Second Arc (His Art of War) – 29. The Stain That Will Never Disappear

After Angel came out of the meeting room, a servant swiftly approached him. He was a member of the Dark Agents that he placed in the castle.

"Your Majesty," he greeted as he started to walk beside Angel.
"How are prince Ilex and princess Ophelia’s condition?" asked Angel straight to the point.

"Prince Ilex's wound is not severe. The doctor said as long as he didn't move around too much he would recover in one week. Princess Ophelia's condition was fine, she just experienced a little shock," the servant reported.

Although he did not like Ilex, he could only swallow his anger because of that ancient agreement. He knew King Gervis could tell that Angel was planning to take revenge since his status was not a Moonfall in the first place, but he ... He had to be careful with the rest of the royal families since the real Moonfall Family's bloodline had been cut off and he only took the throne because he could kill King Xenos, to make it worse, he was a dark magic user. Moreover the Reinheart family needed a successor and currently, there was only Ilex as the sole successor, killing him was tantamount to throwing Asteria into a power struggle. If that happened, it would be more difficult for him to stabilize Asteria's condition.
"Very well, keep an eye on them."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the servant said. Then he stopped in his tracks and bowed.

"I'll check the city's condition for a while. Keep the letters in my room," he ordered Frost as he kept moving his feet forward.

"I'll accompany you," answered Frost. Now, he knew that this was the place where Angel came from, as well as the reason why he could come during Euphorion's difficult times. Although Angel's cold expression did not change, Frost could feel Angel's dark power become slightly unstable after they met again in this castle. He guessed it was caused by his emotions that continued to flare up.

"It's fine, I'll just take a simple stroll," he said.

Frost sighed faintly, he was actually very worried about Angel's condition. But again, his contract as an elemental spirit made him have to obey Angel's orders.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered reluctantly. Then he stopped in his tracks and bowed.

When Frost raised his head, he could only see the back of Angel’s last troops following him.
'Your Majesty, you must take good care of yourself.'

Angel climbed onto his horse and exited through the castle gates followed by several of his troops. He just wanted to make sure the city was under control, especially checking his troops' preparation for another attack. Eternal Harmony City had just been taken over by him, people who were unhappy with King Gervis' decision may put up some resistance.

Their horses walked down the street which was still full of the battle's remnants. But despite the quiet street conditions, Angel noticed the civilians' cynical gazes through the windows.

'I don't think the stain on my reputation will ever disappear. Now I've attacked Asteria, of course, they'll hate me even more.'

He ignored the people's gazes on him and sped up his horse. As soon as Angel arrived near the gate, the troops who were guarding there bowed to him.
"How is the situation?" he asked.

"Everything is under control, Your Majesty. We have not encountered any resistance."

"Alright, don't let your guard down. As soon as Flare came, tell her to report to me," he said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After hearing their words, he walked towards the stairs to climb up the city wall but before he went up he realized there were a crack in the wall. He held his steps and examined the crack.
'These cracks aren't new, but why they haven't fixed it?'

During his time as the prince of Asteria, he knew that the city walls were inspected once a week and every crack would be repaired in a week afterwards. Because from the capital walls, everyone could judge how the king could protect his kingdom. But from the shape of these cracks, he could estimate they were more than a month.
'Is King Gervis putting too much concentration on the war that he neglects the wall's conditions?'

He averted his gaze and resumed his walk but he found several other cracks. Even though these cracks were not large and deep, they were very easy to notice at just a glance. Angel's feet continued to move and walk along the wall while he swept his eyes, checking the surroundings, but his mind was lost in thought.
'This is really strange. King Gervis is not a king who does not care about his people. He does not usually leave cracks on the capital walls for a long time.'

Suddenly he halted his steps as he realized something.
"Unless..." He turned to face Eternal Harmony City.
'Is Asteria having financial problems?'