Chapter 14: Aristocratic Thugs Give me the Jitters

Chapter 14: Aristocratic Thugs Give me the Jitters

Meanwhile, within the royal palace's Flower District, where the harem and female relatives of the Blood Smelting King gathered, a middle-aged man prostrated himself at a woman who hid behind golden curtains.

"Your Majesty...is this wise?" The woman asked, causing the man, who wore the scarlet and gold-hammer robes of the Blood Smelting King, to rise from the ground—now facing the hidden woman with a wolfish grin.

"Yes, mother. Cassandra's rise took us by surprise, making proper use of the Elektra and Astalon Houses indispensable to the expansion of the Blood Smelting Kingdom. Don't worry, I've taken all the necessary precautions to make sure that this plan doesn't backfire," King Gaiseric, sovereign ruler of the Blood Smelting Kingdom, said—causing the Queen Mother to shake her head in exasperation.

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of this nation, you do not need anyone's approval to set its course. But as your mother, I must do all I can to advise you to the best of my abilities—even if it offends you. And right now, I advise you to call off this plan.

House Elektra's connection to the Red Cloud Theocracy is too deep. Using them as a weapon against the Red Cloud Theocracy is like trying to rely on the enemy's spies to destroy its foundation. For crying out loud, even your wife—another Elektra woman—used to be a priestess of the Red Cloud Theocracy! How can you trust them with this?

House Astalon isn't much better. Now that Arian is the headmistress' official heir and a candidate to succeed the Grand Priest, who do you think House Astalon will listen to? The Red Cloud Theocracy that lords over us, or our vulnerable Blood Smelting Kingdom?

You are inviting wolves into our house and giving them the keys to tear us all to shreds." Unable to understand her son's train of thought, the Queen Mother snapped. But used to his mother's passive aggressiveness, King Gaiseric shook his head, his smile unchanged.

"No need to worry, queen mother. I've got it all figured out. In this generation, the Elektra and Astalon are destined to become the spears that enable us to take down the Red Cloud Theocracy and restore...the Great Blood Empire."

---

As this played out, within House Astalon's main hall, the elite of House Astalon gathered alongside Luther and Cassandra. This group included the elder templars, administrators, and most promising youngsters—a demographic that due to Cassandra's rise, included many females.

The males in the group had their eyes locked on Cassandra, all gawking as they wondered how in the span of one day, she'd gotten so much more radiant and hypnotic.

If before, Cassandra was a stunning beauty, as they stared at her new look, the Astalon men didn't doubt that their matriarch had turned into a divine bombshell. But despite all the salivating and lecherous gazes surrounding her, Cassandra stayed stoic, facing the audience with a commanding aura. Mithras stood to her left, holding paper notes and manuscripts.

And just like the males couldn't take their eyes off Cassandra, the females drooled over Mithras—their eyes flaring with lust.

"I will not beat around the bush." Cassandra started, seizing the audience's attention.

"The houses of Astalon and Elektra have received a massive opportunity from His Majesty. King Gaiseric has wolfish ambitions and aims to turn the Blood Smelting Kingdom into a superpower capable of meeting the Red Cloud Theocracy as an equal.

To that end, the king wishes to speed up the development of Springtime City, using it to manipulate the economies of cities beyond our borders." Here, Cassandra paused, giving the audience some time to digest her words.

As a powerful and experienced noble, Luther immediately saw through the pitfalls of Gaiseric's offer. But since her husband could see them, how could Cassandra not?

"We've also received unique expansion rights. Meaning that whatever land we conquer automatically becomes ours."

"Wait...you mean that...if we conquer the Seafaring Nations?"

"Ours."

"If we conquer the Gorefiend tribes?"

"Ours."

"The Mysterious Bone Forest...and Red Cloud Theocracy?"

"Still...ours!" Cassandra's voice thundered throughout the main hall, causing the eyes of the men and women on the scene to stretch impossibly.

"Do you understand, ladies and gentlemen? We're not the only ones playing with fire here. Gaiseric has outright given the Astalon and Elektra houses the opportunity and legal freedom to build new nations.

As for whether we can take advantage of this opportunity, that will depend on our abilities.

Nine years ago, 13 Red Cloud Pythons sneaked into House Astalon, almost laying waste to the female side of the family. To command that many Red Cloud Pythons of Great Expansion Sid rank, at least one elder priest had to be involved. That alone goes to show that, while we might have many strong allies in the Red Cloud Theocracy, we've also made troublesome enemies—enemies with such vicious intentions that, as we speak, they are likely devising ways to exterminate us once and for all.

Are we going to allow them to have their way?

Are we just going to roll over and die?

No. We're going to stand up. We're going to rise and fight, to keep defying the odds, crush our foes one by one, and come out on top—so that at the end of it all, the Astalon and Elektra names are immortalized in the annals of the Purple Dawn Continent!" Cassandra made a shocking statement, instantly lighting up the fighting spirit of the house's leadership.

Mithras, however, had simpler thoughts.

'Why is the mood so heavy here? Acting so serious when you're really just a riffraff of thugs and gangs with nobility titles. These aristocratic bandits are giving me the jitters! Hopefully, I can make up for it by stuffing three holes tonight.'