12 Great Kingdom of Hoogpor (2/2)
”What the hell do you mean by that?! Are you trying to pick a fight with the main military?!” General Thoa said, he looked ready for a fight.
With their general acting out, the other members of the main military in the room all stood of their feet while staring at daggers at the members of the Hall of Wisdom. A faint glow covered their bodies while they had a bloodthirsty look in their eyes. Meanwhile, the scholars from the Hall of Wisdom also stood on their feet's while preparing to meet their counterparts in battle. Although most people regarded them as scholars, it did not mean they were not proficient in sorcery or other battle arts.
With tensions rising within the room, a slight snort suddenly reverberated within the room. Followed by a hoarse a voice, ”Impudence! You dare act this way in the crown prince presence?!”
While this intimidating voice echoed, an overwhelming aura assaulted everyone within the room. At that moment, the soldiers and scholars felt as if someone poured a bucket of cold water over their heads. They did not know the crown prince had made his way into the war room; they knew the voice from earlier was that of one of his trusted aides.
With the tensed atmosphere abating, they could hear the refined voice of a young man, ”Gentlemen, there is no reason for you to be at each other's throats. Our enemies are those vile beings from the Black Lands and all those who seek to throw the world into chaos. What's the point of fighting each other when you're part of the same faction? Do you think, his Royal Majesty will approval of your actions?”
Fear distorted the face of General Thoa and Master Kane as they heard the words of the young man, who had yet to reveal himself to the group. They knew that if word of their actions got to the King's ears, they would suffer severe punishment.
”I apologize for my rude behavior and that of my men, your highness,” Both men said unison.
The moment they finished apologizing, they could hear again the hoarse voice again, ”You can leave now! General Thoa, Master Kane, stay behind!”
With no form of delay, the over hundred men within the room disappeared within seconds. They did not dare to utter any word of complaints because they knew the identity of the man behind the command. Just as they vacated the room, a loud whooshing sound echoed in the war room, which coincided with the appearance of eight men. Four wore the robes of the Hall of Wisdom while the other four wore the armor of the main military.
General Thoa and Master Kane both had surprised expressions on their faces the moment they saw these individuals. Because, they were the highest decision makers in Hoogport. Other than the Royal Family.
”Thank you for coming on such short notice, you all honor me,” The crown prince said.
At a certain corner of the war room, the figure of a neatly dressed young man who looked only twenty-nine years old emerged from the darkness. He had a sturdy-looking body, which showed he was no stranger to physical activities. His blue eyes were sharp as an eagle's, which contrasted with the black hair he had on his head. He was a relatively handsome man, who exuded an aura of confidence and superiority, while also having the look of someone who is gentle and humble. Flanking him on both positions were two heavily armored men, who had a black mask covering their face. They wore the familiar armor of the Great Kingdom of Hoogport, but their armor was pitch black. Compared to the prince who looked only 6ft 3inches tall, both men were over 9ft tall, and they looked more menacing than the crown prince. The most frightening aspect about the duo, was the bloodthirsty aura they exuded from their bodies.
Apart from General Thoa and Master Kane, none of the other men flinched at the sight of the two giants. They all had relaxed expression on their faces as if the bloodlust did not bother them.
”Your Majesty, you flatter us. It good to see you're in good health. Pardon me for asking, but why have you summoned us?” A middle-aged man said in an unhurried, gentle and flattering voice while having a warm and gentle smile on his face. It was easy to assume this man was a normal, friendly middle-aged man. But those who truly knew him, knew that behind the gentle smile on his calm face, was a mind that loved to cause chaos.
Just as the crown prince was about to respond to his words, they could hear another voice within the war room.
”General Tiasho, are you trying to tell the crown prince what to do?” An elderly man retorted. Unlike General Tiasho, the old man belonged to the Hall of Wisdom. Even though it looked like he had one foot in the grave, he still exuded an aura akin to a youth in the prime of his life.
With a slight chuckle, Tiasho retorted ”Grandmaster Bern, how can I tell his Majesty what to do? Who am I? Who do you think you are to interrupt his Majesty, huh?”
Grandmaster Bern sneered at Tiasho's words, because he knew the lunatic was trying to invoke the wrath of the crown prince on him. Just like the strife between the lower ranked members of the military, the top echelon also battled against each other, albeit in a more subtle and refined manner.
”Tiasho, shut the hell up. What are you trying to do right now? Who gave a brat like you the right to talk in the first place?!”
Instead of Grandmaster Bern responding, the oldest-looking man among the eight men shouted on General Taisho.
Unsurprisingly, he belonged to the Hall of Wisdom. The manner in which he talked to General Tiasho was that of an adult scolding a young child. However, General Tiasho did not dare retort the old man's words, instead he smiled while bowing his head to apologize.
Meanwhile, Grandmaster Bern had a delighted expression on his face. But, his expression soon turned pale when the ancient-looking eyes of the old man fell on him. Like an obedient child, he lowered his head.
”Ryan, why have you sent for us? Don't waste my time, I've other things that need my attention,” The old man said to the crown prince. If it were any other person, their head would have left their necks for calling the crown prince by his name. But, the crown prince had an apologetic look on his face as he listened to the old man's words. The old man looked older than the Great Sage, Dustan discussed with in the garden. It was impossible to determine how many dusk and dawns he had witnessed.
Before Ryan could explain himself, he heard the voice of the old man again, ”You two get out from here. How many times do I have to tell you not to release that foul smelling Mana in my presence?”
Like a meek sheep, the two masked giants disappeared from the room. They did not even wait for Ryan to dismiss them because they did not want to irritate the old man further.
With a humble and submissive look on his face, Ryan bowed slightly to the old man, ”Great Sage, I apologize on behalf of my men. Please bear no grievances towards them. The reason I summoned you all, relates to the activation of a new Dragonsite.”
The moment they heard his words, the indifferent and calm expressions on the faces of the men changed. This was especially so for General Taisho.
With an ugly expression on his face, Master Kane's voice echoed, ”Your Majesty, how is this possible? We destroyed all the Dragonsites ten years ago. How can a new one appear in only ten years?”
His words expressed the sentiments of the other men within the room.
”This news came from our S-class spies in the Black Lands. I can vouch that 80% of this news is reliable. According to the Intel we received, there was not only three Dragonsites back then. Instead, there were four Dragonsites. But, we only destroyed three with the help of the unified army,” Ryan explained with a somewhat helpless expression on his face.
The scholars and military personnel had a stern expression on their faces as they heard his words. Because, they knew the gravity of the words they had just heard. An uncomfortable and tensed silence soon developed within the room.
”Ryan, what is the name of this Dragonsite? Was its location given in the report?” Old man called the Great sage asked.
”We don't know its name or where its location yet. But, our spies said something about The Order being involved,” Ryan said in a solemn voice.
A sudden realization dawned on one grandmaster, which did not go unnoticed by the others within the room.
”Grandmaster Sparrow, what is it? Did you remember something?” the Great Sage asked.
The man called Sparrow looked like he was in his early fifties, but still maintained the aura of one in their late thirties. He had a slightly hunched back, with a bland facial features.
”Great Sage, I've read several reports of missing youths in the last couple of weeks…” Grandmaster Sparrow stopped as he got to this point while conjuring a blue orb on his palm. The moment the orb appeared, it illuminated the room, and projected several names into midair. Meanwhile, everyone within the room had stern expressions on their faces as they read the hovering names. Because, it numbered in the thousands.
”Grandmaster Sparrow, you mean they were all taking by Dragonsite?” General Taisho asked in a solemn voice. Which caused Grandmaster Sparrow to nod his head, ”I am at least 70% confident they were taking to this new Dragonite. The number of missing youths has been on the increase in the last eight years. The Hall of Wisdom, initially thought it was the work of heretics from the path of Darkness. Now, it seems a greater evil is responsible. We all know that the Dragonsites have been responsible for breeding some of the most dangerous sorcerers known to man. With the appearance of the successors of the Man of Darkness, I don't think it's a coincidence they have activated a new Dragonsite,” Grandmaster Sparrow said.
The eyes of the Great Sage had a bloodthirsty look in it for a moment as he heard the words - Man of Darkness. His reaction made everyone in the room shiver uncontrollably.
A short while later, they could hear the voice of the Great Sage, ”This is not a matter we can discuss among ourselves. We have to inform the king of the latest developments. I will discuss with the other Great Sages. Mete, you handle the affairs in the main military. Inform those old bastards we may have a future crisis on our hands. Ryan, I'll ask you to inform the other Great Kingdoms of this discovery. We have to find and exterminate this Dragonsite before it grooms a new catastrophe for the world.”
The moment he finished speaking, he disappeared from the room. It was also the same for the remaining men, except Ryan. He had a stern look on his face as he gazed at the hovering names from the blue orb.
”I wonder if Dustan has heard about the new Dragonsite. It's already been ten years, but it seems the past still hunts him,” Ryan muttered.
The moment he finished speaking, he also disappeared from the room in a flash. In the now empty war room, only the fading lights of the blue orb remained.