Chapter 64 – First Volume Epilogue

"You look tense, Lord Belmont." Said young knight standing at the side of an aged man that was leaning on the handrail while gazing into the distance. "We did our job well and left no stone unturned in Greenville town. I see no reason to worry this much."

"An audience before the king and council always has a space of concern for me." Said an aged man with a white beard while sighing.

"Well, this time all you have to worry about is the Royal Reward for this case. Our corrupt bastard's haul was plentiful." Said knight.

"In any other time that may have been the case, Sir Frost." Answered Lord Belmont. "Bringing bad news, however one right after another is bound to earn you some ire from your Lord."

"You mean the tamer boy? There is no fault that lies on us in what has happened." Said Sir Frost

"It would not be so obvious when a bunch of old coots each with their own agendas question you in the presence of The King."

"I see. Well politics is not my trade. So I may not understand your concern well My Lord. But the village is not entirely lost and the monster count has dropped severely so it may even bring good to the region. So it's not all bad news there."

"That's not what I mean by one after another. Have you not heard the recent news, Sir Frost?"

"You mean the recent news from Starrain Kingdom? That a possessor of a Hero system has been found?"

"Yeah." Answered Lord Belmont.

"How is that bad news? That is one of the greatest systems that humanity made countless legends of. A person that would bring triumph over monsters and bring prosperity." Said the knight with a dreamy voice.

"I see why you knights are so inspired by that news. But there is something you should take into consideration." Said aged Lord turning his head to the side and seeing the magnificent city in the distance that was slowly closing to them showing off its splendor more and more with every second.

"Consider what, My Lord?"

"In all those legends there is one common point. Humanity is attacked by an army of demons that bring catastrophic destruction and uncountable losses of human lives. There have been several demon invasions in history and all of them have been forewarned by the emergence of a Hero system." Explained Lord Belmont.

"You think this is an omen, My Lord?" Asked the knight.

"Don't see a reason as to why it would be different this time. Systems such as that are not bestowed to humanity by the Gods just for fun." Said Lord Belmont. Watching at the roofs of the houses that have started to fly by underneath them.

"That is indeed a worrisome thought, My Lord." Said knight Frost taking hold of the railing. "Please hold well, My Lord. It looks like we are starting our descent."

A huge wooden construction that was very similar to a ship that sails in seas, only without sails flew through the sky over the occasional houses of the villages and started to slow down while closing up to the pier with many other flying ships that were grounded standing on the dry land instead of water.

"In the light of this information do you think we would not be blamed for losing such a promising young talent as that tamer boy, especially when he could have been still alive, had we arrived a day earlier?" Said white haired Lord.

"You think he is dead, My Lord?" Asked young knight.

"We would have found something had it not been so." Said Lord Belmont and sighed again while feeling the shaking that was the sign of their flying ships touching ground.

Both of them started to move toward the gangway that was lowered to the ship from the pier. A team of knights that stood at a side followed them and encircled the Lord Belmont holding him between them while they moved through the crowd of people on the pier, pushing away from their path with menacing faces anyone who did not notice them and stood in the path.

Once they reached the lavish carriage with golden insignia on the side, Lord Belmont entered the carriage and it started to move with knights holding to the sides of it standing on the special steps that they could stand on.

When coachman beckoned the drake to move, the distant relative of the dragons made a roar startling the crowd and making everyone run away from its path.

*******

The Holy Lady was sitting behind the massive table with mounds of books around her while listing pages of the old book in front of her. Stopping for a moment mid move when she sensed someone's presence. But then continued to turn pages and skim the text.

"What is it?" She said without looking at the person that was exiting the shadow from behind her.

"I have received a report of the people reported to be responsible for Selena's death, sighted in one of the towns at the north border of Moonstar Kingdom."

"Send the squad. Bring them here." Said Holy Lady. "Is this all?"

"We are receiving countless inquiries from High Houses, asking when you will use a divination to confirm the rumors of coming demon invasion. Some outright question, what is the reason for your refusal to make a divination."

"Tell them I will use it once I see it necessary. Until then, they are given orders as to what to do and what to get ready for, they should concentrate more on these tasks than on what I think and what I do." Said Holy Lady, closing the book and putting it on top of the mount of books on her left, then picked another book from the mount of books on the right.

"Anything else?" Asked the Holy Lady, sensing that the shadow person did not move to leave, yet hesitate to speak.

"The young master of the Pendragon family is waiting for an audience with…"

"Send him away." Said Holy Lady with an irritation in her voice interrupting the shadow person. "I have no time for whatever it is that he wishes."

"The Pendragon family…" started the shadow person, but was stopped by the sound of the loud bang of Holy Ladies fist slamming on the table splitting it in half and sending all the books sprawled on the floor in heap.

"I have no time to speak of fools and idiots when there are more pressing matters to be solved!" Said the Holy Lady raising her voice.

"My apology, My lady. I understand." Said the shadow person and disappeared, dissolving in the shadow.

Huge wooden door opened and the helmet of the warrior glad in armor peered into the room. The Holy Lady waved her hand dismissing the warrior and the door closed again.

She sighed with a heavy breath looking at all the books mixed together and started to bend to pick them.

"Please leave this to me, My Lady." Said a gentle voice of a man coming from behind the shelf from the side and stopping her move.

"I am sorry Jakob." Said Holy Lady, standing up and watching at the man that was coming over.

"This is not a problem, My Lady." Said the men and started to pick up the books, storing them in packs on the wooden cart that stood nearby.

"Have you found anything?" Asked the Holy Lady, sitting down on the chair.

"Forgive me, my lady. But there is no useful information on this problem. All text states the same. The Hero is being taught by a Sage enforcing him with the wisdom that helps him defeat The Demon Lord. Every mention of a Hero is alway accompanied by the mentions of Sage. There has not been a case of Sage not being born before the Hero. The only explanation of the fact that we have no Sage while Hero has been found that I can come up with is…"

"He has been killed." Said Holy Lady, finishing his sentence for him.

"Yes, My Lady." Said Jakob silently.

"Are we finally doomed?" Asked the Holy Lady, rubbing her tired from reading eyes.

Jakob did not answer, sensing that her question was not addressed to him.

"I will search some more, My Lady. Also there might be some information in the other countries' libraries. I will request all information on Hero from them as well.

"Thank you, Jakob." Said Holy Lady standing up. "I am counting on you." She said turning to leave. "Whole human race is counting on you." She added silently, walking out of the library.

********

Loud knock sounded in the room with a long table where a man with a crown on his head sat at the head of it with a group of other aged men in lavish clothes sitting at the side of it.

"Lord Belmont requests an audience, Your Highness." Said a man opening the room.

"Let him in. We shall listen to his report here."

The man bowed his head and walked away, closing the room. A few moments later the door was opened again and Lord Belmont was beckoned inside where he kneeled on one leg while the door behind him was closing.

"Lord Belmont, the senate and I, have been awaiting your report for quite long, please do not languish the people in this room, with tiresome protocols while behind these doors." Said King waving his hand.

Lord Belmont stood up from his knee and started his report on the events that have transpired within a month of his stay in the Greenville town that has been distraught by the disastrous events more than a month ago.

"I see." Said the King with a thoughtful face. "And what of the so-called Poison Slimes. Has it been lost entirely?"

"In this regard we have slightly good news, Your Highness." Said Lord Belmont taking out a square box with intricate magic circles all around it giving off dim light.

"Luckily for us adventurers are a bunch of ruffians with no honesty in them yet tons of greed. As soon as they were out of danger they pocketed the slimes with excuses that they lost them somewhere without noticing. Thanks to that we have been able to retrieve a few specimens."

"Oooh." Sounded excited voices around the table, in accompaniment to the King's satisfied nod.

"However there is a spoon of tar as well, Your Highness." Said Lord Belmont stopping the people in the room from rejoicing. "Ever since the disappearance of the Tamer named Noah, these slimes have been weaning and starting to die off. By the time we found them and expropriated them from the ruffians hands not many of them had been left alive.

With the local Enchanting Guild and Alchemy Guilds help we have quickly made the storage containers that stopped their decline. However local branches were too inadequate in finding ways of their revitalization. As of now we have ten specimens that might die within a few days of them being taken out of these containers." Said Lord Belmont, opening the container for just a minute to show the pale green slime on the soft pad inside of it to the people behind the table and then quickly closing the box again.

"I see." Said The King with a thoughtful face. "Lord Belmont, I order you to leave three of them in the hands of the Royal Treasury where they will be held secure as a national treasure until we find ways to produce more of them." Ordered the King showing with his hand at the one of the men behind the table that stood up from his place after the King's words.

Lord Belmont took out the three boxes and after a quick check the man that stood up had stored them in his pocket ring and bowed toward the King.

"The leftover seven will be handed to the Royal Magic academy for study to see if they can be reproduced or revitalized." Continued The King, pointing at another man that stood up as well after his words, and received the seven boxes in the same way as the man before him.

"If I may, Your Highness." Suddenly one of the men behind the table looked at these boxes with greed and displeasure when they were out of his reach.

"Yes, Lord Pilipinos?"

"It is really aggrieving that our investigator managed to arrive only a day after the….."

Here it comes. Thought in his head Lord Belmont. Time to play the politics games.with bunch of greedy old men.