Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihon-koku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 2: A City, A Diplomacy A Dragon

Noble City IVS: Little Mayhem Begins

Nobody could have fully predicted what would have transpired in the wee hours of the morning.

No matter how the premonitions and warnings, she was still too late to prevent what was already inevitable.

The screams of the circus crew did not stop. Their anguish was heard across the tent as the onslaught continued.

It started with a particular individual as he forcefully led the old owner to the carriage. The local guards themselves surprisingly and willingly followed him.

The huge cage was brought to the final curtains earlier than expected passing by the freshly dead bodies of the slain members.

The little girl had witnessed the horrors and was forced to close her eyes as she held unto her father's hand, who in turn was silent.

In the back of her mind, she had now wondered why he wasn't taking action or the fact that he was so calm in the middle of the mess. She tried to call him to snap him out of his trance but to no avail. As if there was something that rendered him emotionless and numb.

Soon, she found herself being brought towards the carriage where she was placed in one corner and kept in darkness for a long period. At least she won't be seeing any more of the traumatic results that plague the circus tents.

Her last memory was seeing her friend, the little dragon inside the cage being brought to a specific area and she wondered if she were ever to see him again.

Then it became quiet thereafter, the darkness had concealed her vision as the carriage finally moved and headed towards the final destination. While her mind was still recovering from the small shock, she continued to think of a way to escape the soonest as.

Except for her father, she had a sense they wouldn't need her anytime soon, and she wanted to make sure that didn't happen.

Although, how was she going to get out first off?

Of course, no mortal could get out of these kinds of situations other than with the help of prayers. So she did the only thing she could do at that moment.

She held her hands and said a prayer specifically to the long-forgotten Goddess.

In these times of trouble, patience and calmness were her only companions. She focused more on the people she would go to and inform them of the horrible situation.

Then in the middle of that, the ground shook and the carriage suddenly halted.

The small girl's eyes widened in astonishment as the guard decided to unlock the door and go outside to investigate the noise. Soon, many voices would be heard, and when she tried to peek, she saw that the carriage had arrived in a bustling district.

Then at the same time, the commotion escalated.

"Look what have you done to my horses!"

"You bastards!"

The conflict had begun and most of the guards attended to the situation leaving the little girl and her father in the face of an opportunity.

The little girl quickly went up to her father to snap him out of his trance.

"Papa Now's our chance! Please let's get out of here."

She tried to shake him off and even did a couple of slaps in the cheeks but to no avail. The man was still stuck in the same kind of trance. She looked into his eyes and saw the blank slate.

Indeed, they have done something to him, and unfortunately, she couldn't do anything at the moment.

The little girl knew that a small passage of time was running out and she felt the pain in her heart as she had to make a quick decision.

A small tear fell from her eye.

"I'll be back...I'll promise I will get help and save you." She whispered before leaving the scene.

The little girl eventually quickly snuck and leap out of the carriage and from that on, she ran as fast as she could.

Although, it wasn't before too long one of the men did manage to spot her fleeing and shouted out...

"Don't let her escape!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fear in her eyes was convincing.

She held on to the blue-haired teen's robes with her shook hands and silently pleaded for help.

Lelei immediately spotted a group of men with small pikes traversing through the streets en route toward them.

The young mage gripped her staff as the orb on the top began to glow brightly as the magic came to life. From then on, she bravely faced the culprits chasing the little girl with a certain confidence in her abilities.

"There she is!" One of them shouted as tall figures emerged from a semi-surprised crowd.

The little girl gripped her hold onto the latter and began to encourage the blue-haired mage to make another escape.

Lelei's confidence could only take her this far as she soon realized the oddness of the men. She widened her eyes upon seeing a dark aura that faintly radiated from their bodies and the murderous expressions they possessed.

Soon one of the men decided to charge at the two girls, pulling out a small blade.

Although, the young mage quickly countered it and with a single swing of her wooden staff, a magic spell has been cast.

The wind grew stronger and dust soon began to manifest surrounding the group of men the force commanded the dust to head toward their eyes in hopes of blinding them.

It did work giving the two more time to escape.

The men held their eyes in pain as the particles harassed their vision, although the dark energy countered it, and the magic was disabled altogether.

The first thing they saw again was the two girls fleeing away from the scene.

"Clever girl...Get them!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lelei had a lot of questions running through her mind right now. While trying to run, she felt the desire to ask the latter, but she soon worked out some little indications about the present circumstances.

First off, she already knew they were from the circus because of the small simple symbol embedded on each of the men's vests.

Who doesn't really know the greatest show group in the land?

She remembered a traveling troupe carrying the name as they were visiting Rondel a long time ago.

Second, she had no idea why they were pursuing a little girl in hopes to murder her.

Unless they wanted revenge for a horrible action she had committed which was also absurd.

Nonetheless, what really concerned her was the dark energy that surrounded the men and the fact that they were really not in their own control or will.

The two girls ran as fast they can, traversing the streets, crowded and not. Surely, no one dared to interfere as they feared that they would get involved in a mere issue or simply just don't want to get their day ruined.

The little girl was secretly sobbing while Lelei attempted to strengthen her heart. She needed to find a way to escape, and not too long, an idea finally came to her mind.

Heading towards another narrow street, the mage decided to turn left to another small alleyway and unfortunately, she accidentally chose a dead end.

Sensing the shadows looming, the teenage girl immediately got to work as she drew out a pouch that contained a gray powderish substance.

"Don't move, stay here!" She then instructed the girl.

As they approached, Lelei spilled the gray powdery substance on the ground, making a circle that now encompassed them.

"Hope this immediately works." She thought to herself, fully knowing that this kind of magic could potentially drain most of her Mana though she had no choice to begin with.

She knew the magic would direct her toward the nearest waypoint. Even though, she had still no idea its exact location of it.

How she wished she could have honed the more advanced techniques which her teacher had used before during his own adventures.

"There's no escape!"

Alas, the group of men finally arrived at the alleyway like excited wild scoundrels. Their own professionalism fading away at every moment.

Upon seeing them Lelei began to work as she used her staff to draw another second circle along the way uttering a few incantations which finally brought the magic to life.

The circle glowed brightly and was followed by a fiery manifestation that engulfed the two girls.

Lelei watched as the magic fully took effect, but before it could transport them to somewhere safe, she saw one of the men being briefly engulfed by the dark essence, and in a blink of an eye had surprisingly reached the circle and stretched forth his hand.

Fortunately enough, the magic finally took them away before he could reach them yet, in a small act, a piece of that dark energy was able to go through.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everything was just livid at the moment.

They ventured to the city again in search of a loved one and ended up being part of a fiesta that unexpectedly came up just to celebrate a wonderful reunion.

Some of the Recon Members were not expecting to be invited to a feast.

A private and simple feast.

As a part of the Day of Unity, the majority of the area was filled with small celebrations, which were held in the narrow streets. Long tables with cloths were displayed carrying different homemade dishes and pastries. Apart from that, the usual vendors had set up a number of stalls to catch more customers.

Although they still had duties to attend to, the group decided to participate with respect and to also let the elf girl spend more time with them. As a result, they find themselves drifting away from one area to another.

Despite getting permission from their superiors, the young woman was still not that quite used to witnessing random cultural exchanges out of the blue, especially seeing her fellow JSDF colleagues participating in a not so unfamiliar street game activities and of course, some volunteering on trading various personal goods.

"I'm telling you, sir, you could only have this golden egg if you have items that can be valuable for a merchant."

A humble elf merchant smiled and said, as he was surrounded by goods and items as he sat down under the covers of an awning of his shop.

Kurata found himself with a new sense of motivation. Yet he struggled with whether he would trade his valuable treasures for one valuable item.

"Damn...Should I really trade these for that?" He eyed the items to which he had possessed which were revealed to be a couple of limited editions of a certain Manga series.

Could these items be worth it for the merchant?

"Alright guys, what's the fuss about this golden egg?"

Apparently, Shino's curiousity got the best of her and she eventually went to join the conversation.

"It's a rare Golden Chocobo Egg." Higashi then corrected her, who also seemed interested in the item as well.

The young woman sighed." Okay, why do you guys want a golden egg for?" She asked, eyeing the two." And please...Don't tell me you're going to use that to cook some scrambled eggs for breakfast." She voiced her concern at the same time.

Both of the men shook their heads." Of course not!"

"It's part of an Otaku's dream, to have their own Chocobo," Kurata explained with pride as looked up to the sky with sparkling eyes.

"And playing Final Fantasy countless times has really raised both my curiosity and interest." Higashi grinned in return and seemed into the idea.

"I definitely want to raise one of them."

Shino remained unimpressed." Really? You two could have just rented a couple of those big birds for a ride." She replied knowing that their superiors would not allow one of their soldiers to have one as a pet let alone it would cause a mess back in their world.

She then shrugged." Besides, this egg could have just been painted into gold or something." She said, letting out her own suspicions.

Hearing her statement, the merchant quickly shook his head in denial." No merchant would cheat his own customers." He explained as he pointed towards a small badge hanging on one of the pillars." As a member of the prestigious League of merchants of the East Indies, that would mean breaking my oath!"

Shino let out a slight cringe, not at the statement but at the way, the merchant told his reasons. It was just too formal and idealistic.

"Whatever." She remarked, much to the merchant's confusion.

Right after that, the two JSDF Recon Members continued working on the deal with Higashi finally coming up with a brilliant idea.

"Mr. Merchant, I think this wonderful potion would be worth a trade." He grinned, presenting a can with a very familiar design and a circular logo that slightly resembled the famous yin and yang.

"Fascinating! What kind of potion is that?"

The young man let out a confident smirk." This potion can literally satisfy your thirst so that you'll never feel tired for a very long time." He explained." And of course, this container here is made of silverish iron to protect its immense power."

Higashi didn't really know what to say, as Kurata could only give him an unsure but hopeful look.

"And what are these symbols embedded in the container?"

"Uhm...It's the name of the potion...My people simply call it the "Pepsi" made by a famous alchemist named Caleb of Bradham."

"Oh please..." Shino rolled her eyes in return as she recalled the guys searching the web not long ago extracting and turning facts into wild imaginations. One of them is a local soft drink from their world.

Not a moment too soon, the merchant gave a nod. He held the drink with excitement. "What worth! What value indeed! It is a trade I am willing to accept. One Golden Chocobo egg for this unique potion!"

By then, both men gave a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I'll trade a couple of these." Higashi smiled, giving two of the big metallic cans to the vendor, while Kurata happily received the egg.

"And do mix this "Potion" with ice, it really makes the experience better!" The young man added, much to the confused expression of the merchant and yet he accepted the advice.

"Very Well"

Shino, on the other hand, shook her head as she couldn't do anything much about it rather than accept the fact that the two men never lost their childish hearts.

Her mind went somewhere else as her attention was directed toward the status of the elf girl as she had her eyes moved around in search of her.

Their objective was accomplished, yet the next step was still unknown.

Not until a strong wind blew passed by them and a feeling of anxiety overwhelmed her. By then a faint voice whispered into her ears and she saw a vision of a place riddled with chaos, and that to which caused her suddenly turn to her fellow JSDF colleagues, giving them a serious glare.

"Guys, I think we should go back and get the kids ASAP."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Careful please!"

"Sorry big sister!"

The group of children said in unison as they assisted the injured teenage elf boy in sitting on the iron-made wheelchair.

"Thank you so much," Aldon said softly as he sat in the strange chair. With the exception of a few anecdotes he heard from travelers, he has never firsthand witnessed this kind of innovation.

To be able to move smoothly while sitting could only be reached in some dreams and whoever thought that this certain friend would be the one to bring that.

Tuka never left the boy's side after just meeting him again. In the middle of small celebrations, she got the opportunity to hold a very long overdue conversation with him.

"I still can't believe you're here." Aldon remarked." Not a single response to any letter I wrote the village has come back." He added." And I was forced to assume that you finally left after our departure."

She remained silent as she tried to avoid discussing the fate of their village but instead...

The elf girl slightly smiled and nodded." And I'd never thought I find you here still alive and surviving." She then replied.

Her friend just let out a small smile.

"He looked liked a drained potato when I first saw him." An unlikely voice then entered the conversation.

The bored expression of the other elf girl caught their attention.

Tuka widened her eyes as she remembered her manners." Oh, I am really sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly but my name is Tuka." She said, before adding." And yours is...

"Sara, " The other girl then said, finishing her sentence as she gave a small smile." And I supposed your the "Childhood friend" that my cousin here always talks about?"

The latter gave a nervous grin." Uhmm, Yes.." Before glancing at the teenage boy, wondering why he had not told her that he had a cousin living in the city.

Aldon became dumbfounded for a brief moment before just letting out a smile." I guess I forgot to tell you." He explained, giving a small chuckle." And we're just getting to know each other."

Sara rolled her eyes." Oh please Aldon, How many times you and Auntie Jemma have taken holidays here?" She replied back before scratching her chin." I am guessing...since you were a kid." She explained. "We know each other very well and without me, they'd still be treating you as a wimp right now."

Tuka blinked a couple of times." So that means you're older than him?

The elf girl just confidently smiled." Hmmm, looks can be really deceiving sometimes but yes." She said." About 2-3 years older."

Red cheeks became visible on the boy's face. The secret was out and her cousin was his protector from little bullies from the past.

He took a deep breath." Well, thank you so much, Sara, my brave and lovely cousin." He gave a small smile with a little teasing tone in his voice.

The elf girl remained unimpressed while the other kids snickered.

Tuka, on the other hand, was quite surprised that both of them already had that certain connection. As she watched the two trade their own teasing remarks at each other, and before she could say something,

"So who are those Men in Green outfits?"

She looked up once more and saw the curiosity in their eyes.

"They don't look like they came from the Maihark's Knights defense corps."

"Or from the circus..."

Small laughs were then heard.

Tuka had almost forgotten they were still in the middle of a humanitarian mission. She knew what was going on but don't really know how to explain the entire story.

"Well, they sort of my friends..." She finally spoke still unsure of what to say, receiving surprised looks." And they save many villagers including the ones in Alnus from the beasts and bandits." She explained that the chatter from the kids became louder.

"No way!"

"Then that means...They also slayed that demon beast from the cursed land?"

She simply nodded, much to the kids being impressed.

"They must be elite magicians, knights, or something!" Another boy remarked.

Unbeknownst to them that the girl herself had a big part in freeing the land from the centuries-long curse.

"So where did they come from?" The curious Sara asked.

A brief moment of silence followed.

Still, she couldn't think of any names other than the original.

"Alnus Hill." Her own thoughts continued to encourage the elf girl to mention the place which in the minds of the children, was still sacred and mythical yet instead, she said.

"They came from a small kingdom in the Alnus region and they came here to help."

Aldon secretly stared at his friend with puzzled eyes. He knew that this wasn't the exact truth.

"Oh, now that's intriguing...A small kingdom that makes iron chairs with wheels and rides on horseless carriages." Sara, for her part, was already skeptical and gave an obvious remark, yet she decided to go along with the flow.

"Come on Miss Tuka, please tell us more about them!"

Not too long, the children kept pleading for the elf girl to spill more facts about her new friends, which she really had a tough time explaining. Apparently, there was only one person who could do the task.

How she wished Lelei was here as she was the better storyteller than her.

However, at that very moment, her wish would suddenly and unexpectedly come true.

The wind grew stronger and the atmosphere began to change. Not more than a second that an ethereal essence began to manifest in an open spot in the middle of the old fountain.

Tuka immediately sensed the magical energy and stood up, feeling a sense of dread thereafter. Before she could speak, a circular symbol appeared on the ground and a barrier emerged from it. Moments later, a wave of energy bursts from the source and spread throughout the area.

"Quickly, get behind!" Aldon exclaimed as the children immediately went behind them for protection. His cousin stood near beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The rest were ready to run if something terrible appeared in front of them. The elf girl made a face of disappointment as she forgot to bring her own set of weapons, which were still in the green horseless carriages.

As the wind subsided, the magic disappeared and two people appeared in front of them.

One was a little girl and the other was a familiar blue-haired teen and both of them just escaped their own struggles.

Tuka widened her eyes in surprise." Lelei!" She exclaimed, immediately rushing towards them.

The young magician gasped for air, a large portion of her vitality sapped by the spell she had cast. Nonetheless, her thoughts remained fixed on the little girl who had clung to her till now.

She gave a faint smile, before turning towards her friends." Tuka, please take her somewhere safe." She then said.

The confused elf girl stared at her." What happened?" She worriedly asked.

"Just got into an unexpected trouble." The latter simply replied, before adding." I'll explain when we get back to them."

Tuka had no choice but to agree, the situation seems to tell her that they needed to leave the place as soon as possible or else that terrible thing would then emerge.

Just as they were leaving the vicinity of the quiet fountain plaza, another flash of light appeared as the old waypoint came to life once again.

Lelei halted for a brief moment and saw the same number of human figures manifesting in the middle of the light. She widened her eyes in shock, wondering how the men were able to infiltrate the barrier just a while ago.

"Hurry up kids! Let's go!" Aldon exclaimed in the midst of the little chaos.

"You think you could get away that easily?"

The light died down and the same group of men had arrived. This time their faces had changed from human to more hungry and animalistic expressions. All their weapons were in their grips as they finally charged at them.

"Kill them the rest of them as well." The leading guard instructed, wanting to even erase witnesses.

Lelei narrowed her eyes as she immediately stood in the front, giving the rest more time to leave. As the men charged, she immediately mentioned a few words, casting a spell. Moments later, her staff glowed and the ground began to shake.

Thick old roots from the ground then emerged forming a wooden barrier that attempted to snatch the men's feet. Most of them lost their balance or were held by the roots but some were able to eventually resist even to the point of breaking one of their ankles.

Lelei thought that one spell could hold them off, so she decided to cast another yet this time one of the enemies threw his spear in her direction. Fortunately, before the weapon could reach her eye, the teenage mage was immediately saved by the unlikely object.

In the midst of that, a thick circular wooden board came to interfere with the spear's way as it was able to block it in time.

For sure, someone had thrown it, and yet who?

"Run!" An unfamiliar voice then exclaimed.

Lelei then turned towards his left and saw a boy, standing in a small alleyway whom she didn't recognize.

The boy looked at her with all seriousness and demanded she takes the opportunity to finally escape.

"Over here!" He then yelled out to the man, which caught their attention. "Go pick someone your own size idiots!" He added, challenging them like a brave street warrior.

The majority of them took interest and headed towards him with interest and retaliation.

Realizing the chance, Lelei started to flee but before that, she brought her staff up and cast another spell causing a strong wave of winds toward the men's legs which caused them to trip and fall on the ground.

"Don't let her get away!" One of the men exclaimed.

As Lelei flee the scene, she took one more glance at the boy, who gave her a wink and a smirk.

Surprised and confused, the girl chose to let it go as she knew she would be meeting him soon once more. Yet for now, she needed to get back to the church and warn everyone of the impending danger.

As they were leaving, a certain Higashi arrived, who had evidently taken a toilet break only to discover the vacant and chaotic scene, which left him confused and shocked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Palace

The day had finally arrived as the hall that preceded the negotiation rooms was filled with people, which mostly consist of representatives and diplomats waiting their turn to start their own negotiations.

It looked like a hot market inside with some deciding to take a few walks around the area, some started discussions and small conversations with each other to pass the time, but the others, especially members from the coalition took time to marvel at a certain object.

'I can't believe this big stone and rocks could produce so much cold air and it's really awesome!"

Carl was definitely impressed by the wonders that the palace has to offer. The American soldier stood in front of a human-sized stone tablet that had little square openings where certain small stones which had glowing symbols were found to be embedded it.

It was certainly a very hot day and so he spent most of his available time receiving the cold breeze that emitted before it. Obviously, he knew it was some kind of fantasy air conditioner.

"I believe those runes came from the icy mountain ranges."

Then came the familiar voice of a Japanese Diplomat.

The man turned around and instantly stood straight greeting both of the diplomats.

"Sir Tanaka...You mean Icy mountain ranges?" He asked slowly.

The Japanese Diplomat smiled." Yes Carl-san, a fellow representative had explained to us that this rune was often used to kill the heat on a very hot day." He said before adding." And I think it's better and simpler than ours."

From the background, Representative Diane sighed as she raised her small handheld fan which had now lost its battery life and had shut down.

"But do these rune thingies have some kind of lifespan or whatever?" Carl followed his question.

"Well, that one I forgot to ask" The Japanese Diplomat confidently said while his American counterpart rolled her eyes in return.

"But in complete honesty, I do appreciate their best efforts to keep this place as comfortable as possible since we'll be really waiting here for more hours." Representative Diane made her remarks, as she directed their attention to the many people who were currently battling their own impatience.

Carl simply nodded." Now that you mentioned it, I'll probably be eating my snacks earlier than I planned." An excited grin escaped his

lips.

"Me too! I got a lot of Panda biscuits in the bag." Representative Tanaka added, recalling how his wife made him bring several packs of the famous brand.

Representative Diane was put into slight disbelief as she shook her head. Now wondering why men would spend time eating more in a possible dire situation.

Why would she call the current situation dire?

The young woman then gazed at a small scene where one of the representatives was trying to talk out of a guard, who was just there standing like a statue.

Her concern grew the time they had begun the morning and now it won't go away for a reason.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please, at least give us any updates on the situation." The young man didn't know how many times he was going to ask the same question.

"I am very sorry but our superiors are still preparing for the negotiations." The head guard simply replied, not seeming to be weary of answering the same questions for about an hour now.

"Perhaps, you should talk to our frontline negotiators, they would be pleased to know your final proposals." The guard added, giving an awkward smile.

A brief moment of silence followed.

Standing in front of the huge doors, Brian could only shake his head while his fellow Japanese counterpart took the reigns of understanding what was being said.

"Aren't your frontline negotiators, your superiors too?" Itami made a remark which ultimately reversed the entire conversation.

The guard stood firmly and repeated the same stance.

"You do not need to worry." He simply just said." Everything will go smoothly as planned."

Both Envoy Leaders gave puzzled looks with Itami giving an "Eh?" to follow up his own reaction.

Whether they try to convince him or not will only take them nowhere.

"This is no use." Brian took a deep breath as he stepped away from the spot." We couldn't get any updates on the status of the hosts." He commented." There's something going on here."

His suspicions were growing and not because of the past experiences that he had been to. Being deployed into places with strange ways of negotiations and setups. There were a lot of signs by now and One of those signs is that they should be contacting the main base by now.

Itami simply nodded, though kept it to himself as his attention drifted to another." Now that you said it Brian-san, I do see something creepy going on here, especially the guards." He quietly told the American Lieutenant.

"Like what?"

"I am talking about them."

Then both of the men looked at the palace guards who were slowly growing in numbers. Emerging from two doors as they positioned themselves surrounding the main area of the hall.

None of the other representatives paid attention to the ongoing fill-up and went on with their conversations, believing that everything was just to tighten up the security, which was a bit more appreciative for them. Despite this, they failed to notice some unusual behaviors.

"They're all acting like statues trying to walk for the first time," Brian remarked, receiving a nod from the Japanese Lieutenant.

At the same time, the door in front of them slowly opened and emerged a familiar face they had seen before.

Immediately, the young men turned to meet the black-haired bunny representative whose eyes briefly hypnotized them.

She did not say a word but greeted them with a faint smile, before walking passed by them.

The two men simultaneously turned around to catch another glimpse of her as she walked through the crowds of diplomats and representatives.

"What was that all about?" Itami muttered aloud.

"Beats me."

Even Brian couldn't comprehend it, although he felt something thin and light on his hand. He looked down and saw a piece of folded parchment to now he was holding.

He looked up and the woman had disappeared from his sight. Having no choice, the American Lieutenant decided to unfold the parchment and read it.

The first several words had brought a big wave of worry.

"Get out of this place as soon as possible!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The closing of the doors signaled the beginning of the final negotiations.

The meeting hall was as silent as the day before, and the same faces greeted the young lady once more.

Pina arrived at a place that seemed already set up, though soon as she step forth inside the hall, she suddenly felt this sense of dread that continued to linger in the air.

"They're all here again." She thought to herself, seeing the rest of the delegation including the older elves which she didn't like the most.

Add the fact that there was one important person certainly missing from the group.

"May I ask regarding the whereabouts of Minister Kanata?" She then said, putting one of her main concerns on the table.

Only to receive silence.

The other cabinet members took glances at each other before giving her an altogether serious look.

There was something odd about the situation.

Eventually, Pina took a deep breath and gave Hamilton the signal, thus the latter nodded in return.

"Very well, I supposed we should start the negotiations." She broke the silence with an enthusiastic voice." We all know that many are waiting for their turn."

Another silence befell the hall once more.

Pina couldn't help but observe the men's shifting emotions. Especially the elderly gentleman, who is thought to be the Prime Minister's closest confidant.

Rinsui had been observing the elders for quite some time now. His eyes anticipated what seemed to be the next event. Although, unbeknownst to him, the elders too have an agenda of their own.

"Before you speak, Let us make this clear." The silence was broken as one of the elder elves spoke." With or without the Prime Minister, we will continue the negotiations and won't be wasting time reporting every word said to him." He relayed the information straightforwardly.

"Please lock the doors for a while." The instruction was given.

Pina raised both eyebrows in surprise. She was expecting the man to arrive and sudden the change of protocol was indeed suspicious.

As for Hamilton, the young page didn't know if she was going to continue reading what she had rehearsed as she stared at the ongoing scene, eventually noticing an irritated expression from Rinsui.

"Girl, you may proceed to read the details." One of the elves instructed.

The young lady blinked before she went on to read the contents of the scroll. However, when she was about to speak, the door opened once again, and there came in a familiar face.

"Not without me." The voice echoed through the hall as Prime Minister Kanata finally arrived.

Surprised looks were shared amongst the delegation, shocked faces from the elder elves, and lastly, a look of astonishment from the old man and the two young girls.

"Minister Kanata," Pina whispered.

The elf could only give a smile as he really miss the meeting." I apologized for being late." He then announced, while being assisted by a servant, beside him.

The mood began to change with the entrance of the Principality's leader.

When the elf had sat down, he noticed the frustrated looks of the elder elves and chose to ignore them.

He was more concerned with his duties, recalling how his mind won the battle and got himself out of slumber to finish what had begun.

It was a mystery for the old guard as they wondered how could the latter break the little curse they had Inflicted on him. Not even a strong mind would have resisted it... unless.

"Princess Pina, I apologized to you for the delay." Kanata spoke." But considering that I may do have the strength, we are ready to listen." He smiled and explained, giving a quick glance at his cabinet members.

Their morale was rising and especially, Rinsui, who spotted a proud face.

Pina returned the smile and nodded.

Hamilton cleared her throat as she began to speak." Very well, I am pleased to give you our final proposal that would result in victories from both our homelands and we are committed to achieving a long-lasting peace between Sadera and the Principality and-" She was then cut.

"We have grasped most of your proposals and we accept them," the leading elder elf remarked, much to the astonishment of the others. "However, to honor our traditions, we should raise a glass to this achievement."

Silence followed once again.

Nearly forgotten, the cup of tea was eagerly waiting for someone to drink them.

"This never happened before." Pina thought as she noticed that the rest were resisting the urge to pick up the cup and drink the tea.

She narrowed her eyes and examined the cup and saw a white substance on it. Not too long that she was able to realize the hidden agenda.

"Wait! Stop!" She tried to warn them but was already too late.

Most of them had drank the tea with the exception of the Prime Minister and Rinsui.

A big advantage for the elder elves as they evilly grinned and waited for the moment to come. They too were also going to drink their own cups still believing that it had not been tainted.

Though there was some truth in it, the purpose was vastly different.

Nothing had happened to the delegates.

"Impossible." The leading elf thought." I thought she already placed the potion inside the-" -His sentence was not finished.

With the exception of the cups held by the other two factions, the cups which were held by the elves had suddenly burst like a firecracker, spilling the liquid all over their desk and clothing.

Had they drunk it, they would all be history.

"That good for nothing woman!" One of them exclaimed as he could not take in his own anger.

The Bunny Warrior indeed had the blood of traitors.

Rinsui's goal was a success; he had accomplished what he had set out to do. Remove the mask and reveal who they actually are.

A faint victorious smile emerged from his lips.

The only thing that he needed to do was to order the guards to immediately apprehend them followed by alerting the military captains of the situation. How easy could that be?

"Edwin! Arrest those men for attempted assassination!" shouted the old man, commanding the palace guard captain to act.

Although, the men themselves did not react and stood in their positions.

"Guards!" Rinsui exclaimed again, for he only thought, they had not heard his words, and yet still, they did not listen.

A brief moment of silence followed before a single laugh came from the leading elf.

"Do you think you could just tell them that easily?" He remarked before raising his hand and making a gesture.

Soon, the guards moved and locked all the doors leading outside. The other group approached and surrounded both delegations, now with their pikes pointed at them.

The rest of them were overcome with shock and surprise.

Meanwhile, Hamilton dropped her scroll and rushed beside the stunned red-haired princess to aid and protect her.

The Prime Minister narrowed and eyed the old guards of the Principality." What's the meaning of this!?" He demanded to know the agenda.

Only to receive another silent response from them.

The leading elf continued to laugh as he stood beside his comrades. Knowing that hiding secrets were now just useless and without hesitation, he spoke.

"From now on, the Principality will be returning to the old glory." He announced." All those who conspire against thy power and spirit will be executed on the spot." He added." So cooperate or the rest of you will see yourselves never returning to this world again."

His statement definitely rocked the minds of everyone.

For the first time, Pina didn't know what to do next as she had not experienced this kind of scenario before. The young lady glanced at her friend, who had the most troublesome expression.

Literally, the situation escalated quickly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The same as well for them.

"Stay where you are!"

"Don't move or else!"

Yells of aggression were heard across the halls as the palace guards made their move, surrounding the representatives and diplomats in one area, while pointing their weapons at them.

The rest followed their orders and remained in the spots they were.

Members of the coalition envoy, as always in these kinds of situations, took the two diplomats behind them from any potential threats.

"Get those two behind! Quick!" Brian Immediately said as the tension grew.

Itami went towards the American and Japanese representatives and assisted them to a safer spot away from the guard.

"Don't try to cast any magic and use your own weapons or else you'll be all put to death!" Another guard fired a threat.

Carl, on the other hand, had regained his composure and wanted to take action, and by the time he was going to draw his gun, Brian Immediately stopped him.

"What the hell Bri!?" He exclaimed.

The other could only give him a look of seriousness and gave a slight nod.

The takeover was in full flow since the representatives and escorts were unable to do much at the moment. More guards swiftly entered and began taking any potential objects that may be used as a form of resistance to them.

Pocket blades, staffs, necklaces, rings, and many more were taken away. By the time, they got to the coalition members, they did not hesitate to boss them around.

"I don't care what weapons or artifacts they possessed...Make sure they would be powerless as possible." The second-in-command remarked again, firing orders as if he owned the palace himself.

When the guards finally got to the coalition envoy, they forced the members to raise their hands and took the unique artifacts that they possessed. The others had to let go of their rifles as they placed them in one spot.

"These are strange elongated weapons."

"I heard they are powerful enough to destroy a powerful armor."

"We could use them for ourselves."

The guards laughed and kept their discussion a secret yet little do they know that the weapons themselves were already strapped off their ammo before they could get their hands on them.

"Follow your orders! Whatever these are, they are considered cursed." Their superior yelled at them.

The dark essence then manifested as the men reacted and instantly followed what he had demanded.

These surprised the coalition members as they saw the mysterious essence enveloping them as if they were the ones influencing their characters.

Carl was so stunned that he tried to subtly give his childhood friend a shove in hopes of confirming if he saw it too. The latter just frowned in return.

Brian was more concerned about how did the rest of the guards end up like this. His suspicions were already at a high level and to be confirmed in a secret letter was even more of a nightmare. But that only caused him to act earlier and hiding all the ammo in a certain area was the right decision.

He took a quick glance at the rest. They all were waiting for the next orders.

His Japanese counterpart could only nod in return.

It could be the only decision that would help save a lot of lives.

Thus they decided to stay put and not resist.

CHAPTER END

AN: Long time no see fellas! it's been a while since the last chapter update and since I wrote a scene. Things had been really busy lately, mostly real-life stuff which includes me finally getting my first job, which also took out a lot of my free time. Then there's the second half of the previous chapter which I was planning to publish before I started working and unfortunately, the file was corrupted by some virus and all the scenes were erased, leaving me with no choice but to start again from scratch (Which is really energy-draining). Mostly remembering important scenes through memory and little summary notes. Although I'm still not able to rewrite the original vision of the chapter, and the rustiness is still there, I managed to reimagine and write scenes that I think would blend well. I do hope that I would regain the lost ideas and finally leave the rustiness behind. So far, this is the only thing I can do to keep moving forward. Thank you very much for understanding and really appreciate you guys for giving me the time to read the chapter.