VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 3

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 3

[Capital of the Great Empire]

“Preparations are ready, Your Majesty,” said the Chief Royal Advisor. “The envoys can depart for the Kingdom of Lukas at any time.”

Emperor Sylvius was sitting at his table in his office. He didn’t look up, his eyes fixated at the documents he held in his hand as he listened to the Chief Royal Advisor.

Without waiting for winter to end, the emperor ordered the envoys to embark on their journey to the Kingdom of Lukas.

“Luckily, there had been few snowstorms this winter. They should be able to reach Andora Port in less than a month,” said the Chief Royal Advisor.

The Chief Royal Advisor was the one who proposed for the envoys led by Princess Luna to take the sea route instead of the mountainous path through the Yorkshaire Mountains. Not only was it faster, it was also safer now that a large number of Mullgray Pirates have been massacred by the demons. Moreover, during winter, the Ice Yetis in Yorkshaire Mountains become active. Coupled with the steep and dangerous terrain of the mountain, these Ice Yetis form a ‘natural barrier’ protecting the Kingdom of Lukas from the Great Empire. Although there were still risks of parasitic demons suddenly attacking the envoys through the sea route, it should be relatively safer, since Admiral Colodus would be escorting the group.

“A hundred elite soldiers, fifteen mages from the Fourth Tower, thirty servants,” said the Chief Royal Advisor, “several merchants from the Golden Crow Association, and the Royal Court Magician – ‘Triple Cast’ Jacob Fraser. These are all the people accompanying Her Highness, Princess Luna Lockhart Mavis.”

Although it wasn’t large enough to pose a threat to another nation, it also wasn’t small enough to be looked down on. It was just the right size and composition. An army befitting the status of the Empire’s envoy.

Emperor Sylvius finally placed down the document in his hand and gazed at the Chief Royal Advisor. “The Morton Twins?”

“They’ve successfully infiltrated the ranks of the soldiers, Your Majesty.”

The laws of the Empire allowed only twenty people to concurrently hold the title of Royal Court Magician. Due to this, there were magicians who held similar might to royal court mages, but were unable to rise to the seat of power due to its unavailability. The Morton Twins were among them. Unlike Jacob Fraser, the brothers weren’t known to the public. They served the Emperor in the shadows and did all the dirty work for him.

Emperor Sylvius nodded. “Well done.”

Although the envoys were being sent to the Kingdom of Lukas to establish peace and an alliance, the Emperor and the Chief Royal Advisor ordered the Morton Twins to come with the envoys to take care of any problems that would arise. They were even given the authority to kill any members of the envoys at their discretion. And they were also granted the authority to kill the King of Lukas himself, should the opportunity presented itself.

Of course, assassinating the King of Lukas was the last resort. Even Emperor Sylvius wouldn’t want the Dwarven Kingdom to come knocking on their doors.

Emperor Sylvius stood up and looked out his window. He gazed at the north, in the direction of the Republic of Everfrost.

“Just a little bit more,” said Emperor Sylvius.

Situated in the Republic of Everfrost were the ruins of an ancient civilization. An ancient civilization dating back to over a millennium ago.

Once he’d taken care of the Kingdom of Lukas, the Emperor planned on directing all of his focus on the Republic of Everfrost located northwest of the Empire. This was also the reason why he’d been currying favor with the Three States Alliance.

“Soon, it’ll be mine.”

***

After leaving the empire’s capital, the envoys passed through the City of Vockheim and continued westward, eventually reaching Andora Port. From there, they boarded one of the warships owned by Admiral Colodus.

It was currently night, and snow flurries rained down the sky. The sea was calm, and the sound of sailors laughing, of waves hitting the ship’s hull, served as background.

Princess Luna silently stood at the stern, her hands holding on to the pushpit as she gazed at the sea.

“You shouldn’t be outside in this cold, Princess.”

Princess Luna looked to her left, at the owner of the voice.

“Lord Fraser,” she softly said.

Princess Luna gazed at the words slowly forming on top of the royal court magician’s head.

[What is she doing here? If she gets sick, it’ll affect our mission.]

Although he appeared concerned of her on the outside, in the end, everything was for the sake of the mission. Princess Luna had gotten used to this. Everyone around her had been treating her as an expendable.

Princess Luna smiled. She tucked her jet-black her behind her ear. “Sorry for making you worry. I’ve always been fascinated by the sea since I was young. Now that I’m here, I couldn’t possibly miss this chance to gaze at these calm waves. It’s just… so beautiful.”

The last few words of the Princess were said in a voice so sweet that had other men heard it, they would have lost themselves for a moment.

Unfortunately, such things did not work on Fraser.

[It’ll take us almost two weeks before we can reach Kalavinka Port. What the hell is this woman saying?]

Fraser held a sigh from leaking out.

“Please go back to your room, Your Highness,” said Fraser. “It’s dangerous here. Although the waves look calm and serene right now, it could suddenly turn violent at any moment. My head will come rolling should anything happen to you before we could even reach the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas.”

Before we could even reach the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas.

Princess Luna didn’t miss the implications of that statement. It seemed that as long as they’d manage to reach the capital of Lukas safely, Jacob Fraser couldn’t care less even if something were to happen to her. This was probably part of the emperor’s orders.

New words started forming on top of Fraser’s head.

[And it’s not only the violent waves we should be afraid of.]

Fraser’s eyes moved toward the quarterdeck, particularly at two middle-aged soldiers. They were wearing mail armor, and a sword hanged on their waist. One of them was stubby, while the other one was tall and thin.

[Those two… there’s no mistaking it. They’re the Morton Twins. The bloodthirsty murderers under the direct command of the Emperor himself.]

Seeing these words, Princess Luna’s eyes widened. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the rails.

Even she had heard of the Morton Twins. They were powerful magicians with swordsmanship comparable to high-ranking knights. They were known slaughterers, whose real identities were unknown until now. Although they were twins, the two hardly looked alike.

And the reason why very few knew the twin’s real appearance was simple: they always made sure to kill all witnesses – no exemptions.

“Are you alright Princess?” said Fraser in a worried voice. He noticed that her face had turned pallid, and he didn’t miss the fear within her eyes.

“I’m… I’m fine,” said Princess Luna. She quickly calmed herself. She couldn’t afford to show any weaknesses here. Quickly, she consolidated all of the information she’d just gathered and analyzed it.

The Morton Twins were working for her father, the Emperor?

She knew that her father was someone who wouldn’t hesitate to use underhanded tactics, but she’d never expected that he would go as far as employ these criminals.

What were those two doing here, pretending to be mere soldiers acting as her escort?

Judging by Jacob Fraser’s reaction, it seemed that the Morton Twins were powerful enough to pose a threat even to a royal court magician like him.

This was bad.

Being watched by Fraser was already an obstacle by itself. Now, she also had to protect herself from those bloodthirsty murderers.

Now that she’d thought of it, the Morton Twins probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she failed her mission. Just the mere thought of this sent shivers down her spine.

“You, over there!” shouted Fraser.

One of the servants on the deck came running to him.

“My Lord?” said the female servant.

“It seems that Her Highness isn’t feeling well,” said Fraser. “Escort her back to her room.”

The female servant looked at Princess Luna and noticed her pallid face. She said, “Please leave it me. This way please, Your Highness.”

Princess Luna shook her head. She said in a voice filled with conviction, “No, I’m fine. I will go back on my own.” She couldn’t afford to give everyone the impression that she was nothing but a sheltered and feeble Princess. She glanced one more time at the Morton Twins, then lightly bowed her head at Fraser. “Thank you Lord Fraser. I shall now retreat to my room. Have a great night.”

Her etiquette was impeccable, and her every movement reeked of elegance. The female servant standing near them was momentarily struck speechless upon seeing such beautiful sight.

“Have a great night, too, Princess,” said Fraser.

***

After Princess Luna left, the Morton Twins glanced at Fraser. Although they were magicians, they’re also peak-level swordsmen who could go toe-to-toe with high-ranking knights. They noticed that the royal court magician, Jacob ‘Triple Cast’ Fraser had been observing them for quite some time now.

“Did he notice?” said Kale, a middle-aged man with a bulging belly. He was the younger of the Morton Twins.

Kazden, the older of the twins, replied, “Must be a coincidence. Only the Emperor, the Commander of the Royal Knights, and the Chief Royal Advisor know our faces.”

Unlike Kale, Kazden had a slim and tall body. His cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were round and protruded.

“Still, he’s been observing us ever since our departure from the capital,” Kale patted his belly.

Kazden chuckled, “He has his suspicions, I’m sure. As expected of the ‘Triple Cast’. Although he doesn’t know our identities, he probably felt that we’re different from the other soldiers.”

“If Fraser finds out our identity,” said Kale, “what should we do, brother?”

Kazden leaned on the rails and looked out the sea. “Stop asking dumb questions. What else should we do? We can just kill him. Even if he’s a royal court magician, he’ll be no match against us if we work together. You and I – we are invincible, brother.”

The Morton Twins laughed.

Kale licked his lips and grinned. “Hey, the Princess sure looks feisty, don’t you agree? What a beautiful woman. If only she wasn’t the Emperor’s daughter, I’d love to make her mine.”

Kazden looked at the direction of the Princess’ room. He said to his brother, “The Emperor gave us the permission to kill his daughter should she fail to beguile the King of Lukas. But of course, it’ll be after we’ve had our way with her.”

The two cackled. They felt excited just thinking of it.

Indeed, becoming the Emperor’s puppets had its perks. They could freely move in the dark and fulfill their deepest and darkest desires. And with the most powerful man in the continent backing them, they did not have to fear anyone, even knights or royal court magicians.

“Kakaka! Since the Emperor is going as far as give his daughter to us,” said Kazden. “We should at least present him with a gift. The head of the King of Lukas. How does that sound?”

Kale broadly grinned. “I’m sure the Emperor will be pleased.”

They did not doubt the feasibility of this in the slightest. The Morton Twins were already considered among the strongest within the Empire. Dealing with the military of a nation as small as the Kingdom of Lukas should be as easy as snapping the neck of a child.

***

For weeks, using the imperial warship, the envoys traversed the Mullgray Sea. Unlike before, there were hardly any sightings of pirates. They encountered a schooner with the flag of the Mullgray Pirates several days ago, but the pirate ship immediately turned back and fled the moment it saw them.

It was strange.

It felt as though the pirates of the Mullgray Islands had been snuffed out of existence.

By the time winter was about to end, they had finally reached their destination.

“Princess, we’re arriving soon at the Kalavinka Port,” said Jacob Fraser.

Princess Luna, her body clad in a cloak, nodded. She could also see the port from a distance. Upon reaching closer, they noticed the small army stationed in the port.

“Knights,” said the Princess.

She could see fifty knights clad in full plate armor waiting by the dock. Standing next to them was a boy in his early teens and a dozen soldiers wearing leather armor.

Upon reaching the dock, the sailors quickly moored the warship and escorted the envoys down the ship.

‘I heard that Kalavinka Port was destroyed by the demons,’ thought Princess Luna. ‘But it’s in a better condition than I expected.’

Before coming here, they were expecting a broken dock with missing planks and an abandoned village. But contrary to their expectations, the Lukasian had already repaired half of the entire village, and even the dock was in a pristine state. Moreover, an army of knights was even guarding the port.

“W-We’ve been waiting for you.”

Princess Luna looked at the source of the voice. It was from a boy standing in the middle of the group. Although he was wearing a tunic with simple embroideries, he emanated an air of nobility. The boy was from a distinguished family, the Princess was sure.

Princess Luna looked at the words that had formed on top of the boy’s head.

[Do not be afraid. Calm down. I can do this. We’ve been waiting for them to arrive for several days now.]

[His Majesty entrusted me with the port and these knights. I can’t fail him.]

What a cute little boy, Princess Luna thought. Unlike the soldiers with him, the boy did not have dangerous or antagonistic thoughts.

But…

It was strange.

These people had been waiting for their arrival for several days now? How was that possible? No matter how powerful a nation was, it was impossible for them to monitor the entirety of the Mullgray Sea.

Princess Luna’s eyes moved toward the armored knights. Peculiarly, she couldn’t see any words forming above their heads. It was as though they were all devoid of thoughts and emotions. A phenomenon that shouldn’t be feasible, unless one wasn’t a human.

“I-I am Kalavinka Kelvin,” said the boy. Almost his entire face was covered by his bangs. “This port and the nearby duchy has been entrusted to me personally by His Majesty, King Lark.”

She’d heard of that name before.

Princess Luna hadn’t expected that the undefeated admiral of the sea was this little boy. She smiled, made a curtsy, and replied, “I am Luna Lockhart Mavis, daughter of the His Majesty, the Sun and the Moon of the Great Empire.”

“A-A Princess!” a gasp escaped Kalavinka’s mouth.

[What should I do? She’s a Princess from the Empire! But what is someone as important as her doing here in our Kingdom?]

Princess Luna could see that Kalavinka was trying his best not to show how flustered he was.

Princess Luna flashed an even brighter smile, “As envoys, we’ve come here to represent His Majesty, my father, the Emperor. We’ve come here to form friendly relations with the king of this nation.”

Kalavinka opened and then closed his mouth. He tried to come up with a reply, but since this was his first time dealing with something like this, he was too flustered to speak, and no words came out.

Jacob Fraser moved several steps forward and introduced himself.

“I am Jacob Fraser, Vice Master of the Fourth Tower, and one of the Royal Court Magicians of the Great Empire. Along with these valiant soldiers and magicians, I’m here to serve as the escort of the Princess.” He paused, looked at Kalavinka straight in the eyes, and said, “Lord Kalavinka, I hope to impose on you. Please allow us to stay in this village for the night. Tomorrow at dawn, we shall immediately depart for the capital.”

The boy scratched his cheek. “Personally, I wouldn’t mind giving lodgings to your group. But… matters like these aren’t mine to decide.”

Kalavinka looked at the direction of the village. “We need to ask my superior, Commander Mokuva, regarding that.”

“Of course,” said Jacob Fraser. He said to Princess Luna, “Princess?”

Princess Luna nodded. “Then, please allow us to meet with the Commander.”