Chapter 48

"You... Again, are you not going to do anything?"

Remaining silent, his fist moved slowly, swirling the wine inside the glass.

"During the war too... It started before I was even born, but there isn't a single story about you dealing with it personally."

"I am the king."

"Exactly!"

His hand waved, slicing through the air as it pointed to the enormous balcony in the throne room. Outside, the barrier surrounding the demon realm shattered.

"They are your people! Thousands of them have already died while you stayed locked up in this castle! Now the kingdom, your kingdom is facing a desperate situation never seen before and you... instead of helping them you will stay here...? Sitting on this damn throne?!"

His red eyes flared, and looking at his daughter, they glowed intensely. The wine in the glass stopped swirling, and the atmospheric pressure rose.

"Scarlet... mind your words. My involvement is not necessary, the knights will take care of it."

"Yes..."

Turning around, the young princess headed towards the exit.

"Just like they've been taking care of everything so far."

The doors closed, and with gritted teeth, he clenched his fist tightly, crushing the glass in his hand.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

The bright sphere surfaced in his memories and those words with an irritating, mocking tone echoed in his mind.

"Thank you for the offer of peace, I am immensely grateful."

That laugh at the end... damned wretch! His veins bulged.

"Peace?!"

His hand clenched, breaking the armrest of the throne.

"Damned, how dare they?!"

With a swift motion of his arm, what was left of the silver cup collided with the wall on the other side of the room, creating a hole in the column it passed through.

"Damned... Peace?! Shit..."

The sky opened up, and the yellow sun revealed itself. Over the lands of the demon realm and within his field of vision, the ice dragons emerged roaring furiously.

After some time, Ethan finally arrived and, with his sword, it didn't take long for him to finish cleaning the skies almost completely.

His swift and precise movements, aiming only for the necks or complete dismemberment of those creatures that kept falling and mixing with the lake below, only fueled his anger.

"Damn... Peace?! If you are capable of all this, why the hell didn't you wipe them all out at once, as you should've?!"

Ethan swung his sword, effortlessly clearing the sky ahead of him.

"The nerve..."

A click of the tongue echoed through the room.

"What a farce.."

At some point, footsteps echoed, and a familiar energy approached the room.

The doors opened.

"Sir, may I ask you a question..?"

Those eyes... even more repugnant than usual. Making his anger rise again.

"Is the situation outside calm enough for you to be here now?"

"It will be fine, the others will take care of everything for the time being."

Clovis didn't flinch. His eyes didn't yield, and from the moment he entered the room, he didn't even bow before his majesty.

"...Speak..., what do you wish to ask me...?"

His eyes wandered, scrutinizing the man in front of him.

"That damn..." thought the king, watching Clovis's hand. "How dare he do that in front of me?!"

"The beginning... How did the war start exactly...? Do you still remember?"

Watching Clovis tightly clench his hand around the sword's hilt, the king wondered; "What did those bastards say to this idiot..?"

The king sighed.

"I fail to understand why you are asking about this now, but yes, obviously I remember clearly. How could I forget?"

"According to the books, when the guards warned you about the burning of the black forest, you immediately sent the commander-in-chief of the knights after the invader... Do you still remember what he looked like?"

His fingers crackled, and the sword shifted briefly within its sheath. As he tapped his fingers against the armrest of the still intact throne, in silence, the king observed Clovis for a few moments.

As far as I recall, there was nothing specific to note. He was a regular knight. Black hair and fair skin. And shouldn't this information be in the archives and books?"

"Yes, but, as I recall..., the books say that the invader was actually a knight."

The atmosphere grew heavy, and silence dominated the room. Not even the sound of the ongoing battle outside the castle could be heard by these two.

"Of course, maybe I was mistaken, but..."

His fingers stopped, and his posture shifted. Looking at Clovis, the king questioned;

"Be more direct. What are you implying with this?"

"No, I..."

Removing his hand from the hilt, Clovis bowed briefly in a superficial manner. However, his eyes never left the king for a moment.

"I'm sorry, sir... I apologize..., this won't happen again."

His heavy steps towards the exit and his eyes wide open as they had never been before. As he walked, Clovis brought his fingers close to the sword. No movement around him escaped his gaze, however small.

"..."

Alone again, his fingers resumed tapping against the armrest.