“Holy Father, please calm down!”

“USELESS IDIOTS! THE LOT OF YOU!” an angry old man was screaming at four shadowy persons inside a dark room. It appeared that Svelt has failed in securing the control of the Zagon throne. Most importantly, Morrigan was still alive and well. In addition, a complete outsider was chosen as the next heir to the throne so even if something happened to the Empress, it wouldn’t be their turn to take over Zagon. All that planning for years, turned to dust in an instant. No wonder why its founder would be so mad.

“But sir, that wasn’t our fault. It was Svelt who has failed you.”

“SHUT UP! And what have you accomplished then? Tell me. We have lost control of not just all our foreign agents but also our facilities have been mysteriously destroyed one by one without us having the slight idea of the culprit. All my plan to get rid of the demons once and for all has been ruined by your incompetence.”

“But….”

“Did I give you permission to speak? SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

“….So loud…” a tired voice spoke.

“What? Do you have something to say too? Like these idiots?” Gauwyn turned to the shadow sitting at the corner of the table. “Don’t think that just because you gave us those artefacts means that you get the privilege of watching from the sideline! So far they didn’t do a damn thing.” Gauwyn raged.

“That’s because you didn’t use them the right way. So don’t blame me when you lost them! But never mind that, we still have one more.” The shadow took out a long scepter and placed it on the table in front of him for everyone to see.

“So now you are willing to give us that too? I thought you said you would never part away with it.” Gaunwyn sneered.

“I did. This means that it’s about time for me to go on the stage.”

“Really? I know that you are not like the rest of these idiots here and you are strong. They used to call you a hero after all. So do you have a plan?” the pope asked.

“Of course I do. Hehehe!” the shadow stood up and walked toward Gauwyn.

“If you have a plan then do share with us!”

“That…I can’t” the shadow replied.

“What? Why?”

“Because you are not part of that plan, Holy Father!”

“Wha….” In a flash, the shadow swung his hand so fast no one could even see what he did.

Something fell off to the ground next to a shadow. The room was too dark to see what it was so the man had to crouch down to pick it up to see what it was.

It was Gauwyn’s head. Stunned by the bloody head of the old pope, the man shrieked in fear and dropped the head. But before he could regain his senses, the shadow who killed Gauwyn spoke.

“All right, gentlemen, there will be some changes around here so I expect you know who to report to starting from now. Did I make myself clear?”

“….Ye….Yes.”

“Don’t sound so skeptical! You have me, Arshe the hero and Champion on your side after all! Hahahaha!”

* * *

A celestial was walking toward the castle of Eisenheim. She has received a message from Alastor asking her to come but without saying why. But that didn’t bother her at all. She got to see her beloved Alastor after all. The only problem she had was how to get into the palace. Why did he even want to meet her in the palace anyway? Either way she was told to come to the entrance and someone would pick her up. That was weird. Ikarus didn’t know that Alastor would know anyone outside the people at the demon lord’s castle without her knowing.

Coming toward the gate, Ikarus could see a fat noble walking left and right who seemed to be expecting someone. Could he be the person she was looking for? There was only one way to find out.

“Hum…excuse me….?”

“Huh? Could it be you are miss Ikarus?” the obese man asked.

“Ah yes it’s me. But how do you know who I am?” asked the celestial.

“Great! I have been waiting for you. I am minister Sinclair. Alastor has told me about you. He said that just look for the most beautiful woman I could find and that would be Ikarus.”

“Oh! He said that?” That sentence alone made the girl blush so much she needed to cover her face to hide her embarrassment.

“Please, follow me! I will guide you to Alastor”

Passing through the beautiful halls of the castle, Ikarus pondered how did Alastor manage to get into a place like this? The man who took her in also seemed to be someone quite important judging from his attire and the way the guards bowed to him.

They stopped in front of a door in the inner palace adorned with golden edge. Sinclair knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, prince Alastor, I have brought miss Ikarus as you instructed.”

‘Majesty? Prince?’ Ikarus shouted in her mind. She didn’t believe in her ears. Could it be that she heard wrong perhaps? How come Alastor was a prince of Zagon?

“You may enter!”

Sinclair opened the door and signaled Ikarus to come inside while he would stay outside. Still confused by all this, the celestial slowly poked her head into the room to see who was inside.

“Open wide…A A A”

“AAA *gulp* ehhh…it’s too sweet”

“Sorry hon! I still need a lot of practice but this is good for my first try don’t you think?”

“It’s alright hihi! …oh Ikarus, there you are! You…..!!!!”

“Alastor…..you….you CHEATER!!!!”

“Wait wait I can explain!”

“DIE!”

…..

To summarize what happened next, here was a short description:

Ikarus used her special skill against Alastor. It missed.

Alastor skillfully evade the chair and countered with . It wasn’t very effective.

Ikarus used again. It missed. Ikarus entered .

Alastor continued using . But it didn’t work.

……

“STOP!” a dignified voice interrupted the couple. “This is my house so sit down!!!”

“But….” Ikarus wanted to retort.

“SIT! DOWN!” Morrigan shouted.

“Do as she says, Ikarus! She is scary when she is angry!” said Alastor.

“You are telling me to listen to her? Who is this woman???” Ikarus spoke in a raging voice.

“My mother”

“……”

“……”

“Oh…He he he….Uhmmmm….you have a…very nice chair, mother!” Ikarus carefully put the chair back to its place, smiling awkwardly.

“I don’t remember giving you the permission to call me ‘mother’, miss Ikarus!” Morrigan took a sip of her cup of tea.

“Now, now, let’s all calm down! Everything is just a misunderstanding so there is no need to continue this stupid fight!” Alastor tried to keep the peace. “Take a sit, Ikarus! I guess you are still confused by everything so let me explain to you!”

Alastor told Ikarus about his adventure at Zagon and how he became the heir to Zagon throne. Hearing this decision, Ikarus was very happy. This meant that Alastor now had another path to follow instead of becoming the demon lord. They could have a normal life, or so she thought.

“As Alastor said, I am not his birth mother but to me, he is my son so everything that concerns him concerns me too. Like a certain celestial.”

“PLEASE LET ME MARRY YOUR SON!” Ikarus was nervous under the pressure. The aura of a mother in law was indeed to powerful for someone like her. Her mind could think straight anymore so she blurted out the first thing that came up.

Surprised by the sudden confession, Alastor spurted out the tea he was drinking. The boy was aware of Ikarus’ feelings but this was just unexpected. This was too soon for someone his age.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Your Majesty, there is an urgent matter that needs to be attended to.” It was the voice of minister Sinclair. The tone suggested something serious.

“What is it?” Morgan asked.

“There are four messengers from the beastmen who has come here to seek an audience with you. They didn’t tell why but it seems urgent. My guess would be about the recent war between the beastmen and Malatas.”

“What? There is a war going on right now?” Alastor was shocked. Not because of the war news but because it concerned Malatas. So much has happened since then, making him forget completely about his three roaming children out there. Sinforma has completely disappeared after the events at Caelum. The elder son appeared to be somewhere in Oros and the daughter in Malatas. He has only spoken once with her but he knew that that girl wasn’t someone who would stay out in this kind of event. It might be possible that she was the one who incited it in the first place.

The question was what would he do if that happened? If Morrigan allied herself with the beastmen then that would put him against Odium. Either way he needed to investigate this.

“Alright I will be there shortly. Alastor, can you stay…..”

“Can I go with you please?” Alastor begged.

“Why would you want to go meet the messengers?” asked Morrigan.

“If I am going to be king then the very least I should do is to participate in events like this no? It would be ….practical knowledge.”

“Hum…you are right. Then let us hurry then!”

* * *

The four messengers sent by Zen were now waiting in the court hall for an audience with the Zagon Empress. To make sure that their journey would not take too much time, Zen has authorized them to use the Gate to teleport to the one in Eisenheim.

The reason he sent Viviana and Maxime were because Viviana currently was recognized as their Champion and therefore an equivalent of the hero of the beastmen. Her being here would serve as a display of power as to remind Zagon to not underestimate the beastmen into thinking that they were too weak to fend by themselves.

Maxime, despite being unpopular in the Grand Cathedral, actually gained quite a reputation among the rest of the human countries. For someone who was known for seeking peace between all nations, Maxime would prove that the beastmen had everything intention to stay at peace with Zagon.

Lucas and Enti actually didn’t have any reason to be here. They only served as bodyguards and Zen knew that the two would go after Maxime and Viviana anyway so he might as well let them.

A fat man entered the room through the side door and walked next to the empty throne. Fixing his cloth and voice, he proclaimed.

“Empress Morrigan, First of her name, will now enter. All, kneel!”

Morrigan, wearing her usual blue attire but with an additional white fur cape around her neck, ambled regally to her throne. Seeing what could be described as the most beautiful woman in his life, young Lucas slightly blushed and forgot that he was in the presence of a monarch before quickly kneeling to her like the others.

A small boy followed Morrigan from behind. Unlike the Empress, his posture seemed a bit too casual to be a noble or even a servant. But it was that same attitude that perplexed Maxime. Someone who was allowed to be that mellow in front of an Empress must be someone very important or at the very least very close to the Empress herself. As Morrigan sat down on the grand throne, the boy nonchalantly squatted on the carpet and leaned on the throne beside the Empress. Yet she didn’t say anything or was even surprised by his action. Maxime pondered who this boy could be.

“Please stand up! I can’t remember the last time a beastman walked through these tiles. Not to mention two humans accompanying them. What an unusual group of messengers if I must say!

So what are you here for, messengers?” asked Morrigan. She always knew what they were here for but formalities and etiquettes required her to be as ambiguous as possible when dealing with messengers from other countries.

“My name is Viviana, a hero apprentice at Caelum and Champion of the beastmen. This is Father Maxime, a bishop of the Church and these two are my companions Lucas and Enti. It’s an honor to meet you, your Highness.

I am not familiar with the formality of the court so please forgive my imprudence! We are here to propose an alliance with Zagon. Specifically, we would like to ask for your help against the invasion from Malatas. In return, once the threat has been dealt with, we would give you Malatas as a token of our goodwill and continuing alliance.”

What an outrageous thing to say for such a young woman! Offering the enemy’s country to another in order to secure an alliance. Even though it wasn’t her idea but still, being able to speak that direct to the Empress of Zagon could be considered as a great feat in itself.

However, it wasn’t what she said that shocked Alastor but her face. He knew that face, he knew it too well. The same face as Shana, perhaps a bit more mature but there was no mistake about it. She was the woman he saw that day at Caelum. There was also that priest with her. Last time they seemed to be members of the Church. So why were these two now associated with the beastmen?

“Isn’t it a bit too soon to think about taking over Malatas when you could barely defend against them? Since you are being honest with me, I will do the same. As you know, I am currently aiming to conquer all lands and unify them all under one banner. This is my vision, my dream.

So tell me: why should I help you? I could very well wait until one of you falls and just takes on the winner myself. That way I can get both of your lands under my rule. Things are much simpler that way.

SO I ask you again: why should I help you?”

Shocked by Morrigan’s statement, the party of messenger found themselves lost for words. Malatas was their only bargain chip in this deal. Theoretically it would have worked. The problem was the other party who was Morrigan, someone who has already targeted both Malatas and the Whispering Forest. Among all country leaders, she was a wild card who didn’t follow any side but hers and she had no intention of playing along with anyone. The fact that she took advantage of Caelum’s situation for herself proved that. So what could you give to someone like that?

In this dead silence, a young voice spoke softly but enough for the messengers to hear.

“Mother, if I may have a word…” Alastor whispered to Morrigan. “I think we should consider this offer.”

Knowing her son like reading an open book, Morrigan knew something was up the moment she saw Alastor’s change in expression when he saw the messengers. From that information and from the fact that Maxime was a clergy in Caelum who was supposed to be at the Grand Cathedral at the time, Morrigan deduced that Alastor must have met them before during his ‘visit’ at the Holy City.

“Care to elaborate, my son?”

“Let’s just say things are a bit complicated then it was supposed to be….I may or may not have something to do with what is happening in Malatas…..” Alastor confessed.

“Even if you did, I don’t really see a problem with that. It makes my job easier.”

“Well…I feel kind of guilty….or not. But the important thing is I need to check something at Malatas and perhaps we can do this the ‘right’ way. Securing a solid alliance in times like this is important. If you don’t have to antagonize them, then don’t! This way if something happens in the future, at least we have somewhere else to turn to. Let’s call this a favor! And don’t worry mother! I will make sure that you will have Malatas by the end of this war!” Alastor explained his reasoning.

“Does it mean that you will be leaving soon? You barely just got here…” Morrigan was slightly sad about his departure.

“It’s alright, mother! I will be back before you even know it.”

“….very well! But at least stay tonight! In my room!”

…..

It has been a while since the strange boy was whispering something to the Empress. They talked in low tone so Viviana and the others couldn’t hear what they were saying. However, the fact that he sometimes looked down at her made Viviana quite uncomfortable.

It seemed they finally finished talking. Morrigan turned to Viviana and smiled. ‘Uh oh…I don’t think I am going to like this….’ Thought the girl.

“I initially have no intention of helping you but be grateful to my son for it was he who convinced me to lend you our army.

So I officially accept our alliance. But with one condition.”

Here it came, the thing that made Viviana shiver.

“He is to come with you to Malatas.”

“What? He is just a kid. This isn’t a game or a joke. You are sending him to die there.” Shouted Lucas. Being someone in his twenties, Lucas saw a young boy like Alastor as only a hindrance to their quest. He could not afford to watch some rich kid while fighting in the war zone.

“Oh I assure you that he is more capable of handling himself. In fact, I can say with confidence that none of you here are a match for him.” Morrigan spoke proudly.

“Care for a try?” Alastor stepped down the set of stairs from the throne. He smirked at the messengers who were clenching their fist in anger, thinking this was some kind of joke from Morrigan. “Or are you too afraid to take on a kid like me?”

“YOU BRAT!” Lucas couldn’t hold his anger back any longer. He did this so that his people could have a place to live. He has lost everything including his father and he was supposed to be some kind of babysitter? Never.

“Wait don’t!” Maxime tried to stop Lucas. If he attacked the son of the Empress now, it would make the situation even worse.

But all those worries were for naught. The moment Lucas drew his sword, even if he had no intention of hurting the boy but only scaring him, Alastor caught the blade with two fingers and stopped it from going anywhere. No matter how hard Lucas tried to pull the sword back, it wouldn’t budge at all. How could such a kid possess so much strength?

“I know you are not good but this is….pathetic. Hero apprentice? Don’t make me laugh!” Snapping his fingers, Alastor broke the blade and threw Lucas back a few meters away.

Seeing her companion suffering such humiliation, Viviana intended to go forward but Enti was faster than her. In just a second, he was also behind Alastor and raised his hand for a strike.

“”

An invisible force crushed Enti flat to the floor, making a crater and immobilizing him completely. With only her left, Viviana decided to use Yggdrasil.

“Let’s do this, Yggdrasil!”

“…..Nope!”

“What are you saying? Don’t just abandon me like this at this crucial moment!”

“Two reasons my dear. First is even with my help, you will still get your ass kicked. Second is even more simple, I don’t want to.”

“What? Why?”

“My instinct is telling me to not fight this boy….That’s all I can say. Sorry but you are only your own in this fight!” With that said, Yggdrasil no longer answered Viviana no matter how much she called.

“Are you done talking with your stick? We don’t have all day here.”

“I….I forfeit!” Viviana surrendered. She had no other weapon aside from Yggdrasil at the moment and Alastor clearly seemed to in a league of his own, especially after taking down both Lucas and Enti that easily.

“Your Highness, I apologize for Lucas and Enti. They are still young, unaware of many things. Please forgive them!” Maxime quickly bowed to Morrigan. Even if no harm has been done to the boy, the fact remained that they, the messengers, attacked the prince right in front of the Empress in their own palace. Normally it would mean capital punishment at the very least.

“You sure have guts to attack my son in my own home. But it’s alright. On the contrarily, it’s quite entertaining to watch. Take this as a lesson the next time you want to negotiate with us! Go rest for the day and tomorrow Alastor will join you in your journey back.”

“…yes your Highness!” Viviana and Maxime, after paying their respect to Morrigan, carried the unconscious Lucas and Enti back to their inn for healing.

“Come, my son! I still need a lot to speak with miss Ikarus about you.”

“Please don’t fight! That just put me in an awkward position. Don’t fall into the stereotype of the eternal conflict between the mother and daughter in law.”