I looked at the Bernans with slight amusement and the kind of anxiety you feel the moment before a disaster. They entered my throne room, and that was enough to silence their hushed whispers full of hubris and envy. The princess, who, according to Sebastian, was a trained assassin tasked with killing me, led them forward. She was exposed to any attack and forced to act as a low-rank diplomat who should spearhead the path of the official delegation and speak for their superior. She was miserable, and I noticed a small bird, a bit bigger than a sparrow, that had perched on her shoulder and painfully pierced her skin. Her blood had stained her dress, and I wondered if the Bernans even cared the slightest for their Princess. She gritted her teeth, shedding silent tears as she endured the pain. I took a moment to take a better look at her. She wasn't ugly, even for my standards, which were blunted by the heavenly beauty of my wives, but she was very neglected. Her skin was dry, and the strands of hair that had sneaked out from under her scarf looked coarse and damaged. Her dress was plain and simple, while the robes of the diplomats behind her were richly decorated and made of far better materials. That showed me just how insignificant a role women had in Berna's society. I started to pity her as I saw her begging gaze and her lips that whispered a silent 'save me.'

The little bird sitting on the Princess's shoulder was the source of an incredibly strong hatred. Sebastian was sure that it was Jukk'nala, the Bernan god of nature, but it was unclear to my spy if that bird was his true form or not. Some Bernans referred to it as the avatar of a god, which raised additional questions. However, compared to Korkas, my recent and the most powerful enemy so far, this bird was weak. I wasn't sure why, but he was not even as powerful as Zephyr or Hera, who still struggled with the small amount of their faithful. At least, according to them, they did... Before I could do anything, the young Princess took a step forward with pain painted on her face as if she had lost control over her body, and I heard the distressed gasp of Lavender. I looked at my wife, who gave me an apologetic look, which I instantly understood. She couldn't teleport away. Twirll, however, was standing on Lavender's lap, ready to defend her, and I felt as he gathered his mana, impressive amounts of it for his size. I stood up from my throne like an angel of vengeance, placing myself between him and Lavender. I directed my entire killing intent straight at the bird avatar, which made him flinch.

"How dare you...!" it spoke to me with a deep voice full of shock.

"Silence, you filth." I put my entire wrath into my voice, which terrified the Bernans as the Princess stepped back as if she had regained control over her body. "I don't care what you are or who you represent, but you have threatened my wife. Was this the reason why you wanted to meet with the Queen of Avalon? To disrespect her?!"

"This is a misunderstanding." The bird staggered back while Twirll spread his wings to protect Lavender.

"Tell me what I misunderstood then!" I once again used Royal Authority, putting so much mana pressure into my voice alone that it squished the bird to the shoulder of the frightened woman. "Have I misunderstood your poorly hidden contempt? Have I misunderstood your hubris? Or maybe you came here to declare war in the most audacious way by assaulting my wife? Tell me, little bird. What have I misunderstood?!"

"I am your true friend and ally, King of Avalon! You have been deceived! That woman is not a human; she does not deserve to be a Queen of such a powerful King! You surely understand the importance of preserving the purity of the human race!"

"You came to my home and dared to tell me who deserves to be my wife?!" My voice was deceivingly calm but cold as ice. "I should kill you, pathetic poultry!"

"Hahahaha! Don't be deceived by my appearance. You can't kill a God, mortal! But rejoice! Once I kill that Dryad wench, peace with the Holy Kingdom will be possible." He laughed at me, seemingly regaining his confidence. Unfortunately for him, I had just decided that peace with Berna was no longer an option.

"I have two pieces of bad news for you, Jukk'nala." The bird twitched in surprise as I casually spoke his name. "The first bit of bad news is that I am not a Mortal. I am King Theon Avalon, The Righteous Dungeon. The Champion of Eriar. The Chosen of Archangel. The Bringer of Equilibrium. The Friend of the Eternals. The Protector of the Weak. The Bane of Void's Servants. The second piece of bad news is, you foolish bird..." I raised my hand, in which materialised one of the finest swords made by Ragnar. "...That you will die today. God Slaying Blade: Excalibur."

With the cracks of lightning and flashes of golden light, the sword in my hand transformed into the majestic Excalibur. The shock and fear in the eyes of Jukk'nala were priceless. My sword power was enough to shatter the confidence of a being who claimed to be a god as I stepped forward with my killing intent unleashed. Jukk'nala flew into the air and spread his wings, but a flowery vine struck him down. Lavender stood behind me with an extended arm, pointing at the god of Berna. Her usually calm and smiling face was focused and full of anger. All plants in the room had overgrown their planters and tried to move towards the Dryad, who wasn't defenceless anymore. Lavender had no problems controlling her new powers, which allowed her to form formidable barriers and manipulate the plants that turned into deadly whips. The Bernan god managed to dodge Lavender's attack and hung in the air, screaming at his servants.

"Kill that man and this monster behind him!" Jukk'nala ordered Elisabeth and the twelve men who had followed her.

"Kneel!" I ordered, using my Royal Authority skill with a voice that knew no disobedience. It was enough to push the Bernans to the ground, where the Living Armours swiftly apprehended them.

Jukk'nala chirped in fury, forming two Air Blades that flew straight at Lavender. Twirll placed himself on their path, and with a chirp of defiance, he shot his own spells that nullified Berna's god attack. With a shriek that totally matched a falcon and not a sparrow, he rushed towards Jukk'nala like a golden arrow and clashed with the godling in a fierce duel. They clawed and pecked at each other, but Twirll won. I looked in surprise at my belligerent Sparrow and noticed that Irene, Luna, Hestia, Hera, Verka, Zeus, and Zephyr had blessed him. With their overstacked buffs, it was no wonder he was so fierce against the godling. At this moment, he could probably take on the airship and win singlehandedly. In the meantime, Lavender clasped her hands, which caused the explosion of vines around her. All the plants that surrounded her viciously pierced the air, aiming themselves at Jukk'nala. He had to put his entire focus into dodging most of the vines, but a few of them grazed his body, making him bleed. Twirll instantly seized the chance and attacked the distracted godling from behind. My brave Sparrow grabbed the enemy with his razor-sharp talons, and using his beak, he pecked at Jukk'nala's body and tore away one of the enemy's wings. He dropped the wounded godling on the floor, where Berna's god started to change. Now he looked like a Human man wearing some kind of white robe.

"Now you have done it..." He directed the Fireball straight at Twirll since Lavender was safely hidden behind me.

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"Frill, frill, frill!" My Sparrow started laughing, which gave the godling a pause.

Jukk'nala stared in shock at the Sparrow, who was standing calmly amongst his flames, unscathed, mockingly warming himself in the flame that was supposed to kill him. Berna god's face was twisted in fury, pain from his severed arm, and most importantly fear, as he finally focused on me. But it was far too late. Using his remaining hand, Jukk'nala invoked a barrier in front of him in the vain hope of stopping me. But compared to Korkas' barrier, his was like a piece of thin ice. With my free hand formed into a fist, I punched through the barrier, shattering it into useless pieces.

"You focused on the wrong enemy, boy." I Blinked and pierced Jukk'nala's heart with Excalibur. The shocked voices of the Bernans turned into cries of outrage as their god dropped to his knees, desperately holding my blade. He looked at me with a terrified gaze.

"No..." He coughed blood as he paled. I saw the begging for his life in his eyes, but instead of compassion, I felt immense rage.

"You claimed to be a god, but you were weak. Perish, you arrogant fool."

I almost effortlessly pressed Excalibur into him, splitting the body of the godling almost in half. His blood spilt on the pristine floor of my throne room, and his body turned back into a bird. The replica of Excalibur started shining with gold lightning as it started solidifying, drinking the divine power of Jukk'nala. He truly was a god since his death upgraded my most powerful sword to its full glory. Twirll, who had drunk Jukk'nala's blood before when he tore one of the avatar's wings, also started changing. His feathers became gold, similar to the fallen godling, and he grew slightly.

"That was a very audacious bird, my King." I looked in shock at Twirll, who sat on my hand and covered his beak in panic. "What is the meaning of this, my Lord?!"

My Sparrow's voice took on the same timbre as Jukk'nala’s, which, of course, gave me a very wicked idea... I raised my hand and silenced him. With a mischievous smile, I turned towards the Bernans, and with a loud snap of my fingers, I gave the order to collect Jukk'nala's body. His heart would be buried in the unconsecrated graveyard, making sure that he was properly dead. I smiled warmly at Elisabeth as my Living Armours released her. The Slime Butlers brought chairs for the Bernans, and the entire delegation was forcefully sat upon them.

"I beg for your forgiveness as this unpleasant episode has stained the relationship between our countries," I started with a sorrowful voice that starkly contrasted my body language.

"Stained?! You killed the avatar of our God! Holy Jukk'nala will return, bringing destruction upon your Godless kingdom, you heathen!" One of the older diplomats, wearing the most impressive robe, tried to rise from his chair, only to be slammed back by the Living Armour standing right behind him.

I ignored the man and turned around, offering Lavender my hand. We slowly returned to our thrones, where I helped my wife sit down. Lavender looked deep into my eyes and smiled brightly. "You kept your promise, Theon. You protected me from all threats," she said quietly so only I could hear her, but then, she lowered her head slightly, her smile vanishing. "I messed up with the teleport... I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, my Darling." I smiled at her as I sat on my throne. We kept our voices hushed so Bernans couldn't hear us. "Don't think about it anymore. It's fine now."

I finally graced the Bernans with my gaze and saw them shiver. "How dare a lowly servant like you speak to me? You are in the presence of the King and Queen of Avalon and the Princess of your country. Know your place! If you speak again without permission, I will feed you your own tongue." I stood up and slightly bowed to the Princess as I welcomed her. "Let's try again... I am Theon Avalon, the King of these lands. Welcome to my kingdom, Princess Elisabeth Berna."

"I... Thank you, King Theon." She lowered her head, and the paladins, who were meant to escort the Bernans, tried to say something but were stopped by the diplomats. A hushed discussion erupted between the men, but I paid no attention to it.

"I would like to know the purpose of your visit, Princess."

A tense silence fell on the throne room when the diplomats looked expectantly at the Princess, but she dared not to turn around. She put together her trembling hands and mustered enough courage to look into my eyes as she gathered her thoughts. In the meantime, the body of Jukk'nala was removed from the throne room, and his blood was collected into special vials with preserving properties.

"My father sent me here to establish a good relationship with the Kingdom of Avalon. He decided that I should become your wife and introduce you to the faith of the Holy Kingdom of Berna." I could read everything else she couldn't say in her eyes like an open book.

The Berna's diplomats behind her held their breath as they studied my expression. Lavender tried to hide her amusement, but as she reminded herself who she was now, she laughed with pure and captivating laughter. "You wish to introduce my husband to the faith of Berna? I think your god, Jukk'nala, showed us just how barbaric it is."

"How dare you, filthy woman?!" One of the paladins tried to draw his sword but was split in half by one of my Living Armours.

"I think you misunderstood your situation, Bernans. The moment your god attacked my Queen in my own Palace, it was a declaration of war." The remaining men paled, hearing my emotionless voice that slowly started showing my anger as I continued to speak. "Oh yes. I am fully aware of your orders, who you are, and every single detail of your barbaric country- hmm... For lack of a better word, let's call it culture. But you see, I am not a barbarian like you are. That's why your Princess received a chance to salvage this situation. And by the way... I know that she shouldn't even speak. I know that she is just a throwaway item in your eyes." They were terrified as my voice reached a painful saturation with mana, thanks to my Royal Authority skill. Each of my words was like a slap to their faces, and only the Princess was spared of this treatment, as I genuinely pitied her fate. "But, you see, I don't care about your culture and what you believe to be a norm. You are in my Kingdom, so you will abide by my laws. She is a descendant of your tyrant, so in my eyes, only she has the necessary authority to talk with me. You had your chances in the port; you missed your opportunity to introduce yourself before entering my palace. Now, you are nothing more than servants. So to your knees, servants, when your betters talk."

With this, only the Princess remained standing. However, I noticed that she was trembling and fighting with something. I noticed the expectant gazes of still-confident men behind her and the silent orders they had issued her. I appraised Elisabeth, and my eyes widened in shock, seeing how much she was suffering. She had begged to be saved, and right now, she was doing everything in her power to defy the geasa and curses that were forcing her to kill Lavender and me. I raised my hand, and using my dungeon powers, I erased the malicious effects placed on her by replacing them with my own, far more powerful geasa. The moan of shock and relief from her pain escaped her lips as she dropped to her knees, crying.

"Yes! I accept!" she screamed as if she was afraid that the influence of those who had cursed her previously would return. The Berna diplomats' confidence crumbled into fear after they heard her laughter. "Hahahaha! I am free... I'm finally free!"

She wiped her tears and bowed to me as she rose from the floor. With newfound determination shining in her eyes, she looked at me. "What price do you demand for your gift, King Theon Avalon?"

"Give me Berna, Princess. Give it to me, and I will set you free..."

"With pleasure, my King!" She smiled brightly and sincerely, and I almost heard Verka's laughter, seeing in Elisabeth’s eyes the promise of bloody vengeance on everyone who had wronged her.

"Traitor!" one of the Bernans shouted.

"Traitor? Oh, no... No." With a wave of my hand, I laughed and made the Bernans stand up. Well, they were lifted unceremoniously by my Living Armours, but that still counts. "Elisabeth Berna is not a traitor. She is merely fulfilling the duty placed on her by her father. I promise you, very soon, you all will help her. And remember, servants, her rightful title from now on is: The Crown Princess Elisabeth Berna, the prophet of Jukk'nala, the Sword Saint, the saviour of the Holy Kingdom of Berna, and by the will of Patriarch Dolren Igaris, the fiancee of King Theon Avalon.”