While Auden and Dunehal were locked in a fierce battle in the remote cavern of Nerokan Valley, the situation was just as tense in the imperial capital of Ravelnden. Or more accurately, at the imperial castle.
A council of grim-faced men sat at a long table. All of them were important nobles and officials of the country and various distinguished faces sat around the table, but none more notable and regal than the man sitting at the end.
He had an air of dignity about him and one could tell from a glance that he had an imposing personality.
In fact, he was Aldway the Third, the rightful King of Ergald. From his red and white robes, one could clearly see that, and the coronet of solid gold and jewels that sat upon his brow. His hair was just as golden as his crown, with an expertly trimmed beard. Banners streamed from the walls on both sides of him with the Imperial crests and coat of arms upon them.
Many looked at him in awe while others looked at him with high respect. However, through the admiring gazes, there were a few who looked at him with spite and envy.
This, he took no notice of since with great power comes jealousy. Aldway knew that in the process of building an ideal country, there would always be those who wanted it all for themselves. However, though it was peaceful, the country's condition now was far from ideal.
Following the war with the beastfolks, many people still held malice against each race which could lead to a second war.
There was also the matter of the nobles growing restless after there had been restrictions on a large part of the nobility to stop their shady dealings and bribing people in order to get what they wanted. There had been a large amount of stealing and fighting lately, where most of them had been caused by nobles amassing more money. Aldway had sent over a dozen of the perpetrators to prison in chains and ripped off their titles and lands, but he wasn't sure things would just end at that.
And there was a large problem of the country's budget had been declining rapidly due to nobles, again, overtaxing their lands without his knowledge and keeping the extra money for themselves. Some even outright claimed the citizens weren't paying up their taxes, while they had taken it for their own all along.
Roast pigs, large pints of ale, luxurious carriages with white horses, mansions, land, money, pleasure- Were these the only things nobles cared about?
What about the people in need? Aldway remembered the line his father always used to tell him: 'A country without citizens is not a country.' However, it seemed no one else, save him, believed in those words. It pained his heart to see corruption spreading among even the nobles people were supposed to look up to and rely on.
Still, this was just the start of his worries.
There had been a large increase in strength and number of beasts lately, even magic beasts which would be the topic of today's discourse. Adventurers and Imperial Knights alike had been fighting back, trying to contain the situation before it got any worse.
The citizens didn't know that brave soldiers were putting their lives on the line to keep the casualties low. No, he was sure even most of the nobles didn't know, all stuffing themselves with ham and bread like that.
And to top everything off, there had been rumors of a rebellion circulating and a new band of scoundrels called the Order of The Purple Serpents going about terrorizing innocent citizens, so much so that the word had reached his ears. With the country's current situation, he was no longer sure who's loyalties lie on which side.
This amount of problems was enough to drive a normal man insane, yet he was the crown king, and as much as he wanted to scream in frustration he had to maintain his composure as king.
Aldway tapped the table loudly to get the men's attention, and everyone ceased murmuring among themselves at once. No one dared to disrespect the king, especially when he looked to be in a bad temper.
He cleared his throat before he began speaking in a direct and solemn manner.
"We've no time for pleasantries, therefore I'll cut straight to the point. We have gathered you here today, the Great Ergaldian Council, to discuss the rapidly deteriorating condition of the country."
'And the rapidly deteriorating condition of my sanity.' Aldway thought to himself with a chuckle.
"As you all know, we have recently made an alliance with the Beast Kingdom and we can only hope that it lasts. However, there are more pressing matters." He added gravely, before looking across the table and nodding at a person. "General Rhys, any news about the increasing beast situation?"
General Rhys was a tall man with sharp hawk-like eyes and a bushy mustache that gave him an intimidating aura. He was dressed in a spotless white uniform, making him look just as distinguished as the other nobles around the table, and the fact that he was wearing a giant metal chestplate over it made him stand out from everyone else.
"Yes, your majesty." He stood up instantly and said at the mention of his name. "The numbers of beasts and monsters in the southern region have increased 6 times the normal size. There have also been multiple strong magic beasts sightings like Two-Headed Ogres, Mantercs, and even a Hydrulm that's still out there somewhere. From the rate of things, there's a high chance we'll see a Gryphon or a Prial Demon next."
There was an outburst of gasps and many started whispering amongst themselves.
"Prial Demon? Isn't that one of the ancient demon races?"
"A Gryphon could even destroy a town!"
"Fool! A Prial Demon could turn a whole city to ashes!"
"We're safe here in the capital, right?"
"Ahem." The king cleared his throat loudly and everyone fell into silence. "I understand that you're worried. And this is exactly why we much stop this before the monsters get out of control. Any suggestions?"
"I say we finish 'em off before they grow any larger." General Rhys thumped his fist on the desk to add emphasis. "We'll be at a clear disadvantage if we're outnumbered by beasts that are stronger than us."
"Bah. They're just brainless beasts, what is there to worry about." A man with a long thin beard scoffed, tilting his chair back precariously.
He was Duke Lenderg, the brother of the king and one of the richest men in the country. If the imperial army started fighting back against the monsters and beasts, his territory's income would decrease drastically due to having to pay funds for the war. He didn't care if others died, but he didn't want to lose any money to help exterminate useless vermin.
"If we exhaust all our military power just for a small increase in magic beasts, we'll be vulnerable to other kinds of attacks. Good men will die for no reason. Who knows, maybe it's the breeding season for beasts and they'll die down again soon." He finished with a laugh.
Many mumbled in agreement at this. 'The situation doesn't seem that serious.' they thought. 'It would just be a waste of money.'
Aldway sighed inwardly. All the nobles ever cared about was money and power, even his own brother. None of them hadn't realized that if monsters attacked the capital while it was still weak from the war, it wouldn't stand a chance.
All the nobles were already speaking their opinions to each other, suggesting ways to save their money while attacking the beasts. All the nobles were only thinking of their benefits, except one. A young man sat in silence as if fervently contemplating something, which piqued Aldway's interest.
Aldway recognized the youth as Symond from the house of Hawksworth, the unparalleled prodigy who was granted the title of Count at the young age of 21, just recently. There were rumors that his whole family had died in a fire, yet he had not given up and graduated in a couple of months, before rising up and earning several groundbreaking achievements in several years, some of which consist of slaying a Minotaur in the south plains, rebuilding the Hawksworth territory and lands back to its former glory and even fighting as an excellent ally in the War with the Beastfolks.
"Count Symond, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter," Aldway called, looking at the young man dressed in a sophisticated but simple attire. "And don't be modest, you have permission to speak your mind."
There were mutterings of disapproval from the other nobles, offended by the fact that the king had asked someone younger for their opinion without so much of a glance at their suggestions. But they instantly clammed up the moment the king glared at them.
"Yes, your majesty." The man called Symond snapped out of his musing, stood up, and bowed politely. "The fact that beasts have started increasing right after the War is too large of a coincidence. And Magic beasts which are usually sighted only once every month or so have already appeared more than thrice this month. I can hardly call this a 'small increase in beasts'."
'Tch.' Duke Lenderg bit his tongue in annoyance and glared at the young noble. 'Goddamn brat.'
"Makes sense." Aldway nodded, ignoring the sour expression of his brother. "So what are you implying?"
"It's also strange that though the increase in beasts, there have been fewer attacks as of late, though beasts are usually known to rush towns and cities without a second thought." He continued, "It's as if they're lying low to gather up more numbers so adventurers and knights don't kill off most of them. By this, there's a high chance that something else is behind all this and are planning something more sinister than it seems."
"We don't have time for your childish fantasies. Are you saying that someone is controlling the beasts?" Duke Lenderg snorted in scorn, and almost fell from tilting his chair too far back violently. "What a load of balderdash! No mage could control every beast in the country no matter how experienced they are."
"I didn't mention it was a human." Symond retorted without batting an eyelid. "It could be a summoner, or it could be a new type of ancient magic beast we have yet to discover."
Half of the people in the room shuddered. Ancient magic beasts were a hundred times more intelligent than normal beasts and so strong that they could even be compared to a god. The last time one appeared centuries ago, it had almost wiped out the whole country of Ergald. Though it was now thought to be only a fairy tale by most commoners, only people who had studied the country's history in detail would know it to be real.
"So, what exactly are you suggesting?" A wise-looking old man with a bushy beard asked. "I assume you have a solution, after telling us all this?"
"Like the Duke told us, fighting the beasts head-on would take too long and only result in losses," Symond said, looking at Duke Lenderg slyly. "Though we must still ensure the safety of the people first, we need to find out more about why the monsters are multiplying at this rate. If we can stop the source while keeping the rest on defense, we'll be able to solve this with fewer losses."
Almost everyone in the room was astounded by his remark. How could such a young individual think so far ahead of them? He had not only considered the quickest way to exterminate the beasts, but he had also thought about how to keep the vulnerable country safe from other attacks.
What's more, he was good at speaking and had already won the favor of most of the nobles in the room and even the king.
Aldway thought again for a moment, pondering the plan before nodding. It was rational, decisive, and had been thought about in the interest of the people. This was undoubtedly the best course of action to take.
"Indeed, what you suggest is logical," Aldway said as Symond returned to his seat. "Your plan will be implemented at once. Commander of Intelligence, find out as much as you can about the magic beasts and where they're coming from. You will have the full backing of the Imperial family."
A man in white robes standing in the corner of the room stepped forward and made a deep bow, his presence had been concealed so thoroughly that no one except the king had noticed him standing there the entire time. "As you wish, your majesty." said the spy commander in a voice barely audible, but exuding a daunting aura.
The Imperial Intelligence was under the direct control of the king and was a force to be reckoned with, be it in the capital or in any other city. The Intelligence had spies everywhere, down to the smallest village that kept everything that happened in the kingdom and the country under complete surveillance and no one could stop them.
"Does anyone object?" The king asked after dismissing the spy, which seemed like a pretty useless question after already making his decision. However, it was more of a question to ask if everyone would support the project which would be hard to refuse since it was an order from the king.
Duke Lenderg wanted to pull out his beard in frustration. Symond's plan would mean that not only would there be expeditions trying to find out the root of the monsters, but there would also be troops defending the cities and towns at the same time. Which meant this was going to cost a fat load of money.
Nonetheless, it didn't matter. As a matter of fact, nothing in this meeting would be an issue by the end of it. Soon, he would be the one in charge of the kingdom. Soon, all that power and authority of the king people revered so much would be his.
"No objections here, your majesty." Lenderg said with a wicked grin, drawing out the last word with emphasis.