"You must be new around here, Young Man."
"Yes."
Unable to order a drink by himself, The Young Man found himself indebted to a local old man. The old man taught The Young Man how to order a drink and have it delivered to the seat of his choice. To repay the old man's kindness, The Young Man chose to stay with him and listen to every word he wished to share, as that was what the old man wanted.
"I have to apologize to stall your time listening the old man's story."
"I'm all ears. Also, I do wishes to know the story of this city."
"Story of this city? Fascinating." the old man smiles.
The Young Man's ignorance attracted people like a bait. His reason for going out and looking for information worked as intended. Moreover, this city seemed to hold a deep connection with the tragedies of the past, which might lead to his former lord, The Evil King.
"Tell me, young man. Have you heard the legend of the five heroes?" ask the old man.
"I'm not familiar with it. But I do heard them as our savior."
"You're quite knowledgeable yourself, as expected from a young man like you."
Little did the old man know that The Young Man had faced the five of them in battle. It's no wonder The Young Man had some knowledge about the group. He is a living legend, though often spoken of in a darker light. With his limited knowledge, he could alter the story, as if he were playing the role of someone living outside the legend.
"This city was rebuilt right after The Evil King was defeated. Before the five heroes returned to their homeland, they visited our city and celebrated their victory with a feast. They stayed for seven days to recover their health, and during their rest, we locals requested their participation in creating a heroic sculpture to honour their struggle against the chaos, which you can see in the center of the town."
At that time, The Young Man sensed something was amiss with the story. The Evil King's castle was far from here, yet the five heroes settled in this town after the battle. If the story were accurate, then something or someone must have intervened after the battle concluded. Moreover, the statue of the leader depicts him with both hands, but The Young Man is certain that he lost one of his limb during the battle.
Knowing something was not right, The Young Man remained calm and listened to the old man's story.
"Why did the five heroes choose to rest in this town?"
"That's quite a question. I'm afraid I don't have the exact answer, but as a historian, I must piece together what I believe might explain it."
Unexpectedly, the old man revealed his true self. The old man he was indebted to was a treasure he rarely encountered. On the other hand, he must choose his words carefully, as he might reveal his identity as the man from the legend.
"There's a saying that the five heroes arrived in this town injured and escorted by a horse-drawn carriage. However, at that time, no one could afford a single horse-drawn carriage, as the world was on the brink of destruction. The only possibility that comes to mind is that only the family of Alexandria could have afforded such a vehicle. But that family was the first victim of the madness of The Evil King's plan. None were spared, except for a single horse-drawn carriage."
"Who are Alexandria family? Why them?"
"Young man, the Alexandria family was the wealthiest family in the world. Sixty percent of all global business had their sign and stamp....."
The Young Man suddenly recalled Anna and the other warlords of The Evil King mentioning the Alexandria family. At that time, however, he had no interest beyond fulfilling his former lord's request. He ignored the irrelevant topic then proceeded to isolate himself in the chamber before the throne.
"...The wealth of the Alexandria family shouldn't be underestimated. If people could be revived, there's no doubt they would regain their wealth as if nothing had ever happened."
The discussion about the Alexandria family concluded their conversation. The Young Man left after exchanging names, as the old man had forgotten to mention a basic lesson when meeting strangers: giving their names before anything else. He took and read the receipt after paying for his drinks. Unexpectedly, he could still read it after spending a long time away from written words.
But that's not what he concern.
The Young Man continued to think about the Alexandria family. The only person he could ask for help was Anna, who was probably familiar with them. If his memory served him right, Anna was a warlord responsible for wreaking havoc around this town, which had a deep connection with the Alexandria family.
"Ah that family, yes I slaughtered everyone and eat the head of the head of the family... hmm? nice tongue twister I came up with."
"Is that the order from our lord?"
"Exactly! But I have no idea why he want me to wipe them out. In fact, every other warlords also clueless what they're doing other than you. Massacre, genocide, and world domination everything just for him.
After telling him the truth, Anna rushed to one of the flowers she treated so kindly. Surprisingly, she found that the flower was almost wilted, its leaves turned pale green, almost yellow. This kind of event had never occurred before, as she always kept a keen eye on them.
Anna then told The Young Man to fetch plant medicine and bring it immediately. She knew exactly what she was doing and what the plants needed. The Young Man observed her closely; she had never shown this side of herself when she was still in charge as a warlord.
"Why don't you use your magic? You are the Flower Princess."
"Steve, I may be the Flower Princess and capable of curing any plantation disease, but because I am the Flower Princess, I should know best how to treat a flower in need."
Listening to her words, The Young Man felt both amazed and betrayed as he remembered how cruel she had been in the past. He then thought that it was likely the two-hundred-year gap that had transformed her into a different person from who she once was.
The Young Man then knelt to adjust his height with Anna's, as she was currently tending to the flower.
"Alexandria household, I need you to escort me there."
"Ugh... I know you would say that at some point. But...."
"What's wrong?"
Anna then stood up and looked at him as he knelt before her. "Actually nothing, I'll take you there on a weekend."
.
.
.
In the same hills and cave where The Young Man had awakened, a group of knights in silver armour investigated the cradle where he had once slumbered. Panicked, they discovered that the man inside the magical sphere was gone and the cradle had shattered into pieces. One of the knights immediately ran to report their findings to the captain.
The captain of the knights, a tall white elf with golden hair and blue sapphire eyes, initiated a rapid warning to the headquarters, "Bring the pigeons."
The Knights of Silverhound, the official military force of the elven kingdom Faeloria, were rushing around the city to alert the other kingdoms. The King of Faeloria also took part, as he was the most responsible for addressing the army's findings.
The disappearance of the slumbering warlord of The Evil King was not a significant issue for every kingdom. However, the absence of that one specific warlord could cause an entire kingdom to tremble in fear. By name alone, that man could wreak havoc across the entire realm, as he was Malakar the Star Tamer.
There are five warlords who serve under The Evil King, and one of them is Malakar, who is said to be even stronger than The Evil King himself. The other four are Belladonna Thornshade, the Flower Princess; Lord Aurelian von Blutskarn III, the Bloodthirst; Gargantua, the Infernal Titan; and Hexelina, the Doll's Eye. Each of them is feared by the kingdoms they terrorised, bringing nightmares to their enemies.
The captain of The Silverhounds, Caelum Silversong, wrote a report about their findings before returning to Faeloria. In his tent, he noted the abnormalities around Malakar's cradle: the area appeared unusually greener, the trees had rejuvenated, and an hibiscus. These were clear signs of who might have been tampering with the cradle.
"Belladonna... Anna Marigold."
For a while, the Silverhound knights kept a close watch on her in Faeloria, but she eventually disappeared after her time in her playhouse there. Now her whereabouts are unknown, and the Silverhound knights left her alone as if nothing had ever happened for one hundred and thirty-nine years. Regret came later, after she had freed the man who was a calamity for humanity.
"Damn it! They should've listen to me..." said Caelum while banging his desk.
While the captain was frustrated that his nightmare had come true, his secretary, the Captain of the Infiltration Knightess, arrived in a light suit designed to muffle any movement noises. She brought with her a piece of paper containing a portrait of a lady suspected to be The Flower Princess, Anna Marigold, along with her shady companion.
"You call, leader. Tell me the price and we'll move as you command."
"Great, we can use this as the countermeasures against the next calamity." The Captain then looked at the secretary's neck with a look of pity, "Money can follow but your safety is a priority here. The Flower Princess has mark her prey."
Unknown to the secretary, her neck bore a mark in the form of a root-carved wound that had been there for a long time. Another member of the Infiltration Knightess, who was also on a mission to capture Anna's portrait, had a similar wound. Although it was difficult to heal, it caused no other harmful effects.
"This is the risk we are willing to take."
While the captain remained in silent horror, Anna Marigold smiled, as if she could hear their conversation as if they were speaking directly to her. However, soon all she could hear was silence. The captain, aware that Anna was listening, and the infected Infiltration Knightess, tore away every possible means for Anna to hear them. This included damaging the mark on the secretary's neck to hinder her hearing further.
"Roots! She planted on me while I'm off guard." said the secretary in shock.
Anna leaned back in her chair, spinning it and staring at the ceiling while smiling and enjoying the moment. On the other side of her desk, The Young Man frowned at Anna, suspecting she might be hiding something from him. As he pondered this, Anna spoke up.
"Hey Steve, things are about to get ugly."