The maids and the butlers scrambled to put everything in order before the King arrived, quickly dismantling the impressive preparations they had done less than an hour ago.

The garden tables, the chairs, the luxurious garden awnings, the canopies, all of it was taken back to where it came from.

Doing so as fast as they had assembled it all.

Of course, while such thing was happening, the guests re-entered the venue in an orderly manner and resumed their mingling while they waited for the King.

Furthermore, the air around them had changed, or perhaps improved is a better word, for a clear liveliness could be seen on all their faces.

Not only everyone had been witnesses to incredible and surprising feats, not to mention the confirmation of an impending alliance, but a factor of annoyance for most of the guests had also been removed via a humiliating loss.

Indeed, Lord Ulthane was no longer present in the venue as his consciousness did not return even minutes after the battle. Some said that it was most likely due to the overwhelming shock of his defeat. While others said that they overheard something about the healers having trouble healing him.

In any case, he was gone, and the people were happily talking with the outstanding foreigners that had brought such a lively environment.

Meanwhile, Prince Licht watched from afar as he looked after his maid, Mary. While she had woken up some minutes after the last duel, she was still under the physical burden that the mana cost of 'going all-out' incurred. And even if she was still able to stand, Licht insisted in her remaining seated until she was in a better condition. Much to her shame as an attendant.

It is in that watching from afar that the Prince’s gaze fell on Lady Auros and her companions, but something grabbed his attention almost immediately.

'Where is that woman that looked so similar to my mother? Did Lady Auros dismiss her to prevent something going awry with Father? No. She would not do that. I am sure that she is planning something.'

Such was what he thought as he scoured the venue with his eyes and found no sign of the woman named Eresh Kur.

'She must have disappeared when all the guests were entering the venue. But to be able to do that while being the center of attention...is that woman's power like mine or is it something else?'

So he pondered, trying to guess the capabilities of said woman. After all, his expectations had been thoroughly squashed with the performance of the other two women. Thus, he already knew that they were not ordinary people, but...to that level? It bordered on a whole world of difference and already went into the realm of the truly unique.

If so, then how strong was the woman who held off fighting in the duels? Eresh Kur.

Or perhaps she was not a fighter at all. Maybe she had other specialties.

Still, no matter how much Licht thought about it, he came back with nothing.

And as the Royal Knights lined up to make a path for the King, he decided to simply watch and adapt to whatever was going to happen.

Of course, that also meant that if he deemed it necessary, he would not hesitate to leave the area immediately.

All for the sake of his plan.

____________________________________________

The King of the Kyrie Kingdom, Raphael Gert vi Kyrie, walked down the hall that led to the special entrance of the venue.

His every step was watched by Royal Knights holding their swords up in reverence on both sides of said hall.

One would think that such type of solitary walk was unfit for a ruler, but that was one more of the traditions of the Kyrie Kingdom.

For the King was always to be the last to arrive but also the last to leave.

Being the last to arrive meant that rulers always prioritized their work and the maintenance of the country over festivities. And unless those two were the same, the rule would apply.

But once there, the ruler was expected to watch over their guests until the last one left, since they too were their subjects.

In the ball’s case, such rule had only been a way for him and New Glory to get everything ready for the Grand Opening, with the ball’s 'official' reason being a superficial one, yet one important enough to warrant the presence of everyone involved in the maintenance of the country.

And so, the protocol to be followed was set, even if the presence of the foreigners that were Ludovica’s guests called for a welcoming ceremony.

But the King decided against doing it and he could not deny that it was in part to punish them for not appearing before him the very day they arrived.

After all, he felt as if he was being looked down by the one who brought them, the Head of the Church.

'But all of that shall change today.'

So thought the King as he passed through the adorned special door and entered the ball's venue, announced not by the announcer, but by his advisor, Hilde Val.

"His Majesty, Raphael Gert vi Kyrie, has arrived!"

And with such words complementing his entrance, he made his way through the venue as all the guests bowed respectfully, including his son Licht, whom he glared at if only for a moment.

While he had been a useful tool throughout the years, his recent streak of failures had not gone unnoticed.

To the point that his failures could be seen as partly responsible for the chaos that had taken over New Glory's information network, the resources lagging behind, money disappearing, and live assets becoming unusable after trying to obtain information on a single woman.

Lady Auros Argento.

A woman whose servants were able to defeat a knight leader, even if unworthy of the title, and the maid capable of fighting toe to toe with his deceased son.

Those were the same women that waited at the end of his path alongside the Head of the Church, all so that they could formally greet him.

"..."

Of course, his gaze immediately focused on the pale woman in black and grew sharper as he tried to gauge her strength.

But…

"Nn..."

…static covered his sight for a moment, causing him to subtly look away before quickly recovering and acting as if nothing had happened.

Still, the more he looked at them, the more he got a certain feeling from them. Confidence or perhaps…arrogance.

'After the Grand Opening such confidence, such strength shall be meaningless. For nothing can compare to what is behind that door.'

Such were his thoughts as he was sure that if they were any threat to him, then he would be able to deal with them after obtaining what was behind that ancient door.

But until then, he would play along and go through the tradition of drinking the Wine of Alliance with Lady Argento.

As its name implies, it is a tradition that symbolizes the establishment of an alliance, be it between two countries or one new country and a representative country of the Alliance of Nations.

Of course, there were negotiations, meetings, and paperwork to be done after that, but beyond it being merely symbolic, drinking said wine meant a positive start for all of that.

And so, the King finally arrived before them.

"Love be unto you, King Raphael. I would like to introduce you to Lady Auros Argento. She hails from an isolated country which just recently decided to leave such ways behind and support us with the fight against the Dragon Lords. And she is the one who helped bring about such development.”

So said Ludovica Aldert in a solemn voice after doing a respectful bow.

As the Head of the Church, she held power comparable or even above a country's Regent and as such, she was the biggest threat to New Glory.

Not only that, but she was an untouchable enemy. For threatening the Church was not just foolish, but suicidal. In short, they would be squashed as simple insects if they tried.

That is why he and Hilde decided to act in secrecy, something that had worked over the years until…it did not.

And such thing could be traced back to another of his son’s failures, for Licht was the one that convinced him to use ‘a curse from the goddess’ as a cover story, one they would provide to the inhabitants of the village near a mining spot for the Black Mineral.

Something that proved to be a great mistake when the Baron who oversaw such territory caught wind of it and even confronted Licht on it, but not before asking the Head of the Church herself about said curse. Thus, putting the Church in a clear path to suspect and investigate them.

While Licht tried to hide it by abducting Baron Cuhalin, his spies had notified him the moment it happened.

But then again…without the failures that led him to speed things up he would not be as close to achieving his goals as he was now.

"Hm. I see. Then, I am grateful to you, Lady Argento. I cannot presume to know what you went through to change the ways of your country, but the result is one that shall benefit the world and shall save countless of lives."

Said Raphael as he looked upwards at the tall woman.

And as he did, he could feel that he was talking to an equal, a ruler, a Regent. Even if he was not worthy of that title, he considered himself one, for he knew deep down that he deserved it more than anyone else.

Of course, the woman’s eyes showed no fear, no doubt, before the gaze of the King. Furthermore, her eyes only showed absolute confidence as she looked back at him and smiled in a courteous manner.

"I am truly pleased by those words, your Majesty. But I just did what I had to do for the good of my people and the world. For if we have the strength needed to support other nations in this ongoing war, then it is our responsibility to do so. As such, we thank you, your Majesty.  We thank you in the name of our nation for taking part in protecting these lands throughout the years and in doing so, protecting us too. We hope to return the favor tenfold."

So said Lady Argento as she too bowed respectfully, which her servants did immediately after.

Still, the King could not figure out if those words held any actual meaning or if they were simply an act.

And he could not care any less about it.

For in his case,  it was all but an act.

"Please, raise your heads. I have heard that these two ladies provided proof of your country's strength to everyone in this venue. So I can trust your word of returning the favor in such a way. Still, I regret not being able to witness the duels. Perhaps I would have even volunteered myself as a way to make these old bones wake up."

So said the King in a humoristic manner and laughed, with many of the guests following suit.

As for Lady Argento, she only smiled.

"In that case it would have been an honor to duel the Juggernaut King."

"Maybe I shall take you up on that, for I too am curious about the result of such a duel."

So they said to each other as they locked gazes and released a very subtle amount of fighting spirit.

Not only that, but the warrior side of the king was genuinely curious about such a fight.

Still, those were simple desires, nothing more, nothing less, and as such, they were easily squashed by his conviction of seeing his plan go through.

"But now is not the time. Now is the time for celebration."

With that, he signaled both Hilde and a beast-kin maid to step forward. The former carried a beautiful bottle of wine while the latter carried a tray with two beautiful glass cups, which she immediately gave to the King and Lady Argento.

"It is time to establish an Alliance in good will. One that will give a positive outlook to any formalities that will come later."

Said Hilde as she began to pour the wine into those beautiful glass cups, its rich aroma spoke highly of its quality while its dark red color filled the transparent glass, only stopping after reaching the perfect amount.

The King then raised his glass and began with the traditional speech.

"I, Raphael Gert vi Kyrie, welcome Lady Auros Argento and her country to the Alliance of Nations. As both political allies and as a family, one that shall laugh together and shall bleed together. And in doing so, it shall build a better future for all. One built in trust and faith in each other. Thus, do you accept to drink from my cup, as I would accept to drink from yours?"

Not only was Lady Auros not surprised by the King’s words, but it was clear that she was more than aware of the protocol involved in such ceremony, for she gracefully raised her glass at the perfect time and began with her part of the speech.

"I, Auros Argento, pledge myself and my country to the Alliance of Nations. As both a political ally and family. One with whom I vow to laugh together and bleed together. All for a better future built in trust and faith. As such, I will accept your glass, as I would accept it from a brother. And I offer you mine as a sister would."

With that, the King and Lady Auros exchanged cups and drank from them, raising the empty cups at the same time with their eyes set on the guests.

Thus, the ceremony ended with a round of applause from everyone at the venue, giving way to the dance section of the festivities...

Or that was how it should have happened.

"Everyone! I have an announcement to make!"

But it did not, as the King’s voice called for everyone’s attention from the deepest part of the venue, where he stood with Hilde at his side.

Yet, there was someone missing, someone that was also supposed to be by his side at that very moment, his son, Licht, but he was nowhere to be found. Thus, he thought of calling for him, but trashed the thought immediately, for that son of his would not matter anymore after what was about to happen.

"Could it be that the King has reconsidered his position towards the Bulls?"

"A marriage announcement?"

"For whom?"

So murmured the guests as they tried to guess what the announcement could be about. But it did not take long for their questions to be answered as the King began to speak.

"Five years ago, we faced a dark time as a Kingdom. A Dragon Lord attacked our Capital, one of our Knights’ Orders betrayed this Kingdom, and we lost so many good people to both things. As such, I took to heart the need of finding a way to end this...terrible cycle of violence.”

The King seemingly spoke from the heart as he looked down with an expression that showed a certain heaviness to it, even grief…but then he raised his head and turned to the woman beside him.

“And so, with the help of my trusted advisor, we endeavored ourselves to reach that goal. That which would let us enter a new age of peace, a New Glory!”

So he exclaimed with complete confidence on such goal, but he immediately lowered his voice as he continued.

“But said path was full of dangers and deep mysteries. So, I gathered those who I considered apt for the job and those who were not actively protecting our lands to build the path to it.  Of course, we could not have focused on completing such task without one thing, one very valuable thing. And that is the work of my trusted Barons and Counts who oversee and protect these lands, for which I shall always be eternally grateful.”

With that, he motioned towards the group of veteran warriors who had been deemed worthy and turned into those overseeing the lands of the Kingdom, like Baron Thach.

Meanwhile, many of the guests had faces full of intrigue and curiosity, except for a very select few who were smiling proudly without any reservation. Almost making it too easy for a certain Head of the Church to mentally mark them.

"And now we can all bear witness to the fruits of that labor!! A power that will overwhelm those who seek to destroy us! Come with me! To a New Glory!!"

It was then that a magical circle appeared on the venue’s floor, one that was large enough to cover the entirety of it, taking everyone by surprise, and that seemingly included Lady Auros and her people.

Something that made the King smile, for if someone of her alleged caliber was surprised by something so simple, then he had nothing to worry about.

Thus, with no time to react past the initial surprise, everyone was swallowed by a bright light.

_________________________________________

"What is the meaning of this, your Majesty?!"

So exclaimed Baron Thach as he and everyone else looked around at their newfound cavernous surroundings.

Not only that, but their attention immediately went to the massive double door made of rock that towered before them. It had strange symbols carved on its surface and an intense negative aura emanated from its seams, which made many people instantly shiver.

"Calm down, Baron Thach. This here is what I was referring to when I spoke moments ago. For behind this door lies the power that I mentioned. And the time to open it has come. Do it, Hilde.”

"Yes, your Majesty."

With that, she left the King's side and moved towards the door. There, she put her hand on its rocky surface and hit it with a simple pulse of mana.

For some, that was an anticlimactic way to open it, but for those more skilled in the perception of mana that was plenty, for the mana emanating from the door itself was as weak as a candle’s light. Thus, a simple pulse of mana was more than enough to snuff it out.

And it did as the faintly glowing symbols disappeared the moment the pulse reached them at the center of the door, causing it to open in an outward manner.

All while it groaned as if it was a giant waking up from a deep slumber.

"Oooh..."

"What could be in there?"

“Perhaps an artifact?”

“No, maybe it is a powerful weapon.”

“You can’t discard it being a key item too.”

Those were some of the things that the people that had been transported there said as they saw everything with great interest.

And while something sounded a bit off, the King paid it no mind as he turned around, and started walking towards the opened door, but not before saying one last thing to everyone.

"You will do good to stay still until we retrieve that which will bring us salvation."

In that moment, members of the Bulls of the Zenith surrounded the teleported citizens, nobles, and guests.

“We are here to ensure everyone is safe during this important event. So please, don’t do anything that will put at risk that safety and obey the King’s orders. But don’t worry, we will evacuate everyone if there’s sign of a collapse.”

So said one of the ‘knights’ to everyone. Her face was hidden behind her helmet and her weapon was already drawn, just like the rest of them. Furthermore, their weapons emanated a strange but faint black aura, which a couple of women noticed immediately.

In any case, the ‘knights’ were clearly expecting some resistance, but, strangely, no one resisted. Instead, everyone looked at them with pity, as if they knew something they did not. And that was correct, for they were not aware of their Leader's humiliating defeat. After all, they were already inside the cave when that happened.

Nevertheless, no amount of pity would save them from the fate that awaited them.

"Hey! Didn't you listen to the King? Stop moving or things will get messy ladies!"

A fate that was sealed the moment a certain group of women stepped out from the crowd.

A…painful fate.

______________________________________________________

Meanwhile, inside the sealing chamber, the King and Hilde found themselves walking through a cold and dark hallway, which was only illuminated by the magical torches they were carrying.

The place was not as large as the King had imagined, but that was alright. After all, that meant that he would get what he deserved even sooner.

And he was right, for it did not take long for them to reach a mausoleum.

One where the negative aura grew much stronger as they got closer to the pedestal on its center.

“…!”

It was then that Hilde noticed something that made her start walking faster while wearing a confused expression.

Alarmed by that, the King did the same and quickened his pace.

Thus, as the light of their torches slowly reached the pedestal, they quickly noticed what was on it and what was not.

There was no powerful weapon, no incredible artifact, no great source of power…

There was nothing like that…

"What...?"

“…”

There was only what had baffled Hilde and left the King speechless.

A set of letters.

One was pitch black while the other was pure white.

And they could not comprehend why they would find something like that there.

Indeed, it was something…absurd.

Just as absurd as the feeling that made Hilde take the pitch-black letter.

It was as if she knew with absolute certainty that it was addressed to her.

“Nn…!!”

And the moment she opened it, a great shiver ran through all of her being, instilling a great fear that even reverberated on her very soul. But then she quickly shook her head and made a wrathful expression as she began to read the letter. That is when a growling, guttural voice resonated within her mind and said:

Be afraid. Be very afraid. For the King of Storms will crush you all and I will be there, watching every moment of it.

"This is...!"

So uttered Hilde visibly shaken and trembling.

Seeing that, the King quickly took the remaining letter and read it.

 

What do you call a King who has not realized that he has been robbed of that which he seeks right under his nose?

A Royal Screw-up, of course.

Enjoy being salty, your Majesty.

With love, Lady Auros Argento.

P.S. Look behind you.

 

The contents of the letter hit him like a well-placed gut punch.

Furthermore, his blood started to boil as he remembered Lady Auros’ eyes when he met her.

That was the root of her absolute confidence back then.

She had been toying with him and he was none the wiser.

Her arrival.

Her timing.

Her mere presence.

All became suspect in his mind.

How long was she looking down on him?

How long was she mocking him?

She not only stole from him the power that was rightfully his after so much waiting, but she even took the time to write letters mocking him and place them inside the chamber.

His hands shook as all his rage was about to burst.

Then he imagined her, laughing at him, telling him how inferior he was, how unworthy, how…pathetic.

That was it.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

So shouted the King as he crushed the letter in a fit of rage.

And as he was blinded by such rage, he did not notice that his advisor, Hilde Val, was gone without a trace.

No…that was not it.

He did not notice because his focus had been grabbed by something else.

Someone else.

Indeed, for in his rage he turned around and what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

An impossible figure clad in a beautiful white and silver dress.

A figure that blew away all his rage and filled him with incredulity.

"T-Theresa…?"

So he said as the apparent ghost of his once wife walked towards him.

 

 

To be continued....(cue illustration of such moment)

 

Thank you for reading! I apologize for the delay; I had some problems while revising the chapter and it took me more time to hammer them out. Still, I hope that you enjoyed it the chapter! If you did, please drop a heart on it or tell me in the comments below!

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