Chapter 35: The king's decision
「I am sorry that I was not able to meet with you sooner, Kibadios dono. I personally want to thank you for what you have done for us. Without you and demon lord Gilga, who knows what could have happened.」Lance placed his cup of tea down onto the table and greeted Kibadios the moment he walked in. The newly crowned king was sitting in a large temporarily constructed tent on the decimated palace ground. Unlike the decoratively majestic clothing that he was seen wearing when first meeting the hybrid, the king was now wearing a simple white shirt, a permanent exhausted look has been on his face ever since the incident a week ago.「... Or should I call you by your real name, Zaeryn dono? And please don't be on guard, with the spell being cast onto this tent, no one can listen to our conversion here.」
「...」Kibadios froze for a second before regaining his composure. 「Please call me Kibadios. The person named Zaeryn died eons ago. So, did Jayden tell you about my identity?」The hybrid sat down on the chair opposite the king.
「Yes.」
「And you believe him.」
「Yes. I have never doubted anything he told me before… Ha! I guess that's why it was so easy for him to trick me.」
「And what else did he tell you?」
「... He told me everything. About what he did, about who was behind it all, and most importantly, he asked me to help you with your goal」Lance let out a weary smile.
「I understood why he agreed to help me. But why would he ask you?」Kibadios puzzled.
「He knows that I would never be able to decline his request...」Lance sighed. 「...given how much I loved him.」
「Love?」
「Say, Kibadios dono, do you know what it's like to grow up in royalty?」Lance turned to the hybrid.「... It's suffocating. It's miserable. And it's lonely. Everyone around you was either out to get you or use you. Every new day is a new battlefield. At least that's how I felt until I met him. The genius kid who underwent training for the Prime Minister position when he was merely 11 years old. Ever since our first meeting, unknowingly, he has saved me from the depth of despair just by being here with me.」
「Did he know of your feelings?」Kibadios was curious
「Probably on some level.」Lance admitted. 「But I knew we could never be together. After all, it is the duty of both the royalty members and head of the Stringer family to produce future heirs. I was just happy to be next to him. Eventually, Reena came to our lives and we became an inseparable trio. When I learned of Jayden's feelings for her, I was happy for him. At least I think I did... I really don't want to admit it, but the moment I learned of Reena's death… the moment I learned that one of my best friend had died, amidst those anger feelings, I could felt a hint of relief.」
「Relief?」
「Yes, I was relieved that I would not lose Jayden, and that again, I would be his number one.」Lance looked as if he was ashamed of himself. 「Little did I know, that was the beginning of a nightmarish tragedy that both Jayden and I could never wake up from. Maybe, everything that happened were to be the punishments for my selfishness.」
「You're only a human.」said Kibadios 「Not a saint. No one can ever get rid of their own ugly emotions, no matter how noble they believe they are. Why blame yourself for things that were out of your controls? You cannot change the past.」
「... I guess you're right.」Lance looked straight at the hybrid. 「Still, I can do something about the future. Back in his cell, when Jayden asked me to help you, I was hesitant. It was terrible what has happened, what the Astral has done to my Jayden, my citizens, and my kingdom. But it has helped me decide. I will help you, Kibadios dono. If what happened to this capital is nothing but a taste of the "harvest" to come, then I cannot sit back and do nothing.」
「You do know, though, that the outcome of my plan and the upcoming "Harvest" conducted by the Astrals will be the same. A majority of lives in Esthar will still perish.」
「... And that's why it took me a week to come to this conclusion.」Lance confessed. 「But I realized that if your plan works, this era here would be the last time such an apocalyptic event would happen.」
「I see. You are telling me you're willing to trade your own life, the lives of your citizens, the lives of most beings in Esthar for a future that you won't personally get to experience.」Kibadios confirmed. 「So tell me, was it because you believe it's the right thing to do, or was it because you want to avenge for Jayden, someone you love?」
「I guess it's a bit of both.」Lance smiled. 「Though I get what you're saying. Vengeance is indeed a terrifying motivation force.」
「... Exactly.」Kibadios nodded. 「Nonetheless, I'm grateful for your assistance, King Lance of Maeg. I promise, together, we will destroy the false sense of superiority that the Astrals enjoy.」
「Thank you, Kibadios dono.」Lance nodded back. 「I don't want to keep you here for long. Please go and enjoy the festival outside. I will join them soon.」
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The Autumn Festival, one of Maeg's four great celebrations, was always to be held on the last day of Fall. Its origin could be traced back to hundreds of years ago, when Maeg was first founded by the Atkinsor dynasty. Since Maeg used to be an agricultural kingdom, with the majority of its citizens participating in the planting and growing of their own food, the end of the harvest season in the Fall has always been a joyous occasion. The Festival was first held to celebrate farmers' successful harvest and trade of their farm goods. In the beginning, the event usually lasted for the whole two weeks. Though, as Maeg became more and more industrialized, the length of the celebration has decreased to one week. Nonetheless, the same cannot be said of the intensity of the festive celebration. Usually, the streets of Lorian would be lit brightly up at night, with its citizens discarding away all their worryings while singing, dancing, shouting, eating, and enjoying their lives to the fullest in that short time. This year, though, the festival has taken on a new purpose: it served as a desperately needed emotional support for the citizens of Lorian. And so, despite the grieves, their Autumn Festival still took place as before, albeit on top of the piles of rubble and ruins that used to be the majestic city.
Humans turn out to be more resilient than I give them credit for. I guess there's a reason why they have always been the dominant species throughout the millennia, Kibadios thought to himself as he watched the group of Lorian citizens dancing their sorrow away around a large bonfire erected at what used to be the famous marketplace. Although people would normally gather in small groups and sit close to the central bonfire, the hybrid's group has purposely chosen a secluded corner in the area to sit in isolation while observing the unexpectedly festive dances. After all, Kibadios has been elevated to some sort of a celebrity status within Lorian for having taken part in the battle against the <Seed of Chaos> infected creature so getting noticed by the citizens would be the last thing that he wanted. And yes, all they knew was that Kibadios took part in the battle and not that he was the one who dealt the decisive blow. The reason was because at the time Kibadios fused with HaoS, asides from people in his own travelling group and the unconscious Kyles, only Yllaner was around to witness his transformation and the subsequent fight. At his and Ryan's request, although they did not give her a reason, Yllaner has agreed not to tell anyone about what she saw.
「If even Ryan kun is asking me a favor to keep secrets about you, then I shall. After all, you did save us, Kibadios. But one day, I hope you can let me know what happened back then.」was all she said while holding onto Kyles' hand, who laid unconscious on the bed.
For the confused citizens, the story that Lance went with, was that the creature was being defeated by the Demon Lord Gilga single-handedly. Of course Gilga eagerly accepted the credit since it would help her city-state build an even friendlier relationship with not only the humans in the kingdom of Maeg but also in other kingdoms around the area. Though, at the time, during the closed door meeting between Gilga, Lance, and Kibadios himself, the demon lord shot the hybrid a seductive look after agreeing to the narrative the hybrid came up with and declared 「I guess you really do owe me a favor, Kibadios-kun.」
「So what did the king say during your private meeting, Master?」Maia walked up to the hybrid from behind, her soft voice brought him back to the present.
「That he knew everything about me.」Answered Kibadios.「... and that he promised to assist me in reaching my end goal.」
「Really? How did he know?」Rowan was surprised.
「Apparently, Jayden told him when he was still locked in the cell on the airship.」
「Can we really trust him? Given how the situations are unraveling much faster than you have expected, could he be an Astral's pawn?」
「What do you mean?」
「I mean, since there's a chance Adela knew your identity when she saw you fused with HaoS, maybe she's controlling the King from the shadow, making him appear to ally with us and gain your trust.」
「Haaaa...」
「I dont think so.」Kibadios shook his head.「I mean, there's always that possibility, but still, I think I'll believe him this time.」
「Why?」
「Well, it's just the story that he poured his heart out to tell me, I don't think he's lying.」
「We will follow your judgement, Master.」Maia agreed. 「But what are you going to do about Adela?」
「Haaaa...」
「Even if she knew who I was, I don't think we should be concerned about her telling the other Astrals about my existence.」Kibadios thought for a moment. 「Adela is extremely vindictive but that's also one of her weaknesses. She always prefers to personally settle her conflict with others. She enjoys the excitement of breaking and destroying her opponents by her own hands. And so to that end, I can confidently predict that she will keep my identity a secret, all so that she can have me to herself, for her to toy with.」
「But that would still prove to be a problem though, right?」Maia was concerned. 「After all, she's an Astral. Asides from Ryuu, not many of us can deal with her.」
「Not necessary.」Kibadios smiled. 「I'm a bit weary of having to deal with her scheme but currently, Ryuu isnt the only one who can match her power.」
「Haaaa...」The dejected dragonoid, who was sitting in his own self-imposed isolated corner of the camp, sighed for the third time.
「After my battle with the creature, I have leveled up quite a bit. Not to brag but I think I can evenly fight against Ryuu. If it's a straight up one on one battle, I can definitely take her on.」Kibadios walked to where the curled up dragonoid sat and patted him gently. 「Again, Ryuu. It's not your fault that she found out about me. Don't keep blaming yourself.」
「But Kibadios sama...」Ryuu looked up at his master with his puppy eyes. 「I had her! If only I did not let she escape, she would not have seen your transformation.」
「Well, there's nothing you can do right? So what's the point of thinking about it.」
「That's right, Ryuu kun.」Rowan patted him on his back. 「Besides, it's also our fault that master had to call forth HaoS to protect us. Don't be too harsh on yourself.」
「Hmm...」Ryuu was still pouting, though it seemed as though he had cooled down a bit.
「That reminds me.」Kibadios turned to Rowan and Maia. 「You two should also have leveled up considerably, right?」
「「Of course!」」Both the slaves grinned proudly.
「That's good! Soon enough, we have to deal with her coming after us. Keep up your trainings!」Kibadios nodded.
「Who's coming after you, "enigma" kunnnn?」A familiar voice spoke up.
「Gilga dono.」noted Kibadios. 「You should not have sneaked up on us like that.」
「Well, I was just walking by after having enjoyed such a delicious snack at the food stand on the other alley.」Gilga smiled. 「I didn't mean to eavesdrop, not that I have heard anything other that someone is after you.」
「That is already too much information.」Kibadios laughed.
「... Now now now, dont be stingy!」Gilga has already stepped right next to the hybrid and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, much to the annoyance of his two slaves and the sulking dragonoid.「I have already selflessly agreed to go with the story you and Lance concocted to hide your power from all those prying eyes of the public, at least you should tell me more about yourself, "enigma" kun. Who are you really?」
「Selflessly?」Kibadios laughed. 「Our fake story benefitted you greatly, Gilga dono. It is you who should thank me. And to answer your question, my name is Kibadios, a hybrid. Though I���m sure I have already told you this before.」
「Aw come on. That can't be all that is.」said the demon lord. 「How did you get involved with Jayden kun? Why did Jayden kun get transformed into such a hideous creature? Who did that? Is that the same person who is after you? And again, who are you really, Kibadios kun? You can't be just any hybrid. That spirit that you summoned was clearly no ordinary spirit either.」Gilga's hand was now seductively sliding underneath the hybrid's shirt, then she slowly pulled out Nu, who was hiding inside his clothes.「and more importantly, you tamed this thing.」
「Nu?」Kibadios annoyingly pushed Gilga's hand away. 「How do you know it?」
「Is that its name now?」Gilga grabbed tightly onto the slimy monster. 「This is my offspring. Or my clone? I dont know what would be the technical term here, but it was born from my body. I released thousands of these across the world to gather intel on my behalf, but strangely, this slime here, although being born from my body, refused to tell me anything about you.」
「Chiii!」Nu seemed to struggle to break free from Gilga's hand.
「It seems like it has grown much stronger too… and somehow, its link to myself has been severed.」
「Hmm, I guess that's a given since instead of using the Haki you provided to it, Nu has been continuously absorbing my Haki instead. Since it has not utilized your Haki, your link to it has been disrupted.」Kibadios grabbed Gilga's wrist, forcing her to release Nu back to his custody. 「I'm surprised though, that Nu was originally your spy… but too bad for you, it is now mine.」
「Yes. I can see that. Well, whatever.」Gilga shrugged. 「Sooner or later, I think I will get to know your whole story. I can't wait for that day to come.」Gilga gave the hybrid a large bottle before walking away, toward the dancing crowd.「Consider this my gift. It's an alcohol distilled in Uruk. It's considered an Uruk specialty. You're supposed to be wasted by the end of the Autumn Festival so what's the better excuse to drink this? And tell your friend there to relax, I have no desire to fight him.」
「It's alright, Ryuu. Control your Haki.」commanded Kibadios.
「But!」Ryuu was pissed but he obediently stood down… But she dared to touch your body, Kibadios sama! Ryuu was screaming in his head.
「Oh well, meeting the Celestial Threat demon lord was beyond my plan but I guess at least we still have a somewhat amicable relationship.」Kibadios noted once Gilga had disappeared into the crowd. 「Could you take her on, Ryuu?」
「... I would like to say yes, but truly, even I cannot gauge her power.」Ryuu honestly answered.
「Same here.」Kibadios agreed.
「I guess it's best not to make her our enemy then.」Rowan concluded.
「Anyways, who wants some alcohol?」Kibadios picked up Gilga's gift. 「Too bad Ryan is not here, but the four of us can share this! It has been a while since I had any drop of alcohol. Around 10000 years to be exact!」
「How can we know if there's any poison in this?」Ryuu suspiciously asked.
「I can guarantee you there's no poison in there.」Maia, the poison specialist, confirmed.
「Alright then! Let's get in the festival's "Hakuna Matata" spirit and try this Uruk's specialty!」Kibadios smiled, to which all of his followers agreed, without knowing what "Hakuna Matata" even meant.
.
.
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And so morning came. And apparently so did Kibadios, for the hybrid's face has turned as white as Gintoki in episode 239. His erect cock was buried deep inside someone as usual, yet this time, something was different… well, this "someone" was different. It was neither Maia, Rowan, or Ryan. This person had a long reptilian tail protruding out from his perfectly round ass. Some of the glistening scales could be seen attached on his otherwise white smooth hips.
Shit! What did I do? Kibadios internally screamed as he slowly pulled his throbbing cock out of the naked man's asshole.
「Ha… Ahhhh」A soft moaning sound escaped his mouth as he slowly opened his eyes. His face turned bright red as he looked at his master with uttermost adoration.「... Kibadios sama!」