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Chapter 502: Meanwhile in Maria
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Just now, he received news that two of the Royal Subjects back there in the welcoming party just died… and one of them was actually Ashbin. They were still alive in the hospital but died later on. It was told that they were suffering in agony and all scanners and attempts to heal them were useless until eventually, they died.
Reports said that Ashbin died by a Severe Acute Intestinal Ulcer, while the other died by a heart vein rupturing from unknown causes.
Both reports pertained to the naturalness of the causes of their deaths but as they’re so sudden and that they died immediately, it wasn’t hard to tell that Siva was the one that caused their deaths, one way or another.
“Bastard, it’s actually him but… he did it while still being with me. He’s the only one that had all the motivations to assassinate Ashbin!”
As much as Joffrey wracked his mind on how to put a legal blame on Siva, he couldn’t find any kind of lead to connect their deaths to him.
“How the fuck did he do it?!!”
Could he actually blame their deaths to Siva when they were together all this time? But their deaths were as natural as actually diagnosed as sickness and wasn’t connected in any way to Siva. If he say that Siva killed them right now, then it would ruin Bardavon and Horbe’s relationship.
“No, wait…”
More than that, not only framing Siva would make things hard for him, he actually felt fear at the fact that they were on the same vehicle, facing each other just a few meters away.
If Siva could cause one’s death secretly and with no traces that may lead to him, and even from a far distance at that, wouldn’t he, sitting this close to him in this hover-shuttle, be an easy target to be dispatched of? The only reason he was alive is because Siva had a purpose for coming here and it wasn’t killing a Country’s King, but for the sake of diplomatic relations.
What more…
GULP!
—how could I not see this earlier?
——I actually let my guard down!!
…seated in this hover-shuttle were nine Vajras with God-statuses, plus Siva. While him, the King Joffrey of Bardavon Kingdom, was only protected by mere Mortals as guards. Although all of them could use Magic and could fight against anyone else… it was still a different matter when talking about the Divine Beast Dragon Race.
Joffrey might not be able to properly scale the strength of an Elemental Dragon, but he knew like the back of his own hand how to scale a warship’s destructive capabilities.
A single Elemental Dragon had a destructive scale comparable to at least 10 or 15 warships firing off their cannons on a single target at the same time.
Right now, there are nine of them here.
How could he create trouble for himself at this kind of situation?
Only now did Joffrey realize his mistake that has always been there at the very beginning.
—Mohindra was acting like a servant…
——she called him “Your Excellency” earlier…
———it was he who called this meeting in stride!
Although the message stated that it is Mohindra’s call, Joffrey, as smart as he is, should have realize the catch the moment they mounted off the tiny red-orange warship earlier.
Mohindra acted like a follower and all this time did not say a word aside from when she talked to their Peace Ambassadress, her own daughter.
But aside from that, she had never spoken a word and it was only Siva who replied and talked to him this entire time.
Yes, he felt indignation. He dared to kill Ashbin in front of him. This brazen audacity was ridiculous, an impudent act of blatant disregard to his ‘face’ as King and ruler, much less a Terran High Seat.
Should he order their execution?
That would be a mistake.
Firstly, there are nine Vajras. Unless he’s at least 1km away from them, just one step alone could end his life if they so wanted it.
What more, if they wanted to escape, they could do so without issues… right after decimating their city and killing hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps even burning their supply depots if they felt like it.
——and for what?
To get revenge for a drivel mouth who didn’t think before insulting a King of a country?
No.
Joffrey would rather choose to compromise since in the first place, it was only his personal pride as a man that’s hurt but his dignity as a King was still complete and intact —after all, Siva didn’t kill them as “Siva” and there was no proof that it was him. It was only left as a personal vendetta for now. If he had done so, then the worst outcome would have befallen the two of them.
In the end, perhaps it was only Joffrey who had realized it was Siva’s doing. The rest of his own retinue was pointing the blame on Ashbin’s way of life as a noble wastrel.
“Very good! I am actually enlightened!” Joffrey’s sudden declaration surprised his royal subjects.
“Your Majesty?”
Joffrey raised a hand and then smiled at Siva. “So I will state it here and now, we… are… equal.”
His smile contained his hate but it also contained his dignity as a King, sincerely apologizing for the earlier blunder of his royal subject, also drawing a line that from now on, they are equal, and that if Siva’s “message” wasn’t something worth being taken seriously, then he can rest assured that he will pay for his atrocity of killing his royal subject.
There may be no proof of his crime but as King, he can at least make things hard for Siva.
Siva understood it all according to Joffrey’s heart rate and Cortana’s scenario analysis and scripts.
“Of course. I’ve never looked down on you right from the very beginning.”
The two of them glared for a moment. Siva made it so that Joffrey wouldn’t forget who it was that looked down on whom first, thus suffering these consequences.
“I will remember your words.” He said and then declared with a full voice of a King. “Cancel all of our prearranged plans. We will directly go to the capital and arrange the gathering.” After he said it this time, he looked at Siva, “You’re not against us taking precautions by only arranging a Real@D conference call, are you?”
Siva right now was enjoying this change on him. It was as if he was watching a beautiful scene when this King fully unleashed the dignity of his seat.
The bragging man earlier was gone and there was only a King right in front of him.
“Of course.” He said, “But… once you hear all of what I’m gonna say, it will be you guys who will arrange to meet me in person immediately.”
Mohindra could almost feel the palpable evilness on Siva’s tone when he spoke. It was as if, even though she was seated behind him right now, she could see the sinister grin beaming wide on Siva’s lips. Knowing his story, his temperament, and his deeds and actions so far, Mohindra could already see that Siva didn’t care if the Terrans will believe him or not.
If some believed him, then it’s alright…
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
If all of them believe him, better…
If no one believed him, it’s their own fault.
Mohindra knew Siva’s ultimate goal and them and the Elves joining under his flag was just a passing deed of kindness on his part.
She immediately fixed her thinking. Siva was one of the oldest [Gods] in history and he had his own dignity to uphold.
What are they to him?
For a [God] of his level, selfishness was natural.
He had the right to do so.
And upon knowing this, Mohindra could only feel pity and regret for the Dragons and Terrans that will not believe his words in the near future.
Whether they believe Siva or not, Siva is moving forward with or without their support; if the world is going to stop them, then a bloodbath will occur.
Recalling the events of 56 years ago, Mohindra could only look on Siva’s back with mixed emotion and a sense of….. pity.
He didn’t pity the mortals of Terroa, he pitied his fate and his sometimes conflicting goals. Siva had a lot of problems to solve and although he could solve them in time, it was [time] itself that he didn’t have on his side.
As such, although Siva’s intention was kind, he is being forced by circumstances to harden his fist and break the obstacles with force.
But using such a method generates enemies and although he had allies, his enemies number more.
These Terrans… will they be his enemies as well?
Mohindra’s pity became a silent long sigh.
—please just don’t act haughtily in front of him. It is for your own good.
Mohindra wished it for Joffrey’s sake. Alas, it was hard to teach a rock how to become a sponge and accept his mistakes and not put his ego in front of logic and reason.
“We will see.” Joffrey narrowed his eyes, heaving a pant, restraining his anger.
—we will see…
He said to himself and pressed a button on his Instructions Panel, sending a country-wide order to the Bardavon National Defense Force.
*****
Meanwhile, in Maria…
A flash of light and a red-cloaked hooded figure along with a “girl” in beginner clothes appeared in the still being rebuilt Western Square of the Walled City of Maria.
“This is the limit of where I can bring you.” said a man’s voice under the red cloak.
The girl touched the mask on her face and felt a slight relief. The sudden appearance of this duo had attracted the attention of The Union members and if it wasn’t because of the vivid “Circle of Magi” emblem on the red-cloak of her companion, they would’ve been caught and apprehended at the spot for interrogation.
After all, right now, Maria is in a state of calamity and all visitors and passersby are being ‘eyed’ as if they were enemies.
This wasn’t just here in Maria though as almost all Walled Cities that survived the Bloody Church’s cleansing was also in a condition that it would be doubtful to all unknown visitors.
She could only thank Gaia’s reminder on wearing a mask to hide her identity.
Naturally, the girl was [Julian], the former criminal chased because she was an unlucky rat.
“Thank you so much, sir.” she bowed three times to show her gratitude for the ride. After all, until now, she was still a newbie and her clothes are a clear sign of it.
All newbies cannot go outside of the city through the gates but it didn’t stop them from teleporting to other Walled Cities if they can.
Similarly, until now, as per Siva’s order, she’s still yet to allocate her 100 extra stats. Being stared at by these gorgeously-armoured players, she felt a slight sense of fear as she made her way to the northern quadrant of the city.
Her escort vanished with a flash of light and the masked Julian was walk-running as the stares of curiosity at her direction only deepened the more she walked the streets of Maria.
Siva’s instructions were simple: go to Maria, then head straight towards the Northern Enchantment Temple there to wait for him.
And that’s what she was doing. She was rushing towards the Enchantment Temple in the Northern Quadrant of the Walled City of Maria——
—at least until she faced this group of individuals.
“Where are you going… puppet?”
Obviously not wearing the uniform of The Union, these are local hunters who survived the mass cleansing of the Bloody Church.
She didn’t know if they were players or NPCs as per time immemorial, there have never been any clear distinctions between the two.
Being weak and no equipment whatsoever, what’s with her that attracted these guys?
She checked herself but realized that indeed, she was poorer than a poor street rat. Why are they still trying to stop me?
“Ummm… I was tasked by The Boss to go to the Enchantment Temple in the north?”
It was a statement but she said it like a question.
After all, without equipment and poor stats, not even an ability to enable her to fight back if she’s assaulted, these guys are practically dinosaurs and she was a petty lamb ready for the eating.
When they heard her words, a few guys suddenly raised a curious glance. Then one of them looked at Julian’s mask and whispered something to their leader. The leader’s face had a momentary look of surprise then glanced over the girl and asked in a voice of curiosity and challenging.
—the challenge was actually on his words.
“I wonder if young miss is interested in going with us for a walk in the park.”
Julian’s eyes went wide and looked around her, replying in a ‘challenging’ tone.
“I’m not available. I’m married and have two kids.”
The man’s eyes narrowed, “My son is a genius.”
Julian, startled, finally eased up and spoke the last ‘challenge’ to the man.
“I have rabies and when I bite, it bleeds.”
“Rawr.” The man replied.
If anyone could hear these words, they would’ve thought that this conversation started in the wrong direction and ended in another, more profoundly bewildering direction.
From acting like street rats to speaking passwords one line after another was just to bizarre and what the words actually meant —if taken literary— were enough to make one’s hairs stand on end.
But to these people, these words were passwords setup by their boss.
Julian’s frightened shoulders eased up and the man in front who looked like a ruffian smiled a bit warmly that contained no hostility at her.
“Sorry to have frightened you. We just didn’t know that you were the one we’ve been waiting all this time. I am called Metheus, at his Majesty, The King of Asgard’s, services. I believe you’re called Julian, yes?”
Julian was elated and she nodded nervously. “I am indeed Julian. Yes. Sorry. But can we not talk like this here?”
Metheus, the ruffian acting as the leader of these street rats —which are actually the six surviving members of Kyle’s group before— made a smile and signaled the other members of their team.
From their formation, Thad, the prior wise-mouth that flipped his allegiance faster than he could blink, jumped into a roof, looked around, and cast a magic spell that swept in every corner of their 200m circle.
After a moment, he cast a look at his team mates and point at three different directions.
Three amongst the group nodded and run on the pointed directions. After a few moments, they all came back but their hands were stained with the sight of blood while holding their weapons. One of them had a wound on his left forearm but it was not serious so one of the remaining people in the group cast a healing spell on it and so the entire team was good to go.
Julian thought deeply upon seeing this group of “helpers” act, they were all experts!
“The vicinity is safe. Please follow me.”
Metheus led their group of seven into a secretive place amongst the broken houses in Maria. It was indeed part of the Northern Quadrant of the city and was just a street away from the Enchantment Temple in the place.
All this time, Julian thought she would have to wait in the Enchantment Temple.
When she entered the house, she saw there a brown-robed man that looked like he was about to collapse from old age. His face, hand, neck, and almost every exposed skin on him were wrinkled but what was different is the fact that the old man in a brown robe wore the vestments of an Enchanter from The Mansion.
Julian didn’t fear these kinds of people back when she was still “Julia” because the BlackTech she’s proud of, Baphomet, could kill these Farcasters from 20m away while they are still busy casting their Magic Spells.
Only those truly elite in the ranks of Magistrates are what could truly scare her because those guys could insta-cast their spells.
Looking at this old man, she doubted if she was a Magistrate of The Mansion or was he just one of the disciples tasked to meet with customers of the Enchantment Temple at the base floor.
“You must be Lady Julian.” The old man’s voice spoke and hearing the voice, Julian’s intuition told her that this old man was the second kind of Spell Caster… the ones who could insta-cast spells.
“I am.” She bowed in the courtesy gesture of the people of The North. “May I ask your esteemed one’s name?”
The old man nodded, “You can just call me Elder Baraka as I am one of those too old to be known by any young’uns like you. I am your contact from the HQ in The Union.”
“The Union?” Julian had a questioning face and just as she was about to ask more questions, a hand patted her left shoulder, indicating for her to stop asking questions.
“Can we stop this nonsense and go already?”
Metheus removed the hand on Julian’s shoulder and spoke with no respect to Elder Baraka.
“Of course.” The old man replied and there was actually a sense of respect to his voice when he replied to Metheus.
After all, within The Church, setting aside Kyle’s special circumstances, it is rare that the personal power of a Follower affects the hierarchy of its members. Metheus was, in the end, a Bishop and this Elder Baraka was merely just a Priest.
Elder Baraka didn’t waste time and took a staff in thin air, then he cast a spell, tapping the end of the staff on the floor close to his feet. A Magic Circle erupted from the staff and encompassed all of them when, in the next instant, they vanished.
Julian’s vision shifted from the dilapidated room in a decrepit house, into a fancy-looking room on a city mansion close to a bustling city avenue.
“This is…” Julian was familiar with the city and in fact, she was familiar with the view outside that’d become the marker to locate this mansion’s area in her memories. “It’s Dakar!”
“Yes.” Elder Baraka said. “This will be your—”
Right at this moment, before Elder Baraka could even finish his words, five shadows moved at the speed of wind and deal fatal injuries on his body, with Metheus himself grabbing the elderly man’s mouth to stop him from uttering a sound.
Julian yelped in fright as she saw this scene but because of that as well, she moved like a cat, and lunged at the window to jump and escape the crime scene.
“Relax, this is part of Lord Siva’s mission.”
When Julian heard these words, she stopped just a few steps from destroying the window.
“I don’t understand… can you please tell me what is happening here?”
Metheus replied, “The mission is to infiltrate the Church of the Blood Dragon God.” he said as he cast a fire spell that burned the old man’s corpse into ashes that was swept by a water spell cast by another Priest and then flushed into a container they’ve prepared beforehand.
When everything was cleaned, he cleaned his hands with Mana and faced the frightened Julian.
“Let me introduce ourselves again. We are former members of the Blood Dragon God Church but are now serving Lord Siva. It is our job to monitor this city’s Bloody Church Branches and also to get you inside the City, while your task is to infiltrate The Union from our position.”
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Julian enters the equation!!
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Next Chapter: A crazy spy and a mad boss…