Duke Reviarra flew into a rage and slammed the note on top of his desk. He called for his attendant a moment later and proceeded to issue orders between gritted teeth. His anger was only second to his concern. Rather than leave his daughter hanging, he moved to stock the dead drops as soon as possible.
Without knowing the worries she left behind, Sol and her team had already started on their trip. Each member was dressed in shabby attire, though they retained their pristine equipment beneath. The group was nearly a quarter ways from their first goal when they intercepted a territory scout.
After relaying his information, Sol waved the man to continue towards Arcgate. Her gaze flickered with thoughts upon the contents of the report. Subconsciously, her eyes traveled to An as if to ask his opinion. “It’s up to you. This King would feel more comfortable with Dorothy nearby, though.”
“If the news is true, then it would be disadvantageous for Arcgate if we return. Rather, we can distract the two groups at the same time as long as we remain on the move.” Sol stated rather adamantly. The scout she released held news of a new group encroaching on Arcgate.
It didn’t take Sol much thought to link the new group to the mysterious 3rd party she had been so worried about. Her emotions felt stifled at the threat, yet there was a rising anticipation for their eventual conflict.
She had yet to find a good opportunity to test her prowess after her refinement and suddenly a new target showed up. Sol’s lips curled into a smile. Her legs kicked her horse into gear and the team continued their trip.
Meanwhile, Prince Roland had already divided up his men into groups to help reinforce a few priority Arcgate locations. During his trip back to report to Duke Reviarra, he felt his attention drawn to a treeline. He remained nonchalant and halted the team he was with.
“Set up camp. We will move out tomorrow.” His men moved into action dismounting their horses and unpacking the camping gear. He joined the group for a few minutes before claiming a bathroom break and entering the treeline to relieve himself.
The men Sol attached to Prince Roland continued to pack their tent while also keeping an eye on the Prince. As the Prince wasn’t a prisoner, there was little excuse for them to follow the Prince for private activities such as this and so they remained at a distance.
Prince Roland entered the treeline a few meters until he felt himself obscured enough from view. “Who’s there?!” He asked into the darkness without raising his voice much. Silence replied back to him and almost convinced the former Prince he had imagined everything.
Evenso, the Prince remained to do the deed. As he finished up, he noticed a note impaled into the tree beside him with a dagger. The sudden appearance without alerting him surprised the Prince, however he knew his position and role. Only one group would act so mysteriously towards him.
Prince Roland yanked the note from the tree and read its contents. His brows furrowed and from between his lips escaped slight whispers. Moments after he finished, he realized the pressure that lured him over had disappeared.
Between his hands, the note aged as if years were passing as seconds. It soon crumbled into dust. The entire scene was captured by Dorothy’s eyes. Her cultivation was beyond what mortals and apprentice Assemblers could fathom. Not only had the former Prince’s voice enter her ears despite her distance from him, she also observed the Assembler who absconded.
Torn between tracking the Assembler and continuing her observations, Dorothy eventually decided to mark the Assembler with a spiritual mark similar to how An marked Sol. Luckily, the Prince only knew Sol had disappeared from the premises and lacked any understanding of her goals.
Had Dorothy caught wind of more detailed information leaked from his lips, she would have likely crushed the Assembler and former Prince where they stood. As it stood, Dorothy felt leaving the two’s fate for Sol as a grindstone was more appropriate.
Having lived centuries and raised countless Assemblers under her Master’s banner, Dorothy understood the requirements to properly guide an Assembler. Easy journeys through cultivation often lead to unstable foundations. Those who never encountered trouble in their journey often stagnated at higher realms as the refinement process became more painful and troublesome.
Initially, refinement was a simple surface pain that could be quenched with effort. As the spirit and body increased in quality though, the refinement session would grow in duration and the refinement would have to dig deeper.
It wasn’t uncommon for cultivators to hallucinate during the process. As the pain overtook an Assembler undergoing refinement, inner demons related to the Assembler’s memories and experiences would distract them and eventually cause the refinement to fail.
Those Assemblers produced in luxury and peace tended to lack the life experience and tribulations to overcome those hallucinations. As such, Dorothy chose to allow the 3rd force to escape. Despite her brusk relationship with An, she trusted the man to save Sol if the situation actually devolved that far.
Prince Roland returned to his camp and settled in for the night. The following morning in the Blonsall Capital, Queen Blonsall and Prince Elric made an announcement to the public. Citizens were gathered in nearby villages to hear the imperial edict while those in the Capital gathered in the town center to hear from the Prince himself.
Queen Blonsall watched her son walk up to the podium with a temporary joy. Her immediate emotions of success were constantly consumed by the long term fallout. Prince Elric was her only son, and it was always her dream to see him become King.
Although he had yet to be crowned, it was only a matter of time as he was the de facto King already. Her dream was fulfilled, and yet her worries over the future only grew stronger. How could she keep the Kingdom’s power in her family? Her son could no longer sire children.
Her distracted thoughts were hidden well as she counted her age and reflected on her fertility. Meanwhile, Prince Elric stood upon the podium and scanned the thousands of citizens packed into the center square. He raised his voice and kicked off his speech.
“This Prince sat beside this Prince’s father during his final moments! This Prince’s father did not cry! This Prince’s father did not scream! No, no, this Prince’s father was resolute to the end! Before his passing, this Prince’s father left behind his great will for this Prince to undertake. After adhering to the year of mourning, this Prince will take upon the crown and inherit this Prince’s father’s ambitions!”
Prince Elric’s gaze became hot as he imagined the scene in his head. His voice infused with the vigor of youth and ambition infected the citizens. While the rumors surrounding Prince Elric were rather nasty, they were also a more recent affair. Since Sol was forced to withdraw Iridescent from the Capital and halt many of its activities, Prince Elric had already mended the damage to his reputation. As such, few citizens were against the Prince taking the reins and after hearing the ambition-laced voice of their next King, the citizens were instead excited for the future.
Prince Elric continued. “Before this Prince can assume the role, however, this Prince must hold those responsible for their evils! This Prince’s father was betrayed by the very family he trusted the most. This Prince’s father treated the family with respect, gifted the family with power, and strove for a brighter future beside them! Yet that family corrupted this Prince’s father's love and trust with poison and deceit!”
Those wiser in the crowd both understood the Prince’s intent and the family in question. The less wise understood Prince Elric was referring to the Reviarra household. Many held mixed feelings over the claims proclaimed against them. It was well known that Iridescent had single handedly improved their lives.
“This Prince will destroy those who destroyed this Prince’s father! The former Duke Lenard Reviarra! The former Lady Sol Reviarra! The former Duchess Sera Reviarra! The former Sir Christopher Reviarra! This Prince stands here to claim these deceitful criminals will not escape divine retribution! This Prince now issues imperial orders! Prepare for war!”
Although not everyone agreed with the Prince, cheers replied to the Prince’s proclamation. The imperial order and speech found their way atop Duke Reviarra’s desk as a report only 3 days later. His brows were furrowed, yet there was a distinct lack of anger within him.
He stood from his desk and gathered the citizens and troops of his territory. The Duke gazed at his loyal citizens and repeated the contents of the report without hiding anything. After he finished his recap, Duke Reviarra grinned to his audience.
“It’d appear this Duke is no longer a Duke, nor is this Lord considered in charge of Arcgate anymore. The imperial scum who framed this Lord’s family can have their title back. This Lord was never greedy for it, nor is it important! However this Lord must protect what is important! Those who agree with the Imperial family may leave without repercussions. This Lord won’t retain you or cause trouble. Those who believe in this Lord and wish to protect that which is righteous and true, prepare for battle!”
Duke Reviarra dismissed the gathering and walked away with an entourage of Knightsand representatives following behind him. Each of their face’s determined, unsurprised in the slightest by the turn of events. Beside him, a representative couldn’t help but mumble.
“Lady Reviarra predicted Prince Elric’s move perfectly.” A sneer drew across Duke Reviarra’s face in response. “Yes. Which is why Prince Elric is going to regret this action the most. I truly wish to see his face at that time”
