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The meeting had come to an end. Only the king, the prince, the princess, and Moses remained in the throne room, still discussing a few minor matters.
"It was a well-executed mission, my children. Nevertheless, I expected the Kingdom of Ria to be more receptive, given the threat posed by the dungeons," the king said pensively.
"My king, they must have summoned heroes as well," Moses suggested.
"That is quite probable, which would further increase their forces. Did you notice anything while you were there, Raphael?" the king asked.
"Other than the queen's stunning daughter, nothing in particular. They made it very clear they wouldn't share anything with us," he replied, a desirous smile on his lips.
"Moses, what does the Church of the Kingdom of Ria think?" the king asked, his piercing gaze fixed on him.
"The Church despises them with all its might. They dream of exterminating them all and reducing their kingdom to ashes. But for now, they're refraining from acting," Moses answered.
"And the goddess?" the king asked, a note of concern in his voice.
"The pope says the goddess is extremely busy at the moment," Moses explained.
"Even more than when the dungeons first appeared?" the king asked in surprise.
"Yes, my king," Moses replied.
"It must be due to the multiplication of dungeons," the king concluded.
"I'm afraid that's the only plausible explanation," Moses agreed.
"Well then, our meeting is over for today. My children, you're free to go. Don't forget to prepare yourselves properly for tonight's banquet," the king declared, rising to his feet.
"Yes, Father," Sarah and Raphael replied in unison.
The meeting was thus fully adjourned, and everyone returned to their quarters. The servants, meanwhile, were already rushing to prepare for the evening's dinner. At the same time, Maïli had just destroyed another training dummy, still dissatisfied with the result.
"Damn it, this is harder than I thought!" Maïli exclaimed in frustration.
"You'll never manage it that way, because you're going about it all wrong," a voice rang out behind her.
She turned around and saw Princess Sarah smiling at her.
"Let me introduce myself briefly: I am the princess of the Kingdom of Sigma. My name is Sarah," the princess said with a smile.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Highness," Maïli replied politely and courteously.
"You can drop the titles and formalities with me. What's your name?" Sarah asked.
"Very well, my name is Maïli."
"What a lovely name," Sarah complimented.
"Thank you, yours is quite nice too," Maïli answered with a shy smile.
"Well then, let's get back to it. You're doing it wrong. I'm guessing your goal is to create a cutting whirlwind. But the problem is, you still don't control your mana properly," Sarah explained.
"Can you explain?" Maïli asked, intrigued.
"Of course, that's why I'm here. Since you haven't started your formal training yet, you don't really know the basics, but you're already very talented. Even if it's very faint, you can already direct your inner flow of mana through your magic circuits," Sarah replied.
"My magic circuits?"
Sarah raised her hands and conjured two whirlwinds of wind, one in each hand. The whirlwinds were precise and controlled, their outlines sharp and cutting.
"Watch closely. The secret lies in focusing and controlling the flow of mana through the body via the magic circuits. You need to feel the mana inside you, make it circulate, and then guide it precisely."
Maïli watched attentively, fascinated by the demonstration.
"Mana is an energy that must be mastered and bent to your will. That's why it's first necessary to learn to control your mana flow: the quantity, the strength, and the way you release it. The possibilities are endless. But you've only just arrived here, so all you can do is release your mana in every direction without proper control. That makes you far less effective while wasting your mana," Sarah continued.
In her right hand, the wind shifted shape, successively taking the form of a sphere, then a square, and finally a triangle. Meanwhile, in her left hand, the wind just burst out and dispersed chaotically.
"You must first learn to tame mana. Then, let's imagine you want to turn the wind into a blade," Sarah said.
She immediately launched an attack at one of the dummies, slicing it cleanly in half before it fell to the ground.
"It's also important to clearly visualize exactly what you want to do," Sarah added.
"Alright."
Maïli focused, letting the wind escape from her hands. The wind tried to shift shape several times under the princess's attentive gaze. Finally, determined, Maïli launched her attack at one of the dummies. However, on the way, the wind faded before reaching its target.
"Damn it!" Maïli exclaimed, frustrated.
Sarah calmly approached her.
"For a start, that wasn't bad," she said with a small smile.
"What do you mean? I completely failed," Maïli replied, disappointed.
"I wouldn't call it a total failure. Look, you still managed to slightly nick the dummy," Sarah explained.
Maïli looked at the dummy and noticed a tiny but visible cut.
"Try again. Focus more, visualize, and direct the mana inside your body, then release it in a controlled way."
Maïli focused again, her mind at its peak concentration, and this time, a small wind blade cut deeper into the dummy. She had already improved in such a short time, demonstrating natural talent, compared to the first day when she had only made a small scratch on Shawn's cheek.
"Thank you, that was really instructive," Maïli said gratefully.
"You're welcome. I'll see you at tonight's dinner, Maïli," Sarah replied with an encouraging smile.
The day went on until night finally fell. Everyone had dressed elegantly for the occasion. The king, the prince, and the princess were already seated around a magnificently arranged table. The cutlery, of rare craftsmanship, was entirely made of gold, and the glasses were adorned with precious stones. Everything was laid out on a sumptuous black-and-gold tablecloth. Bottles of wine and delicious dishes adorned the table.
As the guests waited at the entrance, the king invited them to come in.
"Come now, don't be shy. Enter, this feast was organized for you," the king declared warmly.
Everyone took their seats on the grand, magnificent chairs before the servants filled their glasses with wine.
"I also organized this banquet to introduce you to my son and daughter. This is Raphael, destined to succeed me, and this is my daughter Sarah, who will support him in his duties," the king announced proudly.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, heroes."
"I hope your arrival in our world wasn't too hard," Sarah added gently.
"No, we thank you for the wonderful welcome you've given us," Shawn replied, captivated by the princess's beauty.
"Yes, we couldn't have dreamed of anything better," Maël added.
"And on top of that, you're treating us all to an excellent meal," Méverick said enthusiastically.
"Very well, that makes me happy," Sarah replied with a smile.
"I also failed to properly introduce myself earlier. I am Philippe, king of the Kingdom of Sigma.
Well, now that introductions are done, let's eat," the king said, raising his glass.
They then began to eat quietly.
"Mmm, this is truly excellent. What is it?" Emma asked curiously.
"It's a stew made with Noras meat, a monster known for its very tender flesh," the king replied.
Everyone delighted in savoring the exquisite dishes prepared with such care. Lively conversations reflected the general appreciation for the delicate, varied flavors of the food, while the exceptional quality of the wine further enhanced the gastronomic experience.
The guests, thoroughly satisfied, exchanged compliments on the finesse of the aromas and the perfection of the food-and-wine pairings, creating an atmosphere of shared conviviality and contentment.
"Why weren't you there, Sarah, when we were summoned?" Maïli suddenly asked.
A heavy silence of surprise fell over the room, caused by Maïli's familiar tone toward the princess. The guests exchanged puzzled looks. Some had barely touched their meals, their plates remaining almost intact in front of them.
"Don't be so familiar with the princess," Maël said, outraged at Maïli's behavior.
"She's speaking that way because I allowed her to drop the honorific titles," Sarah immediately corrected.
"Oh, alright then," Maël conceded.
"To answer your question, Maïli, we were on a diplomatic mission for a few days," Sarah explained.
"You seem to have a lot of responsibilities," Emma then said.
"Well, we were born with responsibilities we must fulfill," Sarah replied.
"You too now have responsibilities as heroes," Raphael added.
"Responsibilities we never chose," Eva cut in.
"My sister and I didn't choose ours either. They were determined from birth," Raphael retorted.
"Yes, but you could have chosen not to summon us here," Eva insisted.
"We didn't have a choice, and if you want to blame someone, blame chance."
"Chance has nothing to do with it," Eva shot back.
"We apologize once again. We knew you had families and friends back there," the king added.
"It's true, they had no choice," Méverick supported.
"There's always a choice," Eva muttered.
Silence fell over the room again for a long moment before the king tried to rekindle the conversation.
"How do you find the wine? Does it suit your taste?" the king asked.
"I think for most of us, it's the first time we've ever had any," Emma replied.
"Oh? Could you tell me a bit more?" the king asked with interest.
"Of course. In our world, you have to be a certain age to drink alcohol," Emma explained.
"Your world sounds dreadfully boring," Prince Raphael commented, earning some contemptuous looks from the guests.
The prince merely returned them a charming smile, clearly an act of provocation.
"So, what do you think of your first glasses of wine?" the king asked.
"Well, since I've never drunk alcohol before, I can't really say if it's high quality. But it has a pleasant, slightly sweet taste," Emma replied.
"You have a refined palate, holy priestess. Well, from now on, you needn't worry about that anymore. Here, you can do whatever you want. Isn't that wonderful?" the king said with a smile.
"Yes, let's drink to celebrate our arrival here," Shawn declared, raising his glass.
"Wonderful? That depends on who you ask," Eva muttered.
"Are you really going to start with that again?" Shawn snapped.
"You know what? Go to hell, Shawn!" Eva retorted angrily.
"What's your problem? At least try to act happy to be here in front of the king and his family," Shawn shot back.
"Come on now, let's calm down. We're in the presence of royalty," Karine intervened, trying to ease the situation.
"You know what? Screw all of you, I'm out of here!" Eva exclaimed.
A heavy silence fell over the room again, a palpable tension spreading among the guests. Maïli, sensing the danger, grabbed Eva's hand and gave her a discreet nod, telling her not to leave.
She had noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere, particularly in the king's expression. His face reflected the same merciless look he had worn when he had expelled Logan without the slightest pity. But this time, a sinister gleam and a thirst for blood also shone in his eyes.
Thanks to Maïli's intervention, Eva sat back down quietly. Taking the floor, Maïli addressed the king directly.
"We thank you for the splendid welcome you've given us, Your Majesty. But with all due respect, isn't that the least you could do? And you even apologize for summoning us here. Wouldn't it have been wiser of you not to send Logan away from the castle and instead host him at your own expense for the rest of his life as compensation, wouldn't you agree?" Maïli said calmly but firmly.
She was now confronting the king with his contradictions and hypocrisy, showing that the welcome, his apologies, and this banquet were nothing more than a way to win them over and make them risk their lives in the service of the kingdom and the king.
"Why should I have housed someone who was going to be of no use to me?" the king replied coldly.
A murmur of shock spread through the room, some grinding their teeth silently, their faces marked with anger and contained rage. The king had just bluntly admitted that he saw them only as tools to exploit. By promising them fortune and glory, he hoped to push them into risking their lives and abandoning their former lives. But behind this facade of generosity hid a brutal reality: those who did not prove useful to the kingdom were left to fend for themselves.
"And I heard about that story. My father gave him a nice sum of money. He could have lived quietly for quite some time or started a business. That Logan, right? He just should have taken the money," Raphael added with a mocking smile.
"As long as you serve the Kingdom of Sigma faithfully, you'll have a life of luxury you could never have dreamed of in your world. Otherwise, you're free to leave. After all, no one is keeping you here. Now, if you will, let us continue this dinner together," he said with a gracious smile.
Eva then felt something trickle from her nose. She discreetly brought her hand to her face to check and discovered blood on her fingers. A thin trickle of blood had escaped from her nostrils and was slowly running down her face. She then met Maïli's gaze and understood why she had stopped her.
The dinner continued in tense silence, each of them realizing their situation was far more complicated and dangerous than they had imagined.
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Special thanks to Rebecca/Amari/Zezima/Crowny_66/Bored dragon/ Sky_Shay/A_F_D/Fidelissama/Morgan/Arjunn/TheGreatSucc/Jared/ Grimjaw/Damion/ for her power stones.
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