Third person POV
After that showoff and demonstration, Lloyd and Zeke led the former party of Hertzel to Lloyd's office. The others, meanwhile, went back to their usual daily duties. Westlan went back to his adventurers' guild to manage it, while Maria went to her school for her duties. Gretchel also came with her since today was a school day for her. Laura went back to her duties as the head maid of the house. Sati and Zane went to their duties as well. Xerxes, at the same time, was still in his interrogations on the prisoners of war from Langton. There their friends were amazed to see such a nice office of administration.
"So this is where you worked…" Ivory commented.
"Wow look at this place…" Gaia added.
Camden then took a look at one of the two bookshelves.
"Yup, this is where I worked," Lloyd happily replied back, before walking to his chair.
"Also, Nate-kun." Camden looked at him. "We were wondering. What is your title as leader of this new country?"
Lloyd then sat down and looked at him. "That would be Village Chieftain."
"That was a modest title," Electra commented.
"Why it was called Village in that title even though you're the leader?" Ivory raised a question. "We heard that you had many villages under your jurisdiction."
"Yeah, you could've called yourself High Chieftain or even better, High Village Chieftain," Camden added.
"No, I don't prefer that," responded Lloyd back. "My current title name is already good enough."
"But most of his citizens called him King of the Undead Animals," Zeke said to his master's childhood friends, "even though he doesn't prefer that title either."
Lloyd then focused on his work.
His childhood friends then got what Zeke had said and accepted it due to the fact that Lloyd was a humble person.
And then, Lloyd suddenly remembered something and opened one of his desk's drawers to get something. He did so, and what he gets is the letter Zeke gave him a few months ago. "By the way…" he said to his friends from Langton, "…did one of you wrote this letter?" He then showed the contents of it to them.
Camden and his friends then looked at it, while Zeke stayed quiet so they would know it themselves.
"That's our letter of request for asylum," Camden responded upon recognizing it.
Putting the letter down, Lloyd asked, "So you guys asked me for asylum?"
"Yes, we did," replied Gaia back, "because we couldn't stand being your older brother's party."
"That's one of the reasons why we came up with a plan to ditch him during that raid last night," Ivory added.
Lloyd and Zeke understood that.
"Okay then."
"We understand."
"Thanks, you two," Camden replied with a positive smile on his face.
"Also, I asked you guys if you wrote that letter because of this," Lloyd responded as he pointed at the single-lettered signature on the said paper letter. "C stands for Camden, right?"
Camden and his friends were stunned that their friend had figured it out right.
"Yes, that's true!"
"You're so smart!"
Lloyd then once again put the letter down. "Yup, it was a bit easy for me though. Also, I hereby accept your request for asylum in this country."
"Yes, welcome to our home," Zeke added warmly.
Because their efforts had paid off, Camden and the girls were happy.
"Thank you so much."
"We'll do our best in this country."
"Okay, you may leave and go around if you want," replied Lloyd back. "Me and Zeke will do some work for today."
He then resumed doing his work.
With that Camden and the girls left the office and rested at the living room because they didn't got any sleep last night due to the raid by Langton.
Meanwhile, at Langton's capital, Macklin, the king, Albert Talortas, was very disappointed that his army of 1,000 soldiers and knights and Hertzel had failed to raid the Undead bird tribe.
"How that happened?" he asked sternly.
The head commander of the army, Tyle Wole, was also disappointed that his legitimate elder son had failed him, too.
"It was Nate Wole's act of a counterattack against us," replied Hertzel as he and the remaining soldiers and knights kneeled before the king and head commander of the army.
They and their advisors and courtiers were shocked to hear that their own banished citizen was the one who was responsible for their army's defeat.
"What?"
"Him?"
"How was that possible?"
Hertzel then looked at them. "I don't know, your majesty. It seems that he managed to survive being banished by us and somehow, built a new country with the Undead animal tribes, too."
Albert and Tyle couldn't believe that Lloyd would do all of that in just under a year after they banished him for something he didn't deserved.
Because of that, Tyle apologized to Albert formally for his eldest son's failures.
Albert accepted it and dismissed him, Hertzel, and the remaining soldiers so they would rest and take a break.
They did so, but Albert was now conflicted by the existence of Lloyd's new country of his own in the Wooda lowlands. His two children, meanwhile, felt bad for Lloyd and secretly sympathized with him.