JAY CADMIUM'S POV:
I knocked on the door of room 201 inside the girl's dormitory, patiently waiting as footsteps echoed on the other side of the intricate door.
The white door creaked open as I stood face to face with Asthia, her ruby red eyes looking right at me.
"Good, you're here. Come in," she said, sidestepping as she gestured for me to enter. I happily obliged, making my way into the medium-sized dormitory. The white walls were simple and refined, the two beds occupying the main area neatly organized.
I saw Diana sitting on one of the beds, her facial expression indicating that she had already been informed about the situation.
"I've already explained the situation to her," said Asthia as she closed the door behind me, taking a seat on her own bed. The girl was wearing a short white nightgown, the informal clothing a rare occurrence that I hadn't seen since my time with her in Lares.
"Hugo is a traitor..." muttered Diana, stunned by the fact that her own family had betrayed the kingdom.
I sighed, realizing the significance of the information. I only hoped that Asthia and I had done the right thing by disclosing this to the royal princess. Diana took a deep breath, calming herself as she looked right at Asthia and me with fierce determination.
"What should we do?"
I smiled. Our efforts weren't in vain.
"We banish them from the kingdom," I responded, the girl nodding as she understood what was at stake. If we failed, the balance of Imania would falter, ultimately leading to a collapse of the military ability of the human kingdom.
"The Liechs won't go down without a fight," said Diana, attempting to understand how three individuals could take down an entire family. "They've also contracted a lot of powerful adventurers."
"One more person is helping us. I trust her completely, and her mastery of ice is superior to mine. She'll turn the tides in our favor," I responded calmly.
I smiled, recalling the conversation I had held with Mia before this meeting. The girl had readily accepted my request for help, probably feeling indebted to me for helping her. I was slightly uncomfortable with her feeling indebted to me, so I had to clarify that we were equal after this was all over.
Mia usually practiced simple manipulations during the advanced bind class, but I could immediately tell what she was capable of. She was terrifying with the frozen element, being able to wipe out entire battalions easily with a single swoop.
If there was anyone that could execute techniques that even I was unable to do with ice, it was her.
"Very well, I'll trust your judgment, Jay," responded Diana. "So what's the plan?"
"We take down the individual with the most influence in the family," said Asthia.
"Uncle Ajax?" asked Diana, "He's the current head of the family."
"Ajax Liech is sure to give up his position soon due to his age. If you want to hit them where it hurts, you take out the direct heir... Hugo Liech," I explained.
"How do you plan on dealing with him?" asked Diana. She knew how arrogant her cousin was, but he wasn't stupid. He'd be able to clearly identify a trap if it was obvious.
"I'll get him to attack me," I said confidently. If I divulged certain information, I was positive I could force Hugo into a confrontation.
"Okay, but wouldn't that be pointless if our goal is for Hugo to dishonor a royal?" questioned Diana, confused as to how that could help with our situation.
"Hugo won't endanger his position by directly attacking a member of a royal family," I explained. It had become painfully obvious to me how reliant our previous plan was on Hugo's idiocy, and such an unreliable factor could severely endanger the operation. "If he'll outright attack someone, it would have to be somebody that is directly connected with a royal family that he is unaware of."
"You're royalty?" stuttered Diana, taken aback as she pieced together the implicit meaning of my statement.
I raised my wrist, showing the backside of my hand as it glowed with cyan-blue energy. Diana's eyes widened, recognizing the mark.
"T-the mark of the royal dragon family" she muttered in disbelief. Asthia simply smiled in mild shock, unaware that I had planned to announce my true nature as a half-breed knight.
"I'm half-dragon," I explained, Diana's eyes shaking as her mind couldn't believe what it was hearing. "If I'm assaulted for no valid reason, it would start a chain effect that would ultimately reach King Roy and lead to the banishing of the Liech family."
The human princess nodded slowly, still trying to process the massive influx of information that I shared casually.
Next time, give me a heads up! exclaimed Asthia through the link. I chuckled at the sudden telepathic message, arising confusion within Diana.
I just came up with it now, I responded. I felt Asthia's disbelief as if it were my own, baffled that I had decided how to take down the entire Liech family on the spot.
"Can you help us, Diana?" I asked, looking right at the girl in front of me. "You're the only one with the ability to actually get them banished."
The girl's ocean blue eyes looked back at me, reading me like a book.
"Yes. This is a matter that concerns all of Imania, as the first princess, I cannot ignore it," she stated after some time. "I'll convince my Dad."
"Thank you," I said, getting up as I headed towards the door.
Good job echoed Asthia. I looked back, the girl proud of what I had just done.
I nodded, smiling as I exited the room. The door closed behind me, my lungs taking a deep breath of the fresh air outside the dormitory. We now had the full support of the royal princess, meaning we had a direct connection to King Roy.
I knew Diana would be able to push the king towards exiling the family, and now everything was up to me.
A little gift had already been sent to the Liech's address in Hugo's name, and all I had to do was wait. Mia would accompany me to the designated location, allowing me to focus solely on Hugo while she dealt with the protective escort that was bound to accompany him.
I closed my eyes as I felt the soft amber rays of dusk warming my skin, calming myself from the anticipation of finally avenging all those who died during the graveyard massacre. My priority was following the plan. Once it had been achieved and there was enough proof that Hugo had initiated the unprovoked engagement...
I'd kill him.