Chapter 278 Heating Up
The news of the King's absence had been known by everyone, but no one knew where he had actually gone to. Many people suspected he was following his sons to BA-32 to help them conquer the Obelisk of Goap.
In truth however, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein, the King whose presence was now questioned by his citizens, was in one of the Sacred Grounds, Westerheis Viscountcy. He had been there for four days defending the land from the Demons.
For him, protecting his ancestors' treasures was more important than protecting his citizens. This was why he didn't think twice before going to Westerheiss the moment he had heard the Demons from Death Howl Dungeon were going there.
"Basil Pacifer? Oh, that child has finally made a name for himself..." Anthony quirked his eyebrow in interest at the report that one of the members of The Eyes had delivered.
"He really wasn't joking when he told me he didn't want something that was given on a silver platter..." Anthony caressed his beard with a hum. "To achieve rather than receive, huh?"
He turned his eyes to the figure dressed entirely in white kneeling before him. "He is an asset whose loyalty we should ensure as soon as possible."
The figure was one of the agents of The Eyes, which was a spy organization that was established by the Kingdom and was ruled by the King. Knowing about every occuring thing in Braxtein Kingdom was their job.
Since he was isolated in Westerheiss, a Sacred Ground, Anthony couldn't stay up to date with the happenings outside, therefore their intelligence was crucial.
Because of them, even though he had never stepped outside of the Sacred Ground even once, he could monitor the outside world as if he was out there. He knew about every event that had happened for the past four days.
"What about the Five Princes? Is there a visible progress that can be rejoiced about?"
"That is... Your Majesty, there is no progress, but the situation is under control."
"So that means, they are just going to fail in no time." Anthony scoffed coldly. "It is something that I have expected, but is stil disappointing."
It had been three days since the Five Princes had arrived at BA-32. They had been battling the army of the Demons ever since, but they couldn't even force a Great General to show up despite the military power they had.
There had been also no sign of Goap's presence there, so Anthony had immediately concluded that his sons could never be able to conquer the Obelisk, which he had already known in advance was impossible for them.
Just like any father however, Anthony had expected his sons to, for once, exceed his expectations and did something he hadn't foreseen. Therefore, when he found out they didn't achieve anything impressive, he was slightly disappointed.
They did, however, something he hadn't foreseen: trying to reduce each other's military power by using the Demons. He hadn't foreseen it because he had believed his sons weren't stupid enough to do it.
He had expected them to race in accumulating as much achievement as they could, but what had been happening so far was, them reducing each other's chance of survival.
Anthony understood very well that they were like that because of their goal, but he still couldn't believe that none of them was smart enough to see the bigger pictures.
He had believed one of them, at least, would be able to think like him, but once again, he was reminded that his sons weren't him. They weren't wicked and goal oriented like him; they were greedy and simple-minded.
"From how things are going, do you think they will choose to go home or stubbornly stay there until they die?"
Anthony looked at the kneeling agent of The Eyes. Said agent merely lowered his head and said nothing.
He merely smirked at that, and silence descended upon them. The silence was preserved for a few seconds, until he spoke once again.
"How long will Randalvine be able to hold on?"
"Another 2 days maximum, Your Majesty."
"Hmmm... I think it is time for me to leave this place to those people." Anthony glanced at the door of the room he was in. "I have stayed here long enough, and I can't lose my Kingdom from some mindless creatures."
Anthony stood from the chair he was sitting in then looked at the agent. "You have done your job well. You may return to your post."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The agent of The Eyes disappeared in a flash without a sound. Anthony was left alone in the room, looking silently at the spot that had been previously occupied by the agent as he thought about the situation on outside.
He sensed something fishy from the flow of the war and the movement of the Demons. It seemed to him there were more than one person controlling everything behind the scene, and it made him extremely excited.
"Basil Pacifer's emergence and the loss of one of our Mages' Legacy—these are two notable things in this Outbreak that attract my attention." Anthony laughed deeply. "I wonder... What is actually happening behind my back?"
A cold grin was plastered on his face as he thought about the idea of people messing around behind his back, but the grin immediately disappeared the moment he stepped outside of the room.
Looking around him, he could see the people, who he had stationed in Westerheiss with him. They were the unaffiliated Mages and Knights, who had refused the title of Nobility that he had offered them in the past.
"Did you have a good rest, Your Majesty? I suggest you to rest a little bit more, since you don't look really fine to me. The situation is already under control, so you can leave everything to us."
Anthony turned his head to the person who had just spoken with the most melodious voice he had ever heard. It was a blue haired, well-endowed, mature woman with a youthful look and a powerful presence.
"It is not the rest that I have not enough, but the thought that burdens my mind, Jacinda," Anthony answered calmly. "I do agree, however, I can leave everything to all of you."
"Does this mean you are going to leave, Your Majesty?" Jacinda, the Headmistress of Randalvine Magic Institute asked. "Has Lawson finally used up all of his energy to fight?"
"While Lawson might be a competent Mage, defending Randalvine by himself is a hard task. Even though he is an exceptional Seventh Circle Mage, the enemies are also not something we can scoff at."
"Isn't it better to let some of us go to Randalvine to aid him then?" Jacinda smiled politely, but the temperature of the room suddenly dropped dramatically.
"I am enough, Master Spellcaster Jacinda. All of you still need to stay here until the Outbreak is concluded—we have to take extra care of our Kingdom's treasures." Anthony glared at Jacinda coldly.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Jacinda bowed politely.
Anthony scoffed lightly before leaving the building he and the unaffiliated Mages and Knights had been staying at for four days. The others heaved a sigh at that, then turned to Jacinda with admiration and respect.
Just like Blake who had figured out Anthony's true purpose of forcing them guarding the Sacred Grounds, all of them also knew that they were now completely in Anthony's grasp, which made staying there really hard for them.
The amount of Demons attacking Westerheiss had also lessened greatly, so many of them had been wanting to ask when they would be able to leave the Viscountcy. The cold way Anthony had treated them, however, had made them hesitant to ask.
Jacinda, who was also the strongest of them, had been the first person who had dare to ask, and they admired her for that.
Although the answer they had gotten wasn't what they had wanted to hear, it was still enough for them since they had already figured out when they would be able to leave the place.
Until then, they would wait patiently.
"Our King really has many things to think about, doesn't he?"
"Ah, Viscount Westerheiss."
As soon as Jacinda called the name of the person who had just spoken, everyone immediately turned their head at said person. It was an elderly man with a white hair, whose kind face was riddled with wrinkles.
"You must be concerned for your family's wellbeing out there—it must be frustrating. I am sorry that you are entrapped here due to my inability to take full responsibility of the place I have been entrusted to." Viscount Westerheiss smiled sadly.
"It is not your fault, Viscount Westerheiss. No one has expected something like this to happen; it is normal for all of us to be overwhelmed by the situation," Jacinda responded kindly.
The others smiled at Jacinda's words—they agreed with her wholeheartedly. Although they didn't like being trapped there, the fact that Viscount Westerheiss appreciated their effort made their stay there slightly more enjoyable.
They still wanted to get out, however they also didn't feel bad working with someone that trusted them and was also trustable. It wasn't as nerve-wracking as working with Anthony who looked like he was about to kill them in any second.
...
Southevile Viscountcy.
The people in Westerheiss weren't the only ones who thought working with someone they could trust made their stay at the place they were stationed at more enjoyable.
Those who were stationed at Southevile—the people who were reunited with their old friend, Marquess Redford Blois, found their stay at Southevile extremely pleasant. Even though they were fighting Demons there, it felt like they were just having fun.
At least, that was the case for the people who knew Redford quite well, which were the older people. For the young Viscount Chester Cowdray however, it was really hard for him to enjoy his stay there.
"There is something off about Marquess Blois, or should I say Viscount Southevile?"
... Something was making him uncomfortable.
Unlike the others who seemed oblivious to it, Chester noticed something on Redford that could only be noticed if one held a suspicion on him: he had never used Magic even once.
For the three days Chester had spent there, he had never seen Redford descended into the battlefield even once. One might argue that Redford was already old, but he found it unreasonable since the other Mages were also old and they still fought.
"You are spending your time here brooding alone again, Chester."
Chester was awaken from his thought by the familiar voice. He raised his head to look at the speaker, and instinctively gulped as he met Charles Blois' cold and empty gaze.