The King was deep in thought for a few seconds, seemingly thinking about what course of action they should take next. People did say wisdom came with age, and while he is delighted the outsiders are finally willing to finalize the diplomatic agreements, he also knew that shouldn’t be naïve. While it’s true that the Outsiders did help out the villagers, he is sure that these people must have something else in their minds.

“I see” said the king. “Quickly, summon Prime Minister Herman. I need to talk to him”

“But what should I reply to the Outsiders, your majesty?” asked the knight.

“Tell them that to come in three days, as for the reason, say that I need it in order to prepare a proper feast”

“Yes, your majesty” the knight bowed and left.

The Prime minister arrived a few minutes later. Like the King he was also an elderly man with many years under him. Yet he still had a strong presence and one could tell that he was warrior when he was younger. He arrived at the castle as quickly as he could and immediately entered the King’s private study. When he entered the room he can see that the King was visibly distressed over this issue.

“Tell me Herman, how are we to deal with this matter?” The king said in calm yet distressed matter.

It wasn’t hard to see why the King was so concerned about this meeting. Diplomacy in this world always favours the stronger side. A show of force or a simple “persuasion” was not uncommon in this era and it always ended with the stronger kingdom getting the best part of the deal, however if the two sides are equally matched a wrong move could easily become the catalyst of a war.

The problem is that they weren’t dealing with just another Kingdom here. They were dealing people not of this world, and these people are by no means weak. If the reports are to be believed, these people only needed 25 of their men to defend against a demonic horde. They also had frightening weapons that spit fire and metallic mounts that moved on their own. And in two short years, they have turned the frontier village Larien into a commercial hub that can rival any large city. He even predicts that in a few more years that the village will be able to overtake Lincia in commercial profits.

“Well your majesty, to be honest I really don’t know” The Prime Minister said. “The usual threats and show of force will definitely not work and will serve only to invite unnecessary hostility from them”

“I figured this much” The King said in a dejected tone. “I am just afraid that this treaty will be too much in their favour. If I refuse the citizens will suffer but if the conditions are too demanding the citizens will still suffer. I’m honestly lost” Said the king

“Your Majesty you must stay strong, at least try to look strong in front of their ambassador. Any sign of weakness will be exploited. It’s true that they are very powerful but the same can be said for our Kingdom. Plus we have the hero of Humanity on our side and the thousands of adventurers that would heed our call in time of need. If the worst case scenario of a war does happen, we aren’t completely hopeless.” The Prime minster said in confidence.

“I see, but I would like to avoid conflict as much as possible, since being in their good graces would be beneficial to our kingdom as well. The products the local merchants brought back from Larien were of the finest quality, especially the clothes. Plus if I play my cards right we may gain access to those frightening weapons of theirs. “ The King’s face smiled, his mood a lot better now.

“No matter, we need to prepare a feast for their arrival. Quickly get word out to the populace that a very important guest will arriving soon.” The king commanded the Prime Minster.

“As you wish your Majesty” Herman replied and then left the study.

When the Prime Minster left the King slumped down on his chair and let out a sight

“Haaa—I’m getting too old for this”

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Deep inside the largest chamber of the Magic institute, Dawnward, a young woman can be seen reading a large book with great intent. The woman could only be described as beautiful, with her long red hair fashioned into a low ponytail resting on her left shoulder, fair and soft skin, and very lovely face. She then stood up carried the book in her right hand and stretched out her left. She then made a face of intense concentration, soon the room was filled with an unexplainable energy that seem to make everything tremble

“O holy flame, heed my call.” As soon as she spoke this a ball of light appeared in front of her.

“A burning radiance, blinding to all” The ball of light then started to change and was slowly turning into a ball of white flame with great intensity.

“Bring your judgement and my enemies fall; HOLY ANHILATION” When these final words were spoken the ball of flame erupted in a violent explosion and engulfed the chamber.

This is magic

When the flames subsided, beads of sweat can be seen forming on the woman’s forehead and a visible frustration can be seen on her face. It seems that despite the incredible power it displayed, she looked very unsatisfied with the results. A clapping was then heard from the entrance, and an old man with a long beard can be seen entering the chamber.

“Grand scholar Silver Eye!” The young woman shouted as she ran towards the old man.

“I see you have been busy my dear apprentice, being granted the rank of Scholar didn’t change your attitude at all I am glad” The old man said with a smile on his face.

“Am I really worthy of my rank? I mean as you just saw earlier, I can’t even perform holy annihilation properly. I can feel that it still lacks power.” She said while having a dejected look on her face

“Come now my dear pupil, or should I say, Scholar Burning Rose, don’t be too hard on yourself. As of now you are only 24 years old and have been granted the rank of scholar. You are in fact the youngest person ever to reach this level. Be proud, many men never got this far even when they hair started to turn grey. Have more pride in yourself”

“I understand but, I am simply not satisfied with my skill even now.” She continued. “The more I read the more I realize that I have so much more to learn, I am afraid that at this pace, I will never completely master magic on the level that I want” She said in an even more dejected tone.

“Rest easy, everything has its own pace and time, but holing yourself up in the deepest parts on the institute will not be good for you. In fact this will be detrimental to your health and even slow you down.” Concern can be seen in the old man’s face

“Then what should I do Grand scholar?”

“I heard that the Outsiders will be visiting the Capital in three days, and there will be a festivities to welcome them. I suggest, no I order you as your superior to take a break, go outside, and enjoy the celebration.” The old man said in a stern yet caring voice. “Plus aren’t you curious about these Outsiders as well? It was reported that they possess no magic capabilities yet they control overwhelming power”

“Hmmph, I care not about them. No matter what power they possess it means nothing to the power given to us by magic” Burning Rose arrogantly declared.

“But still a celebration will bring about good food, and to be frank the I was getting tired of eating the meals served here at the institute”

“Hey if our cooks heard you they’d get depressed” The old man jokingly said

“Hmmph. Then I shall then take a break and wait for the arrival of the Outsiders” Burning Rose said as she poised to exit the chamber. But she was stopped by Silver Eye dead in her tracks

“Aren’t you forgetting something Scholar?” Silver eye said as he pointed at the charred chamber behind her.

“Okay fine, I’ll go clean up my mess” Burning Rose begrudgingly went back to the chamber and began casting another spell.