Chapter 25: Prince of Madness
Under the Re-Estize capital, a group of figures moved through the dark tunnels, holding torches in hand as they followed one man's guidance.
Gazef maneuvered the catacombs with ease, noticing the small hints that were placed to find the way back and out of the palace.
"How long will this go? I'm gonna get sick if we stay here a little longer." Gagaran commented, expressing her discontent with their current location.
"Ohh, is big Gagaran afraid? Can't she handle a little walk in some god-forsaken catacombs?" Evileye teased, provoking a scowl from Gagaran, who chose to ignore her barb.
"No time to make jokes, Evileye." Lakyus reprimanded the vampire.
"We're close." Gazef asserted as he noticed a shift in symbols. Behind him, Brain stood, brandishing his torch to illuminate their path.
The subsequent corridors, wider than the earlier cramped passages, boasted a stone floor, hinting at their proximity to their destination.
A breeze swept through, signaling Gazef that they were nearing their objective.
"The next door will lead us to the cellar of the castle. There, we should be safe since not many go down there. Tina, Tia, you know what to do next." Gazef instructed the two assassins, nodding in response. "Good. Then, let's go." He declared, opening the door with a creak he hoped went unnoticed.
In an instant, the assassins vanished into the shadows, leaving the group to wait in tense silence.
"So now we only have to wait." Gazef commented, the silence growing with every second as they waited for the twins' return. Ten seconds later, Tina and Tia reappeared.
"Six Arms is here, as expected. Also, low guards inside the palace and many on the walls." Tia reported, causing a furrow in Gazef's brow. He had anticipated fewer guards at this time since it now was training time in the soldiers's schedule.
'This seems odd.' Gazef thought, yet he had a mission, just like the rest of them.
"Then we will enter. There is no stopping us now." Just as Gazef said the words, an explosion could be heard from the outside, the signal the Warrior Captain had been waiting for.
"Let's go!" Stronoff commanded, and the group ascended the stairs to the first floor.
"I know the most secure room in this palace, and I can guarantee you that Barbro is there. Follow me!" Gazef directed, navigating the palace halls with a precision born of familiarity. Quickly, they reached the second floor, where the saferoom was.
"The Warrior Captain!" One of the guards alerted, the others raising their pikes and spears toward the group of adventurers.
"[Fourfold Single Slash]!" Gazef activated his martial art, dispatching four of the guards.
Brain swiftly dealt with the remaining two, and the two ninjas handled the rest.
"Good work. Now, I am not sure what is behind this door, but if it is a trap, we will have to fight our way out of this back to the underground tunnels." Gazef cautioned, though none hesitated.
Gazef unlocked the door, revealing a candlelit room with thick brick walls and a metal-plated interior.
"He's not here." Gazef said, gazing into an empty room with no prince inhabiting it.
"So it was a trap, after all." Brain commented with a slight grunt.
"Then we must-" Before Lakyus could finish, soldiers from all corridors closed in on their location, their footsteps muted until now.
Three figures emerged from the ranks, one of them recognizable to Gazef. The knight with the whip-like sword. However, two unfamiliar faces accompanied him. A woman in revealing attire, armed with scimitars, and a nobleman wielding a rapier.
"You have come a long way, but this is the end. I, the Dancing Scimitar, will make sure of it." The woman dressed in silk stated, letting her swords float around her as she went into a battle stance.
"A Thousand Kills will make you wish you never came here." The man with the rapier introduced himself, going into a fighting posture.
"Peshurian, the Spatial Slash." The knight said, taking out his weapon from its sheath.
"Lakyus, you and your team take on the one with the scimitars and the soldiers while Brain and I fight the other two." Gazef directed, his eyes not leaving his target for the duration of the sentence.
"Got it." Lakyus answered. "Tia, Tina, I want you to focus your attention on the woman while Gagaran, Evileye, and I fight off the soldiers." Lakyus instructed, setting the plan in motion.
Brain and Gazef selected their adversaries. Gazef opted for "Thousand Kills," skeptical if the nickname was true, while Brain faced Peshurian, who was informed of the knight's unique sword by Gazef before they went on the mission.
"If I kill you, I will have finished the best warrior in all of Re-Estize. It will make a fine addition to the growing list." The man taunted, the arrogance in his words hearable.
"We will see." Gazef replied, activating his martial arts to bolster his strength and speed.
"[Body Strengthening]! [Flow Acceleration]!"
Gazef charged at the enemy, yet his eyes widened as the man, instead of dodging, lunged at him with his rapier in front.
'He's fast!' Gazef thought, and thanks to his martial arts, he was able to evade most of the damage, only bruising his shoulder with the tip of the rapier. The man quickly retreated with careful steps.
"It seems I cannot kill you so easily, but you will tire now or later." The man declared, again aiming for the Warrior Captain's heart.
"[Mental Enhancement]!" Gazef activated another martial art, preparing himself for the next strike.
Brain, however, did not have it any easier.
"A formidable enemy, yet you will die at the hands of Peshurian!" The knight exclaimed, slashing at Brain with his Urumi, to which Brain struggled to find a counter, realizing the danger posed by the unique weapon.
'If he catches my blade with it, he can pull me off guard. For now, I will use the tip of my katana to counter his strikes, but it's not getting easier.' Brain thought as he blocked each strike. He knew he would lose the fight if he failed to hit just one of those attacks with the tip of his sword.
"Let's do this together, sis." Tia commented as both approached the woman in silk, each holding a dagger. The woman smiled, letting her scimitars dance around her.
"I never expected to fight two former Ijaniya assassins." The woman said, smirking at the changing expressions of the two assassins. However, the advantage was short-lived.
Tia, without hesitation, activated her ninjutsu skill, traversing to the shadow of the Dancing Scimitar. Tina attempted to distract the woman with two daggers flying her way.
"Too easy." The woman scoffed, using her scimitars to block the daggers while evading the attack from her own shadow.
"Do you really think I would fall for such a meager attack?" The woman taunted, but the twins remained steadfast.
"Two-sided maneuver." Tia declared, and Tina nodded in understanding, preparing herself.
"[Shadow Clone]" Both ninjas activated another skill, projecting doubles of themselves beside them.
Quickly, the twins and their clones rushed at the woman, changing positions left and right to confuse her about which was real and which was a simple clone. Yet the woman's eyes never left the twins, almost ignoring the clones as she prepared to counter their attack.
"[Immobility Binding Paralysis]!" Tia called forth her skill, aiming for the woman, but the effect was negated, either due to her strength or an item to resist paralysis.
The woman spun with light feet, sending her scimitars toward the twins, offering no time to think.
"[Dark Crossing]!" The twins reappeared in the shadow of the woman. She grunted as she had to use her spare scimitar to block one attack and dodge the other.
With precise movements, she managed to avoid every hit, and the assassins passed her by as she called back her scimitars. Her awareness of her surroundings seemed to have no equal.
Yet the woman had no time to spare. The two clones attacked her, throwing Kunai's in her way as they neared her position.
"Tch!" With a swift round kick, she disposed of the first clone, then used her scimitar to slash at the second, yet it dodged in time. This cycle continued further and further until one would make a mistake.
"[Instant Counter]!" Gazef called out, readjusting to his attack stance after being thrown off balance.
'I have to be careful. If I let him enough space, he would end me in a second.' Gazef thought. The man possessed the most exceptional lunging technique Gazef had ever witnessed, surpassing even his own. However, this wasn't a reason to accept defeat easily. Gazef had overcome stronger opponents before.
'What the…' Gazef felt his vision blur, seeing things double as his eyes deceived him. 'Poison? It must be.' Gazef surmised, observing a water-like substance drop from the rapier's tip. His suspicions confirmed, Gazef knew he didn't have much time to defeat his opponent, who smirked at the sight of his poison taking effect.
"[Body Strengthening]! [Mental Enhancement]!" Gazef called forth his martial arts, feeling his vision returning and his body holding together more than before.
"Your martial arts won't save you now, Stronoff." The man grinned, preparing himself for another lunge. "Remember the name Malmvist before you-"
Before he could finish, the man felt something pierce his gut, and as he looked down, he saw a massive ice crystal piercing through his abdomen.
The man dropped to his knees, living just long enough to see who was responsible for his death.
"Damn mage…" With his last words, the man fell face-first to the ground, his killing spree ending with a simple ice crystal from the back.
Gazef, seeing the enemy dead, collapsed to his knees, his body succumbing to the poison.
"Are you alright?" Evileye asked, seeing the Warrior Captain in a trance-like state.
"P-Poison…" Gazef said with his last strength.
"Lakyus! Come quickly!" Evileye shouted for her leader, who rushed to his side at seeing Gazef in such a state.
"[Cure Poison]" Lakyus used her divine magic to heal the Warrior Captain from the poison, and it seemed to work for now.
"Thank you, Lakyus, I owe you one." Gazef said with a smirk as he caught his breath. Glancing at Brain, he saw that he was still fighting the knight.
'Maybe the knight would have been a better enemy for me.' Gazef thought, yet he couldn't dwell on that at the moment, simply choosing an enemy to fight.
Back to Brain fighting the knight, the blue-haired swordsman seemed to have an idea on his mind.
'I think I know what to do.' Brain mused, awaiting another swing from the knight's sword. As he attacked once more, Brain used not the tip but his whole katana to block. The knight's Urumi wrapped itself around the sword, and the knight smirked. Pulling, he hoped to throw Brain off balance, yet the man saw that coming. With the momentum, Brain allowed himself to be carried in the knight's direction, letting go of his sword, something which the knight didn't expect.
'A warrior has to use every part of his body, not only his sword.' Brain thought as he landed a kick to Peshurian's helmet, making the knight go off balance. And before he could stand up, Gagaran used her hammer to knock the Six Arms member down.
"Good work!" Gagaran commented, at which Brain gave a two-finger salute.
Now, only the Dancing Scimitar was left, she knew this as well. Slowly backing away, she eyed for an exit, yet she was cornered from all sides.
"Surrender now, and we will let you live!" Lakyus offered, and it took some seconds until the woman decided to give up, dropping her scimitars as she held her hands up.
"You might have defeated me, but you'll never stop us." She said, at which she received a punch to the face by one of the ninjas, blood coming out of her mouth. Tia then took out a needle and stabbed the woman in the back.
"What…" Seconds later, the woman dropped to the ground, sent to sleep.
"We have to find Barbro. If he's not here, he must be somewhere else in this building." Gazef said, still weakened by the poison from before.
"[Lesser Strength]" Lakyus cast at Gazef, returning some of his strength back.
"Thank you, Lakyus." Gazef said.
"No problem. Now, let's find Barbro. Tia, Tina, you'll go forth without us and return if you have found something."Lakyus ordered the twins, who quickly ran in multiple directions, their clones following.
"You look uneasy, Gazef." Brain commented, seeing the Warrior Captain with a troubled look on his face.
"What do you think, Brain? Of all of this. It seems weird. As if he expected us. I never thought-"
"You never thought Barbro would be that smart, huh? I don't think so, either. Eight Fingers probably gave him their intel. Somehow, they knew we were coming." Brain stated.
"That doesn't matter right now. We are here, so we must find Barbro and the king." Gazef said, a sudden realization hitting him. "The king!" Gazef swiftly navigated the corridors, making his way to the king's chamber.
Upon arrival, he noticed the absence of guards. Upon opening the doors, the chamber was empty.
"This seems strange, really strange." Brain commented, having followed Gazef.
"Indeed, His Majesty isn't here. We should return back to Blue Rose." Gazef suggested, and Brain nodded in agreement.
Back with Blue Rose, Gazef saw that the twins had returned.
"Barbro isn't in the palace." Tia said.
"He's outside." Tina continued.
"Let's go then!" Brain exclaimed, and they hastened toward the side exit leading to the front entrance.
"He's there." Evileye alerted the group, spotting Barbro on the castle walls.
"What is he doing?" Lakyus asked, but Evileye didn't know.
"He's open. Let's rush him." Gagaran said, and the group agreed.
"Prince Barbro!" Gazef shouted, prompting the prince to turn around with a disdainful expression. "You will pay for all your crimes against your king and the people!"
"You dare judge me! ME! I will make sure you die a gruesome death, just like your friends, you commoner!" Barbro retorted, retrieving something from his mantle.
"What is that?" Lakyus asked. Barbro held a dark grey figure with three arms, each possessing an orb. The figure's head was peculiar, sporting a goat's face instead of a normal head.
"Nothing good." Evileye responded, sensing malevolent energy emanating from the statue. "I think it's a magic item." She commented, causing Lakyus to eye her with surprise.
"Are you sure? That's not good. We don't even know what it does." Lakyus said, hand already on her sword.
"I guess we'll find out soon." Brain said.
"This kingdom will be mine alone!" Barbro declared, laughing maniacally as he raised the statue, activating it and causing the three orbs to glow.
"No way…" Gagaran commented in disbelief. Three portals materialized in the sky as the prince activated the statue. From said portals, hordes of grotesque beings entered, as if they came right out of a nightmare.
"Demons…" Lakyus uttered as she witnessed hordes of demonic entities emerging from the portals, initiating a mass slaughter throughout the city.
"You have lost it completely, Prince Barbro!" Gazef shouted, pointing his sword at the prince. Rage consumed Gazef as he witnessed the chaos unleashed by Barbro. "Do you wish to rule over the dead? Why would you even unleash such creatures upon your own people?!" Gazef concluded, convinced that the prince had descended into madness, a psychopath who had lost his sanity due to whatever experiences he had during his absence.
"My army will destroy everyone who won't bow! I will be king! I will rule Re-Estize, with demons if I must do so! You won't-" Before the prince could finish, a massive scythe severed his head from his body, leaving him decapitated.
"What is that?" Brain asked, observing the creature that had intervened. It had a human-like body but mantis-like hands with scythes attached. Its face was monstrous, its mouth opening in four directions while its eyes were blood red.
"[Crystal Dagger]!" Evileye cast toward the demon, instantly killing it.
"What did he do?! Why would he do this?!"Lakyus fumed, slashing through imps with righteous anger.
"We can't think of his reasons for the moment. We need to save the people from this threat." Gazef declared. "I'll rally the guards still loyal to me. You go ahead."
"Fine by me. Then. Let's go!" Lakyus commanded, charging toward the demonic horde, with the others following closely behind her.
"Still nothing."
Ainz Ooal Gown, the Ruler of Death, Master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Eclipse, stood before his staff. His hand gently traced his chin as he beheld the tomb's most potent weapon.
"Before, the staff would have shown me something, a menu or a message. But now, nothing." Ainz mused, recalling the cryptic notification the staff had given.
[You have completed the collection for the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown]
The meaning eluded him, a puzzle he had pondered for quite some time. Ainz couldn't fathom it, and the staff itself offered no help either.
'Weird, it proclaims the message, yet doesn't actually know what the collection does.' Ainz pondered, extending his hand to summon the staff.
'I could try to use a charge of the [Shooting Star] ring since I can make an infinite number of them as long as I have enough mana to create another. I could try.' Around the Overlord, blue arcane circles appeared, moving around as Ainz awaited the cooldown to end.
"I wish to know everything about the collection for the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown]!" Ainz declared, casting the Super-Tier spell. The circles expanded but shattered, signifying the spell's failure.
'Why did I fail? Was it because I tried to get information on how a world item works? Even that counts as going against a world item?' Ainz contemplated, options dwindling.
"I give up. Maybe I'm missing some requirements? I'm not sure." A the staff to hover once more, he conjured a mirror reflecting grassy plains.
'Demiurge's plan works really well. Now, the kingdom, or rather, Barbro, has declared war on us, sending the troops of his supporters to fight at the front against the Sorcerer Kingdom. Now, we have a reason to invade. Make an example out of them. Jircniv probably wants a bite, but we won't let that happen.' Ainz ruminated, switching the image to a city, Re-Estize's capital.
'Chaos seems to have rooted itself in the midst of their nation. It was a good idea to keep the prince alive, torture him, and manipulate him to go against his own people. Great thinking from Demiurge once more. I should make a plan once myself, sometime in the future.'
Dispelling the mirror, Ainz shifted focus to another experiment on his mind.
Abruptly, the Overlord's entire form was enveloped in what appeared to be flesh. Slowly ascending from the back all around his being, it revealed a handsome visage. It was the Avatar he had named Alucard.
'I feel more alive in this form, even if this is technically still an undead. But an undead with a body of flesh.' Ainz thought, moving his hands as he felt them more clearly than before.
Then, a bright flash engulfed the Overlord. As it subsided, an armored lord stood, a skull-like helmet with a spiked crown evoking fear. This was the obsidian armor, crafted on the 8th Floor.
"[Abyssal Dawn]. Not as impressive as Touch Me's armor, but still provides enough protection for me to fight with most warriors of this world. And with the right classes now, which I have thanks to this Avatar, I can wield a sword like nobody else." Ainz declared, summoning his mace, [Dark Star].
With a mere thought, both items vanished, leaving Ainz clad in divine robes.
'This will come in use some time. But now, I want to experience a real bath.' Ainz mused, conjuring a portal to the Spa Resort. 'I just hope it's rented out for me today. I don't want anybody to disturb me while I enjoy a warm bath.'
E-Rantel, once a bustling hub teeming with traders, adventurers, and vibrant activity, now languished in an eerie silence. The city's thoroughfares, once alive with the hustle and bustle of its inhabitants, were now devoid of life, the lively taverns reduced to empty echoes. This transformation occurred following the annexation of the city by the Sorcerer King, who now held it firmly under his rule.
Within the confines of his office, Pluton composed letters when an unexpected sound pierced the silence. The rhythmic rhythm resembled a marching force, each step resonating in perfect unison, capturing the Guildmaster's attention.
'What is this?' Puzzled, Pluton pondered the unusual occurrence, glancing out of his window to witness an approaching army in disciplined formation. Abandoning his office, he hastily exited the Adventurers Guild to witness the spectacle firsthand.
Before him marched an army, organized in ten rows, advancing down E-Rantel's main road. These were the enforcers of the Sorcerer King, known as Dark Paladins. Despite their ominous reputation, the true nature of these warriors remained shrouded in mystery to Pluton and the city's populace. They simply referred to them as the Dark Knights or Dark Paladins, not knowing of their undead nature.
"Excuse me." Pluton addressed a knight striding outside the formation, who responded with an almost disdainful tone.
"What is it?" The knight said, almost spitting those words out.
"Why is His Majesty's army marching through E-Rantel? I was not informed of any of this?" Ainzach inquired, prompting a curt response from the knight.
"The kingdom of Re-Estize has dared to attack the Sorcerer Kingdom. We, the Paladins of Ainz Ooal Gown, march upon Re-Estize to show them what happens when they dare to oppose the Supreme One!" With that declaration, the knight resumed his position within the formation.
'The kingdom attacked the Sorcerer King? Why would they do this? They, or rather, are allied with the empire. It wouldn't be that wise to attack the Sorcerer Kingdom as of now.' Pluton thought as he returned to his chambers, leaning back on his chair as he contemplated what was happening right now.
'The Sorcerer King is an understanding and respectful person. As I see him, he is not like any noble, more caring about his kingdom than most. His reformation of the Adventurers Guild indicates that he has more plans in store for our organizations, and to be honest, his ideas seem rational. I see no reason not to accept his offer. Because of that, I would rather be a citizen of the Sorcerer Kingdom than from Re-Estize.' Pluton mused, the sound of a marching army still hearable in the back of his head.
"They are too many! Lakyus! We need you on this side!" Gagaran's urgent cry resonated amidst the chaos, her strikes fending off one Hellhound after another, preventing them from sinking their teeth into her.
"I have my hands full right now! Evileye, can you aid Gagaran real quick?!" Lakyus inquired, her blows against waves of Gazer Devils relentless as she brandished her holy sword.
"One sec!" Evileye reassured, swiftly casting another crystal at an Overeating as she approached Gagaran.
"[Crystal Wall]!"
A colossal crystal wall materialized before Gagaran, forming a formidable shield against the oncoming horde of demons.
"Thanks, shorty!" Gagaran expressed her gratitude with a salute.
"[Shard Buck Shot]!" Evileye cast, hovering above the demon horde as crystalline shards raced toward them at breakneck speeds, decimating those in her immediate vicinity. Pivoting her attention to the Overeating, adorned with a dozen faces, Evileye focused her power on it.
"[Crystal Lance]!" A crystal projectile hurtled toward the colossal demon, aiming for its head. Despite a crystal lodged in its face, the demon persisted in its rampage toward Evileye.
"[Crystal Sphere]!" A massive sphere materialized and soared toward the Overeating, obliterating its head, leaving the rest of the body to disintegrate into ashes.
"One down! We probably need support from the kingdom's armies to beat the other hordes lurking around the capital!" Evileye declared.
"We can only hope that the Warrior Captain quickly rallies his troops. But for now, we need to hold them off!" Lakyus shouted as she felt herself get more exhausted by the minute. She wasn't easy to tire, having been an adventurer for years and of the highest rank. Yet the many demons did not make it easy for her.
'Where are you, Gazef Stronoff?'
The Warrior Captain searched through every inch of the palace, yet the whereabouts of His Majesty remained an enigma. A sense of frustration lingered in the air.
'Where would Barbro hide His Majesty? I searched every part, every room with my men, yet no clue, nor does any of the staff know where he went.'
Although Gazef was convinced that the king was within the palace, it seemed as though he had disappeared.
'This has to be the work of Eight Fingers. Somehow, they got His Majesty out of here. But where?' Gazef pondered, his mind grappling with the mystery.
He had returned to the first room they breached, where they thought to find Barbro, but it seemed the prince was not in there.
'There has to be a reason why there were some many guards out here. Not only as a trap but as protection.' Gazef thought as he entered the room. And as he expected, it was silent. Too silent for his taste.
He squeezed his eyes as he scanned the room, searching for any kind of movement or a hiding spot.
"Hey Gazef." A voice appeared from behind the Warrior Captain, none other than Brain Unglaus. A flicker of tension crossed Gazef's countenance, momentarily considering drawing his blade, but the recognition of Brain's voice diffused the tension.
"Brain, it seems I am at a dead end once more. There's nothing in here." Gazef admitted, his unease palpable.
Unglaus however, seemed tense, or rather, sensed something as he put his hand on the handle of his sword.
Gazef did not say a word, nodding at Brain as he prepared himself for the clash.
"[God Flash]!"
In a seamless motion, Brain lunged forward, executing a swift slash with his katana. The air parted, and blood adorned the floor, a seemingly successful strike.
Suddenly, the illusion dissolved, revealing a lifeless body on the floor. Gazef recognized the man to be a part of Eight Fingers.
Yet another person emerged, hidden by the illusion.
"His Majesty…" Gazef identified the king, rushing to his side. Yet, the monarch appeared unconscious. 'Probably some kind of sleep potion.' Gazef thought.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty? Your Majesty?!"
After several attempts, the king's weary eyes squinted open, a glimmer of life returning.
"G-Gazef? Is that you?" The king expressed surprise and joy at the Warrior Captain's presence.
"It's me, Your Majesty." Gazef reassured.
"Help me sit on the chair." Rampossa directed, pointing to an armchair. With the assistance of Gazef and Brain, the king was settled into his seat.
"Ahh, much better. And I see you are here as well, Sir Unglaus." The king acknowledged, recognizing Brain.
"We both came here to free you from Barbro. Tell me, Your Majesty, what happened after we escaped the capital?" Gazef inquired, prompting the king to recollect the harrowing events.
"After that, Barbro came to me, telling me that Zanac was unfit to rule and that he was the only true heir to the throne. But I could not believe that he killed his own brother, my second son, to ascend to the throne simply. I-I shouted at him! Telling him how simple-minded and egoistic he was! A murderer! A kin slayer! But…But those words only angered him. He thought I would applaud him and seem like he did the right thing. So, he kept me in this room, with that fellow over there, watching every step that I make." The king explained, tears running down his face.
"But now we are here, Your Majesty. Nothing like that will ever happen again." Gazef comforted., yet the royal did not seem completely satisfied.
"What of Barbro, Gazef? What happened to him?" The king asked, seeing Gazef's face was the same as when he came to him at Barbro's rebellion. He already knew what happened.
"He…He is no longer among the living." Gazef conveyed with respect., yet the king did not seem to shed a tear this time.
"It was all my fault, all because of my failure to raise an heir that would not turn out to be like Barbro! Look at what happened, Gazef. All because of my weakness." The king lamented, attributing blame to himself.
"That is not true. Your Majesty was kind, respectful, and honorable. It is not your fault Barbro became who he was. It was simply always in his nature. Do not put the fault on yourself, Your Majesty. Look at King Zanac or Prince Renner. Both turned out to be good children. One was a king who wished for prosperity in his realm, the other a princess who helps the poor with all her heart." Gazef insisted, citing examples of the king's other children as evidence.
The king, reflecting on the differences of his family, seemed to find solace in Gazef's words.
"It seems you are right, Gazef. I still mourn for Zanac's death. He did not show it much, but he was not the person people thought he was. He was simply hiding his true face, seeing it as a weakness in front of other nobles." The king added, revealing a side of his deceased son that few knew. He remembered the times Zanac came to him for advice. That was a true father-son relationship he wished to have with his heir. Yet, he enjoyed it with Zanac, somehow fulfilling his role as father in his eyes.
"I mourn as well. But, Your Majesty, I have to inform you that a current emergency requires my attention in the city. Barbro seemed to have an artifact that allowed him to summon an army of demons which now roam the city." Gazef disclosed, prompting a startled reaction from the king.
"Demons?! How did Barbro get in possession of such a powerful artifact?" The king inquired, his concern evident.
"I am not sure. But me and Brain have to help the people of the city first. I will need all the available men." Gazef explained, receiving the king's agreement.
"Of course. If not for the potion that was given to me, I would follow you into battle, give the people morale. But I am too weak. With my right as king, I give you the authority to mobilize all the forces currently available at the capital. See to it that my people are safe, Gazef." The king entrusted.
"Of course, Your Majesty."