Chapter 36: Chapter 112 – The Audience

Asterios showed a wry smile while shrugging his shoulders. “I have no idea how but things just suddenly went that way.”

Suanori sighed. “Seriously… And here I thought nothing that comes from you would surprise me anymore… I assume you aren’t asking just because you’ve heard about it from someone and are curious?”

Back to her joyful attitude now that the discussion had switched topics, Miria giggled at the guildmaster while proudly rubbing her cheek into Ast’s.

“Master is going to meet with the king today. I still can’t believe we will be able to see the ruler of humans. I wonder what he looks like. Is he old and wise? Or young and handsome? Ah, but I don’t think he would be more handsome than Master!”

Selene chuckled as Asterios petted Miria’s ears. “If it’s the latter, then after you fall for him, I will have Master all for myself for some time, fufufu~”

“That will never happen! I’m Master’s mate and will stay one forever!” The panthergirl squinted her eyes at the grinning fox lady.

“Alright, alright. You know very well she’s just teasing you,” Asterios interjected, applying some more strength into his fingers, causing Miria’s legs to wobble as she released a faint moan. “Let’s not cause a scene in front of Suanori. We are in the middle of a serious conversation here.”

But Miria wasn’t done, and while resisting Ast’s powerful affectionate caresses, she turned her face to the guildmaster, managing to keep one eye open.

“You met the king, right? Who would you like to date more if you had to choose? Him or Master?”

Suanori’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected question. She could see Selene’s mysterious smile grow bigger as the fox lady drew her hand to her lips to partially hide it, which clearly looked more like an intentional tease than an attempt at being discreet.

Asterios bonked his frivolous partner on the head, causing her to make a silly face, and glanced at the guildmaster. “You don’t have to answer that question. I would appreciate any actual information on the man, though.”

“Well… I don’t really mind…” 

Suanori tried to act as her usual calm and collected self, looking at them properly without running away with her gaze, but everyone could spot a very faint blush on her fair cheeks, which made Selene secretly swat Ast’s back with her tail. He barely held back from rolling his eyes. 

“Under the current circumstances, I think I would choose Asterios. Yes, I did meet the king in the past, but it was a short and very official meeting. I spent much more time with you guys, and know Asterios much better than I do him, so the choice would be pretty obvious. I did enjoy hanging out with all of you.”

“Fufufu~ Too bad the Summoner’s Harem is no more. You would make a great fourth member.” Selene winked at her.

Asterios sighed at all the teasing coming from both of his girls. It almost seemed like they were the ones interested in growing his harem instead of him. “Thanks for the compliment, I guess.”

“Oh? You renamed the party already? I guess it happened in Dagger’s End. What’s the new one?” Suanori swiftly changed the topic, grabbing a hold of the presented opportunity.

“Scarlet Scale!” Miria informed her with a radiant smile.

“Catchy. Knowing you guys, it’s not without meaning if we assume it’s the same as the previous one.”

“You are right.” Asterios nodded. “It’s a small reference that pretty much only we can understand.”

“Considering how much Miria wanted it to be related to Dragons, I guess it implies a Dragon’s scale. Red Dragons were said to be the most ferocious ones, even more than the black ones. I have no idea if you chose it intentionally because of this, but you are pretty much the opposite of that, Asterios, with your quite thoughtful and caring nature. Or I’m just looking into it too much and you just chose it because of your eyes and mana.”

He smiled wryly as the girls chuckled, all of them just now noticing the connection. Only they knew that Asterios tended to turn a little bit fierce under heavy emotions, which additionally supported Miria’s thesis that he was related to a Dragon, or his father somehow implanted a Dragon’s source into him.

“Maybe we will fill you in on all the details one day. For now, I would like to return to talking about the king. I might have to leave at any moment so whatever you could share with me would be really appreciated. Know that I would repay this favor, of course.”

“Don’t even mention it.” Suanori waved her hand at him. “I’m pretty sure you know the basics. Welrond V is the name. Like everyone in the royal family, he has red-orange-yellow hair, depending on the angle and length. The king seems to like them short. He is pretty young himself, I think between forty or fifty so you don’t have to worry about offending an old geezer with your manners that much.”

Miria’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the unusual hair. She tried to imagine the mix of the mentioned shades but couldn’t exactly figure out what would the combination be, which made her even more curious about the king than she already had been since the start.

“As I mentioned before, my time with the king was short and not really a personal one. Some years ago, there was a certain emergency and most of the guildmasters were called to discuss the course of action. During that time, we did interact with him and his aides. Welrond seemed like a decisive man, but not overbearing. He fully considered anything that people said to him before sharing his own opinion. He does seem to care about the kingdom. Not all of his subjects might be as understanding, but as long as you express yourself straight to him, he should let you finish without them interfering.”

Asterios nodded, rubbing his chin. “That’s good to hear and might help us a little.”

“There’s one thing he cares about more than the kingdom. Possibly. It’s just my own impression. And that is his daughter. Not that you have any reason to—I hope—bring her up, but just avoid mentioning her if it’s not completely necessary.”

“So, an overprotective father. Got it. I’ll have to keep the girls on a short leash.”

Selene chuckled softly and Miria pouted at him, with her expression getting replaced by a smile after Asterios patted her head. Then, Umbra, who was staying back at the mansion, notified him and the rest of the party about the king’s man showing up.

“It seems that the time for our night visit at the royal castle has arrived. Thanks for the advice.”

“Good luck.” 

Suanori nodded at him and Asterios responded with the same, getting swallowed by darkness a moment later. Shortly after he disappeared, Miria and Selene glanced at each other and smiled. They started walking closer to the slightly confused Suanori.

“So~ About that date~”

 

※ ※ ※

 

To avoid revealing his transfer ability, Asterios resurfaced again inside his home, leaving through the door to join his mother, grandparents, and the person waiting by the main gate. The man currently talking with them wore grey robes and a cape with a hood. He had a decently long white beard, making him look like an old and experienced magician.

“Oh, Asti, you are here!” Kindra noticed him approaching and waved at him with a cheerful smile. “This respectful magician will bring you to the king!”

The man glanced at Asterios, looking him over, and nodded, to which he politely responded with the same.

“If everything is ready then we should depart without delay,” the magician spoke.

James approached Asterios and handed him a crimson shield-shaped token the size of his whole hand. It had an engraving of a fiery sun on one side.

“We will most likely have to return this so take it with you. And in case anyone would doubt your identity, show them this.”

He brought out another badge, a much smaller one and made of silver this time, bearing the crest of the Hestizo family, which consisted of a tilted scale with a quill on one plate and an inkwell on the other.

Asterios hid both of the symbols inside one of his coat’s internal pockets and James patted his shoulder with a smile. He nodded at his grandfather and walked towards the royal wizard.

“Anything I should know about?” Asterios asked as the man started creating glowing runes on the ground around them with the tip of his staff.

“Have you ever been teleported before?”

“I guess you can say that. I did walk into a teleportation trap.”

The magician raised a brow at him but didn’t question Asterios any further. “Then you should be fine. It’s usually the first time that’s the most uncomfortable. You will experience a strong pull, from head to toe. Don’t fight it. It only makes things worse.”

Asterios nodded and waved at his mother, who was still smiling at him. Bright light soon covered his vision and everything blurred. Just like the man had said, he felt a slight tug, but it wasn’t as strong as back then in the dungeon. It wasn’t any close to what he experienced during Umbra’s transfers either.

Almost instantly, the white obstruction faded and he found himself in front of a huge gate surrounded by even bigger marble walls. Asterios heard a plop and saw the magician drink a mana potion before sighing heavily. Looking through the crossed metal bars, he could make out an impressive castle in the back.

“Any reason we couldn’t appear closer?” he asked out of curiosity.

“Anti-teleportation arrays and special metal plating inside the concrete. You don’t want someone to just pop in the royal castle uninvited.”

“Ah, right. That’s quite logical.”

After waiting a moment for the mage to rest, they passed through the gate and headed towards the majestic structure in the middle of the inner ward.

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~Umbra?~

~Peace of cake. I do sense some slight interference, but we can still move freely.~

Asterios chuckled inwardly. The more of the royal castle they explored, the more places they could later show up at, for whatever reason. Just in case, he asked Umbra to detach from him and take the sky or follow closely when inside. No one seemed to notice his movements.

Of course, Miria couldn’t miss such an opportunity and he could feel her focusing on looking through his eyes intensely. She had enough tact not to just pop out and inconvenience her master in such an important situation, but that wouldn’t stop her from taking in the sights through a bit less direct means.

Led by the magician, they soon reached the actual castle and went inside after the man showed something to the guards stationed in front of it. They started moving through the inner areas of the stylish fortress. Every piece of the wall or columns was remarkably decorated. 

As they were walking through an area with an open ceiling, surrounded by many columns which separated the pathwalk from the center, sounds of metal clashing against metal echoed through the air. It was obvious that the small arenas were used for practice purposes.

Shortly after they entered one of such chambers, the noise grew louder, and a small explosion occurred, shaking the floor a little. Umbra instantly warned Asterios by sending him images from his position above and he immediately reached for the scorching hot energy, hastily grabbing the hilt of the artifact sword hanging on his back.

Following the transferred vision from his familiar, Asterios ignited the weapon, covering its single edge in crimson flames as he swung it vertically down, just in time to cut through an impressive greatsword coming straight at him and the wizard while spinning horizontally, somehow making it through the gap in the columns.

The incoming blade was split in half, missing the two people, and crashed into the wall on their sides, with both pieces ending up lodged in the white mineral. Some of the melted metal dripped down the facade, onto the floor. The wizard looked around slightly startled.

Glancing towards the direction the blade had come from, Asterios made eye contact with a girl holding onto a battle staff which was surrounded by orange flames. It immediately became obvious to him who this young woman was just by taking a single glimpse at her.

Wearing black material pants, a beige shirt, and a studded practice vest, she stared right back at him while breathing heavily. Her most striking feature was definitely the waist-long straight hair of a crimson color. On the outside, at least, because the inner threads were of a mesmerizing orange shade, revealing it the moment they parted due to the movement of her shoulders. The closer to the girl’s hair endings, the more even the external ones changed from red to orange.

Asterios dispelled the flames covering his blade and withdrew the mana he had gathered, causing his appearance to shift back to normal. He broke off their connected gazes while sheathing the sword and glanced to the girl’s side, noticing a heavily armored man, clearly lacking a weapon. Asterios was sure his face was painted with shock even though it was hidden by the helmet.

A cough from the magician captured his attention and Asterios turned to his guide.

“Thank you for the intervention, young man. Let’s hurry up and move on. We shouldn’t make the king wait. Accidents like these aren’t exactly uncommon so someone will soon come and take care of it.”

Asterios nodded and followed after the man, sighing softly.

「There goes avoiding involving myself with the princess.」

A few minutes later, they reached a big ornate black metal double doors and the wizard stepped closer to one of the armored guards standing watch by the sides. Their armor was made of black metal too, decorated with red and orange streaks of material and other details.

The other sentry approached Asterios and asked him to hand over his weapons. He of course followed the request and took off both of his gauntlets, confusing the man slightly. But, he got even more surprised when Asterios rested his scabbard with the longsword against the wall instead of passing it to him, just smiling at the guard. 

To make sure that he wasn’t accused of smuggling in some dubious substances, Asterios got rid of all his pouches too. It looked almost comical watching a single man leave a pile of goods in front of the huge metal gate.

After the other two men briefly spoke, the sentry nodded and both of the guards pushed the heavy gate open. The same man followed the two of them and walked into the impressive throne chamber, stopping shortly after getting inside.

“Now entering, Asterios Hestizo, son of Kindra Hestizo of the Hestizo Household!”

A man exactly like Suanori had described sat on an impressive black throne. He had short and slightly spiky hair, quickly switching from red to orange to yellow at the tips. The same as his daughter, he had bright topaz eyes. He wore something akin to a black military suit with a noble cape that had crimson insides. 

Six figures surrounded him, clearly the king’s advisors from various fields, including someone looking like an even more respectable magician than the one escorting Asterios, and also most likely the royal strategist, judging by the military garb of a different person.

As the huge door closed with an audible thud, they reached the spot in front of the throne and the magician knelt on one knee. Asterios followed, already instructed about this beforehand.

“You may rise,” the king spoke in a clear and powerful tone, waving his hand at them. “Son of Kindra? What about the father?”

Noticing the king’s gaze on him, Asterios bowed his head. “I’m an orphan, Your Majesty. I have been saved and raised by Kindra Hestizo, recently being officially accepted into the Hestizo Household. My mother has no husband yet.”

The king nodded. “Please show us the Royal Favor used to request this audience so that we can validate its authenticity.”

Asterios brought the large token out and passed it to the magician by his side, who walked up to the king and presented it to the monarch. After the man checked it around, he gave it to one of his aides, an old-looking scholar.

“It is authentic, Your Majesty. And it has been used recently.”

“Good. I have accepted your request to speak with me, Asterios Hestizo. Speak freely of what has brought you here. As promised by my ancestors, I shall hear you out, whatever your reasoning behind using a Royal Favor may be.”

“If I may make a small request before I divulge the topic of my visit, Your Majesty…”

“You may.”

“I would insist on moving to a different location for this conversation. One that is surrounded by the best possible silencing and protective arrays, to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but I do not sense any in this throne chamber.”

The king raised a brow at him while some of the advisors standing behind the throne had clearly dissatisfied expressions on their faces. The Court Magician was glancing at Asterios curiously.

“And for what purpose do you require such preparations?” Welrond asked, his tone unchanging.

“I’m afraid I have to act disrespectful here, Your Majesty, as I really shouldn’t reveal anything related to the reason behind my visit. I would even go as far as to suggest limiting the participants of that conversation to the bare minimum.” Asterios made a low bow.

“Who do you think you are to—”

One of the advisors spoke up but was quickly silenced by the king raising his hand.

“Is this matter of really such great importance?”

“I swear on my family’s name, and my life, that it is not anything trivial. If Your Majesty deems it so, I will naturally accept any punishment for my offense.” Asterios kept himself low, without yet raising his head.

The king pondered over it for a moment, glancing at Ast’s guide, who showed that he didn’t know anything about it, and then sighed softly.

“Granted. Raise your head and follow after me. Do not worry about offending me with your bearing, I have spent a lot of time interacting with adventurers. Guards, stay here.”

A few of the advisors weren’t too happy with the situation but still followed the king’s decision. Ast’s guide nodded at him and stepped back. It looked like it was just the king and his aides that would be attending the special audience.

Asterios quickly walked after King Welrond, positioning himself between him and the other men, trying to keep a respectful distance. He could feel the not-so-kind stares directed at his back but didn’t really pay attention to them.

~This is so exciting! But, I wonder why the king doesn’t bring any guards with him? I mean, even if you left all your weapons outside, there are still other ways to attempt anything, right?~ Miria finally spoke to Asterios, finding a good moment to not interrupt him in the middle of things.

~This man is strong. He is not even trying to hide it. The king is not just some pushover whose only power is authority. I can tell he means business in more than one way. And amongst his aides, at least two are powerful magicians. I’m sure that the military advisor isn’t just a theorist either. Additionally…~

~It seems that you have noticed too, Master. Your senses are growing sharper.~ Umbra’s voice echoed in Ast’s mind. ~We are being monitored. At least ten people. They are skilled at hiding their presence. But, they can’t hide from me, huhuhuhu.~

After walking through a few corridors, the group soon reached a normal-looking entrance to some chamber and the king went inside, followed by everyone else. Asterios could tell from a single glance that the room was equipped with a myriad of arrays; it just emanated spiritual energy, even when deactivated.

The king stopped behind a round marble table, with his advisors by his sides, and Asterios took place on the opposite end. The formations were activated by the wizard-looking man and they all glanced at Asterios.

“Well then, Asterios Hestizo. What is this very important matter that you wish to discuss with me in such secrecy?”

Asterios took a deep breath and looked straight at the king.

 

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