Nathan's hand hesitated on the door handle for the briefest moment. His posture stiffened, but he quickly composed himself, masking the flicker of tension that had flashed through his eyes. Without turning around, he forced calmness into his voice.
"I'm saying, Your Majesty, that the west will take care of itself."
"You didn't answer my question," King Aldric asked in a sharp voice.
'This bastard... did he notice?' Nathan's jaw clenched, but he still didn't turn around. The king was fishing for something, but Nathan wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Taking a slow breath, he forced the muscles in his shoulders to relax, though the flicker of irritation remained in his eyes.
Now that he thought about it, it was only natural for the king to suspect that something was wrong. Most of the higher nobles actually believed that Arthur was in the Cromwell Barony, spending time with his family... If a threat of this magnitude was coming, it was only natural for him to deal with it, not even letting the king catch a wisp of it.
For me to ask him for help is no different from saying that Arthur is not with them. Of course, Nathan wasn't planning on telling the king that he had no idea of his son's whereabouts; that would be pure foolishness.
"I don't see how it's relevant, Your Majesty," Nathan replied, his voice steady. Then he added with conviction, "Whether Arthur is alive or not changes nothing about the west... Also, aren't you the king? Last time I checked, it's your duty as the king to keep the kingdom safe."
Nathan's words were sharp, with not even a semblance of respect, as though he was lecturing the king. The king's expression twitched slightly as he heard Nathan's harsh words.
Before the king could say anything, Nathan added in a cold tone, "Also, I have no reason to seek Arthur's help, Your Majesty. The west will take care of itself. We always have."
Without waiting for a response, Nathan pushed open the heavy doors and left, leaving the king in stunned silence. As the doors closed behind him, King Aldric leaned back in his chair, the golden ring on his finger catching the light as he idly twirled it.
"He's hiding something..." Aldric muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing with a new sense of intrigue. "Or could it really be that Arthur is dead?"
The king pondered this with a thoughtful expression... This thought process wasn't far-fetched. After all, Arthur was notorious for having numerous enemies... enemies that were several times more powerful than the experts in the Vermilion Kingdom.
"Could it be that one of them has finally hunted him down?" Thinking about this, the king suddenly called out a name.
If someone had witnessed him speak to the air, they might've thought he had gone mad. However, that was far from the truth because, the next moment, a shadowy figure with indescribable features materialized in the king's office and gently bowed its head.
"You summoned me, my liege?" The figure's voice was deep yet filled with unwavering loyalty.
"I have a mission for you," King Aldric stated as he rose from his seat, his footsteps echoing as he approached the shadowy figure that constantly whirled and distorted. It was emitting an aura of doom and death similar to Eve's aura, only this one was much fiercer and more dangerous.
"I once again seek your help." King Aldric spoke, his voice filled with respect, a stark contrast to the way he addressed his citizens or even the nobles, which spoke volumes about who this entity was.
"Ask away," the shadowy figure stated. "I am at your service."
"Great." A smile spread across the king's features as he gave his orders.
Nathan walked through the castle hallways with long, purposeful strides. The oppressive atmosphere that had settled in earlier was still there, but it no longer bothered him. His mind raced, not with anger, but with the previous meeting he had had with his good friend Brawn Collins.
"Good thing I asked for his help," Nathan thought. The Silent Whispers were usually an assassin organization, and they thrived in this area with vast knowledge... but that didn't mean they couldn't handle the west's current situation.
Their main job wasn't to combat the beasts... Instead, it was to gather information if this really was the doing of the three biggest organizations in Eos.
After gathering the necessary information, they'd proceed to the next phase of the plan. Nathan was done with the capital, the nobles, and the king's petty games. It was time to return to the west. It was time to deal with the pressing issues at hand.
Soon after meeting up with Nyx, the granddaughter and grandfather duo mounted the back of the Doombringer. The wyvern seemed pissed off, perhaps sensing the mood of its master, but after a head pat from Nathan, it calmed down and gently flapped its wings, taking to the air.
As they flew, Nyx's gaze couldn't help but linger on the capital, and a flash of disdain shone in those beautiful eyes. She couldn't believe kids in the Barony were eager to come to this place... this place that was filled with disgusting nobles who wouldn't bat an eye to slay dozens of commoners.
Nyx's gaze briefly flickered as she recalled the scene of the people chanting her name back in the coliseum. A soft, rare smile appeared on her features.
Doombringer flew at an astonishing speed... Those down below only saw a shadow zoom past them. It was as if even the wyvern was in a hurry to leave the capital. Soon, they arrived at the frontier where Captain Ortega and his soldiers were stationed.
Though the soldiers wanted to bombard Nathan and his daughter with several questions, they couldn't, as the speed at which Doombringer was flying was too frightening.
Not long after, Doombringer was out of the capital and into the wastelands, where several ravenous mutated beasts roamed about.
A few more hours later, they arrived in the western region... but little did they know that a shadowy figure was flashing between the trees on the ground, raising a dust storm and following closely.