"Agashi, everything is prepared." Alias met me at the front along with Shion who now wore a very pretty dress.
"I see well, let's head inside." I called out to those behind us, "Only the Knight captains may come inside, the rest of you will wait outside or suffer the consequences."
The knights looked at their respective knight captains who nodded with resigned looks.
"What did you do to them?" Shion asked curiously looking over at Cansei and Iter as well as the royals who all now looked at me with hints of anger and confusion.
"They kept being noisy so...." I replied shrugging carelessly.
"Noisy? They are royalty right? You can't just treat royalty like that!" Shion half yelled before regaining her composure, but the knights had already heard her and nodded silently behind me.
"Royals might be able to get away with things in their own countries, but here in Durlivan there are rules and laws." I replied evenly, "They tried to shed blood on our land despite being in a peace treaty with one another, can you imagine what would have happened if I went easy on them?"
"Hmph, so that happened?" Shion glanced back venemously, "The previous Royal Knights of Dra would never have been so careless especially not Que Antikas, an esteemed royal knight captain of a country."
Immediately after hearing that the two knight captains sank their heads as we finally reached the gathering room where snacks and such had been spread out.
"So when will the Scarlet Demon arrive here?" Princess Serli said curiously.
At this Shion glanced at me with a weird look her eye, "I am the 'Silver Flash' Nefamiti, apperantly." I laughed aloud causing a wave of confusion, the knight captains cluing into the sarcasm in my laugh along with the royalty.
"You aren't the Silver Flash?" Iter said watching me walk to the seat at the head of the conference room.
"Wait...." Cansei suddenly said her face paling slightly, "You are....?"
By the time I sat down it had dawned upon everyone inside the room who I was, I could tell by the look in their eyes as they all stood up, I could also tell my joke had been found out by Shion as she pinched my side where no one could see causing a second wave of laughter to hit me.
"That's right," I said killing the laughter in my throat causing a freezing aura to envelope them, "I am that very person, Lord of Durlivan, the one who ran out the underground from this territory and the one you all call the Scarlet demon, Agashi Durlivan."
Before anyone could speak Shion cut in, "I am Shion Dra." Not one for long introductions she said simply standing behind me observing everything closely.
Though many rumors had spread about her just like myself albeit less vicious, she too had charged out leading a troop of five hundred men on that day leading from the front and being the first to arrive at my side through the slaughter.
The Scarlet Demon's wife, Shion Dra whose beauty is only matched by her coldly calculated skill in battle.
"Lord Durlivan, Lady Durlivan." Immediately the knight captains kneeled, "I apologize for my misconduct."
Neither would wait for the other to speak and so ended up speaking at the same time.
Lady Durlivan? I glanced back but she was not blushing instead with a deadpan face she faced them, I see, so this is the seriousness a royal is brought up to have when facing other royals.
Looking back I smiled, "At ease, it's not like either of you two knew, after all I was just playing a prank on you all out of my own boredom."
"Thank you, Lord Durlivan." They responded in perfect sinc causing the atmosphere to tense even more.
"So, from what I understand you all wish to establish trade with the Dra Earldom in order to reach the Republic, so tell me now why is it that you all did not go to Prince Surnova with this deal?" I said leaning back in my chair.
Glancing between themselves Princess Serli spoke up, "I- I apologize for earlier, and, to respond to your question, we came to you with this deal because you are the commander of the southern territories and thus hold the power to speak with Prince Surnova on our behalf, since if we go without a referal we are likely to be refused."
"That may be why you came here, but we came here for both trade and to ask to be put under Lord Durlivan's tutelage." Princess Alumira chipped in looking at me.
"Why do you wish to be under my husbands tutelage, does Lancard suffer so much that they cannot educate their own royalty?" Shion stepped in fiercely, why?
I have to be missing something, some undercurrent in this conversation that has caused Shion to become so aggressive.
What is it?
"No, that is not it, we simply wish to learn under the best teacher possible." Prince Kendre said seriously, "Word has spread along the border of the Scarlet Demon's fame and his subordinates, the silver flash Nefamiti, Hardvar of the shade and the wordsmith Trigo."
"You defeated an army that was originally more than ten times the size of your own, and then using genius tactics wiped them out leaving less than a thousand and effectively securing Durlivan's safety on the border for years to come." Prince Denu said, "We too wish to learn of these ways, and we come bearing the gift of trade in exchange for tutelage."
Ahhh, so that's it.
They are well taught to keep their true motives under lock and key but with Shion's sudden aggression they panicked and began blurting things out.
They didn't go to Nova because they wanted to try and entice me to take them in using the trade deal first, if it worked not only would they be able to attain who they percieve to be the best teacher around, but also secure a much needed trade deal to speed up the reconstruction of their respective kingdoms.
I see, I see.
I mean, all or nothing.
"Hum..." I thought aloud, "Let's see, so you wish to learn from me in exchange for a trade deal, hmm, let's see, I will accept and allow you all to learn from me as well as bring up the topic with Prince Surnova under a condition."
"What condition might it be?" Shion asked curiously a big smile on her face.
"Well you see, here in Durlivan, we suffer greatly from a distrust of outsiders, especially high nobility needless to say royalty, so should you all become my disciples you will not be treated as royalty but as any other disciple would be, and you will follow all of the same rules as the people must." I said evenly looking at the deep frowns on the faces of the Knight captains, "That is my only condition, live like normal people for your time as my disciples."
"In order to foster a better world, one must understand the world they live in and the people they live with." Shion said complimenting my words, "I believe it would be a great thing for the princes and princess' to experience the common way of life."
"I cannot allow that." Cansei said nervously, "The Prince and Princess have never left the comfort of the palace until today, suddenly throwing them into a common way of life is a bit....."
"It's too much, what if the common way of life infects their minds? Royalty shouldn't be walking among the common folk." Iter said righteously, what a bunch of idiots.
"No wonder your kingdoms are always warring." I said decisively, "If you wish to come under my tutelage, you will obey my commands."
"Commands? I have been thinking this for a while now but, how dare you give commands to the royalty of other nations? You are just a Baron endentured to the bastard prince of the Carrien Empire!" Cansei snapped, "It should be an honor for you to accept them as your disciples!"
"That's right! I hate to agree with a Tensent dog but, these are royals and they should be treated as such." Iter said arrogantly, "I cannot allow our royalty to be treated like commoners."
"Have either of you noticed yet?" I spoke coldly pushing straight past them, "The kids are scared because your pushing all this responsibility onto them."
In front of me the Prince's and Princess' of both Tensent and Lancard felt neither fear nor malice towards one another, instead looking at their escorts with heavy eyes unbefitting of children so young.
"They are royalty, how could they possibly ever get scared?" Iter replied mildly.
"They are children." Shion interjected slamming her fist into the table, "Royalty are humans too, they bleed when they are hurt and cry when the pain is unbearable."
"Perhaps royalty of these weak lands did, but Tensent's royalty do not buckle nor cry under pressure, they rise to the occassion." Cansei said self approvingly pointing over to her kingdom's royals.
Bending down I gathered the children close, all of them looking unwilling with a heavy look in their eyes.
"Looks like you will all be leaving here today, but, remember this-"
"Hey what are whispering to my--" Cansei and Iter tried to move but were restrained by the operatives that were hiding in the corners of the room.
"--You are human before you are royal, the blood that runs through your veins is the same blood as your ancestors who built your kingdoms from the ground up, do not judge by blood alone but by character." I whispered to the great anger of Iter and Cansei who managed to break loose of the operatives grip charging forward.
"Do the both of you want to die?" Hardvar appeared with a curved blade at Cansei's neck, whilst Leyalt appeared at Iter's neck.
It's unfortunate really, foolish guards will give foolish advice and lead to meaningless conflict.
"Know kindness for the sake of your peoples." I said lightly waving my hand, "Let them go."
"...." Neither responded as they melted into the darkness again.
Ohhhh hell yea! I can see them this time! Have my eyes gotten better? Maybe.
Cansei and Iter immediately went to their respective charges herding them away amidst the young ones defiant struggles.
"This will become a traumatic experience for them." Shion said as she walked beside me.
"It is a neccessary one if they are to rule." I sighed.
Children being forced into politics.
I should have already understood that this would be the norm in a world of feudal lords, but to see them being used so easily is simply angering.
Throughout all of that conversation those children each looked extremely uncomfortable and heavy, their escorts ignoring the plight in front of them in favor for arguing against my point.
To bring children into political schemes is deplorable.
"Hardvar, Leyalt, escort the Lancard and Tensent Royalty out of the territory respectively, I would hate for them to get lost, the night is long and dark in the Durlivan mountains after all." I sighed again laying back on the couch.
"This will cause friction with Tensent and Lancard." Shion said lightly putting a hand to her forehead, "We should get the Prince here quickly, it will take at least a week for them to traverse the mountains and enter into their kingdom's again, we need to be prepared for the diplomats that may come in that time."
"Oswald, go and give this to the messenger, tell him that he should leave immediately for the capital, the message is for the prince." I said to the stand in butler just outside the conference room.
"It will be done, Lord."
That's a new way of talking, haven't heard that one before.
Now then, let's get a few thing's straight in my head.