A certain man was walking down a hallway while grinding his teeth in anger.
"Tch, damn it all..." the man muttered.
The angry man was Mason Archivo, the current head-doctor of the royal family, and one of the few surviving aristocrats who supported the old king during the previous war.
He survived by choosing to surrender before the Starian Capital was besieged.
Although he avoided the death penalty, he was still punishment for resisting the new king, Henry Star, once the war ended in his favor. Fortunately for him, because he did not commit any severe crimes during the old king's reign, his life was spared, however, all of his territories and wealth were confiscated, and was also demoted from Marquis to a low-level Baron.
He began a new life by becoming a doctor through his advanced knowledge of medicine. At some point, the new king took notice of Mason's skills and recruited him to become one of the royal doctors.
By the year 1760 P.D, he was the head doctor of the royal family, however, it all came to an end today.
"I've worked hard for 5 years to get that position and just because I sold some potions, they threw me away..." Mason internally complained as he spat on the carpet.
If anyone had heard what he was internally saying, they would have been shocked at the audacity as he could have his tongue legally cut out for insulting the royal family. However, it was obvious that he did not care.
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[30 Minutes ago]
Mason was summoned to the meeting room by Queen Seo-Yeon.
"Good morning, your Highness. Is there anywhere that her highness is feeling uncomfortable?" Mason asked as he smiled.
The queen glanced at Blue who was standing behind her and grinned for a second. Blue noticed her glance and grinned back as he nodded.
"As of today, you are no longer the head-doctor of the royal family and will be replaced by a more trustworthy person. I shall give you a full day to pack up all of your belongings and leave this place. If you are spotted in the castle after today, we'll consider you as an intruder and have you arrested for trespassing," said Seo-Yeon.
Mason was stunned at the words that he just heard and then started to chuckle.
"Hahaha! Her Highness's sense of humor is truly something to be admired!" said Mason, in a vain attempt to refuse reality.
Seo-Yeon raised one of her eyebrows with an unimpressed expression.
"I fail to see what was funny," said Seo-Yeon in a stern tone.
Veins were slowly beginning to pop out of Mason's forehead in frustration as he tried to force a smile.
"I do not understand, your Highness. I've worked here for years and have been accepted by King Henry Star, himself! Is her Highness suggesting that the king made a poor decision?" said Mason in an irritated tone.
"Oh? What will you do if I say yes?" Seo-Yeon asked.
Mason was caught off guard by the queen's question.
"T-That..." Mason stuttered.
"There is a reason for your disposal. A witness has reported that you have been secretly selling forbidden potions to the black market," said Seo-Yeon.
Mason opened his eyes in shock.
"T-That is absurd, your Highness! Who is this witness?! Whoever said that is lying, your Highness! How could I possibly commit such a grave crime?!" Mason shouted as he panicked.
"We already confirmed the witness' claim through Great General Blue's natural lie-detecting skill. There is no point in making any excuses. Just pack up and get out of my sight before I change my mind and have you hanged," said Seo-Yeon.
Mason gritted his teeth in anger as veins popped out of his face even further as it turned completely red.
"Yes, it is true that I sold some potions! However, your Highness, I only sold them to some foreign merchants that were in the capital! That is all. I did not sell them to the black market!" Mason argued.
Mason's argument caused the queen to glare at him.
"Do you know the reason why we stopped producing those potions and banned them entirely? It's because of how dangerous and addictive they were!" Seo-Yeon shouted. "We were attempting to create a potion that would allow people to fully recover their stamina. However, we made a mistake and created a potion that would not only recover your stamina entirely but also increases your libido as well. Once you drink it, you can't get rid of the addiction until you die, so that's why we stopped the production entirely!"
"I-I had no idea that the potion would be that deadly!" said Mason as he started to sweat.
"Huh?? The head-doctor of the royal family had no idea? How could someone who's an expert in medicine not know?" Seo-Yeon asked as she smirked. "Seeing how you're still trying to lie till the end, this gives us even more reasons to remove you from the position of head doctor. We wouldn't want to entrust our lives to an incompetent fool like you. Enough excuses, get out."
"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Mason shouted.
Mason slammed his hands onto the table in anger. Mason's outburst caused the nearby guards to glare at him as they pointed their spears and swords at him while Blue was ready to stop Mason if he tried to do anything stupid.
Fortunately, Mason was not a complete fool to commit an act that'll get him killed. Little did the guards know, Mason had a hidden dagger under his suit but chose to restrain himself. He clicked his tongue and bowed at the queen as he clenched his fists.
"Normally, I would have had you arrested and hanged for what you did but I'm feeling quite generous today. Now, be a good little dog and quietly get out of my sight," said Seo-Yeon.
"Understood, your highness... I shall take my leave," Mason mumbled.
"Don't forget to take your belongings as well. If you leave any of them behind, we'll burn them," said Seo-Yeon.
"I hope that you have a wonderful afternoon, Marq-- I mean, Baron Mason," said Blue.
Mason bit his lip.
"Thank you, Great General Blue..." said Mason as he walked out of the room.
As he walked out the door, he turned around with an extremely intimidating glare.
Instead of flinching, Seo-Yeon smirked and waved at him instead. After Mason left the room, Seo-Yeon gave Blue a signal.
"Blue," said Seo-Yeon.
"I know," said Blue.
Blue pulled out a ring with an emerald attached to it out of his side pouch.
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"Get out of my way!" Mason shouted as he shoved a maid to the side.
"Kya!" the maid shouted as she fell.
Another maid nearby approached the fallen maid and helped her get back up as they glared at Mason who was walking away.
"Damn it all... I told that old bastard to keep his mouth shut about the potions. Did he get captured and revealed everything?" Mason wondered. "Or perhaps it's the princess? No, no. There's no way that mixed-breed parasite could even muster up the courage to do that... Not after that threat, I gave her... Then who?"
Mason then entered his room.
"That doesn't matter anymore... I need to get out of here before they decide to change their minds and execute me," Mason thought. "I'll get my revenge..."
Mason began to look for his briefcase and then suddenly, he began to shiver.
"W-Who's there?!" Mason shouted as he turned around with the hidden dagger in his hand.
Although he felt someone's presence behind him, there was nobody there.
"Ha... I guess all of this stress is making me go insane..." Mason muttered.
"You can say that again," said Blue as he suddenly appeared behind Mason.
"What?!" Mason shouted.
Before Mason could react to Blue's sudden appearance, Blue managed to put Mason in a tight chokehold.
"Shhh... Quit struggling. Don't worry, I won't kill you. I just want to ask some questions, that's all," Blue whispered. "For now, go to sleep. Shh. Shh..."
Mason attempted to break free from the chokehold but couldn't overpower one of the 7 Great Generals of the Kingdom. After several seconds of struggling, Mason slowly lost consciousness and passed out.
Once he passed out, Blue called for the guards that were waiting outside of Mason's room.
"Guards! Inform Estrella that I found a new toy for her to play with," said Blue.
The guards were hesitant but they managed to nod their heads and walked away as they dragged Mason away.
"With this, we have one less dealer to worry about," Blue chuckled.
(To be continued)
2020/03/31
Additional notes: Blue's ring
The ring that Blue pulled out is known as the {Ring of stealth}. It is a rare ring that allows the wearer to become invisible. However, the effect will instantly be canceled if the wearer comes into contact with another living being or when the wearer speaks. There is a 30 minute cool down for every usage. It is unknown how many of these rings exist, however, it is known that the Starian royal family has over 40 of them in their possessions.