"We have confirmed the death of the enemy's symbiote user, Jonathan," a soldier announced as he entered King Angus's meeting room without knocking. His insolence was quickly forgiven as everyone cheered at the good news he brought.
"As expected of Seraphine! How many casualties?" one of King Angus's ministers asked, his face contorted into a bright smile. It was as if the huge burden was released from his shoulder.
"We suffered quite a lot. Of the ten thousand soldiers we sent, about two thousand were injured and over a thousand killed. The mage corps were also slain by Jonathan. By the way, Lord Seraphine specifically requested that credit be given to Hiro as well. Hiro discovered Jonathan's ambush twice. Lord Seraphine said he might not have won if Jonathan had ambushed him during his sleep or in the chaos of war."
"I see. We shall do so. We must not forget to recognize all symbiotes who earned merit in this war." King Angus nodded solemnly.
A general then proposed, "With this event, we must press forward. We cannot let this transgression slide. We shall invade the Latvin Kingdoms and put their king on trial."
He then declared that he would personally lead the army—something that had never been done before in Litmus's history. Litmus had never conquered another through military means.
"Yes! Punishments are due to those scums that dare desecrate our lands! They attacked us unprovoked and without so much as a declaration. Such sneaky tactics must not be forgiven! " The guards and other generals responded with enthusiasm, but some of the bureaucrats couldn't help but frown at such an aggressive maneuver.
"Erm… but my king, the Kingdom of Litmus swore to protect, not to invade. We swore never to pillage. If you send an army to invade Latvin, won't that break the oath our kingdom has upheld for over three hundred years?"
"The enemy is at our doorstep! They burned down a frontier village!" a general snapped. "Are you saying the robbers should get away scot-free after what they've done on our land? Should we allow such heresy and banditry to go unchallenged?"
"While we agree that such heinous acts must not go unchallenged, we also need to think ahead. Can we afford to send troops into Latvin? We suffered a lot of soldiers in this war. If we lose there, we won't have any remaining forces. Moreover, Lord Seraphine is also needed at the northern front. He shouldn't waste his time dealing with Latvin bandits. So, Which symbiote user should we send to invade? "
"They are not mere bandits. They are Latvin soldiers—an invading force hell-bent on conquering us!" the general countered.
"I understand that this conflict won't end until the false king of Latvin is brought to justice. But shouldn't we wait until reinforcements from Mutual and Khori arrive? We've already sent diplomats to them," one of the bureaucrats argued.
"Well, when will they arrive? The report also mentioned that Latvin had developed a new type of weapon called a rifle. It greatly enhances their troops—so much that even a level 10 soldier can go toe-to-toe with a level 20, or even level 30. We need to act while they're still disorganized from losing their champion," a military officer added.
"Latvin doesn't have just one champion. They still have other symbiote users. Don't act in haste. Jonathan wasn't even their only assassin-class symbiote," another government official warned.
Now that they had come to a consensus about invading Latvin, they began working out the specifics.
"Hm… how about this," a minor official—a captain—raised his hand. "What if we send Hiro, along with two thousand troops, to capture the border town of Illias?"
"But Hiro isn't a combat symbiote," a bureaucrat objected.
"You know, just in case they fail, we can always retreat. And if worst comes to worst, Hiro's line is secured. We have others bonded to him, don't we?"
In times of war, leaders cared foremost about the risk to their symbiote users. Losing a symbiote meant losing a massive portion of their military might. Take Seraphine, for instance. If someone like him were to fall in battle, the kingdom's power would effectively be cut in half. They would have to rely on King Angus for defense, at least until others bearing Ralph's lineage could level up and become strong enough to take Seraphine's place.
"You say that as if Hiro is expendable," King Angus muttered, clearly displeased.
"We in Litmus do not worship symbiote users. They have the same rights as normal citizens. While I agree this mission carries some risk, so does the life of the two thousand people we plan to send to the frontlines," another soldier replied.
His words sent a chill through the generals. A single misstep here could cost the lives of over two thousand troops. The captain's proposal had reminded them of the true weight of their decisions. Still, they couldn't afford to remain idle. Doing nothing might invite another attack—one with even greater casualties.
"I can agree to this. The border town of Illias would serve as a good rendezvous point until reinforcements from Mutual arrive," said Prime Minister Darius who represented the rest of the government officials. The generals nodded in agreement.
"Will they even come? And if they do, what if something happens to their symbiote? That would leave Princess Luna at their mercy," a general pointed out.
"You're right! Now that we've repelled the invaders, we're in no rush for reinforcements. We should call our princess back!" another minister agreed. For once, the civil and military branches—often at odds—shared a united stance on recalling Princess Luna.
"Darius?" King Angus glanced at his prime minister.
"I will send word to our diplomats at once," Darius nodded.
"We also need to prepare a subjugation force. Let Marissa know we intend to send troops into Latvin. However," King Angus paused, "if the knights under Hiro refuse the mission, we will abandon the plan."
His final words surprised both officials and generals alike.
"Huh? My king, why should we let new knights make that decision? How can we allow mere knights to veto royal orders? Just because they're symbiote users doesn't mean they should be pampered, Your Highness. We must not let symbiote users dictate our decisions."
"I'm not giving them the right to veto our decision because they're symbiote users," King Angus said calmly. "I'm giving them that right because they came from Latvin. They sought asylum here, remember? They've only been with us for a year. They haven't yet learned to love our country. If we force them to obey our orders, we risk breeding resentment."
"Um… well…"
"Of course, if you'd prefer our decisions go unchallenged, we could send other symbiotes," Angus continued. "But as you all said, symbiotes are important. Do you want to send Hagrid from the east? Or perhaps Selena from the north?"
"Selena isn't a combat symbiote…"
"And neither is Hiro," Angus said firmly. "Just because he carries many lineages doesn't mean he's expendable. He's also crucial to our economy. Without him, we'd have to resume importing iron again. Do you want that to happen?"
"You're right, King Angus. Apologies for our shortsightedness."
"Very well. Meeting dismissed. Let's wait and see how Mutual responds."
A reply arrived from Mutual a week later—not just a letter, but a diplomat as well. They agreed to send reinforcements to Quantora Village immediately. However, there was a catch: in return, Princess Luna would have to stay at their estate.
"Huh? What do you mean?" King Angus asked, taken aback by the diplomat's request. He hadn't expected Mutual to show interest in Luna. After some reflection, he realized it wasn't likely that they cared about a human princess. They must be after Hiro—their newly acquired symbiote.
"To deepen the friendship between our nations," the diplomat said, "we propose that Princess Luna marry one of our princes. In exchange, we will send one of our own symbiote users—Heaven's Child—to reinforce your forces, permanently."
"You're willing to send us a symbiote user in return for our princess and Hiro?" King Angus asked warily. "I thought Mutual only valued combat symbiotes. Why take an interest in Hiro now? He is not a combat symbiote."
"Well, it just so happens that our interests align perfectly. All Heaven's Children—symbiotes—are gifts from above. We should not disparage them merely because they are not combat experts. We in Mutual have chosen to expand the repertoire of our symbiotes. Moreover, I've heard that there are several individuals with Hiro's lineage. Surely, you can spare one for us, no?"
With such perfect logic, King Angus could hardly refuse. Trading symbiotes in this manner was not uncommon. However, it was Princess Luna he was most concerned about.
"We in Litmus value Luna's decisions. Did my daughter agree to remain in Mutual?" King Angus asked.
"Well, she said that such a grand endeavor requires your permission, King Angus of Litmus. That is why we humble diplomats have come to persuade you." The diplomats bowed low. King Angus sighed in relief. Luna, unlike his other children, loved her country. She was not a slave to pride or vanity.
"Very well, summon her. I believe such matters should not be decided hastily. I shall speak with Luna directly to determine whether this is truly her wish. Only then shall we proceed with the engagement," King Angus said.
"...As you wish, Your Majesty. Here is a letter from Princess Luna. She spoke fondly of the new prince, so we hope to bring matters of engagement forward as soon as possible."
"Very well. Thank you for your time," King Angus said as he took the letter. The seal was tampered with, a clear sign that Mutual had read its contents before sending it. Still, Litmus bore no ill will toward Mutual right now, so they let this slide. This was a common practice if they were dealing with symbiote users. They feared the symbiote user's skill to be known. Besides, Luna should be able to work her phrases to convey why Mutual wanted her.
Inside, Luna described her journey. Everything had been ordinary until she arrived in the capital and visited a church. There, she met a priestess who was bedridden. Though she appeared healthy, her condition was dire.
The priestess had a rare ability—she could heal illness in exchange for her own organs. Those suffering from incurable diseases such as cancer and diabetes came to her. Kind-hearted, the priestess never refused to heal.
Just as she was at death's door, Hiro healed her.
Her condition had been beyond the reach of even Mutual's most adept healing mages. But Hiro's "Flesh Mending" ability worked differently. Rather than merely regenerating cells, Hiro replaced them with his own and gradually assimilated them into her body. With Hiro, her condition improved by leaps and bounds.
She had not fully recovered yet, but her improvements brought joy to the entire church. Recently, she has begun accepting more patients. Hiro, however, had expressed disapproval at how zealous she had become despite nearly dying. Such was the content of the letter.
After reading the letter, King Angus nodded in understanding. He had forgotten that Hiro was an all-rounder—not merely a crafting symbiote or mining symbiote. Had he not healed Marissa's legs as well? Her legs were out of reach even with The kingdom's best healers., yet Hiro had healed her. King Angus had focused too much on his ability to mine iron ores.
"Didn't see that coming," he muttered.
It was a relief that the Kingdom of Mutual valued Hiro—but troubling that they desired him so openly. Regardless, King Angus now had new cards to play. With Mutual at his beck and call, the kingdom can finally launch a counterattack.