Chapter 38: The Earth (Part 1)

When Metalu personally entered the parlor carrying two cups of tea, he found only Umut left in the grand hall, lost in thought.

He quietly set the tea on the table, an action that finally drew Umut from his reverie.

Umut relayed the matter of holding the auction to Metalu, then added, “You’ll handle this personally. Make sure every faction brings as many antiques and treasures as possible to Hekel. Is that clear?”

Metalu’s expression was conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

His demeanor irritated Umut. “If you have something to say, speak. How have I taught you?”

“Father, we just had a falling out with the Berylwater royal family. Our recent military maneuvers to intimidate them have probably made both sides highly sensitive. Inviting all these factions to Hekel at this time hardly seems wise.”

“Oh?” Umut did not explain immediately, but instead asked, “And what do you think their response will be?”

Metalu considered for a moment before replying, “By ‘they,’ Father likely means the Berylwater royal family and the nobles from the eastern region who are friendly with us.”

“Although the kingdom’s situation is dire, the royal family will never allow us to act with impunity. Even without this auction, they’re surely already preparing to deal with us—it’s only a matter of time. If they learn we’re reaching out to all sides, whatever their reasons, the time we have left will be greatly shortened.”

“As for the eastern nobles…” Metalu fell into deeper thought, and after a long silence said, “Without a doubt, even those nobles allied with us would likely prefer to see us fail. At this moment, the royal family can confront Brasso, but they won’t move against all the eastern nobles. It’s easy to imagine that once the royal family defeats us, they will offer enough benefits to appease the others. Knowing this, none of the nobles will sincerely help us; at most, only a few will, and it won’t change the overall situation.”

Umut listened calmly throughout, and only after Metalu finished did he show a trace of satisfaction.

“Then why do you think I insist on doing this?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure you have your reasons.” Metalu had set his worries aside. He knew his father would never act rashly without confidence in his plan—he had merely been overly anxious before, unable to see the whole picture.

“So you’re willing to trust me now? Weren’t you just saying this was unwise?!”

“…”

…

Lando declined Umut’s invitation to stay overnight. Though, on second thought, staying at the count’s residence wouldn’t be so bad—the environment was pleasant, servants were at his beck and call, and there was a chef ready to prepare whatever he wished…

A question mark seemed to drift lazily above Lando’s head.

“So why did I refuse?!”

He shook his head to clear away the inexplicable sense of loss. In truth, he was a little uneasy. Although the decision was Umut’s to make, this auction would undoubtedly push the Brasso family further into the mire. He could only hope Umut had a way to handle what was to come.

An auction was not the sort of event that could be arranged overnight, and one with ulterior motives required even more time to prepare. Thus, they scheduled it for a month later, giving the Brasso family ample time to seek out more antiques and treasures.

So Lando decided he would have to endure a bit of hardship and head to the Kingdom of Earth first, planning to return once things here were settled.

He only needed to meet the Chosen One of the Kingdom of Earth—one month was more than enough.

Having made up his mind, Lando wasted no time lingering in Hekel. Since he’d already paid several days’ rent at the inn, there was no need to return, so he set off directly while the day was still young.

This time, he didn’t intend to stop in any cities of the Berylwater Kingdom; he’d wait until he reached the Kingdom of Earth to reap some rewards.

…

In the Kingdom of the Blazing Sun, a grand funeral was underway—the ceremony was being held for the Dream Priest, the teacher of Prince Sandy.

As the coffin was slowly lowered into the earth, the king could no longer contain himself and asked Prince Sandy, “What did the Dream Priest say to you upon waking for the last time?”

The king had grown worried as the Dream Priest’s condition declined, fearing he would fall into an eternal sleep and never wake again. On top of that, the Berylwater Kingdom had been unusually active lately, and there were disturbances in the south of his own realm. Forced to handle these affairs, he had left the palace, only to hear upon his return that the Dream Priest had briefly awakened.

According to the guards, when the Dream Priest awoke, Prince Sandy was at his bedside. It seemed the Dream Priest uttered a single sentence to the prince before passing into eternal sleep.

This left the king full of regret; he desperately wanted to know what the Dream Priest’s final words to his son had been.

Prince Sandy’s face betrayed neither joy nor sorrow; he gazed calmly at his teacher’s burial, and after a long silence said, “Teacher had no time to say anything in the end.”

Hearing this, a shadow passed over the king’s eyes, and his tone cooled. “Is that so? What a pity.”

“Recently, the nobles in the south have been restless. That region is the kingdom’s granary—it cannot be lost. Go there and see to the situation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

…

Traveling day and night, Lando hurried along his journey.

In just five or six days, he crossed into the lands of the Kingdom of Earth.

After planning his route with the map, he set out on a journey that felt all too familiar.

Nearly a week later, he reached the capital of the Kingdom of Earth. Unlike the Berylwater Kingdom, which was dominated by plains, this realm was mountainous; the capital itself was built atop a low hill, surrounded by walls on three sides and facing a cliff on the fourth—easy to defend and hard to attack, the city gave an overall impression of solidity and strength.

“Wow! What a lofty city—there must be plenty of treasures inside!” Lando exclaimed as he gazed up at the awe-inspiring sight.

“Hmm, I feel like I’ve said something similar before,” he mused.

Lando calculated that, leaving from the capital and making no stops, he could return to Hekel in eight or nine days. Factoring in spare time, he could afford to linger here for about seven days. Unhurried, he reasoned that since the Chosen One was surely a member of the royal family, all he needed was a trip to the palace to learn who it was.

At the city gate, he noticed many wanted posters—depicting a rather young boy, good-looking, though certainly not as handsome as Lando himself.

The guards at the entrance looked as though they hadn’t slept in days, eyes bloodshot and viciously scanning the crowds. Anyone wearing a cloak or mask was immediately approached, their coverings yanked off and their origins interrogated, which made the others quicken their steps in anxiety as they entered.

Lando found it rather amusing and took a closer look as he passed. The guards, upon seeing him, did not trouble him—clearly, these were disciplined men.