Yasuke : Rise of the Black Dahlia

Yasuke, Chapter 7 : King's Declaration

Due to Mephisto and Leonidas carrying the carriage, they arrived at the Wall of Neserus rather quickly. There Wall of Neserus was a giant, golden gate that stopped people from entering and exiting way before they got to the actual Kingdom. This giant gate was thirty miles away from the cluster of cities that King Musa and his people lived in, and was heavily guarded on each side. Once the guards saw that another king, Leonidas, was pulling the carriage. They quickly opened the gate and greeted him. 

"Nice to meet you, King." they stated as they bowed at his feet. 

"Thanks for the gesture, but such isn't needed with me." Leonidas replied. 

"I don't mean to disrespect you, but what is a King like yourself doing pulling a carriage. Samor and Mona would have gladly done it in your place." 

"Since one of my young knights mistakingly attacked Mona and the carriage, I figured it was only right. But, how far is King Musa from here? I wanted to give him my apologies specifically as well." 

"His castle is in the middle of the three cities. All you have to do is follow the golden path." 

"King Leonidas, are you sure you want to continue pulling this carriage. We could easily have you escorted at once.?" 

"Thanks for the offer, but I must decline. However, if you could inform King Musa of my arrival, it would be appreciated very much." 

"It will be done immediately, King." 

Leonidas and Mephistopheles continued pulling the carriage on the golden path that led to Musa's castle. In the Kingdom of Neserus, all of the streets in the cities were gold. Each building was made with the finest materials possible and every citizen had the attire that matched the status of upper-class wealth. Musa devoted his life to building wealth and once he became king, he spread it amongst people who wouldn't have been able to obtain it otherwise. Leonidas was once one of those people, and he used the experience to create his own regiment of how his people were treated when he became king. He could never match Musa's wealth, but he could match his selflessness and generosity. Eventually, the carriage carried by Mephisto and Leonidas met the end of the golden path, which soon became connected to a long flight of golden stairs. It led directly Musa's castle where the King awaited them at the very top. 

"King Leonidas!" Musa announced with a grand smile as he look down upon them. 

"It's been awhile since the last time I was blessed with your presence, King." Leonidas stated as he quickly kneeled at the bottom of the stairs. 

Mephisto quickly did the same, and as Mona and the others got out of the carriage, they did the same as well. 

"I'm sure you've been told, but my young pawn Mephistopheles made quite the mistake earlier." Leonidas stated as he began ascending the stairs. 

"Yes, but to my understanding it wasn't something you ordered. And Mona was able to restrain him before any serious damage was done. So, we're still in good spirits." 

Leonidas glanced at Mephisto. 

"Thanks for your understanding and mercy, King." Mephisto said after bowing once again. 

"Don't worry, young Mephisto. I know your heart was in the right place. Anyone who is close to King Leonidas should have a heart full of righteousness." 

"There's another matter I wanted to discuss with you, King." Leonidas stated. "The tension that has been rising lately due to the Black Dahlia emerging from your Kingdom may escalate at any time. And due to the Kingdom of Neserus always being on great financial aid to my own, it is my duty to pledge my loyalty." 

Leonidas withdrew a small blade and made a slight cut in the palm of one of his hands. 

"In the case of war between Neserus and any other Kingdom, King Leonidas and the 300 of Spartania will be under your command. If you fight, we will fight with you." 

The Kingdom of Spartania was easily the smallest of all the Kingdoms. Aside from King Leonidas, the Kingdom was home to only three hundred people total. However, unlike the rest of the kingdoms, every person who was a citizen of Spartania was trained for combat. Every single citizen has the same amount of training a junior knight would, and some have even more. 

On the outside, his face remained calm. But on the inside, Musa grew the slightest smirk possible. 

"This is amazing." Musa thought. "Not only do I have the power of the Black Dahlia, but I also have King Leonidas' 300. The Kingdom of Namunda won't be able to combat both of those forces together." 

"I am honored to have your forces under my command, King." Musa stated as he took the small blade from Leonidas. 

He then cut the palm of his hand just as Leonidas did. 

"I can promise that the 300 of Spartania will have greater financial assistance than ever before." 

The two stuck their blood dripping hands out and shook in unity. 

"I do have one special request, My King." Leonidas continued as he glanced at Yasuke. 

"Yes, what do you have in mind?" 

"If he truly has the power of the Black Dahlia, he will be much stronger than anyone from Spartania. But, under my tutelage, he can become a strong warrior with the right morals and ethics." Leonidas stated. "Please, allow him to train in Spartania, even if just a little." 

"No." 

"No?" Mona thought. "There's no way King Musa would deny training from Leonidas." 

"No, He should not train in Spartania...unless he is to train there indefinitely." Musa declared with a smile. "Thanks to Eradius, Yasuke has been introduced to the basics. I'm sure you'll be able to assess his knowledge and continue where he left off pretty quickly." 

"So I can't train with Eradius anymore?" Yasuke asked. 

"Sure you can." Leonidas stated. "In fact, he's going to be coming to Spartania with you." 

"I am?" Eradius asked in bewilderment.

"It would be best for Yasuke, which is all I seek to gain here." Leonidas announced. "I have some preparations to make, but once they're ready, I'll return and escort Eradius and Yasuke to Spartania myself." 

"To think King Musa has acquired the command of Leonidas' forces and he will train Yasuke personally." Mona thought. "Any chances the Kingdom of Namunda had before has been terminated in the matter of a few minutes."