Chapter 462 – Playing Kingmaker
After helping Enkinna back to her seat, the proper course of the lesson followed. The attendees had plenty of questions regarding what had just been shown and many other things. Asterios and the ladies did their best to answer all of them in simple words and without bringing in too much knowledge from the curriculum ahead of the students. Some things were placed in further years for a reason. There was no need to muddle their minds with information they couldn’t use yet.
Time flew unbelievably quickly and it felt like they had just wrapped up their presentation when the bell announcing the end of the class rang outside of the building. Principal Teireshia appeared amidst Ast’s group with the same puff of smoke as before.
“I understand all the excitement, but this unfortunately isn’t your only lesson today,” she said with a gentle smile. “You should hurry to reach your next class without being late. But, don’t worry, this won’t be the only time you get a chance to listen to this amazing trio, even if they are returning to their own responsibilities right away.”
“What does that mean, Madam Principal?” Enkinna asked, visibly perking up at the news.
“Since our dear Asterios has already been recognized as the ruler of Dragon Valley, I guess I can let you know that he is finishing the construction of his own academies,” the dean responded. “I managed to negotiate an exchange program with His Lordship, so there will be many opportunities to travel abroad during each semester. That said, the candidates will be handpicked to best represent our school, so you need to do your best if you want to be selected. Grades aren’t the only qualifier so don’t get discouraged too early. We will take your drive, effort, and persistence into consideration too. And manners, of course. You are in front of a monarch, in the end.”
Her short speech energized the attendees greatly, the chamber buzzing with chatter and happy noises. She hastily tamed it all down with a few claps.
“Now, sit tight while Asterios fixes this mess and you can get out. As much as I approve of this arrangement, the accessibility of the seats leaves much to wish for.” The Principal chuckled and her pupils joined in.
The benches quickly returned to their original shape and the crowd began filing out. In just a moment, it was just the four of them.
“Thank you for this, truly.” Madam Teireshia regarded them with a cordial gaze. “It’s often difficult to stress how much trust and understanding matters in Summoning Magic. Some tend to view it as being kind and affectionate, but that’s hardly it. As you said, it all depends on the beast. Acting rude or tough might be the actual answer. But, allow me to ask, you didn’t cheat, did you?”
Grea laughed openly. “No, that was a good opportunity to test ourselves. I relied fully on Aura’s assistance. With how much we abuse Ast’s bond, it’s not unexpected for you to be suspicious. You experience only a dumbed-down version of it yourself and I bet it still is something else.”
“Very well. Thank you once more. Since this was an open class, there’s not much feedback I can give you. It was handled well. You kept their attention, decently intonated your sentences, introduced examples and displays, and most importantly, showed your passion for the topic,” the Principal listed. “Although, it would have done without that teasing in the middle. Flirting during class is distracting and therefore prohibited.”
“Flirting?!” The ex-professor threw her arms into the air. “She was trying to shoot my pussy off!”
“Don’t exaggerate. Those arrows were flashy but would have given you a rougher jab at most.” Madam Teireshia scoffed, her eyes roving over Asterios. “You’ve definitely had worse.”
Grea’s jaw almost unhinged at the comment.
Asterios threw an arm over her shoulder. “Time to go. We’ve made our escorts wait long enough. Madam Teireshia, it was a pleasure. We are grateful for this chance to experience teaching in front of this many people. I hope we can start those exchanges as soon as possible. Let’s head out.”
His demon lover kept opening and closing her mouth as he dragged her away with Tina following after them. Grea kept muttering something about where that snark had been years ago and how the Principal had always chided her for her dirty mouth.
Sending a mental note to Ori ahead of time, they regrouped with their escorts in front of the main building. The awaiting Lesser Dragons gathered some attention, but they pressed through the crowd to hop onto their mounts. Without further ado, the party launched into the air, circled the academy a few times, and soared toward their destination. To catch up a little, they raised their pace for a while.
Just a few hours later, they had the human capital in their sights. Unsurprisingly, a platoon of winged tigers was set on a course to intercept them. Tina’s squad slowed down and allowed the Royal Division to approach them comfortably. The leader of the welcoming delegation stopped a short distance in front of her.
“We’ve been awaiting your arrival, My Lord, My Ladies.” The man inclined his head. “Please, allow us to escort you to the landing zone.”
“After you, Captain.” Tina mirrored his action, and after he turned to his companions, she glanced over her shoulder. “I bet they don’t want us causing a commotion, which is understandable.”
However, she was proven wrong in just a few minutes. They knew the shortest path to the main castle and it clearly wasn’t how their escorts were leading them. It looked more like Ast’s group was paraded all over the streets before heading to their landing spot. Grea just snickered at the king’s audacity, but Asterios could guess that Welrond wanted to simply prove the rumors about the Lesser Dragons and shut down the nonbelievers.
At long last, they descended onto one of the teleporter platforms, like those used to transport troops between here and Patriarch Grotger’s peninsula during the joint raid on the cult. The dish could fit multiple carriages or a small army. But, while it was inactive, it served as a fancy landing pad.
“Maybe we should set up something like this in Glimmervale,” Tina thought out loud as they dismounted. “I’m sure our friends would come up with a more efficient version for all those locations that could be useful for us. It would be like Umbra’s transfer or Ast’s gates but for everyone.”
Grea froze mid-motion and almost crashed face-first into the pavement, but Asterios managed to catch her around the waist before the inevitable meeting of stone and bone.
“You good?” He helped his lover up.
She raised a hand in a universal sign to give her a second and they watched her Third Eye opening. Right after the black sclera with a dark red pattern appeared, her normal eyes darkened to match its shade. Jogging ahead, she ran from one point to another, squinting at various elements of the teleportation array. Their escorts were confused and got even more uncertain when she somehow activated the formation on her own, directing it through some weird phases that didn’t result in an immediate transfer.
“Open a gate for me, please,” Grea requested without looking at them and Asterios obliged, wondering what got her so worked up.
His crimson-skinned mate brought a plethora of notebooks out of her spatial storage and scattered them on the ground. Her eyes darted between his portal, the array, and her scribbles, which showcased different formations too. After a minute or two, her attention snapped back to his face.
“Do you think we can open a breach here? A tiny one, at least?” She looked so focused it was almost uncharacteristic for the mad researcher.
He pondered her request for a second and decided that his mastery over the technique was more than satisfactory at this point. Someone truly experienced would need to be looking exactly for such a thing in either location of the tear to spot any old traces. So, it was fine to choose relatively safe destinations.
Picking one, Asterios slowly opened a passage to Bryn’s realm, choosing Tyr for this attempt. He considered the Spire, but the chances of an actual True Dragon showing up there were actually higher due to his Dragon’s Heart resting there for almost two decades. The slit formed up and Grea examined it with just as much gusto.
“Tina, can you use both for me?” She bit her bottom lip, not in a sexy manner this time.
Raising a curious brow, the blue-haired girl shrugged and hopped through the gate. Waiting a while, she returned. Repeating the action a few times, she squeezed through the breach, which was half her height as Asterios hadn’t known it would be used. Making five trips back and forth, she glanced at her engrossed sister-mate.
Grinning like a cat that ate the canary, Grea shivered in delight. “I think… I found a way…”
She left it at that, taking a peek at their escorts, who didn’t seem to understand what was happening, but Asterios and Tina caught the insinuation immediately. Their Dragon Guard was almost there too as they were privy to most secrets, but clearly lacked a piece of information to fully grasp the context.
Matching her grin, Asterios ran up to her and pulled the amazing woman into a spinning hug. “You damn genius! What would I do without you?”
Giggling like a little girl, she rained kisses on his face. “It’s all thanks to you! I can see so much more now and it makes so much sense!”
“Sure, sure.” He chuckled, letting her down. “Now, better turn this thing off before we get in trouble. I’ll need to apologize to the king for touching his toys without permission. You are aware that our friends here could have locked you up right away for unauthorized access to the equipment of the state?”
“Oh, pshhhhh, we are a royal delegation, surely they can overlook this pretty lady getting fascinated with their technology, right, boys?” Grea batted her lashes at them. “Besides, I might just share some hints on how to improve it.”
Shaking his head, Asterios gestured at the Royal Division to continue with their task. Two members guided them into the castle while the rest took care of their Dragon Guard, who all turned humanoid for convenience. A few crossed hallways later, they were brought to a familiar entrance where the guards left them alone. After knocking on the door and receiving the invitation, Ast’s party entered the king’s lounge.
Welrond reclined atop one of the sofas while reading some papers, most likely reports or other documents related to his kingdom. Seeing his guests, he shoved those into his spatial storage and sat up with a big smile.
“Asterios! It’s been a while!” The king then politely nodded at his companions. “Tina. Grea. A pleasure. Silvia didn’t want to come?”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Grea curtsied properly. “She believes our capable fiancé should handle the political matters personally from time to time so he can gain more experience in being a monarch. Thus, he took only Tina as the commander of his guards and me for the company.”
He frowned at her slightly. “Are we being watched or something?”
A quiet snicker escaping him, Asterios stepped forward to shake the man’s hand. “My dear fiancé is practicing too. She wishes to represent me to the best of her abilities in the future.”
“Women in court should be at least this polite so as not to embarrass their partner,” she added with a delicate smile.
Welrond laughed openly. “I certainly agree. It was just an unexpected change. Your colorful personality is a memorable one. And it can be as much of an advantage as a disadvantage in noble or royal matters, so I get your point.”
“How so?” Grea tilted her head.
“Let’s get back to being less stiff. I have enough of that through the rest of my days here.” He guided them to the resting area and they all got seated. “Do you care about your personal image?”
She scoffed lightly. “It’s been in ruins forever and there’s barely anything that can worsen it by now.”
“Then there’s a certain courtroom tactic where one person plays the proper, well-mannered noble always responding politely and respectfully, while another is more noticeably obnoxious and confrontational. Such behavior takes the attention away from their companion and focuses it mostly on themselves,” Silvia’s father explained. “I mean no offense by it, but you seem perfect for that approach.”
“A decoy, basically.” Tina stroked her chin. “And it can even score some points for the partner if she gets scolded or brought to order by them. It’s certainly not something common. Noble ladies would find it hard to garner such infamy, dreading the effects of the stigma.”
“I have to admit, it does sound like the perfect role for me.” Grea glanced at Asterios thoughtfully. “And just as I made such a big promise to behave in public. I really don’t want to look like a cheap liar.”
Reaching out to brush her cheek, Asterios leaned in for a loving kiss. “I don’t think we’ll have many occasions to try this out so I’ll exempt you from that promise whenever it happens. It will certainly be tougher to keep your personality balanced than focus on just one so I find it more impressive if you manage to switch things up on demand.”
Biting into her lip, she smiled affectionately and nodded.
“Well, then.” Welrond clasped his hands. “What trouble did you cause this fast after your arrival? Scraped some roof during your victory lap over my domain? Breathed fire upon a poor street vendor? Let your Dragons eat a guard? My Court Magician was beside himself for a moment before rushing to check some unexpected mana fluctuation in the courtyard. You must have missed each other.”
“Don’t act like the first one wasn’t your idea.” Asterios shook his head. “As for the latter, Grea accidentally activated that big teleportation platform without triggering the transfer so that must be it. Hopefully, she didn’t break anything.”
“Hey! I was gentle!” His crimson-skinned lover huffed. “And I think I found a way to set up an interdimensional version now. Plus, suggest a few tweaks for the existing ones.”
The king blinked at her owlishly. “You are kidding.”
She snorted. “When it’s about being useful to Asterios? Never.”
“That’s a huge discovery!” He slapped his thigh and laughed again. “I assume you are going to keep it under wraps until everything is set up properly. It’s not like anyone else has allies in other realms anyway. Having a monopoly on something like that will funnel even more resources your way. Hopefully, you won’t forget about the old friends who gave you a push back at the beginning.”
“Never. When we start vacation resorts off-world, you’ll be the first one to gain VIP access to them.” Asterios smirked. “But on a more serious note, this is exactly what we needed for our Adventurer’s Guild plans. Since your technology is what might make it possible, it’s only natural we extend an offer of partnership in certain aspects of this endeavor. Just don’t expect results right away.”
“Of course.” The king grinned. “You’ll be making so many people jealous, though I’m more than confident that you have no reason to fear anyone. Speaking of which, I think it’s time I explained the reason behind this meeting.”
All three of them went to full attention.
“Jealousy is the keyword here.” Welrond sighed deeply. “Even amidst the sea of awe-inspiring news traveling here from your corner of the world, there are some who believe they would have done just as well if not even better in your place. They seem to be under the misconception that Glimmervale was destined to prosper and everything fell right into your lap, like that new dungeon of yours.”
Grea scoffed to the side. “Like hell. If not for our intervention, Glimmervale might have been a pile of smoking rocks by now. That son of a bitch who played with magic had not the slightest idea of what he was doing. It’s a miracle the town wasn’t overrun by monsters much earlier.”
“The dungeon came to existence only thanks to Grea’s efforts,” Tina added firmly. “And even if it didn’t, if she wasn’t there to take care of it, alongside the envoy of the elves, who knows how many villages would be erased from these lands under the might of those void monstrosities we stopped from coming in.”
“I understand that. Many do. But not all.” The king rubbed his forehead. “A bunch of nobles are still angry they weren’t the ones delegated to take over Glimmervale instead. It’s getting tiring having to fight back their claims. I feel like it won’t be long before they turn on us, and even if I don’t expect anything like that to happen, such disharmony can always become the very first seed of rebellion.”
“Shit.” Grea gritted her teeth. “No matter how big or small, innocent people always get caught in crossfire during uprisings like that.”
“That is my fear too, my dear,” Welrond admitted. “We need to do something before the situation gets worse. I brought you here in hopes of coming up with a solution together.”
They fell silent for a while, each of them racking their brains for some miraculous answer that didn’t lead to unnecessary bloodshed.
“If only this was Selene’s realm, she would have simply told the dissatisfied parties to challenge her or shut up.” Tina groaned miserably.
“Can’t we do that? We know Asterios will never lose anyway.” Grea looked at her hopefully. “Of fucking course not. There’s no way any of those slimebags would step into the arena.”
“Do they have to?” Ast’s brows furrowed. “They are nobles, which means they often delegate Knights or other representatives for their disputes, from what Silvia taught me. If they were allowed to sign up anyone they wanted for the contest, would they take the bait?”
The king peered into the ceiling as he leaned his head to the back. “Hmmm… They do keep whining that you are just some unassuming S-rank adventurer who got a lucky backing…”
“Almost EX-rank now if I remember correctly.” Asterios scrunched his lips. “Unless Suanori finalized some things behind our backs while we were away. Assuming not, the thing with the teleporter will be more than she needs.”
“Try to delay her as much as you can, then.” Silvia’s father chuckled a bit. “Those guys might not change their minds, but they will have it harder to find someone willing to go against you if you suddenly become an entity counted on the fingers of one hand as long and wide as Kraedorion is. Some could argue you already are.”
“Just wait for the day we release the embargo on Ast’s true identity.” Tina giggled mischievously.
“Don’t forget to invite me to the show.” The king shuddered in excitement. “In any way, it’s a far-fetched plan, but I can see it working out. I’ll need to make it official, ensuring that the winner will become the overseer of Glimmervale for the foreseeable future. To make it more real, I should convince them to allow you to challenge them back after some time. And perhaps put their own households on the line too. Won’t be as suspicious that way. When they inevitably lose, I will be able to set up someone more adequate to lead those families at least for a moment.”
“I still have doubts. Are they really that stupid to go against him? Even if he would fight alone?” Grea was rocking back and forth while biting on her nail.
“How many nobles can we rope into this, Your Majesty?” her sister-mate asked with a sly spark in her eyes.
“The worst group consists of five, but if I let them fan the flames of greed a little more instead of focusing my efforts on thwarting them as usual, they could bring others into their scheme.” Welrond slouched forward, resting his elbows atop his knees and his chin atop his joined hands. “I think I see where you are going with it. We should whisper to them a demand to hold all challenges on the same day. No one should be able to fight so many times in a row without a break. They will plot and conspire behind the scenes, promising each other shares of wealth and other things no matter which one of them wins. They can see Glimmervale’s potential. It could threaten to overtake us given enough time. Every noble dreams of being a king.”
“I kind of regret not bringing Silvia with us.” Asterios smiled warmly. “The two of you would have cooked up an unbelievable plan.”
“No, we will.” The man stood up abruptly. “This is so stupid it might actually work. Bring my daughter to me. We shall iron out every possible kink in this idea and get to work right away. Your visit works in our favor. I can let it slip that I’ve been dissatisfied with some of your decisions and demanded your explanation. It will be natural for me to be easier to manipulate while frustrated and thus easier for them to get cocky. But, we need to act fast. When can you host this little bout?”
“We have prior obligations with the Clash of Forges in a week,” Tina notified him. “Since travel time doesn’t matter to us, six days from today at the latest, or after we are done there, which isn’t easy to calculate.”
“That’s enough if you can set up one of those teleporters in the meantime and we connect it here.” He rubbed his hands together. “They need to feel the fire under their asses to be unable to second guess themselves. Let’s get to work. We’ll give you our final verdict before the evening. Tell Silvia to meet me in my study.”
With a quick nod, Welrond rushed out of the lounge, a quite unkingly grin adorning his lips during his escape. He really had it out against those pesky nobles, hadn’t he?