knock knock

“Come in,” I said as I raised the paper that I just finished signing.

“Your Majesty, a letter from the temple has arrived.”

“Oh, that was quick.” Only a week has passed since Heath sent a letter to the temple.

“As they should,” a smug expression appeared on his face briefly. Oi, he didn’t threaten the temple, right?

He bowed his head as he handed me the letter carefully.

“Did they send someone to deliver the letter?”

Heath blinked quickly as if he is surprised by my question. Well, it’s normal to get surprised as the temple would only send their pigeons enhanced by magic no matter how important the letter is. I read it from the archives.

He cleared his throat before responding.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I opened the letter and almost squealed in joy when I saw the contents. It is a recommendation letter from the temple.

“Let the mage in,” I leaned on the chair as I watch Heath go to take the mage.

Ah, this is probably the hundredth time that I mentioned it but I cannot stress enough that is Aswain so weak when they got so many talented players around.

“Your Majesty, this is the mage who sent the letter.”

I looked at the woman that is wrapped in white clothing from head to toe.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” Her elegant curtsy suits her appearance.

“Take a seat, mage.”

I glanced at Heath. He nodded before he left the room.

“Were you aware that it was a recommendation letter?” I asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The priest told me that I am the only one who can help with your current predicament.”

“It was written that you are actually not a healer”

“I am not. I am only a mage who can use the power of the stars.”

“What made the priest think that you can teach a healer?”

“Because I can, Your Majesty. I have always been obsessed with healing magic since I was a kid that’s why I learned everything about it. I may not be able to wield it but I am confident enough to teach someone who can. I won’t disappoint you, Your Majesty. I will bet my whole life on this.”

Hey, no need to go that far. Anyway, her voice is really gentle. Even her whole aura is soothing. Anyone can see that she brings no harm so let’s give it a try.

“That’s enough.”

I stood up from my seat and walked to the door.

“Heath, bring Lyra here,” I said as I opened the door.

He nodded and vanished.

“Lyra is a quick learner. I hope you two will get along well.”

She shifted a bit on her seat so I decided not to return behind the desk and sat in the empty seat in front of her instead.

I took a cupcake from the table and ate it. Ah, goodness. The kitchen staff is a godsend.

“Have some,” I offered. “You wouldn’t want anyone to hear your grumbling stomach, do you?” I joked.

She hesitated a bit but eventually took one cupcake and ate it.

A few minutes later, Lyra entered the office.

After a quick introduction, they both left the office.

Few weeks later,

“Scylla, can you check if a letter from our delegates has arrived? I need their report.” Well, calling them a delegate is undercover. They are more or less a spy that I sent to observe the other leaders up close. I don’t even know if I can get something out of them as I deliberately sent them as my test subjects. Wow, that sounded evil. Well, anyway, what’s done is done.

She scanned the stacks of letters and looked up at me.

“What are their names, Your Majesty?”

Hmmm. “TS 1 and TS 2.” I sent them to Kanzas and Cerres.

She nodded and continued looking for any letters.

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“I’m afraid they did not send any reports yet, Your Majesty.” She said as she stared at the last letter.

I sighed. That’s to be expected but I don’t think I can wait longer. Almost two months have passed since I became the king. I don’t know when will Trevor and his new gang- the past king and his officials, rest in peace, will be back so I need to establish a strong foundation before that. Also, the sudden visit of that developer and her forewarning. I know she said that it is something I shouldn’t worry about, however, I can’t help it. What if she said that on purpose to make my guard down? Not like it matters anyway. I’ll take any enemies that are after my life head-on if that situation arises.

“Hah~” I let out a deep sigh. My actions and thoughts are contradicting. It’s not a problem if they are only after me because I can handle anyone without even breaking a sweat but what if they’ll wipe out the codes of these people around me? I know they are only game characters but...

“Ah, fuck. Whatever.”

I looked at Scylla. “How well can you defend yourself?” I asked.

She tilted her head before answering the question.

“Enough to keep me alive from my mother’s army.” Ah, I can’t send you outside then. Not only will you be targeted by other players but also by your mother’s army if they caught a wind of you.

I can’t also send Heath as he is very efficient with the palace works along with Adam so I can’t just pull him out. Raven and Henry are unquestionably out of the picture. Their jobs are too important to be sent as a spy. Azalea is also managing Imperium so she’s already busy as is.

I dropped my head on the table. There’s no other way then. This may also be the only chance I’ll get to see this world for myself.

“Scylla, bring my officials to the office,” I uttered while glancing at the window.

Moments later, they all gathered. They stood in front of my desk and looked at me curiously, probably trying to figure out what I am about to say.

“Oh, this is the second time I saw you, Raven.” Man, he rarely gets out of the archives.

He scratched his neck and bowed his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. How adorable. Anyway,

“You are probably wondering why I called for you.”

Their curious expression was replaced by a serious one.

“Can you shapeshift into another human, Heath?”

He looks a bit puzzled but he still answered my odd question. “Yes, Your Majesty. But only for a short period of time. Unlike animals, humans are far more complicated so I have a hard time maintaining their appearance.”

“I see. How long can you hold it?”

He thought for a moment. “3 minutes is the max, Your Majesty.” That’s already enough, I guess.

“Can you turn into me?”

They all looked shocked by my statement.

“B-But may I know the reason for it, Your Majesty?” Heath asked in hesitation.

Very well, I’ll tell you then.

“I am planning to check the other countries myself,” I sighed.

“You mean to spy,” Adam said while squinting his eyes at me.

“Don’t say it like that. You make it look like I’m the bad guy. Tch. Tch.”

“But your majesty, why must you go there yourself?” Azalea asked. Sweat is trickling down her forehead. My, my, looks like this worries them more than I thought.

“I agree with Miss Hudges. It is very risky, your majesty.” Henry said while nodding.

“Fighting is actually not a concern on my part,” I said as I looked at them. I sighed again. Looks like this will be a long talk.

“Why don’t you all sit down first? Looking up at you all hurts my neck.”

They all sat down quietly. I started tapping my fingers on the table while trying to think of where I should go first when Adam spoke.

“What’s the reason for this sudden decision, Madame?”

Oh, nice question, Adam!

“Hmm… The scouts I sent a month ago haven’t reported yet so I figured they were both caught.”

“We can send other scouts, Your Majesty,” Henry suggested.

I sighed. “We can do that but for how long should we wait for the reports to come in?”

“I could go, Your Majesty,” Heath said in conviction. I shook my head at him.

“No. None of you will be leaving Aswain to do this task. Your roles are important in this palace, having any of you leave even for a short period of time will affect the flow of the work.”

“So you personally want to go yourself?” Adam asked with a mocking tone. Whoa there, it’s good that we are close enough to use this tone to each other but I feel a bit annoyed by his question.

I raised my eyebrow at him. “Do you know anyone who can do this job efficiently?”

He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Madame, in case you forgot, you are the king of Aswain now. Anyone can be sent but you.”

“Damn right, I forgot about that,” I said sarcastically. He is actually starting to get on my nerves. Why am I easily irritated today anyway? I usually just shrug this off.

The whole room became quiet. I closed my eyes tightly before I continued to speak.

“I wanted Aswain to stand among others that’s why the accuracy of any information that I need is crucial”

No one said a word so I continued.

“It was my mistake to send the test sub— no, the delegates to Cerres and Kanzas without even giving proper training. Seeing how they weren’t able to send even a piece of useless information, I’ll consider them dead. It’s much way easier than hoping for them to be alive after a month has passed without hearing anything from them. If they are alive, then good.”

“If it’s trained people that you want, I might know someone.” Henry suddenly uttered.

“That’s good. I’ll take them with me.” He looked a bit dejected by what I said.

“I am firm on my decisions. I want to see it for myself before I make a big leap, and I mean, before Aswain stands above all.”

The atmosphere became cold all of a sudden. Because of my usual laid-back behavior, they probably thought that I would never say these words. They should’ve taken a hint when I beheaded the past king. Oh well, I’ll let them go this time.

“Your Majesty, when will you depart?” Raven asked. Good going, Raven.

“Tomorrow. I want it done as soon as possible.”

Their jaws fell in shock. I scratched my neck and sighed.

“Okay, in three days. I’ll depart in three days.”

“Then, I shall prepare the things you will need after this meeting, Madame,” Lyra said.

I nodded at her. A moment of silence filled the room again so I waited until they broke off the silence. I need their opinion on this even though I am sure I won’t change my mind.

They all looked at me with hesitation before getting up from the chair.

“We will take care of the palace while you are away, Your Majesty.” They all said in unison while bowing their head to me. I sighed and motioned them to sit down.

“In important occasions where my presence is needed, I want Heath to act as me to cover for my absence.”

Heath nodded.

“Adam already knows all of my schedules so it should go smoothly. I will update you all regularly so you wouldn’t worry about my whereabouts.”

“Your Majesty, is there a reason why you are rushing this plan?” Azalea asked in hesitation.

I nodded. “Of course. It is only a matter of time before Aswain will be dragged by Gamaras and Cerres. I don’t want us to be unprepared by going at a slow pace. Continue doing your work and increase the security of the palace while I’m away.”

I glanced out the window.

“Also, make sure that no word about this will go out of this room. Not even the remaining royalty shall know about what we were discussing in this room.”

They all nodded. Good, good.

“You can go now. I want to be alone for a moment.”

They all left the room silently. I flinched when I felt the sudden pain below my abdomen so I went to the bathroom to check.

I looked down and gritted my teeth in annoyance. So this is why I felt a bit cranky today.

“Why are you all so damn thorough about these details?!”