63 What we need?

"So that was all? Murdering our magicians and magus that defied her but leaving without doing anything else? For a dark god, she sure wasn't that bloodthirsty." The man saying those words was drinking a cup of wine while looking at the exterior. From his point of view, he had a clear vision of the entire city of Teldil, the capital of the Massalia Kingdom. Under him, hundreds of thousands of people were working, idling or enjoying their life. Without any knowledge about what was happening barely a few kilometers away.

The three sole magus that survived this ordeal were kneeling on the ground, not contradicting their king the slightest. Whether it was Sarah, Arthar or Artour, none of them really understood what was the goal of Leilade, even after talking with her so many times. The only one that understood the demon was the late Alexander, and, when she thought about him, magus Meridil couldn't help but be pained. They should have listened to that arrogant and cold bastard when they had the chance.

"Idhrenil, something else to add?" Casually asking to the Sword Saint his opinion, the man never let go of his cup. It was one of his main default, loving to drink while hearing bad news. For whatever reasons, his thoughts were clearer in a state of being mildly drunk. And after hearing what the first warrior of this nation had to say, another drink wouldn't really hurt him.

"That thing, that undead that was created. From what we discovered, it was invocated in a few seconds. And, I am afraid to say, just one was capable of battling with my son, Amdir with relative ease. I managed to disarm it and slow it down to let enough time for the magicians gathered around to freeze him. After that, they put more and more locks on its body, but it never stopped trying to break free. It will be good to study it, but its power rival the ones from the fallen of Pankow."

Because he had his back facing them, they couldn't see the reactions of their sovereign, except him sniffing a bit the exquisite cup in his hand. A wine from Genablum, more specifically, from the Grey Lands. But while his complexion was unknown, the ones from the rest of the room were bad, for most. Sitting on a couch nearby, the Queen, their first son and his wife were hardly containing their fear. On the other side, standing on the side of a closet, the second son was shaking his head, disappointed.

"About that, why did that monster didn't attack everyone?" Ferrod, the youngest child of the King suddenly asked this question. It took some times for the rest to understand what he meant because everything pointed at the fact that the undead attacked everyone that harmed it or entered the library.

"What are you asking, prince?" Idhrenil was also slightly perplexed. He knew very well what he was talking about, but only him and his son should have learned the fact that Muirnë managed to slip by before they even arrived and see the dark god looking scared at a painting without them. Because it would cause unnecessary suspicion, they decided to say that she entered the room when they distracted the monster and only caught a glimpsed before that demonic girl was teleporting away.

Her second encounter with Leilade, even if it was very brief, provoked an immense pain in its body. It was not very obvious at first, but when she left the building and arrived at the location where the massacre happened, she suddenly began to violently shake. Even with her entire armor, he could felt that she was experiencing something horrible and could hear her mumbling some encouragements for herself. Only after leaving in a hurry, did the symptoms were alleviated.

"I am talking about your daughter, Sword Saint. She apparently helped at preventing numerous deaths, something that we are all very grateful. She was the first to realize that the undead was only retaliating but it didn't remove the fact that everyone that entered the library should have been attacked. However, even if you and your son managed to capture the attention of that undead, why did he targeted you and not your daughter? Because she entered the library long before you imprison that monster."

Even if those words could sound like the Sword Saint lied to them, no one was truly taking them seriously. To begin to doubt your most loyal and faithful friends in dark times would be the most stupid idea someone ever had. "Ferrod, enough. We have no idea what was the main priority of that giant, to kill or to protect. Under the assault of Amdir Gwendhir, even an undead would realize that turning its back will only cause its own death."

The king cut instantly his own son, not letting any conspiracy or thoughts of treason planning in this room. They needed to be united, not divided. But that intervention was enough to make others think about it, as his second son.

"Sword Saint, you said that your daughter saw that girl standing in front of one specific painting, right? But from the entire chronology of the Age of Darkness, it was the one with the least amount of details or even less than that. It was just the fact that when the dark gods appeared for the first time, a loud roar resonated and a volcano inside the dwarf kingdom awoken. Are you sure it was this one?"

To be truthful, it wasn't that they were not trusting the words of Idhrenil, just that it was weird.Chasing after Arthar and the old artifact he was carrying would have been logical. Slaughtering to the last student the entire Academy would have been understood. But to delve deeper and deeper into the library, and just be interested in a single painting, it didn't make sense for anyone.

"Maybe … Maybe we should ask the dwarves if they know something more about that specific event?" For the first time, the wife of Forchon, the first son of the King, expressed her opinions. It wasn't that women didn't have any power since sometimes, the kingdom was ruled by the Queen and not the King. But she was not even from Massalia in the first place and had married the prince a year ago.

She was the third child of the royal family of Genablum, and such things often happened in the history of both countries. To strengthen the bond between the two nations, what could be better than just letting two of their children marry each other. But because it was only a while ago, Galiana still had a hard time being taken seriously. For many nobles, she was just the best spy of Genablum, since she had the benediction of the royal family.

"My child, I am afraid that it is impossible. I am sure you know why, however, only a few individuals could talk on our behalf, and none of them particularly appreciate us. But if you could send a message to your father, to know if they have something we don't, it will be the best."

The dignified Queen calmly expressed the opinions of everyone in the room. She rarely took part in the activities of the King, preferring to concentrate on happier things, like festivals and inventions. But it didn't mean she was just a doll that someone could carry along.

"And what about the orb, the artifact? Is it in a secure place, a really hidden one? Not that I don't trust you or your swords Idhrenil, but I am not certain that putting two important targets for an enemy in the same location would be the best way to do it."

"Don't worry my prince, I am not some berserker only thinking about fighting. As for the location, only Arthar and Artour know of it. The only issue would be the fact that the orb is now far away from our reach. Just to get it, it will take at least a day, if we even know where to search. It is impossible to randomly stumble on it; I can assure you of that."

Both magus nodded at the words of the Sword Saint. The elders of the Academy had prepared a remote vault, where the most dangerous devices that they scavenged were locked. Because sometimes, he needed to look at it, for some plans and new ideas, Arthar already knew all the instructions to enter it. And now, his brother also learned them.

"That is for the best, truly. Magus Arthar Rodil, you are now forbidden to ever leave the perimeter of the palace. As for your new title, I will let you choose. Just don't go too overboard with it."

Even if the king was fundamentally imprisoning the old magus, no one was either surprised or even angered by it. If both twins were heavily protected, it would cause suspicions, but now, one was a target while the other was just a normal bystander. Both brothers sighed, but not really because of this. From now on, their daily interactions will meet an end, and both Jorien and Owen won't see their favorite granduncle for a long time.

After that, the king waved at them with his hands, signaling to leave. Bowing one last time at their sovereign, Sarah, Artour, and Arthar left the room and closed to door. Now that no foreigners were present, the real discussion could begin. Forchon grabbed a paper that was in his pocket and showed it to the Sword Saint, that violently exclaimed.

"What is this? It is a quarter of what we earned each year in gold? Wait, don't tell me …"

"Yes, the White Hand has finally moved and made an offer. In exchange for this, they will reveal the base of operations of the dark gods and everything they currently know. If you remember, the last time an offer with that high of a price was conducted, it was made on behalf of our friend in the North. And the Synnada Empire deeply regretted to not have paid it directly."

Forchon had a sad smiling while saying this because he remembered when he was a kid how that played out. His own father, that stern and a little bit alcoholic king, laughed for five entire minutes while hearing what happened. It was the first and last time he ever heard him compliment that outlaws that formed the White Hand. But this time, however, it was their turn to be hooked by the criminals.

"Even if we truly know where they are, what can we really do? That is the main issue, Idhrenil Gwendhir, if we know where they are, can we beat them before they regain all their strength?" As his son, Ferrod was questioning his only real friend, the king finally put down his cup. Sometimes, it was time for a drink, but this was not one of them. Turning around to face the Sword Saint, he asked the very same question, only with his eyes.

Feeling everyone looking at him like he was an attraction of a zoo, the First Warrior of Massalia had a hard time thinking. What he just experienced was a crude invocation that took place in a hurry, and probably nothing like the experts that were resting inside the depths of the base. They wanted him to answer if, by themselves, they could kill beings that were on par with the stuff from the legends. Seven beings, against an entire world, and they only lost because of this.

Unsheathing his sword, he looked at it, to see if he could find a true answer. The dim light was reflected on the sharp blade, mesmerizing Galiana. It was the same one that the Hero of Massalia used in the fight against the Dark Gods, and even now, he still couldn't unleash its full potential. Thinking about this, he realized why he was that reluctant at saying it would be a massacre, it was because he was expecting a miracle.

"No, even if the three Legions throw all their men in the battle, we will still lose, I feel it. Right now, we don't need an army or even magicians. What we need, is a Hero!"