Age of Adventure

Aero then look back at the military officials in the tent and wave his hand and said

’Anyway, back to Karak. Karak right now did not possess an army that could overtake Marquis Dan army and the reinforcement that would come from the Capital making them no match for us. As long as we place enough soldiers on the great palaces and castles of Karak, and on its border what power that Karak have that could destroy us? Nothing.’

’Your Excellency’ One of the general hesitate to ask. Aero gesture with his hand to continue asking so the general began laying out his question

’Do we prop back up the three patriarch again or do we prop up their heir?’

Aero then said

’That is a good question’

’We will prop up the new generation. Unlike the Vlad family that was massacred by the plots of King of Veranis to frame me, the other three noble families still have heirs. The Three patriarchs have to pay for what they have done. Their punishment is death. For now, I have requested Marquis Dan to hold them in a prison so that I could meet them later when all of this is over and ask them for the reason of their sudden betrayal of the Empire’

The other nodded. Kyle then asked

Will we let the new ruler with no intervention?

Aero then said

’I would send some people to oversee them.

’From the Council?’

’We’ll see’

There were more that was talked about in the meeting. After almost an hour, after all plans and all discussion were laid out, a messenger runs out from the tent and send the orders to the captains that is waiting on the field.

When the captain heard the order, he shouted the order

’MARCH!’ hearing the order, they knew that the Chancellor had decided to go to Duvar to defend it from the United Kingdom of Veva.

The soldiers march forward, the cavalry rides ahead and the entire city of Sybaris look in awe seeing the banner fluttering in the air and the might fearsome aura of the army of Vanheim.

The city lord of Sybaris waited until all the military personnel had march out. The Chancellor ride past him, full of valor.

Pigeons flew up in the air the moment that army move. All over the continent, they got the news

Aero of the East is determined to defend Duvar and had made its moves. The Capital of the Empire heard the news and many felt their heart filed with fire.

A flame of ambition was ignited. The Grand Dream is about to realized. The gate toward the west could be secured if Aero manage to defend Duvar

The news shakes the world!

At the same time that Aero had marched his army, Eric had finished the last obstacle and is now in front of the capital city of Duvar.

But as he was preparing to siege the city, that afternoon, a pigeon arrived in his tent and when he reads the letter saying that Aero would arrive in the Capital city in a day, he only sighed.

He then went out of his tent, meet with the King and gave an order that none of the soldiers understood.

Eric look at the city wall of the holy city and he shakes his head and mutter to himself

’I will wait you here’

>>>>>>>

In the border between Duvar and Veranis, the army of Aero of the East is marching to defend Duvar.

Pigeons fly into the sky and the news is about to arrive on Vanheim.

When these pigeons arrived and the news is announced, a fervor would surely envelop the Empire once again

But at this time, the people of the Empire did not yet know that the Chancellor had already marched toward Duvar.

At the same time inside the Imperial Palace the entire palace is celebrating like they were infected by the happiness of the people of the Empire today

Vanheim finally went on the offensive and the spirit of the people was lifted after being impassive all of this time

Most of the praise fall toward the Chancellor and many people could not wait for his triumphant return.

The Imperial Palace maidens and servants all celebrate the victory. The court has closed for the day.

Those officials might have to think many things tonight as the Chancellor return is inevitable in the coming months.

As the people of the Empire rejoice and celebrate, the official’s on the other hand is not in a good mood

Some of them is even in terrible mood. It did not mean that they were not happy that the Empire had won.

They were ecstatic if not for the person who led that victory. A reckoning is about to come to the Imperial Court.

The Chancellor would surely sweep his enemies.

Even though the world had learned that he was framed by the King of Veranis, those that were a little bit smarter knew that is probably not the real truth

They fear that the Chancellor would blame it on them.

Some officials after the court as closed, went to meet with each other to discuss this matter.

Some people had denounced the Chancellor when the accusation first surfaces. Some of them is from King James factions.

Others are from people who dissatisfied with the way the Chancellor having too much power in the court and hope that by denouncing him the Emperor would change the law regarding the position of the Chancellor when the Chancellor was not there

And there are other officials that wanted to diminish the power of the Emperor to strengthen the power of the old nobles

There were many officials that denounce the Chancellor at that time as they were many masters of these officials.

One could only imagine what the Chancellor would do when he returns.

The smallest punishment is to be demoted.

But what if the Chancellor instead pursue for a larger punishment. Knowing the Chancellor, he might even able to execute these officials by saying that they colluded with Veranis to trample on his good name?

If the Chancellor really did that, how could these officials have any other way out other than to accept the punishment.

Thus, there is all kinds of different feeling in the Capital. The common people rejoices, the officials solemn and fearful.

Inside the Imperial Palace, in the innermost area of the Imperial Palace where the residence of the Emperor is situated, Edward is still not sleeping.

He looks at his bed...an empty bed. His bed like always is empty. Edward himself had long given up that Helena would love him

A daughter of Aphrodite. That is what some people called his wife. The most beautiful woman in the world.

A woman that did not love him at all. Edward shakes his head. In the beginning had had hoped that at least, she could be his support.

But it is clear that the Empress has her own game that she played in the court. Their relationship did not yet devolve to a relationship between enemies but it is close to that

The Chancellor took his Empress side. So, unless his Empress could leave the Chancellor side, then the worst possible scenario could be avoided.

An empty bed’ he muttered to himself. But he was used to it and did not care about it.

One thing that Edward did not do however is find other woman to fill his palace.

It is not that he doesn’t want to. It is because the sensitivity of the matter. Duvar is still controlled by the Chancellor and King Vrandeus.

If he did anything that tramples on the dignity of the Princess of Duvar, then the memorials that would be submitted to him from Duvar would fill his court.

Instead he uses the light bulb that is powered by magical ore to open up lights inside his room and then he went to his study.

He opens the left drawer and then brought out the letter.

In the morning there is no letter in that drawer.

But now, at night suddenly there is letters indie that drawer.

Most people would be freaked out.

Especially if that person is the Emperor who is in his own room.

Who would be able to snuck a letter into the Emperor personal drawer with all the security measures around this place?

But it is obvious that this event did not shock the Emperor. It is almost like he had expected that there is going to be something inside his drawer.

’Finally it is here.’

Inside the letter is news and reports about certain things that is only for the Emperor eyes only.

It is one of the secret squad of the Emperor. The Chancellor has his eyes and ear everywhere all over the Vilajeri Continent.

There are some eyes and ears of the Chancellor that is out in the open. But those in the open is dwarfed by the eyes and ears that the Chancellor had in the dark.

The intelligence agency that the Chancellor had operated, is one of the largest intelligence agency in the continent.

They trade information, steal it, take hold of it.

It is business where information is the currency and the Chancellor maintain a cold tight grip on it.

Information is power.

But not everyone could take an information and convert it into power. But the Chancellor could do that.

That is the basis of the all-knowing Chancellor. It is why not many people dare cross him in the court.

And this is the reason why even though the Chancellor is not the Emperor of the Empire, he holds the most power that exceeds even himself.

Edward also had his own intelligence channel. It was not as big or as powerful as the Six Council intelligence agency but....at least, it is loyal to him.

Edward sit on his chair, open the letter and read it. His face frowned and then there was flash of anger on his face.

He sighed and put down the letter on the table. He shakes his head and then said to himself

’One single mistake......That was all it takes. One single mistake and I have to keep dirtying my hands over and over again. I thought this matter would be resolved. Vlad.... I should have expected that he would not be that easy to erase. Even when I killed all of them, he still finds a way to mess me up six feet under.’

The report that he reads told him that Marquis Dan had captured all three of the patriarch of the three noble families of Karak.

When he read that he was not surprised.

But what surprised him was that the three patriarch wanted a private audience with the Chancellor and the Chancellor had even shown sign that he had agreed to meet

Fortunately, he still has time since Aero would take time before he could recuse himself from the battlefield.

Reading this, Edward had goosebumps all over his body.

If the three patriarch knows what Vlad know, then these three people meeting the Chancellor would bring untold danger to him

Whatever methods that needs to be used, these three people must not meet the Chancellor. H shakes his head again and sighed

’It should have ended at Vlad. Why would these three...’he sighed a but before adding

’is stubborn. If they only know how to shut their mouth and forget certain things, then everything would end only with a simple exile or imprisonment. Now......Now, I have no choice but to kill all three of them’ he sighed as he said this word.

He then writes a letter and then he went out from his room. In front of his residence there is a statue of a lion. Edward walk to that statue and then put the letter inside the mouth of the lion.

Then he returns to his room and he knows that his order would be delivered tomorrow. What he writes in the letter is only four words

Kill the Three patriarchs!

As he laid down on his bed, he remembers back that day. It was.... a mistake. And all of this is an effort to erase that mistake. The person he fears the most, knowing that secret of his is none other than the Chancellor

Because fi the Chancellor knew his secret., Edward is quite sure that the Chancellor would abandon him and might even fight against him.

This secret is the reason why he was always cautious with the Chancellor. the fact that the Chancellor wanted to meet the three patriarchs, shows that he knows something.

He only hoped that his assassins would be able to kill the three patriarch before they could meet with the Chancellor.

Praying to the Gods of a successful endeavors, Edward then go to sleep.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

At the same time Aero was in Veranis, a group of people arrive in the Plains of Ethylred. There were around fifteen to twenty people riding their horses across the plains of Ethylred.

Leading the group is a woman with long flowing hair and a flawless beautiful face.

This woman is none other than the Empress of Vanheim. She had finally arrived on the western border of Vanheim.

She then pulls the reins of her horse and stop. her retinue all stop behind her. She looks at the area and sighed

The area that she is in now is the area where the battle between the King of Veranis and the Chancellor take place.

Even after a few days, there is still traces of the battle in the form of smell of blood, the scattered weapons and the terrains that forever changed because of the battle.

none of her retainers said anything.

Helene is also coming to help. At least that is the reason she gave her retinue.

She had polish her swordsmanship and her battle technique. Unlike most woman of her era and class of nobility, her conduct is unladylike.

But one could only attribute this matter because of the assassination attempt that nearly rob her life when she was travelling from Duvar to Vanheim

That is the motivation for her to train. And she also admires the heroes of the world like Aero and Arianna of the South.

She then said

’Can anyone of you fought tens of thousands of people alone?’ she asks to her knights. One of the knights then said

’Your Highness, we are not the Chancellor. In this world, he is probably the only mortal that could do such a feat’ hearing this Helena smiles and nodded.

’With him in the lead, Duvar will not fall’

’Your Highness. Leaving the Imperial Palace might cause you some problem later’ one of the knight said and Helena only shakes her head.

’Duvar is my home’

’The Chancellor is there’ Helena smiles and reply

’I know. That is why I am going there’ None of the knights understood the true motivation of the Empress to go to Duvar when the Chancellor is already there.

The fact that the Chancellor already there with his army, means that the Empress and her retinue could not change the tide of the battle even if they wanted to.

How could it compare to an entire army?

What they don’t understand is that Helena just wanted to see him again.

She had read his letters. But she had not seen him. And she passionately wanted to see him again. That is why she rides the distance from the Imperial Palace to Duvar.

A love that cannot be.

And she sis till stubborn. She loves him more than she loves power. What a tragic love story!

Helena then ride again to Duvar.