Long before the Banquet had even begun, when the sun's rays were still beating down on the land.
Ryan cushioned himself against the soft bedsheets before willing a certain object to appear right at the palm of his hand.
The Red crystal that Esteria had given him popped in front of his eyes, with its three thin white lines stretched across its surface, before he checked the details.
[Item - Flaming Shard
Grade - Rare
Description - Once a crystal and having spent decades in existence, this shard appeared when it merged with a beast orb centuries ago. Can be used for recovering mana quickly or inserted into an Affinity Weapon.]
Ryan willed the item to disappear from his sight before staring at the floor.
As soon as a moment had passed, a loud bang echoed from the door, and he rose to his feet in response.
Part of him felt that he knew who it was,but to be certain, he asked the guard, "Who is it?"
"The Chancellor wishes to see you, Sire."
'For what reason, though?'
"Let him in," He said, watching as the doors to his chamber were pushed open, revealing a middle-aged man standing with his jade plaque.
"What is it, Chancellor?" He asked with a tinge of sourness in his voice.
"I would like to discuss something with His Majesty."
"Well–"
"Over a walk."
For a while, Rictor was silent, up until they were at a considerable distance from Alric's chambers.
"What bothers you about requesting a private conversation?" He asked.
"I was thinking," Rictor took a long pause, "Whether we should reveal the news of the failed assassination."
Ryan's eyes drew wide open, flabbergasted by the words.
"What?!"
"Clearly, Sire… I believe that not all officials were pleased with the return of one more heir. You are the last member of the House of Gilamel after all. Your death alone will force a new dynasty to be born."
Ryan felt deeply shaken by the last sentence.
'Your death alone will force a new dynasty to be born.'
"Heck, I didn't come here just to die!"
In other words, more assassins would come for him. Those words also jogged his memory of when he first awoke in darkness and picked the Returning Royal role.
Yet upon returning, he hadn't seen any Royal Relative, be it former spouse, cousins, nephews, nieces, or others.
He had been told that most of the Royal Family had perished in an event around 15 years ago, after embarking on a journey. Rictor explained that they were attacked but refused to reveal who the attackers were.
"Chancellor," He stared directly at the Middle-aged man.
"Was it a Coup?"
[Hidden Quest Awakened - A Buried Truth.
You have just realized that the walls of your Castle hold so much truth than what the physical eye can detect. Will these secrets eventually come to life, or will you lose the game for your nation before it's even started?]
Ryan could feel his face contorting near the tab. A game for the throne? Surely the system was joking with him? Or maybe it wasn't?
Rictor, on the other hand, was wondering what brought about the King's disdainful look. Regardless of what he thought, the Old man gave an answer.
"The truth on whether some of our people were in on it is still unknown."
Realizing that he was still with the fellow, Ryan shook his head, then proceeded to dispel the Counselor's doubts with a quiz, "A few disgruntled officials filled with murderous intent will continue to stand before me in court. Do you have any suspicions?"
"The Consul, the Marshals, anyone with power or influence in the nation's affairs?"
"So everyone then?"
Rictor admitted that by nodding.
"You are well aware that revealing the assassination attempt may backfire?"
"Whatever your decision is, your Majesty, I will honour it," Rictor affirmed.
Ryan was unaware when his lips had curled up. Until now, when he was hit with a hidden quest, he didn't really think much about the matter. For a long time, he thought deeply about the Chancellor's suggestion before eventually reaching a conclusion.
"Keep it under wraps."
Fast-forwarding to the current times, Ryan watched as Rictor took a seat on the right side of the table and sat close to his chair. With this, he took the liberty to ask, "What exactly did you want to tell me?"
The Chancellor stared for a moment and finally said, "Oh, it's an absolute surprise, Sire."
"What could it be?"
As the officials and important people began to sit in front of their chairs, outside the dome, drinking from wine-filled bronze cups, the priestess walked before one of the dome's entrances and blessed the occasion.
"May the goddess' eternal fire that radiates the land continue to radiate our souls as we feast under the moonlight."
It hadn't been a second when she finished that the clanging of metal utensils rang out of the courtyard; the people began to dig into the fist.
All eyes turned to Rictor, and the man started by saying, "A proud appreciation of I, the Royal Counselor to all who could attend the King's banquet."
"But before we begin scraping into our bowls and chewing through the various dishes lying before us, I have something to announce."
The guests paused in their eating, keeping their eyes locked on him. Some held irritated faces due to his interruption, and others held looks of interest.
The instrumentalists paused their music, and everyone listened as the Chancellor rose to his feet and addressed the crowd.
"Four days ago, his majesty, King Alric from the Royal house of Gilamel, was installed upon the throne, becoming the Sixth King in Ridlockia's history. As demanded by both tradition and law, forty days from now, people from far and wide will arrive at the palace and announce their wishes to become a part of the King's guards."
'Sixth King? That's a bit...early'
"However, the format for his majesty's reign will be different from that of the previous monarchs."
Loud gasps rang from the tables as many stared at Rictor with incredulous faces. Countless questions flew around their heads after hearing his words.
What did he mean by a different format?
What exactly was so special about the man behind him that required such an announcement?
How did this decision come about?
Unfazed by their internal remarks, Rictor gripped the cup even tighter and narrowed his gaze at the crowd, "To commemorate the return of the last surviving member of House Gilamel. Those who want to join..."
"Will have to go through a tournament."
"What!"
An official with robes and a plaque stood from the crowd, protesting against the statement, "A tournament! Just because he's the last surviving royal!"
"Chancellor, this decision of yours needs to be renounced!" said another official who also arose, joining his comrade in protest.
"Agreed!"
"My my, what are these officials fuming about?" Liam shook his head as his eyes scurried around, taking note of everyone's expressions.
Little did he know, he wasn't the only one doing it.
Ryan was beyond baffled, not entirely because of Rictor's announcement, but the way these men in the court had their faces twisted with rage, all because of a tournament, was concerning.
'It's a tournament, right? Not a death match...right?'
He immediately discarded that thought after observing Liam and Grutwick, who were unfazed by Rictor's announcement.
'Could it be that these men are drunk? Was there something in their drink?'
He eyed his cup, observing the fermented red juice. "But, they only had one sip," He thought.
All of a sudden, a soldier rushed into the courtyard, panting heavily as he looked towards the Chancellor.
~~~~~
"Of all the days this could have happened!" Ryan growled, gritting his teeth as he angrily smashed the wall.
"Why, why, why!" He shouted, clutching his hair in anger.
Then he paused, taking the moment to heave a deep breath, loosening his grip as he sat upon his bed.
"Well, at least now it confirms it." He said, taking a small grape from a bowl on the table. The fruit juices spilled into his mouth, and his tensed muscles relaxed.
He had no doubt the assassin would come again; her hatred for him was quite vivid. If it did, he would just have to face her or watch out for whatever schemes might be coming after this.
What had happened had happened.
Yet, he was still vexed. How could she have escaped from the dungeons so easily?
Sensing the rage returning, he took two more grapes, put them into his mouth, and chewed even harder.
A thought floated into his head as he willed the umbrella into his palm, studying the item.
[Name - Flaming Umbrella
Grade - Ordinary
Description - A Flaming Umbrella cannot protect an Ashen heart.]
As he was about to remove the Ordinary weapon from his sight, he suddenly remembered the shard and willed it into his remaining palm.
The umbrella had its own runes around its golden metal canopy, almost resembling the design of peacock feathers. Yet, even with that, he failed to detect any elemental crystal embedded in the handle.
"Would this work? Or I have to take this to a smith?" he thought, closely observing the scene as he pushed the shard towards the Umbrella's nozzle.
"Maybe it's better to wait."
Unfortunately, it was too late for that decision as the close proximity between the umbrella and the shard triggered a reaction in the form of a blinding red light.
The item shrank immediately while being under his grasp. As the light went weak, the system's voice reported.
[Activating Trial.]
[You have awakened the Umbrella's Power and will now be sent to its plane.]
"Wait, what…"
A fiery halo appeared, hovering around his head. Before he could question the event, the room suddenly warped, and his vision became distorted as the surroundings whirled around him.
Now, he stood upon a patch of white sand. Above him was a scarlet moon casting its light over the land. The end of the umbrella was held tightly by his hands, and only then did he notice the ring of fire that encircled him.
[Trial begins.]
"Trial?"
He gulped as a loud thump echoed from behind. The next sound that followed was a fierce, battle-hardened roar.
~~~
Outside the palace walls and a few meters away from the gates of Red Heart City, a woman rode on a steed, weary, tired, and bruised. She stayed silent, her back resting against the horse's rider's own.
Under the cover of night, a black cloak shrouded her under the moonlight's glow, revealing a dirty and torn fabric.
"You failed in your task; you should know the consequences."
"Whatever punishment the master will incur, I shall willingly accept it."
"I hope you can say that after he's done with out."
Atop the palace walls, entrenched deep inside the mountain, Rictor's eyes looked out towards the lit city with a cold expression on his face.
Roberts, the head of the palace guards, was about to turn when he heard the Chancellor speak.
"The two men who stood up today. Gather everything about them, their families, and their co-workers."
He might as well take the clue while he had the chance.