The elven advisors carried a worried expression on their faces. King Lux had released a massive amount of pressure. They didn't understand the situation, and looked to Cailu for support. The arrogant man waved his hand in order to calm them. A cold sweat could be seen on his forehead, however. Just what happened past those doors?

"We are finished. You all may enter." Lux's immature but powerful voice echoed.

There were two guards in front of the large doors. Hearing the king, they immediately opened them. As Cailu and his entourage entered the room, they failed to notice the murderous gazes from the soldiers. Shu and Aiden followed from behind. Gwynneth leaned toward the sleepy man's ear as they walked.

"I knew you weren't the average man." She whispered. The Mother Tree had told her many things.

"..." The young samurai didn't respond. It was unknown why she deigned to speak with him and not Aiden.

"You have an important role. How will you go about it?" She continued.

There was no response. Shu ignored her and stopped beside his captain. Gwynneth clenched her fists. A look of irritation adorned her face. She couldn't help but snort.

'Fine! I didn't want to speak with you anyways.' She thought.

Everyone stopped before the throne. Both kings were acting as if nothing happened. The attendants eyed Solomon before turning to the child king. Cailu was suspicious of the wise man.

"My king. If I may ask, what happened? You almost drowned our nation with your mana! Is something the matter?" The arrogant elf pried.

Lux placed his chin on his fist. It was as if he was born to be a king. The soulless look in his eyes made him a bit scary. As he tilted his head to look down at the man, he spoke.

"I have been enlightened in new ways of magic. Solomon only showed me a few pointers."

"May…May I ask what those pointers were?" Cailu pushed.

"You may not. That is none of your concern."

"O-Of course. Forgive me, your grace."

The elf bowed in a subservient manner. Once his face was hidden from view, a distorted expression appeared. Something was definitely wrong. This was the first time Lux had kept things from him. Cailu could feel the paranoia setting in. Was the spell working? The child king still looked as if he was under his control!

'I need to see the Cardinals again. It seems the mind control spell must be tightened and renewed.' He thought.

After some more business talks, it was time for Solomon and his attendants to leave. Lux ordered Gwynneth to take them to their designated place of accommodation. They traveled some ways from the Mother Tree before reaching a clearing. A beautiful garden could be seen in front of them, with a homely tree house behind it. The building was still luxurious enough to be considered acceptable for royalty.

Gwynneth glanced at Shu once more before leaving. The trio made sure to hunker down and relax. The chess board was brought to the living room. More games were played between the three of them.

As the sun fell, alcoholic beverages made their appearance. Everyone had loosened up over time. A tranquil atmosphere surrounded the tree house. They spoke of several things, but Aiden eventually frowned.

"Shu, you are such a bastard." He muttered.

"...Hmm?" The sleepy man raised an eyebrow. Where was this coming from?

"How many women are you planning to steal? Are you looking to have a harem like those debauched nobles?"

"What are you even talking about? Of course not. Besides…" Shu trailed off.

Rin's image appeared in his mind. She was on her knees with her little mouth wide open. The yokai looked up at him with a blank expression. Her cute tongue was sticking out of her mouth. The blue pigment of the popsicle hadn't left yet.

Shu truly enjoyed how she didn't have the common sense of normal people. He could tell her to do anything he wanted, and she'd do it. She was like a blank canvas. The snow demon had served him quite well before his departure.

"You damn gigolo. Why don't you work in the red light district or something?"

"Captain…you sound jealous. What about Delia? She clings to you quite a bit." Shu retorted.

The red eyed commander huffed. Delia, the captain of Ravencorpse. A beautiful dark elf. She was infatuated with him.

"Nevermind. Forget I said anything." Aiden said.

It didn't sound like he wanted to talk about it. The uptight man took another swig of his drink. Nothing was said about the king. His wife had died a long time ago, and it wouldn't be smart bring that up.

Time passed and the moon was now high in the sky. It was a beautiful sight as it shined on the glowing leaves of the Mother Tree. King Solomon, who had been silent for a while, glanced at the two who were also sitting at the table. He then stood up and walked over to the balcony.

The vicissitudes of life could be seen on his face. An archmage who'd lived long enough to see two generations of elven royalty. How old he was, even though he didn't truly look that old. Such was the benefit of the Legendary realm.

Solomon's hands were hidden in his sleeves. As he peered at the elven city from afar, the lights in the dining room shut off. Shu and Aiden were still sitting at the table, but their clothes had changed. They were now donning their all black combat uniforms. Without looking away from the skyline, the Merchant King spoke.

"It is time. Go."

As soon as his words finished, the two assassins from Silent Night vanished. They were like ghosts as they melded into the darkness. The two went in different directions, as per the plan.

With his sheathed katana in hand, he accelerated into the city via rooftop. Even if he was seen by the guards, nothing would happen. Lux and the Mother Tree had ordered them to stand down for the night. Big changes would happen in only a short period. When morning came, everything would be resolved.

Shu focused on the mana signatures throughout the area. The arrogant elf was a mid tier Gold level fighter, while the citizens were silver and below. It wouldn't be hard to find that aura with his sensing abilities.

He eventually locked on to the target and pursued. Stepping off of the rooftop, he soared into the air. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to approach just yet. Two blades were already slashing toward him.

CLANG

Shu blocked with his sheathed weapon, only one hand needed to stop the attack. He frowned upon seeing the attacker. It was Gwynneth. There was a victorious smile on her lips as she pushed against his scabbard.

"...What are you doing?" The young samurai questioned. She was slowing down the operation!

His distorted voice caught her by surprise. The mana breather never failed to disappoint. After the initial shock, she spoke.

"That's my line. You're the one sneaking around late night in all black!" She exclaimed. Her arms were shaking from the strain of keeping him in place.

Shu rolled his eyes. With a wave of his sheath, Gwynneth was thrown back. It was obvious who was stronger in that interaction. The wind maiden understood it as well.

"...I don't have time for this." He muttered.

The lazy swordmaster turned around to leave. To his slight surprise, she was already in front of him. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was fast. It seems the title of wind maiden wasn't for show.

"So this is the real you. That harmless look is nowhere to be found. How quaint." She commented.

"Both of them are the real me, Gwynneth. I'm not good at pretending." He answered.

The elf woman eyed his outfit before settling on his katana. She was itching to fight him. His true strength was unknown and she wanted a taste.

"So that's your weapon of choice? I must say, it's quite thin. Luckily, I knew you handled a sword by the roughness of your hands."

"It does its job and that's all that matters. If that's all, then I'll be going."

As he walked past her, she put a hand on his chest. Shu clicked his tongue. What did she want now?

"I'm going with you." She said. The young samurai shook his head.

"No. You'll only get in the way."

She frowned hearing his answer. Nobody liked to hear that they were a burden. Gwynneth believed in her strength as well.

"I won't get in the way! I'll only be watching." She argued.

"Gwynneth-"

"Gwyn. You can call me Gwyn." She interrupted.

"Gwyn, I don't have time to be looking after you."

"You don't have to protect me! I can take care of myself."

"...So be it. Your death isn't on my hands."

With those final words, Shu dashed away. His target was moving. Gwyn smiled before chasing after him. It wasn't too hard since he didn't accelerate.

'How cold.' She thought.