<h4>Chapter 35: A condition?</h4>


    After a few minutes walk, the guard was weed by a white, blinding lighting from the other end of the channel.


    As soon as he crossed the dark alleyway, the guard was weed into a huge hall, glooming into reddish yellow light. He was surrounded by 12 one-sided windows as if he were being watched by 12 different people.


    "Second Prince of Altria, tell me, what brings you here?" The words resonated with an authority that matched the grandeur of the hall. It was as if the air itself carried the weight of tradition and importance.


    "I came to bring good news here, chief." He said it in a confident voice. As he removed the metallic leather helmet from his head, his red hair glowed in yellowish light. From the looks of it, one could say that this boy was barely any older than Ben in his current body.


    "Is this in any way rted to the battle between you and the vige gate prince?" A deep voice asked him, but in the echoing room, it was hard to tell the exact direction and source of the voice.


    "Nothing is hidden from the council members, indeed." The red-haired teenage boy continued with a slight smile on his face. " The two people waiting outside the vige are lost in the enchanted forest. What they seek is a shelter in the vige."


    "You do realize, prince, that unnecessary charity can harm your performance badly." The other voice said it almost instantly in response.


    "Though our job is only to keep a watch, we aren''t anyone to advise or interfere, so you may do as you like."


    "I understand the council''s responsibility and oath. That''s why I came here to state my side," the Second prince said, bowing his head, " For I shall protect anyone who is a citizen of my kingdom."


    "If the royal court won''t send soldiers to stand against our enemy, then I shall prepare my soldiers to stand against the royal court."


    "And I am starting it from the very day now." The red-haired prince lifted his head above, and fury and determination could be seen in his eyes as he stepped back out of that room. While the council remained in strict silence, drowned in the heaviness of his words.


    ...


    "Hey, sharp-minded handsome fe!" Ben''s voice rang out in the air, breaking the silence that had hung around him for hours. It had been nearly two hours since the other guard had departed, and there was no sign of his return.


    "Me?" The other guard blinked in surprise, pointing towards himself as if unsure whether anyone would consider him handsome. He stood there, covered in tattered leather armor, his spear still clutched in his hand.


    "Can you see another handsome chap guarding this gate?" Ben retorted, his voice infused with amusement. He remained seated, cautious to avoid any confusion.


    "Well, yeah, but you know..." The guard stammered, clearly flustered by thement. He nced around as if expecting to find someone more attractive than himself. "I mean, uh, yes, I am the one you''re referring to."


    "Since you have a good eye for people, I will let you on with one request. What do you need from me?" He asked, trying to sound more deep and manly.


    "I was just wondering, where did your not-so-handsome friend wander off to? He''s been gone for quite a while," Ben inquired, his words dripping with faux concern.


    "The other guy?" The guard scratched his head, trying to recall the whereabouts of hisrade. "He went to chat with the council... err, I mean the vige chief. Yeah, that''s it. The vige chief."


    "You mean to tell me that while he''s out talking with the vige chief, you, the strong and smart one, are left to guard the gate?" Ben''s tone was innocent, a yful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.


    "I''m the stronger and smarter one, definitely better than the other thickhead," the guard boasted, puffing out his chest even more and striking aical pose. "I need to keep an eye on this gate and protect the vige from any potential threats."


    "Ah, I see," Ben said with a feigned contemtive expression. "It wouldn''t have been safe for someone of your caliber to take that much time deliberating with the chief. Waiting in line to talk to some old geezer, I can''t even imagine."


    "Heh, well, you know, I wouldn''t waste time like that," the guard said, puffing up his chest even more and making exaggerated punching motions in the air.


    "Your wisdom and abilities are truly awe-inspiring," Ben responded, a hint of mockery in his voice. He leaned back against the ground, his face a portrait of faux-seriousness. "It''s a wonder that the vige chief isn''t already bowing before you, sir."


    "Hehehe...what are you talking about, junior brother? I wouldn''t take this much time as the other thickhead to ask the vige chief for permission." The guard said this, makingical poses and punching the air.


    "With my talent and abilities, I could have easily banged the door, and the vige chief would be running for my orders. If not for the fact that I like to keep myself low to the ground, I would have been sitting on the chief''s chair myself."


    As Ben enjoyed the banter with the guard, his sharp senses caught a glimpse of movement—a figure with red hair emerging from behind. There was no doubt: it was the guard he had sparred with earlier.


    "Who''s going to sit on whose chair?" The other guard''s boastful monologue was cut short as a voice, deep and authoritative, cut through the air. The red-haired figure approached Ben with deliberate steps, his presence exuding an air ofmand.


    "You will be sitting on the chair. Brayon, I was just saying that" While the guard started to turn back on his words faster than a rolling die, the red-haired guy moved towards Ben with heavy steps.


    But this time, he wasn''t dressed in leather armor or holding a metallic spear in his hands; he waspletely covered in a white robe, surrounding his body and revealing his muscr structure.


    "The privilege is all mine, stranger," the red-haired figure dered, his tone carrying an air of superiority. "I am the vige chief, and you, it seems, have the honor of being in my presence. Now, tell me, what brings you here?"


    "Wait... aren''t you the same guy that was fighting me earlier?" Ben asked, a little confused by his behavior. "Not to mention, why is it my honor to meet you? Wasn''t that supposed to be the opposite?"


    "Ahem..ahem..ahem, what are you talking about, stranger? It''s surely the first time we are meeting face-to-face; how can youpare my presence to that of a mere guard?" The red-haired guy stated that he was trying to cover up his lies.


    "Bruh, are you drunk or what? Isn''t the chief of the vige supposed to be old and ill and die at any moment? You are way too young for that." Ben stated that he was a little annoyed by the red-haired guy''s behavior.


    "First, he attacked me without any proper reason, then he made me wait for 2 hours to meet the chief, and now hees in a Japanese samurai cosy and states that he is the chief of the vige himself. Is this guy delusional or what?"


    "Don''t tell me that for two hours of my time, he was talking in a mirror with his other personality or something." Ben thought with a weird look on his face.