Chapter 234: Anti-Khalodian Clan (2)

‘What’s more is that they are not hiding it.’

The Khalodian Empire did not hide the fact that they were the ones that attacked the Horuns and forced all the remaining followers into hiding. Duke Tanionne shook away all of his thoughts and looked at his grandson, the king.

“Oh, Talemban Tea? Is it the tea from the seed of Elm?”

“Why, yes! Of course you would know about it. It’s really great! You should have a taste.”

The duke smiled. It was a sweet tea that the young king would definitely like.

“Haha, all tea-lovers know of it.”

“Is that so? Hahaha.”

The king laughed.

‘I should still tell him…’

“Your Highness, we had a messenger from Katzback.”

“Messenger? We had a messenger? Why didn’t I know about that?”

The king became confused. He blushed as he was blaming himself for not knowing about such an important matter and looked apologetically at the duke.

“It was a secret messenger that came directly to me. It is not your fault that you did not know, Your Highness.”

“Oh, was it? A secret messenger? WOW!”

The king looked excited. He was still a young boy who loved mysterious things.

‘Why do we need to force such hardships on such a young child?’

The duke thought as he watched his grandson. He was still too young for the throne.

“So why did he come here? Why didn’t he come to me? I AM the king after all, right? Why did he come? Tell me! Tell me!”

The king was now feeling left out as the messenger did not report to him.

“It is a secret, after all.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. What would happen if a messenger visits a king?”

“Oh, then everyone else will know! So that’s why he came to you?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“I see! So what is it? Come on, tell me now!”

“Katzback is offering to form a clan with a blood pledge.”

“HUH? WHAT?”

The king was shocked; he looked at the duke with infuriated eyes.

“How are we supposed to forge an alliance with a kingdom that invaded our lands?! Aren’t they the bad guys who come and attack whenever they want?”

The duke smiled bitterly, but it was true. It would’ve been a preposterous offer if it were under normal circumstances.

“Yes. What you are saying is absolutely right, Your Highness.”

“That’s right! YEAH! Tell those savages to get lost!”

The king looked delighted as his grandfather the duke agreed with him. However, the duke turned grim and spoke in a heavy voice.

“Yes, you are right. But you must not ignore their offer.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The reason they made this offer is because of Khalodian.”

“Oh, Emperor Joonbum right? He’s a great man! Why? I heard he loves peace. He also sent me great gifts when I became a king! You saw that too, right?”

The king already favored Emperor Joonbum. The duke did not intercept the presents that were given to the king to appease him and relieve his discomfort of becoming the king.

As a result, the boy-king was mesmerized by all the fascinating objects that were sent to him as gifts. He treasured them as the items were not available from any other place in the world. After all, it was the Savior of the People who sent him those gifts, and Joonbum was a hero to all.

‘He must be happy that such a man thought about him.’

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“Is there a reason why we need to ally with those dirty Katzback savages?”

“Yes, there is.”

The duke spoke forcefully and the king flinched, but he still seemed doubtful.

“Khalodian is a terrible place. They are friendly now, but it is only a matter of time before they will try to rule over us. We might perish if we don’t make a stand, and it is the same for the Katzbacks. That’s why they have asked us to form a clan.”

“Is it?”

The king still looked unconvinced, but he did not dare to oppose his grandfather.

“The Katzback are like dogs. They are, as you say, savages, and one should not be friends with them. Yet even countries like Katzback are no match against Khalodian. They will not stay friendly toward us for too long. When that happens, we stand no chance against them. That’s why we need to prepare. You surely learned of what happened to the Horun Empire?”

“Oh! I- I learned about it! But will they really do that? I mean, Emperor Joonbum seems like a really good man…”

“Oh, he might be a good man, but the others who follow him aren’t. The empire isn’t solely run by one person.”

“That’s right! I forgot! Dammit.”

The king was now acting like a kid of his age. The duke swallowed his sigh and continued, “We should ally with Katzback first. I believe a total of fifteen countries will join the clan.”

“Wow, that many?”

“Yes. I believe that is needed to have a chance at fighting Khalodian.”

‘However slim it may be.’

Duke Tanionne could not voice the last part of his speculation.

“And…”

The duke’s voice shook as he continued. The king sensed something strange from his grandfather and looked at him with concern.

“We will have to send your sisters as arranged marriages.”

“WHAT?!”

The king became shocked and started crying. His sisters, especially the eldest, was the one who raised him as their mother had passed away a long time ago. The duke looked at his crying grandson and he became teary as well.

‘Gods, please have mercy on our kingdom. Especially my grandson!’

*

“Woah!!”

Soldiers were shouting at the huge training ground. It was now summer, so the ground was pretty hot. Amidst the shouting, two men were glaring at each other, and the soldiers were cheering for the two men.

“C’mon!! Hectos the Invincible will win! ”

“Go, Commander Jinpok! Beat him up!”

“JINPOK! JINPOK!”

“HECTOS!”

As the spectators cheered, Hectos and Jinpok clashed and began throwing their fists at each other. Both their fists landed on each other, and both gasped simultaneously. Even the spectators forgot to shout at such a tense fight.

“Oh, so you do know how to fight?”

“Of course. You sure know how to throw a punch too.”

“Haha… enough talking. You will go home with swollen eyes today!”

“HUH? Look at who you’re talking to, boy!”

“I’m not your boy! C’mon, come at me!”

Jinpok jumped at Hectos and threw a kick at his face. Hectos lunged back to dodge it and saw a foot barely missing him with his eyes. He then jumped right back up and threw a punch. It barely touched Jinpok’s nose, but the force generated was so strong that it caused Jinpok’s nose to turn red.

“HAHAHA!”

Hectos laughed loudly at Jinpok’s red nose as Jinpok glared back. The spectators began cheering again.

“That’s some scary stuff. How long do we have to do this?” Jackson asked from a distance, watching the two bear-like men fight. He did not seem to understand the importance of them sparring. However, Joonbum just smiled.

“I don’t know. But isn’t it great?”

“Hmm… It is kind of fun, I guess.”