CHAPTER 15: NEWS OF BETRAYAL
XENON WINGATE
3 YEARS AGO
"We're late." Captain Kevin Valesmith said as he boarded out of the airship first and stepped on the ground of the Guardian's Haven.
The Guardian's Haven is said to be the most fortified and most secure place in the Empire of Alterra. It is a legendary floating continent hundreds of kilometers away from the floor of the planet, and it is thousands of square kilometers wide. It is the capital of Alterra which consists of a metropolis, the Dragon Knight Academy, and the Alterran Castle where the Emperor of Alterra resides. There are also a lot of other establishments that are too lengthy to mention. Since it is away from the ground, you have to board an airship with an expensive fare just to go to this place. For most people, stepping on this gargantuan flying island is a dream.
The Guardian's Haven has never fallen in history. Legends say that it was once the castle of the Dragon King millennia ago but was abandoned for some unknown reason. Even science and magic can't explain how this continent floats. Some rumors said that the Guardian's Haven was created by Vesryn; the goddess sorceress herself, and she used it as her home until she died of old age.
"Senpai…" Serena, who was beside me the whole time, held her chest. She looked at me with her puppy eyes, fully concerned about what event we had ourselves involved with.
Serena is nothing like a dragonoid slave right now. She looks astoundingly beautiful, just like back then when she was still a human. She's wearing proper clothes; a clean white kimono on her upper body and a short pleated skirt and long black thigh-high boots on her lower body. A mere glimpse of her innocent cute face would certainly make every man fall in love with her.
"We'll be fine." I made an assured smile. "Let's go."
I know Serena's concern. We are stepping into enemy territory. We are one of the few Elysians who steps in this floating continent as a free man and not a prisoner of war. Everyone here is supposed to be an enemy. But I still have to go to this place. Captain Valesmith told me that the Emperor summoned me for some confidential reason. The dragon knight didn't have enough clearance to know why the Emperor scheduled a meeting with me.
After exiting the airship, Captain Valesmith, his punk dragonoid Rius, Serena, and I boarded the limousine. There are police motorcyclists who will be escorting us on the way to the Alterran Castle. Seeing this VIP treatment to us four, I can't help but worry. This may be a trap for me and Serena. The thought of being tortured and interrogated flashed on my mind. I'm a retired enemy soldier to the perspective of Alterrans. The thought of harshly milking information out of my brain wouldn't be too far fetched.
Fifteen minutes of the ride, and we finally reached the Alterran Castle. It is a medieval-style humongous building that towers all the Guardian's Haven. Even back at the airship twenty kilometers away, this gigantic castle is visible to the naked eye. I bet this castle can also be seen in outer space.
I soon found ourselves at the main entrance of the castle. There are knights standing in line who act like non-living statues on the way to the booth. At the counter beside the inner gate, there are two men in black suits, and they are wearing shades. Captain Valesmith chinned up and arrogantly talked to the tuxedo man.
"We have a VIP."
The tuxedo man touched the earpiece on his left and muttered. "VIP's here."
As soon as we are granted permission to enter the inner gate, I saw that the place becomes heavily guarded. We entered a secondary gate, third gate, fourth gate, until the fifth gate, and every time we get a clearance to venture deeper into the castle, more and more guards started to eye on me. What's more, is that security is getting tighter. From normal guards on the entrance, magic knights on the third entrance, and even dragon knights and their partner dragonoids on the last gate.
I feel like they are watching every movement I make. I feel that everyone is watching me. And that is making me a lot more comfortable, as it gives chills on my spine.
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[We were watching you Xenon. We were watching you the whole time. I was at the Guardian's Haven.]
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Finally, we reached a small conference room with a clean round table. There are five dragon knights standing around the table together with their dragonoids. And there is one man who appears to be standing out even though he is not a dragon knight.
It is because he is wearing a golden crown. The Emperor of Alterra, Sirius Elkyria. He is a middle-aged man with white flowing hair and white thick mustache and beard. He looks so majestic in person that you would see him like a lion who is peacefully watching other lower-class animals in his savannah.
Seeing me, the five dragon knights and the five dragonoids wordlessly stepped out of the room. Captain Valesmith also went out of the conference room with his dragonoid Rius and Serena followed them. When they all left, the guard from the outside locked the door to prevent any leaks of information. Now there's only me and this old man in this room. It really feels like this is a private meeting between me and the Emperor of Alterra.
"Your majesty." I bowed. I have to be polite on an emperor even if he's an enemy.
"Sit." The emperor said.
I wordlessly complied. Now that I'm sitting face to face with the emperor, I can't help but feel nervous. I also can't help but think of unnecessary evil things.
I am alone with the emperor, with no guards around. There are no cameras, which means nobody is watching us. There's only the two of us here. It was bold of him to meet with me, a soldier from Elysia. Right now, I can use my Forge magic to create a sword in my hand and kill him right here and right now. If I kill the emperor, I can be renowned as a hero of my countrymen. The chain of command of this empire will collapse, and that will be the signal of the Elysian army to attack. I might not survive, but my name will forever be in the history books of Elysia.
The emperor pushed a folder to my side of the table. I gently opened it and saw newspaper articles which came all the way from Elysia.
The contents of the news made me change my view of the world. Just seeing the headlines would break me to despair.
'Duchess Marisse Trystgade is three months pregnant and is expecting to deliver Emperor Michael Eldritch's prince. Their wedding ceremony will commence one month from now, and everything will be sponsored by Doctor Cheng Du.'
My mind blackened. I couldn't breathe. My heart stopped beating. My stomach acids are melting my intestines. These things happening in my body might just be psychological, but the pain is way worse than death. And I am telling the whole truth since I have died once.
My supposed love… Marisse Trystgade… Why is she pregnant with Michael's child? Marisse and I last saw each other three months ago, and after that, we only had video chats as our communication. She told me that I am the one she wanted to marry. She told me that I'm the only one she loves. Is Marisse cheating on me for the past three months? Did Marisse and Michael fuck each other right after I left!?
My supposed friend… Michael Eldritch… I worked for him. I was loyal to him, but he betrayed me. He killed Alfred, and he killed me. I thought that's the worst traitorous bullshit he can make, and here he is, going lovey-dovey with my fucking girlfriend. I couldn't get angrier with that dipshit!
My supposed enemy… Cheng Du… He owns the dossier we worked hard to recover. Carlo sacrificed his own self just to secure that document, and here he is, appearing like a mole rat switching sides to Elysia. The only reason for him to recover the dossier is to conceal his plans from falling to others. Now that he's working with Elysia, no one will be able to predict his next move on world domination.
My blood is boiling. My hand is shaking non-stop. I don't even want to live anymore. Silently, I'm praying that my heart would immediately stop.
"Look at the other newspaper." Emperor Elkyria said.
The next newspaper is a little more private. This newspaper only has military news on it, but some people read it for war updates.
'White Ghost member, Xenon Wingate, murdered his fellow White Ghosts Alfred Sierro and Carlo Tavionas. The murderer was convicted of treason and Emperor Eldritch handed down the hammer of justice and executed him on the spot.'
That fucker Eldritch even framed me for the crimes I didn't commit. He even dishonored me and destroyed my name, even though I was 'dead'. This bastard is so desperate to bring me down.
When I turned to the next page, I saw minor news which is a big deal to me. It stated that my family became subjects of ill-mannered wrongdoings. My mother lost her job. My father was beaten by unknown vigilantes. My little sister became a victim of bullying. My dog was butchered by the kids. My cousin committed suicide because of discrimination at work. All of those just because my name was framed, and it affected my family's reputation.
My eyes lost its glow. I have completely abandoned all sense of justice. I no longer cling to hope.
This is where I cemented my resolve.
"Cheng… Trystgade… Eldritch… They will pay."