Armad was currently deep in thought, devising a plan to confront the challenges before him. Whether he liked it or not, he found himself embodying the role of the prince. Additionally, he arrived during a time when the prince faced severe challenges from all sides, even within the city walls.
The renegade captain of the King's Legion, assigned to him by his father, was just one aspect of the predicament he was in. This captain had betrayed him, leaking crucial information to the prince's brother, Crown Prince Ikenga. Upon discovering the captain's guilt, Armad ordered his arrest. However, the captain evaded capture, staged a protest, and had one of his followers shoot Armad.
Though Armad was only grazed by the arrow, the ensuing bloodshed allowed the poison to spread through his body, leading to his death. Simultaneously, Armad fell unconscious due to his mother's condition in the Third Lower World, mysteriously incarnating into the prince's body just in time.
These chaotic events left Armad feeling overwhelmed as he inherited all of the prince's challenges, including the captain who had just killed twenty of the prince's best men. No one would believe he wasn't the real prince unless he declared otherwise, which he had no intention of doing.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled his mind away from those thoughts and issued the decisive command: "Kill him."
The judge winced at that but quickly composed himself. He gripped his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it without further hesitation.
Throughout, the rogue captain had been leering at Armad from his cell room, even upon seeing the judge nocking his arrow. He maintained a defiant look, relying on the immunity he believed he held as a King's Legion soldier.
It was widely believed that challenging the King's Legion was unthinkable. The organization boasted the strongest fighters globally and held the highest prestige under the high king.
Despite Armad's position as a prince, the captain thought he wouldn't dare raise his hands against him due to the King's Legion's solidarity. The captain considered himself invincible, laughing at the order to kill him and holding onto the illusion of his immunity.
His realization of the danger came too late, as the arrow was imbued with powerful cultivation. Hindered by shackles and a Blackstone, the captain couldn't defend himself. He witnessed the arrow impale his heart and exit through his back, the surprise on his face lingering even in death.
Once certain of the captain's demise, Armad left the dungeons and ascended the stairs to his chambers. The judge respectfully accompanied him, walking him to his chambers before taking his leave.
He was in a rush to oversee the swift disposal of the body. However, upon his return to the dungeons, he was surprised to find a space instead of the captain's body.
Despite all his precautions and explicit orders to prevent anyone from entering, the body had still gone missing.
"Who let them into the palace?" He roared as he gnashed his teeth.
He had suspected this might happen, knowing the Legion wouldn't take it lightly. That was the reason he had tried to dissuade the prince from killing the captain, but the deed was already done, and nothing could change that now. Leaving the dungeons, he headed to his office.
But as soon as he approached, he saw five Legion members awaiting him by the door.
They appeared menacing, but the judge, a member of the Judges Guild, was equally formidable. The Judges Guild even had representation in the council, making it impossible for infantry officers to easily attack him. This saved the judge from being immediately confronted by the Legion upon his arrival.
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However, the tension in the air was palpable, and the Legion members glowered at him as he passed. If looks could kill, the judge would have already been a dead man. Nevertheless, he calmly smiled, unlocked his door, and entered.
To his surprise, they followed him in uninvited. "We are here to tender our resignation letter," one of them declared while placing a piece of paper on the desk. The judge picked it up and read.
The letter stated that all two thousand Legion officers sent with Armad from the capital had resigned. This revelation left the judge unable to speak. While he had foreseen some resignations, especially among those close to the captain, but not all two thousand. The magnitude of the situation dawned on him. The upheaval this would cause could be devastating to the city.
Many have attempted to attack this specific city, some instigated by Prince Ikenga. The presence of the King's Legion in the city has been crucial for deterring attacks. No one in their right mind would dare to attack, especially in daylight, knowing they were present.
However, after the recent events come to light, many might now be inclined to attack. The withdrawal of the King's Legion would undoubtedly cause a significant uproar around the region.
The jungle men and neighboring free states not under the dominion of Arion wouldn't take this opportunity lightly. They would have a valid reason not to let this chance slip past them.
By law, after Prince Armad was formally sent to this city to take charge for four years, the High King and his council were forbidden to interfere in any way. They couldn't render help to the prince, regardless of the situation. This was a test of Armad's shrewdness and rulership tactics to gauge if he was up to the task.
Armad wouldn't be entrusted with the city's affairs without further trials. If he failed, the city would be taken away from him, and he would return under the kingdom's domain. However, Ikenga would still inherit everything.
This explains why the neighboring free states or the jungle men might attack, knowing they would be unchallenged. The capital wouldn't retaliate, at least not promptly. The High King sent him away with the King's Legion for this reason, but now, the Legion has resigned.
As the dumbfounded judge finally found his voice, the messengers had already turned to leave, rendering his protest unnecessary.
***
Meanwhile, Armad paced his room furiously. It was evident that he wasn't, cultivation-wise, strong enough to face his brother, especially with Armad incarnated in him. A couple of years ago both princes were in the core formation stage, even beyond the middle stage, and were almost in the late stage. As princes, they both had a degree in it, each possessing their unique spiritual sense. The level of control for each of them was at grade 2. However, Ikenga was older and more experienced in matters of cultivation.
Also, as the crown prince, as ordained by law, he was practically brought up by the King's Legion. Every crown prince must train with them for at least seven years.
However, Armad lacked that privilege, creating a gap between them. It was akin to a comparison between a wild dog and a domesticated one, where the former was bound to be stronger and more skilled than the latter.
All of this, in addition to the support Ikenga received from the Senate council, who believed it would secure their position when Arion died, presented a significant challenge for anyone to face alone.
The King's Legion shared the same sentiments as the Senate, fully supporting each other. Thus, Armad was left with only his trusted soldiers and a handful of others working undercover. He was certain that Ikenga still pursued them.
As he paced, a knock came on the door. Instinctively knowing it was the kitchen staff charged with serving him food, he didn't answer. They entered, arranged everything on the table, and left.
Around midnight, Armad stopped pacing and came out to eat something, realizing that worrying wouldn't solve anything. The palace was already settled as he sat at the table. Taking a spoon, he scooped some soup, which had a peculiar taste but was not so different from what he was used to back home in the Third Lower World.
Suddenly, there was a glow before him, and Armad pushed his plate away in panic, believing Ikenga had attacked again. However, some words appeared within the glow, catching his attention and somewhat calming his fear.
[You have activated the glutton system. The system has gained some ingredients from the food you ate just now. There are three ingredients identified by the system. You may use two to create a pill. Want to create a pill?]
Armad stared wide-eyed at the writing. What glutton system? What was a system even? But most importantly, what were those ingredients?
From the memories he gained about the prince, he possessed no such thing up until the time he died.
It was a technique, but the prince never possessed such, and Armad himself had no such system from back when he was home.
So, from where was this so-called glutton system?