Chapter 35: Not All Victory Brings Joy; Some, Only Tales

Cheers and sighs of reprieve flooded the kingdom of Carmandy. The streets of Ariowell was once again teeming with life. Most of the citizens had come out after hearing the news coming from the royal palace. Their numbers rose, filling the streets as they wait for the princess. After three days of continuous battles and conflicts, the purge conducted by the royalist had come to the end. Aside from the case of the missing prime minister, who had seemingly vanished in thin air, it was nothing but successful.

As soon as the conflict ended, the princess regent issued a decree, issuing a rare royal invitation to all the citizens of the kingdom. Her first royal address was aimed to alleviate everyone’s worries.

Soon enough, the address started. Elizabeth’s voice reverberated throughout the royal capital, echoing through sound magic. In her speech, Princess Regent Elizabeth shared what had transpired in the last few days, briefing the crowd of the assassination and the usurpation plans. She recounted the tragedy of the past year, narrating the heroic and sad tales of those who sacrificed themselves for the good cause of the kingdom.

Princess Elizabeth shared the events that unfolded in the shadows, hiding only a few information that Saria had deemed too sensitive for the masses. She gave full accounts of the true reason for the death of the King as well as the death of Markandir’s Prince. The poisoning of the royal family. The investigations had shown that the late Victoria as well as the heir of Cloves were innocent. She rejected the rumors that the Lord of Cloves had betrayed the crown which caused the six-day rebellion.

The princess explained that the Lord of Cloves had saved the kingdom. That his deeds were not against the crown but against the purged nobles attempting to take the kingdom for themselves. His infamy turned into a great tale of heroism - a man who died to thwart the plans of the old nobles and the prime minister, killing the traitorous nobles in the assembly of dignitaries.

She also boasted the end of the infamous assassin’s guild through the archmage’s help, inviting the cheers of both the citizens and the foreigners. The fall of the dubious guild made a lot of people sigh in relief. After all, no one wants any kind of sword of Damocles hanging over their head.

All the casualties – properties and lost lives had been blamed on the Prime Minister and the former prince who had planned to usurp the throne.

Of course, they hid the fact that the Empire and the Free Trade Union also had a hand in the matter. According to Victoria’s script, there was no reason to poke into a hornets' nest considering they had already retreated. As for the standing army sent into the border of Markandir, they retreated after conducting the so-called ‘live-drill’, calming the flow of goods in the market.

The princess also informed the citizens that the Queen was recuperating properly and would soon be able to participate in the kingdom’s affairs again. It was a piece of good news to the masses, assuaging a lot of their concerns.

The Langarde Empire, on the other hand, could only puff its chest after being praised to high heavens by the official letters coming from Carmandy. The letters of Victoria had reached all the nations of Endramion forcing the hands of the current emperor to a standstill just as planned. Victoria had also sent emissaries through Saria’s help to strike a deal with the Free Trade Union and the Empire, asking for their investment in the coveted Mana Stone Mines. The Kingdom of Carmandy had conceded exclusivity for the two superpowers in exchange for their protection as well as a profit share.

The contents of the tripartite contract were not known. But it was said that the Union and the Empire were able to accept it after the emissary had spoken of its details. It was said that the deal also contained plans on how to handle the mines, how to sell, including the plans for the near future. After a round of negotiations, the two superpowers and the kingdom had reached a satisfactory agreement. After all, mana stones were quite rare and their price would even reach crazy levels if they managed to control their sources. The empire had one, the free trade union had two, and Carmandy had an unknown number of untapped mines.

The princess regent earned the trust of a lot of citizens after the address. She decided to open a school for both nobles and commoners, a place where titles and positions do not exist. She also started offering commoners ways to participate in the government. The low born nobles were also given a chance after the massive purge. After all, a lot of positions had become vacant in the government due to the bloody upheaval. Both commoners and nobles praised her wit and will, earning her a new title - The Wise. Soon, everything fell into the right places. As if new blood was being pumped into Carmandy, the kingdom turned busier as various merchants moved into the kingdom like a swarm after hearing the ‘supposed’ insider news. The gears started moving, massive changes began to occur not only in the royal capital but also in the whole kingdom.

All as planned by the unknown lady in the shadows, Victoria.

***

A black-haired lady shifted her emerald-hued eyes, staring at blooming winter heaths outside the window. The falling white snow had increased the flower's pink blossoms charms. The winter had come at the perfect time. The emerald-eyed beauty laid back down to the bed, carefully balancing herself with her right hand. As for her left hand, it had been cut up to the arm. Thanks to the timely action of the sissy man named Eyad, she was able to survive. Of course, it came with the said price.

“I’ll look for her soon,” she whispered as she stared at a few lilac-colored flowers deigning her room.

The youngest archmage of Endramion, Saria, had lost an arm after her battle against the master of the assassin’s guild. She was supposed to receive her new title, “Archduchess”, but she refused, saying it was not something she earned. Her rejections started a lot of gossip among the noble circle as well as the local pubs. After all, it was rare for someone to reject a title.

The drunk men’s gossips turned into theories, filling the kingdom with variety. One said that it was because the archmage didn’t like having troublesome titles. Others claimed that it was because the archmage would travel soon to seek for her lost lover. While others simply believed that it was the archmage being humble.

Of course, there were also intellectual ramblings, such as the archmage had gained the help of someone unknown. A few madmen even claimed that the archmage gained the favor of a Spirit King. A bulky man said that it was a black-haired goddess wearing gold-rimmed glasses who came down for a stroll. A certain old man claimed that it was a treasure-stealing tornado lady. Which is which, the archmage confirmed nothing. The gossips merely remained as unconfirmed juicy canards for everyone to talk about during dinners and drinks.

“Saria we’re here for a visit,” a humming tune filled the silent room. The intricately designed door opened. A sky-colored hair sashayed as a lady wearing a tiara waltzed inside. In her hands was a bouquet of blue and violet. Behind her were an old knight and the sissy magus who saved the archmage’s life.

Saria stared at the trio, her eyes empty of any emotion, a frown forming on her face. “What do you need from this handicapped mage?”

“I-I’m want to check how you are doing,” Elizabeth said. “Perhaps, you might want someone to talk to. Or if you need something that maybe I could help.”

“Oh, I am indeed in a need of something.” The archmage sighed. Then, she glanced at the princess regent who ate all the praise and glory without doing anything aside from following the script crafted masterfully for her. “An arm.”

“An arm?” The princess was tongue-tied by the request. Then, she saw the archmage’s ‘supposed’ left hand and shuddered. She panicked, not knowing what to say next.

“A left arm to be exact,” said Saria.

“Please enough of the teasing, Lord Archmage,” said the old knight, sighing. “The princess is only doing what you planned. Please spare her a little. She’s still a bit young, but thanks to your guidance she’ll mature into a good royal.”

“A good royal, huh?” Saria remembered the face of the violet-haired princess and smirked. She waved her hands and continued, gazing at her empty left side. “I’m just joking. I might be able to fix it through alchemy and I will be good as new.”

She stared at her niece and asked. “Anyway, how’s the kingdom?”

“It’s all fine thanks to your help,” the princess said, recovering her wit. “We're carefully following all your advice to the tee. There’s a bit of difficulty but it's already within our expectations. In a year or two, I think we would reach what you called the ‘Golden Era’. We never expected that you had already sent someone to the Empire and the Union in advance. They were even able to complete the negotiations with flying colors.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and closed her eyes. All of a sudden, she and the old knight lowered their heads, bowing deeply. “Thank you for all your help, Saria. We don’t have anything worthwhile to offer to you. But if you need something, just tell us, and we’ll do my best to meet it.”

Sensing their unfeigned gratitude, Saria laughed. She saw it. Something had changed in the eyes of her once gullible niece who once blamed everyone when something wrong happened. It was not a simple change but a massive shift. What would Victoria do if she saw this? She wondered.

The archmage waved her only hand in the air, “It’s good that you’ve come to your senses.”

“Oh, old man Maurius,” she bobbed her head towards the old knight. “Did you find out what happened in the Dead Forest?”

The great Dead Forest was no more. Three-fourths of its once unending maze of trees and plants had been uprooted, turning it into a vast swathe of wastelands. As for the undead, they’ve been strewn all over the place, rotting, after the crazy twisters pulverized them apart.

The sight of the massive crimson sword and the swirling tornadoes had become a staple story in Endramion. Maybe, it would soon be a stuff of legends. The story about the descent of a goddess had been gaining a lot of momentum as of late. Some commoners had even started making shrines around the Dead Forest, treating it as holy ground. After all, a lot of eyes had seen the godly events that occurred on that fateful day.

Despite all floating rumors, it all turned up for the good in the end. After all, the forbidden forest was acknowledged by the whole Endramion as a useless territory of the kingdom of Carmandy. Aside from that, the forest shared no border with other countries. Automatically turning it into an exclusive property of the kingdom. The event seemed to be the way of a goddess to show mercy after the kingdom suffered from various upheavals.

The Lord Knight of Carmandy strode forwards, bowing in one knee. “Archduchess, it is just what you've expected. There were traces of god-rank ancient magic in the place where we found you with Mr. Eyad. Two god-ranked scrolls were activated in that place. As for the undead, we’ve rarely met one.”

“Hmmn. So that’s what happened,” said Saria. Then, she gave the old knight a menacing glare. “Anyway, stop calling me Archduchess! I already rejected that cumbersome thing.”

“Even if you’ve rejected it...” the old knight stood his ground. “These old bones have not. You’ve done too much. Making the impossible possible. If you want, the princess and the queen are willing to let you rule as the new monarch. So please choose, a monarch or an archduchess? Please accept this subject's thoughts for consideration.”

Saria’s brows suddenly swung upward in annoyance. She had the urge to swing her staff to whack the old man. Fortunately, her staff was currently under repair. She glared at the old man and then at the princess. However, she was only met with a nod of confirmation. And for the always dumbfounded mage who stayed safe thanks to the magical carriage, he was still flabbergasted as usual.

The archmage felt a headache coming. Maybe, it's the right time to tell them the truth. She just couldn’t take any of this ass-kissing anymore. Taking a deep breath, she looked away to recollect her thoughts. In a tiny voice, she said, “It’s not me who you should be thanking. Someone had decided to help you despite what you’ve done to her.”

“Huh?” The Maurius and Elizabeth looked troubled. What the hell is the archmage talking about? Wasn’t she the one assisting them from the very start?

Sensing the seriousness of the archmage, the princess asked, “What do you mean?”

Saria eyed the princess and decided to tell a short tale. With a slight grin, her mouth moved, recounting a fairy tale only she and the trio knew. She lifted a finger and put it on her lips. “Listen to my story and ask after I’m done.”

The old knight and the princess zipped their lips and nodded.

“Once upon a time, there was a little princess who thought she would be a great mage based on her lilac-colored hair. She had everything. Love of her family, riches, glory, and fame. Everything seemed to revolve around her. One day, her family discovered that she was not a magus. All their expectations of her turned to naught. One by one, she lost everything. Her fame, her riches, and soon… her family…”

The tale continued as the archmage recounted all of her encounters with the lilac-haired princess. The one who was falsely charged and accused. She had already made a title for her little story, ‘The Witch and the Magus’.

The story of the fallen princess.

The great tragedy of the one whom they called the ‘Villainess’…

Nevertheless, the archmage never knew that her tales would only be the start of the flame. For her story was only just the beginning...