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Chapter 10: Meeting the King
It was a luxurious room. Idols dressed in lush, bright clothes were placed neatly along the walls, glowing under a large, plain light hanging above them. Only two wooden chairs were set in the center—an odd contradiction to the richness of the room.
On one of those small wooden chairs sat a fat, grumpy man. His body barely fit; half of him seemed to spill over the sides. He had a golden moustache, thick dark eyebrows, and deep black eyes—but the dark marks around them revealed his lack of sleep… or perhaps something more. He wore a traditional-looking dress, though with far fewer ornaments than one would expect from a king.
Beside him stood a man who looked far more decorated than the one seated. He wore a perfectly lined, new silk coat that shimmered under the light, paired with thin golden pajamas. His golden-yellow hair was neatly arranged, his face clean and sharp, and his blue eyes steady. His hands were placed behind his back as he stood straight, like a pillar.
"My king… they are here," the golden-haired boy said calmly.
"Hm… ah, well… where… ah, come, come here, sir. Sit on the chair," the king replied, his eyes half-open, his tone confused as if he had just woken from a nap.
"Ah, king of my land ,seems your are busy thinking about me lately,shows your eyes lacking sleep ," Alimer began, his voice playful yet sharp.
"So, king… is this my seat? King, why do we both have the same-looking chair?,and why a plain wooden one ,ah you really are shame to the title of king ,ah"
As he spoke, Alimer slowly walked inside, scanning the room with a crooked smile. His eyes locked onto the king as he dragged the chair slightly back making skrkkk sound before sitting. He leaned into it casually, crossing his legs, revealing his shiny black monnar skin—an animal-like texture similar to a crocodile but without legs. A suffocating crow emblem appeared bitten into it, trembling slightly as if alive.
"Well," the king said, turning his head lazily toward the golden-haired man behind him, "I had less sleep… was having a bit of a nap. But my brother's son here told me I should sort things out with you… since you're some goon of this area,and sorting things with you may decrease my future headaches ah,So here I am now."
"Goon of the area… isn't that a bit nasty to say, king?" Alimer smiled, though his eye twitched slightly. "Well… I care less."
"Really? Because I heard you once raped the last governor's wife—for not letting your opinion be taken for a mere festival."
The king leaned back, his voice flat.
"Well, I don't care much about that. It was under the former king's rule. But now I am here. And you must've heard the rumors about how I execute goons in my kingdom, right? Otherwise, you would've already sent your dogs to kidnap my daughter. Yet here you are… sitting in front of me to 'sort things out.'"
He stretched slightly, his stomach pushing forward as he reclined.
"I only agreed to this nonsense because my golden-haired nephew Aexmon thinks you're useful… more than just a bone."
"You've heard less about me than you should," Alimer replied, exhaling slowly. His tone shifted—calmer, colder.
"I came here to offer you my alliance for your coming war in Agaony's third and last part of the kingdom—Agaox. It benefits both of us. I will move my forces away from your palace toward the border. You won't have to worry about any problems from my men."
The king scratched his cheek lazily.
"Well… that's good. But not enough, right?"
He paused, then leaned forward slightly.
"KAARNERS have given me a better offer. If I use them to take Agaox, I give them control there as the ruling seat. They'll leave behind all mischief and let Agaox develop like regions such as Faintx and Xorx from the Leveion Kingdom though i don't care about that as much but it's not becoming my head ache…"
He let out a low grunt, shifting his weight.
"But here's the interesting part…"
He suddenly straightened, leaning closer toward Alimer, his eyes sharpening.
"He said he'd arrange a meeting… with one of the Devil's members."
Alimer's expression didn't change, but his voice dropped and his eyes constricted a bit.
maggrix turned around his eyes towards xenon, who was still as straight looking straight into gorian as before. then came back his initial posture.
"That's a very good deal… but you do realize, right? If they find out you even communicated with one of the Devils… the thousand-year alliance between the six kingdoms of this Swarg will break. And they'll finish you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"They're already angry about how you destroyed the seventh kingdom and its family—even if you gave them an explanation."
The king waved his hand dismissively.
"I don't need to worry. They said they have arrangements for that."
"And you believed that… sister-fucker?" Alimer said, grinning slightly, his patience thinning.
"Well, I don't want to waste my time there. My last offer stands. You do know which family I come from, right?"
"Yeah… that mattered when your father was alive," the king replied bluntly.
"Or at least when your family had Auskles. But now? What do you have?"
He leaned forward slightly, his tone sharpening.
"If you've got nothing to offer, then fuck off. And those goons of yours staring at me like they can intimidate me…"
He smirked faintly.
"I don't care about you, Alimer. I only came here for some extra gold—because my nephew said you might have an Auskles. But from how desperate you are to change topics… I don't think you have any."
With that, the king leaned back again, rubbing his face, yawning, and closing his eyes as if the conversation bored him.
Alimer sat still.
Silent.
His face hardened as he slowly turned his burning red eyes toward the cracked window. Outside, a dancer had just finished her final step. She stood still, waiting for water, her body glistening with sweat. Salt traced lines across her golden-brown skin, her breath heavy, yet her appearance still dazzling.
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Leo'rashy
Under the harsh afternoon sun, with heavy humidity rising from the surrounding sea, sweat rolled down every face.
Near the dense trees, people packed tightly, filling every gap, yet leaving a wide path in between. Their expressions carried excitement—it was a rare occasion.
Saint Leo, with his long white hair flowing behind him, walked calmly along that path. His long blue robe dragged slightly across the muddy ground. His subordinates followed closely as he moved forward, having just left the Silvia household and heading toward the temple in the sky.
Inside the dark, grim house—filled with mourning and heavy air—the noise of crying and murmurs had strangely quieted.
People still stood inside, watching silently from doors and windows as Saint Leo departed.
Amid them, Silvia sat quietly.
Her face remained calm—but carried a deep, invisible weight. She held her mother close, resting her mother's head on her shoulder, her arm wrapped firmly around her back.
Varna tried not to cry aloud. Her lips trembled, and she took deep, uneven breaths into her daughter's shoulder, hiding the storm inside her.
Nearby, Aira washed glasses used to serve lemon juice. Her thin, soft hands struggled to clean them properly with coconut fiber, brass scrub, and soil. Most of the time, the glasses slipped from her hands, and she had to start again.
Even after washing one, she would inspect every corner carefully—making sure not even a grain of sand remained.
As she picked another glass, she heard a voice.
"Aira… bring water for mother. Sit next to her. I will wash the rest afterward."
It was Silvia.
Startled, Aira quickly gathered the cleaned glasses, placed them in a wooden bowl, washed her hands and face in haste, wiping them clumsily with her cloth.
She picked a glass—checked it once… twice… then rinsed it again with drinking water just to be sure.
Filling it, she rushed toward the hall.
"Coming, sister Silvia!" she called—late.
She slipped twice on the way but managed to regain balance each time. Finally, she reached and carefully placed the glass in front of Silvia.
Silvia, lost in thought, blinked back to awareness.
"You don't need to rush, dear," she said gently, her voice soft and steady.
"Come… sit beside mother. I will go to the temple with Lord Leo's group."
She carefully adjusted her mother's head before guiding Aira into place.
As Silvia moved toward the door, she picked up a thin cloth from the wall and wrapped it around her head.
"Sister Silvia… can I make dinner today?" Aira asked hesitantly, her eyes filled with hope.
"As you and aunt are in grief…"
Silvia paused, then smiled faintly.
"We'll see, dear. Doing it alone might be too much… I'll help you a little in between, alright?"
Then she turned slightly toward her mother.
"Mother… you should eat something. Or do you plan to abandon the house and life as well… hm?"
Her tone carried both firmness and care.
Receiving no response, she stepped outside.
There, she heard a voice.
"Where are you going now?"
It was Vanan—the blue-eyed boy—standing near the entrance, watching Saint Leo's group in the distance.
"To the temple. With Lord Leo's group ahead… I need to catch up," Silvia replied, scanning for a way through the crowd.
Vanan stepped closer.
"Can I join you?"
"As you wish," she said simply.
With that, Silvia moved through the crowd, making her way forward. Soon, she reached an open path where she could clearly see Leo's group ahead.
Under the scorching, humid heat… she walked forward to join them.
The End
To be continued~