The sunlight shone down through the windows of the Castle's infirmary room.
The moment the rays of the sunlight brushed through the face of Reh, he had waked from his long slumber.
Reh slowly opened his eyes as he felt the heaviness and soreness of his entire body, especially on his left arm.
Growl Growl
"Argh..."
Reh wanted to get more sleep, but his stomach did not favor what he wanted to do.
Reh slowly tried to get up as he endured the soreness on his body. Still, that did not hinder him from what his stomach needed to do.
After he successfully stands up, there's only one question that pops into his mind...
"What the hell happened? I remember I was with Alex's group, hoping to find and hunt an exiled gray wolf... But after that, I don't remember what happened... Weird."
Reh said in a low tone.
"I could think about what happened after I ate my fill."
Then Reh started his journey to the castle's dining hall.
After a few minutes of walking, Reh arrived at the castle's dining hall.
From the inside, he could hear the sound of the utensils clanking to each other, signs that his classmates were eating inside.
Creak Creak
Reh silently opens the door but fails to do so. When half of his body was inside, all of his classmates, including the maids who were serving the food, stopped and looked at him.
Then his classmates started to whisper, gossip, and laugh with each while looking at him.
Reh paid no attention to that as that was a daily thing even on Earth. He shrugged it off and then continued to come in and sit at one of the empty chairs so that he could eat.
The moment he sat in, a maid immediately put the food in front of him, but this time, Reh found it weird because of the look the maid gave him. A pity looked. He knows it very well as he always receives that kind of look every time.
Again, Reh shrugged it off as he started to eat his breakfast. But he had just only eaten a few bites of food when someone sat next to him in the chair.
"So... How's your beauty rest, princess? HAHAHAHAHA!"
It's none other than Alex and his lackeys.
"Sighed..."
Reh took a deep breath before he put down the utensils and prepared himself for what was going to happen next. He knows Alex was planning something to hurt or embarrass him.
"WOAHH!! Did you hear that, Alex?! This fool just sighed on us!" Nate.
Alex didn't pay attention to that and proceeded with his verbal attack. "Wait... Do you even remember what happened yesterday? While we are inside the Dungeon?"
Reh strongly turned his head towards Alex!
'D-did I do something wrong? Something bad? Shit! I can't remember anything!' Reh internally thought as he put his brains to work but failed to remember what happened.
"So... I assume you don't remember huh? Then, allow me, your best friend, to say and narrate what happened yesterday." Then Alex came in near Reh's ears to whisper something.
A few minutes have passed since the 'best friend' of Reh started to say the events that transpired yesterday. Then Alex fulls himself out as he watches the shocked and absurd expression on Reh's face.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Reh blurted and yelled out when it finally sunk in on his system what Alex's said.
"Oh noo!! The thief was getting angry with me because I had interfered with his foolishness. Didn't he was supposed to thank me because I saved his ass?" Alex suddenly loudly said.
All of their classmates turned their attention to them.
Reh looked at his surrounding.
'Again... that kind of look again...' Reh thought when he saw the look his classmates gave to him. A look as if they were looking at some kind of trash and weakling who cannot do anything.
Suddenly, the door of the dining hall burst open, and two High Imperial Knights equipped with halberds came in.
"Reh Levi! As per His Imperial Majesty's orders, we needed to take you into the throne hall! I suggest that goes along with us calmly and do not do anything that will hurt and further escalate your crimes!" One of the Imperial Knights said with echoes throughout the dining hall.
'Crimes? But I didn't do anything...' Reh internally thought.
"He's hereee..." Alex said happily while pointing at Reh, who right now was standing.
The Imperial Knights immediately walked to where Reh was located and then said. "Please, come with us calmly."
Having no way to resist, Reh only nodded his head for confirmation and started to walk forward. The Imperial Knights followed on his back. Before he could come out of the dining hall, he looked back at Alex only to see his smug expression.
***
"Reh Levi... Do you know why I called you here?" Venantius said while sitting down on his golden throne with his chin on his palm.
"I...I do know, but please... Believe me... I didn't do it. I-I didn't jump in to kill steal the monster, but in reality, they use me as a bait to hold down that monster! They are the ones who do the wrong!" Reh defended himself.
Venantius looked at Nepotia and then to Dion before continuing.
"There are five witnesses that saw you doing the kill steal."
Reh bit his lips when the Venantius said this.
"In case that you don't know, there's a law in my Empire prohibiting the kill steal. It applies to all living residents in my Empire. Adventurers and soldiers both follow that law.
And in addition to that, you put the lives of other Heroes on the line because you activated the Berserk Mode of the monster.
And lastly, the Priestess of the Light still hasn't regained her consciousness since yesterday because she poured all her Original Mana just to heal and cure your injury."
Reh became shocked when he heard the last part. He didn't know that Plume lost consciousness because of him.
'Now that I think about it, Plume was not in the dining hall, and I vaguely remember that I saw Plume and Dion yesterday. But I didn't know that Plume poured all her Original Mana just to heal me.' Reh thought.
"The punishment that would befall upon you would be 100 times of whipping and 50 years in the labor camp, but because The Hero, Dion pleaded to consider your wrongdoing as it is not been long since you first summoned here...
So, this time, I will overlook all of your crimes.
But the next time you do it, I will not be lenient even if the Hero asks me.
And I would surely put a severe punishment on you the next time you put the other Heroes into a dangerous situation.
Do I make myself clear?" Venantius.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," Reh answered, full of guilt. He was guilty that he was the reason why Plume lost consciousness.
"Hmm... You may take your leave now. And prepared yourself as you are going inside the Dungeon again." Venantius.
Reh bowed his head before walking out of the throne hall. Dion followed him. Now Nepotia and Venantius remain in the throne hall.
"Ha! Who would think that he would dig his own grave? I think I don't need to execute my plan to get him to kick out as someone was doing it for me." Nepotia.
"What an idiot slave... Anyway, what's the report on the frontline?" Venantius.
"It's the worst. It happened again. Out of nowhere, the mysterious third party emerged again, messing with both sides. At this moment, the casualties on our side were five thousand as for the Demons--ten thousand." Nepotia.
"I'm going to release him if it's getting out of hand..." Venantius.
"No need to go that far because of this simple matter. The Demon General Branalac was not even on the battlefield to do that. And I gave the order to Regnier to solve this issue immediately. So, I expect an immediate reply regarding this issue." Nepotia.
"Any news regarding the Draconian Princess?" Venantius.
"Nothing. One thousand years had passed since their race lost in the war but that woman hides too well. Even your ancestors not to mention your grandfather and father didn't even see the strand of her shadow." Nepotia.
"Tss... Add more people that specialize in tracking. We needed to capture and take her blood if we wanted to break the Forbidden Spell and hold her in the neck. As long as the two of them were still on the leash, we can't relax our backs.
How about the plan on the Elves?" Venantius.
"I'll add more people. As for the Elves, I think we needed more time to overthrow the current rule of the Elven Queen. But rest assured, it's only a matter of time before the Elves join us in our war." Nepotia.
"Then how about the paradise land, Themyscira?" Venantius.
"Oh please... Even your ancestors didn't succeed in locating Themyscira. I long gave up finding it." Nepotia.
"Tsk... I don't care. Hire more adventurers who would do the job of finding it! We successfully take the source of Orichalcum into the hands of the beastkins, and now, we needed to take the Adamantium in the hands of the Amazons..."
Venantius.
Nepotia just shakes his head at the crazy order of his Emperor. "Your wish is my command, Your Imperial Majesty."
***
Outside the throne hall.
"Dion... Uhm, thank you for talking to the Emperor but I swear to God that I didn't do it. It was Alex's group ploy just to make me suffer. But I..." Reh was cut off when he felt the hands of Dion on his shoulders.
"Don't worry. I believe in you. I'm not buying the allegations, Alex pushing to you. I know that you can't do it. And you have nothing to worry about, you have me on your back. I'll do my best to bring us back home. Trust me." Dion.
"Thank you, Dion, and about Plume..." Reh replied.
"Don't worry about it. As for Plume, the castle's physician says that she just exhaust her Original Mana and she could wake up anytime when she replenishes it. Let's go, we needed to be ready as we are going to Dungeon again."
The thought of losing hope in Reh's head immediately faded. Dion, he's still got Reh's back.
Unbeknownst to the two, there was someone on the corner who heard the conversation between them.
***
"Go to your respective group... We're going in. And I hope what happened yesterday will not happen again. Let's go" Birger said and take a glance at Reh then he turned around to go inside the Dungeon.
Each student goes to the respective group. As for Reh, he was still in the group with Alex with the two egg Imperial Knights.
"Welcome back, bastard. I heard you didn't get punished. Well, it was thanks to our Mythical Hero! HAHAHAHAHA! But we're not finished. There's a lot more to come. And I'm sure it would break you apart." Alex whispered to Reh before walking forward and followed by his lackeys.