(Gray POV)
When Mr. Bruce told me that Asmodeus was now among us here with us on this land, it's time that I dally no longer and proceed my meeting with his majesty, the king.
Well, not exactly in the traditional sense though.
Thanks to the wonders of magical technology, the meeting can be done from the comfort of my office instead of going to the royal palace.
To be more specific, this was the job for the blue crystal laying on top of my desk.
The crystal is called the Quintessential Ubiquitous Adjustable Receiving and Transporting Zip device or simply Quartz for short.
Named after the mineral, Quartz is designed for long-distance communication and was powered by channeling Mana in it. Its features include voice calls by allowing two or more users' Mana to connect and establish a link with each other.
The most worthwhile feature of this device however was the ability to communicate through a hologram, projecting one's physical body and allowing it to take shape in an ethereal form when talking with another Quartz holder from a long distance.
The greater the distance, the greater the mana was required. Thus, a Quartz basically can be used safely at around a five-mile radius. Any more than that and one's mana was going to start straining them in fatigue. Of course, a person with absurd amounts of Mana level won't be having this issue.
Someone like me.
In addition, the production of Quartz was very limited due to the fact that manufacturing one was extremely hard. Only a capable Magic Engineer knew its sophistication and it's a secret that not anyone can just decipher. Only high-ranking nobles and mages were allowed to possess this device, with a few exceptions.
Being a Quartz holder was a sign of privilege and status. If someone saw a person wielding one, then that person will surely be the center of attention and respect.
Stealing a Quartz was also a rewardless endeavor since the device can only be used by its owner. The device traced the person's Mana signature upon the first usage.
With that said, I began channeling my Mana at my Quartz and connected it to another mana source, particularly the King himself.
In just a few moments, the monarch himself has appeared in his small hologram form. While the King was usually garbed in his luxurious set of royal outfits, he was instead dressed simply in a green shirt and blue pants.
Huh, he most likely was in his private chambers if he's in that state of clothing.
A Quartz can only detect its owner's body alongside the garments and accessories that they wore, but not the surroundings that they were in.
The King was a young-looking man, sporting long straight white hair, a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes, and a handsome face that can force the entire female population to their knees.
Of course, I'm only exaggerating the last part.
But the first part, however, while the King was indeed young-looking, it was only up to that. While he appeared to be a man in his late teens or early adulthood, he's actually in the middle ages, 42 to be exact. Hahaha, oh how looks can be quite deceiving as fuck.
Well, I'm 34 and I looked like a child, so I'm not the right person to judge, even if it was intentional on my part thanks to my remarkable control of Illusion Magic. It was for the purpose of letting my enemies guard down since most were less inclined to attack a child.
My original manifestation of an adult was also young-looking just like him.
Of course, there's a reason as to why both of us appeared to be young despite our age.
And that's because he's like me.
In exact terms, the King was my-
"Hello there, cousin."
Lubos Aeona Lunaria, King of the Wessoria Kingdom and Luna's Chosen.
With the Lunar blood flowing in our veins, one of its perks was the gift of youth, looking perpetually young in every age. At least until we reached our mid-fifties, then we start to age normally. Such was Luna's blessing on us as the Moon Goddess herself shared a tiny bit of her divinity, just like how the Dragon God Aldous did to the Dragons and the Nature Goddess Gaia did to the Ulfords.
Lubos simply nodded in acknowledgment, looking usually stoic in the process.
"Grayford. Still in that pathetic little form of yours, I see."
I chuckled in return and waved his hand dismissingly at him.
"Now, now, cousin, there's no need for belittling my child persona, even if it's indeed little as you say, hahaha. My you're looking as chirpy as usual. What? Not having enough sex from your dear wife?"
"*Sigh* what do you want, Grayford? I'm sure that you did not call just to comment on my sex life. And the wife that you casually mentioned is your Queen, in case your feeble mind failed to remember."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. But even if she's now the Queen, she's still the dear friend and surrogate big sister that I knew alongside you back in my childhood when this was still my true form, haha."
While Lubos retained his apathetic expression, I could still discern the small smirk on his face, a sign that he felt the same way as I am.
When one got to know someone for so long, you may able to grasp even the smallest of details or mannerisms about them.
As much as I wanted to catch up and have a nice quaint chat with Lubos here, the reason for my calling was sadly not for some small talk.
"Alrighty then, your Majesty, let's get this over with. Believe it or not, there's really a reason as to why I called here."
Lubos nodded and crossed his legs in a dignified manner in his sit.
"I thought as much. If you have so much free time, then you could have come here in person and pester me with your usual antics. But I digress, let's hear what you have to say."
I now assumed a grave look and Lubos took notice of it as well, being even more serious than his usual self.
"It's about the news regarding the Magus of Infinity that I told you a week ago."
I receive a nod from Lubos as he answered-
"Yes. The news was circulating all over within the halls of my palace. This young man, the new student of yours, Ken Bruce is it?"
"Yup, the one and only, and also the grandson of Robert."
Upon hearing the name, Lubos's eyes widened a little, a rare reaction coming from him. He's normally stoic, so he does not display his emotions that often. For a name to arouse some kind of reaction out of him was noteworthy.
"Hmm... Robert Bruce. A former Knight and one of the few who I greatly respect. Anyhow, since I already know the news, for what purpose have you called me again?"
I took a deep breath and said the words that would instill fear into the hearts of men, even Lubos himself.
"Asmodeus... he has reincarnated and returned."
"What???!!!"
The King's stoic persona instantly fell apart upon hearing the grave news that I revealed to him.
"Are you serious, Grayford?!! You mean the most powerful Demon Emperor of the old is here among us once more?!!"
"Correct, cousin. With the Magus of Infinity's rebirth also came with the alarming consequence of Asmodeus's reincarnation. Hmm, wait, it's actually the other way around. It was Ken Bruce who disclosed that information to me just recently."
I began to explain the whole story to him in detail as told to me by Mr. Bruce. From the farmboy's ascension as Arkadia's Chosen to my meeting with him and the Dragon siblings here at my office.
Rubbing his head in stress, Lubos managed to calm down eventually as a testament to his unflappable personality.
"I see. If what you say is true, then we should not waste any time and muster our Lunar Agents to search for him."
I smiled in response to his answer. Just as expected from the great Lubos, our King. Our plans always coincide exactly with one another.
"Great minds think alike indeed. That's also my initial plan. But we should proceed with caution at how we are going to enact it."
Lubos agreed with my suggestion and shared his opinion.
"Right. If our spies get caught, then there will be many rooms for misinterpretation of our actions in the dark. It will be viewed as some kind of provocation and might incite some unrest between Wessoria and the other nations. Worst case scenario, it may eventually lead to war, and I don't want my people suffering and going through another disastrous event."
"And that is why you also need to hold a private meeting with the nation leaders, to talk about this issue. It's been so long since we last held the Monarch's Summit, yes?"
The Monarch's Summit, a personal conference between every nation leaders to discuss all matters concerning the entire land. A ruler may propose a Monarch's Summit, citing a letter containing a detailed list of agendas to be discussed as well as the time and place where the meeting will be held. The letter then was to be sent to their fellow rulers, and if more than half of the rulers agreed, then the Summit shall commence without question.
Lubos considered my suggestion and rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"A Monarch's Summit? Perhaps. I'll start making a draft for my proposal. In the meantime, you are to observe our new protege and see where his loyalty stands. At this point early on, he's still essentially an unknown factor. While I trust the honorable Goddess that's inside of him, the vessel himself is who I still question."
I leaned my head at the table with both hands supporting it.
"While it's true that he's a new player in this game of intrigue and plots, I have faith that Mr. Bruce shall put the people's interest above him. Those Hero types are usually the most predictable ones, painfully so."
My comment caught Lubos' attention as his left eyebrow raised with interest.
"Heh, you speak as if that's a bad thing, Grayford."
I chuckled in response and answered him honestly about my viewpoint of Mr. Bruce's situation.
"Maybe. As an educator, I wanted to see him grow up as a person and recognize that the world is not all simply black and white. If he is to fight Asmodeus, then his resolve must be solid, one that never falters even in the face of great adversity. But alas, Mr. Bruce is still a child in the end, so I'll give him some time to experience the wonders of youth before ultimately plunging him to the depths of war. Let the child act his age for a while, for he'll definitely need it for the sake of his sanity."
While having a stereotype Hero personality was good and all, it made one predictable, one that most enemies took advantage of. This in turn cost many drawbacks on the Hero's side for allowing his sense of compassion and honor to cloud his judgment, most especially when faced with a grueling predicament that would test his spirit.
Was the Hero ready to make sacrifices? Were they willing to taint their dignity, their honor, their righteousness? all for the good of this land?
What will the Hero choose? Their stubbornness to fulfill their so-called integrity or the willingness to do everything, no matter what the cost?
That's the question that they ask themselves every single day when war was on every corner of the realm, where the people's lives were constantly at stake.
The question that I too had to ask years back.
That burden was too much to bear, sucking away one's soul with each passing day. The horrors of the ones that I murdered for the price of peace still haunted me until this very day.
And let's not hope that Mr. Bruce will also be asking that question to himself someday.
I forcefully shove away these gloomy, wretched thoughts and resumed my talk with Lubos once more, this time with complete detail on how we're going to deal with this Asmodeus situation.