Prologue

Chapter 1: Prologue

"Everything changed for Rorengar that day. And soon when the king died, everyone realized what they really lost that day."

- Argor Avis the Merchant (LS 1213)

______________________________________________

Year 1212, 3rd day of the 7th month – Capital of Rorengar~

[General]

.

Early morning,

The most active city in all of Rorengar, the capital, stood silent today. The daily activities of the commoners and the nobles, seemed to have a stopper working against them unknowingly. The air felt thick and gloomy. The dread was apparent for everyone. Breathing became harsh in the streets.

The children of the commoners, whom usually played in the outer district, their activities were ceased today. The vendors, which are usually bustling with business, haven't been opened today. There were city guards everywhere attempting to keep order.

*Brrrrrrrrrrrrring*

Before noon the bells rang heavily. And everyone started marching, their destination, the Castle of Rorengar.

People were moving in line, like some practiced drill. Their faces told a lot of stories. Every other person on the procession had their own worries. But the common among those were, 'What will happen now?'

A few children were pulling the hem of their parents' tunics, asking them what was happening. A mother could be seen telling her curious son, "We will have a new king, dear."

Yes, the king of Rorengar, Orion Vince Franzer has died. Today is the set date for the royal burial.

While the commoners were questioning themselves, how their new child king will perform. The nobles had a different attitude towards the matter.

Many of the nobles, supported the former crown prince Lucian, and now that the throne will go to the other prince, who was in his own right, a joyful and loving child. But his guardians are nothing like that.

The house of Brendenrod was known for being petty. And this wasn't news to anyone. These nobles were worrying about how to handle the situation. But they could only sigh, the kingdom basically belongs to the Brendenrods now.

On the other hand, the nobles, who were under the duke, were jovial. They were in a festive mood as they themselves knew that their lives were going to get better.

The Queen, now the Queen mother, addressed the crowd. She presented them with reassuring words and a promise for a better future. But to her anger, she noticed there were no claps or even voices of agreement. She wanted to lash out but was stopped by her father, the new Regent of Rorengar, till King Geovan comes of age.

Bethelda forcefully stepped off the stage. And now the time for the new king to address his people. All the commoners perked up. And the nobles were ready to judge. Just because one becomes a king, doesn't mean the nobles will give them unconditional respect. The nobles were like vultures, scrutinizing every single detail. They would later use those details to turn the game in their favor.

And before the expectant crowd a young lad stepped up. He took a look from left to right. He surveyed the faces of the nobles standing near, his family and even the guards. He gritted his teeth without others noticing and started… speaking.

_______________________________________________

[Duke Brendenrod]

.

Today is a joyous day. The tool of a son-in-law, I had, finally did his best work, and died. I couldn't believe how easy this whole process was.

A smile crept into my face. Hope no one noticed that.

Now, I will do my work as the Regent, basically I am the ruler of Rorengar for the next nine years. And if my education goes well, then for the rest of my life. Geovan, a good lad, but he is the son of that fool and my foolish vindictive daughter.

I, honestly, didn't have much of an expectation of this grandson of mine. At best, he will turn in to a better tool than his father. Well, he too has his purposes…

The only thing that didn't go according to plan, was the information on the sealed sword. That bastard, even till his last breath, didn't reveal the location. Not even to his legacy, the child king, who is supposed to swear on the sealed sword itself to become king later.

Well doesn't matter. Now that there are no more restrictions. I can search wherever I want. Soon that bloody sword will be in my hand. And my Master can finally make me immortal.

I mused on the topic of living forever, and soon it was my daughter's turn to give her speech to calm the people. And…

I was disgusted. I could see a few nobles giggled and trying to hide it with their hands or by fake coughing.

I was incensed, how can that daughter of mine be so foolish. She basically gave a speech that made her look like an imbecile. She promised the commoners things that they already had for years, courtesy of the previous prince…

And, when the commoners gave her a deadpanned response, she wanted to lash out. The good thing I was here to stop her. This has already become a scandal. I will order her stay inside her courtyard from now on. There is no need for her to be in public ruining the Royals image.

Soon it was my grandson's turn for his speech. I didn't have high expectations for his speech. But I at least knew that whatever came out of his mouth will be better than my daughter. He took a deep breath. And so he started,

"My people,

I want to start by thanking you all for your presence. This means a lot to me, as I know my father's soul will be sated by the sight of his citizens coming for his funeral.

My father and my brother both loved you all. Yes, times had been tough. I may not have been old enough to understand back then. But my brother taught me the difficulties of our people.

Sometimes we had to do things that might have been perceived as harsh to you. But I assure you that my father has never done a deed, deliberately to hurt you.

I am not as competent as my brother. But I did learn from him, by observing him.

So, today I promise you all. I will be a king befitting the trust he put on me.

I will make my brother proud and in turn all of you.

I thank you again for coming."

He then raised his right hand up high, then looked directly at the crowd, "FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!"

The crowd was stunned for a second, but then they cheered and repeated.

"""""FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!""""""

The hell just happened. I was not happy, not happy at all. This little scoundrel.

He not only made himself look bad, he made my house look incompetent.

He dared to talk and promise the crowd in the name of that degenerate brother of his? He gave the crowd an illusion of hope for a day, when their beloved Prince Lucian will return.

Not to mention the ending… He dared using the words of that bastard.

If I could, I would have cut my grandson in half right then and there. But the crowds cheer… and my last bit of rationality stopped me.

The nobles had a thoughtful look. Some even had a detestable smirk.

All this was this scoundrel's doing. He directly undermined my authority.

I glared at him with unhidden wrath as he came down from the stage. He stepped towards us and when he arrived, he stared at me with challenging eyes. But that soon changed and turned into a childish smile.

He asked, "I did good! Right grandpa?"

My mouth twitched. This scoundrel did that on purpose. But how?

Who could have taught him acting like this? Yes, there is someone inside the castle that is an enemy. Someone is teaching him the ideals of the bastard.

I need to find who it is…

And I exited the venue. No point staying here.

__________________________________________

[General]

.

Not long after, the funeral was complete. People started dispersing. A holiday was declared for people to mourn their late king.

The commoners returned home with hope. The finishing words of the new king, reminded them of their beloved Prince Lucian. Those were his words. This child king might uphold his ideals as well.

Merely that thought made them happy.

The nobles, who supported Lucian for so long, had grins on their faces as well. Today's speech proved that the young king, had ideals the same as their chosen Prince. They could use this to their advantage. It appeared the Brendenrod and the Last Royal Franzer, weren't as close as they had thought.

_______________________________________________

[Geovan]

.

Around the early evening, I entered my room. I was tired, very tired. Today's speech was prepared by my shadow guardian. A person, I have never seen the face of. But the person has been providing me with news and information that I truly needed.

Because I knew, my mother and grandfather were keeping everything hidden from me.

I closed my eyes, and remembered the happy days I spent with my brother. I felt my eyes moisten.

"Sigh!"

My brother was exiled. And now my father… is dead.

And the worst is, I have proof, that indicates everything was done by my mother's side.

But I am too weak to do anything. I have noticed, my mother acted differently now. I knew my mother didn't like my brother before. But I never looked into my mother's darker sides.

Recently I have seen a lot.

Disgusted… I was utterly disgusted by the woman. I questioned myself a lot of times, if that thing, really, was my mother or not.

And if I didn't have the help of the Shadow. I might have always stayed in the dark. I knew I wasn't clever enough or strong enough to change anything. My Guardian was teaching me a lot. And he told me to play along with my mother's whims, till I garner enough power to give orders.

The only thing that I still don't know is where my brother is. The Shadow doesn't know. No one seems to know.

I walked towards the window and peered at the moons. My thoughts were in chaos.

_______________________________________

Meanwhile~

In the chambers of the Regent

[General]

.

"You will do no such thing!" The Regent glared at his daughter. He was clutching his sword.

"FATHER!" The Queen shouted, she hated being put down by her father.

"SHUT. UP!" He shouted. The Queen flinched. No matter how powerful she becomes, she will always be unable to put a strong front in front of her father.

"You IMBECILE! Do you not think before you open that trap? What good will that do, declaring that degenerate as the killer of your late husband? Do you think people are so gullible?"

The Queen just kept mum. She didn't want to talk back. She kept glaring at the floor.

Duke Brendernrod simply sighed and shooed her. She felt insulted... But still bowed to her father.

She then exited the chamber… But.. When she walked out,

She had a look of madness in her eyes..

__________________________________________

[A/N: This is the start of the Second Volume: The Journey, The Gathering and The Summon. Hope you stick around and enjoy the story. I will be drawing the new volume cover. Sigh it had been hard the last 3 days as I had an exam. And being the OP artist that I am (I SUCK) it's taking longer to draw. But hopefully it will be uploaded soon.]