Vol.3 Ch.224 ric’s Preparations
The day following Quinus and hispanions'' return from their long journey, the Divalo Manor, situated on the western fringes of Tairal, bustled with activity as servants moved in and out of the grand mansion, carrying boxes, bags, and furniture.
The grand entrance of the mansion was disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious figure cloaked in ck. As he stepped inside, he theatrically removed his hood, unveiling himself as none other than Duke Revelia, the esteemed uncle of the Crown Prince of the Fiafyr Kingdom. His silver locks were elegantly tied into a ponytail, and his weary visage bore the weight of his experiences. Yet, behind his tired eyes, a fierce ze of fury burned brightly.
As he entered the room, he was met by Belial, the butler, who greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Has the trip been fruitful, my lord?" inquired Belial.
"Not here... Let''s talk in my study," Duke Revelia murmured, then swiftly departed from the entrance.
"Absolutely, sir," replied Belial as the Duke disappeared into the hallway and ascended the stairs.
After the Duke departed, Belial quietly trailed behind him, making his way to the study. Once inside, the two men closed the heavy oak doors and secured them with a firm lock.
<span ss="aiText">"So, how did it go?" Belial asked, and the Duke sat down in his chair.
<span ss="aiText">"We had a small setback.<span ss="userText"> Krenn thinks he can y me for a fool, but once the Kingdom of Marn is no longer useful for me,<span ss="aiText"> I''ll send someone to kill him<span ss="editText"> and his King<span ss="aiText">," Duke Revelia answered.
"Who would have thought that the Advisor to the King is actually a snake? Well, color me shocked," Belial said with a hint of sarcasm.
<span ss="aiText">"Yes<span ss="editText">... The people of Marn are cowards and liars. And I can use that to my advantage. Theyck long-term vision, and their short-sidedness will be their downfall.
<span ss="aiText">"As we speak, the soldiers are packing up the weapons and gold and will leave by tonight. Once that''s done, I shall have their armies take control of the north, and once I purge the kingdom of all of Duval''s supporters, I''ll surrender Fiafyr to King Arnaud Dupont of Marn," Duke Revelia told his loyal servant.
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="userText">It''s risky, and I hope you can kill him like you say<span ss="aiText">," Belial said, and the Duke sighed.
<span ss="aiText">"I have a n in ce to kill him. He won''t expect anything because he''s too confident. And that''s what will be his undoing," Duke Revelia said, and he took a sip of his wine.
<span ss="userText">"You''ve been<span ss="aiText"> nning this for some time, then. <span ss="userText">Let''s just hope that your nephew doesn''t get in the way. He somehow has fate on his—"
<span ss="userText">*CRASH* Goes the ss of wine<span ss="aiText"> that the Duke just broke.
<span ss="aiText">"Quinus has be a problem. But I will deal with him<span ss="userText"> once and for all..."<span ss="aiText"> Duke Revelia promised.
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="editText">So... Krenn was able toe through and sold you an AphroAroma Wick<span ss="aiText">?" Belial inquired, catching the Duke''s attention as he nced up.
<span ss="aiText">"Yes, and we were sessful. <span ss="userText">I was able to secure the aphrodisiac from Krenn, and hopefully, my lovely wife can convince that worthless princess of the Divine Three to use it on my nephew. Hopefully, when Quinus sleeps with another woman behind that dark elf''s back, she will finally leave him. Or better yet, she kills him. I hear that dark elf females are highly protective of their mates," the Duke said.
"Yes, I have heard that they can be extremely possessive. But maybe it would be even better if we could somehow get one of those wood elves to sleep with him. Dark Elves hate their cousins by nature. I am sure she would kill both of the Wood Elves if push came to shove," Belial pointed out.
<span ss="userText">"Yes... It would be better if he ravages the wood elves instead of Hilda. It would be a problem if she got pregnant<span ss="aiText">. We''ll have to find a way to get rid of the child if that happens.<span ss="userText">.. I''m not handing over my Kingdom to the religious zealots and their pdins.<span ss="aiText"> The Divine Three can stay in their damn church and <span ss="userText">hunt down the demi-humans<span ss="aiText"> for all I care. I won''t allow the<span ss="editText">ir<span ss="aiText"> Church to gain any more influence within my kingdom<span ss="userText">,"<span ss="aiText"> the Duke said, and Belial smirked.
<span ss="aiText">"Well, we still have plenty of time before the wedding takes ce. There''s plenty of time for our ns to be set in motion," Belial told him, and the Duke nodded.
<span ss="userText">"Yes... But we can<span ss="aiText">''t afford to have anything go wrong.<span ss="userText">.. Speaking of<span ss="aiText"> which... <span ss="userText">Have we heard anything from c? Was he able to kill that Manaless halfwit?"<span ss="aiText"> the Duke asked, and Belial<span ss="userText"> grimaced ever so slightly.
<span ss="userText">"I just got a message from him yesterday... It seems like the dark elf''s golems are more advanced than we first thought. He thought he had them distracted with the bandits he took control of. And he said that they almost pulled it off, but in the end, they failed, and he lost the entire group of bandits. All 150 of them without delivering one casualty to the Prince''s<span ss="aiText"> party," Belial told him.
<span ss="userText">ric clenched his fists, "So, that means that they''re more dangerous than I thought... Or c is a coward that needs to be punished<span ss="aiText">..."
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="userText">W-Well... There is some silver linings, my lord,"<span ss="aiText"> Belial said, and Duke ric raised his eyebrow.
"Like what?" he snapped back at his butler.
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="userText">Firstly, c and his men weren''t tracked, so the prince doesn''t know about our involvement. Secondly, he was able to secure the brigands'' hideout in the Eldermyst forest. It seems they had arge stock of supplies and gold from all the merchants and nobles <span ss="aiText">they robbed," Belial exined.
<span ss="aiText">"How much is in the treasury?" Duke Revelia asked.
<span ss="aiText">"Around 2,000 Gold coins, 20,000 Silver coins, 30,000 Iron coins, and<span ss="userText"> goods<span ss="aiText"> worth around 500 Gold," Belial answered, and the Duke''s face lit up.
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="userText">So... We now have a little staging area within Baron Johnathan Dule''s domain<span ss="aiText">... Good... <span ss="userText">This could work out nicely for me... Can you show me where this hideout is on a—"
<span ss="userText">*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
<span ss="aiText">"Sir! Sir! Are you in there!?" A voice cried out.
<span ss="userText">ric looked annoyed as Belial sighed and walked over to the door.
<span ss="userText">"You''re disturbing his lordship''s<span ss="aiText"> time," Belial snapped at the servant on the other side of the door.
<span ss="aiText">"Forgive me, sir. But <span ss="userText">we received a letter from the Prime Minister,"<span ss="aiText"> the servant said<span ss="userText"> from the other side of the door.
Belial cast a quick nce toward his lord, who arched an eyebrow in response.
<span ss="aiText">"Very well. I''ll give it to him," Belial said, and the servant ced the sealed message through a slot in the door.
<span ss="aiText">"Thank you, sir," the servant said, and he scurried away.
Belial gazed at the sealed letter, its parchment adorned with the official seal of the Prime Minister. What caught his attention was the deep purple wax used to seal the letter, a departure from the usual red wax. This unconventional choice hinted at an imminent emergency session of the Major Nobles.
Belial let out a heavy sigh as he made his way over to his lord. With a sense of solemnity, he extended his hand, offering the letter to his master.
"Oh? Looks like there''ll be an emergency meeting. What are you afraid of now, Duval," ric mumbled to himself while he broke the seal and read the letter.
Belial feigned disinterest as he carefully concealed his curiosity about the contents of the letter. Maintaining his guise as a servant was paramount despite his eagerness to know more.
Duke ric''s expression brightened, and a wide smirk spread across his face, lighting up his features.
<span ss="aiText">"Is everything okay, my lord?" Belial asked, and the Duke''s eyes shot up.
<span ss="aiText">"<span ss="userText">Normally, I would<span ss="aiText"> be infuriated <span ss="editText">when Duval tries to interfere with my ns<span ss="aiText">, but the Goddess of Fate has decided to smile upon me this time, Belial.<span ss="userText"> Duval wants to ban the dark elf from entering the capital. We can use this to create a rift between the Nobles and the Royal family. I can''t wait to see the look on my nephew''s face once<span ss="aiText"> I tell him that he is theughingstock of the whole Kingdom," <span ss="editText">the Duke said, and a sinister smile crept upon his lips<span ss="aiText">.
<span ss="aiText">Belial <span ss="userText">coughed<span ss="aiText"> into his hand, "But <span ss="userText">the King left for Lomar yesterday night... He''s not in the capital<span ss="aiText">..."
The Duke''s eyes darkened, "So... My brother has learned how to be more tactical? But it doesn''t matter. The meeting has tomence within four days. What can he do by dying the inevitable in a week''s time? Nothing, that''s what."
"But what if they bring her to the Church of Bnce, and Iyomelka''s idol lights up for this dark elf? It will be like what happened when Rianna knelt before the altar," Belial reminded the Duke.
"Belial... Did you even hear yourself? Rianna was a once-in-a-century thing, and the idol barely lit up. No one from the Royal family or the Nobles has been able to get any reaction from the goddess besides Rianna. And you think the goddess will make her presence known to a dark elf? Hell! Even that zealot, Mother Astra, couldn''t get the idol to react, and she''s the damn High Priestess of the Goddess''s religion!" Duke ric reminded his servant.
<span ss="aiText">Belial''s face went nk, and he shook his head, "Yes... You''re right, my lord.<span ss="userText"> I don''t know why I<span ss="aiText"> suggested that... I was being foolish."
<span ss="aiText">"Don''t worry. We can use the situation to our advantage. <span ss="editText">I''m sure that my brother will advise the Prime Minister to let this dark elf<span ss="userText"> meet up with the priestesses, and I''m sure Duval willply with the King''s wish. But it''s just a fool''s errand<span ss="aiText">, and they''ll realize that in due time. But enough of this. Have our soldiers leave as soon as possible<span ss="userText">. I need toplete the payment within the month if I''m to secure favor with the Kingdom of Marn<span ss="aiText">. That fool, Duval, will never see iting. I''m the only one who''s thinking ahead," the Duke said, and he chuckled.
<span ss="aiText">"Yes, sir," Belial said.
"Good, now leave me. I need to devise a n for how to rid King Dupont after he served his purpose," Duke ric ordered, and Belial bowed.
The butler pivoted on his heel, reached for the doorknob, and smoothly stepped out of the room, ensuring that the door was shut firmly behind him. Meanwhile, ric let out a light, amusedugh as he gazed down at the letter in his hand.
"It''s about time you became useful to me, Duval... But I can''t wait to see your face once I strip everything from you. I''ll take your money,nds, and people. I''ll leave you with nothing but the clothes on your back and a small amount of food. <span ss="editText">Once he <span ss="editText">witnesses the immense power that my kin<span ss="editText">gdo<span ss="editText">m has gained in his absence, he will surely kneel before me and plead for forgiveness. I''m sure he will take his o<span ss="editText">wn <span ss="editText">life<span ss="aiText"> when he sees his beloved daughter in a cor and leash, serving as a pleasure ve," Duke ric said, and a twisted smirk appeared on his lips.
The Duke <span ss="editText">stood up from his <span ss="editText">chair, walked across the room to the window, and <span ss="editText">peered out at the <span ss="editText">vast expanse ofnd stretching in<span ss="editText">to the distance<span ss="editText">. On the far-off horizon, the magnificent Maldura Royal Pce stood tall, evoking a feeling of grandeur and power within the Duke. The pce wo<span ss="undoDeletionText">uld be his in due time; all he needed to do was y his cards<span ss="aiText"> right.
"It''s all finally falling into ce... I will avenge the death of my son... I''ll make sure that your death will be a slow and painful one, nephew," Duke ric hissed to himself while watching his butler giving orders to his soldiers outside of the manor.