Meanwhile, in the ‘Ifranluan Empire’, the Prince was seated in the meeting room, with his deceased father’s Ministers with him.
Some servants were serving tea for them while the Prince was looking at the World Map, and he glanced over the file with the amount of treasury in his safe room.
He approached the teacup to his lips, pretended to drink it, and then asked, “Tomorrow will be the burial service for my father, mother, and sisters. Is everything taken care of?”
One Minister slowly nodded after looking at his colleagues. “Yes, we already took care of that. No need to worry, my Prince. I mean, my Emperor!”
“I am not the Emperor yet; only tomorrow, after my father’s burial.”
Early in the morning, Nozomu hugged the Princess from behind, as she was trying to fix her hair. She kissed his earlobe and pushed him away with a smile so that he could get dressed as well.When they went to that bedroom to pass the night, a few servants saw them in the corridor, holding hands and whispering, and they all suspected what they were about to do. So it was no surprise that when they left the bedroom, every servant and guard they crossed paths with were trying to disguise a smile.The Princess shrugged when Nozomu whispered they had given an excuse for a few gossips, and when they entered the dining room for breakfast, the Princess’ court was already there, and they all bowed with a disguised smile at the late couple.As they both sat at the table, one Noble said with a slight smile, “
A few days passed, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Classes, relaxing, fooling around, sleeping. Except for the occasional ground tremors, of course, that didn’t happen every day but still happened.Then, one afternoon, Nozomu received another message from the Princess, asking him to go see her and that Koyaga would also be there.He left, leaving behind Taisetsuna biting her lower lip, wondering if he was going to be with the Princess in the evening again.When Nozomu arrived at the Castle, the guards at the gate told him that the Princess was in the back garden with Koyaga, and he could go meet her because she was expecting him.He rode Rampage around the Castle, and he easily spotted the two women seated on the same bench where he was a few days ago.The Princess waved at him, and when he dismounted, she received him with a hug. “Hello, stranger! Long time, no see! How is everything in the Academy?”
A few grunts followed Nozomu’s words, and one Noble asked, “You realize that by saying that you are insulting all of us? Comparing us to a commoner!”“I didn’t compare anyone to anything. I just pointed out the fact that every single one of you earned your title from your family, not from something you did. Your ancestor, the one that originated your Nobility, was the one that did something so outstanding that he started a Noble family. I have read that some were in wars with the Empire, others were Adventurers, and one or two were Merchants that became so rich that they were invited to be the advisors of a Prince or a King that ruled at that time. I never read about one that killed two hordes of Goblins and two Drakes, and that will probably make me and Dame Taisetsuna enter the History books as well. Not an easy fact, I may add, but it sure fills me with well-deserved pride.”The same Noble answered, his
At the first sun rays, the painting in Nozomu’s room opened, and a smiling Koyaga entered, and gently shook him. As he opened his eyes, he stared at the happy couple and went to get his clothes, changing in an instant. He entered the narrow corridor, leaving the Princess in the room to give one last kiss to her lover, and she then followed him swiftly.In her room, she went straight to her closet to choose a dress, and Nozomu helped her get dressed.A knock on the door alerted them, and a maid’s voice asked for permission to enter.Nozomu unlocked the door, and the maid entered, looking down.With her face all red in embarrassment, she asked, “Princess… I came to help you get dressed… as usual… I didn’t know and no one warned me… Please pardon me... ““Do not worry. Nozomu was helping me, but it is better if you do it because he lacks finesse. I am not expec
Nozomu scratched his head and said, “I need to be extra careful with those vials, then. And I am going to need a place to put all this money. I wasn’t expecting it to be this much already!”“The nectar doesn’t explode that easily, you know? As for the money, you need to decide where to spend it. You can’t have all these coins, or the country will have a shortage of coins very soon if the sales keep on increasing! We are already getting orders from other countries, and I need to hire more people to help our Cook. And the other Guild Masters are facing the same problem! Lack of staff for so many orders of pizzas, chocolates, and chewing gums! You are going to be filthy rich in no time, Nozomu! Together with your Baronet title and the lands the Princess promised, you will be a very interesting bachelor for every single woman out there. I would be very surprised if you don’t have a girlfriend already!”
Everyone turned to where Mizukonta was pointing her clawed paw, and they saw it. A bright beam of pure magic was being shot straight into the sky. Something terrible was happening, judging by the pressure they were feeling in their bodies as if suddenly, they all weighed more than they should.The trembling diminished but didn’t stop, and Mizukonta stared at Hinotsume, who was looking at the beam of energy in silence.He then faced Nozomu and said, “It is time. We need to act fast. The Dragons know what to do, and by now, they are all flying to the Academy to meet us. We must go as well.”Nozomu looked at Taisetsuna, who was completely pale and staring at him. She immediately understood what Hinotsume meant, and despite the others being puzzled by his words, she was not.<
Before they had time to say anything or see that he was crying, Nozomu ran out the door and helped Koyaga wrap the blankets around the piles of bags with chocolates near the Dragons that were waiting for him.When Draiky brought the last bag and Nozomu tied the last knot, he gave the wrapped blanket to Mizukonta, and he said to the worried Koyaga as he was giving her a dagger, “Go to the Princess. Tell her that Raluth is emerging and that he will control everyone with his Magic. All over the World, no one will resist him, and they will go to him to be eaten. This dagger is coated with a Sleeping Potion and you just need to scratch the Princess with it and you as well. Maybe if you are both sleeping, you have a chance. Trust no one, Koyaga, because the moment Raluth controls them, I don’t know what they will do.”“An
The resurfacing of Raluth was felt all over the World, but it was the ‘Ifranluan Empire’ that suffered the most because it was in the mountain range in the north of the Empire that Raluth’s head appeared. Or better yet, the entrance to his massive body through his enormous mouth.Raluth’s went deep down in circles, from the head to the rest of his body, creating a never-ending spiral that occupied almost the entire Empire’s underground.When he resurfaced, the tremors lacerated the land, and at the Capital, the Castle cracked, unable to resist the trembling gro