Five days passed since the end of the raiding expedition , the royal army departed from the camp long ago, and just like them also I returned to my sweet home, for some good earned rest.
I reveled in the familiar sights and smells of my mansion as I slowly made my way through the grand halls. The silence was a welcome change after days of battle cries and the clash of swords. My injuries were healing well, but I knew it would still be some time before I fully recovered.
From the moment I arrived at the mansion, a sense of calm settled over the mansion . My mother's raging temper was somehow restrained, as if she had been tamed by an unseen force. But I knew that beneath her composed exterior, she was seething with anger at my pitiful state. In a fit of rage when she first saw me some days ago , she had chased my father around the house, brandishing a writing pen as her weapon of choice, trying to stab my father with it .
But my father's news managed to calm her down. As he told her of my recent accomplishment, I could see the fleeting glimpse of pride in her eyes before it was replaced with a hateful glare directed towards my father.
During my recovery period, I was attended to by everyone in the household. They catered to my every need - food, books, you name it. However, there was one thing they refused to provide: alcohol. My mother's strict rules did not allow for any indulgences, but luckily I had a secret stash hidden under my mattress. The warm burn of liquor was my only comfort during those long days confined to my bed, that and also books .
Currently I was laying on my bed, engrossed in a book detailing the strategy of demons during the last demon war. As my room was finally starting to feel like a sanctuary. A sudden knock on the door shattered my peaceful state of mind. Letting out an irritated groan, I had little desire for any more surprises or interruptions. Despite my annoyance, I reluctantly called out, "Enter."
To my surprise, it was the butler,Rox , standing at the doorway with a sheepish smile. "Master Favian," he began, his voice laced with a hint of excitement, "I have brought you some mail. It seems there's a letter here for you."
I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to come closer. Sebastian handed me a crisp white envelope with a royal seal emblazoned on it.Seems like the invitation for the royal banquet was sent , as I opened the letter I gave a brief look of what was written inside.
''To the young Favian of house Delecroix
You are cordially invited to attend the royal banquet at the palace in celebration of the recent victory against the demons. Your heroic actions have not gone unnoticed, as yours is the great feat of vanquishing the enemy commander Alzaroth , and it would be an honor to have you join us for this momentous occasion.
Please respond with your acceptance or regrets at your earliest convenience.The celebration is set to be in two weeks, but we are more than open to postponing it to help with your recovery .
Sincerely,
King Edmund IV of the royal house of Narai ''
It seems like they really want me there....
But with two weeks before the event, I had more pressing matters to attend to in the meantime - namely my mounting debt with Baalkaroth. Luckily, I had a plan in place to satisfy his demands without arousing suspicion. In the nearby mountains, there was a bandit camp that I could easily handle myself. Though typically it would be handled by the count and his army, the location of the camp made it difficult for them to successfully eradicate the bandits. They would always slip away into the depths of the forest, only to emerge and attack smaller groups of soldiers sent from the main army. It was a costly endeavor to maintain an army presence there, which is why the count would only send a small force before they were eventually overrun and forced to retreat. This time, however, I would take matters into my own hands and eliminate the bandits once and for all, and also give Baalkaroth the souls I owed him.
"Need something, Rox?" I finally asked, slightly perturbed by his stare.
"Oh no, young master," he replied smoothly, "I'm just waiting for your response regarding the matter " He gestured towards the
letter on my hand
I leaned back in my bed, weighing my options carefully. On one hand, rest and recovery were crucial for me after battling the demon and sustaining injuries, and honestly going there to please some old men seems like a chore for me . But on the other hand, attending the royal banquet as scheduled would not only please the king, which I needed as in the future I will need to convince him to give me a position in the army, as I believe I may be the most effective commader to deal with the demon's army, as after all my history was full of crazy fuckers would tactics I would gladly copy to my own use.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I straightened up and met Rox's gaze with determination. "Tell them," I said firmly, "tell them I will attend the royal banquet as planned. My injuries can wait. The kingdom needs to see its hero standing tall." I chuckled at my own joke.
Rox's small smile faded into a look of concern as he murmured under his breath, "It's good to see you've changed young master..."
"Hmm? Did you say something?" I inquired, not catching his words.
"It's nothing important, master," he quickly responded. "Just please make sure to fully recover before the banquet.Even though they hide it the count and countess ,always throw weary look at you when you walk past them "
"Don't worry about me, Rox," I assured him with a grin. "Now go on''
Rox nodded and excused himself from the room to deliver my response. As I watched him leave, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. The events of the past few weeks had taken their toll, both physically and emotionally. But this was no time to dwell on weariness; there were preparations to be made.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, testing my body's strength. The wounds were healing nicely, but I still had some lingering soreness.
As I peeled off my shirt, I couldn't believe how quickly the wound on my chest had healed. It was almost fully closed after just a week.
'You can thank me for that, apparently your recovery power was enhanced by my presence in your body. Usually wounds that would need a month to recover now take a week or two'' Baalkaroth spoke in my mind ''Now stop playing around , it's high time that you train with your new skill, I think that we both agree on the fact that our victory with Alzaaroth was through luck, as if he was not so arrogant at this moment your skull would be his cup...''
I mumbled a half-hearted "thanks",while acknowledging that my victory against the demon was largely due to luck. He had made many mistakes during our battle, and I accepted this fact,after all I was not so arrogant to think that I was stronger than him . Taking his advice, I refocused on honing my newfound abilities, specifically my soul projection. This card in my arsenal would come in handy when things didn't go my way. I was eager to master it and become even stronger, as it would be the perfect weapon to use against that crazy bastard. After all I did not forget for even a moment, that I had a sword pointed at my throat every day.