Chapter 8: A Guardian [Part 3]

「All hail Goddess Rass! All hail Goddess Rass! 」

「Enough! The Goddess Rass is about to give her speech! 」

「WAHHHH 」

From behind the curtain, a silhouette can be seen. As the person steps forward slow and elegantly, she jumps on the balcony terrace and with both her hands raises upward, the folk’s cheers in a festive mood.

The silhouette’s face turns upward majestically and the folks bow down automatically.

The goddess face was finally seen and turns out it was a... grass.

UWOOOHHHH!!!

I woke up abruptly from the slumber because of an odd dream I had. What the hell was that? Good omen? Bad omen? Or, telling me that I will become a grass forever ???

Just after I wake from that dream, the doorknob turns and the door was open wide to a gorgeous man. An ikemen.

「Oh, Rass-sama has already wake up, Lord Van sure will be happy. 」

Um… Who are you? You are not Van… or anyone I know of.

Dark Brown short hair, sky blue eyes, wears a pair of round glasses, teeth with no sharp fang and healthy skin color, unlike Dracula. I have never seen him before.

The man just smiles gently before asking for permission to carry me to Van.

I was sitting on his shoulder while he walks in relaxed pace to place that I know nothing of. At the hallway, even more people greets me and add –sama but they seem cautious of the man.

From the labyrinth where people are currently sleeping safely, he carried me to the second floor and then we walk down until we reach the garden farther away from Van and My statue. Well, I say walk but he was doing most of the work. There I saw many people sitting at the round table drinking tea peacefully. Behind the crown prince are two ladies with domineering aura.

From a total of eleven people including this man and excluding me, I only know five people.

Around the round stone table, they seem to have prepared a miniature chair which seems to be mine. The man put me down on the table and I naturally take a seat.

Then Prince Sulvian coughed dryly twice and introduces the people around me with ease.

Sitting on the right side of the prince is a man with monocles hanging in his formal suit, bright yellow eyes, and dull gray hair is the duke of Rosette. His name is Warlen Ace Rosette, one of the main benefactors of the kingdom. He greets me politely but his aura makes me feel he is even harder to handle than the crown prince.

Sitting on the left side, with straight posture and elegant gestures while drinking tea is a woman.

The woman is wearing a deep scarlet dress and a dark red bonnet hemmed with white laces on top of her head. Blonde hair, red ruby eyes, and her name, Anastasia Vire Lully. The principal of the once glorious magic academy. She is a stern woman and outstandingly grumpy. I don’t know what her problem is but she has been glaring at me without even greeting me properly.

After her, the crown prince introduced the twin of the marquise of Rogue that sit next to each other as the intelligence team of Asmodios. They have both same black hair but their eyes are odd. Alvin Rus Rogue eyes have dim sky blue color on the right side and bright violet color on the left side. While oppositely his twin younger brother, Louise Rus Rogue, has the bright violet color on the right side and dim sky blue color on the left side.

And they only nodded with nonchalant expression when introduced.

Then, Ma’am Lina that I met when Van saved the crown prince from a man of the UNION.

Ma’am Lina has the title of Madam of Court because she always defends the real justice. She is the Queen Dowager’s best friend according to Van’s whispering. About that, Van has been using telepathy with me since the moment I sat down on the miniature chair.

Uuuh, this bishounen is really a considerate person. If I was still a human, I would love it if I could chew him up.

Ma’am Lina cracked up a joke saying that I am the most powerful person here to be able to control a beast-like Van. I wonder if she intentionally does that so that I could ease up. Did she notice this tiny body of mine is stiff like hell? I wonder if that's the case here.

The next person cut off the crown prince sentences to introduce himself on his own.

It was a man with no sharp fang just like the one that carried me here. But this man has curly medium length red hair and brown eyes. He gives courtesy unlike others while introduced himself with a playboy-like smile. This man isn’t obnoxious since he is a seriously good-looking man but I don’t like him even though he is polite.

I almost wanted to shout how much I desired to kick his butt away with that smile of his. I feel the cringe all over my body. URGH~~

Anyway, the man is a human and introduced himself as the Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of merchant guild in human kingdom and his name is as cringe as he is, Romeo Dan Novia.

Afterward, Romeo introduces the one sitting next to him, which also the man that carried me here as the Chairman of the merchant guild and his name is Simon Ron Jazz.

The one standing behind both of them is their bodyguard, Eremes Victor.

「The one behind me is as you know, Rass-sama. So, onward to the main point, I--」

He gestures his right hand to the two ladies behind him chatting with each other leisurely. Queen Ivory and the Queen Dowager Manora. Afterward, he continues speaking wanting to discuss something important.

Oi, wait, wait!

There is something that I want to ask so cut him off. And face the two humans from merchant guild.

Using Van as a mediator to chat with them, I ask.

「So, both of you are from merchant guild? I see, is there any specific reason for not telling where you came from? It is, after all, vague to just say you came from the human kingdom. 」

Van was fighting with me in the telepathy about wanting to explain it himself but I stop him because I want to know from the human themselves. So, he just repeats what I ask him to say because I demand it.

But at the same time, the two men simultaneously change their expression into a frown.

「Rass-sama, your question is the vague one... 」

「Huh?」

Haha, Van truly followed exactly what I speak inside my mind.

Then the glasses man explains thoroughly as if I am something worth fearing.

「 Human kingdom is exactly the name of our kingdom. We have four kings and one emperor ruling over the whole human kingdom. 」

While that man explains, Van also told me that the Human Kingdom consists of a total of 4 kingdoms; Tornando, Tsuin, Volcan and Quakes. Ruled by one man that so mysterious even the human themselves know nothing about this emperor. He also mentions that there is a priest that is really powerful in that human kingdom. Which is why the UNION dares to make a move on the Asmodios Kingdom.

However, the human kingdom isn’t really related to the disaster that happens to the Asmodios Kingdom since the UNION has always acted on their own and the priest is known to never met them. At first, I thought it’s weird for Van to know so many things about human, before even I ask, he told me that he and the glasses man is a close friend even before he ascends to the throne as a lord.

Right, even if he once said that there wasn’t anyone that sincere to be his friend since he ascends as a lord of a province, it’s not like he didn’t have friends at all. More like, it oppositely of what I thought.

Hence, I face toward the crown prince and apologized for stopping him from talking previously.

「So, I have understood everything. I’m sorry for abruptly stop you from talking previously, Prince Sulvian. Could you please continue to the main point since I am curious about why I’m here? 」

Van, that’s enough. Don’t follow my speech anymore. I will use telepathy from now on.

When I order him to stop, Van immediately looks disappointed. Did he still want to continue as my mediator?

It was awkward but I finally found out that since I have the skill of telepathy, others able to read my mind too as long as I allow them to. So, even though the human doesn’t have mind reading ability, they still can read my mind.

In a serious expression, the crown prince speaks his motive for summoning these important people including me. I don’t really feel that important at all.

「I, Sulvian Cross Vi Asmodios the crown prince will ascend into throne to provide moral support for the kingdom citizen. But, before I wear the king’s crown, I want to know of the way to revive my kingdom. 」

As soon as the crown prince finish his words, silence went for a short time before Warlen-san share his idea but rejected by Ma’am Lina.

「We could buy slaves and repairs our kingdom. 」

「Wouldn’t that just be the same like the previous year? And there are drawbacks for doing that such as we are despised by the slave’s tribe. Though last year, the people back then aren’t slave since they are just ‘borrowed’ from the other kingdoms legally for us to use for few months.

It basically the same things. Just that, this year we kind of on a bad term with almost all kingdoms. 」

The idea has been used last year according to what their conversation. But honestly, it was a stupid idea, these people practically are a simpleton. Ma’am Lina hence suggested her idea.

「How about we summon undead to repair our kingdom? We don’t have to waste our money and no tribe will be offended. 」

Her idea seems nice but Lady Anastasia scoffed as she points out the flaws of Ma’am Lina suggestion.

「Huh, sure it saves the cost but where will we find the necromancers for the job? All our necromancers have been cremated along with the enemy’s corpses. If by chance we get the necromancer to do the job, undeads that are after all weak at sunlight will never get to finish repairing the kingdom anytime soon. 」

Right, that’s what I thought too. But then I realize one thing, these people... They are the dracula and vampire, right? So why aren’t they affected by the sunlight? Of course, I ask Van about it since he is always concerned about me. Hohoho.

While the ladies bickering with each other, Van explains to me gently.

Originally, the pure blood are definitely weak against the sunlight but there are some of them that are strong like Van, they could withstand the sunlight like any human. Now, after Van has gained power from sucking the vitality and blood of the Unicorn, a magical beast. He has more than enough power to share his sunlight nullity [according to my skill naming system] with everyone that born in this kingdom.

The reason that it specific for those that who are born inside this kingdom; Van shared his power via the statue that was created at the center of the kingdom which is the goddess statue.

The goddess statue is a unique artifact which allows strong warriors or even guardians to share their ability to other people via it.

In a brief version of his explanation, the pure blood is able to withstand sunlight is because of him.

And then, I return my focus toward the ladies.

What the heck are these ladies bickering about for a while now... I don’t even see the point anymore.

「My academy is something worth of bragging, unlike your title that would only amount to my middle finger!!」

「W-what did you say?!!! My title is granted by the royalty! Your crappy kindergarten aren’t even close to what I have sacrificed! And you want to brag about it?!! 」

「What did you just say?!!!!」

「Enough! 」

I'm glad that someone mediates to stop their embarrassing act. The person that bravely stopped the other two madams is none other than the Queen Dowager Manora. She steps closer forming a triangle with them sending electrocuted signal by glaring each other. She pointed her finger to their noses and pushes them upward before she states what’s in her mind.

「 When compared to me who assisted the first king to build this kingdom, you guys are nothing, so don’t point your nose so highly! 」

OOOOIIIIIII!!!!!!

What the heck is up with these people?! When will we even finish this discussing, no, we didn’t even start yet, DAMN IT?!! Crown prince don’t you just sit there holding your laughter, stop them! You stupid prince!

And Van, don’t you just shrug off your shoulder at me, DO SOMETHING!!

Damn it… these people are just stressing me out.