Exactly one month after the first attempt at a peace conference between the 3 Thrones was made, the Emperor of Merdelum was scheduled to arrive in Albion, the capital city of the Balmung dukedom. However, before embarking on this journey, he decided to hold a secret meeting only attended by those he trusted the most within the empire, who all gathered in the large hidden room behind the throne room of Corazón's Imperial Palace, the room known as Dorado's Heart, named after the floor mosaic depicting a human heart engulfed in flames which had existed since long before the dukedom of Corazón, which had formerly been known as the Dorado Kingdom, came to be. On this mosaic, a large round table with 12 chairs had been placed, 6 of which were currently occupied. Emperor Godrick specifically chose this room as it was constructed in such a way that it was impossible for anyone outside of the room to eavesdrop on a conversation held within, neither by magical nor any other means.
Godrick himself sat on the large wooden throne opposite of the entrance door.
To his left was his personal bodyguard and childhood friend Erik Haduwig Denholm.
On his right was Godrick's wife, who, as far as he was concerned, possessed the same authority as he himself, Empress Victoria Anita Lux Eternum. The empress was rather tall, though not quite as tall as her husband. She had long dark-brown hair and emerald green eyes. Her beauty was said to have rivaled that of most elves, making the emperor a subject of envy to all men wherever he was seen with her, a fact he enjoyed greatly. Victoria was well trained, as she was raised with a sword by her father, Count Magnier of Cabeza, and knew how to defend herself, though her combat skills only measured up to that of the average knight.
Thus she too was rarely seen without her bodyguard, a rather plain looking woman wearing the typical attire of a maid, a black dress and a white apron. Despite her looks, she was actually a member of the Eclipse Knight Order, the secret knight order the existence of which was only known to high-ranking nobles, as they protected the empire from behind the scenes. Just like all members of the Eclipse Order, she had forsaken her real name and thus her previous identity upon entering the knight order, and was given the codename Talumah. As she had shown exceptional skills in both the duties of a maid and those of an assassin, she was had originally been given the title of Victoria's personal maid.
To Erik's right sat the leader of the Eclipse Order himself, who, just like all leaders before him, received the codename Kain. In spite of what one would expect from someone in a position such as his, Kain was a completely ordinary looking man of average height with brown eyes, short, black hair, and a rather unimpressive stubble one might call a beard, wearing ordinary clothing that one would find among most commoners, neither too fancy nor too shabby. It was the appearance of someone so unremarkable that if one were to pass him in any setting, one was highly unlikely to remember any details about him, which might have been among the reasons he became the leader of the Eclipse Order.
Last but not least, sitting on the chair facing that of the emperor, was the current Luminary of the Ardent Path, Sophia Valamir, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair wearing golden and white priestess robes made of the most expensive and highest quality materials, which were specifically made for her. Despite her public image of being the dignified leader of an entire religion, many among the members of the Ardent Path who had dealt with her would describe her as unbefitting of her position due to her complete disregard for etiquette and protocol, as well as her tendencies to go against the wishes of the 4 Archbishops, who ranked just below her in the hierarchy of the church, as well as many other high-ranking members of the clergy. However, as most of her policies had benefited the common people of Merdelum greatly, it had become near impossible for her to be stripped of her position, a fact which she enjoyed to exploit, with one such example being during this very meeting, as she had brought a bowl of grapes with her into the room, which she was currently eating with delight while resting her feet on the table, while rocking her chair back and forth.
Empress Victoria was visibly disgruntled by the Luminary's rudeness, but chose to not address it as her husband took the word.
"Seeing as we are all here, let us start right away. As you all know, tensions have never been higher between the Three Thrones, and war seems to be inevitable. However, that is not the reason why I have called you here. Master Kain, if you would briefly explain the situation."
"Yes, my Lord!", Kain answered and rose from his seat. His voice was just as generic as his appearance, with neither the hint of a dialect nor an accent.
"Out of the 7 dukedoms of Merdelum, only Éclat, Corazón, and Utstraling can currently be considered allies of the crown, whereas in the dukedoms of Ardena, Arbrevie, Foretfer, and Terouge, the opposition has grown immensely, having reached a point were even those who had previously shown loyalty to imperial crown have started to express their dissatisfaction."
"WHAT!", Erik yelled out in shock over finding out about this, while Sophia almost choked on one of her grapes, causing her to lose balance and fall loudly to the floor. After clearing her throat and picking up her chair, she sat back down and decided to ask the emperor directly about what was just said.
"Now hold on a minute! So you are telling me out of all 7, only 3 of them are still sticking to the idea of a unified human empire? I knew about the Bloody Duke of Terouge's opinion, since he does not really make it a secret that he is fed up about not getting more funds to deal with his vampire problems, but the other 3 as well? I thought the imperial family's popularity had started to decline due to the recent monster epidemics and increased crime rates, but I did not expect it to be this bad!"
This caused the empress to jump up from her seat.
"OUR popularity? You really have the gall to downplay the role the miss-management of the previous Luminaries and high-ranking members of the Ardent Path has played in all of this? Or have the Archbishops forgotten to teach Her Supreme Holiness of what happened in Caedon 60 years ago, where the dealings of a certain bishop with the crime syndicate known as the 7-Headed-Hydra almost led to a civil war? Or what about the bishop of Miellas, who colluded with the cult of the All-Seeing, taking over the city? Over the span of at least 30 years, thousands of people, especially women and children, were abducted and used in-", Victoria retorted, but before she could go into further she was interrupted by Sophia, who had jumped up herself and slammed the table with her fists.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! How dare you downplay the lack of involvement of the crown in what happened in Miellas while implying that I was ignorant of the pain the Ardent Path has brought upon the very people they had sworn to protect! Do you have any idea what I have been through before I got to where I am right now!"
As soon as Victoria saw the pained expression on Sophia's face, she instantly caught on to what was going on.
"Are you...you are from Miellas? But, ...why?"
"Why would a survivor of Miellas agree to become a part of the Ardent Path? Exactly because of that very reason. The Ardent Path had become rotten on the surface, though at it's core, it still remains the light of hope for humanity, I am sure of that. As soon as the previous Luminary lost his head for what happened, and I was put in his place by the 4 Archbishops due to my high affinity with the Divine Cross, my first decree was the execution of everyone evolved in this atrocity. However, I know that taking revenge was not nearly enough, so, to make amends, I started by reducing the price on healing miracles significantly, and made it mandatory for those in training to provide their services free of charge for the entirety of their trial period to show that the church had indeed changed its ways.
Despite it all, I know too well that it takes time for the people to forgive the Ardent Path for what has been done, and I will admit that I have greatly downplayed the role the church has played in the distrust of Merdelum's people in the empire itself. Please accept my sincerest apologies.", Sophia exclaimed with regret and bowed before the empress.
"Please, raise your head. You are not at fault for the deeds of your predecessors. I will admit, I was the one who acted out of ignorance over your own situation and went too far. Will you forgive me as well?"
"Of course."
Awkward silence settled into the room, as Godrick was at a loss as to how he should continue. To his luck, the silence was broken by Kain, who had remained standing throughout the entire ordeal.
"...may I continue?"
The emperor sighed deeply before encouraging to continue.
"Please do."
"As you wish. As I said, there are 4 dukedoms where distrust in the empire had been steadily increasing due to various reason. However, ever since Edenia disappeared, things started to change. Due to the imminent conflict between the Three Thrones, talks about rebellions have died down as fear of an all out war and the consequences of becoming occupied and enslaved by another nation is now at an all-time high. This ends my report."
"Thank you, Master Kain.", Godrick said and motioned him to take his seat, which he did.
"...So what? Do you mean the problem has solved itself? Why did you call in this meeting then...Your Highness?", Erik asked Godrick perplexed, before hastily adding the honorific as he remembered that they were technically not in a private setting.
"No...I think this change to only be temporary, am I right, Your Highness?", Sophia asked the emperor, who nodded.
"Indeed. And that is exactly why I called for you all here. I do not know who to trust among the nobles yet, though I do know that I can trust every single one of you in this room. We cannot rely on the glooming threat of a war to solve this problem. A peace caused by fear is far too volatile for me to put my trust into, and I would rather split this empire into 7 parts than continue living on the brink of a civil war. Now, has anyone among you a better idea, or shall we wait until we can be sure about the intentions of the other nobles?"
"...it is just as it was told...", Sophia stated, barely audibly to herself, though Godrick had noticed it immediately.
"Who said something? Care to elaborate, Your Holiness?"
Having been called out just like that, Sophia had no other choice than to disclose the information she had.
"May I speak freely?"
The luminary asking to not be held accountable for anything she was about to say was completely out of the ordinary, as she usually did as she pleased no matter in whose presence she had found herself.
"You may."
"Though it may sound weird, I have received a divine prophecy not too long ago. I am not allowed to go into detail, though I am able to disclose certain parts of it. One part in particular seems to reference the situation we are finding ourselves in right now."
"...a prophecy? How could that be? The only gods known to relay prophecies are not connected to the Ardent Path and are even known to distance themselves from it, right?", Victoria asked her, and Sophia shook her head.
"Not quite. This is something only archbishops and the current luminary are aware of, and therefore it would better not leave this room, but in addition to the known 7 gods who oversee the Ardent Path, there is another one, who has decided to join the other 7 in secret. I am not allowed to disclose their name, though it was this very god who decided to show me what is to come."
"...and? Don't keep us waiting now, what did it speak off?", Erik asked.
"Though most of the prophecy is not to be disclosed, this is the part I am allowed to reveal:
...as the Golden Sun sets over the battlefield, the 3 Crowns will change heads, and the largest shall be shattered before 7 greedy eyes, lest the hand who reaches for it will drown humanity in its own blood.
...sounds familiar, does it not?"
The emperor contemplated for a moment, before disclosing his thoughts.
"Say the 3 crowns are the Three Thrones, would them changing heads not be the result of the next generation taking over? Following that, the largest crown being shattered before 7 eyes... does that refer to the empire and its 7 dukedoms? So whoever inherits my crown, will have to split the nation back into 7 pieces to prevent a bloody uprising?", Godrick surmised, and Sophia nodded.
"It is indeed the most plausible interpretation, no?"
"...as the Golden Sun sets...wait...is the emperor not referred to as the Golden Sun of the empire? Does that mean that Godrick will...", Victoria started, but before she could finish that thought, she was already shut down by her husband closing his right hand around her left.
"Let us not rush to such dark conclusions, my love. For all we know, it could merely refer to our son Gregor taking over, which may not necessarily imply my death. And remember, all prophecies speak of yet unclear futures, as merely hearing of what could happen already is enough to change it, is that not right, Your Holiness?"
"Hm...indeed, all prophecies given to mortals have turned out to be more of a warning of a possible outcome than anything. I mean, the last recorded prophecy was received about 500 years ago and warned of the resurgence of one of the 7 Infernal Sins, though we have yet to hear of such a thing happening, after all this time. So who knows? Maybe it just means that the emperor has to willingly give up his crown to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."
This caused Erik to chime in.
"My Lady, rest assured, I will protect his Imperial Majesty's life without fail, no matter where he goes."
As his words seemed to calm the empress down, Godrick continued:
"Anyway, it is getting late. Let us continue this meeting once Erik and I have returned from Balmung, as we will be able to draw a better picture of the situation by then. Objections?"
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A resounding "no" was heard in response.
"Alright. May the Light of Order lead us on the Ardent Path!", he concluded, which was answered by the luminary, as it was only the first half of a prayer used to bid farewell.
"and brighten up our darkest day."
----------------------------------------
It was not an official visit announced to the public to avoid any rumours that could worsen the current tensions between the Three Thrones, causing Godrick to only travel with Erik as his personal bodyguard and with 5 units of the Eclipse Order, who would follow them out of sight and scout out the area around them.
The city of Albion was smaller than the capital city of Merdelum, Alma, but just as beautiful, quite the contrast to its rather gloomy history. It was here, where one of humanities greatest heroes, Freya Andrea Sangdracon, had drawn her last breath after being betrayed by those she believed to be her closest allies. The reason for their betrayal was Freya's weapon, the holy greatsword Balmung, which she received personally from the gods after being appointed as humanities champion during the Age of Heroes. It was a weapon so powerful that whoever wielded it was said to be capable of cutting down the tallest of mountains in one swing and even splitting the sky apart. So when it came to be, that Freya fell at the hands of those who she believed to be her comrades, she drove the blade into the ground beneath her and used her remaining life-force to seal it, so no one but her own kin may be able to ever draw it out.
Millennia passed, and the region around the sword became a highly contested area by the three surrounding nations Jhargas, Amvine, and Ulsset, as all three wanted to study the seal and find a way to break it, as the last member of the Sangdracon-bloodline, her son, had fled his home together with his family after hearing of his mother's demise and vanished from the eyes of the public.
However, around 2.000 years ago, a man named Yannick Bacque followed an old legend passed down in his family for generations, and secretly entered the disputed region to try and draw out the sword, a feat which he managed to accomplish, as he had been Freya's direct descendant. Together with countless others who decided to follow the righteous owner of the sword as their new leader, he managed to repel the forces of the neighbouring kingdoms, and declared the entire region as an independent nation under his rule, though he refused to be crowned a king, as Freya herself was known to have refused every single offer for a crown herself, thus settling for the position of a duke. However, the use of Balmung came with a price.
After reaching only 50 years of age, Yannick succumbed to the side-effects of using the holy weapon, as after millennia, the draconic blood that flowed through the veins of the Sangdracon-family was no longer strong enough to withstand the amounts of energy the sword demanded in exchange for the enormous powers it bestowed upon its wielder. Thus, the lives of the following generations would become short lived as well, as Yannick's successors kept using the sword to defend their nation from harm.
"The curse of heroes, is it?", the emperor mumbled, as he approached the castle in the centre of the city together with Erik.
"Hm? Did you say something?", his friend asked him, but he just sighed and shook his head.
"Nothing. Just trying to sort some thoughts. Anyway, I forgot to ask earlier, but what is in that parcel you are carrying? I know you bought something back in Crawford, but what was it?"
"I heard the duchess is fond of sweets, so I stopped by the Gateau Rouge Bakery and bought one of their famous red-velvet-cakes.", Erik answered with a blush.
"Should have guessed something like that.", Godrick chuckled, and the two continued towards the main gate of the castle, where Godrick showed the two knights guarding the entrance his invitation before being led inside by one of them.
"Her Grace already informed us of your visit, Your Imperial Highness. Together with their entourage, we are to lead His Imperial Highness into the Sword-Garden, the place where Balmung was buried into the ground by the Liberator of Mankind, Lady Freya herself.", the voice of the female knight leading them through the halls of the castle, the walls of which were decorated with pictures of the previous rulers of Balmung, explained.
"Hmm...I think I recognise your voice...are you not the personal attendant of Duchess Sangdracon? And please, refrain from calling me 'His Imperial Highness'. I am not here on an official visit, and I would like for as few people as possible to learn of me being here."
"As you wish. And indeed, it was I who attended the conference between the Three Thrones together with Her Grace, as is my duty as the vice-captain of the Valkyries of Balmung. This humble knight feels honoured to have stayed in your memory. Nevertheless, before we enter, I must inform you of another visitor, who has already arrived an hour before and is now waiting together with Her Grace on your arrival.", the knight continued.
"Really? Who is it?", Godrick asked, perplexed about who could be trustworthy enough for them to know of his arrival in Balmung without causing a diplomatic crisis.
"I apologize, but I was advised to not disclose this information. However, seeing as we have arrived, the answer to your question will soon reveal itself.", the female knight answered before stopping next to large, open doorway leading into the Sword-Garden and motioning for the two to enter with a small bow.
"Hm, thank you for leading the way. Come, Erik, let's meet this surprise guest.", Godrick exclaimed and stepped through the doorway.
The Sword-Garden was a rather large green area, which was cut into four segments by 4 different paths leading through it, each connecting one of the four entrances with a large, circular space in the middle, where 4 pavilions were placed in the corners where two paths met, with a table and seats under each of them. The paths were bordered by waist-height hedges, which prevented others from accidentally walking over the beautiful arrangement of flowers which had been planted in the grass. In the midst of these flowers were ornamental swords, which had been driven into the ground similarly to how the holy sword had been millennia ago. Each sword represented one of the previous rulers of the dukedom, as it was tradition to add a sword to the garden if one's time had come, in memory of their ancestor.
In the middle of the circular space, where the holy sword Balmung was drawn by Yannick millennia ago, stood a giant of a man with short, dark-brown hair. His beard was a neatly trimmed full-beard, and he was wearing a black combat-uniform decorated with golden thread, a golden dragon embroidered on his right breast-pocket. The man, who seemed to be in his late 30s, was tapping a golden halberd, which looked more like a decorative masterpiece than a functional weapon, in annoyance on his shoulder as if waiting for someone, while conversing with a rather irked Lorelei Sangdracon, who seemed to argue with him about something. Godrick recognised the reigning King of Jhargas, Adam Litoniel Suru, immediately, who was currently chastised by Lorelei, though it seemed her words fell on deaf ears as she started to sigh deeply and shook her head in defeat. However, before another word was spoken between them, they both noticed Godrick and Erik approaching.
"Godrick! FINALLY! TODAY IS THE DAY YOU SHALL TASTE DEFEAT BY MY HANDS!", the man in combat uniform yelled at him while pointing his halberd at the emperor, who sighed just as deeply as he motioned Erik, who had already jumped in front of him and drew his sword, to step aside.
"Godrick, would you please tell him that this is neither the place nor the time for such child's play?", Lorelei pleaded, but one look at the emperor, who loosened the straps on the sheath which was affixed to his belt so he could fight without it impeding his movement while fighting, made her give in and sit down on a chair under one of the nearby pavilions.
"Ugh, fine. But whatever you break, you will have to pay for. We are on the verge of a war that might exceed anything that came before it, and I cannot afford spending a single Écaille on castle repairs just because you man-children have some competition you need to continue in my garden."
Shortly after, she was joined by Erik, who offered her the cake he had bought for her, a gesture which greatly improved her mood due to her, as she told Erik, having tried to get her hands on a red velvet cake for years, though she was never able to do so until now. Thus the two enjoyed the cake and each other's company, while Godrick and Adam got into a fighting stance.
"It's been a while, Adam. I hope you and your family have been well?", Godrick decided to try and strike up a conversation, but he was quickly interrupted by Adam's first attack.
A shock-wave which blew away the unoccupied tables and chairs around them and rattled the windows of the castle in their frames exploded outwards as the sabre of the emperor intercepted the swing of the halberd, which was aimed for his head, and Adam decided to answer the emperor, who so effortlessly had blocked his strike with his sword, angrily.
"We can exchange pleasantries after I have brought you to your knees, Godrick!"
"I highly doubt that you will manage to do that this time, but please, don't let me keep you from trying.", the emperor retorted mockingly, before angling his sword in such a way that the halberd's blade slid to the ground. This motion was followed by a swift kick, which Adam blocked with the handle of his halberd.
The three monarchs had known one another since they were young, due to their parents having upheld peaceful negotiations in the hopes of one day breaking up the power struggle between the Three Thrones without any bloodshed. It was during this time, when the then second prince of Jhargas started to form a rivalry against Godrick. The royal Suru family held the believe that their ruler needed to be one of the strongest warriors to be able to protect their nation. So when Adam challenged the then 10 year old Godrick to a duel and lost a devastating defeat, he could not accept his loss and kept on sending duel-request his way, even after they both became rulers of their respective nations. Every now and then, Godrick would decide to entertain the tantrums of his self-proclaimed rival despite him seeing them as an annoyance, as it provided him with both an excuse to take a few days off, as well as a way to spar with someone other than Erik, as he and Adam were the only ones who could keep up with the emperor and were willing to face him, seeing as though Lorelei was said to be just as skilled as Godrick when it came to duels, she refused to partake in their fights due to them acting like children every time they met, just like they did right now.
The two continuously clashed, with Adam being on the offensive and Godrick evading, blocking, and parrying every single attack sent his way with masterful elegance. Even as Adam began to pick up his pace, not a single time did he manage to get past the emperor's defences. This went on for a minute, before Godrick created some distance between the two once more with a heavy counter-attack.
"You have improved quite a bit. However, you are not the only one.", he exclaimed, before quickly closing the distance once more, and slashing at Adam's leg with sheer inhuman speed. The blow was parried, but now it was the king's turn to be on the defensive, as the emperor managed to keep up the pressure without providing a single, miniscule opening that Adam could exploit.
Meanwhile, Erik and Lorelei started to talk about their day, and how both had to deal with events like this more often than not, much to the chagrin of them both. However, their conversation was soon cut short because of a sudden shift in the atmosphere around them, caused by the two combatants releasing their auras, a clear sign that their conflict was about to escalate.
"Enough of the warm up, let's get serious!", Adam yelled, as the air around him began to change. The reason for this was that he had started to condense his aura, which even made it visible to one's bare eyes, as his entire body now began to glow in a faint white light. Some of his aura began to surround his weapon as well.
"Don't blame me if you lose a limb this time!", Godrick retorted as his body and weapon began to glow in a similar light. Before the two managed to continue their fight, however, the two bystanders jumped in and swiftly disarmed them, with Lorelei kicking the halberd out of Adam's hands and into one of the castle-walls and Erik causing the emperor to trip, thus making him lose his grip on his sword, which Erik ripped out of his hands and in the same motion returned into its sheath.
"Are you two punks seriously trying to use skills here? Have you lost all common sense? These are the holy grounds on which we remember the rulers of this nation, not some arena!"
"I am extremely disappointed in you, Godrick. There are countless innocent bystanders who could get caught up in this. You should be more careful."
"...You are right...both of you. I am deeply sorry, I should not have given in to Adam's provocation.", the emperor apologized with a 90° bow.
"...Sorry.", King Adam muttered before walking towards where his halberd had embedded itself into the castle-wall.
As he tried to retrieve it, he had to exert considerable force, which caused him to accidentally break a large stone chunk out of the wall together with his pole-arm. He quickly looked behind himself to see if someone saw what happened, which all of those still standing in the middle of the garden did, before casually kicking the stone chunk into the hedge next to him and sheepishly returning to the others, which caused another deep sigh to escape from Lorelei, before she motioned for them to sit down under the same pavilion were she and Erik had talked with each other during their duel.
After they all sat down, she began to talk.
"Now that you hot-heads have finally calmed down, there is serious business to discuss. But before we do that, I hope to see the money for wall reparations before next week, Adam! You hear me?"
"...Of course...sorry Lorelei.", he replied while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Let us return to the topic at hand, are you not wondering why Adam is here as well?", she continued.
"Now that you say it out loud, I did not expect this encounter. What happened?", Godrick asked into the round, and Adam decided to explain his presence.
"Tch, a day after the conference, which I refused to attend for obvious reasons, those bastards from Domitor send delegates, demanding we joined hands to go against your empire. The ignorant dogs they sent even had the gall to threaten me in my own castle, saying something along the lines of 'if I would not join them, they would take Jhargas with the help of the other nations of the alliance'. Needless to say, I sent only their heads back, though it seems like I may be in the minority in this decision.
According to trustworthy sources, Amvine and Ulsset might be thinking about actually joining hands with that coward Beorn. Traitorous rats, the lot of them, ripping each other apart just because they are to weak to protect their own people. And not only that, my knights have discovered some of Domitor's vermin within their own ranks, which they, of course, disposed of immediately. You both should probably watch your backs as well.", Adam explained through gritted teeth, his fist clenched around the staff of his halberd, enraged about the memory of such a thing happening right under his nose, with such force, that if it had not been made of an adamantine-alloy to withstand his, for human standards, enormous strength, it would have shattered.
"Domitor's spies among the knights? Do not worry, I shall look into this post-haste once we return to Merdelum.", Erik blurted out before assuring Godrick that he would deal with this possibility.
"So it is as we feared...I guess war just became inevitable.", Godrick responded in a solemn tone.
"I am afraid so.", Lorelei chimed in, and Adam nodded in agreement.
"However, I have decided to meet up with both of you at the same time because I have a proposal of my own. Are you willing to hear me out?", she continued, and patiently waited for them to respond.
"Of course."
"Hrm...I'll listen.", came the answers.
"Seeing as Domitor is trying to break up the Northern Alliance by sewing discord between us, I think we should forge a pact of our own. Our nations may not trust each other completely, especially after the border disputes between Balmung and Jhargas 50 years ago, but if I needed to trust someone to watch my back during whatever it is Beorn thinks he can get away with doing, it would be you two. So, what do you think?"
"Huh, so you would just put your trust in Jhargas, after all the history our two nations have with each other, eh? What if I just came here to tell you about Domitor's plans to turn you into their enemy and make it easier for myself to take over Balmung?", Adam answered in a provoking, ominous tone while looking at the duchess. Once more, the air around the king began to shift, though this time, his surroundings grew darker as the blood-lust he emitted made him appear twice his original size, causing Lorelei to reach for her pendant and Erik to subconsciously reach for his sword.
"As if the mighty King of Jhargas, the nation named after one of the 3 Legendary Golden Dragons who watched over humanity, would have to resort to such cheap tactics to defeat his enemies. Additionally, seeing as Domitor is preparing to conquer the entire continent, I do not think that those who subject themselves under their rule will live a life of prosperity.", Godrick replied unphased, which caused Adam's aura to dissipate near instantly and caused the other two at the table to relax.
"You got me there, old friend. My statement was merely in jest, of course.", Adam explained with a reassuring, though still quite unsettling grin.
"Please refrain from such morbid humour in a situation like this. What about you, Godrick?", Lorelei asked, which turned all eyes on him.
"It is just as our fathers said all these years ago. If we can find a way to keep our nations from tearing each other apart, we could become unstoppable. And I think that Domitor's aggressions might just be the push we needed to accomplish this.", he replied with a smile, and extended his hand.
"Count me in as well.", Adam announced, gripping the arm of his rival, followed by Lorelei, and, to everyone's surprise, by Erik.
"What, I might not be a ruler, but I'm here too, no?", he exclaimed, causing the others to burst into laughter.
"Godrick, your retainer has guts! How about it, want to cross blades with me?", Adam asked in anticipation, causing Lorelei to rub the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
Thus the secret pact between Balmung, Jhargas, and Merdelum was sealed, with all parties promising to to aid one another in the event of Domitor making the first move.