure out how to say so in a way that would reflect Levi's character.

Even though it's only been a few seconds, I can feel Dragon Emperor Xerxion's piercing green eyes staring into my very soul as he awaits my response. I hurry to respond with the best good balance between rude and formal I can think of...

__________________________

Meanwhile with Emperor Xerxes....

The Great Hero replies after a pause, "As long as my blacksmith and Magistrate Juliani agree, I have no reason to refuse." he ends with a nod. The Great Hero's response is respectful while remaining humble, likely not wanting to impose on me and my people despite the harm we have caused to him and the fight against the Spectral Sorcerer. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first but it seems to me that he is a man of few words so as to focus on more important things. It's strange, because Juliani had told me that the Hero was crass, selfish, and above all - rude. But the stoic man in front of me seems to be anything but. Even now he is considerate of possible feeling his friend may have about going on such a journey and respectful of the fact that he is technically a citizen of the Magistrate and the Opalia realm.

He continues, "But I have another request. My fight with His Former Majesty has unfortunately left me with a significant amount of my memories missing as you are likely aware. I don't quite recall how to use my abilities or how to fight beyond what my body remembers. I could use a good magic and combat teacher to help regain those abilities."

I look at Juliani and he nods in confirmation, "It's as I said at the ceremony, the attack nearly took his life as well so it's understandable." He says solemnly. I have to admit I was preoccupied with my own guilt and failed to recognize what Juliani had mentioned about it at the ceremony, but honestly I would be more surprised if he was of sound body and mind after an attack that killed all but himself. For that matter, we still haven't heard the Hero's account of what exactly happened. Surely he must remember some details?

I nod and acknowledge him, "I would be more than honored to arrange that for you in conjunction with Magistrate Juliani. We will hire our best mentors to accompany you in your travels. Although I hate to ask, I am sure we are both curious as to what exactly occurred during your fight and how such damage was caused. Of course, your lack of memories means you likely don't remember everything, but any details you can spare may be of help to us in the future not only to prevent a similar tragedy, but also in defeating any other powerful summons of the Spectral Sorcerer."

This had been something bothering me ever since Magistrate Juliani sent me word about the appearance and death of my father in Spectral form. My father, although old and sick at the end, was a formidable fighter in his prime. From what we know of the Spectral Sorcerer's abilities, they can summon any recently killed creature, up to 3 months from the time of their death, and those specters can operate at almost an infinite distance from him. To summon a creature though, he must be within a certain distance of the creature though, somewhere around 100 cart-lengths. They will rely primarily on the Spectral Sorcerer's last command given to them when they were summoned, but the really scary part is that they possess not only their former abilities, but the fighting prowess they had when they were alive and in their prime.

Dragonites in general are strong, possessing overwhelming magical power and abilities as well as resistances to other kinds of magic. My father, the former dragon emperor, was an amazing fighter in his prime, and his scales were tougher than manisteele. Every if the hero could dodge or block his attacks, getting through his scales couldn't have been an easy task. Magistrate Juliani also leans forward expectantly, I'm sure he's been wondering the same thing.

He sits there silently contemplating again for a moment before starting tentatively, "I'll... try my best to tell you what I remember."

He folds his hands on the table and looks down as he begins, "My memories start a little ways into the fight. I don't recall how we came across the Spectral Dragon Emperor, only that me and my team were struggling from the beginning."

Hero Levi pauses again, presumably trying to remember. "Things weren't going very well. We managed to injure one of his wings, but that only made the attacks more fierce. He melted our defender's shield and injured him. I..." He trails off before picking back up. This must be hard for him. I grimace and personally promise not to ask him about it again.

"I was attacking with everything I had and it wasn't doing much more than breaking up his attacks from landing directly on us. Our helper was trying his best too, but only his debuffs were working and not very well. Then I decided to try out an ability I've never used before with all of my mana. I... don't remember what it was.. but it was stronger than I could handle. My team didn't agree with what I was doing at first but they all helped fuel mana into my sword. I attacked with this huge beam of light... and... then.. there was a lot of heat?" Hero Levi seems to be struggling and puts his hand on his helmet.

Magistrate Juliani seems to reach out his hand to comfort him but, separated by the table, retracts it.

He puts his other hand up and rests his helmet in the both of them. "My memory stops after that until I woke in the middle of a crater with pieces of my party's armor and the Spectral Dragon Emperor's bones beside me..."

He trails off for a final time and resumes his original stoic position. I lower my head, deeply ashamed of my people's role in that unfortunate tragedy. Magistrate Juliani sighs and says, "Sorry to make you do that. We do appreciate it though. There are texts that talk about the Great Hero's abilities generally and how to use them. Typically the Great Hero is given instruction and training from the Gods before they arrive here, but I assume that was also lost with most of your memory."

He grimaces and looks at me, "We've never experienced a situation like this before but we will help you overcome it somehow. Talking with some of your first acquaintances might help as well, although I admit I'm not sure many people interacted with you personally outside of his party. You had an... interesting.. personality before the battle that tended to drive people away. I can arrange someone to look into it for you though." He says, looking back at the Great Hero.

Hero Levi nods and Magistrate Juliani and I stand, "Well, we can talk about choosing dragonite companions for your new party later, and I will send a messenger to notify your blacksmith friend and give you time to prepare before we head to the Gnome territories. In the meantime, there is a banquet in your honor being held in the Magistrate's grand room. The guards can guide you there. The Magistrate will take you there. I must prepare for our journey by visiting my lands."

_______________

Back in Rualta's head...

Oh I hope they bought that! Mixing fact and just a little bit of fiction to make the story sound believable? I guess I could have just straight up lied, but I'm not sure if either of them can detect something like that. If they did it wouldn't have been going off the whole time and any discrepancies could be attributed to my 'lost' memory right? Not to mention I don't exactly remember everything that happened that day down to a 'T' you know? I was too busy trying not to die. I hope it didn't seem too suspicious with me pausing the whole time. I was somewhat distracted and overwhelmed by the whole meeting the Gods kind of thing. Now that I think about it, I never did get their names, but I guess they might not have any.

To be honest, I was worried the Magistrate was reaching his hand out to stop me because it was such a bad story, but somehow I think they believed it. But it was impossible to tell with Emperor Xerxion's dragonite face masking his expression. I guess its a good thing he didn't need to see the Magistrate in private afterwards. The pressure of sitting near him in the room has also tired me out considerably. My fear kept me on edge enough to sit still despite it, but I'm glad to be leaving his weighty presence.

I get up to follow Magistrate Juliani out of the room when Emperor Xerxes turns back quickly and calls, "One more thing Great Hero."

I instantly stop in my tracks and slowly turn around, nervously looking back at him. The Magistrate has stopped as well by the door. "Yes your Majesty?" I ask trying to hide the quivering in my voice.

"I hope it is not too much of me to ask, but why have you not removed your helmet? Surely it is warm with it on, and you will need to remove it for the banquet in order to eat as well." he asks, tilting his head slightly. Magistrate Juliani steps forwards and adds, "I also am curious. You seem much more mild-mannered than before and yet you retained it during our conversation. Most would remove any headwear immediately in the presence of the Magistrate or Dragon Emperor. I initially thought you were just being your typical self, but now I wonder if there is more to it than that."

Oh crap. Ooh crap. Oh Crap! I didn't think about that as I've gotten so used to wearing it that I forgot it was on!

I'm sweating profusely and stand up straight, like one would if they were a soldier in the corp. "I... I have an injury you see. One that cannot be fixed by magic of any kind. A curse of sorts from the Spectral Dragon Emperor, I can't remember how it happened but it was there when I woke up. It is unsightly and painful, and the weight of my helmet provides some reprieve. I dared not to taint your eyes with it's unsightly presence and would like permission to keep it on at all times."

There was a heavy silence in the room and I am worried they might try to make me remove it anyway when Magistrate Juliani speaks up, "Oh, so that's why your memory is lacking. Pardon my discourtesy, I assumed you received no grave injury in the battle as it was not included in the Overseer's report. I assume his best physicians attended to you. If it truly is incurable, as some things can still be despite our advances with magic, then yes, it would be reasonable to allow you to wear your helmet regardless of circumstance. It is the least I can allow regarding your role to play in our realm and the favor you have already shown us."

Dragon Emperor Xerxes righted his head and nodded, lifting his hand to his chin. "Ah yes, that explains much. It must be a truly terrible scar indeed to make a man such as yourself hide your face. My apologies for asking" He nods respectfully. I say a faint "Thank you Your Majesty." before he begins walking away. "I have much to do, I hope to see you again Great Hero. Now if you will excuse me," he says and steps onto the nearby balcony, unfurling his large leathery wings and taking off in a gust of wind.

Magistrate Juliani interrupts my staring of his departure as he opens the door to the hallway leading to the grand room. "Shall we?" He asks smiling.