Chapter 538: Smargdas Allies (1/2)
The people were excited and the crowd that showed up exceeded anyone's expectations. The royal guards doubled efforts to maintain order but there was no way they could stop the enthusiastic crowd gathering at the entrance of the castle.
Nobles and commoners alike gathered in the outer court waiting for the chance to see the young king. Apart from his coronation day, nobody had seen King Brice outside his room. Only a selected few knew how he looked. Everyone else still remembered him as the feeble teenager who looked as if the world was going to devour him.
The news about the royal guard's increased activities under King Brice's name lifted the moods of the commoners. Duke Zurich's faction was taken down and the refugees were given proper housing along with those who needed it. The Humanitarian Guild wasn't an officially registered guild but nobody really bothered. To them, the Humanitarian Guild was their saviour and Old Gary never stopped talking about how the guild's founder was a friend of King Brice's. Nobody knew who that mysterious friend was but everyone was happy.
The only one unhappy about King Brice's sudden change was Duke Connie. He hired many elite assassins and refused to attend the royal announcement event. Whatever Brice had planned, he probably wouldn't be able to implement it after today.
Duke Connie wasn't the only one making preparations for the huge day. As King Brice was escorted to the gates, Zero followed stealthily behind. Using magic to hide from the potential threats, Zero kept a lookout and protected the king from the shadows. This was something he made Truen agree on.
There would be no doubt that Duke Connie would use this chance to get rid of his brother standing in the way between him and the throne. It was why Zero entrusted Truen and Mitchnew the responsibility of weeding Duke Connie's forces from inside out. Mitchnew who was in charge of the information networks and assassins within Smargdas will pretend to accept the assassination request in order to eliminate the other private hires before anything can happen. Truen was in charge of raiding Duke Connie's slave guild and securing the slaves. Qin Yun's demon girls were in charge of attacking Duke Connie's allies and the Dragon Heroes were going to fight against Duke Connie and his private army after Duke Connie gets pushed to a corner.
The plan wasn't made by Zero. It was made by King Brice and Zero decided to listen to the young king because he was academically smarter and more politically exposed. Truen didn't know much about warfare but it wasn't very important when they had so many overpowered individuals. Qin Yun, Schaf and Zenobia were already on standby. They had everything the refugees and slaves needed. The moment they secured King Brice's authority in Smagdas, Half Moon Trading was going to take control of all the trading routes.
King Brice stood at the last double doors that the soldiers were trying to open. He had never really left the castle in such a glorious manner, often having to sneak around using the secret passages that only the king knew. His father's journal gave Brice the opportunity to meet Mitchnew and now, he was indebted to Zero.
The cheers from the outer court were deafening and King Brice stumbled backwards before he bumped into someone. Misana held him steady and smiled.
”Don't worry, your people will understand. Nobody can harm you, we have the most outstanding shadow guard standing right beside you as you give the speech to start a new reign. Do your best to be remembered as the first King of Smargdas to stand against Altear and ally with Endow Hill.”
King Brice felt his hand shaking but he inhaled and exhaled steadily. She was right, Zero was right behind him. He had nothing to fear. He didn't volunteer to become the bait with a weak resolve. Even if Zero wasn't here beside him, he would still go through with this plan because it was the only way he could succeed and stop Duke Connie from bringing the country to ruins.
The sunlight felt bright in his eyes that day and the sea of people looking upwards made Brice feel as if he finally understood what had to be done. All the people in the courtyard were his citizens. As the King, he had the responsibility to protect them and create a better future for future generations. The years of fighting and hiding from his bloodthirsty uncle and brother were not in vain. The darkness he crawled through just to get here today was worth it. Standing beside him was the silent hero, Zero. Standing behind him was the woman who propelled him forward in his toughest times - Misana. He couldn't let them down now.
”Greetings, citizens of Smargdas!” King Brice started and the crowd cheered. He thanked Zero for handing him this very useful voice amplification mana powered device called the microphone. King Brice wasn't shouting but his voice echoed throughout the castle all the way to the town square. With this, those who couldn't make it into the outer court would also be able to listen.
”I've gathered you all today to say a few words. Firstly, thank you for believing in me despite all the awful things that happened ever since the start of my reign. I am still young and foolish but I have a dream to build Smargdas into a kingdom that wouldn't be bullied by others.”
The cheers died down and silence washed over those listening. King Brice's words made them feel all sorts of things from hopeful to curiosity. Unlike the kings before him, Brice wanted to do something previously thought was impossible for the weak humans. On a planet full of talented and superior species, humans were the weakest of the lot. They had no mana and were inferior in any kind of technology. If it wasn't for their powerful allies and the treaties that their forefathers signed, would Smargdas still exist?