The altercation between George and the Assistant Vice Commander of the Royal Guards blew out of proportion. Within the same day, the entire castle knew of the conflict between the royal guards and the Blackstone Soldiers.
When Lark heard, he smiled in amusement.
"Your Majesty," said the Grand Chamberlain, frowning. They were in the throne room. "We should do something about this. No matter who wins, it'll put a dent in the relationship between the two groups."
Lark looked at the six Blackstone Soldiers standing guard near the throne. Although they were standing straight and pretending they couldn't hear anything, the subtle movements in their bodies and small changes in their facial expressions gave them away—they were all listening attentively, unsurprisingly since this event involved them.
For a moment, Lark wondered who was stronger. The soldiers he'd trained using the humanoids born from the essence of basilisks or the royal guards who'd been through numerous battlefields?
Although it may seem like a petty squabble from an outsider's point of view, Lark believed it could lead to problems later on if they did not address the issue.
"Please allow me to punish Assistant Vice Commander Cherry accordingly," said the Grand Chamberlain.
Lark said, "If the reports are true, then the Assistant Vice Commander is indeed in the wrong. But my two disciples, Austen and George, are also at fault. Wouldn't it be prudent to include them in the punishment as well?"
The Grand Chamberlain was at a loss for words. He knew how much the new king cherished his disciples. He was horrified at the thought of punishing those kids, even if they were in the wrong.
"T-That's…" the Grand Chamberlain struggled to find the right words.
"Young Masters Austen and George are still young. I believe that it's unnecessary to—" "Viscount Lakian," said Lark.
The Grand Chamberlain lowered his head. "Your Majesty."
"I may be a doting master, but I am a fair one," said Lark. "Being my disciples may give them special privileges in the castle, but it does not grant them exemption from punishment. Call all the people responsible for this mess here. Including George and Austen."
The Grand Chamberlain hesitated. "As you wish."
Upon Lark's orders, George, Austen, and all the royal guards who were present during the squabble were summoned before him.
They walked nervously and upon reaching the throne, knelt.
"We greet His Majesty, King Lark!" the royal guards said in unison.
"We greet Master!" the brothers said in a small voice.
Everyone, Cherry included, was trembling. It was rare even for royal guards like them to be summoned to the throne room due to squabbles like this.
"Starting now, no one shall speak unless they are given permission to," said Lark, his voice cold and piercing. "First, the Assistant Vice Commander of the Royal Guards. Cherry, is it?"
Cherry, his muscular body trembling, swallowed dry spit. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Several castle servants witnessed what happened," said Lark. "I heard that my cute little disciples and you were so loud that your voices echoed in the hallways."
Lark omitted the part wherein the castle servants heard him slandering the Blackstone Soldiers nonstop.
"I… I am ashamed, Your Majesty!" said Cherry.
"I believe you have several dissatisfactions regarding the personal guards I brought with me," said Lark. "Let's hear them."
Cherry glanced at the six Blackstone Soldiers currently tasked to guard the throne room. They should be in that position, not these greenhorns. He bit his lip in resentment. After firming his resolve, he poured out all of his complaints.
"I believe that it is unfair, Your Majesty," said Cherry, "for mere soldiers of a town to suddenly be promoted to royal guards in the throne room. They don't even have the proper posture when holding a spear! They clearly do not know how to fight! We can't let such amateurs guard one of the key areas of the castle, the throne room!"
The faces of the six Blackstone Soldiers assigned to guard the throne room today started crumpling. Their grips on the shafts of their spears tightened as they listened to the Assistant Vice Commander.
"For such soldiers to guard the throne room where His Majesty is frequently residing," said Cherry in a heated voice, "is unacceptable!"
Cherry's last few words echoed in the throne room. Lark looked at the royal guards kneeling before him, at his two disciples, then at the Blackstone Soldiers standing nearby.
Indeed, the way the Blackstone Soldiers were holding their spears looked awkward. But Lark knew it was a habit they'd formed after fighting the humanoids of the Training Hall every day, for several months. Although it looked stiff at first glance, it was actually a posture they'd naturally developed after considering the various angles an attack could come from.
After all, the humanoids of the Training Hall had very long limbs that substituted as their weapons. Limbs that could bend and twist at impossible angles, making their attacks harder to evade.
Although the older royal guards' posture was ideal for ceremonies, the posture of the Blackstone Soldiers was ideal for battles and surprise attacks.
Still, Lark did not voice his thoughts. There was no need for unnecessary conflict here. He'd already thought of a better way to resolve this.
"I will take your words into consideration," said Lark.
Cherry smiled. "Thank you! Your Majesty!"
"Next, George," said Lark.
"M-Master…" The kid was also trembling. Tears were evident at the corners of his eyes.
George started formulating various reasons for picking a fight against the Assistant Vice Commander. But to his surprise, Lark didn't ask for any.
Instead, his master immediately meted out punishments.
"Six months. The two of you will no longer have access to the royal kitchen for six months," said Lark.
George and Austen looked at each other in shock. They were expecting Lark to side with them, given that he was their master. They did not expect their beloved master, who'd always forgiven them with a smile, to become this strict and unforgiving the moment he became king.
"As for your training," said Lark. "I will ask Anandra to increase the intensity at least twofold."
The brothers were horrified.
"W-Wait!" said George. "Please, anything but that! If master asks that old man to increase our training even more—" "George," said Lark. Seeing Lark's cold gaze, the kid immediately shut his mouth. "You are no longer disciples of the Town Lord, Lark Marcus.
You are now disciples of the Seventh King of Lukas. You need to learn to act as such. Take this as a lesson. Do not act so rashly in the future."
A subtle smile formed on Cherry's face. He hadn't expected the king to be this fair when dealing with these matters. Honestly, he'd expected the king to favor the kids—after all, they were disciples who'd been with him since he was still the lord of a faraway territory.
Cherry inwardly gloated.
Serves those kids right!
"But, as your master, it would be unfair for me not to commend your courage, for not backing down even when facing these veteran soldiers.
Your courage, protecting the pride and dignity of your comrades," said Lark. "So, let's do it this way."
There was a pause. Lark looked at everyone in the throne room.
"A fifteen versus fifteen fight," said Lark. "Royal guards versus the Blackstone Soldiers. If the Blackstone Soldiers win, George and Austen, who tried to defend their honor, will no longer be punished. If the royal guards win, I shall take Assistant Vice Commander Cherry's advice and remove the Blackstone Soldiers from the throne room."
Although there were punishments and rewards involved, all sides knew that this was a fight with their honor at stake.
Austen meekly raised his hand.
"Austen," said Lark.
"If the Blackstone Soldiers win… then we can continue using the royal kitchen?"
Lark nodded. "That's right. And you'll no longer have to undergo increased training under Anandra."
The brothers looked at each other.
George smiled broadly. "Then let's do that, Master!"
Cherry furrowed his brows. It sounded like the kid was confident the Blackstone Soldiers would win against veteran soldiers like them.
The way the kid answered, it seemed as though he didn't doubt the capabilities of the Blackstone Soldiers at all.
"Cherry, what do you think?" said Lark.
Cherry looked at his comrades—the royal guards who'd been with him for years. Just like him, determination was evident on their faces.
"We'll do it, Your Majesty," said Cherry, his voice predatory. "Please look forward to the royal guard's display of skills."
Lark looked at the Blackstone Soldiers. He chuckled. "I would have loved to ask for your thoughts regarding this matter," he said playfully. "But with the way things have turned out, it's not like you guys have a choice, right?"
The Blackstone Soldiers couldn't utter a reply to that. For some reason, it felt like Lark was enjoying the way things were going.
Lark clapped his hands once. "Very well. We'll proceed as planned.
Tomorrow morning, we'll hold the group match at the training grounds. The six of you," Lark said to the Blackstone Soldiers, "switch with the guards outside. You may rest for the day. Inform your comrades regarding this matter and get ready for the match."
*** Anandra had just finished his training when he heard of the match between the royal guards and the Blackstone Soldiers.
His body still soaked with sweat, he found the fifteen Blackstone Soldiers in their quarters, their faces filled with anxiety, their bodies restless.
"C-Commander!" greeted Pell, the current leader of the Blackstone Soldiers in the capital.
"I told you I'm no longer the commander of the Blackstone Soldiers," said Anandra as he started removing his shirt. He wiped his sweaty body with a towel. "I heard what happened. The fight is tomorrow morning.
What are all of you doing here?"
Instead of training, the Blackstone Soldiers were here in the quarters, as though they'd lost all hope and were trying to hide from everyone.
The Blackstone Soldiers looked at each other and lowered their gazes.
"About that…" mumbled Pell. "We… We don't know how it'll be even possible to win against the royal guards. You've seen how Cherry fought during training, sir. He's a monster worthy of his title as the Assistant Vice Commander. He alone could probably lay waste to all of us."
Anandra put on a clean shirt, tied his hair in a ponytail, and looked at all of the Blackstone Soldiers in the room.
In a calm voice, Anandra said, "Ask yourselves. Is the Assistant Vice Commander stronger than the humanoids of the Training Hall?"
The eyes of all the soldiers widened as realization struck them.
Anandra's question rekindled something within the Blackstone Soldiers' hearts.
He was right.
Although the Assistant Vice Commander was strong, the humanoids of the Training Hall in Blackstone Town were stronger.
They'd been fighting against those metallic monsters on a daily basis for months. Some of them—Pell included—had been fighting them for more than a year.
The Blackstone Soldiers started to realize that the Assistant Vice Commander wasn't that terrifying in the first place. Unlike the humanoids of the Training Hall, the Assistant Vice Commander was human. If he failed to block an attack, he would bleed. If the fight was prolonged, he would be exhausted. The difference between him and the humanoids was like that of heaven and earth.
"If the answer is yes," said Anandra. "Then start preparing yourselves to get beaten to a pulp." Such brutal words flowed smoothly out of the golden-haired man's mouth.
"But if you find the answer to be no…" Anandra showed a rare smile.
"Then, won't it be exciting? They've been looking down on our group for quite some time now."