Kingdom of Kraten.

It bordered Aurgoth to the West and Darkshore to the east. It largely depended on the sea trade as it was connected to the ocean to the South. It’s population was the highest amongst all the tier 1 nations and so was its land area. The capital- Rumenshire- was one of the major cities of the Confederation, known for its vibrant markets and trades.

Even though it was just a tier 1 nation, it was quite influential in the Confederation. After all, it was one of the three major tier 1 nations, a country capable of holding off against a tier 2 nation for some time on its own. Moreover it shared friendly relations with both of its bordering kingdoms.

The reason it was able to be a top dog amongst the tier 1 kingdoms and become a leader of the T1 alliance was simple- it had a couple of level 9 circlers and a handful of tier 8 circlers.

But unbeknownst to the common citizens and lower nobles of the nation, the kingdom was in jeopardy.

******

Four days after Adrian’s visit to the Royal palace of Kraten.

The Royal Court.

It was not comparable to the exceedingly expensive one as that of Aurgoth, nor to the utterly magical one at Nemphis. But still, it was grand. Any commoner who would lay their eyes upon it would gasp in awe.

*Clip-clop*

The din in the court suddenly quieted down, sounds of steady footsteps landing on the gold tinted marble floor echoed throughout the courtroom.

Everyone had their heads bowed down. It was the king, the sovereign of their nation, who had entered into the hall.

The crowned middle aged man stepped up to top of the plateau and sat on the lavish throne.

“Long Live his Majesty!”

“Long Live his Majesty!”

“Long Live his Majesty!”

The crowd, the highest echelon of the kingdom, cheered in unison.

The moustached king scanned through the hall and nodded.

He looked at his Royal Advisor, a skinny old man with whitening hairs. “Alrod, what happened? Why was I summoned?”

“It’s an emergency, your Majesty.” The old man stepped forward and bowed. “We just received a decree from Nemphis. A decree that dropped our whole nation into a quagmire. I summoned all the court officials and higher nobles. And I had no choice but to summon your majesty as well.” His voice was old, but it carried a wind of wisdom.

“Is that so?” He frowned. “What is it?”

There was a large scroll on the old man’s hand. He opened it and begin to read aloud. His voice resounded through the crowed but quiet courtroom.

“On his journey towards Darkshore from Aurgoth, Adrian Darkheart- the Royal Advisor to her Majesty the Queen Evelyn Greatwoods- was assaulted in Elesborg forest, and was kidnapped. Our joint investigation led us to the conclusion that it was the work of the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Kraten. You are ordain you to return Adrian Darkheart and apologise. Or else, the Kingdom of Nemphis and the tier 2 nations will take military actions upon you.”

Just when the old man finished reading, the crowd in the hall caused a din. Everyone began to chatter in worry.

The king, who was sitting relaxedly on his throne, was now stiff. He gritted his teeth. Adrian Darkheart- he was not kidnapped, he was right here in Rumenshire. And now he knew what that brat meant by it was an offer he could not refuse.

But still, he was a King. He composed himself and looked at the old man.

“Silence!” The old man shouted, prompting the atmosphere to reach a state of pin drop silence.

The king opened his mouth, his low voice emanated seriousness. “Nemphis does not have the power to enforce the three tier 2 on us. There should be seals of royal families of other nations on the scroll as well.” He said as he frowned. “How many seals are there? Which nations complied with the degree and which kingdoms rejected?”

Everyone of the court officials and higher nobles present in the royal court looked towards the old royal advisor.

“This…” A wry smile appeared on the old man’s face. “All three of the tier two nations sealed the decree.”

“What?!” The king slammed his fists on the armrests of the throne.

“What?!” Everyone in the crowd shouted in unison.

“Yes, your majesty.” The old man said as he turned the scroll towards the king. “Nemphis, Northguard, Darkshore… and even Aurgoth used their seals on the decree.”

“The ones from Nemphis and Darshore are fine.” The King said as he looked at the seals of the two nations on the paper. “After all, Adrian Darkheart is the Royal Advisor of Nemphis and he is Darkshoric, the son of Emilia Darkheart at that.”

He squinted. “But why Northguard? We have a completely neutral relationship with them, and they don’t interfere in the matters of the Confederation anyway. And most of all, why Aurgoth?” He gritted his teeth.

“We had extremely friendly relations with them for years. I even married my daughters off to their duke families.” He heaved out a sigh before looking at the old man. “Have you received any letters from them, from the Auras family?”

“No, your majesty.” The old man shook his head. Suddenly, he squinted. “Your majesty, what if…”

The kind squinted. “Silence. I know what you are trying to say. But we can’t just jump to conclusions. They are the best allies we have after all.”

“Your Majesty is wise.” The old man bowed. “I will send some letters of aid to them. And try to find out their motives. They are the only ones that can pull us out of these muddy waters.”

“Good.” The king nodded. “Go on with it.”

‘But I doubt they can do anything.’ He sighed.

The old man sighed and looked up. “We can’t completely trust the Auras. What shall we do? Our Kingdom might be grazed to the ground. The T1 alliance can’t do anything against the combined forces of four major nations.”

The king sighed. “Don’t worry, Kraten will not fall.”

He looked ahead, his eyes pierced through the walls and fixed on the horizon.

“I know exactly what to do.”