*~°~*
The summer breeze blew, with the hot sun stationed in the center of the sky. By its side, the crescent moon perfectly aligned with the outline of the scorching sun, not hindering its radiance or heat.
Francesco, the hero of the Lux Kingdom, sat lazily on his throne, sipping on an old, expensive wine he had been keeping for a special occasion. But for some reason, he chose to drink it today.
I guess, he was one of those types of people who wore formal attire at home.
"It's awfully quiet today... Where are the butlers and maids?" he thought aloud, his lone voice echoing in the empty, grand, luxurious hall.
As the hero who saved the Lux Kingdom, the greatest realm on the planet Terra, a kingdom whose power stretched throughout the entire continent, named after itself—Lux Continent—he was bestowed with a grand palace, treasures, women, the best maids and butlers, carriages, horses, lands, and even a small territory to rule.
Today, like every other uneventful day after the great war, he sat on his throne-like chair, sipping on some expensive wine.
But unlike those uneventful days, there was no one present—no maids to heed his commands, no ladies to quench the thirst of the flesh, not even a bug to annoy him.
He who could not care less about the silence in the room, noticed that he could not sense any one around, not even a bug. Surprised he got out of the grand hall, rushing towards the mansion grounds.
He was alert and on edge, as it had not been long since the great war ended. Despite his internal worries, he wore a calm, indifferent face, knowing he was the strongest. No matter what came his way, he believed he would be able to handle it.
He opened the large gates of the mansion, exposing the luxurious estate grounds.
The grounds, a testament to his might, were meticulously kept, with no stray leaves or weeds in sight. Beautiful fountains made of the bones of the dragons he killed adorned the gardens. Spiritual herbs and flowers cast a cooling, refreshing fragrance in the air, making the summer heat more bearable.
He walked towards, a giant oak-like tree in the middle of his estate.
As he arrived, he could sense the presence of a lot of people around the tree. All of them hidden from the eyes.
Calm but cautiously he moved forward, his mana churning.
"Surprise!!!" The shout of hundreds of people sounded in his ears as they appeared out of thin air.
Not necessarily appear out of thin air, as they were just staying hidden using a high illusion magic – one strong enough to fool the eyes of Lux's greatest hero. His eyes they fooled, but not his senses and instinct that had been sharpened on the battlefield.
He, who was prepared for an attack, instantly summoned an army of undead. With him at the center, they armed themselves to defend their master. From skeleton foot soldiers to the mighty lich king, they all stood around him, ready to move on their master's command.
"Hey, Francesco, don't attack!!... We just wanted to surprise you. Have you forgotten today is your birthday?!... This is a surprise," an old man with a long grey beard said as he walked out of the crowd, his hand raised in a surrendering gesture.
He wore a grey robe, a testament to his authority and magic prowess. In the Lux kingdom, magicians were ranked according to their power, experience, and contribution to the kingdom. Their robes, like a crown, determined their standing in society as well as their strength.
Francesco, noticing the mage, instantly withdrew his forces, and the small army of undead immediately disappeared as mysteriously as they had appeared.
"Hey, sorry, you guys startled me," Francesco said awkwardly as he walked toward the crowd that had gathered. He could see familiar faces as his gaze darted through the crowd, from the King of the Lux Kingdom to the maid who swept his corridor. Most of the townsfolks had also joined in the celebration of his big day.
"You guys shouldn't have... I even forgot that was today," he said as he approached the tier six mage, the old man who had raised his hand in surrender.
"This is nothing compared to what you have done for this country. True, we had to mobilize the whole community; the king himself is here, and we even had to use the kingdom's greatest illusion magic to trick your eyes. Even though I did not sleep to create this, it is nothing much..." The old man said, his voice dimming as he continued.
Clearly, it was a lot of work, and he wanted Francesco to know it.
"Hahaha, my friend, that's okay... I get it, it was a lot of work," Francesco laughed heartily.
"Yeah, and I wouldn't complain if it had worked, but here you are, not surprised in the least. You even had an army prepared to greet our wholehearted surprise," the old man said, disappointment evident in his tone and bowed head.
"Yeah... Sorry, I guess I was just paranoid as I sensed the presence of so many people," Francesco said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Sensed, he sensed our presence?!... I guess this would be difficult," the old man thought to himself.
"I guess the party would be held in the mansion... Hey, Logan," Francesco called out as he noticed Logan, the old man, was caught up in his own thoughts.
"Ah, yeah, sorry about that," Logan apologized.
"Don't fret; you will get me next time... I'm going to greet the king and his companions. I will see you at the party... Thanks for this, man," Francesco said as he excused himself and walked towards the king.
He apologized for his actions to the king and the rest of the populace present.
After his apologies, the rest of the populace left as he stayed behind with the king and his companions.
"Your Majesty, I once again apologize for my rude conduct to your kind gesture," Francesco apologized once again.
"Don't worry... This shows that the sword of Lux kingdom is as sharp as ever," the king praised.
The king of Lux kingdom was a handsome man with golden hair that looked more like the mane of a lion, than hair. His golden eyes looked at Francesco with warmth, but if you looked carefully, you could find the disappointment and disgust hidden behind it.
He brimmed with youth, looking to be in his late twenties even though he was above a hundred, cheating death and trying to prolong his life.
Apart from those filthy alchemists, I also hate people like him, people who try to cheat life by prolonging their stay in my realm. It makes my work too difficult. Well, whatever.
"Thank you for your kind words," Francesco said as he bowed respectfully.
"Enough with the formalities, won't you invite us in?" The king said as he gestured for Francesco to let him in, as the summer heat was unforgiving.
"Sorry, let's go," Francesco said as they made their way to the mansion where Francesco's supposed birthday would be held.
As they left, a humanoid shadow crept from the shadows cast by the giant oak-like tree.
"Tch, it failed... I guess we have to go with plan B," it said before swiftly moving towards the mansion.
At the mansion, the party had begun. A symphony of instruments like the lute, long tabor, rebec, glitten, tambourines, harp, and other musical instruments was played, creating music so beautiful that I nodded my head to the rhythm of the music.
The music was heavenly.
Cheers rang, together with laughter, and conversations as the grand hall was lively with the atmosphere of the party.
The blue-robe mages made fireworks and illusions to entertain the crowd. The maids and butlers of the mansion had dressed up, serving as waiters as they waited on the people from town folks to nobles who were present.
"Logan, you really outdid yourself," Francesco said as he sat at the head of a large table placed in the hall. Around it sat the king and some of the nobles of the kingdom.
"Yeah, this is nothing much, just me investing weeks of preparation, my annual salary—I think I even sold a kidney. But forget about that; what matters is that you are enjoying yourself," Logan said jokingly, trying to convey how hard he had worked for this party.
"I can tell. Don't worry; I will reimburse you for what you have lost today. By the way, did you invite anyone from the north or south? I can sense strong energies approaching us," Francesco inquired, noting that the strongest individuals from both regions were on their way
"Yeah," Logan said, a bit taken aback.
"How did he know... They were told to hide their presence," he thought to himself, looking at Francesco with fear.
"Hey, don't be afraid. You sent them, right? They might not like you, but I am here, so no one will pick a fight with you," Francesco said, sensing Logan's fear. He presumed it was directed towards the southern and northern military forces, as they did not appreciate the perceived weakness of the central continent in protecting their king.
"No... Hahaha, yeah, no worries. I trust you. Could you please excuse me?" he said as he left the hall, cold sweat visible on his brows.
He walked down the long hallway adorned with paintings of Francesco's trials in battle. With each painting his gaze fell on, his heart pounded with increasing fear, from a picture of him commanding a giant undead skeletal dragon to him holding the head of the demon king.
"Logan!!!" a voice called out to him, but he did not reply as he couldn't hear it over his screaming fears.
"Sire... Are you okay?" a maid asked, seeing the pale face of the grey-robed man wobbling as he stared at the paintings on the wall.
"Huh?!... Oh, yeah, I'm fine, young lady. Just had a little too much to drink. Don't worry about this old man... Thank you," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Okay... Then I will be on my way," the maid said as she excused herself to serve the guests at the party.
When her figure disappeared from the hallway, the voice called out again, "Logan."
"Yes... Sorry about that," Logan responded, seemingly recognizing the voice even though there was no one present.
"What's wrong?!" the voice inquired.
"He sensed them," Logan answered.
"What, but they were supposed to hide their presence... Ah, this f*king monster... This would be difficult," the voice stated, his voice filled with disdain.
"I guess we have to go with plan C then," the voice continued.
"Yeah, that is our safe bet. You have to help me out with that. Did you bring the poison?" he inquired.
"That will not work on him; my master is immune to all types of poison," another voice echoed through the room, followed by a young man with pitch-black hair and eyes as black as the abyss.
He, unlike Logan, wore black, lightweight body armor embroidered with the symbol of the blazing sun, aligning the sun with the crescent moon, just like the sun in the sky—the symbol of the Lux Kingdom.
"William, when did you arrive?" Logan said, recognizing the individual.
"Sir William, welcome... What do you mean by that?" the voice said to William, the handsome youth in the black armor.
"I was charged by the king to poison him ever so often, but it did not amount to anything. He was immune to any type of poison I placed in his food and drink, with the most potent one only causing an itch in his throat..." William explained.
He continued, "If you guys were competent, you would have known."
The two kept quiet as he outranked them, talking back was a no-go.
"Just sit back and relax; we will take care of him. We even got confirmation from the Witch of Tomorrow."
"You guys are truly incompetent," he mocked as he looked at Logan with scorn and ridicule before leaving.
Logan, who was used to it, ignored him, bowing respectfully as William passed.
"The witch of tomorrow, how did they even get in contact with her... I guess we have lost," Logan lamented as he walked back towards the hall.
"I guess his end is set in stone... Good for the country," the voice said, after which the hallway resounded with the sounds of music and cheers filling it.
"Hey, where have you been? You missed the performance of the Southern and Northern soldiers... They even threw their animosity for each other and worked together to perform for me," Francesco recalled to Logan, who had just entered the hall.
Now seated across the table were generals of the Flagrare and Flamma army.
"Ah, look at that sight, I am so touched. I should give a speech," Francesco said to Logan before getting up.
*Clink!! Clink!! Clink!!!Clink!!!*
Francesco gently tapped his gold goblet, the cup he drank from.
The crowd, upon hearing it, quieted down.
"Just as the witch predicted, this will work, Master's demise is near," William thought to himself, his poker face not betraying his emotion.