The cold wind blew softly through the silent halls of the Royal Palace. And in a big chamber, the silence was so deadly that neither birds nor bugs dared make a sound. This was the Royal Court, a place previously bustling with life as both commoners and nobles would await the King's audience.
Now, the Royal Court was completely empty, only a single table left in the middle of the room, where two men faced each other around it. Of course, these were no ordinary men—these were none other than the two most powerful and prominent figures of the Kingdom: the Inquisition's General, a bald man with scars all over his head, crossing his thick arms while coldly staring at the table in front of him; and the King himself, sharing similar features to Vota: golden hair, blue eyes, without the layers of fat, also also set his eyes on the map—his gaze piercing like that of an eagle.
The entire fate of the Kingdom depended on the decisions made at the table in front of them, where the King and the General discussed strategy, moving around flags and clay figures—each change on the map shaping the outcome of the frontlines, be it good or bad.
The cold calculative bubble surrounding the two would shattered as an Inquisitor knight barged through the giant gates, a rolled paper in his hands.
"Your Highness! Emergency report!"
The King frowned—not with anger, but with worry, as he had instructed not to be disturbed unless with utmost importance. He dismissed the knight after receiving the report, unrolling it to read its contents.
The King's golden eyebrows fell deeper as he handed the report to his General, who, after going through it, had the same reaction.
{ This is Grun Greybeard, Captain of the Royal Army's 3rd Company defending Yelt Castle. Today, on the 4th day of the Snake Moon, the wretched demon attacks have doubled in intensity. I have slain one of their leading Archdemons, but then a powerful demon, one that called himself Robus, took me down, easily flying through the castle's aerial defenses and entering the Kingdom's territory. My men have reported that the demon headed East. The demon attacks have considerably toned down since that demon Robus infiltrated the Kingdom. I am critically injured, unable to lead my men; my second-in-command would taking over. }
"Robus... The Demon King blundered, sending him right to our gates. Once we know his location, I will personally strike him down," the General grunted, the veins on his forehead pulsating along.
"No, this is no blunder," the King mumbled, the report in his hand catching fire, slowly turning to ash.
"The title of Demon King is given not only to the most powerful, but also the shrewdest of all demons. He would not give out one of his Demon Lords so easily..." he added, shaking the remaining ash off his palm.
The General turned his head, opening his ears wide, awaiting his King's opinion on the matter.
"The Demon Lord Robus... the report mentioned he was heading east, where civilisation is getting more and more scarce. Planting chaos is ruled out, leaving us with no other possibility..." The King leaned both hands on the table, his eyes going over the entire map.
"Unless..." The King then pointed at Yelt Castle, which was at the southwest border of the continent, and moved his fingers east in a straight line until he reached a blue flag on the map.
"Impossible! There is no way they would know of that!" the General shouted upon laying eyes on the area where the King pointed. Words beautifully written in cursive under the image of a ship: Port Ortus.
"There is no other explanation, Parens... there is a mole within our ranks," the King said, his hands clenching tightly on the table.
"Your orders, Your Highness." Parens—not only the King's right hand but also the General of the Inquisition—slapped his fists to his chest, ready to perform his duty as an Inquisitor, protecting the greatest secrets of the Kingdom, taking out every plant concerned, down to its deepest roots.
"Every mage that participated in the ritual died from the blast. So only the surviving kid, Vota, the Archmage Vis, and your children know of the operation..."
"I can vouch for my children's loyalty, Your Highness," the General bowed his head, his heartbeat slightly increasing.
The King stared blankly at Parens, not giving him an answer, opening his mouth, his voice slightly raised: "Hear my decree then, General Parens."
"I, Glor GoldenHeart the 12th, order the mobilisation of the Inquisition's reserve forces to investigate this matter, operating with full clearance. Spes, Vota GoldenHeart, and the Archmage Vis shall be the target of investigation."
Parens untensed, his breath returning to normal as he saluted the King, smashing his fist to his chest before leaving the Royal Court, the King gazing at the man's back with a cold glint in his eyes.