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nAt the helm of the crowd, Sylvester walked straight towards the castle. The crowd chanted slogans in unison, ensuring that every person in the castle could hear him.

n“Let the Bard in!”

n“We don’t want war!”

n“Let there be peace!”

nSylvester had turned them into hippies. But he didn’t care. As long as the city’s significant population rejected the call for war, the King would have to think twice because the people of River City were some of the most talented and wealthiest folks in the entire Kingdom, as this was the capital and the centre of the Kingdom.

nLady Aurora soon arrived beside him and smiled. “I’ve set everything up, Sylvester. Fires will soon shroud various places across the city, and the men from the Monastery will douse those flames while singing your hymns. So the people will forever remember who saved them.”

nSylvester chuckled and kept walking. He knew what he was doing was unethical as he was creating a problem and then solving it himself. But, this was war, and everything was fair in it. Not to mention, this was what politicians do—And he was the father of all politicians—a spy.

n“Good job. You will accompany me inside and stay by my side the whole time. But you must not say or do anything without my permission. I’ve spoken to Lord Inquisitor, and he said the King is very scheming and quick with his mouth. He may try to anger us with words, hoping we’d do something so he can renege on his deal to end the war.” He advised her, not in a commanding tone, as he still respected Lady Aurora’s strength and rank in the clergy, no matter how close they were.

nShe was busy cleaning her armour and clothes with magic as they walked. “Understood, Sylvester. Don’t worry about me, but I’m afraid he will invoke something about Xavia, which may anger you.”

nSylvester smirked. “Oh… I hope he does that.”

n‘I won’t have any second thoughts then.’ Sylvester added in silence.

n“You want me to heal you? Your face looks bruised.” She asked.

nBut Sylvester denied it. “That would beat the whole point. The King must see and understand the situation he has put himself into. He didn’t just attack me today. He attacked the authority of the Holy Land. I know my looks won’t scare him or affect him, but let’s not forget that every King has a court, and every court has two sides. One which always stands with the King and one that opposes.

n“Laws may bind the Holy Land, but that doesn’t mean it’s a toothless lion. You anger us enough; we won’t only bite but also eat and digest.”

nPat!

nLady Aurora tapped his back. “Good man! You sound like my father more and more now. But, I agree with whatever you said.”

n“One more thing. Do not react if, all of a sudden, some assassins appear. They won’t be after me.” He added and refused to elaborate.

nSoon enough, the standoff began. But the King had reinforced the castle wall’s gates with many more garrisons of the guards. They were all clad in their heavy armour and shields, prepared to face the riots.

nBut they were there to save the Castle, so who was going to save the City?

nBoom!

nSoon, the first ‘random’ explosion appeared inside the city. It was just a short distance from the Castle. Hence, the guards could see the cloud of flames rising in the sky. It was dense and much fiercer than normal fire for some reason.

nSylvester walked forward and spoke with the most well-armoured knight with an ocean blue cape on his shoulder and a blue feather fin over his helmet.

n“Please tell his majesty that if he does not allow me to enter, then perhaps, only this castle will be left standing, not the city.” His voice was so calm and soothing, yet the threats were clear as day.

nThe man gulped and nodded before turning around and heading back into the Castle. Unfortunately, though, the guards at the wall only kept increasing slowly.

nBoom!

nA second explosion resounded. Of course, Sylvester was not going to calm down until he had the signed letter from the King that called for a ceasefire. The explosions were meant to put more and more pressure.

nSpeak and shout, sing with me, my brothers and sister!

nToday, show your pain to those who know not what’s a blister!?

nSylvester’s occasional hymns continued to pump the crowd. The people had become accustomed to repeating after him, so eventually, all his hymns reached all the protestors.

nBoom!

nThe third explosion came. This one in the distance. But the sound was still as resounding as any.

n“Please come in!”

nAs expected, the guard returned and frantically called them inside. “The King is in the Riverside gardens. The servants inside will take you to him. Until then, please, tell them to calm down.”

nSylvester glanced back and waved his hand. Instantly, the crowd became louder. “I’m afraid the crowd will only calm down once they have what they want. Until then, stay safe.”

nHe patted the guard’s shoulder and entered the castle premise with a small metal box in hand. It took him so much arm twisting, but finally, he felt the fruit of the labour taste much sweeter.

nWith Lady Aurora behind him, they soon crossed the moat and the final gate. Once inside, Sylvester’s jaw fell as he soaked himself in the beauty in front of his eyes. It was a massive castle. There was just one, but it was immense, not just in height but also in its area.

nHeck, he noticed many waterfalls coming down from many rooftops of the Castle.

nThere were various beautiful birds, flowers and trees. The breeze was so different from the City that it suddenly felt like they were in a different part of the world.

nThe Castle was made of light grey stone with a slight blue tint. The roofs were all covered with ocean-blue tiles, and there was an abundance of water. There were small ponds and fountains as far as Sylvester could see.

nMany people were working to maintain all that area as well. People were cutting the grass and cleaning the many fountains and ponds. He even noticed what seemed like a sparring match between some kids, likely King Riveria’s kids, as the latter had so many, and his harem was also something to boast about.

nLady Aurora sighed. “Every time I see this place, I wonder why these men even want to fight. They have everything that a commoner can’t even dream of.”

nSylvester didn’t mind, as he had seen many times before how greed consumes men in power and brings senseless war onto the people.

n“Let’s go and finish this work.”

nThey followed the servant male who led them towards the river on the Castle’s West side. There were vast grasslands overlooking the river, and apparently, the King was supposed to be there.

nThey had no complaints, though, as they got to see the beauty of the Castle. They silently followed and soon arrived in front of three-metre tall walls made of bushes. There was a metallic open gate between them.

nThe servant stopped and gestured for them to enter. “Please enter. His majesty is waiting inside.”

nSylvester nodded and walked in confidently. He took a few long calming breaths simultaneously, hoping everything he was about to do went well.

nAt the same time, he glanced at Miraj on his left shoulder and gave a wink. The furry boy also tried to wink back at him, though he only ended up blinking both eyes.

n“Aurora, remember my words. Stay under control.” He advised again.

nWith that, they finally arrived outside a glasshouse just a few metres away from the riverbank. The place was full of flowers, and the scents were overwhelmingly pleasant. Combined with the sound of the river, it was an incredibly soothing place.

n“Please enter. They are waiting.” Another servant was waiting for them at the gate.

nSylvester followed directions and went inside the densely vegetated garden. He could notice a distant sound of a chuckle and some voices belonging to men.

n‘Alright then—Let’s see if I still have it in me.’

nHe took a calming breath and made more noise from his footsteps, revealing his position. Then, once he turned from the pathway between the dense plants and trees, he noticed a white garden table and four chairs beside the glass window that overlooked the river.

nOn the side closer to the window, two men were sitting. One was King Riveria, looking older than the last time he saw the man. Wrinkles had taken over his face, white shoulder-length hair was falling to the back, and his sharp yellowish-green eyes had gone hazy. He also seemed very weak with a thin, frail body, but above his head, the crows still shined as any other day.

nSylvester knew he could kill the King even if he slapped the man too hard. But he sensed death from the other man. The man also appeared old, with white shoulder-length hair falling to his sides while parting from the middle above. The old man had a well-defined sharp moustache and wore a monocle.

nBut that was the only old thing about him, as he was at least six foot five and as broad as Sir Dolorem. It was obvious that the man was a high-ranked wizard or a knight.

n“Greetings, your majesty. You’re a hard man to meet.” Sylvester made himself known as he walked closer and put the metal box on the table.

nThe King and the other man amusingly looked up, not even greeting them back. The King even sneered and, as expected, retorted indirectly. “And you’re a guest most pray only to entertain once. You’ve had quite an… adventure in the City.”

nSylvester chuckled and confidently took a seat just beside King Riveria. “What can I say? Your welcome overwhelmed me. But, don’t they say, desperate times call for desperate measures, your majesty.”

n‘Ah! The anger, rage and whatnot—The King hates me to the core.’ Sylvester was always alert.

n“This is Lady Aurora, the Tenth Guardian of Light.” He introduced.

nThe king first lazily pointed the finger at the other man sitting beside him. “This is my dear friend, Atlas Aqua Riveria, the first Grand Wizard of Riveria.”

nBut then, all of a sudden, Sylvester smelled lust from the King as the old, ugly, frail man swept his gaze on Lady Aurora from head to toe. “By the way, Lady Aurora, you’re a Grand Wizard, correct? Even with all that power, why waste away your life as a clergyperson? Perhaps, I can find a place for you in my castle—The realm needs strong blood, and strong blood comes from strong men and women, after all.”

nLady Aurora sneered, displeased, obviously. “Please keep me out of your talks, your majesty. I’ve given my life to the faith, so I request you not to sully my worship.”

n“The worship is wasted.” The King jibed while pouring himself a glass of whatever was in the bottle on the table.

nSylvester, however, with a plain face, talked back, though a bit cryptically. “Thank you for your wise words, your majesty. The world is witness to your exploits. A man so famously known as the key to a hundred locks. I’m sure many of your children shall be mighty keys like you.”

nKing’s face fell. Of course, he was not famed as the key to a hundred locks for being a sex god—rather—his inability to produce strong heirs. 𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐞𝘁

nThe King barked back instantly. “What about you, boy? Do you know the key that unlocked your mother? Or perhaps she’s the lock that opens for every key it comes across?”

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n700 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.

n1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.

nAPE TOGETHER STRONG!

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