Jabrax and Mud exited the Association building and prepared to head back towards the Cithlar estate. As they began up the wide central thoroughfare, however, the demon noticed something was amiss. Dense crowds of civilians stood on both sides of the main road, and the center of the previously packed street was empty. Looking north along the long straight cobblestone road, Jabrax spotted a large procession in the distance, heading in their direction.

Taking a spot amongst the crowd, Jabrax asked a local what the commotion was about.

"You haven't heard? This is the day First Prince Cain is arriving in town, everyone in town is lining up to catch a glimpse of- aagh, Jabrax!?" Dan nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed who had approached him. "S-so you finished your business at the Association, then?" The teenage boy smiled weakly and tried to regain his composure after the pathetic scream.

The demon held her chin in thought. "The First Prince, eh? He must be here for the wave too." Her gaze turned towards the now completed pillbox structures outside the dungeon entrance. "And those fortifications were probably made at their request. Tch." Jabrax clicked her tongue in annoyance. "It's going to be difficult to earn more achievements than a royal party with an advantage like that. That sword was probably meant to go to the prince in the first place, with the prize aspect just being an excuse to make the prince look good."

Dan, misunderstanding the situation, thought the demon was talking to him. "Yeah, that sword's as good as his. There's no way any of the city's delvers could compete with those guys." Dan gestured towards the carriages that had now drawn close.

Two massive horses, each twice as tall as man, pulled the frontmost chariot-like carriage. One as black as the night, and the other purest white. On each, rippling muscles and bulging veins made their explosive power clear for all to see. The pair effortlessly pulled along their burden, their steps coordinated perfectly in sync. The carriage itself appeared to be constructed of a silvery-white metal, polished to shine brightly. Draped above, shielding the passengers from sunlight, hung luxurious dark blue silk. Dotted on the surface of the silk was starlight, twinkling like the real night sky.

Drawing the most attention of all, though, were the passengers; the first most striking of all. Holding his head high with noble bearing, and wearing resplendent armor of shining silver. His flowing curly hair and piercing eyes shaded with vibrant red and white, and in his hands a tower shield painted red and a thick iron spear. Behind him stood three others, though their presence seemed muted in such direct comparison to First Prince Cain.

Directly behind the prince stood a figure in black full plate armor. While the prince made a show of smiling and nodding towards the crowd, the knight in black merely stood still with its arms crossed. Besides the knight, an older man in a long orange robe peered down towards the crowd, waving lightly with one hand. To Mud, the man's robe appeared very similar to the one that Cithlar wore. The man was shaved bald, and he held a short wand in one hand.

The final person on the carriage was the most strange of all. Their very shape was difficult to perceive. While it was obvious there was a person there, and that they were not hidden, it was hard to make out any specific detail. Features seemed to twist and change constantly, making only the silhouette visible. To make matters worse, each of Mud's three eyes saw something slightly different from the others.

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In addition to this frontmost carriage, three more conventional covered carriages followed behind, being driven by well dressed but otherwise normal coachmen.

Mud's focus was locked on Cain the entire time that the group passed, not breaking out of its trance until the group was an entire block away. Mud couldn't help but admire such an impressive leader. Such strength, such grace, such charisma! Only such men were suitable to lead this country. Mud would follow that man for its entire life. As long as it didn't conflict with The Master's orders, of course.

Come to think of it, why was Mud admiring somebody other than The Master? Serving that man wouldn't assist it in following The Master's orders. The more the golem examined its own thoughts, the more concerned it became. These thoughts were clearly inefficient and illogical. They served no purpose in fulfilling its goals and would bring it no benefit. Suddenly, realization dawned on Mud; it had been the victim of a mental attack. Since the golem was capable of attacking minds directly with its own magic, the possibility of being manipulated in this way had already occurred to Mud.

Perhaps more concerning than that realization of the attack was the implications; if Mud knew its thoughts could not be trusted, how could it be sure it hadn't been manipulated in other ways? Luckily, it had noticed this manipulation early, but it may have missed other aspects of the attack, or it may have been controlled in the past without realizing it.

Filled with sudden paranoia, Mud began meticulously going over all of its recent activities and goals, rederiving each past choice from its core principles. In the middle of examining the string of logic when had made it decide to fire a fifty mana Force Bolt, the golem was suddenly jostled by Jabrax.

"Hey, let's go. You've been sitting there staring into space for too long, people are starting to notice." The demon pulled Mud by the arm and continued walking east towards their home.

"Jabrax, I believe the prince human attempted to gain control of me."

"You noticed, did you? Is that why you were staring out into space?"

"That is correct."

A smile formed on the demon's lips, but her eyes seemed sad. "I told you, didn't I? Humans have a need to control others. It's not so much that they like to be in control, although there's that aspect. What's more important is that other's can't be free. Humans hate that."

"If others are free, they can prevent you from completing your goals. I understand."

"Exactly. Humans control not just beasts and the land, but other humans too. The ones who rise to the top, who are the best at controlling others, become royalty. That First Prince Cain... he comes from generations of those with the best of resources and knowledge working to perfect the art of control. Just by looking at him, without any need for him to act, the weak-minded are put under his spell."

"Why do the other humans accept being controlled?"

The demon snorted. "Most Sapients are simple-minded scum. As long as they have enough to eat and some entertainment, they'll gladly let others walk all over them. The few with ambition have an easy time making them into cattle."

"Jabrax, is your perspective biased against Sapients?"

The demon looked down at her naive young contractor, who was following closely behind her through the cobblestone streets. At times, she thought, he really is like a child. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

The two continued in silence for some time. After they passed the archway and entered the slums, Mud's voice appeared again in her mind.

"Can we beat them?"

She didn't have an answer.