Chapter 85 - [Bonus ] Behind The Scenes

The King of Morgania, Lexington Morgania, looked as if he had aged several years over the past month. His full head of gray hair, once thick and luscious, was now thinning and brittle. He had wrinkles before, due to his advanced age, but now his face had taken on a sickly pale shade of yellow. His lack of sleep and overwhelming stress had built up to the point that he was beginning to get physically ill. The report he was currently listening to, being given by one of his retainers, only added on to his burden.

"With the influx of those escaping Nox, the food stores will be enough to last the winter, but only if we reduce the rations to the bare minimum. This will undoubtably cause the populace more hardship, increasing the likelihood of dissidence. Along those lines, the city guard is requesting more manpower in order to deal with the increase in petty theft, mainly foodstuff from the local shops." The man holding the long list of issues paused, before continuing on.

"Monster attacks have been increasing with each passing night, the direction of which indicates that the Cassian Forest is the epicenter. Several forays into the forest have been attempted to uncover the cause, but so far, none have been successful. The Adventurer's Guild has put out a request to the highest ranked adventurers, but it will take some time for them to arrive within the city."

"Bishop Croft." King Lexington pulled his head up and off his hand supporting it, directing his gaze toward a gaudily dressed man sitting to his right. "I was told that a highly ranked paladin and priest had yet to return from their expedition into the Cassian Forest, can you provide any more details?"

"I'm afraid that is all we know. We are currently preparing a substantial force that will accompany the adventurers when they arrive. We are hopeful that we will discover their whereabouts then." The bishop said, a small smile never leaving his lips.

With an unsatisfied grunt, King Lexington turned back to the man with the list. "Continue."

"There have been no new movements within the city of Nox, but the handlers have been unable to contact the spies we have placed within the city. We fear that they have been forced into hiding or have been found out and executed. Our troops have been gathering fifty miles south of the city and will be ready to move as soon as the first thaw arrives."

"Will we be able to retake the city?" The King asked.

A grizzled old man sitting further back in the room stood and answered with a rough voice. "Yes, Your Highness. We have gathered five-thousand knights, along with thirty-thousand conscripted men. We will surround the city, cutting off their supplies and simply starve them out. Meanwhile, another two-thousand knights and twenty-thousand conscripts will push north, razing every village and town between here and their capital. We will pay back the humiliation they have caused us ten-fold!"

A murmur of heated agreement rippled through the room, all of the nobles and adjutants bobbing their heads up and down. King Lexington also agreed with the sentiment but knew that it would not be as easy as his general proclaimed. The loss of life would be staggering, but he could not allow such a transgression to pass without a proper response.

King Lexington directed his attention to the beautiful woman sitting quietly in the corner, another woman with a metal arm was standing behind her at attention. "Daughter of mine, can you not contact the man that escorted you here. You say he is a powerful mage, and he has given your guard a marvelous magical artifact that even our royal mages cannot begin to comprehend." He said, glaring at a man dressed in gilded robes that had lowered his head in shame. "I would like to make a request of him."

Princess Alessandria was not surprised by her father's request. She was never allowed to be present during meetings such as this and figured there was a reason for the exception. "Father, are you not concerned over the fact that he hails from Amine?"

King Lexington shook his head. "I'm sure had he held any malicious intent; you would have not returned to me alive."

"He could still be a spy sent to instill havoc!" A voice sounded some concerns from the back of the room, garnering more head bobbing in response.

Holding up his hand, the King demanded silence. "That very well could be, but I still wish to recruit him. We will just limit the information that he has access to."

No one in the room argued with the King, deciding it was better to keep any objections to themselves. Princess Alessandria bowed her head, before giving her father her response. "I will do as you command father, but keep in mind that he is as greedy as he is powerful. He will not move for meager rewards."

Bishop Croft interjected his thoughts into the conversation, ignoring the fact that it was considered a slap to the face for the King. "Princess, what is this mage's name, if I may ask?"

"Of course, Bishop Croft." She said with a bow. "He goes by Kalcifer. He did not give me a last name during our travels. He said he was a Professor at Amine's Academy of Magic and the Mysteries."

A look of deep concern appeared on the bishop's face, he turned to the King. "Your Highness, the Church is currently investigating some troubling matters related to the mage called Kalcifer, although nothing has been reported as of yet, I cannot in good conscience allow you to align yourself with such a man."

"What matters are you referring to?"

"I'm hesitant to say as the accusations are only rumors, but it has to do with forbidden magic."

The King nodded his head before developing an even deeper frown on his already weathered face. "How long will this investigation last? Do you require our help in the matter?"

The last thing he needed now was more problems, it would be best for everyone involved to snuff out fires where one could. Even if the man did save his daughters life, he could not allow someone to live if the church is that concerned over the matter. He could only assist the Cloth in any way he could and await their conclusion.

"We have sent our best investigator to look into the matter, we are expecting word from him any day now." Bishop Croft said with certainty.

"Very well then." The King said. "Daughter, await the report from the church. Should Mage Kalcifer be found innocent of whatever offenses that have been levied against him, then go to him and convey my request. Should he be found guilty, be prepared to assist the Church in whatever they may require. I will leave the matter to you since you have dealt with the man before."

Princess Alessandria could only obey her father's words, so she bowed her head once again, swallowing her concerns. She thought she had figured out the man's character for the most part, he was crass, rude, and did not respect any authority other than his own. But he still seemed to care for those around him, at least he did in her eyes. In truth, Professor Kal did in fact care for those he considered his students, but not in a loving way. He viewed them as his possessions, as an object that served a purpose, and he would do anything to keep his possessions to himself.

She couldn't think of a reason he would garner the attention of the Church; he had done nothing suspicious during their travels. He had only been helpful, first creating fire to keep the survivors warm, then gave Lilith her life back with the memory metal.. She decided then and there that she would help clear his name in any way she could, even if it meant defying the church.