"That is why I'm asking for your status; if you have a respectable or even a decent status, I can placate the nobles on the Royal Faction while also marrying Jasmine off to you… Hypothetically speaking, of course." Remarked Volkun solemnly as he raised both hands while looking at Alexander, who nodded before furrowing his brows.
"Well, I'm a B-class adventurer. Is that decent enough?" Asked Alexander with a wry smile as he looked at Volkun, who frowned before shaking his head.
"If you were an A-class adventurer, I could push for it, but a B-class isn't good enough… Are you perhaps close to becoming an A-class? If so, I could go with the narrative that a young–, how old are you?" Stated Volkun with a shake of his head while rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression before looking at Alexander.
"Um, 23? No, I'm 24." Replied Alexander hesitantly before confidently nodding, though only after Trina had quickly corrected him, causing Volkun to raise an eyebrow.
"Most A-class adventures are usually close to their hundreds, and even the talented ones don't reach that level until they're around 50, so I could confidently sell the narrative that you're a prodigy and a future S-class adventurer. That will be more than enough to keep those nobles content." Said Volkun with a nod and a faint smirk as he tapped his chin before glancing at Alexander, who awkwardly coughed.
"Oh, well, about that, I'm still technically not a B-class adventurer; I'm a C-class, but I'm confident that when I return to the Mezcla continent and undergo a class evaluation, I'll be upgraded to B-class. I've leveled up quite a bit recently." Stated Alexander Awkwardly as he averted his gaze from Volkun before proudly sitting upright.
"A C-class Adventurer? H-How did you even get my daughter home?" Asked Volkun in disbelief as he stared at Alexander, who sheepishly smiled while rubbing his head, causing him to sigh.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but why are you seemingly pushing so hard on this topic? Princess Jasmine and I have only known each other for not even a week, and you haven't even known me a day. Marrying your daughter to me seems very hasty." Asked Alexander in slight confusion as he furrowed his brows while gazing at Volkun, who deeply frowned before standing up.
"Don't forget, I'm speaking hypothetically; I also don't believe you're truthful about your reason for escorting my daughter home safely." Said Volkun lightly as he glanced at Alexander with narrowed eyes while walking around the office.
"Do you believe I have some ulterior motive?" "Ulterior motive? That's what I first thought when my daughter told me of you, though now that I've met you, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm inclined to trust you, and as a King who has seen all kinds of people, I'm rather confident in judging people." Remarked Alexander and Volkun, respectively, as the former furrowed his brows while the latter raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.
"I believe you're not telling the whole truth, that you're concealing something. Having seen the evil sides of the world, I find it hard to believe there exists someone who would risk so much to help a young woman whose identity you did not know of." Added Volkun as he stopped walking and hardened his gaze before eyeing Alexander, who frowned before sighing.
"I honestly feel pity for you that you can't believe such kind people exist in this world… However, you are partly correct; I helped Princess Jasmine for another reason." Said Alexander with a pitiful gaze as he looked at Volkun, who frowned, only for him to awkwardly nod.
"To put it simply, I have a skill that draws me to things or people I deem essential to my life… It's sort of like a sixth sense or gut feeling. I've no way to explain it; my body just knows it is important, and I felt the same way before I even laid eyes on Jasmine." Added Alexander as he touched his chest and closed his eyes before glancing at Volkun, who nodded with a silent hum.
"So you do want my daughter?" Asked Volkun as he looked at Alexander, who opened his mouth before closing it, and nodded in defeat.
"Haa, yeah, I guess I do… But it's not purely romantic; I wish her the best and simply want her in my life." "Then marry her; even if it's not purely romantic, it can just as easily turn romantic. Besides, my daughter likes you, and no man with even an ounce of pride would dare refuse my Jasmine." Remarked Alexander and Volkun, respectively, as the former firmly eyed the latter, who sat back in his seat with a hardened gaze.
'Shit, he's not wrong; no way in hell would I refuse Jasmine.' Thought Alexander as he silently nodded in agreement while Zartha and Trina rolled their eyes.
"Still, why are you pushing this topic so much? Do you wish to get rid of your daughter?" "Yes." Said Alexander and Volkun, respectively, as the former frowned in confusion while the latter firmly nodded, confusing him.
"Jasmine has mentioned the Hero to you, correct? And how she is the Saintess?" Asked Volkun solemnly as he looked at Alexander, who tilted his head before hesitantly nodding.
"And you've also heard of the legend regarding the Hero and the Saintess, right?" "Yes, Princess Jasmine has told me all about the basics." Remarked Volkun and Alexander, respectively, as the former looked at the latter, who nodded.
"Well, whether they're true or not is up for debate, but the Church believes in it, and that's all that matters. With the Hero present, things will change; they already are. The Chruch of Junsuina doesn't take no for an answer; they either get what they want, or they destroy, simple as that, doing so while spouting their deeds in the name of Goddess Junsuina." Declared Volkun calmly as he looked at Alexander, while slowly growing angry the more he spoke, until he slammed his fist onto the desk.
"I'm no fool! I know it's them who tried to kill my daughter! She visited the Great Church, met the Hero, refused to work together, left, and after traveling through a few kingdoms, she's mysteriously attacked!? No Kingdom would stupidly do such a thing, not when every Kingdom knows now is not the time to start a war!" Stated Volkun furiously as he quickly stood up, pushing his chair away and leaning onto the table while Alexander remained silent.
"You wish to know why I'm pushing the matter of marrying my daughter to you? Because war will happen, Sir Alex. The church, using the Hero and in the name of Goddess Junsuina, will attempt to unify the Nsemo continent into a religious continent, and there will be a blood bath." Added Volkun with a fearful expression as he clenched his fists angrily while glaring at Alexander.
"The Great Church, can it not be destroyed? Surely, if you allied with a few Kingdoms, it would be possible, right?" Asked Alexander skeptically as he looked at Volkun, who chuckled in amusement before shaking his head.
"They will be slowed down, but destroyed? No. There are records of seven kingdoms banding together several hundred years ago to create the largest army that has ever graced the continent since the Great War thousands of years ago; it was stated to be 30,000,000 strong. Capable of taking over any fortress with ease, however, when they went to invade the Great Chruch, a blinding light from the heavens rained down, and after a minute, all that remained were ashes." Stated Volkun wryly as he looked at Alexander, who fearfully gulped before nodding.
"Goddess Junsuina, she protects them?" Asked Alexander with wide eyes as he looked at Volkun, who nodded.
"Yes, so destroying them is impossible, and combined with all their artifacts, they will succeed in unifying the continent; it's inevitable." Replied Volkun with a deep sigh before nodding, only for Alexander's gaze to harden.
"And Jasmine will be their first target." "Haa, yes." Said Alexander and Volkun, respectively, as the former narrowed his eyes while the latter lowered his head before sighing in defeat.
"This is why I'm pushing for you to marry Jasmine; by doing this, I can fool the Church for some time. If she leaves the continent, it'll be harder for them to reach Jasmine, and it will keep her safe. She's no longer safe on this continent; she needs to leave as soon as possible." Stated Volkun as he aggressively rubbed his face before deeply sighing while looking at Alexander, who frowned.
"Ha, but even if you agree, it'll still be very dangerous. I'm sure the Church will attack every chance they get; they will not easily let Jasmine leave this continent; she's part of the legend, so she is incredibly important." Muttered Volkun with a deep sigh as he sat back in his seat while Alexander furrowed his brows.
"The Church probably has spies in your Kingdom, right? Let me help you with identifying them. If you know who the spies are, you should be able to stealthily get Princess Jasmine off the continent. Of course, if you trust me with your daughter's life." Asked Alexander with a faint smile as he looked at Volkun before outstretching his hand, causing him to nod before grabbing it.
"I wouldn't be speaking about this if I didn't. Though I'm skeptical how someone who is a C-class adventurer could detect the spies?" Said Volkun with a faint smirk as he looked at Alexander, who suddenly spoke using the language of trees, transferring his raw emotions.
"Using these two." Replied Alexander lightly while his purple eyes faintly glowed, confusing Volkun.