Iustitia. Pop. Justice. Entity of balance and righteousness. It watches over the right measures among men, giving to each one their share. Subaltern only to Destiny and active partner of Death. Often mistaken for the entity “Vengeance”. It is reported that curses and spells can be magically enforced when Justice is invoked. However, if the summon is vile, that is, if the summoner is unjust, the entity will turn against such individual and apply its harsh penalties. According Lewis A. I. Klews, even an ordinary individual, if wronged, can cast a curse as the last act in life, asking this entity for powers.

Strict, Justice does not accept offerings of gold or flesh. It does not act when the feeling of revenge is present and does not apply disproportionate penalties. It often acts in an incomprehensible way and with long-term results.

Adopted as the protective entity during the reign of Lazarus Icarionnes M’kondar over the kingdom of Markav. Subsequently replaced after the revolution and establishment of the Republican regime where Bernardir, the Correct, adopted Time as its entity.

The Entities and The World – Garned Murvald Babilosche

*

-Once again, you deliver the remains of a human to my door. – Rinlia grumbles after seeing Guinevere, who brings Arthur, who limps and leans on her shoulder.

-Art! – Valkyrie, hidden behind her mother, calls for the boy. Her gaze, however, is stuck on Arthur’s teacher, with a frightened expression.

-I’m fine. – He says, in a weak voice. – I just need to meditate a little. And maybe take a nap afterwards…

-You can’t sleep early. This is also part of your training. – Guinevere shakes her blue hair after leaving Arthur in a chair. – Come on, go meditate over there. – She immediately turns to Rinlia. – Well? Is Armenvald insisting on testing the boy?

The elf glances at Arthur, who tries to absorb some energy with his eyes closed.

-I was informed that the date has been set. He will be tested alongside Thiago, my apprentice. I thought Njalmar would give us some more time, but-

-Hey! – Guinevere slaps Arthur’s shoulder. – You are supposed to take energy from other living beings, not from us! – She points to herself and Rinlia. – Expand you search, lazy boy! There must be some animals a few meters from here.

-Sorry, I got distracted with all the talk about me and a test I didn't even know I would have to attend.

-If you try to take my energy again, I will double your training load.

-Is he already at the point of choosing where he will collect energy? – Rinlia asks, impressed.

-Yes, but he still needs to close his eyes and concentrate. – Guinevere answers, before turning back to him. – Why are you so curious about this conversation? I told you this test would happen. The king needs to know if you are able to use your magic.

-I don’t know. I kinda thought that I had already done that.

-Are you talking about the time you helped with the incorporeal? – Rinlia intervenes. – That was to find out if you were committed to helping us. This time… It’s more of a formality for you to be recognized as a magician. This can help to improve your disguise inside the kingdom. Besides, the king needs to know if you are good enough as a wizard to justify the risk of helping you.

-And how are they going to measure that? – Arthur completely abandoned meditation. Between the conversation with the two warriors and Valkyrie's attempts to get his attention, it is impossible to concentrate.

-How do you think? You will have to fight.

*

Njalmar's lips collect from the royal cup the most expensive wine that had been stored in the castle cellar. His chair, at the head of the royal table, occupies the most prominent place, with a big chair, made of silver and decorated with gold. Two guards are stationed behind his seat and, in silence, await the monarch's orders.

The king sips the wine, solitary in his seat at the head of the table. The opposite side, which should have been occupied by the queen, is empty. It had been like that for years.

To his right are placed the heirs of the crown, in order of succession: Connor, the crown prince, next to his bride, Yvanna; beside them are Evander, the second prince, and his sister, Bae; next to them are Princess Esther and her husband, Duke León; Finally, Alfred and his wife, duchess Carlota, occupy the last chairs; other sons and daughters of Njalmar were not called to that dinner, in a gesture that highlights the importance of such meeting.

To the left of the king are placed some of the members that make up the high echelon of Fiandel. They are responsible for important sectors of the kingdom and have enough influence to move the bases of Njalmar’s reign. They are: Armenvald, placed next to the king, responsible for scientific research and the army's magicians; Bernard, chief of the royal guard and first commander of the army; Rinlia, head of the secret service and second commander of the army; Emanuel, minister of diplomatic relations; and Hannah, leader of the intelligence services.

-Finally, we can organize some things. - Njalmar starts talking, using a handkerchief to clean the wine from his beard. With a gesture, he dismisses the guards, who retreat to guard the doors from the outside. - Rinlia guided the services I requested in Vivre and, on her way, she gathered some information, didn't she?

-Yes, your majesty. - She answers.

-It was a problem to send the head of the secret service in person, but I would not trust anyone else. It was a pity that your subordinate was left behind. However, from what you informed me, he wouldn't have told Aetna the real reason for the trip, would he?

-Even if he did not die at the lake, I can you give my word that he would not reveal the reason for his mission, even at the cost of his life.

-And only four individuals knew the reason for the trip, is that it?

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-Yes. Only me, Gaenar, Yvanna and Gasser knew the reason for the trip. The others thought we were a diplomatic envoy.

-Not even the boy? - Armenvald decides to make that clear.

-Not even him. - She answers, calmly. - The boy doesn't even know about the details of our diplomatic service. He doesn't ask questions about such matters.

-He already has a lot on his shoulders. - Yvanna intervenes. – Things that don’t involve him directly usually don’t take a lot of space in his mind.

-What boy? – Esther asks.

-It does not matter now. - Njalmar takes over the conversation. – This is the time to share the information that was brought to me. - He pushes the plate of food away. Everyone else stops eating, turning their attention to the king. - Today I called you to talk about the political state of the kingdom. Some of you do not intend to pledge your rights of becoming king or queen, since Connor has announced his intentions, but that does not mean that you will have no responsibilities in the future. After all, whoever is not a king will assume vassal territories. And we know very well how important are the services of loyal individuals. - He turns to his left.

Armenvald, Bernard, Rinlia, Emanuel and Hannah bow their heads, obediently. Njalmar smiles and continues:

-Rinlia went to Vivre for four reasons: The first was to offer Aetna a place in the alliance that we are forming to protect our continent from the enemies that will come from the East at some point in the near future; The second was to collect information about the armies of the East, their strength, and the time it would take for their arrival; The third was to reinforce the number of our spies in the neighboring kingdoms, preparing a safety net in case the alliance comes to fruition; The last reason was to find a magical convergence in the Red Desert.

-The magic myth? - Alfred, the last among the heirs, was unaware of the secret missions given to the elf.

-The intention was to use the trip to Vivre as an excuse for moving a group within the army around the edge of the Red Desert, creating a window of opportunity to check if there are any problems there, since we could not access that area from our side of the Red Desert. Rinlia, you can report your findings.

-Excuse me. - The elf stands up, straightening up and fixing her eyes on Njalmar. - As is well known, in the last tens of years, for unknown reasons, magical convergences have appeared on the Eastern continent, generating problems of continental dimensions. It is the main reason for the union of the forces of the East and, also, the reason why the great kingdom of Fiandel is preparing for a war for the continent in which we live.

-In short: You went to see if our continent is also becoming a problem. - Bae, the third heiress, hastens the report. - And that needed to be a secret? Isn't it in everyone's interest to understand if there is a problem with the magic of the continent?

-No matter the reason, no kingdom will allow the army of a possible enemy to cross the territory without supervision. - Armenvald replied, protecting the plan he helped to formulate.

-That means you didn't try to talk, right? – Bae asks.

-Young heiress, age teaches several things to an individual. One is that, in the balance of the world, the blade will always win over reason.

-Fortunately, there is no danger in the Red Desert. - The elf intervenes, trying to suppress the conflict between the magician and the princess. - Reports about a magical convergence are nothing more than people confusing the magical barrier that is in the desert with something different.

-Is the barrier damaged in any way? - The magician's focus changes immediately.

-No.

-You know how important that barrier is, don't you? If the barrier is broken, forces that have been sealed by the entities-

-Enough of superstitions, Armenvald. - Njalmar, bored, makes a hand gesture and the elf, obediently, sit back down. - The important thing is that we confirm that there are no problems in the Red Desert for now. Rinlia also reported to me that the armies of the East are not yet ready. Informants at Vivre and Yvanna's contacts give us enough time to organize our armies before they can make a move.

-What about the first mission? - Connor asks, speaking for the first time. Respect for his voice is noticeable in the reaction of the other members of the meeting. - Will Aetna accept to be part of the alliance?

-That will be decided on the meeting we will have with the leaders of the continent. - Njalmar replies.

-And when, exactly, will such meeting take place?

-All in good time. Before that, we have to settle, today, how the details of the kingdom's political and commercial alliances will be handled after your marriage.

"It is time to prepare for the changes that will shape the future of our continent."

*

-Is Galaaz here?

-He's in the stands, Arthur. Against my will, of course. I don't like the idea that the wolf knows all the details about your powers. You shouldn't trust him so blindly. - Rinlia, standing next to Arthur, does not hide the annoyance.

-What do you mean by that? I thought you trusted him.

-I do trust him. The promise he made to you is something that allows for such trust. But… Do you think I didn't realize how much you trust him? Sometimes I think he knows more about you than I do myself.

-What? - He is disconcerted by the statement. - Of course not. I... I just wish he could see how much he helped me improve.

-And how did he help you? - The question is not inquisitive, but merely out of curiosity.

-I wouldn't know how to explain.

Arthur and Rinlia are placed in the middle of the Fiandel arena. It is a space the size of a football stadium, positioned in the middle of the city, with stands made of cement, and in the open. It is the place for testing skills and taking tests to define the strongest warriors in the kingdom – when there is a need for that.

Thiago is positioned next to them, with a tired expression on his face. The marks under his eyes indicate the sleep deprivation he has experienced in the past few days. His hands are still shaking, despite his attempts to contain it. Armenvald is also in the arena, with a pair of royal guards, responsible for checking the perimeter and ensuring that no one would enter the stadium in the middle of the test.

Sitting in the grandstands, in the separate space for royalty, are Njalmar, Connor and Yvanna.

In the middle of the empty stands are Galaaz and Guinevere, waiting for the test to start.

-Very well. - Armenvald, after dismissing the guards, approaches the others. - As you may have already been informed, the test will be guided in the traditional way, however, without an audience, because of the… Singular condition of one participant. Only those who already know his identity were allowed.

Arthur and Thiago wave to the magician, aware of the type of test that would be performed. They had been informed in advance that the test would be done in the form of a fight between the two, supervised so that there were no serious risks to the participants.

-Let this be clear: The use of a battle system to improve skills does not mean that all types of aggression will be rewarded. - Despite his fragile image, Armenvald looks threatening to the combatants. The magical ability of Njalmar's “left arm” is evident, even for two beginners. - The use of magic must be done in order to gain an advantage over the opponent and excessive aggression can be a reason to disqualify both of you.

-Yes sir.

-The opposite is also true. I don't care for what reason, if you don't show enough skill to become necessary to the kingdom, I will fail you without a second thought. I don't think it's necessary to say why you don't want to be useless.

The magician's gaze fixates on Arthur for a moment. Threatened, the boy waves and clenches his fists, looking at Thiago for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He thinks. "But I can't take it easy on you."

-If you understood, Rinlia and I will walk away. - He gestures to the elf. – You tou: Move ten meters away from each other. - The two obey, looking at Armenvald and waiting for a command. Seeing that they are distant from each other, the mage turns away and head for the empty stands. - You two can start whenever and however you want.

*

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